Time Brings Changes

Jul 17, 2014

I have not regaled you with any Carlton stories for awhile but the truth is that since we no longer have the day to day contact with him like when we were living in Ohio taking care of him the stories are few and far between.  Add to the fact that our sweet Carlton is aging and showing the signs of aging and the stories are stories of a different type. The stories now are more stories that are centered around his changing behavior.  Our once outgoing and talkative Carlton is now far more …

Come on –Get Happy

Mar 23, 2014

I have been obsessed with this song lately but then yesterday I stumbled across this video and I became even more obsessed!  It was made in honor of World Down Syndrome Day (March 21) and is so fun I had to share it.  I was a bit disturbed that the spelling of syndrome was incorrect until my friend, Susi, told me it was the German spelling and that it was obviously filmed in Germany.  I was clueless and thanks to Susi now I know!!!  By the way, today is Susi's birthday so show her some love by …

He Had Fun Despite the Snack Deficit

Jun 10, 2013

We all have routines.  Some more than others. This weekend was further evidence to me of how much patience my sister in law has and how blessed we are to have the family that we have.  Let me explain. Chris and I had planned to take Carlton to Minneapolis for an overnight trip .  On the agenda:  the Mall of America, the Minnesota Zoo and a stay in a hotel with a pool.  Well, we can check all those things off now and I "think" it was successful.  Sometimes it is hard to tell but no blood was …

An Attitude of Gratitude

May 20, 2013

To be ungrateful is sinful.  It is a failure to repay a moral debt.  There are degrees of ungratefulness. The first degree is to neglect to return a favor.  The second degree is to take no notice of the favor. The lowest degree in ingratitude is to fail even to admit to one's self that a favor has been given.  We are all familiar with ungrateful people--people who accept favors as if they were theirs by right, people who never thank anyone for favors, and people who never return a favor.  Such …

A Special Day for a Special Guy

Mar 21, 2013

Today is a special day!  It is World Down Syndrome Day 2013 and today I celebrate my brother in law, Carlton!   Carlton is such a joy to our family and over the past several years, especially, I have shared on my blog many things about how Carlton has enriched our lives.   We had the privilege to live with him for about 7 months and it was an adventure beyond my wildest dreams at times but one that I would never trade in the world. One of my favorite things was waking up to his morning …

Candy Wrappers, Napkins and Banana Peels

Feb 28, 2013

Life with an adult with Down Syndrome is interesting.  I always thought I knew my brother in law, Carlton, but until I actually lived with him for 6 months I did not have a clue.  Not that I got it all figured out after 6 months of living with him but I do understand a lot more than I did before and that is a good thing. We had to have some regular maintainance done on the house and so the HVAC guy came to check things out.  Chris mentioned that the upstairs was always really warm and …

Hope = Glass Half Full

Aug 20, 2012

School is starting everywhere and I have an assignment.  Miranda from Scattering Moments wrote an amazing blog post about hope.  As it turns out it is part of a bigger thing going on in the blogosphere where some tagging is going on.  She tagged me.  I am trying to rise to the challenge though there is no way I will ever be able to come close to touching her story of hope---I offer you my own perspective. Hope is both a verb and a noun which should tell you something about the word itself.  …

Baking and Painting

Aug 9, 2012

Some of you know that we have Chris's brother, Carlton, with us for a couple of weeks.  13 days to be exact according to him.  He is a numbers guy.  Ask him when his birthday is in the next couple of years and he can tell you what day of the week it falls on.  Christmas---same thing.  Last night he was reciting all the birthdays and anniversaries in the family.  He usually gets them right and if he is off he kind of has a hard time admitting it.  :-)   I am trying to keep him happy and busy …

Back to (My Altered) Reality

Aug 5, 2012

I would have to say this has been a very bizarre and busy month.  My life of late has been fairly routine and predictable.  Then summer hit and it has been basically non stop travel and weirdness.  Not all weirdness is bad, trust me.  I like the unpredictable at times and I like new things and adventures.  It broadens me (as if I needed broadened anymore after all the fabulous food I have had on vacations as of late). Two weeks ago is kind of a blur.  Return from China had me a bit out of …

Storage Units and Birthday Bashes

Apr 19, 2012

It's official.  We are some of "those people" who are renting a storage unit!  Yikes.  How did we get there?  Quite simply put---we got there because Chris's dad's house in Ohio has sold and we don't have time to UHaul our treasures across the country right now.  Whew.  We had an exhausting but productive weekend and I wanted to share a bit of our adventures. Chris and I went and secured said storage unit on Saturday morning.  Great owner and great conversation.  I quipped to her that I bet …