Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!

It's hard to believe October is almost over. As of today, we're gearing up for a full week of celebrating Halloween!

Here are a few things I'm currently loving:

{ONE}

I was so honored to be invited back for another year on the Netflix #StreamTeam! My VIP welcome gift arrived this week, and I have to admit, I was blown away by their generosity. Year one was an amazing experience, and I have a feeling year two is going to be every bit as great!  Thank you, Netflix! (Pssst...Season Three of Hemlock Grove will be up on Netflix TODAY! I'm so excited.  Does anybody else watch it?)

{TWO}

Grant had a very rare Monday off this week.  I was so glad he didn't have to go into the office.  Instead, he got to pick up Lily from preschool, and take her to the coffee shop for hot chocolate.  It pretty much made her day!

{THREE}

After a GLORIOUS Indian Summer, it got really chilly for a few days.  I knew it was time for a new pair of boots, so I headed to Kohl's.  I couldn't pass up some adorable boot socks from Target, too! I save my gift cards all year for a good reason! Of course, right after I bought them, it went back up into the seventies. Soon....

BOOTS // SOCKS

{FOUR}

Speaking of changing seasons, my favorite creamer is back in the stores!  I wait all year for this!

{FIVE}

This little dude is rocking his daily photoshoots for Down Syndrome Awareness Month!  You can follow along on INSTAGRAM!

Liam's also rocking his Dapper Fox Bandana Bib from Anchored Arrow & Co! I love foxes and I put Liam in bow ties several days a week, so foxes wearing bowties is just plain awesome!  Eliza's shop was one of the first I found on Instagram.  I love Eliza, I love her adorable items, and we are honored to be a brand rep for her!

Now, I'm off to mentally prepare for a 5th grade Halloween party.  As in, the ENTIRE 5th Grade.  I have a feeling it's going to be loud and chaotic!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

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Linking up for Friday Favorites //  Oh Hey Friday // High Five For FRIDAY

Meet Caleb! Downright Blessed: Life with Down Syndrome

Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month!

I'm so excited to bring you the second post in the Downright Blessed: Life with Down Syndrome series!  We each have a story, and every story is different. With each story shared, we are able to spread even more awareness!

Today, I'd like you to meet a beautiful boy named Caleb and his sweet mom, Stephanie!  Stephanie blogs about life with her husband and her two sons at The Johnsons.

After I had Liam, I searched for other bloggers who had a child with Down syndrome.  Stephanie's blog was one of the first I found.  I read through every post and fell in love with Caleb through her pictures and words. Her love for Caleb, and his baby brother, Tyler, is evident in every picture she posts. Caleb has overcome so much in his short life, and I consider it a privilege to be able to cheer him on through social media. Caleb will be celebrating his third birthday this month!

Here is Stephanie's story:

After a struggle with infertility, my husband and I were thrilled when we found out that we were expecting our first child.

Caleb was born in October 2012. We had spent years, and especially the previous several months, dreaming about our son and our growing family. As soon as Caleb was placed into my arms, we were overjoyed to finally meet our child...but there was something about him that didn't seem quite as I expected.

I just brushed off that suspicious feeling and started the bonding process with him. A couple hours after his birth, we were told that he likely had Down syndrome. And a couple hours after that, we were told that he had a congenital heart defect that would eventually require open heart surgery.

Wow... what a shock. 

That day did not go as planned, and I was so confused. We prayed for this child for so many years. Wasn't infertility enough? Down syndrome, too? I questioned God. I questioned myself and my abilities to raise a child who had special needs. I was scared. I didn't understand what was going on. But Caleb was more than a diagnosis. He was a little baby who needed his mommy...and I needed him.

The last three years haven't always been easy, as we've dealt with surgeries, illnesses, and therapies. But we've had many more good times than difficult ones.

Caleb inspires me as I watch him work so hard to achieve milestones that come easy to his peers.

When he does something for the first time, he claps and says "yes" with so much enthusiasm.

He makes my heart melt when he signs "Jesus", because my greatest prayer for my boys is that they will know and love our Lord, Jesus Christ.

He makes me laugh when we head south to visit family and he thinks the sign for Texas is the same as Jesus...I'm a proud Texan, but we need to work on making sure he understands the difference between those two!

Caleb gives the best hugs and high fives, and he can snuggle better than anyone I know.

He makes instant friends with anyone we meet in a waiting room, grocery store or restaurant.

