Alexbot

Alex wrote this gem for school this week. It is so Alex.

I would make a robot that can go to school for me. Then I could stay at home and watch TV all day. He could go to bed when my mom and dad tell him to and I could stay up late. It could do my chores for me. He could do my homework for me. He could do all my math test for me. His name would be named Alexbot.

Soccer Season Comes to an End

Alex had a great soccer season. He has shown a

lot of improvement since August. His team played

in 2 playoff games and then made it to the

championship game. They didn't win the

final game, but they gave it a good try.

Aw Shucks

I'm taking my fourth graders on a field trip to a

farm called Aw Shucks in Monroe so I decided

to preview it with the family.

We roamed around in the corn maze.

We fed the sheep.

Lindsay loved those sheep!

Alex taught Lindsay how to milk a cow.

We went on a tractor ride.

This is Lindsay trying to escape, Alex making

a cheesy smile, and me trying to get a decent

picture with my kids.

Maybe next time.

Roses

The best thing we ever planted were these

rose bushes. They provide color from the spring

to the fall. They are still going strong in

early November.
They apparently taste good too!

Misc pictures

Nothing new or extremely exciting to report here, but I haven't

posted anything for awhile so I thought I would

share some random pictures.

The weather turned cold and the sweaters

came out.

Alex is becoming increasingly useful as he gets older.

Alex lost a front tooth and swallowed it while eating a corn dog at school.
We never retrieved it.

Lindsay still loves to get into things.

Buddy Walk 2009

This weekend we attended our second annual

Buddy Walk which raises money for the

Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte.

Dad entertained Lindsay by playing with

water. She ended up soaked, but happy!

Lindsay enjoyed a yummy snack.

With no nap, Lindsay was exhausted by the time the walk actually started.

This team picture has Nana in it:)

Tinker Bell

We bought this Halloween costume at a store as a possibility

for Lindsay this year. We decided to take it back because she would

freeze while trick-or-treating..

She loved the skirt. Lindsay danced and twirled around the room.

Notice the cheesy smile again! She will now say "cheese"

while getting her picture taken. It's very cute, but she makes

the silliest face!

Cookie Thief

I told Alex he could have one cookie for dessert.

About an hour later, while I was busy working on a newsletter for school and very distracted, Alex snuck into the pantry and stole another cookie.

I caught him right in the middle of pulling his hand out of the bag. Our conversation went like this:

Me: Alex, what in the world are you doing?

Alex: Well, I was just having a cookie.

Me: I said you could have one tonight. You already ate one.

Alex: Well, you said that if I touch food, I can't put it back. I have to eat it. I have already touched the cookie.

Me: I cannot believe you are trying that on me!

Alex: You made the rule, not me. Please can I have it? Just this one time.

Me: You aren't getting it.

Alex: Pleeeeeease!

Me: (being the softy that I am) Fine, you can have half--the half that you touched.

Alex: Yessss!

Alex then very carefully broke the cookie in "half". Only his half wasn't exactly half, it was more like three-fourths.

Smiling as he walked away, he knew that he played me.

Pretty Girl

I bought this dress in January and have been waiting

all summer for Lindsay to fit into it.

She sure is beautiful in it.

New Soccer Season

Alex had his first soccer game of the season.

We have been working on being more aggressive.

He kicked the ball a couple of time, but we'll keep

working on it.

Alex is 7

Alex is 7 today. His was a hard birth, but well worth it :)

Happy Birthday!

We had his party last week. We had hot dogs, chips and cake. Lots and lots of cake.

Save the Date

We are going to participating in the 2009 Buddy Walk this year to support people with Down syndrome. The Charlotte Down Syndrome Association does a lot of great work to support children with Down syndrome and their families.

We raised $500 last year for our first walk. We would like to beat it this year.

Join us October 4th. You can sign up on our website:

http://dsac.kintera.org/charlotte09/lindsaymccomas2

It's Baaaaaack!

Somehow the calendar has managed to roll around to late August. You know what that means...back to school.

I've done the back to school shopping for clothes and supplies, filled out the required forms for Alex, prepared my classroom for kids and I'm exhausted already!!!

When is Christmas break????

Braids

You have to be quick to give Lindsay braids.

They are a little uneven, but still cute.

No Fair

Lindsay surprised us today by saying "Dada" with the daddy sign.

So now she can say "Alex" and "Dada".

Not even close to "Mama".

Lindsay's Boys

These are Lindsay's favorite boys.

She has them wrapped around her finger.

Times have changed...thank goodness!

We met Lindsay's new PT today. We loved her previous PT, but she took a job to be closer to her home. Who could blame her?

The new PT has a 37 year old brother who has Down syndrome. He lives independently with some roommates, but has people check in on them. The thing that struck me the most was the story of his birth. His mother had no idea that he had Down syndrome. After birth the doctor told her that he was a mongoloid and suggested that he be starved to death. Luckily, she found support in another person who encouraged her to keep him.

It is astonishing that this was the attitude only 37 years ago. I could never imagine giving Lindsay up or letting something bad happen to her just because she wasn't "perfect". The thought never even entered my mind after her diagnosis. Dan and I can't imagine our life without Lindsay.

3 Strikes

We have not had the best luck this week.

On Sunday while Dan was mowing, the mower threw a rock into my van's side window and shattered it. It was pretty easy to replace, but still!

On Tuesday, the battery died in my van. Luckily the kids and I were at home. Goodbye $120.

Yesterday, I was going to heat Alex's lunch in the microwave. Everything seemed to look okay. It was making noise, the lights were on, and it dinged when it was finished, except it was stone cold. We have a built-in microwave so you know it won't be cheap to replace.

