I can' t believe it has been a month since I have had something to say on this blog! For those of you who grew up w/ me, you are grateful since you listened to my ramblings far too long. However, this is a great forum to document those funny little quips children blurt that warm the cockles of your heart. All day my little people will say something that makes me stop and laugh out loud and I'll make a mental note to share that on the blog later. And then amnesia kicks in and I couldn't tell you what I ate for breakfast (probably because I didn't get to eat breakfast) let alone remember what the kids said to me! Which is too bad because some of the things out of the mouths of babes are pretty profound! My personal favorite is one Rainie-Grace says often, "I want to make you comfy". I love it! I like to think that she is always comfy and happy w/ her family and home and she wants to share that. You notice I made it about me. I have to find a way to measure my own success as a mom w/out waiting until she's an adult.

We have been home from the Grand Canyon for one month now and we are finally getting back to normal. We had an awesome visit w/ Uncle Craig when we got home and he brought some really cool gifts. My boys love Army stuff! Clothes, pictures, army gear.....
Since Craig left I have heard a half dozen times,"I should have asked Uncle Craig that". These boys think that Uncle Craig has knowledge of all government secrets! Including extraterrestrial knowledge!

We've tried to focus on school work so as to not get too far behind once the Buddy Walk countdown is on but that's not realistic. Home schooling three this year really is a full-time job. We start at 8am and last night didn't finish until 6pm!!! Now there is alot of playing outside in there because the weather is so lovely, but we school outside as well.

After the Buddy Walk, which is this weekend, we are going to start construction on a Christmas Parade float. Chloe's Buddies and the Summers are doing two parades. Inverness and Crystal River night parade. It is all very exciting. Stay tuned for updates.......

I don't know what's worse; Texas or Brent's feet!

Stink is now measured on a new scale in our home; Texas. No offense to those who live there; you must me used to it. However, Brent has achieved an all new level of stink w/ his little punky feet. I'm already having anxiety about riding in the car w/ him tomorrow. Oh well..... tomorrow is the day we go back to reality. The kids are already fussing that they want to stay one more day and then the day after that would be one more day; so on and so forth. I also think grandma would lose her mind and you'd have to send the Nat'l guard to save her if you told her she wasn't going home to her dogs tomorrow. She misses her dogs so much she's approaching strangers and taking pictures of their dogs! We've actually teased her mercilessly about this; so I figured I'd take one last jab and blog about it. The day has been full today. We did beignets, lots of community coffee, mommy haircut, Raising Canes chicken ( best chicken, sweet tea and caniac sauce you've ever had), picnic in the amphitheater on campus, visited Indian mounds and last but not least we visited Mike the tiger.






My kids are so influenced by their father's affection for the Gators that it's embarrassing to take them to see Mike since they taunt him w/ chants of "gator bait!" But for some reason they love to go on campus when we visit Baton Rouge. It's probably because the dairy center here makes their own ice cream. And after a brutal Louisiana summer day, enjoying the fresh hot humid air, ice cream is a welcomed treat. As a matter of fact "vacation mom" will let you have ice cream twice in one day. We finished off our last day w/ a swim and more scream from cold stone or freezing pebbles, as Sam likes to call it! "Vacation mom" was also reminded by her kids that "vacation dad" allows them to have mocha frappucinos, which I caved to and promptly regretted as they were bouncing off one and other like ricochet rabbit! This "vacation" state of mind that they like to refer to is about to come to a screeching halt. A new school year is a waiting them at home. ( insert evil laugh here)
I actually had a man ask if we were taking all these kids on a field trip. Six really doesn't seem like a lot to me. Seeing as you can get a reality show if you have more than eight. Me in my Jammie's falling asleep on the sofa while reading to my kids would be WAY too much reality, though. I love this picture as it reflects Rebekah's affection for being the center of attention. She sat herself down in the center of the group to focus all eyes on her. She loves to have a camera in her face! Soon enough she will walk at the front of the pack in the third annual suncoast buddy walk! So don't forget to register. It's going to be a great day w/ friends and family and great food served by the Feeser family, again. Pray for safe sane travels for all of us ( me in particular) tomorrow. Good night.

It's almost a new day!

