Buddy Walk

I checked the weather forecast before we left for our local Buddy Walk yesterday:  "44 degrees.  Feels like 41 degrees.  Showers.  Fitness comfort:  uncomfortable."

That pretty much sums it up.  Uncomfortable.  (I hope next year's walk falls on a day that is 75 and sunny!!)

Bridget woke up at 6 a.m., and was not in a particularly celebratory mood, despite the looks of the first few pictures below which were taken immediately after we got there :). 

We did get to see a few old friends and meet some new ones :).

We spent most of our time at the Reece's Rainbow table (with the Smith and Jobes families--who did all the work!)  The Smiths are working on saving Yana, and Faith and Evan Jobes are making their way to Robyn.  Please visit their blogs and sponsorship pages and help support their adoption journeys! 

We also enjoyed talking to several other families with questions about adopting children with Ds and seeing some precious, little new babies with Ds and meeting their families :)!

Our time was cut short at the event due to a couple of little girls who were pretty unhappy with the wind, cold weather and rain ;).  A few pictures from the morning:

"Yea! We're at the Buddy Walk!"

Alina:  "Hmm.  What's over there?"  Bridget:  "Yea!"

Alina:  "I'm outta here!"  Bridget:  "Woot!  I'm still cheering!" (How quickly the tides turn when you are 4!)

Alina looking at the poster with her Before & After pictures on it :)

Sara trying to console Bridget

It didn't work.  Sara is faking it ;).  Bridget is not.

Mommy trying to get Bridget to smile.  It didn't work ;).

Alina saying "GO BUCKS!" to Ethan Smith.  (Her Daddy is so proud!)

Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month!

Buddy Walk 2009

It was a gorgeous day for our local Buddy Walk! We did not have a team of our own (the Walk was early this year, and I knew the first part of September was going to be crazy busy for us), but we did get to enjoy a wonderful day filled with sunshine and friends. It was hot, and a little loud, and near naptime, so Miss Bridget was fairly quiet. She seemed to enjoy herself, though! She also greeted everyone she met with "knuckles" (she likes to say Boom!)

The highlight of our day was getting to meet a few other girls close to Bridget's age, including Leah Elliott and her family. Bridget and Leah were both tired, but were so cute together! My camera was out of batteries (!), so I did not capture any shots of the two of them together. Photographer Melissa Jones was there though, with the Elliott family, and may have one or two (I hope!).

Here are a few other pictures from today:





I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but Bridget's picture will be included in the NDSS Times Square Video this year which will run at the start of the NYC Buddy Walk on September 26th (it's this photo, taken with her Papa on the 4th of July):

Buddy Walk 2009

It was a gorgeous day for our local Buddy Walk! We did not have a team of our own (the Walk was early this year, and I knew the first part of September was going to be crazy busy for us), but we did get to enjoy a wonderful day filled with sunshine and friends. It was hot, and a little loud, and near naptime, so Miss Bridget was fairly quiet. She seemed to enjoy herself, though! She also greeted everyone she met with "knuckles" (she likes to say Boom!)

The highlight of our day was getting to meet a few other girls close to Bridget's age, including Leah Elliott and her family. Bridget and Leah were both tired, but were so cute together! My camera was out of batteries (!), so I did not capture any shots of the two of them together. Photographer Melissa Jones was there though, with the Elliott family, and may have one or two (I hope!).

Here are a few other pictures from today:





I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but Bridget's picture will be included in the NDSS Times Square Video this year which will run at the start of the NYC Buddy Walk on September 26th (it's this photo, taken with her Papa on the 4th of July):

Buddy Walk 2008--Part IV

I forgot to post pictures of our Buddy Walk bags, like I promised earlier. I had fun packaging and delivering the bags! Each family of walkers received a bag with t-shirts (for those who ordered shirts), buttons, and individually-wrapped chocolate chip cookies for each family member. The cookies are a family favorite...Grammy's famous secret recipe :).

For anyone who happens to be interested :), I got the bags and tissue paper from Nashville Wraps (highly recommend). The tissue is "chocolate dots on aqua". Just by chance, I found matching ribbon at Hobby Lobby.

Since glitter & sparkles are a recurring theme with Bridget (Tiny Flashes of Light), her hand-held signs and notecards were decorated with fairy dust. The kids (and some adults!) carried shiny streamer wands and pom poms, which I ordered from the always cheesy--but fun--Oriental Trading Company.

Buddy Walk 2008--Part IV

I forgot to post pictures of our Buddy Walk bags, like I promised earlier. I had fun packaging and delivering the bags! Each family of walkers received a bag with t-shirts (for those who ordered shirts), buttons, and individually-wrapped chocolate chip cookies for each family member. The cookies are a family favorite...Grammy's famous secret recipe :).

For anyone who happens to be interested :), I got the bags and tissue paper from Nashville Wraps (highly recommend). The tissue is "chocolate dots on aqua". Just by chance, I found matching ribbon at Hobby Lobby.

Since glitter & sparkles are a recurring theme with Bridget (Tiny Flashes of Light), her hand-held signs and notecards were decorated with fairy dust. The kids (and some adults!) carried shiny streamer wands and pom poms, which I ordered from the always cheesy--but fun--Oriental Trading Company.

Buddy Walk 2008--Part III

Deep feelings of thankfulness have surrounded me recently--even in my dreams. Last night, as I slept, I had clear visions of myself sitting at our kitchen table with Judy, our neighbor, and Sarah, a dear friend from college. It was a few days before I left for California for my brain surgery, and we were going over the list of all the families they had scheduled to bring my family meals while Chris and I were gone and during my recovery. Many of the names on the calendar were not people I knew, but who had offered to help nonetheless. Judy and Sarah set out to fill a month's worth of dates. They ended up filling three months.

The morning of the surgery, as I was wheeled away from Chris and through the double set of doors into the sterile operating room, I thought about how much I love Life and my family--and of the huge embrace from family, friends, and community. Within minutes, I felt the sting of a needle going into the back of my hand, and a razor shaving the back of my head--an odd sensation, especially when coupled with such overwhelming gratitude.

I have no idea why my subconscious chose now to re-live that moment, but I have been talking recently about a similar embrace we felt through response to the Buddy Walk and Bridget's Light.

Maybe it is a gentle nudge to keep sharing our story...

From my first post (Introduction):

I believe that people are inherently good. I see it everywhere, in faces, in big and small gestures, and in people giving of themselves (personal support or corporate commitment).

I believe the universe is inherently friendly; that good things happen even in the worst of times; and that we make conscious choices to be hopeful, and to let love lead.

I have tremendous faith that, in the end, love always prevails.

Our family has been so deeply impacted by Bridget and the events of the past few years--in a really good way. Now, it's my job to spread the goodness :)...

To that end, here are more photos from the Buddy Walk: