Nonno's Farm

We had a wonderful day today. One of the boys on Kit's soccer team invited his teammates and their families to his Nonno's farm. We all went - and had a blast...
The kids were imrpessed when the first thing they saw upon arrival was this piece of play equipment - from an old MacDonalds. Hannah was just as impressed as she had been with the car going on the boat - or the ferry we went on to get to the farm.

The kids picked oranges and lemons in Nonno's orchard.

There was plenty of machinery for the boys (and girls) to enjoy - including this motorised car. The Dad's were having as much fun as the kids as they took turns in taking kids around on the quadbike and the dune buggy. In fact it seemed to be as much a 'dad's party' as a kids one.
Quad Bike

I think she is ready to participate in the next Scrapheap Adventure that fundraises for NSW Down Syndrome Association.
Dune Buggy

Most of us went on a bush walk after lunch - up 'Shark Mountain and to a cliff face as well.
THe pinnata was a hit.
The kids were more than happy to make sure Hannah had a go too.
Here is the picture of the house that M's Nonno built - or carved out of rock and then built on top of. It truly was both amazing and fantastic. The farm had something for everyone! We had a great time.
The dinosaur cake was a huge hit - and it tasted good too...
Talk about 'at home on the farm', little brat had a great day and when I asked her what was the best bit she prattled on and on - and unfortunately I could only get the key words - but it was so sweet to hear the excitement in her voice.
A quiet moment at the end of a lazy mother's day.

Bubbles

Well Mothers Day is done for another year. This year Phil had a cold - he still troopered on to make buttermilk pancakes for breakfast and chicken noodle soup for dinner. I know that Mothers Day is not the most important day of the year - a load of commercial hooha - but these days I do miss Mum just that little bit more than usual on that day. As I watched the twins play - bring me in the gifts the had so carefully chosen at the school mothers day stall and as I then played with them - I appreciated the day even more. It occurred to me that the best thing about Mothers Day was I felt more free to sit and play with the kids. I could ignore the piles of washing and marking and cleaning that all really needed to be done and play shops with the twins instead. Then I Hannah and I took the dog for a walk and when we got home we got out the wave wand she received at a friend's party recently and we made 'big bubbles'. Lovely.
This morning in the school I was chatting to a mum who couldn't get her daughter to school today - she commented that she thought she'd do better in 'the other class'. I had to laugh - the other class is Hannah's and I am thinking the opposite!! She had very clear and reasonable explanations for this - which were also why I think Hannah would do better in her daughter's present class. LOL>

Manly for a day

The only thing better than fish and chips by the sea was the gelato we had at the end of the day...
Calamari Kit
Sandy play


Sandy boat
On the Ferry
Things are a bit stressful at the moment - not hopelessly so but I am very disappointed in the contrast between teacher approach for Hannah between last year and this year. Feel so badly about it that at our meeting with the principal this week I am going to ask if she can be moved into the other year 1 class - a move to surely enrage her existing teacher - and something the principal probably won't allow unfortunately but I feel so frustrated that I have to at least try. If nothing else it will communicate the level of my dissatisfaction.Needless to say then when my work had their picnic day at the beach on Friday it was a nobrainer that the twins would be allowed to skive off school for a day to come and play with me... we had a blast. And I feel so much more positive...

special me

Years ago a common prayer used at just about every high school retreat I went on as a student was about being special. That prayer took on a whole new meaning when my daughter was born with Down Sydnrome and its meaning changes yet again now that I am doing my damndest to support her right to be educated with her peers just like any other kid.

I'm special
I am unique
In the whole wide world there is nobody exactly like me
and I even have a twin.

We are unique
we are special
Mum says we are the most precious things in the whole wide world.
I bet your mum told you that too.

Now we go to school. I am less special
I am just another one. I am more special
so many things are "too hard" for me.
We are twins, we are both special
I wish school saw us that way too.

In the special classroom everyone belongs
We try and work alone,
We try and help each other
When we're really stuck
We go and ask the teacher.

There everyone is special, everyone belongs
I am good at listening. He is good at maths.
The teacher works so very hard
the focus remains on us.
What we learn is by the way
How we learn is everything.

I am very special, I am smart as smart can be
I am very special but learnings hard for me
We work alone, we work together
Our teacher lights our path
and we both know that we are unique
as special as anyone else can be.

Holidays are over 'normal' resumes

Then the kids had parties - three to attend in 2 days... talk about the life of Reilly!! They had a blast
My girlfriend had a bit of a royal soiree which was just lovely...