Famous Maddie Sue

I just wanted to share our good news with you all. I received an email today from the NDSS (national down syndrome society) that had to do with a picture that I sent in of Maddie. This is what it said:
"Congratulations! After a nationwide search, a photo you submitted for the 2007 NDSS Video Presentation in Times Square has been selected! The show will run in Times Square on the larger-than-life Newscorp Astrovision by Panasonic on Sunday, September 30 at 10:30 a.m. The National Down Syndrome Society invites you, and your family and friends, to celebrate National Down Syndrome Awareness Month by attending the show and participating in the New York City Buddy Walk. Thousands are expected to participate in this event to promote acceptance and inclusion of all people with Down syndrome.
We’re excited to have John C. McGinley, who plays Dr. Cox in the popular NBC show Scrubs, as our 2007 National Buddy Walk spokesperson. And, Chris Burke, from ABC’s Life Goes On will also lead the one-mile walk through the park. From 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., we’ll relax and have fun in Central Park with games, refreshments, music and more! Our post-Walk festivities in Central Park will include performances by LAZ D, a nationally known hip-hop/rap artist who happens to have Down syndrome and Rachel Coleman, co-creator and host of the successful Signing Time! series (seen on PBS as well as available on DVD and video). The CBS FM Street Team will also be on hand to provide music and keep the crowd moving! You won't want to miss a moment of the fun!"
I'm sure that there will be thousands of pictures of kids throughout the country but I am so excited that Maddie gets to be in the video. I think that the pictures above are the 3 that I sent it, but I can't be entirely sure. She is going to be FAMOUS! Just teasing. We think she is pretty special.

The only person that I can think of that could even go to this even is Malia and it happens to be on a Sunday. Maybe you will have to make your way over to see her picture on the huge jumbo tron thing. Sorry about all the colors I just figured out how to do it so I got a wee bit carried away.

My sick boy

So Seth never got better for his birthday and this is what he looked like at the birthday celebration that we had. He didn't even perk up when dad came home with a brand new fishing pole that has spiderman on it. I sure hope he gets better soon. On a happier note the kids started school today. I know you are thinking that it is the middle of the dang summer! It really is. I think it was at least 100 degrees today. Maddie started Kindergarten today. I think I am way more nervous than she is. She is getting so big. I can't believe it. Makenna couldn't be bothered with a picture. She started 2nd grade at George Washington Academy. Maddie goes to Sunset Elementary across the street and Makenna goes to the charter school. It just happens to be a lot farther away than across the street.

Happy Birthday Seth!

Today is Seth's 3rd birthday and he was up all night with the trots and throwing up. I guess he must have brought it home from Utah County. It seems like it is very bad up there. Every family has had it or at least they know of someone that has had it. Its so sad to see him sick on his birthday.
Joe got to take out his stitches last night and his cut looks really good. Grandpa Bill did a very nice job stitching it up. Thanks grandpa! He didn't like having them taken out but he was a pretty good boy during the whole thing. He kept telling dad that he was done and he wanted to get down, but he was a trooper.
Lets just hope that he feels a little bit better by this evening when we have Lindsay and her kids over for cake and to open a few presents. One can only hope right?

My Toothless Girl and Seth with his hair spiked for church.

My Weekend!!

My sister-in-law Cyndi decided to come to St. George with my kids and myself when we came home on Thursday night. Her dad told her that he was a little bit worried about her tires and she said that she thought that they would be ok. She decided that she would get new tires next week. So before she left she said a little prayer that she would make it safely to St. George and the tires would be fine. As soon as we got into the George her tire blew. It was so crazy. We loaded up the stuff from her car into my truck(since it was midnight) and decided that we would go back in the morning to change the tire etc...
The next morning her keys were AWOL. We looked everyhwere and I mean everywhere for them. We both said a prayer that we would find them but we were having no luck. I had a few hair appts at the house that day and while I was doing hair I had a thought that maybe her keys were outside on the rocks by the side of the driveway. She was just about on her way to go and try to use a hanger to get in, and I said Cyndi why don't you check the rocks. She didn't hear me I guess and left. As soon as I was done cutting hair I told the family that was over to check and see if there was any keys out on the rocks. Sure enough her keys were right there!! She was so glad when I called and told her that I found them and she wouldn't have to call the locksmith and get a new key made from the dealership. I toldher to look on the rocks!
No I think that we both had divine help on driving here and on finding the keys. She is so great and I am going to miss having her home. She got to meet with the Stake Pres today to see when she could go back out on her mission. Her knee is doing lots better and the doc already released her to go back. She really is such a wonderful gal. I just lover her.

