3:21 Fun Run! 2015

Saturday, March 21st was World Down Syndrome Day. The date 3/21 is significant because it represents 3 copies of the 21st chromosome, which is what causes Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21.

This is the 6th year for our family to celebrate World Down syndrome Day, and it just gets better every year! It has become one of my favorite days of the year. I love to spend the day celebrating Etta and our friends who also carry that extra special chromosome. This year, GiGi's Playhouse Nashville hosted their first annual 3:21 Fun Run on World Ds Day. The weather that day could not have been more perfect! The sun was shining and the temperature was *just* right. The location was also so great. Limpscomb University let us use their track. The whole track was fenced in. It felt very safe. We didn't walk away and leave our kids or anything, but I didn't feel like I needed to be hyper-aware of where my kids were at every second. The crowd in attendance was perfect. I really could just feel the love. Everyone loved everyone else. Difficult to describe... just know that it was a really great morning.

I thought I was taking video at the start of the "Dash for Down syndrome", but I wasn't (BLAH!). Anyway, my poor kids! When they lined up with the other kids at the start, I told them to stay there, but what I didn't tell them was that they could go when the other kids started to run. So, EVERYONE took off, but Etta and Daniel just stood there. So, Keith and I ran over and nudged them along.

(VIDEO)

Buddy Up Tennis was set up at the event. Etta really seemed to love playing tennis! We hope to make it to the next session!

(VIDEO)

 For more photos of the event, visit the GiGi's Playhouse Nashville Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2044372699036785.1073741860.151299671677440&type=3

Spring Break 2015

The kids were on spring break the week of March 15th. The weather was pretty great for most of that week.

On Sunday, we took the kids over to Thompson's Station Park

Monday was also a sunny day. Keith met us over at Crockett Park in Brentwood during his lunch break. We let the kids play for a bit and then we had a picnic. Daniel was really excited about the picnic part of the outing.

Keith took the day off on Tuesday (St. Patrick's Day). It was another gorgeous day, so we took the kids to Harvey Park in Spring Hill.

We had another picnic. :)

Etta and Daniel had a dentist appointment on Wednesday. This was Daniel's first trip to the dentist and he did so great! Grandma Mel and Aunt Jessie met us over at Dr. McNutt's office so they could help watch Alice while I went back with E and D. Aunt Jessie mentioned that she had three St. Patrick's Day cupcakes in the car for the kids and Daniel was so excited for a cupcake that I used the cupcake as a reward for behaving at the dentist. So, when he started getting wiggly in the chair, I would whisper in his ear that he should be a good boy so he could have a cupcake. Worked like a charm every time! (I tried to say it quietly because... well... we were at the dentist and I was telling him he could have sugar if he was a good boy. Ha!)

They got to eat the cupcakes after their nap that day. :)

Apparently, I didn't take any pictures the rest of the week, but on Thursday, we took Daniel to speech and I did my best to keep the girls entertained in an empty therapy room while Daniel and Ms. Lauren worked in the other room for an hour. After speech, the kids and I went to McDonald's to play and eat lunch. It's a pretty nice indoor play place and it wasn't too crowded when we got there. The kids had fun and got some energy out.

Keith took another day off of work on Friday. We ran some errands to Walmart, Lowes and Riverbend Nurseries to look at bushes and took it easy around the house for the rest of the day.

We really had a pretty great spring break week!