Michael's First Jam!

Just a quick post to share that we now have 3 jam makers in the family. I learned from a dear friend (Barb) several years ago and it fast became a family favorite. We are besides ourselves when berries are on sale - as they were just recently at our grocery store. I stocked up on Raspberries and Blackberries to whip out a quick batch. Michael has in the past helped me crush the fruit, and offered once again to help tonight. I was cleaning up from the raspberries and getting ready for the blackberries. Well, one thing led to another and Michael made the batch himself from beginning to end.... and he had fun doing it! Alexandra is hoping berries will be on sale again soon so she can make more, and I hear John in the other room saying he wants to help.  It is just one of those warm and fuzzy moments knowing you've shared something your children will take with them and teach their kids one day. Once Jack, Tommy and Peter all learn how to make jam we'll be able to open a jam store! And it all started with Barb teaching a group of ladies how to make strawberry jam four years ago! Thanks Barb!!

Good night - 

catherine

Happy 14th Birthday Alexandra!!

Wow - our daughter is now 14 years old! It is hard to believe it has been that long since she was the bundle of joy in our arms. I still remember being in the hospital with her in my arms as if it was yesterday. She was so perfect in every sense of the word. Our hearts exploded with joy and we thought we would never love that much again. We were wrong - we've loved that much and so much more four more times. With each day our capacity to love grows, but it did all begin with the first sight of Alexandra - truly love at first sight!

And here she is today - amazingly beautiful at her statuesque 5' 9" slender self. She is smart, she is funny, she is sensitive, and compassionate. She cries for those hurt, and laughs at silly faces. She makes mistakes, but she learns and moves on. She is a daughter, a sister and a friend. Alexandra brings us more joy than we thought imaginable back on December 12th, 1994 when we held her for the very first time. 

Friday we followed Mortimer family tradition - pulling everyone else out of bed in the dark. With gifts in hands and sleepy faces, we trotted into her room singing happy birthday! We watched Alexandra uhh and ahh at her gifts - but most impressive was her true joy at the "coupon book" Michael made. We have dubbed him "wonder thumbs" because of his masterful back massages. Thoughtfully he cut several pieces of paper in the shape of his hand. He stapled them together and made a coupon book for Alexandra to get the back massages she begs for daily. The off to school she went. Friday night we enjoyed a raspberry ice cream cheese cake (if that made sense) and then she curled up in front of the TV and finally watched Narnia's Prince Caspian.... thank you Tia Brenda for knowing exactly what Alexandra wanted!

Our family tradition is to let the birthday person pick a favorite restaurant for dinner. Since we don't eat meat on Friday's she decided to wait till Saturday. When the time came we went to a small local BBQ restaurant named Slaytons. She enjoyed her teriyaki wings, onion rings and a 1/2 slab of ribs she shared with Michael. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and honestly a much needed break from the normal hustle of the bigger restaurants.  She had ice cream and peach cobbler with a candle for desert and then we came home.

Today Alexandra and Michael Altar served at the 11am Mass. Shortly after that we went to a mother-daughter tea at the house of our friends the Ambuul's. Veronica has led the Leaders Now program that Alexandra enjoyed - and today was their graduation. It was so nice to relax, share some laughs and share yummy yummy goodies!

We love you Alexandra! We are so proud of you princess!!

love,

mama & papa 

ps. Other notables this week - Jack lost his first tooth. The Tooth Fairy brought him a buck since it is his first - he feels rich because that is 100 horse rides at King Soopers! Jack was most excited that when he smiled at his girlfriend Elizabeth that she noticed the bottom tooth missing. Jack & Michael both performed at the Corpus Christi School Christmas program. Peter's passport arrived..... so we have 3 weeks to keep him healthy so that he can go to Peru!

Jack sans bottom tooth!                                                            

 

Jack in the top middle being silly.... his girlfriend is in the top left. 

 

Michael in top middle in plaid shirt (too happy!)

Crazy Busy!!

Talk about a crazy, busy, fun, joyful and exhausting weekend!!

John and I looked at the calendar Friday wondering if it was possible to do any more this weekend than we had scheduled. Saturday morning started off early with John's men's group - an event he has enjoyed for many years and gives him time to be with other men and talk about living lives as honest Christian men. 

He got home barely in time to race Michael down to basket ball practice at the school. Season is starting soon and Michael is beyond excited. Last season he did so well - as his coach put it "he's a scrappy player" who can just get in there. Nothing glamorous, but down and dirty hard work and persistence. Well, both coaches have talked to John indicating they would like to have Michael on their teams and his potential. Michael so needed that boost to his confidence - and he has brought it up half a dozen times this weekend. Each time his eyes sparkle brighter and brighter. 

