Down Syndrome Camp- Part 2!

I can't express enough how amazing this camp was for ALL the kids!! Highly HIGHLY recommend for anyone in the area- tonight was the last night and I'm already looking forward to going back next year!!

Alright, so Monday was the super awesome glow in the dark puppet show that I didn't get pics of since Lina was on my lap :) .... Tuesday was Steven Courtney's super cool performance, and then Wednesday was Bob's Critters!  I kept Lina at a safe distance, knowing she's not fond of the animal kingdom in general... and of course the moment she had to go use the restroom I missed seeing Evan touching the animals! Ah well.  I was super impressed that Justin volunteered to not only touch a snake, but carry it around to show everyone!

Brave Boy!!

Kaylin got to hold a parrot on her shoulder...

... and then was in for a huge surprise when Mr. Bob moved the parrot to her head!

Justin couldn't be upstaged, so he HAD to have the parrot on his head too ;)

Going with the critter theme- the kids made click beetles at the craft table :)

Thursday night was farm animal night, and again I wondered how Lina would handle all the furry friends.  We pulled into the parking lot to see a big horse trailer with horses standing beside it... hmmm.... Lina didn't like the PICTURE of the horse... better keep a safe distance! ;)  I also got nervous when I saw the group of therapy dogs sitting RIGHT beside the door to leave the building- we had to walk right by them to get to all the outdoor games and activities.  Surely Lina would have a huge meltdown...

Then again, maybe not! :)  She didn't shy away at all when we first walked out and did show an interest in petting this super soft doggie!  She was not a fan, however, when the dogs would turn around to look at her!  She was most hesitant if they looked at her or faced her- she would get highly upset and irritated.  But facing the other way she was happy to stay and pet them- she stayed there a good long while, too!

Evan and Mr. Troy- Evan definitely had his Mommy moments when he saw me, but as the week progressed he was more and more comfortable with his buddies when Mommy wasn't around. :) Which was good since as the week progressed, Lina became more and more clingy to Mommy!  At least they were pretty balanced for the most part! ;)

While Lina enjoyed the rides and games outside, Evan enjoyed the animals.

And he got to ride a pony!

My gosh he looks so BIG in this pic! *sniff sniff*

For some reason he didn't want to hold onto the saddle, so Mr. Troy had to hold him up the whole way. LOL

Kaylin holding the softest bunny ever!  Justin was also more interested in the bounce house as well as the balloons. 

More tractor rides!

On our last night- I finally got a pic of the guys who performed the little opening sketches each night- Lina was NOT a fan of Milo the Mantis! 

Tonight was Surprise Night- and the evening's activities were divided: girls had a princess tea party, and the boys had a construction party.  Mommy got to juggle back and forth between the two which was quite the challenge!  First I escorted Princess Lina to her tea party... this was the entrance to the room:

The girls were given little tiaras as they entered.  We sat down to adorable little place settings and favors, and food was promptly served.

And the other two princesses

Coloring at crafts- always a hit!

Then the make-over table

Hair accessories, nail painting, and princess tattoos!

And then.... to the next room to get her very own princess dress!

Played a game of musical princesses and won herself some sparkley shades

Alright, time for Mommy to sneak off and see what Evan is up to!  The Construction Zone:

This was tight quarters as it was supposed to all be outside, but we were hit with some thunderstorms... so most was moved inside.

Painting little wooden trucks

Evan also got to decorate a little hard hat and fill his belt with tools :)

Tired boy wasn't in the mood to wear his hat 

Justin working on his truck:

As I mentioned earlier, Lina had gotten quite clingy by the last night and did not want me going out of sight... so she joined us in the boys' room- who said princesses can't get dirty too?

Playing in the sand with work trucks, still completely accessorized of course ;)

And the big trucks outside which I totally missed Evan and Justin climbing on board as I was with Lina...

DS Camp was a HUGE success!!  BIG thanks to our most awesome buddies for taking such great care of us!  We will certainly miss you until next year! xoxoxo

Down Syndrome Camp! Part 1

Last year, a couple of my friends were telling me about this awesome Down syndrome camp their little ones were attending, so I was sure to sign us up this year!  It's held at a church in southern PA- about 35 minutes from our house, so not too bad! :)  SO worth the little drive too.

