Josie's Summer Paradise

Since Mom and Dad have been spending every evening over at the condo getting things ready for Mama Hop & Aunt Leanne's visit next month, we haven't had as much family time as usual.  So we decided do something fun together on Saturday morning.  The obvious choice was our local splash park. 

 

The girls absolutely love the splash park - especially Josie.

 It should come as no surprise since we already discovered the water-induced euphoria that is our water activity table.  The splash park takes that to a whole new level!

 There is nowhere else to witness Josie participate in this much gross motor activity with a gleeful expression plastered across her face. 

 Of course we would expect Merryn to prosper in an environment like this.  

 Eyes shut

Mouth open

Run

Repeat

 This environment beckons every kid to be a fearless little force of nature - even Josie.  Just look at her wandering around like she owns the place!  All signs of her gross motor allergy were washed away and her signature "No, please, no!" was not uttered once...

  ...Well, maybe once...when she decided to plop face-down where the water accumulates near the drain to indulge in her obsession with blowing bubbles...

...until Dad came along and ruined all the fun.  Sorry, JoJo.  Let's just hope that run off from everyone's grubby feet is adequately chlorinated.  Ick!

 Suffice to say, even that couldn't burst her splash park bubble. 

Here's to hoping Josie likes winter sports this much!  I happen to know a medal-winning Special Olympian who can teach her how to snowshoe.

Mama Hop's Flamenco Photo Shoot Fiasco

Mama Hop loves to travel.  She recently returned from a Mediterranean Cruise and she hand-delivered souvenirs for all of us with the exception of one.  One souvenir was too good to wait so Mama Hop shipped it directly to us as soon as she landed back in the States: little red and black Flamenco dresses from Spain.  She even included a CD that she'd burned herself (no small feat, mind you) of Flamenco music to go along with the gift.  She wrote a note saying that she thought the girls would love dressing up and dancing to the Spanish guitar.  She thought it would make an awesome photo op.  She pictured this:

 She got this:

Somehow there was a disconnect between my mom's vision of a couple of castanets wielding, cosmopolitan toddlers happily twirling around in their ruffly red dresses and the genuine reality: Josie's got an extra chromosome chalked full of stubborn and she just wasn't feeling the rhythm that day while the only thing Merryn was feeling was...well, Thelma.

Dead are Mama Hop's dreams of bragging that her granddaughters are Carlos Santana's backup dancers...or even cruise ship entertainment for that matter.  They're just good old, all-American, bright-eyed, strong-willed, ornery, energetic, uncooperative, spirited,  obstinate, toddlers in itchy polyester dresses.

 

Even Aunt Leanne Has Her Limits

While this blog generally addresses topics related to Down syndrome and our two family members who have it, Instagram followers are well aware that there's a whole world of entertainment brought to us by one of our chromosomally deprived family members - it is filed under the hashtag #HurricaneMerryn

Merryn is Josie's almost 2 year-old little sister.  She is a charming, beautiful, fun-loving, and impressively intelligent child who brings immeasurable joy to our world.  So why do we call her "Hurricane Merryn"?   Because she is a storm surge of mischief waiting to strike.  You know she's coming but you're not sure exactly when or where she'll hit and you can always count on a FEMA worthy wake of destruction.  Some of Hurricane Merryn's favorite pastimes include:

 

* Making a mess

* Removing vent covers and leaving them strewn throughout the house

* Shoving toys and other small objects down the vents

* Making a mess

* Opening drawers and removing the contents

* Breaking things

* Taking her clothes off and streaking through the house squealing "Naked baby!"

* Making a mess

* Climbing on furniture

* Scaling playground equipment intended for kids four times her age causing Mom to accumulate gray hairs as she looks on

* Yanking Josie's glasses off of her face, popping out the lenses, and playing innocent while we frantically search for the tiny, transparent pieces of plastic amidst the debris of toys and vent covers

 

Did I mention that she enjoys making a mess?

