What to watch on tv

They never cease to amaze me. The brats play so beautifully together - and indeed they did yesterday afternoon - they took turns with musical instruments and choosing songs - I rarely had to intervene - yet they also had a few arguments - about the tv.

My parents bought them a plastic playhouse for CHristmas - it arrived on Monday and because we won't be here over Christmas the plan was to let them have it straight away so they can play with it for a while before we travel north to visit my parents. Needless to say the love it. They decorated it with tinsel and cut and paste a picture of a Christas tree. Then when Kit and I were cutting out pictures to paste on a piece of paper - he decided the tv we cut out should go in the house. From there it deteriorated ...

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So yes they love the house - and when they aren't arguing over what to watch on it or whether the door is open or shut so do I - it keeps them amused for ages!

In case I don't get to post again before Christmas - I hope that you all have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas spent with those you love. God bless.

Hannah loves to Wiggle

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In September some of us had to give a presentation on pop culture - I chose to do the Wiggles. Here is a clip I took of Hannah wiggling to use in the presentation.

Earlier this week Kit wrote a letter to Santa (his first), he had about 5 things on his list - toy clothesline, timer for his kitchen, bath for his baby, ipod ... Hannah also wanted to write a letter to Santa. I didn't think she'd get what we were doing but when I asked her what she wanted for Christmas she said cake (I may have prompted that one as an example) and 'wrote it' and then she said 'Dorothy'. So now the hunt is on for the perfect Dorthy Christmas present!

Let The Wild Rumpus Begin!

Friday's Band Practice
A party needs a present.
Deck the Halls,
Kit's Christmas Concert

We're having a party - ahoy there my hearties!
Calling you,
And finally,

I never thought I'd let him near my laptop but he seems to be pretty good with it
Three cheeky monkeys - enjoying the starfall phonics website


Hannah is talking using 2 word utterances a fair bit. She has always enjoyed signing - it means that even though her speech can be hard to understand signing helps her communicate what she wants to say - we love it here.
Hot
Cold
Baby
More


Each morning I put fresh clothes and nappies for each brat on the lounge - as they are usually busy watching a Wiggles dvde and from there when I can I help them get dressed. This morning I was a bit slow but Hannah got Kit's nappy and was trying ot put it on her baby dolly. He protested of course so Iwent and got her a pair of pull ups to use on her baby.

I then set about helping Kit get ready for childcare.

When he and I went back into the loungeroom Hannah was there watching tv and wearing the pullups on her head. After a few minutes she signed 'cake' and then proceeded to go out into their playroom to do some cooking.

Mary

The Christmas Wiggles dvds I bought the twins have been a big hit. I was very impressede when I worked out the other day that Hannah was draping her doll's sheet over her head in order to be Mary - from the Christmas pageant part on one of the dvds - what a good little Catholic she is!

PC

Some people seem to have a problem with the concept of being 'politically correct' they say it with such disdain! I never have - I don't have a problem with expecting people to think before they speak. Still even with my attempts at providing a reasonable interpretation - there is something intrinsically wrong about the golliwog quilt. Let me explain ...

I love that my children still don't see difference in people yet. When we are reading a book together they like making themselves one of the characters - and in any one night they might be black, asian etc. They keep the gender real but not the race or culture. They just don't see it.

Mum did these golliwog blocks for me years ago. I love them. They bring back memories of loved stuffed toys from growing up in tropical QLD. As an adult they represent so much more that I have kept them packed away in my fabric stash not sure of how to best make use of them. When I first got them I googled 'golliwog' hopeful that there might be some story behind them that wasn't what I knew. Alas it seems that they cannot be reclaimed - naming them scalliwags just doesn't do it for me.

When Kit found them and started admiring them my dilemma returned - BIG TIME! There is no way I can condone racism or prejudice. So here is my compromise: This quilt is titled "Free and Equal ... now"

One day my children will see the differences between people. When that day comes I want them to accept and value difference. I want them to think of all the different people they know and love and not be afraid because they have noticed that someone is different. One day I will tell them the dark history of Australia and our treatment of our indigenous peoples. I will use this quilt to teach them about the past so that they can embrace the future.

I pray that they will always know the value and dignity of every person - regardless of their race, religion, social status or disability. In the meantime I hope they like the quilt.

All Good

Well I made it - the only way to best describe my Uni exam is 'horrendous' - you know when you stare at the first question and wonder if you are in the right examination - and then the second question is no better? Not pretty. Oh Well - I was feeling a bit down anyway - I am not happy with my allocation of subjects for next year at work either.

So after a grumpy start to the weekend I have to say that I had a great Sunday - spent the day working on a quilt top - with fabric I bought when the twins were 6 months and that I haven't had a chance to get to before now. It was such fun just to create something - to play with colour and pattern. Now that Uni has finished for the year and with the exception of marking final papers work should have slowed I am really looking forward to some more sewing time.