We made it to Shreveport, but certainly not as early as I'd have liked. We had to find some dinner and get everybody and everything unloaded and by the time we finally did it was 9:00pm. But we are all settled now.And after a few minutes of watching the news I realized why it took us 2 hours to get through Dallas traffic; there was a tornado that touched down there this afternoon. We knew when we headed out this morning that the remnants of tropical storm Hermine were coming ashore, but we decided to just take it slow and steady and everyone was to keep a look out for funnel clouds. Believe it or not kids love this! They were so excited pretending we were storm chasers. What a long day, though. I'm glad it's almost over. However, as if the evening wasn't frustrating enough being on the second floor of the hotel w/ Brock and Brent smacking each other around like a bunch of primates, Brandel presented w/ a rash. Not just a rash, but hives. I think he has allergies, like my brother Craig, to strawberries. I shared my strawberry bar w/ him and this is the result. No good deed goes unpunished. See if I share again. So we also had an evening run to the nearest Walgreens for a bottle of benadryl. (for the mommy) ;) jk. Anyhoo.... since the kids heard about the tornado in Dallas every plane that goes over head scares them. And lucky us we're staying by an airport! We had a great drive today; minus the milkshake Rebekah threw all over the back of the car and mommy missing the exit and driving backwards down the one way street w/ the ten y/o in the back seat fussing that we look like a bunch of fonzanoons. (whatever that is), and minus the delay in Dallas; my kids really travel well. They seem to enjoy the adventure. We really were disgusted by the smell of Texas but equally impressed w/ all the giant wind turbines and surprised by the size of the horizon. We couldn't tell where the land ended and the sky began and everyone seemed to appreciate the simplicity and beauty of it all. It has been a great experience and I really don't feel like I need a vacation from vacation. Maybe because I can vent here. :) Tomorrow is a new day and I will try to remind myself Brock and Brent really CAN'T keep their hands off each other and monitor Rebekah w/ the milkshake closely. Also, if they don't drink anything for a couple hours they won't dehydrate; therefore eliminating several of the stops we make. I do miss my hubby, though. Not that we have ever been the kind of couple that can't be separated. We both know how to care for ourselves, I just feel like a better well rounded parent w/ my hubby here to pick up my slack! Tomorrow is Baton Rouge and we will rest there a couple of days before we head back. Tomorrow's a new day.......

And even Brandel's getting used to the ride in the car and seems to be enjoying it!

We're Back.....

In Texas that is. We are staying in Amarillo tonight at a lovely and accommodating Residence Inn. The last 5 days we spent at the Grand Canyon were nothing short of AMAZING. We had a hard time leaving Monday. We woke up early to enjoy a breakfast picnic amongst the wild life and hopefully no squirrels would steal our food this time. Brody made the mistake that a lot of visitors to the Grand Canyon apparently make of leaving his pretzel unattended six inches from his person! A squirrel ran up and dragged it off. A whole pretzel! Here are a couple pics from our early morning picnic.

This is the Ponderosa pine, according to our sunset tour guide, and it is HUGE. He says it is related to the Sequoia and I believe him. These trees were huge. I never expected a forest in northern AZ and never expected it to be so beautiful and green. I had really pictured desert. It is absolutely magnificent and I must have told Josh a half dozen times to find out if they need a park physician. That's another cool thing. The park has it's own residential neighborhoods and schools and churches. We went to mass in the grand canyon. Even passed a giant male elk on the way. He was so close to the road he could have been delivering mail! We finished our last day at the park w/ one last hike. Brock cried on the way out that he wanted to live there.

But all good things must come to an end and it is back to the daily grind. We did have a blast Saturday on a train ride to the grand canyon. They really put on a great show w/ gun fights and train robbers. The boys loved it!Josh will have to share the 15 mile float/rowing stories and pics. They're on a waterproof camera. And not that I haven't heard the stories about their trip down the Colorado River several times, I just think they should come straight from the horse's mouth.

Well here we are in Amarillo and Rebekah is refusing to swim w/ us. She walks around stealing every one's goggles and chatting up the other guest but is not the least bit interested in swimming. Until I say it's time to go, then she will run and hop in the hot tub! She amuses herself.....

And the rest of the motley crew is sending their dad an I LOVE YOU!

We are on our way back home and considered driving around Texas because of the stink but this wonderful stay and swim has certainly made up for it and we are looking forward to another 7 to 8 hours on the road tomorrow. We will hopefully make it to Shreveport, La. So until then. good night.