Lagoon

So Anna and Katie (2 of Joe's sisters) and myself took our kids to Lagoon on Wednesday. Both Anna and I left one child at home so there were 6 kids. At times it was a little hairy but overall it was a blast!! 3 of them are 2 and the other 3 are 5.6.& 7. The older kids got to ride lots of different rides and the kiddie rides are pretty good. They have swings and kind of like a tidal wave boat thingy and a drop and planes. So much has changed since I was there 10 years ago. Makenna rode a bunch of big rides and she is so brave. She even went on the Rocket. She is fearless. I did get to ride the Spider with Anna's MIL Bobbi and that was fun as heck. I am so glad that Katie was able to get us discount tickets so we could go.
My mom watched Maddie all day long and I think she had just about had it by the time we got home. She can be a bit of a handful. I used to think that Lagoon was so much bigger but it was actually quite suprising how much smaller it is now then it used to be. I am just so glad that we went.

Head Wound

My family and I came up to Lehi/Orem/Sandy to come to a baby blessing, see the family and lots of fun things this week. My sister in law Anna blessed her baby on Sunday the 5th. His name is Joe and he is darling. Such a sweet little baby. Then on Monday we had my bro in law Cody take pictures of my kids for his new picture business that he and Matt Bambrough are just starting up. That was so much fun let me tell ya! The kids were into everything and didn't want to smile and I think Cody wanted to kill Seth. Thats what happens when kids get pictures right? He did get some cute ones I think. I hope.
After that I went to visit my sister Jill at her house. We had pizza and then Jill took me down stairs to see her flooded basement. While we were down there I heard Seth screaming bloody murder. I mean it was a good scream. Jack came running in the house saying that Seth was bleeding from his head and was crying. So I went booking up the stairs and out back. Seth was standing by the swing with his head forward, bawling like a maniac and his head was just bleeding like crazy. I have to admit that I was a little nervous.
I picked him up like an airplane, head down and by the tummy, and headed into the house. I told John that I needed a paper towel and he already had one handy. He put it on his head and we took him into the bathroom. Thats when I saw the damage. It was a pretty good gash in his upper forehead. I don't particularly do very well with the whole blood and gore thing, so its a darn good thing that John was there. We got his washed off and took him into the front room where Jill had the first aid kit ready to go. She is great for helping out with medical emergencies. I must say that I am not prepared for what happend to Seth. Need to get a better first aid kit when I get home. As John was fixing him up and we were sitting there on the front room floor I heard how Seth got hurt. Jill and John have a board swing in the backyard and one of the kids was swinging and Seth walked right in the way. It is one of those board swings with a hole in the middle that hangs from the tree so the corner got him right in the noggin.
It was a pretty good gash and Jill thought that it needed stitches and John didn't say either way but that we should check with grandpa Bill. That is Grandpa Doctor Bill for those of you that don't know that my dad is a doctor. Good thing that he lives close and that we were up in the North for this mishap. Anyway we came to the house of grandpa and he took one look at it and told me we should get in the car and go to the office for stitches. I was not thrilled. I don't like shots etc... I thought that maybe I should send grandma in my place to help with Seth but then I realized that I should be there for him.
Needless to say Seth hated the stitching part and he had to have 13 stitches in his head! He finally fell asleep around the 10th or 11th stitch and that was nice. He had to have 8 shots to numb his head. He kept saying papa I get down now. No papa! He did pretty good for a little dude that is almost 3. That was our first major trauma and Dad wasn't even here. Joe felt terrible that he couldn't be there for his little man. By the next day he was all swollen like a clingon from Star Trek. He looks so different. All puffy and purple. We are all doing fine now so thats good for us. Sorry about the long story, I just had to get in all the details.