With the cooler weather we love to get out and play as a family. Unfortunately it's also when sickness abounds and since Eli has started preschool he has become an incubation unit for all sorts of illness that he shares generously with his siblings. Anatomically his sinus have difficulty draining and ear infections are automatic. It's a hard balance to find when I want him at school getting therapy with all sorts of skills when weighed against the endless rounds of illnesses. On the other hand the other children are stir crazy and need an outlet so we learned to simplify or be flexible.
One of these was to see Circus Vargus, a show that focuses on acrobats and has no animals. Pumpkin and Bubby were put to bed with a sitter and we had a late pizza dinner out (the BEST pizza EVER! according to Bug love) and the kids were wowed by high flying acts. Isaac's personal favorite was the motorcycles of which 3 drove inside a ball at the same time. It was definitely fun to see physics in action.
We had a rare Saturday when everyone was well so we went to Gigi's Playhouse. We got a chance to meet up with some DS friends and have some fun in what feel a bit like a second home playroom. Connecting with new friends does a lot for the soul.
Small gardening projects in the backyard are awesome learning opportunites and great fun. We're not exactly sure how well these flowers will turn out as Pumpkin managed to dig the bulbs up a couple of times! I guess she just wanted to keep the fun going.
Sometimes fun is just small things that get us laughing. This was a game Eli did with his speech therapist. If you watch carefully, he signs much of his requests and is starting to verbalize it more too. He laughed with Ms Colleen but he busted his gut when I did it with him. It's seriously the best medicine ever to laugh along with this boy.
We got another bunny - Carmel Ginger. The kids call her Carmel and I call her Ginny. It was to be a anxiety reducing measure for Keila but ironically she has developed an allergy to rabbits in the year that Sunshine passed on.
Ginny is a mini Rex, known to be the hypoallergenic rabbit and for once Isaac can love on her with no allergic response. Keila is a different matter and we spent tons of time testing everything from the hay to the food to figure it out. After all, she use to rub her face into Sunshine's fur endlessly and never had a response. Nothing was working, but when our Grandma Young passed on, I didn't have the heart to send Ginny back. Keila is careful to wash her hands frequently and not touch her face which has helped. In the meantime Ginny has won over everyone's hearts, Leora adores her and jabbers at her frequently, Isaac, Kent and I all love on her and she has even gotten Eli to giggle and play games. He will poke his finger into her cage and she will come up to sniff and playfully nip. When he quickly draws his finger back she does a little Mary Poppins leap or flips her ears with an happy hop that he loves. It's become quite the game.
Our annual gingerbread fun...
And when the flu bug hits half the family, we have some makeshift fun with a tent in the family room and some new movies.
Sometimes the simple things are better. The hustle and bustle of the season doesn't get us so much since life is simplified due to illness or sensory issues. It's made life a little more relaxing and I'm more present with the kids rather than rushing to activities or getting stuff done. Life really is found in the moments and not the bling and bang of holiday craze. It's a side blessing to Down Syndrome I would have never thought of and I'm grateful for it.
This shirt had me smiling - a little extra chromosome, a little extra love, a little extra adventure = whole lot of living!
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