Greetings from the south rim

I had heard stories from friends who had visited the Grand Canyon in the past and they had questioned whether or not we should take these boys to the Grand Canyon seeing as there are no guard rails; I had dismissed this idea thinking how bad can it be?! Well bad enough that vultures hang out at the point waiting for tourist to fall in. Look closely at this tree and you will see it is covered in vultures waiting for their next foolish tourist to climb out a little too far.

We got here just in time to see the most amazing sunset that changes the colors in the canyon as the sun lowers in the sky.

The kids were consistently told to get away from the edge and I'm certain that most people in the park know Rainie-Grace by name. We brought backpacks for Rebekah and Brandel and by the end of the day today Josh could not stand up straight!

Notice the way we still hang on to the little ones even for a picture. That's because they are quick! The kids have enjoyed the smallest things. They like hotel breakfast and eating in a McDonald's in the Grand Canyon! I heard the statement at one point of, "How many times in your life will you have the opportunity to eat in a McDonalds in the Grand Canyon?" (Food was the same just significantly more expensive)

hotel food and
Grand Canyon McDonalds!! Notice Rebekah refused to look up from her hotcakes to smile. However, Brandel is caught up in all the excitement w/ his wild west hair! No humidity makes that boys hair stand up. Or he could just be freaking out because this was the most expensive breakfast ever! The second most expensive McD's in the country. We made sure we took the extras w/ us. Well I'm exhausted and planning a day of shopping tomorrow while the men go down the river. Josh opted for the row your own boat 15 miles down the canyon w/ all three boys so this ought to be interesting. I'm sure the guides are fighting over who has to go w/ them because they are certain to get stuck rowing! Can't wait to hear about it~

I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SOOORRRYYY!

I'm sorry for the grief I gave my parents on road trips and the multiple times I asked, " are we there yet?" and, "is it time for lunch?" And I'm sorry for fussing that "he's breathing on me" And asking 1000 times, "Are we still in Texas?" (which is the smelliest state I've ever been in) If you ever want to really bond w/ your mother-in-law go on a 4 day trip across the country in a Yukon w/ 6 kids. You'll get WAY too much information. but over all it has been great! BEAUTIFUL!! I cannot understand why we live in Florida. Except that sales tax is 12% here and I nearly stroked when I saw that. The kids have really taken in all the scenery and appreciated it. We even made the tourist mistake of stopping at a roadside "Indian" arts and crafts village. Cheap costume massed produced Indian jewelery. I said, "Dot Indians, maybe!" Talk about some screaming kids getting in the car when I said we couldn't buy the cheap cap gun they sell at Wal-Mart for half the price, but that was the only time they really embarrassed their family. The scenery has made up for all the "in car fighting". I only had to pull the car over once when Brent and Brock were coming to blows over the back seat and w/in 5 minutes of them leading us in prayers to restore peace, they were both passed out asleep. (works every time) let me share a few pics.

Rainie-Grace is obviously not scenery but her silly face waiting for me to load up the vehicle was worth sharing.

We couldn't leave BR w/out a haircut from our favorite barber!

This picture does not do anything we have seen here justice, but I have not uploaded new images to my laptop yet. And I don't want to go hunting for my camera right now for fear of waking kids and then I'll never get any sleep. Which is coming to an end because Bekah is rustling around and I need to get ready to greet the day myself! She is ready to hit the ground running as soon as she opens her eyes. Which is probably why she's my best sleeper. She doesn't slow down when she's awake! She'll make this years Buddy Walk a Buddy Sprint. Which by the way, if you haven't registered don't forget you can do that at www.upsideofdowns21.com

I'll be back this evening w/ great pics and many happy tails, I'm certain of it!

I have arrived!!!

I have assistance blogging this evening. Meet Jeanne Barone, my "bestie". Anybody who brings me a starbucks coffee when I'm blogging is my "bestie" (; The above picture is my most favorite childrens consignment shop. First stop when I arrive and my fall shopping is done! We arrived by lunch and enjoyed a fried shrimp po-boy. (sorry no pic. the sandwich didn't last that long) the road trip was uneventful and we made it in 10 hrs. Leaving at 2am makes a significant difference in every one's attitude. Hard to fuss when you're staring at the back of your eyelids. I wish there were more pics from the road trip itself but when you're chasing little people around the rest stop the camera is the last priority. They were all really cute and happy to arrive. They love staying at a hotel and bouncing around the room touching hotel germs. Jeanne is currently commenting on how old her hands look. If I look that good at nearly fifty I'll take those old decrepit hands! I have pictures from the buddy bowl-a-thon to share and they are great! We had a blast. Thank you Chloe's buddies. I'll try to share them tomorrow when I am not so tired and can compose a clear concise thought. Good night

surprise! surprise! surprise!

