Cade the 'Saurus

Anyone who knows Cadence knows that he is a nut for anything dinosaurs AND that he loves attention from his sister and her friends. Well tonight, Skyler and her friend are having a sleepover as the kids both have 2 weeks off for Fall Break. I am looking forward to sleeping in and not having to get up and going right away in the morning. It'll be nice to have the kids home and even go do some fun things around the Springs-finding something to do around here is never a problem!
Anyway, tonight the girls dressed Cadence up in his Halloween costume (which he will wear again this year) and he spent a good half hour stomping around and pretending to attack everyone! He actually got a little ticked when it was time to take it off for his bath! Silly kids!

One Smart Cookie...

Okay, I'm going to brag a little bit about Skyler.

Those of you who know Skyler know that she is very creative and love to read and write stories. In fact, she has wanted to be an author for quite some time now. Well, this past week marked the end of the first quater at school. Mind you, they started August 6th or so- early here. Anyway, I got her report card when I had parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday. Now, I am never really concerned or nervous when it comes to Skyler and schoolwork, but you always wonder what the teacher is going to say. Well, it was ALL good things about Skyler from her teacher. She received VERY good grades in every subject- they do not give letter grades at her school though. Their system is like, NP, PP, P, P+ and A. (Not proficient, partially proficient, proficient, very(?) proficient and advanced). I'm not really sure if I like this system, but whatever.

Anyway, her teacher was showing me her test scores and Skyler scored Advanced for reading, writing and Math! (which was kind of weird in the Math dept. since she was having a little trouble at the end of 3rd grade). Her teacher said she had NEVER had a student who received an Advanced "A" grade in the subject of writing, either. She also suggested that next semester (if Skyler wants to and doesn't feel pressured to, of course) Skyler start doing some reading assignments at the 6th-8th grade level. Funny thing, she also received an "A" in P.E. and technology! Guess all that dance and all those hours on Webkinz paid off! LOL!

Anyway, we are so proud of our Skyler and I am so happy she loves to read for pleasure. I remember when I homeschooled her in Kindergarten and she DID NOT want to read. So I got a piece of poster board and for every five books she read to me, she would get a prize out of the prizebox I kept. (and these were good prizes, not cheap, crappy ones!!) Then I would move it up to 10 books, 20, etc! The prizes got bigger as the number of books read got bigger! But it was so worth it. By first grade (she homeschooled the 1st semester) she was in love with reading and I no longer had to reward her for it. I, myself love buying books, so a bookstore is an equivalent to a candy store for her. She and I can spend HOURS in Barnes and Noble and Borders. But I usually do not buy a lot of books at the bookstore because she will read a book that I just bought in a few hours and that can get expensive! Yikes! We occasionally do the library, but I find it easier to get a stack of her favorite books (The Babysitters Club, The Boxcar Children, etc.) at Goodwill for $.25 or $.50 and she can stock her little "library" and have a feast of books to choose from. I usually end up giving them to friends or donating them to her classroom. The teacher really likes that!

Way to go Skyler! We are so proud of you and I think your Dad owes you some money now...

MORE PICS BY JCM!

For all the pictures and other pictures taken by Carmen, you can also visit her BLOG!

PICTURES BY JCM PHOTOGRAPHY!

Yesterday, my good friend Carmen and I took the boys (Cadence & Jaemen) to Quail Lake and Carmen took some shots of Cadence. Needless to say, they are gorgeous! And I highly commend Carmen, as Cadence is NOT an easy one to take pics of. He is not normally fond of the camera in his face, so you mostly have to get candid shots of him. Carmen and her husband Judah have a photography business- check out their website at http://www.photosbyjcm.com/.

GETTING "DOWN"- 31 FOR 21

Since October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, I will be participating in the "GET IT DOWN-31 for 21" Challenge! That means that EVERYDAY this month, I will be blogging! Now let's see if I can do it...

So, I will start by posting this article about "Down syndrome language". These are some tips for those who are not familiar with how to address a person with Down syndrome. The NDSC put this release out when Sarah Palin came into the public's eye and her son Trig, who has Down syndrome, was also in the limelight. I, myself saw many articles that said her son was "afflicted with Down syndrome" or "suffered from Down syndrome". I can't say I didn't cringe when I read that. I do not believe that Cadence "suffers" from Down syndrome. So, in an effort to get the facts straight, here is the article:

Presidential nominee of the Republican Party. Governor Sarah Palin recently gave birth to her
son who has Down syndrome. The Palins knew before their son’s birth that he would have Down
syndrome.
Below are tips for the proper use of language for ‘Down syndrome’. The National Down
Syndrome Society and the National Down Syndrome Congress encourages all media to use the
language below:
• Down vs. Down’s. NDSS and NDSC use the preferred spelling, Down syndrome, rather than
Down’s syndrome. While Down syndrome is listed in many dictionaries with both popular
spellings (with or without an apostrophe s), the preferred usage in the United States is Down
syndrome. This is because an “apostrophe s” connotes ownership or possession. Down
syndrome is named for the English physician John Langdon Down, who characterized the
condition, but did not have it. The AP Stylebook recommends using “Down syndrome” as
well.
• People with Down syndrome should always be referred to as people first. Instead of “a Down
syndrome child,” it should be “a child with Down syndrome.” Also avoid “Down’s child”
and describing the condition as “Down’s,” as in, “He has Down’s.”
• Down syndrome is a condition or a syndrome, not a disease.
• People “have” Down syndrome, they do not “suffer from” it and are not “afflicted by” it.
• It is clinically acceptable to say “mental retardation,” but you may want to use the
more socially acceptable “cognitive disability” or “cognitive impairment.”

Team Pictures

On Saturday, the Dance Unlimited Competition Team had their picture taken at the Olympic Training Center here in Colorado Springs. Brandon took Skyler and was able to get a few shots of the group. Can you find Skyler?

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month!

Did you know that October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month? During the month of October, I will be posting facts, articles and all things related to Down syndrome.(Just so you can learn something new every day!). So, as they say in the Ds world, "Welcome to Holland".

Down Syndrome Facts
• Down syndrome occurs when, an individual has three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.

• Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition. One in every 733 babies is born with Down syndrome.

• There are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome in the United States.

• Down syndrome affects people of all races and economic levels.

• The incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother. But due to higher fertility rates in younger women, 80 percent of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age.

• People with Down syndrome have an increased risk for certain medical conditions such as congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, Alzheimer's disease, childhood leukemia, and thyroid conditions. Many of these conditions are now treatable, so most people with Down syndrome lead healthy lives.

• Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent decades - from 25 in 1983 to 60 today.

• People with Down syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, and contribute to society in many productive ways

• Quality educational programs, a stimulating home environment, good health care, and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with Down syndrome to develop their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.