There was no registration fee at all- we all received a super cute T-shirt, and we could sign our DS campers up with a "buddy" to help them around with their activities.

We started out with an opening in the sanctuary- this is a very modern church, so the sanctuary looks like a big room with a bunch of chairs, and lots of room to sit on the floor in front- on either carpet squares or cute little bean bag chairs.  I haven't managed any pics of this yet since Lina can be clingy at times when it gets loud and overwhelming.  Overall she's doing great though. :) Evan gets clingy when he's tired, or if he needs a Mommy fix as he is still not sure about people he doesn't know, especially men.  So, while in the sanctuary I generally have at least one kid on my lap. ;)  Our first day- Evan was all OVER the place checking everything out!  The people who coordinated this camp must have known what they were in for with him, because Evan was assigned not just one buddy, but a family of four! :) They are all SUPER sweet and have been having a ball with him. They are also awesome at keeping him wrangled! LOVE them!!

Mom buddy on the left, Kaylin sitting with the pigtails, then sister buddy and brother buddy, and Evan sitting on the Dad buddy's lap. :)

Lina with her sweet Buddy, and Justin sitting on the other side of Lina.  Lina could have sat and colored there for HOURS! LOL I was able to pry her away with snack time. ;)

After snack we head outside for some more fun and games- Lina particularly enjoyed this game of squirting ping pong balls off golf tees. :)

All the kids enjoyed the adorable tractor train ride!!

Seriously- this was SUPER cute.  They each have a horn to honk and a bell to ring as well as the awesome steering wheel.  And yes, Evan is in DESPERATE need of a haircut!

There were several cute little beanbag toss type games

Cute little boat ride

And the bounce house!  Evan's "sister" buddy was itching to take him in there, but he's not as big of a fan as Lina is!  Evan pretty much just sat there while the "daddy" buddy bounced a little with him.  Lina on the other hand- went to town! :)

Last night, there was an awesome musician who performed- Steven Courtney.  Kids- especially the big kids- LOVED him!  Tonight's feature is "Bob's Critters"- anxious to see how Lina reacts as she is still afraid of most animals.  We were reading a book the other day and she fussed when she saw pictures of a horse and a cow.  Not sure where these extreme fears come from but we'll work through them.  Wish us luck! :)

Can my little boy really be SEVEN?!?

Seven... ugh that sounds so much older than six!!  My sweet Justin turned 7 years old on Thursday, and this mama is having major guilt that I didn't get to write this on his special day!  Please forgive me, Justin!  Not that you know I have a blog. ;)

If you missed his birthday post last year- you will want to read his birth story- it's quite the adventure, trust me! Helicopter and all.

This year's birthday was pretty laid back- we kept it to the usual close family, and I was nervous to see how Lina would handle the crowd in the house.  This would be her second large gathering- the first just a couple weeks ago at Uncle Matt and Aunt Marie's house for a pool party which she handled very well.  You can find some pics on her adoption blog HERE.

A few weeks ago I asked Justin what kind of cake he wanted- I always enjoy making special cakes for my kids, and was quite proud of my Mario cake last year! :)  I have said this a few times- Justin is the easiest kid to please. Period.  What kind of cake did he want?  Chocolate cake with chocolate sprinkles.  I talked him into a Batman cake- I baked a chocolate cake, frosted with homemade buttercream frosting, and used chocolate sprinkles to make the bat symbol.

Mike thinks it looked like a bunch of ants making the bat formation. :-P  Justin was very pleased and that's all that matters. ;)

Lina enjoyed playing with the ribbons, collecting paper, and shaking Lego boxes... all the while wearing PopPop's shoes. ;)

She handled the gathering very well- she was most anxious at the kitchen table where all the men were standing around talking loudly.  She didn't want to eat much and preferred hanging out in the living room.

Happy Birthday to my big SEVEN year old!! I love you SO much, Justin!! xoxoxoxoxo

*note the little hole in the bottom of Justin's mouth- he lost his first tooth this week too! :)