While Michael and John were out, I was prepping the house for weekend activities and guests. This can be frustrating as I swear I have little tornados that follow behind me and mess up the room I just cleaned.  Bless John for bringing me a Starbucks! (Kids call it "Mama's happy juice") Schedule was in my favor fortunately as I was able to slip in some baking that needed to be done for the weekend - and just did double batches. 

No sooner was Michael home from basket ball that John raced Jack out for a birthday party clear on the south side of town. Jack's girlfriend Elizabeth was turning 6. The party was princess theme - as evident from the invitations in the shape of pink crowns. Jack is so devoted to Elizabeth that he even said he would wear pink if that made her happy. He was the only boy at the party - but that didn't seem to bother him at all. He and Elizabeth are very fond of each other and Jack was thrilled to help her open her presents. He recounted the joy she had with each present that she opened. Now the night before I thought we were buying out K-Mart, but he said it was just right. He even got her a "birthday girl" crown with complimenting earrings, which he said she wore proudly! He had a great time and was bummed to leave. John took the opportunity of being on that side of town to get a little work done on the car as he could hear some funny noises. 

By the time he got home, folks were pulling up for the Down Syndrome play group we hosted at our house. We had wiped down the play set for kids to play outside, but the kids entertained themselves with all the toys in the tub in the family room. The kids ranged from Peter at 18 months up to Kara at 9 yrs old. Now, Kara developed quite a crush on our handsome son Michael and followed him everywhere. She was not deterred by his less than gracious responses at time - and they enjoyed basketball in our drive way. For us moms plus John it was a great opportunity to get to know each other better, talk about so much - food allergies, doctors, schools, milestones and ultimately how blessed we are with our children. 

Some of the mom's during the playgroup: 

Jack making new friends with Kara

  

Peter chilling with a book during the play group
 

A little reprieve for a few hours, and then John and I had a date at an Advent party. Our friends the Wilmes' throw a great party! Yummy food, lots of talking and for me a tour of their beautiful new home.... it is so big! I didn't get to chat with everyone I had hoped to talk to - but enjoyed the food, company and a nice glass of wine. Peter came to the party with us and he had a great time making friends with the adults - and a little concerning was that he went after the men with bear bottles..... hmmm, not sure what to make of that!! We didn't get home till very late and literally fell into bed. Alexandra and Michael had stayed up late watching a movie - so to my advantage I had Michael give me a back rub as I fell asleep. I have now dubbed him "wonder thumbs" because it was hands down the best back massage ever!!

The life of the party!! 

This morning Alexandra and Michael served at the 9am Mass. The three little boys were FULL of energy. Oh bless the people around us. And we were blessed, they were all gracious folks who had nothing but wonderful compliments on the boys. Of course they are so darn cute, it helps when the are moving around like mexican jumping beans. (Side note - remember those mexican jumping beans you could pick up next to cash registers in the 80's? - anyone know how those work? call me dork but I thought they were really cool). 

We got a break from cooking lunch which was a much needed break. We had the Colorado Springs Down Syndrome Association Christmas Party. It was hosted at a local hotel and it was so nice to just sit. As John pointed out it is interesting to see families with kids in all age ranges - Peter being amongst the youngest there. All the kids were amazingly well behaved, and enjoyed seeing Santa come visit. 

 

 

We came home and honestly I sank in front of the Broncos game as I fed Peter. John pulled out the ladder and continued to add and switch out lights in the tree in the front yard. Around 6pm our "Why Catholic" group came over - sans Thad and Mindy whom we hope will feel better soon! It was a great way to end up the crazy busy weekend! We reflected on the Advent readings and talked about things to work on as we continue to prepare ourselves. 

Now, I am feeling worn out all over and hope to sneak into bed early. The kids are bathed, Michael is already asleep and John and I are both desperately looking forward to our comfy bed!!

We hope you too had a blessed weekend!!  Here's to a deep breath before next weekend when we pick up all over again. 

John wears better than I do - but we are both pooped out!

Love, 

catherine

Alexandra's Spy Story - Part I

So I have decided that Alexandra has a talent for writing! She says she doesn't enjoy it, but she can whip fun to read stories or articles in just a matter of minutes. She had to write a short story for school - a spy adventure. Read below for part one - can't wait to read the next part myself!! Maybe Alexandra will add author to her future dreams - pediatrician, actress and author!! Enjoy - catherine

 

“Not again,” thought James. He was strapped to a chair and the bomb right next to him was about to go off. You may be wondering what the reason was for James being in this predicament. Well, it all started when James was in second grade. He met a new kid named Tom and they quickly became fiends. They remained cronies until eighth grade, when one day Tom avoided James and wouldn’t talk to him. James didn’t know it but Tom thought that James thought that he was better then Tom. James got better grades, had more friends and everybody liked him. James didn’t think of himself as better than anyone else, but Tom thought he did. From that day on, Tom hated James with unflagging passion. This hatred was kept in the following years. As adults, James became a top-rate FBI agent and Tom became an anonymous villain. Tom had tried many times to destroy James, but to no avail. He had even sent James plummeting to his death over a cliff, but James managed to save himself, which was a cryptic mystery to Tom. One day, Tom went on TV and proclaimed his enmity towards James. He also called for a meeting between him and James in his secret lair, which he faxed the directions for to James. James sent a proxy to the meeting, just in case, and they recorded everything Tom said. Later that night, when James heard what Tom said, he was very surprised. This was Tom’s message.

