Katrina....

Have I mentioned lately how proud of Katrina we are. She is finishing up her Junior year and is busy looking towards the future.

This morning I woke up at the crack of dawn, as today was the day she was to take the SATs......she was very upbeat and positive about the whole experience and when she returned home she felt that she did the best that she could and that she should get a competitive score. Of coarse driving to the testing site and being in a long line of cars with other Juniors heading to the same destination, I was so overcome with emotions I started to cry [I cry very easily...at the drop of a hat]. It seems like just a few years ago I was heading to take my SATs....and just a few months ago I was bringing home my first born child...and here I was driving her to take her SATs.

Since Emma Sage entered into our lives, Katrina's vision for her own future has changed.....[in great part, I believe to the very fact that Emma Sage came to us blessed with an extra chromosome on her 47th pair.] her dreams are to specialize in Speech Pathology and/or Special Education [also getting her elementary education degree]. She works amazingly well with Emma Sage.....much of her speech successes I believe are due to the work Katrina does with her. Katrina has a gift [of gab...lol!] but really, a gift being able to connect and enable and encourage learning and speech development. I have been in awe of this young girl...who has now blossomed into a young woman.

Her thoughts of colleges at this point are, California University of PA, Kutztown University and Bloomsburg University. We are going to make some road trips over the next few weeks to check out campus's in person.

There was an article I was just alerted to that made my heart soar....it is called "My Brother Is Not His Disability" by Colgan Leaming, and reading this article it made me realize that my own children are living and experiencing life very similar to the author......and I know that as time moves forward, the fear that some people use when presented with the prenatal diagnosis of T21 of "I have other children to think of,,,,what would it do to them, I don't want to ruin their life" will be lessoned by articles such as this one and by siblings such as Katrina, who move forward with their lives and being so positively impacted by their sibling with T21.

Two more recent events that have occured in Katrina's life that just make our hearts brim with such pride. She was elected National President of PALS for the 2006-2007 year...............and she was chosen to be a Camp Councilor at CampPals the 2006 session.

Oh, and another big event to take place within the next two months....Katrina is scheduled to take her driving test on July 26th! Yikes.....how did my baby grow up so fast?!?

Here are three pictures of Katrina from her prom.

This first one is with her dear friend Katie.....they have been best friends since Freshman year.....and want to hear something magical? Katie has a cousin that has T21......his name is Jeffery, and we knew Jeffery before these two developed a freindship when they got to high school....Actually, Emma Sage says Jeffrey is her boyfriend [and Nash...she has two boyfriends! lol!!!]


and the next two are with her dear friend Adrienne....Katrina and Adrienne have been friends since they were three years old and went to Happy Face Nursey School together.....I'm including both photographs because when you look at them...first the serious one....and then the comical one,,,you will clearly see the bond these two share [they are like Lucy and Ethel.....what clowns!]


and the two ham-bones....