Tuesday, May 31, 2005


I had to crop this picture, because just looking at my princess holding the hands of her brother and cousin made me realize that she is not alone in this world, any less alone than the rest of us....she will always have family and friends who love her and will be there with a 'helping hand' Posted by Hello

Throwing rocks in the river. We are truly blessed as this Gorge is only a mile from our home. Posted by Hello

Walking at the Gorge on Memorial Day...the boys had fun climbing rocks in the river, Emma Sage had a blast throwing rocks in the river! Posted by Hello

Trying to tie her shoes,,, Posted by Hello

Monday, May 30, 2005


This is what puddles are for, isn't it? Posted by Hello

Saturday, May 28, 2005


Swinging to the moon!! You can't get much happier than this! Posted by Hello

Emma Sage and Rori,,,,she just adores her baby cousin! Posted by Hello

A very sad and troubling thought.....

Last night at Otto’s baseball game a very sad and troubling thought raced through my mind. I just couldn’t let the thought go, so I knew I needed to write it down.

It was a beautiful evening,,,the Cubs were playing great ball. My parents were at the game with my nieces and nephew. Greta, Kelsy, Connor, Emma Sage and Fiona were all watching the game and playing [as children tend to do at long baseball games]. We watched them find honey-suckles, pretend sticks were bats and rocks were balls and practice ‘batting’, doing gymnastics and tumbling, climbing on various utility poles and structures ~ like they were gymnastic apparatices,,,,running and playing tag,,,just pure joyful childhood moments.

The thought hit me watching the five of them gleefully running around,,,,each of them filled with the pure simplicities of a childhood moment. Watching Emma Sage with a huge smile on her face and her arms outstretched running brought two powerful emotions to me….one of joy and happiness,,,,,and one of profound sadness. At that precise moment of watching her I realized so many precious children with T21 would never make it to this point [that their lives would be systematically ended by an abortion because their parents received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome]…….that lives were being ended because they were deemed ‘imperfect’….and here I watched my child, living and loving her life.

Terminating a pregnancy because the child has been diagnosed with Trisomy 21 [ie. Down syndrome] is eugenics…pure and simple. It is taking a wanted pregnancy [unlike a woman who chooses to terminate within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy because she believes she can not mother this child and has no other option]…..A WANTED pregnancy and destroying it because the child has been deemed ‘imperfect’.

This thought brought chills to my spine as I watched my little girl and knowing that her life is not considered sacred to medical professionals, insurance companies and many parents. It troubles me greatly to know that people like my daughter will one day become ‘endangered species’ or ‘extinct’ if the insurance companies and medical professionals continue to paint ‘doom and gloom’ scenarios and continue to perform these terminations solely based on a genetic make-up that varies from the norm.

I believe Katrina said it well this past week at school. They are learning about the Holocaust and the Final Solution. She said that one of the kids made a comment like 'it was no big deal'....and she said she stood up and said 'No big deal......my baby sister would have been one of the first murdered'. and sadly today, 60 years since the end of the Holocaust, people with Down syndrome are still being murdered in the name of 'eugenics' and a 'perfect race', except today they are being destroyed before they are born.

Remember,,,someday they may come looking for you,,,,even before you get the chance to be born.

Pastor Martin Niemöller ~ First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

I have yellow!

"I have yellow!"

What delightful words to hear from my little girl.

"I have yellow like the wall!"

Last night at dance class, Ms. Denise gather the girls around in a circle and handed each one of them a flower. The flowers were each an individual color and that was to be their placement on the floor for their dance routine. She had the girls look at their color and tell her what color they were. Each girl looked and told her what color they had. Emma Sage told her "I have yellow". Then Ms. Denise told the girls to put their flower behind their backs and now tell her what color their flower spot was. It was cute,,,,a few of the girls tilted their heads back and 'peeked'.....well Emma Sage was next to last to go, and when it was her turn she proudly said "I have yellow, like the wall" [the walls of the room are a bright sunny yellow!

My heart soared for my little girl to watch her participating in her class and following exactly what was going on.

So today, each time I have come across something in a sunny yellow, it has brought a smile to my face thinking about my peanut and her "I have yellow!" ....."I have yellow, like the wall" response.

Friday, May 20, 2005


What could be finer than to be a Birthday girl surrounded by family and friends! Posted by Hello

Look at the pure joy in being chosen the Goose! Posted by Hello

Sometimes you just need to take a break!  Posted by Hello

Waiting for Duck, duck goose..... Posted by Hello

The Birthday girl.......your party was so much fun, Posted by Hello

Saturday, May 14, 2005


Look Mommy, a Frog!!! Check out Emma Sage's left shoe, she has a baby frog visiting her at our pond. Posted by Hello

Watch out Atlas,,, Posted by Hello

The Birthday Princess at dance class. I can't believe you are four! Posted by Hello

Sweetness,,,,what a joy you are! Posted by Hello

Friday, May 13, 2005

There is a garden in every childhood......