That's our third mini-disaster this week, so I think I'm finished. It's someone else's turn!

It's Working!

Don't you love it when all of the training you put into your kids pays off.

Alex put his dishes in the dishwasher twice today with no prompting from me.

Go Alex!

"Hi"

Taking Lindsay out is so much fun. I used to be very self-conscious about it, thinking everyone was staring. But now, I don't care. There are still people that do a double take at Lindsay, but it doesn't bother me.

Lindsay loves her fans and she thinks everyone is a fan. We walk down store aisles together with her waving and yelling "hi" to everyone who passes by. Most people instantly respond back with a "hi", but watch out if you don't. She is persistent. She will continue to yell "hi" until you respond and it gets louder and louder each time. Once she gets a "hi" she'll move on to the next person.

It's very different from Alex who used to hide behind my legs when anyone talked to him.

Just Because

Random pictures I've taken from the last week or so.

Yes, we are matching our outfits for church. Notice

the cheesy grin Lindsay is now giving for pictures.

Lindsay let Papaw hold her for awhile. Progress!!!

Lindsay loves playing with this baby's hair.


Lindsay made this mess, but she also cleaned it up (with
help).

Cuddly kids

Splash Pad

We went to the Kannapolis Splash Pad and had

a great time.

It was the perfect place for Lindsay to play without me following her around. It was fenced in and impossible for her to drown.

Don't mind the two random kids in this picture.

Our friends, Ivey and Bailey



Clapping...a favorite pasttime.


We also played on the playground.



Lindsay didn't enjoy the train ride. It was
too loud!

Hearing Test

This morning, I took Lindsay for her semi-annual hearing test. I should be thankful that the only health issues we have had with her are vision and hearing. But, man I hate the hearing test.

It usually involves me restraining her hands with one hand and holding her head against my chest so the audiologist can test her ears. She wiggles, cries, and kicks her legs in protest. However, today she did a great job. She protested a little, but it was much improved from the last time.

Then, I get to hold her the same way while she has an ear piece inserted into her ear, which she doesn't like at all. The test can't begin until she is quiet and still. Yeah, right! And everytime she moves or makes a noise, we have to start over. It is torture. However, today we got to skip this test!

Then there is the hearing booth. I have to sit with her in my lap while she listens for different sounds coming from the speakers. She doesn't mind it if there is music playing, but once the tones come, it gets really boring for her. She turns around and plays with my face and gives me a kiss. Or she might take her shoes off and suck on her toes. Fun stuff! However, today she did a great job. She only gave me one kiss and mostly did what she was supposed to do.

She passed her test! Normal range is between 0-20 and the audiologist got her to score consistently at a 10.

We have always told everyone that she can hear. She may have a very slight hearing loss, but nothing that should affect anything. So, we are done with another hearing test. We'll look forward to another one in December.

"What can I do now?"

I have a very clever boy.

At the beginning of the summer, I told Alex that every time he said, "I'm bored," he would have to pull 20 weeds.

He's a quick learner.

His new favorite phrase is "What can I do now?"

New words, same idea.

Goodwill

I've never been a Goodwill shopper. A heavy donator, but not a shopper...until today.

Jackpot!!!

A new Goodwill opened so we thought we'd check it out. We got Alex stocked up on jeans for the next year at least. I got a couple of jeans and shorts for Lindsay, but it was Alex who really made out. Considering how rough he is on his jeans, I don't anticipate ever shopping at a store other than Goodwill for them.

Chase and Lindsay

Today Lindsay got to play with her friend Chase.

Chase reading a book to Lindsay.

Lindsay showing the love.

"Why is this girl always on me?"

Hilton Head

Dan and I just got back from annual trip with his company. This year we went to Hilton Head for 3 and a half days of no kids and no responsibilities. We slept in, ate well, and went to bed late. It was heaven. We went on a dolphin sight seeing trip.

Once captain found a dolphin we stalked it by following it around while people took pictures. It was very touristy, but fun and relaxing.

It's a Cruel, Cruel World

I took my kids and neighbors to a park for a fun morning of play. Everyone was having a lot of fun until I went back to the car to find one of the doors to my van ajar. My purse was gone. It was pretty much my fault. Of course, I didn't force anyone to commit the crime, but I knew one of the locks on the van had been acting funny and I should have double checked it.

What I lost:
-purse (backpack style--completely out of fashion, but very practical when chasing Lindsay around)
-wallet with $7, license, bank card and one credit card
-camera (second one stolen within a year--very frustrating, however I had just downloaded all the pictures onto disc so it wasn't a complete lost)
-phone--with everyone's numbers
-coupon book--lost months and months of coupons
-all of my store cards--I was 2 punches away from getting free stuff from the teacher store
-misc. mommy stuff--sanitizer, bandaides, neosporin...

I immediately went to the bank and no one had used my bank card. They didn't use my credit card. Basically they didn't get much, but it was extremely inconvenient for me considering we were going out of town the next day.

My neighbor was awesome and really helped me out. She let me use her cell phone so I could call Dan on the way home and she watched the kids while I went to the DMV to get a new license.

Lesson learned: always lock your valuables up.

Aaarg!

I have been giving Alex $5 a week for spending money

this summer. He gets to choose what to spend it

on. This morning he decided to buy a pirate kit

at the dollar store.

Isn't he scary?

Play Date

One of the best things about summer is that we have more time to play

with our friends the Bondurants.

Lindsay and Stella are showing the love.

Alex and Zak made a mess with their ice cream.