Choose your words wisely......

I found this wonderful video on my dear friend Nicole's blog.....and had to share.

My dear friend Fran has been at it again....look at this beautiful creation she made. Thank you Fran!!!!

Be my V*A*L*E*N*T*I*N*E

It was a bittersweet moment last evening, as my little girl informed me that she did not 'need my help and I can do it by myself' as she gathered up her Valentine Cards, her class list, a tray to write on and a pencil and set-off to address her Valentine Day cards for her class.

She didn't need me.

That is why it is so bittersweet.....it is so wonderful she is so independent and capable,,,,,but so sad that Momma had to sit off on the sidelines and just watch.

She signed her name on each card first.....then she took the list and envelopes and addressed them.....making a little check mark after each name [on her own, I didn't even have to suggest it....and yes, I teared up a bit to see her tackle this project on her own]

Then she picked the right design for each child [she had three to choose from] and now she did not pick Hannah Montana, she picked a very sweet card that were very Mary Engelbreit like/

Then she licked each one [I was sure she was going to get a paper-cut, but alas she did not] and then placed a sticker on the front of each one [they were cute bubble stickers that looked like the candy heart confections that say things like 'Be Mine' 'Your Cute'

She then went downstairs, got a large zip-lock bag, placed them inside, went to her backpack and put them inside and was done.

Momma sat back and smiled [and teared up a bit too]

Camp PALS

My Katrina is a head couselor and my Greta is a couselor at Camp PALS and Miss Emma Sage is a camp MASCOT!!!!!

If you have a teenager or young adult with Down syndrome, we highly recommend the Camp PALS experience. Emma Sage is counting down the years till she can be an 'offical' camper. We are hoping that she has the opportunity again this year to spend the night and 'pretend' to be a camper.

How Now Brown Cow.....

There is nothing more precious than a baby......especially a baby cow. This little one just wanted to be nuzzled and loved. Emma Sage just loves baby cows.

Emma Sage's Art

An abstract..........she loves to make shapes and designs.

I think is lovely....what do you think?

Beth's Sunrise......

This was a moment of the sunrise that I witnessed the morning my cousin Beth left her earthly bounds.

I love to watch the sunrise.......because I am usually up before it and get to marvel at the splendor of it....from the beginning sounds of the wildlife that is also anticipating its arrival, to the incredible colors that only last a short while, swirling and changing as the brilliance of the sun finally pushes through.

My cousin Beth spent the last few weeks of her life at a Hospice Hospital right on the Long Island Sound....with a great big window that overlooked the water and the perfect view of the sunrising in the east.

The sunrise was a connection that the two of us could both witness and feel, and then share our thoughts together later in the day, via her Caringbridge site.

So, on Wednesday morning, while I was out walking one of the dogs and gathering kindling.....this was the view that unfolded in front of me. I had to capture this one on film. [I don't always carry my camera with me, especially in the cold, icy weather, as I don't want to slip and break it] but this morning I had a feeling it was going to be a beautiful one.

Around 8 a.m. that same morning the phone rang..........it was my cousin Fred [the man with my cousin Beth in the photograph below] to tell me that Beth had left her earthly bounds at 5:48 a.m. that morning......about 10 minutes before the sunrise.

So, see this sunrise for what it is.........a beautiful reminder that life is very precious.

The Power.....

of the Internet to me, is this incredible ability we have to share, with ourselves, others, the world ~ thoughts, feelings, ideas, emotions.

One of my favorite bloggers shared a piece called 'Turn the Lens Around' and shared the video below......she found the video on the site of another of my favorite bloggers in her piece,'Outside the Box' ......who found the video because of another of my favorite bloggers. and so it goes...isn't the internet incredible.

If you have been a visitor of Emma Sage for a while, you might see a theme that has been a driving force for me in writting this blog and sharing our life with our daughter with others.

In my daugther I see................beauty, grace, faith, hope, joy, laughter, strength and even weakness. In my daughter I see HUMANITY.

Emma Sage and I went for a quiet walk in the snow last night, just as the day was ending........it was that beautiful kind of snow that blankets the earth, clinging to every branch and limb.....softening the sounds of the world.

I was walking to reflect on a passing in my life. My dear cousin Beth, who I have posted about before in the blog, gained her wings this morning, just as the Dawn was breaking. So, what could be more fitting than a quiet walk at Dusk to say 'Good-bye'.

Emma Sage delighted in the snow.........so I must share a few images I took while we walked and talked about life.







Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow, Filling the sky and earth below, Over the housetops, over the street, Over the heads of the people you meet. Dancing, Flirting, Skimming along. Author: J.W. (Joseph Warren) Watson

So Emma Sage's comment got me thinking today....

She knows she has 'Down syndrome'.....she has friends with Down syndrome.....but this comment cracked me up and made me realize that she truly does not see 'Down syndrome' as 'limiting'

Abbie [who also has Down syndrome] and Emma Sage were having snack after school and were watching the Disney channel while they ate home-made nachos and salsa.

On comes a clip about a 'kid doing their thing' and it is about a young girl who has volunteered her time to help children with special needs play sports. My thought that it is like the 'challenger league' not Special Olympics type volunteering. Towards the end of the segment, which has shown this girl who is about Abbie's age [13] helping different children at T-ball, soccer, basketball, the young girls says how much she has gained from this experience and when she grows up she wants to teach students with special needs.

Emma Sage pipes up and says "Hey me too, when I grow up I want to teach children with Special needs!"

I started to crack up at how funny that comment actually sounded, because I truly don't think Emma Sage thinks she is a child with special needs.

So I say to her, "You want to be a teacher like Ms. Weiss is?" [she is the special ed teacher in Emma Sage's co-teaching classroom'] and Emma Sage says: "No, we don't have any special needs kids in my class"

How wonderful is this........the kid at this point does not think that there are any special needs kids in her class ~ all she see's are peers. I hope she maintains this sense of self for a long, long time.

and I do believe if she puts her mind to it, she WILL be a teacher for students with special needs someday, if that is what she truly wants to do.