While the ornery gleam in those big blue eyes is a source of endless amusement for her grandmas, is not always appreciated by this frazzled mom whose pursuit of a calm and tidy home is challenged daily by this dimpled dollface. 

Even Aunt Leanne, who is at her absolute happiest when she is doting on her precious nieces, has her limits:

Apparently she answers to "Thelma" now...???

If it weren't for Instagram's 15 second video clip limit, you would have seen that exact same sequence of events happen about five times in a row before I finally stepped in and helped redirect the little cyclone for the sake of my big sister's sanity.  Ah, yes.  Welcome to my world, Leanne.  Just try to fold a load of laundry or unload a dishwasher with "Thelma" in tow!

Oh but who can resist that face?  Or her "easy breezy" tribute to Aunt Leanne when she poses for a picture?

She gives us a run for our money but I think we'll keep her - right, Leanne?
 

Aunt Leanne and the Cooler Full of Booze

I originally hesitated to blog this story because it may make us seem like lushes but my friend, Aleksandra, said it was her all-time favorite Aunt Leanne story and that I owe it to the world to share it.  So A, this one's for you...

As loyal readers know, we recently relocated to another part of the country with my hubby's job.  So one of the stipulations of moving is that the movers hired by the company will not haul certain things like weapons, cleaning products, and liquor.  Well, you know how much liquor costs and of course I had a brand new bottle of Patrón and other expensive stuff that I didn't just want to leave behind.  When we drove up here in May, the car was absolutely packed to the gills with all the necessities for us and so we gave our liquor collection to my mom to bring to us when she came to visit over the summer. 

 

Fast forward to last Friday.  Mama Hop pulled into our driveway with our liquor in a huge cooler in her trunk.  She and I were sitting out back on the patio and she asks Leanne to go get her atlas out of her car.  Leanne returns with the atlas and announces that she brought the cooler in, too. 

 

Mama Hop: The cooler?!  How did you lift it?  It's too heavy for you!

Leanne: I didn't.  The guy next door did. 

Me: Who?
Leanne: The guy next door in the yard.  The worker. (My neighbors are getting a sprinkler system installed)

Me: You asked the neighbor's lawn guy to bring in the cooler full of liquor?!?!  What did you say????

Leanne: I said "Here, you carry this.  I'll get the door."

 

My mom and I both looked at each other and started laughing out of mortification at Leanne's audacity.  That is how diva Leanne is!  She thinks the world is her staff!  So she just ordered the neighbor's landscaper to unload my mom's car! 

 

And I turn 25 shades of red wondering if he saw what was in the cooler and what he possibly thought about this adorable little chromosomally enhanced person (most people think she is about 14 years old) directing him to carry her enormous cooler full of booze into the house for her!!!!!  It's not like she asked - she just said "Here - you get this and I'll get the door."  Couldn't you just die?!?!  I barely know these neighbors so it's just that much more embarrassing, but that's my sister for you...

 

That's SO Leanne!

 

*** Mama Hop wanted me to clarify that no open container laws were violated.  She is a law-abiding citizen.

The countdown is almost over...

...until the "Dual Divas of Down Syndrome" are reunited!

 

In case you missed our big announcement, this visit will hopefully be the last short visit because Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne will soon be part-time residents of our lovely new town.  We can't wait for them to see the condo we selected and Travis and I are going to take advantage of Aunt Leanne's awesome babysitting skills to be able to shop and make additional condo preparation plans.  We are SO excited!!!

 

Speaking of Aunt Leanne's finesse with children, yesterday she came up with a doozy.  We are potty training around here and Merryn made a poop in the potty which is a BIG deal because girlfriend isn't even 2 yet and she's catching on! 

So for her celebratory phone call, she requested we call Aunt Leanne.  Upon hearing Merryn's toileting success story, instead of the enthusiastic praise Merryn was expecting, Aunt Leanne replied: "Ewww!  Too much information!  You ruined my lunch!"

 

Nice, Leanne.  Real nice. 

