First Day of School

Ready for school: kindergarten & fourth grade

Can't wait to see Mrs. Olance

Rick the bus driver is on time at 8:10 AM

Time to go!

Emma & Colleen resume their safety positions from last year.

End of Summer

The end of summer is officially here. The kids are in bed ready to begin school tomorrow. Emma will be in Mrs. Remington's 4th grade class and Joe will be in Mrs. Olance's basic classroom and plugged into Ms. Dunn's kindergarten class (second times a charm!) for meaningful activities. We have Joe's IEP written so that he will shoot to achieve all of the kindergarten goals this year. He has worked hard this summer on reading and numbers. He also did a lot of OT tasks to strengthen his fingers and improve his small motor skills. He continued seeing Miss Kim for ST and I think that he is talking more everyday. His big successes this summer were learning to ride a bike (with training wheels) and swimming without a life jacket. Emma continues to be very active and is looking forward to soccer starting again on Wednesday. She decided to continue with choir this year too. It looks like it will be as busy this school year as it was last year.

It's raspberry season!

New furniture

Like mother, like daughter.

Joe is finally in a big boy bed and Emma has changed her Princess themed quilt to a more "tween" style of polka dots. Emma also now has a big desk and Joe has a dresser that has enough room for all of his clothes! Joe had a tough time sleeping the first couple of nights but now he has the hang of it.

Chalk on the patio

New Pals

My new colleague has arrived with her 3 terrific kids (and 1 spouse). Clara, Inga, and Carl went to the Y camp with Emma and one day after camp we all went to the MSU pool and then they came over for a cookout. Here is Emma, Inga, Joe, and Clara and the kids table. Where is Carl?

Please sponsor Team Joe!

Joe Counts

Knock Knock

Family Vacation

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Buddy Walk TV Ad

Our Buddy Walk is Sunday Sept. 27th, 12 PM at Potter Park Zoo.

In Memory of E.K.S.

In memory of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the best TV ad EVER!

Here is the video: "My Friend Isabelle" posted on the National Down Syndrome Society website.
Click HERE and meet the real Isabelle & Charlie.

Lansing Lugnuts

We have gone to the Lansing Lugnuts a few times this summer. The past two Fridays we have gone with CADSA and the Sparrow Superstars. The games are very family-friendly, but Joe has a tough time. His ear wax issue has finally been resolved but now he hears the world like the rest of us and things like baseball games are "too loud" for him. He didn't stay for the CADSA game, but he did stay for a few innings of the Sparrow game on Friday. You can see him with his hands over his ears in the slide show.

Joe & Daisy

Sparrow Superstars

Here is the link to the front page story about the Sparrow Superstars in the Lansing State Journal.

Sparrow Superstars in LSJ

Tomorrow there will be a front page story about Joe's T-ball team, The Sparrow Superstars, in the Lansing State Journal. The on-line version of the paper has all of the photos posted today and a video about one of Joe's teammates, Ethan. This year we watched as Ethan ran all the bases without his wheelchair. It was amazing! To see the video about Ethan click "The Butterfly Child" on the right hand column. Caroline Thomas, another teammate, is also featured in a separate photo essay linked on the right hand column.

Holland Beach

Today we drove to the beach in Holland, MI. The water in lake Michigan was freezing but that didn't stop Emma and Joe from swimming for about an hour.

NEW DATE FOR BUDDY WALK!

The annual CADSA (capitol area Down syndrome association) Buddy Walk will be SUNDAY afternoon September 27 at Potter Park Zoo. Sorry about the confusion we had to change the day and location. Everyone is invited to be on Team Joe. I'll post more information as we get closer to the event. Please plan to join us!

Blueberry Picking

Joe on the move

Joe's big milestone this summer is riding a bike with training wheels. He loves his red bike and is very motivated to ride it around the neighborhood and especially to the playground.

Last T-ball Game of the Season

Emma reaching for the polar bear

Joe cracking us up on the train.

Detroit Zoo

We went to the Detroit Zoo with the Dickert-Conlin family today.
Charlie, Daniel, Molly, Joe & Emma on the train to the other end of the zoo.

Sticking tongues out (except Joe) like giraffes.

Joe feeding a baby giraffe apple slices. He took a bit after the giraffe.

Emma feeding the baby giraffe.

Emma and Daniel watching polar bears swim over their heads.

Prairie dog exhibit. Behind this dog is a place where kids can look up and see the world like a prairie dog.

Prairie dog Emma. Joe did this but he was too short to pop up and see.

4th of July Weekend

Cousins visit

Amy, David, Emma & Joe

Last week David and Kamila visited from NYC while Chris was in Rome. While they were here we took a day trip to Saugatuck. This photo was taken at the top of a very high hill overlooking the lake harbor.

Kennedy-Brownbeck Bill

NDSS and NDSC Applaud Funding for Kennedy-Brownback Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act
The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) commend the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for providing funding to implement the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (also known as the Kennedy-Brownback bill in honor of the two Senators who originally championed it).The passage of this important legislation was an extremely high priority for NDSS and NDSC, the original sponsors of the bill in the Senate and the leadership of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus. After an extensive advocacy effort, including visits to Capitol Hill by individuals with Down syndrome and their families, the bill was signed into law by former President Bush on October 8, 2008. However, it did not come with any Congressional appropriations to enact the recommendations. Now, MCHB has dedicated $820,000 in funding for each of the next four years. The funding will be awarded through a federal grant process. Eligible groups--which include hospitals, disability groups, governmental agencies, etc.--are encouraged to apply for the funding in a competitive application. One "applicant" will receive the funding. Although according to the terms of the grant, single disability organizations cannot be the "lead" grantee in the proposal, NDSS and NDSC are partnering with other disability organizations to submit one proposal as a combined "applicant." By the end of the year, an announcement will be made on which applicant wins the competition and receives the funding.