He is a wonderful big brother...most of the time, as you might expect any three year old little boy to be.

There are still lots of unknowns in our future, but I'm no longer afraid. I'm excited to see what's ahead for Caleb and our family. I know he will do amazing things, and I will always be his biggest cheerleader.

You can find Stephanie on Instagram, Twitter, and of course, at her blog!  

Thank you so much for sharing your story and your sweet boy with all of us, Stephanie! Caleb is absolutely beautiful (as is Tyler). You are one lucky mama!  Happy 3rd birthday to Caleb!

If you would like to share your story, please send an email to lexieloolilyboodylantoo@yahoo.com.

Party 'Til You Drop

October is a really busy month for our family!

Between birthdays, parties, school events, and Fall activities, there truly isn't time to do anything else. We often party 'til we drop! (Don't believe me?  Scroll down to the bottom of the post!)

Some of our favorite "framily" members have October birthdays.  Our little buddy, Logan, turned 6 on the 16th.  On the 17th, Liam's BFF,Violet, turned 2.  And on the 18th, one of my closest friends (AKA Logan's mom), Tracy, celebrates her birthday! Needless to say, we had a week full of celebrating!

Last Sunday, we celebrated Logan's birthday with a Nerf-themed party!  The kids had so much fun!

After almost a month of being apart, our "framily" was so happy to see each other two days in a row! We reunited at the Dash for Down Syndrome the day before Logan's party. We really missed each other! 

On Saturday, we got together again to celebrate Violet's 2nd Birthday!

I can still vividly remember the day Violet was born.  I was supposed to photograph her birth, but Liam ended up in the hospital.  He was 2 months old and still not up to birth weight, so they were trying to find out why.  I was really hoping that Steph would be able to hold on a day or two so I could be there. 

No such luck.  

I spoke to Steph on the morning of her due date and she was having contractions.  Meanwhile, Liam was taken into the OR to have a procedure done under general anesthesia.  I was a nervous wreck in the waiting room, thinking about all the things they told me could go wrong.  And then, just when I thought my nerves would get the best of me, a picture of baby Violet showed up on my phone.  

It wasn't the way I planned or expected, but that text was the most welcome distraction ever! And now she's TWO!

When our families get together, craziness ensues!  We have so much fun!

And, well, we stay up late.  REALLY late.  Our kids are party animals!

We definitely party until we drop.  Even if it's in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Do you have close friends who are like family to you?

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HELLO, Friday!

Happy Friday!



We have a really busy weekend ahead of us, but it's going to be fun!  I hope you do, too!

It's hard to believe, but we are officially halfway through Down Syndrome Awareness Month!  I've been sharing daily facts and pictures of Liam on Instagram and Facebook, and I'll recap at the end of the month. 

For now, you should check out my interview with Lauren from Denver Metro Moms Blog.You can read it HERE! Thank you, Lauren, for helping spread awareness (AKA The TRUTH about Down syndrome)!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Halloween Sensory Play

October is almost halfway over, and we're trying to cram in every possible Halloween activity into a month that flies by too quickly!

Sensory Play is a favorite in our home!  The messier it is, the better.  I'm not quite sure why, but kids love to get messy, and I believe they should be allowed to do so.  I'm not always a big fan of the cleanup, but these days are fleeting, and I know I'm going to miss the messes all too soon!

Last week, we whipped up a few batches of slime for some Halloween Sensory Play! We made Googly Eye Monster Slime, Candy Corn Slime, and Spooky Spider Slime.

GOOGLY EYE MONSTER SLIME

TO MAKE THE SLIME: 8 oz white glue (I used two 4 oz bottles), 1 tsp Borax (found in laundry detergent aisle), 1 cup warm water, green food coloring, and Googly Eyes

1. Empty glue into a large bowl.
2. Fill glue bottle(s) completely with warm water (you will use 1/2 cup water), shake, then pour into the bowl that contains the glue.  Stir. 
3. Add several drops of neon green food coloring to the glue mixture.  Stir. 
4. Mix 1 tsp Borax into 1/2 cup warm water. Stir until the Borax dissolves.
5. Slowly pour the Borax solution into the glue solution while stirring. Keep a close eye on this process!  This is where the science aspect of it begins.  You will see the glue solution almost immediately begin to form into a solid as it meets the Borax solution!
6. Dig in and knead the slime!
7. Add the googly eyes to the top of the slime mixture.