I love Christmas and have begun to get ready for that too. I will make my christmas cake in a week or so. Hannah and Kit are both well. I bought them a box set of Wiggles Christmas dvds which they are loving. Hannah is big on dress ups and is starting to extend her play with dolly (or the Wiggles figurines we have). Kit is playing up a storm on his guitar. Both of their drawing efforts are getting better. Hannah draws a totally unrecognisable squiggle that she has really concentrated on doing and then tells me what it is - usually a dog or a cat. Kit is only a bit better really!
At Play


I am feeling more positive about Han at childcare next year - she likes going anyway but I feel that they could use a little more direct teaching stuff with her and more visuals - but because her receptive language is good and she is happy to play in home corner or the sandpit she tends to be left there rather than challenged. The new teacher is a granny, she has been practising her signing with her grandson and hopes to spend about 10 minutes a day working directly with Hannah - I am happy with that for a good start - it will give her time to get to know just what Han can do and then I'll try and get her on board for developing friendships with her peers as this is still an area of weakness - she is accepted there but doens't have a particular friend that she plays with - Kit has had a best friend there - Toby - since he started at 15 months. Mainstreaming here still isn't the 'usual' thing it seems - many people end up in special schools or special needs units within a regular school - I really want to give Hannah the opportunity to go to regular classes with Kit for as long as she can manage so helping her to get ready is really important.
Sleeping beauties

Dining out on the Buddy Walk

It is way too late to be online - especially when I have my Uni exam tomorrow - hope this little montage works!

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Colours of My Life

Finally I have taught my last lesson for the year ... now it is time to focus on my Uni exam next week and then my own students final exam. I might also find some time for that quilt I have been working on. The twin's Nan compiled a dvd slideshow of the Buddy Walk - we all had a great day! Here are the lyrics of a Seeker's song she put on it - it always brings a tear to my eye


I can't seem to get my sleep now any old night,
Mr Sandman passes by my door;
Life has changed since you've been there to say it's alright,
You taught me to understand what I thought couldn't be,
Don't mind missing sleep if I can see:
Colours of my life,
You've got love to fill my heart;
I don't need a rainbow
With colours of my life,
Colours of my life.
Colours blend with love to show I'm happy with you,
I can never be the same again;
Now my eyes are looking past the life that I knew,
I'll be shedding black and grey to take on red and blue,
Colours I can feel by touching you:
Colours of my life,
Bloom like flowers in my heart;
I don't need a rainbow
With colours of my life,
Colours of my life.
Colours of my life,
Bloom like flowers in my heart;
I don't need a rainbow
With colours of my life,
Colours of my life,
Colours of my life.



One of my sisters emailed me a scary anti abortion attachment tonight - of an abortion on a baby with spina bifida - colours of my life indeed - I don't need to be anti abortion - Hannah is not a weapon to be used in a political campaign - she just is. She is beautiful. The colour of our lives - no more, no less. Lucky are those who meet her and appreciate her. Lucky is she to live in a welcoming community of family and friends where she belongs ... just because she is. Lucky are the people who see her as she is - just Hannah, our Hannah - with all her perfections and her imperfections, she is gorgeous. And so very very lucky am I to have her in my life.

Gifts

Presents - I love them. Reading the marvellous book Gifts made me think about present giving and receiving a bit more - especially given I have just survived (I think) the merrygoround of our October birthdays.

Thinking back the best presents I have ever received:
An opal triplet bracelet that my husband bought for me when we were 18 and first dating. He had to save up so long to buy it and then I lost it when I was out shopping one day.
The shortie pajamas that my grandmother (Nin) used to make us all each Christmas. She was a pensioner - and a lot of love and skill went onto those pjs.
The pearl necklace that belonged to my husband's mother that he gave to me on my 21st birthday, not very long after his mother had died from cancer.
The Singer sewing machine that my folks gave me about 15 years ago - Dad had picked it up at a second hand shop. Also the all in one vertical record player (ghettoblaster) they got me when I was a teenager and that I still have stored in the garage despite P wanting me to get rid of it.

One of the things that marks out the above presents is that they were given with love, great thoughtfulness and sometimes sacrifice by people that I love very much. Gifts is such a book. The generosity of spirit demonstrated by each story, the honest telling of personal stories is wonderful - Thank you so much to all the contributers and the people who helped to put it all together - it is great - I love it. I was so excited when the bookshop rang to say my order had arrived. I read it avidly over the weekend and was not disappointed. Special thanks has to go to the wonderful contributions of Jennifer, Beth and Michelle - you are amazing women. I will definitely be recommending this one to any new Mums I hear about.

Missing You

Jillian wrote a post on whether your blog reveals the real you - or rather how much are you like your blog? I have to say that give or take some stuff I don't put on here - what you see is what you get. It made me think of how I enjoy reading certain blogs - of how strangers can be strangers and friends at the same time.

I still wander over every now and again to see if Em from 3 X 3 has returned to blogland and last night I tried to visit Rebecca at A Little Something Extra only to find her gone - and The Quiet Storm also. Rebecca's Always Chaos was one of my first intros to the online DS community - and I haven't looked back - except for occassions like these when I notice that like in life sometimes our paths cross with those of exceptional people and then they diverge again. Sometimes we are lucky to meet up with them again later in our travels, sometimes not. Like the people I have lost contact with in 'real life' I will think of these online friends from time to time for years to come I am sure and wish the God Speed whereever they are.