 

What can you do?  Aunt Leanne is nothing if not honest and such topics don't really contribute to the most appetizing lunchtime conversations.

 

And even though Aunt Leanne can't feign excitement over a bowel movement, Mom sure can.  Go Merryn!  Woo Hoo!!!!  Once Leanne arrives and takes over potty training duty, she'll understand just how exciting that actually is!



Aunt Leanne Reacts to Big Announcement

Aunt Leanne has been missing from the blog lately.  Perhaps that's what happens when you move more than 700 miles away :-(

 

But for those of you eager for an Aunt Leanne fix, this post is for you.  First, here is the thank you note she sent us for the birthday gifts.  We sent her a bunch of personalized photo gifts because we believe when you're as cute as Leanne is, you should have your photo plastered EVERYWHERE!

 

So she received a photo calendar, a photo tee shirt,

 

photo stickers,

 

and photo paper:

Translation:

 

Dear Sis Family,

Thank you for

the calendar

book, stickers,

and this paper.

I love it.

Leanne

 

Did you notice how I translated just like she types?  Although, I think I should have hit the "Enter" key a few more times...love it!

 

Josie examined that note for the longest time.  When I asked her what it said, she replied "I pray for you".  I had to laugh because Leanne always tells Josie "I pray for you".

 

 But we saved the best part of this post for last.  Travis works for a great company and his job has afforded us the opportunity to move all over the country and live in some really cool places.  However, this being 700+ miles away from Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne just won't work.  So for many, many reasons (most importantly, as an investment in our relationship as a family), we found a little place here in our new residence where Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne can spend part of the year.  Here's how Leanne reacted when we revealed the news:

 

 

It's difficult to hear Leanne's response but she immediately inquired as to whether or not we have a Starbucks here!  Girlfriend has her priorities - she's not going anywhere without access to Frappuccinos! 

 

We are so excited about this little place we found.  It's conveniently located near Starbucks.  It has a park right around the corner where the girls can play.  It even has a nice little kitchen where Mama Hop can cook up all of her delicious meals and we're all looking forward to that! We plan to have fun making a few cosmetic changes and if all goes well with the inspection/closing (knock on wood) we'll be able to get started in August.  Suddenly living so far away from family seems much more bearable!

Weekend at Mama Hop's House

With our big move just days away, we decided to go see Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne while they are still a toddler-tolerable road trip away.  The Diva hug fest commenced as soon as we walked in the door!

 Considering how difficult it is to pack up and travel with two little ones, Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne usually come to us.  It was a fun change of pace to be on their turf.

My big sister showed me the fundamentals of modeling.

 

Both girls were eager to spend time with Neko, Mama Hop's (in)famous Siamese cat.  To add an extra element of entertainment, we brought our ferocious not-quite-4-lb Maltese, Lillian, to challenge Neko's "alpha" title.  Bark, hiss, scamper, chase, repeat was the soundtrack to our weekend.

 The gorgeous and conceited cat wasn't the only entertainment available to the girls; they also had a fantastic time exploring Mama Hop's breakable treasures including her global bell collection...

 ...and her prized baby grand piano...

 ...which houses the shrine to our little clan.

 Mama "MacGyver" Hop set out to prove how you can baby proof a home with nothing more than a few rubber bands and paper clips.  Merryn happily accepted that challenge and raised Mama Hop one set of antique china.

 

It's a good thing Aunt Leanne was there to lay down the law and keep those little girls in line.

 We find that spending time outdoors is a perfect way to entertain toddlers. 

 The benefit is twofold: 1. If they're outdoors, they're not inside tearing up the house and

 2. All that fresh air and exercise wears 'em out so they go to bed early and sleep really well!

Leanne put Merryn in her bed.  Merryn thought she was a big deal! 

 

Our other weekend activities consisted of going to church (so Mama Hop could show off those grand babies, of course), eating at Mama Hop's second choice Mexican restaurant (first choice was closed), a little shopping (Folks, I am a Maxxonista!), and enjoying time together as a family around a table full of Mama Hop's delicious home cooking.

