this is my normal

we are well into the routine now, up and going bright and early for school. It definitely makes life on a schedule necessary, unlike the lazy summer days when the kids have almost nothing scheduled. Ciarra, I must note, is not a morning person. If school just started at 10 instead of 8, she would be much easier to get moving in the morning. But alas, lol, I cant change the entire schedule just for her. And so every weekday I walk into her room at quarter to seven, snuggle in beside her and wake her up as gently (but firmly) as I can. If I have stuck to the schedule, she will have had her shower the night before, and clothes are laid out ready for her to argue over and re-pick. That is, after she is standing upright and semi cooperating in the morning rush. Motivation is the key with this kid. And so sometimes I have been known to resort to bribery. "If you hurry, we can call a friend to come over after school." Two weeks ago, after 15 days of school, the deal was she could invite a friend or two to go bowling.



Well now, Ciarra has a real problem with "one or two". I ended up with her PLUS 4 others!
(How do you say no, though, when you are so busy doing cartwheels that the kids WANT to come?)Apparently, someone forgeot to tell my daughter that "kids with Down syndrome don't HAVE friendships." Uh huh. Tell that to the kids clamoring to come hang out every time I walk through the door of her classroom.

And so we bowled










And we laughed, and we had tickle fights.









We played video games:




And made scary faces:



Played hide n seek...lol








And some air hockey:





I love these kids, I really do. And gosh they are cute! But I gotta admit, when it comes to cute, aint NOTHIN as cute as the one that's got the butt wiggle thing goin on.



9 years ago, you never could have convinced me that my life would be overflowing with laughter, happy children, hugs, warmth, and love. Now, it is normal. It feels natural to be known as "Ciarra's Mom" or "Jesse's Mom" or "Kristin's Mom". And it feels completely natural to have this amazing little spirit in my life, reminding me that normal is relative.