And not the kind most of you are thinking. I know most of you were holding your breath thinking,' they're pregnant again!' Nope. The kind that make you wonder what you have done to deserve such wonderful friends?!!!! We came to the office this evening to find this beautiful mural painted on the wall. Thanks to the most amazing office manager and artist, Nan. With the help of her sister Lawanda and a friend they have personalized our office with something very close and dear to us. We started this non-profit to fund research and education for NDSS. But also, to celebrate what joy Rebekah has brought to our life. If you are like most couples you pray for healthy babies. We always have.We never expected to adopt a child. And certainly not a child with special needs. But their was a bigger plan for our family. One that we were not as in control of as we thought. When we heard about Rebekah something in our hearts changed. We knew we had been blessed with a perfect love. And here we are today! These are lives to be celebrated. People to embrace for the work they do in our community and more often than not, with a smile on their face and a cheerful heart. Josh says it best, "This is Rebekah's world and we're all just renting space."

Thank you, Nan and Lawanda and Bonnie! This is a beautiful gift. And such a big part of who we are as a family. I hope it sells lots of Buddy Bucks, too!!!

Stay tuned to the blog for the next few weeks. The kids and I are driving to the Grand Canyon w/out Josh. This ought to be interesting. The hotels have wi-fi so I am going to update the blog daily. ( I hope) And no worries, Grandma Summers has agreed to accompany us on our adventure. Josh will also be joining us later in the trip. He'll fly out and meet us there. He loves to travel, also and is envious he can't drive across the country. ;) He's especially looking forward to the TSA body cavity searches! Must finish folding laundry so I don't wake up to this tomorrow. No rest for the weary. Ha!

Back in the saddle

We're finally back, but it took multiple espresso shots to get us to 10pm. There is always the strange look I get when ordering the quad grande white mocha. Unfortunately, you really do have to watch them make your drink. My brain knows when they short change me on the caffeine. Late nights and early mornings are in full swing as we are deep into fundraising mode for the Buddy Walk in October.

Where do these children get their energy? Rainie Grace is still up watching Little House on the Prairie. She seems to always get her way when the pitch goes up in her voice, "Can I please watch Laura Ingals?"

KC and I both grew up with animals in our homes. As parents, neither one of us has any tolerance for pets, but this week we have completely lost our minds. We finally broke down and got a...gecko. And some fish. Really pushing the limits of what my meds can control.

Brandel turned one a few weeks ago, and has started walking everywhere. Surprisingly, he hasn't been run over during the onslaught of hugs I receive when I get home in the evenings. What a great feeling to get all that love to end my day. We are still debating on what to do about the hair. It's crazy. Thick, wavy, curly...just like me. Ha! My bald spot is getting so big I look like Tebow during Broncos Camp.

My turn to rub Rainie Grace.

OK. I love rubbing Rainie-Grace's feet at 10:40 at night. However, I interrupted the kids evening w/ a Chic-fil-a craving. The closest Chic-fil-a is 35 mins from here but I rationalized it by stopping at Staples for ink cartridges. ;) I was a little stir crazy since I've been in this house all week but an hour into our excursion, and two chocolate milkshake clean-ups later, I remembered why I don't go anywhere; my nerves can't take it! I did survive two days at St. Augustine Beach on our summer break. I didn't think I'd make it that long w/ the 118* heat index and 3 little people. Sight seeing was less then appealing in that heat. As was chasing the crawling baby down the shore to the Atlantic ocean that was ready to drag his cute self to sea! Rainie-Grace and Rebekah loved the waves but neither were any match for the undertow. Needless to say, my options were to sit in a beach condo or drive the two hours to my comfy bed and CLEAN home. Hmmmm ...... Now that was a vacation. Three babies who only want to snuggle mama is easy. It's those boys that will wear me out! Or my nerves anyway. They enjoyed themselves fishing and body surfing the rest of the week. Fortunately, we watched shark week the week after the beach vacation where Josh and the boys fished night and day w/ bait in their pockets in waist deep water. After watching that I'm certain they won't do that again! On a lighter note, we are all practicing our bowling skills on the wii since we will be bowling in the best buddy bowling tourney in Spring Hill at the end of this month. Thank you Zuidema family for this fun event. We are also plugging away at our studies. Still finishing up last year and we will not be taking a break so we can start this year before Halloween. I remind these kids that their whole life is a break w/ the number of trips we go on through out the year. But that's the joy of homeschooling. In summary, our day to day is pretty mundane. We are really excited about our Buddy Walk this October. Which is approaching surprisingly fast considering Rebekah and Brandel are still taking swim lessons! Rebekah floating on her back in the pool while hollering is quite a sight. Josh says that's part of the survival technique; you'll hear her in the pool if she falls in. I'm seeing swim scholarships for my girls. Really nothing much else to share. I just wanted to update this blog since the last post was FOUR months ago. But now that I have Josh on board we'll do this more often. Good night.