I made this slime for Lexie a few years ago, but Lily didn't remember it.  She actually screamed when I showed it to her for the first time and said it was REALLY creepy! Creepy but FUN!

CANDY CORN SLIME

TO MAKE THE SLIME:  2 cups cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups COLD water, orange food coloring, and candy corn

1. Pour 2 cups cornstarch into a large bowl.
2. Mix in 1 1/2 cups cold water.
3. Add drops of orange food coloring until you reach your desired shade.
4. Drop in candy corn.

The girls loved this one!  It's more like GOOP, so it feels like a solid until you scoop it up, then it turns into a liquid, and drips out of your hands.  Since the girls were playing with it on a hot day, the candy corn started to melt into the goop, which looked very cool!

SPOOKY SPIDER SLIME

TO MAKE THE SLIME: 1 bottle of glitter glue, 1 cup warm water + 1-2 TBSP warm water, 1 tsp Borax, and spider rings

1. Dissolve 1 tsp Borax in 1 cup warm water.
2. Pour glitter glue into large bowl.  
3. Add 1-2 TBSP warm water and stir again.
4. Slowly pour Borax solution into the glue solution while stirring.  You will see the glue almost immediately start to solidify!
5. Form a ball with the Glitter Slime and knead! 
6. Mix in the spiders.

This one was the messiest, but so much fun!!!

  
After we were done, we put each slime into storage containers, and stored it in the fridge. We usually keep our slime/goop for a few weeks before making a new batch.  

My kids loved all the different Halloween items we added to our typical slime/goop recipes! Halloween Sensory Play was a hit!

What is your favorite Sensory Play Activity?

You can find more ideas HERE.

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Dashing for Down Syndrome

Three years ago, we were a new family embarking on a Down syndrome journey.

At the time, I had no idea where this path would lead.  I still felt slightly shell-shocked, and hadn't met anyone in the Down syndrome community in person.

We were encouraged to attend the Dash for Down Syndrome, which benefited the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh. We were hesitant about going, but at the very last minute, we decided to give it a shot.  I am SO glad we stepped out of our comfort zone and attended.

From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed by other parents who were on a similar journey.  Before we even made it up to the tent to register, a woman walked up to us, introduced herself, gave us a hug, and pointed out her own son.  We met so many people that day and my husband and I found ourselves holding back tears on several different occasions.

The Down syndrome community is simply amazing. When we're all together as a group, there's an overwhelming feeling of happiness, love, acceptance, and positivity. I've never experienced anything else like it!

Although we've attended many playdates and events with our local Down syndrome community, the Dash for Down Syndrome is the biggest event of the year.  We attend every year, and each year, our team grows!

On Saturday, we headed into Pittsburgh to attend the Dash for Down Syndrome at the Highmark Stadium. It was our third year, and we were so thankful Grant's mom, two of my dad's cousins, and our "framily" could join us! The SuperLiam League is awesome!

We had an afternoon full of family, friends, fun, and celebrating our loved ones with Down syndrome!

Liam spotted himself on the big screen...

...and didn't hesitate to stop, drop, and #downwarddude!

The Dash for Down Syndrome is a great family event.  There are bounce houses, games, train rides, balloon artists, and snacks. The mascots for the Pirates and the Steelers are always there. The kids always have so much fun!

Finally, it was time for the walk!  This year's walk was my favorite so far.  We walked along the river, into station square, around the fountain, and back along the river.  The view of the city was every bit as beautiful as it was in the stadium.

I always get so choked up while we walk.  There's a line of people as far as you can see in front of you and as far as you can see behind you.  It's a very powerful and moving experience to be part of a group of people who all come together for one cause.

Just for the record, even superheroes need to take breaks sometimes.

When we returned to the stadium, our friends and family members began to leave.  Liam woke up and explored the nearly empty field.

Don't worry, Pittsburgh.  Liam has your back!

The Dash for Down Syndrome is the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh's biggest fundraising event of the year.  This year, we all raised over $90,000.  That money directly benefits Liam and his peers by funding local programs that help them! If you would like to donate to this great cause, you can still do so HERE.

A huge thank you to The SuperLiam League for all the love, support, and donations. We love you all!

It was another great year at the Dash for Down Syndrome!  It has quickly become one of our favorite events of the year!!!

If you are new to the Down syndrome community, I highly encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, and attend an event.  I promise you won't regret it.  Community and support is one of the most important aspects on this journey!

Do you personally know someone who has Down syndrome? 

LET'S CONNECT!
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