Halloween, Zoo Boo, and a Party

I had to show a picture of our sad looking pumpkins. Grant and Aiden carved them a week before Halloween and this is what they looked like 3 days before Halloween. Poor pumpkins.

This was the first year Aiden really got into the Halloween spirit. He knew about dressing up, pretending he was something else, and the candy. Plus, he was excited about all three. We had been talking for a few months about what Aiden wanted to be for Halloween, at first he said "Super Why", which is a character from one of his favorite cartoons, then he changed his mind to a pirate, and he finally settled on a shark (which he is now obsessed with). He loved his costume this year, and has been dressing up randomly in the costume to pretend he is a shark. He loves the costume so much that even though he is sweating in it, he refuses to take it off until he's done playing.

Maddie decided she wanted to be a nice warm and cozy ladybug. 

Every Halloween season we take Aiden to ZooBoo. I'm really not sure what my obsession is with making sure we go to the Zoo for this event, there are always huge crowds, you can't see the animals very well, and the line for the different candy stations is always long. But, none the less, I feel like any chance we get to dress up the kids in their Halloween outfits and parade them in front of other people, is a good time. So this year was no different.

We had a lot of fun at ZooBoo and spent most of our time in lines for the haunted house, train ride, and concession stand.

Halloween day, our friends threw a baby Halloween party. I was a little worried that Maddie would get too hot in her ladybug costume, so I improvised and made her into a Material Girl with things I had around the house for her. You can't see it in the picture, but she's wearing a Madonna onesie.

Our hostess and her daughter... she made the parrot costume... I wish I were that talented.

We had a great time seeing all the kids in their costumes, it was a great idea to have a little party for all the kiddos. Thanks Cara and Tommy!

After leaving the party, we headed home to get ready for the main event... trick-or-treating!

This was the first year that we weren't out of town for Halloween and I was a little worried about how the turn out would be in our neighborhood. It was perfect though! There were tons of houses that were ready for trick-or-treaters, but not a lot of kids trick-or-treating, which meant that houses were giving away candy by the handful! Aiden had a great time and I was so impressed with how he would say "trick-or-treat", "Happy Halloween", and "Thank you" at each house. 

Field Trip

Last Wednesday, Aiden's school went on a field trip to Reilly's Summer Seat Farms. This was Aiden's first field trip and first ride on a school bus. He couldn't have been more excited! The school invited one parent to join their child on the field trip. So, Maddie went to a friend's house for the morning and I joined Aiden at the Pumpkin Patch. Two Pumpkin Patches in one month, plus spending the morning with just Aiden... I was super excited!!

We got to school early and waited to line up for the busses. When we finally got a little closer to the busses, Aiden and a couple of the other kids started to get nervous about getting on, but when it was his turn, Aiden's smile was almost bigger than his face! He slowly walked up the stairs examining the driver's seat and then proceeded to carefully inspect each row of seats as if he were worried that there would be a quiz later where he would have to describe every detail on the bus.

After picking out the perfect seat on the bus, he slid in with this sly grin on is face trying to hide how fascinated he was with the whole experience. The bus hadn't even started moving yet when Aiden looked at me very seriously and said, "Mommy, I don't see the Pumpkin Patch yet." After I explained that the bus was going to drive us to the Pumpkin Patch, he looked at me worriedly and said, "But, I don't have on a seatbelt!"

After we got to the Farm, we waited in line to get on the hayride to the pumpkin patch. It obviously wasn't as exciting as the bus ride, but he did get to sit next to his friend Francesca, who he was worried about on the bus because he didn't see her. Once we got to the pumpkin patch, Aiden took his job of hunting for a pumpkin very seriously. He would pick up a pumpkin, find something wrong with it, put it down and continue to the next imperfect one. Until he finally found two acceptable pumpkins and put them in his bags.

When all the kids were finished, the next stop on the hayride was the Corn Maze and Nursery Rhyme Forest. Aiden really had no interest in either of these and during the Corn Maze, my camera ran out of batteries. It probably was for the best because the only thing Aiden wanted to do after this was to eat a snack and play with his friend Lochlan, which was my favorite part.

One of our main factors in deciding to put Aiden in preschool was the fact that we don't know anyone here with kids Aiden's age. So he hasn't had many chances to socialize with other kids. We had gone to a library class when he was little, but he aged out of it, and we had put him in a gymnastics class, but he was no longer enjoying it so we took him out. Preschool gives him a chance to be with kids his own age on a daily basis and to form friendships with the same kids. Watching Aiden and Lochlan having so much fun together was awesome! They each would go and do separate things during the field trip, and then would realize that the other one had gone missing, and would then go around trying to find him. It was so sweet, and Lochlan's Mom and I had a great time talking and watching our boys play together. On the way home Lochlan wanted to be sure to sit by Aiden on the bus and so he waited to get on the bus until Aiden was ready. The two giggled and played the whole way back to school!