“James, I know when we were younger, we were good friends, and I know that when I left you, you were hurt and surprised, because you didn’t know why I had nullified our friendship. The reason was that you had always been better than me at everything and I thought you would rub it in my face and try to show you were superior to me. I also hated how my parents always rankled me to be more like you. Now I have finally realized you are nothing like that. So, if you will accept my offer to be friends again, I would be most grateful.”

James was utterly surprised and a little suspicious, but accepted Tom’s offer. What James didn’t know was that Tom was planning something evil. 

Stay tuned to hear to conclusion in Spy Story: Part Two. 

Peter - CarePage - December 4th, 2008

"Daa" means Dog!!

Peter officially has increased his spoken language to TWO words! And he is proficiently signing three words. So it all started with waving and "haa" meaning HI. He does that very well now. Bye-bye gets a similar variation - so we will consider that one word signed and spoken. Yeah! Then he added milk. This he signs only. So the opening and closing of the fist - except he does it with both hands. And he loves to watch his hands as he does it. So cute! He loves playing with our dog Angel - even if she is not quite so hip about it - he does chase after her and for some reason thinks he should eat her tail - ugh! We've been working on signing dog for a while - and it has clearly come together in the last couple of weeks. He will pat his hand (on his tummy instead of his leg if not positioned right) and say "daa". Now, we are teaching him to say Angel Dog.... and sometimes he will sign dog and simultaneously say "Aaang daaa". So exciting!! The ST specialist I saw said he should be saying his first spoken word at 18 months and he now is. We are so excited. You can see Angel is not quite as excited as we are....might be because he likes to get into her water and food constantly. He will ignore the coolest toys in the world if the opportunity exists to throw her dry food and spill her water. 

a) Peter - "I'm coming in on my approach - big smile - maybe she'll think I'm cute"

b) Angel - "maybe if I don't make eye contact he'll go away"

c) Peter - "mama, if you could get me in focus instead of Angel they could see me trying to sign dog!"

 

Another milestone that was reached today - Peter figured out how to come down some steps! Yeah!! He learned how to climb stairs in the last month or so - but coming down was scary. He would turn and sit and I was so afraid he would lean and tumble. Tonight, he actually slid down on his tummy a total of 3 steps. We need to keep working on it, but you could tell it clicked in his mind. He has become quite proficient at climbing however, and will wait for us to not watch before he will venture up. He is so fast that in that split second he will be half way up the stairs.  

He is pulling to stand really well, and the kids swear they can get him to take a few steps. We shall see. Several moms in Denver on the DS chat group talked about the Radio Flyer walker being really good for our special kids to learn how to walk. I guess the weight, the bumper and the speed of the rubber wheels works really well. Yikes - those suckers are $100 at the store if you can find them. UGH! So I went checked e-bay and craigslist. I was so excited I found one at a fraction of the price.... but someone found it before me and I didn't get it. So - if on your online purchase endeavors you run across one let me know please. I have cute images of Peter pushing it down to the pool as he gets older with all his toys in it. One day!  

And last, but most definitely not least, we are trying to get Peter's passport. If all goes as planned he will be coming down to Peru in January for my mother's birthday. So hoping we pull this off and he can see the ocean and play in the sand - just like I had so many dreams of him doing even before he was born. I am so excited I can barely sit still. Have so much to pull together - but will keep you posted.  

God bless you all during this Advent season.  

HUGS! 

catherine

Peter - CarePage - November 30th, 2008

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

We are home - and just in time as we are being hit with never ending snow. Not massive amounts of accumulation - but enough to stay in doors and avoid icy snow-packed roads. Despite our kids working to clear the drive way - it is white again. School is delayed tomorrow - so kids are excited to ease back into school after having been gone. We did get back late last night and today celebrated first Sunday of Advent. We got the tree up, pulled out our candles and started our readings. Our challenge for tomorrow is to recognized God's presence in one small thing in our day... hope you do the same!