The details you never knew you wanted to know.

I'm not sure where to start w/ a blog. I certainly posses the gift of gab, but I ain't no wordsmith.
I'll start w/ a brief overview of our family. After I pull 'double trouble' off my diet coke! Double Trouble, as I affectionately refer to them, are Rainie-Grace and Rebekah. Age 3. Actually Rainie -Grace is 3 and Rebekah is 14 weeks younger than Rainie-Grace. Therefore, since Rainie-Grace just turned 3 Feb. 22, Rebekah will be 3 May 31. There. Glad we got that straight. Rainie-Grace is baby #5 in the birth order and after her I said,"We are done!!" I finally had another girl. Her older sister Sam was 13 y/o when Rainie-Grace was born and I had given birth to three beautiful baby boys, Brody, Brock and Brent, in the interim. Book ending our family w/ a beautiful girl on either end was perfect. I love my boys. However, there is nothing like holding your baby girl and knowing she is yours forever. My boys will marry one day and leave home. They won't call me for recipes or child rearing advice and I wouldn't want them to cling to their mama. It's not natural. My girls are another story. Sam leaves for college in a couple of years and while she says she's going to the furthest point from the Summers' compound I think she could be easily persuaded to come home for a visit under the right circumstances, those being good cooking and free laundry service. She loves this small town and says she has every intention of returning. Yippee!! Rainie-Grace is still very little and loves her mommy. And while I know I have a long time to think about her future I think her daddy has the best plan yet. Since Rebekah loves sweets, sweet rolls and just about anything covered in syrup their daddy has decided to one day buy Rainie-Grace and Rebekah their own shop. He has even named it, 'Bekah's Brew and Rainie's Rolls'!! I love it. And if I know Josh it will be next door to his office to keep his baby girls close. Well Rainie-Grace was obviously not our last. Rebekah was born here at the hospital locally 14 weeks to the day after Rainie-Grace and as soon as we heard about her we wanted her. She was born w/ a head full of red hair! And that was the icing on the cake for Josh. He had always prayed for a red head, seeing as he is a red head himself, and along came Rebekah. A beautiful wonderfully made baby girl. She was supposed to be adopted by another family but the adoption fell through when they found out she had Down syndrome. They were a young couple w/ no children and were uncertain of their ability to care for a child w/ special needs. We met her birth mother and told her simply we wanted to love Rebekah. Now for most of you who know me you know I always wanted twins. I love twins!! I always felt I was meant to have twins and this was as close as I was going to get. I nursed them both like twins. They slept cuddled up together in the crib like twins. They even suck the same two fingers on their left hand like twins!! It was meant to be. Well since we have brought Rebekah home we have had a change of heart about the size of our family. We had another baby boy last July bringing the grand total of children to 7. We can handle anything. yeah right. It is more like we ignore most everything. Not really, but I have learned to choose my battles and know my limitations. We home school and love it! We also run a non-profit called the upside of downs, inc. It is our goal to celebrate the many accomplishments of those w/ Down syndrome and to fund research and advocacy for the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). While we often seem overwhelmed w/ the number of endeavors we take on, all of them are done w/ the sincerest of intentions and are truly works of the heart. We are regrouping and learning constantly how to better manage our time and resources. We live in a supportive wonderful community and have the most amazing group of friends and extended family. We are gearing up for our biggest fundraiser in the fall, the Buddy walk. It takes a good 6 months to coordinate an event of this size but we are pounding the pavement for sponsors and promoting the event in the community. Along the way we are likely to fit in a bowling tournament at Spring Hill lanes and our Best Buddy martini social and silent auction. Stay tuned for more details. With a family this size and this much to do it is likely to be very entertaining. More details about the buddy walk and upside of downs, inc. can be found at http://upsideofdowns21.com/