Yes, the T Shirts were white

Edwardsville Journal

My in laws had a US exchange student stay with them earlier this year. We all loved her - she was great. She taught the violin. She is the reason Kit holds his ukelele under his chin sometimes and whenever we explain that someone lives far away (like the other day when I was saying Santa Claus lived in the North Pole so we had to write to him) he says 'near Anita'. Recently we had an in absentia birthday party for Anita - where Hannah cut the cake - if her speech was as good as Kit's she'd be saying the same things - she really loves Anita - was totally comfortable with her.

Anyway all this is background to the fact that Anita sent an email - she has been observing a young boy with DS play the violin and he is doing a pretty good job of it - she thought we might be interested as Hannah is 'quite musical'. The link to a news article about this boy - Emmanuel Bishop - is in the title of this post. What a small world hey? And how great that there are wonderful, generous people like Anita out there - she is going to make a great teacher.

Buddy Walk - NSW Down Syndrome Association

Hannah is on the home page in a pretty chocolately picture! There is also a photo gallery of everyone else at the walk on Sunday. It really was a lovely day.

We did it - our first Buddy Walk!

Yes after the bridge we bought Hannah a chocolate icecream ...
Well y worst fears about turning 40 have been confirmed! Off to the drs tomorrow for more blood tests - yes I am wearing out well before my usebydate it seems!

Lucky the Buddy walk went so well. There were 18 of us in all - gathered together to raise awareness and $ for DS - and to celebrate the wonderful gift that a certain red headed brat brings into our lives. My she ruled the roost! She fell asleep in the car on the way to child care this moirning she was still so tired! It was a great day. Everyone had fun. We walked across the harbour bridge and over to Lady Macquarie's Chair in the botanic gardens for a picnic.

Not quite so great is Kit telling his child care teacher that he went on the 'bloody walk' yesterday - yup - his speech is actually really good but for some reason - his buddy definitely sounds more like bloody.
Some of Hannah's fans -
Catch me if you can!
Too cool ...
Kit loves Captain Feathersword's 'blow me down' skit - here he and R are doing thier own version.

40

I turn 40 on Tuesday. I wish I was turning 30 but with what I now know at 40.

Garden Party

Check out these lettuces!





I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories and play our songs again
When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same

CHORUS
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself

People came from miles around, everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air
'n' over in the corner, much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise

CHORUS

lott-in-dah-dah-dah, lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Played them all the old songs, thought that's why they came
No one heard the music, we didn't look the same
I said hello to "Mary Lou", she belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave

CHORUS

lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck

CHORUS

lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

'n' it's all right now, learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself

WHOO HOO The twins turn three tomorrow. How amazing is that? Just four years ago I thought I'd have to resign myself to having no children of my own. I knew I'd need some counselling to get me through - now I may well need therapy - but for a totally different reason!

The Garden Party went very well - I think everyone had a good time. I love the sense of family and community that comes from our best friends, their children, our family (well P's cos mine are too far way to come!) enjoying the spring weather - rampaging around our backyard and through our house. This year we had space to ask the families of a couple of kids from Hannah's EI - really nice people and gorgeous children. We also asked a few from the twins childcare - Hannah doesn't have any particular friends there - it is one of the reasons I really want to work on her social skills in her ISFP - so only 2 boys who were asked came - both friends of Kit.
One little fellow - Toby has been a good friend of Kit's since he started at childcare at 15 months. They looked so cute together. Their isn't much movie/older kids stuff here - but Kit has picked up a bit from Toby - so even though he has never seen Toy Story he recognises Buzz Lightyear and wanted one for his birthday. Toby arrived with his Buzz under his arm and one wrapped up for Kit - they then ran around all afternoon with their Buzzes under their arms. This afternoon when I put Kit down for his nap he told mem how Toby's mum brings Buzz when she collects him from Childcare - so can I do the same?
This may not be so - it may just be that I have come to know these families more closely and spent more time with them over the past 3 years but I had no concerns about the fmailies from Han's EI feeling comfy - but the two families from childcare - I think that they are lovely - but I don't really know them. Without something like a 'special needs' child to break down the barriers then adult reserve really inhibits friendships. I am sure they are lovely people but still I feel very guarded around them - not relaxed because I haven't 'sussed' them out enough.

TOP PRESENTS:

Kit loves his:
1) Buzz
2) Mixing bowl, sifter, mixing spoons and star shaped cake tins
3) New guitar

Hannah loves:
1) Her Wiggles tent or 'house'
2) Pop goes the Wiggles dvd
3) Her new dresses - a giraffe one (from her aunt Betty) and some gorgeous ones made by Nin Nin.

Here are some photoes from their party:





PS I am a huge Ricky Nelson fan. My parents instilled in me a HUGE love of 50's/60's and Country music (very handy when we used to go to pub trivia every Tuesday night in the 'shams). I saw Ricky Nelson with them some time in the 80's at some tacky RSL venue no doubt - I still remedmber the white jumper I wore and the red rose I put on the stage - he was gorgeous! Gotta love a garden party - in fact my wedding dress remisnded me of the sort of frock I might wear should I ever be invited to a garden party at the White House.