 Leanne insists everyone smell her after she gets out of the shower.  She says "Do I smell clean?"  It's a strange tradition but it's important to Leanne so we play along.

 

One of the funniest moments of the weekend involved Aunt Leanne's signature pose.

 I pointed the camera at Josie and asked her to "pose like Aunt Leanne" and she whipped this out:

Yes, our 3 year-old's size 2T pants are sagging worse than Justin Bieber's.

 

They both crack me up!

It was sad to have to say goodbye to Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne but we know we'll see them as often as possible regardless of the increased distance between us.  Furthermore, Mama Hop has learned how to Skype so we "see" each other all the time!

 

Just a warning that the blog may be neglected for awhile as we set out on our moving adventure.  While Travis' company sends movers to pack up our stuff and load the truck, we still have to pack up the essentials for this family of four (plus Lillian) in anticipation of what could be a 10 day hotel stay (hopefully less)!  I am currently procrastinating packing as we speak :-) 

We will try our best to update you along the journey up north but we can't promise.  Either way, we will take lots and lots of photos and we can't wait to post again from our new house as our new adventure begins!

 

Footnote: While at Mama Hop's house, I swiped some photo albums so that I could scan and share some more childhood photos of Aunt Leanne and I.  I got some priceless material that I can't wait to reveal!



More Teachable Moments with Aunt Leanne

We were the lucky recipients of another fun visit from Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne this week.  I had a speaking engagement (special thanks to the SLP grad students and their professor - it was such a great experience!) so Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne were kind enough to come and babysit the girls.

 I know when I leave the girls with their Aunt Leanne, they will receive lots of attention...

 ...affection...

 ...and enriching experiences.  I also know that these little ladies won't get away with much because Aunt Leanne won't stand for that.  She keeps these girls on a short leash!  And if anyone does get out of line, I know I'll hear about it in no uncertain detail!

 Spring is finally starting to appear around here so we took advantage of the opportunity to walk to the park.  I took along my camera so that we could attempt one of our infamous photo shoots.  Leanne stopped traffic practicing her poses.

 And we all know Girlfriend doesn't need any practice.  She's a well vetted modeling expert!

 We had a great time blowing bubbles and enjoying the sunshine!

 We got some cute shots, notwithstanding a few defiant toddler moments.

 Yesterday, Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne helped with breakfast before preparing to leave.

 Then they hugged and kissed the kiddos and waved goodbye, promising to return as frequently as possible before the big move.

Of course Aunt Leanne's goodbyes are never that simple.  Yesterday, Josie got a firm lecture, wrapped in lots of love, from her sassy Aunt:

 

Leanne has high expectations for these little ladies because she loves them so much.  Sending all of our love and gratitude to Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne for their help.  Come back soon!

Head Diva In Charge

Early Friday morning, Travis and I flew up to the Arctic Circle (just kidding...kind of) to take care of some new house business and we left Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne in charge of the girls.  After their coronation, it was down to business as usual.

 Once Leanne changed into her robe and got comfy, it was time for the standard, ordinary, run-of-the-mill hug fest between the two most affectionate members of the family. 

 Of course Josie was eager to consume the hearty helping of love, undivided attention, and spoiling that Aunt Leanne always dishes out.

And Merryn was eager to consume a hearty helping of anything that Mama Hop dishes out because it's not every day that she gets cuisine that rivals Rachel Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, and Paula Deen combined!

We are so grateful that Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne were willing to assume all childcare responsibilities so that Travis and I could focus on selecting cabinets, paint, and flooring for our new igloo abode.  It's a luxury to be able to have a childless getaway, and even though we were very anxious to have our girls back in our arms, it gave us great peace of mind to know that they were having a blast back home.  Here are a few more photos that will be familiar to Instagram followers:

According to preliminary reports, the girls improved their grade substantially from the last time Aunt Leanne babysat. Tune in tomorrow for the update straight from the Diva's mouth.