So, Peter is not a long distance car lover! I think we barely made it to Wyoming on the way up to Rapid before he put his foot down and demanded out. I think the issue is being in the car when it's dark - but hard to tell. He has some stubborn streak in him because once he's decided he wants out that is it. Check out the picture below -  Peter's driving the car! You should have seen the smile on his face. Now, we were parked with the engine off in the rest area - but still - Peter got a kick out of it! And which of us does not have a picture as a kid "driving" a car.

We did eventually make it to Rapid Tuesday night and settled right into bed for all. Wednesday the rest of the family started arriving. The cousins getting to know each other again. For all but one, this was their first time meeting Peter. I think by the fact that we got their first, Peter had a chance to be comfortable with the setting before he had to figure out all these new faces. But, in some way it had to remind him of being in the NICU... all these cute young girls uhh-ing and coo-ing at his every move. Of course he performed! The smiles, the waves, the Hi's, the coy face hiding in the neck. The kid knows what he is doing!! He was passed around and played with and hugged and kissed. For a kid that is normally on the go all day long - he sure was enjoying sitting on the couch and cuddling with his cousins!! We did go out for a bit despite the chilly weather - Peter enjoyed the ducks at the park, but was not so hip on the dinosaurs at the top of the hill (neither was I to be honest - love the dinosaurs, hate the cold!).

  (Peter with Tatum, Tommy, Alexandra, Sammie & Michael @ the park with the ducks)

 (Peter snuggling with Sammie during the sunset view at the dinosaur park)   

Thursday was a busy day with turkey and all. The older kids went to help at the soup kitchen, while Peter stayed back and helped with the meal. As I ponder on Thanksgiving - I am first and foremost thankful for family. I feel blessed to be surrounded by people who love me! But I am most thankful for the blessing of all my kids and their health - Peter included. We came so close, yet here he is growing bigger and stronger each day. And now, when he laughs there is sound. For the longest time it was an intake of air and like watching a belly laugh in a silent movie. Now there are giggles followed by the deep intake of air, followed by more glorious sound!! And today it hit me even more.... Christmas is going to be a long time - glorious, but I suspect I will be relieved when the tree comes down. I remember last year telling Peter I was glad he couldn't reach the tree but looked forward to when he could. Well, now he can and really fast. We have placed it in a corner and positioned furniture we hope we can use to create a barrier - but I suspect my ingenious child will pulled to that tree like a magnet. But, I smile.... how truly glorious that Peter is still here and we can watch his little determined body race for that tree!!

 (Peter laughing and hanging out with Uncle Bob - his Godfather)

Back to Thanksgiving.... John and I did Black Friday. We debated and had decided to stay in bed. Yet, as we heard others get ready in the wee hours of the morning I drug John out of bed and off we went. We were successful in our endeavors - so I am excited to really be able to enjoy advent knowing all is truly taken care of - if you get my drift. Later that day the older kids got to geo cache with Uncle Bob. Bless him for his patience! And bless Sharon for reminding him to bring the GPS. The kids had a great time despite the weather - and are still talking about their loot. The most popular item being the wooden gun that shoots rubber bands. Clearly I have not found an opportunity to "put it in a safe place" and Michael walks around with it firmly protected by his belt. It has caused a few episodes of drama - but fortunately no one has been hurt. Another thing to be thankful for!!

Yesterday we headed home and tried a different route. Hmmm..... won't likely try that again. I am an interstate speed plus sort of person - so fortunately John drove as I likely would have gone bananas trying to go 60mph when my soul searched for much higher speeds. Those windy country roads are just a temptation calling your name if like me you grew up dreaming of racing noisy cars at high speeds. Alas, John drove legally and safely while I buried myself in a book. Which leads me to sidebar once more....Twilight.....can't put it down! Alexandra read the book a couple of years ago and it just came out in the theatre. I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. Good and bad. Love the book!! The movie took too many artistic liberties in my opinion. So, to assess my initial reaction to the movie - we went and saw it again while in Rapid City..... a girls night out! I was more gushy about the movie second time around but honestly the book was so good there was no way the movie would ever do it justice. I am now more than half way through the third book in the series and looking forward to reading the fourth. I have to say - for us girls that enjoy that true love story with the gentleman that picks the common girl - this book is all that and so much more. The electricity between Bella and Edward is truly amazing.... love it!!!

Anyway - sorry about all my sidebars. Happy Thanksgiving..... and here is to a truly magical Advent as we prepare. Below are a few pics of the family getting the tree ready.... we take turns each year on who gets to put the angel on the top of the tree - this year was Tommy's turn. He wasn't too excited about being held up to the top of the tree, but was proud of himself after he got the angel on. Yeah Tommy!! Jack of course was Mr. Ham as he popped his head into a ton of my pictures. All in all they had fun!

  

 

Love,
catherine

ps. I think Peter wants a camera for Christmas.... check this out - he spots the camera, he reaches it successfully, then he celebrates his success!!