Summer Livin' Part 2

I take a lot of pictures.  I do.

Sonic shakes!

Zoo tours from our tour guide, Wyatt

The shirt says it all!

"I look like mommy!" 

Road trip with my best girl!

Celebrating the Baz twins to-be

....and 30th birthdays

Beach babes

Fun with friends

Yummy smoothies

I am practicing my braiding skills!

Clay's day with the girls!

"What's for dinner, ma!?"

My ONE fireworks picture 

Lightning bugs

Aksarben Farmer's Market

Hazel shaking it at Zumba in the park

Pedal boat ride with my loves!

Daddy loves the snuggles!

Us Senior Open

Summer fun with friends

Kiddie car wash

Our little monsters on at our movie date 

This really happened.  There are no words.

Clay keeping up with the big kids

I wish I could bottle up these moments and keep them in my heart forever!

Pretty girls accessorize in their sleep

PE 101

For the last several months I have had the pleasure of coordinating a monthly play date for our Down syndrome mom's group. 

We go to a local gym called PE 101.  This place is amazing!  They have a rock wall, a giant pit filled with foam blocks, a trampoline built into the floor!!!!, and the floors are gym mats - perfect for the babies!  

The best part, it is almost impossible for the kids to get into trouble - nothing breakable, nowhere for them to run off to - so the moms actually get to TALK!!!

Wyatt & Hazel have so much fun playing with the other kids and it has been so fun watching Clay get more and more mobile every month.

The first time we went, Clay was content hanging out in the "circle of babies" and watching all the action around him.  By the second play date, army crawling all around to check out the action.   On Tuesday, he was all over the place - on the trampoline, cruising the climbing blocks, in the foam pit, and loving the attention from all the other mamas ;) 

I am so grateful for this wonderful group and everything my family has gained from them - acceptance, knowledge, and friendship.

Here are some pictures from several different play dates!

Summer Livin' Part 1

So this is the reason I have been so behind on the blog!  These kids keep me BUSY!!!!!!

Party crashers! Playing in Grandma Chris's fountain

Swimsuits are overrated! 

Bonnie & Clyde

My big helper!

24/7 Superheroes

Snakes!!!!!

Happy Birthday, aunt Jill!

Making the best of a LONG doctor's appointment

They love to hold hands in the car!

Summer fun!

Hazel the thrill seeker!

Baby toads

Bubbles!

My sweet boys

Hazel the bug detective

A pro at the walker!

I never had a walker with Wyatt or Hazel but I thought it might be something new to try with Clay since he is a "late walker".

I got it a few months ago and of course, he hated it.  We tried it out in the house and he could only figure out how to go backwards.  He thought that was fun for about 5 minutes.  Then he just hated it.  Clay has never really like the swing, the Bumbo, the Jumperoo, or anything else that confined him.

I brought the walker down to the barn for our 3rd of July party, just as a place for me to be able to put Clay down or if another little one wanted to use it.   There were plenty of arms willing to hold Clay so it never got used!

A few days ago we were playing in the barn to escape the heat outside and what would you know!?  Clay has the walker thing down!  ....and likes it!!!

Clapping!? No biggie!

In true Clay fashion, after MONTHS of practicing clapping with little progress or interest shown on Clay's part, he now claps up a storm!

Saturday morning, Clay and I attended our monthly Down syndrome super mom's coffee play date.  Clay was being quite the social butterfly, crawling from table to table and waving and/or shouting until he was satisfied with the amount of attention he was getting.

As we were getting ready to leave, I look down and Clay is sitting in the middle of a group of mom's just clapping away!  ....and loving the attention he was earning!

He claps on demand and will usually add a little head nod or booty shake with it.

The boy has moves!

Fremont Days

Fremont Days has become an annual tradition at our house.  

We head to Fremont with Grandma and Papa Turpen to check out the cool cars, ride the ponies, get faces painted, and eat food on a stick.

I good time is had by all!

Sign language - kinda!?

So of course the one time I didn't have my phone to capture every movement my children make, Clay did all kinds of new stuff tonight!

He was playing in our little play house.  I said "Hello!?  Is anyone there!?" as I approached the house.  Clay then put his hand up to his ear like a phone and started talking away!

...and that's not all!

As we were getting ready to brush our teeth before bed, Clay grabbed the toothbrush off the counter and started brushing his teeth and then he brushed my teeth!  When I said, "Good job, Clay!  Are you brushing your teeth!?", he started brushing his hair!  Ha!

The little stinker has yet to do a "real" sign, but this counts in my book!

Heart Heroes!

Okay, so I know I am SOOOO behind!  I intend to get caught up; it is just so overwhelming now!

....before I catch you up on all the latest Janke happenings, I wanted to share this awesome story.

Remember the Heart Hero cape Clay received!?  (you can read about it here)  The organization that makes the capes was featured on the NBC nightly news tonight!

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The doctor interviewed, Dr. Hammel, is our hero who fixed Clay's heart!

Honestly, the whole thing seems so surreal now.

I can't believe we made it through handing over our very fragile 6 week old baby for open heart surgery.  I think I was sort of in a bubble of shock, exhaustion, and fear.

Somehow that bubble helped protect me from really losing it.  God works in mysterious ways ;)

Now, to play catch up.......