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted placewhere colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morningmore fragrant than ever again.- Elizabeth Lawrence

Emma Sage loves the garden. She loves the dirt, and to find worms. We spent about 25 minutes today checking out a worm. Emma Sage would share the worm with Ben and Claudia and the three of them talked and talked about the worm. They laughed as it wiggled on their open palms; they watched it as they placed in on the ground, trying to escape their captivity. We talked about how important the worm is for our dirt and plants, and then we all decided that we wouldn’t want to eat a worm! Lol!

The dirt,,,,this little girl just loves to have her hands in the dirt. She loves to plant seeds. We planted more morning glories, moon flowers and nasturtiums today. This part is the hardest for her to understand. We put the seeds in the ground, water them and then have to wait. It helped that we had a bunch of seedlings already sprouting so we all went over to see the seeds that we planted weeks ago growing.

Gardening with my children has always given me great joy. It is probably the main reason I garden…..as when I garden, I recall my own childhood and the many hours I spent helping my PopPop and Mamie in their gardens. Gardening is spiritual for me,,,,and watching Emma Sage in the garden makes my heart soar, and my soul feel so full.

Emma Sage does not let one sense be missed when gardening,,,,she loves to touch the earth and the flowers….little fingers touching each petal, each leaf, with eyes wide in wonder. She loves to smell everything,,, the flowers, the grass, the dirt and even that silly little worm today. We listen to the birds and bugs in the garden, we try to imagine the sounds a butterfly makes, because we have never heard a peep from them, not even a whisper from their wings fluttering. In our early spring gardens, we don’t have the opportunity to taste too many things, but the mint is tasty, and Emma Sage is not too fond of tarragon these days. Last summer she couldn’t stop nibbling on the tarragon, but this spring she seems to favor the mints.

So as the days stay warmer and the sun shines brighter,,,,you know where you most likely will find Emma Sage,,,,tucked in the gardens exploring.

There is nothing pleasanter than spading
when the ground is soft and damp.
- John Steinbeck
 Posted by Hello

To dig in one's own earth, with one's own spade,
does life hold anything better?
- Beverly Nichols

 Posted by Hello

No sooner did I bend over and scratch the soil with the hoe that I began to unearth
bits and pieces ... of my past. Memories forever rooted in time were clustered in my
garden consciousness like potatoes, waiting, crying to be dug up. ...
I plant flowers and vegetables. I harvest memories - and life.
- Nancy H. Jordan, 1993
 Posted by Hello

Wednesday, May 11, 2005


We spent a beautiful morning at the park. Emma Sage told me "O.....for Octopus" when she was handing me this Octopus sand toy! [what a cleaver little girl she is!] Posted by Hello

Ok, I know this is not funny, and at the moment we realized where Emma Sage had wandered off to, my heart sank....now looking at this picture I have to laugh.....and now I'm really thinking we need a search and rescue dog to be Emma Sage's shadow.  Posted by Hello

Tuesday, May 10, 2005


Self Portrait....Emma Sage loves getting her hands on the digital camera and taking pictures. Here is her 4th Birthday Self Portrait [I think it is cool] Posted by Hello

The phone is ringing and it is for Emma Sage!

Our little girl turned 4…….Oh how can this be, just yesterday you were turning 3!

I have to finish Emma Sage’s birthday journal letter, but in the mean-time I just had to share some very sweet things.

The first is a phone call we got last week, the day Emma Sage handed out her Birthday Party invitations at school. The call went like this: “Hi, this is Skylar’s Mom….I had to call you right away because Skylar couldn’t wait to get off the bus and into the house to open her backpack to take out her invitation and to call Emma Sage’s Mommy to tell her that she will be at her party! I have never seen Skylar so happy before,,,,she is just beside herself and can’t wait till the party”. Then a few days later I get a call from Julia’s Mom. “I guess I shouldn’t have told Julia when the party was, because 20 times a day she asks me if it is time for Emma Sage’s Birthday Parth!”,,,,,,and then today, I get a call from Tylers Mom. She says “Tyler is so excited to be able to come to Emma Sage’s party and I just have to share this with you….everyday Tyler comes home for school and tells me that he “just loves Emma Sage’s laugh” He loves to hear her laugh!

Wow, what an amazing week for my very social little girl…..she has friends that her Mommy doesn’t’ even know yet and they adore her and love having her as a classmate. What a great 4 year old Birthday week for my little girl!

Party on Sunday so stop back to look at pictures of my laughing little girl!

A Happy Little 4 year old! Posted by Hello

Our Happy Birthday Girl! Posted by Hello

Daddy and his little girl!  Posted by Hello