2012 Miracle League

The 2012 Miracle League.  Joe's team is the Cubs.  Click here to see the slide show:  Miracle League

First Day of Third Grade!

First Day of Middle School!

Day at the Zoo

Waiting for the train at the Detroit Zoo.

Ready for school

                                                      Finally!  A desk for Joe.  Just in time for third grade.

2012 Buddy Walk, NYC

Congratulations! The photo you submitted for the 2012 NDSS Times Square Video has been selected!  Your photo was one of the 1,000 photos sent to NDSS for this year's contest and it will appear in this year's video with more than 200 other unique individuals with Down syndrome.

Joe's image will be up in lights!

The Gang's All Here

The cousins with Tutu and Papou

Emma sharing information with the boys.

Fun with Cousins

                                                                                  Baby Luke

                                                                                  Joe and Luke

Emma and Luke

Emma, Joe, and Luke

Joe and Jack

Joe and Jack

Visit to Berea College

We are on our way to Atlanta and we have stopped over night near Berea College in Kentucky where my niece Carleigh graduated from college a few years ago.  It was great to walk around the campus and remember the last time we were here celebrating with our family. 

Team Joe

Please join us for our annual Step Up for Down Syndrome walk on Sept 9th from 12-4 PM at Potter Park Zoo.  Join  Team Joe

Emma's First Volunteer Opportunity

Last night Emma participated in the public library's reading in the MSU children's garden program.  The program has teens spread throughout the MSU 4-H garden from 7-8:30 PM.  Children can walk through the garden and stop at different spots to hear stories.  In these photos Emma is reading "Pete the Cat."  Here is the link to the library program:  http://www.elpl.org/events/stories-garden-1

Joe and his pal Jackson

Joe hits both pitches

                       Chris took this photo of Joe right after he hit a pitch.  The T-stand is pushed to the side!

Writing Camp

Emma is in a writing camp at MSU this week called "Just for Girls."  She has been working on poems and shirt stories this week.  At home she has started writing a novel about a group of kids trying to survive seventh grade (that's how she describes it).

Hitting a pitch

On Monday night Joe tried hitting the baseball without a T-stand.  Here he is about to hit a regular pitch for the first time during a game.  He was also wearing ankle braces for the first time and we noticed that they made a big difference for him with running.  Tonight is the last game of the Mid-Michigan Miracle League season.  Go Cubs!

Sesame Street: Share It Maybe

4th of July

smores on a HOT night

Emma and Calvin

Miracle League

Joe's team was featured in our local Sunday newspaper.  Click to read the article.  Mid-Michigan Miracle League

Joe is wearing the green shorts.

Emma at Camp

Math and Science Week

Day 5: Economics with Mike Conlin.

Economics

Day 2: Evolution in Action.

Day 3: Mathematics is Beautiful!

Day 4: Neuropsychology

Day 1:  Pharmacology.

Last week, during the mornings,  Emma and four friends spent time in MSU labs and classrooms.  Last spring my friend Stacy and I asked MSU science and social science faculty if they would be willing to volunteer a morning to give instruction to a small group of 12-year-olds.  We wanted the kids to see the labs and learn about what scientists and other faculty do at the university.  We were very lucky that many people agreed and we were able to put together a week of science exploration.  When they weren't in the labs/classrooms, they swam at the MSU outdoor pool, ate lunch, had some ice cream at the Dairy Store on campus, and a few of the kids went to sports camps in the afternoon (Emma went to volleyball).  It was a great week, and the kids learned a lot.  I love it that they had one-on-one instruction from leading researchers in their fields.  What do the kids want to be when they grow up?  As of last week:  an actor, a librarian, a therapist, a lawyer, and a neuropsychologist.