We had a great day together and I can't wait to go on another field trip with Aiden and his class!

And, well here's a sweet baby picture, just because.

Pumpkin Patch

Every October for the past 3 years we have been going to Harvest Valley Farms in Valencia, PA. We happened upon this farm by chance the first year we decided to go to a Pumpkin Patch and loved it so much that we have continued the tradition ever since. 

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch is my FAVORITE activity we do all year long. If I could spend every weekend in October at the Pumpkin Patch, I would. I love the crisp, cool weather, the vibrant colors of the leaves, the warm apple cider, and most of all, spending time with my little family. So needless to say, I was excited to take Maddie, for the first time, on this trip.

At the farm, there is a small corn maze (perfect size for a 3 year old),

face painting (It was really difficult to paint Maddie's tiny little cheek, but the cute little high school aged girl did a great job and worked really quickly!)

a petting zoo, a hay ride (you'll have to wait for this picture, because it's our annual Christmas Card photo), and of course, the pumpkin patch.

When we got home, Aiden was eager to decorate his pumpkins. Three small pumpkins, 4 full jars of paint, and 15 minutes after he had started, Aiden had painted his pumpkins and was ready to get more! Luckily for him, we still had his school trip to the pumpkin patch.

We had a GREAT time at the Pumpkin Patch, and I'm already looking forward to next year! 

Maddie's Mavericks

The Buddy Walk was almost 2 weekends ago, and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. I don't really have any excuses except that we have been really busy, and if I get the chance, I'll blog about all of that, too. :)

The weekend was AMAZING, to say the least! We had lots of family come in from out of town to help us celebrate all weekend, and I couldn't have been happier to have them all in. Their show of support meant the world to me, and I don't ever think I'll be able to show my appreciation to everyone for coming out.

Since this was obviously our first year, we didn't know what to expect. When we would ask people, the most common response was, "Oh, it's a great time. You'll have a blast!". Being the planner and organizer I am, I needed something more concrete. So, when someone mentioned that they feed the people that come to support their team, I took the idea and ran with it, and we had one heck of a celebration. Because, after all, that was what the day was about, celebration. Celebrating our individuality and extra chromosomes, and realizing that even though we are all unique, we truly are all "more alike than different".

There was tons of food, a petting zoo, a train ride, an ambulance, and much, much more to do while we were there.

When it came time for the walk, our guest of honor immediately fell asleep, and continued to sleep through the entire walk. But, what baby doesn't want to be snuggled warm and close to Mama while she walks? It's enough to put anyone to sleep!

Luckily, everyone else was ready to go!

(We were about in the middle of the whole walk, and this is looking behind us.)

Maddie's Mavericks

At the end of the day, both kids were exhausted and fell asleep in the car on the way home.

I've said it before, but loving my children is the best gift you all have given me. I worry about Maddie being accepted throughout her life, but I know that no matter what happens, she will always have her "village" of people to lift her back up. You all showed me that at the walk. It gives me so much hope for Maddie's future, and makes me one proud Mama to be a part of this group! Thank you!

*P.S. The counts aren't in yet on how much money the Buddy Walk raised all together or how any of the individual groups did, but as soon as they are, I will give everyone an update.

The Buddy Walk

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Every October, the National Down Syndrome Society celebrates this month with an annual Buddy Walk. The Buddy Walk is designed to support awareness and inclusion of people with Down syndrome and they are held all across the country hosted by local Down Syndrome Associations. This year, Grant and I, and our families will be walking in Maddie's honor at the 16th Annual Buddy Walk for the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh. 

We invite you all to come and participate with us, and support “Maddie’s Mavericks”. Please visit https://www.dsapgh.org/buddywalk-register.asp to register. If you cannot attend, but would like to donate, go to the above address and click the button saying you cannot attend, but would like to donate instead. In the line marked "Buddy's Name", please put "Madelyn Williams". The site will be available for another week, until October 11th, after that, if you would like to walk with us, you will have to register at the walk itself. Donations will be taken by the general DSAP donation link. There is an option to specify who the donation is in honor of and you can type in "Madelyn Williams Buddy Walk 2010" so they know it is for this event.

Grant and I would like to thank everyone so far for your love and support, not just for the Buddy Walk, but also since Madelyn's birth. The last 8 months have been such an amazing whirlwind, with lots of highs and lows, but the whole time you all have been so generous. I knew we were cared for, but I had no idea how blessed we were to have so many friends and family that truly love us. You will never know how much you have helped us through this time and I could spend a lifetime thanking you all individually and it will never amount to the gratitude I have in my heart for you all. Madelyn is a lucky little girl to have such a wonderful support system. She is an amazing little girl and I can’t wait to see what big things she has in store for her life. She is going to do great things, I just know it, and I can’t wait for you all to see what impact you’ve had on her as well. Thank you all for loving my children, there is no better gift!