Our Five Ring Circus: August 2020

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Happy "Lucky Seven" Liam!

 

Down syndrome blog


When Liam was born, he gave us the surprise of our lives! It's hard to believe 7 years have passed since that life-changing moment. The years flew by, and here we are celebrating our extra special son's 7th birthday!

As I searched through my blog to find pictures from each of Liam's birthdays, tears streamed down my cheeks. We have come so far since the moment Liam stared into my eyes and let me know that he had Down syndrome. We didn't celebrate his actual birth day, so we try to make each of his birthdays just a bit more special to make up for it!

Liam Dayne was born on August 18th, 2013, at 1:58 PM. He was 7 lbs 11 oz and 20 1/4 inches. He was rocking an extra chromosome that we didn't know about. His birth was unique, and incredibly emotional and unexpected. Liam is our light and our joy, and today, we celebrate 7 amazing years with him!

Monday, August 17, 2020

An Easy Way To Give Your Immune System a Natural Boost with Sambucol

 

Big Family Blog

I received this product for free from Moms Meet to review. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links. 

If this was a typical year, we would be getting ready to head back to school, and starting to boost our immune systems for the influx of germs. But really, there's nothing typical about this year, is there? Instead, we're doing what we can to stay healthy, and preparing ourselves for the unexpected...because the unexpected just keeps hitting us in 2020!


Health and wellness has always been a part of my family's daily routine. We eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water, exercise daily, and (try to) get enough sleep each night. We also take vitamins and supplements each day to fill in any gaps. 

We haven't changed much in our wellness regimen this year, but our lifestyle sure has changed! Remote learning, cleaning our home and washing our hands more often, mandatory mask wearing, social distancing...every morning I wake up and think, "Is this really happening?!?"  Unfortunately, it is, and it has made me more focused on maintaining my family's good health. Thankfully, there's an easy way to boost our immune systems!

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

The Last Days of July

Large Family Blog


I can't believe July is over, and the first day of school is just weeks away! The pandemic might have put an end to all our usual fun Summer activities, but time isn't slowing down one bit. After 4 months of social distancing, we managed to cram some fun into the end of July!

During the last ten days of July, we spent a lot of time outdoors, celebrated a birthday, reinstated family hikes, and jumped back into a busy cheer schedule. With the exception of wearing a mask in public, life started to feel a bit more normal. It is such a welcome feeling!

July was a fun month! (It was definitely more exciting than the previous three months combined!) I shared the first half here, and here's how we spent the remainder of the month...

Friday, August 7, 2020

Fun Target Dollar Spot Finds For The Upcoming (Home)School Year

 

We are 3 1/2 weeks away from the first day of school, and we still haven't chosen a schooling option. It's a decision that has been taking over my thoughts every waking hour for months. Nothing feels right, and there are no good options for my family. I have absolutely no idea what to do, but that's another topic for another day!


This past school year taught me to expect ANYTHING to happen! I never expected to enroll a child in cyber school, and I never expected schools to close abruptly in March. There was no closure this past school year, and this upcoming school year is going to be unlike anything we've ever experienced. Whether we choose going to school 5 days a week, live streaming classes 5 days a week, cyber school, or homeschooling, I wanted to be prepared, so I stocked up on supplies at my go to - the Target Dollar Spot! 

I wouldn't be surprised if we all ended up learning from home again at some point this school year, but if that doesn't happen, I'll still support in-school curriculum with learning activities at home. Plus, I'll be working with Coen at home in the near future, and I use a lot of items for at home therapy with Liam, so nothing will go to waste. (Remember my Target Dollar Spot busy bags? They are one of my most popular posts on here and on Pinterest, and we still use them every week!) 

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Lily's 9th Birthday Interview & Photoshoot

Birthday Interview

We are back from Lily's 9th Birthday celebration! We had a great time, and found a new favorite tradition to add to our list. I will be sharing our little adventure later this week, but first wanted to honor Lily's wish to share her birthday interview!


My kids love answering the questions for their birthday interview each year! It's fun to see how much their answers change from year to year, and compare their answers to their siblings' answers. I didn't realize how much Lexie and Lily had in common until I copied Lexie's 13th Birthday interview, and changed the answers for Lily!

Lily had a wonderful 9th Birthday despite the pandemic changing all of our original plans. She wanted to answer these questions the night of her birthday, but we were all exhausted. Instead, she answered them last night, and I promised I would share them today. So here is Lily at 9 years old...

Monday, August 3, 2020

Happy 9th Birthday, Liliana!


Parenting Blog

She arrived on a warm August morning, as the sun was rising over Pittsburgh. What I remember most about that day was how still, how silent, how calm, and how beautiful that morning was. Not a sound was heard in labor and delivery, as she took her first breath. Her arrival was peaceful, as if she had always been with us. 


As of 7:24 this morning, Liliana is 9 years old! I truly can't believe 9 years have gone by since her birth day. Lily is a beautiful, smart, loving, funny, strong, and confident kid. She is so sweet and unique, and has the ability to capture the heart of everyone she meets. 

Lily had her heart set on a party with her friends at a skating rink, followed by a big family party this year, but hello, pandemic. She was so bummed, so Grant and I worked extra hard to give her a socially distanced birthday celebration that she will always remember. We can't wait to celebrate our beautiful girl when she wakes up later this morning! For now, here's a look at Lily's birth day, followed by each birthday she celebrated. She grew TOO fast!