Boo!

We had so much fun this Halloween Trick or Treating at our neighborhood and participating in a Halloween parade in Aunt Mindy and Uncle Chuck's neighborhood. All the children were so cute all dressed in their costumes and fun. Even several of the Adults in the neighborhood got into the Halloween spirit, including us! Edie went this year as what else but a Ladybug. She was a very colorful Ladybug at that with her pink, purple and green pants and hot pink sneakers. Although she did not wear her antennas very long she did look cute in them. The only thing she was a little confused about was the candy part. At one house she politely went to the bowl and picked one piece at a time and then politely placed each piece of candy (one at a time) in the neighbors pumpkin instead of in her bag? The other thing we will have to work on next year is learning why we can't go inside of every ones home. For some reason she thought this night was a time for her to go in and visit with everyone. We will work on that next year!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

Scott and I still say Edie had a "Michael Jackson" moment at the Yo Gabba Gabba Live show. This is one of her all time favorite shows and she "signs" for it everyday when she walks in the door by swinging her arms back and forth while running to the TV. Edie did not know whether to scream with glee, cry for joy or clap with excitement so she did all three at the same time! It was so cute! Just to see her face once she realized what was happening and what she was seeing was real, it was worth more than you could ever know. We had great seats and the show started with a boom of confetti, midway we had balloons falling from the sky and to end the show there were bubbles galore. This was a night I will never forget. It was a night that our baby bloomed into toddler-hood and it was a great site to see. She loved the show, every minute of it and so did we. I will never forget that face!

Fox 6

For those of you who do not know Scott, Edie and I had the privilege of visiting the Fox 6 News studio last Saturday to promote the P.A.D.S 11th Annual Buddy Walk which took place last Sunday.  Our debut was set for 8:45 but after arriving a little late we were whisked to the studio almost immediately and on by 8:25 (I think)  Edie and I were not wired with a microphone, which was a blessing.  Right at the beginning of the segment she and I were fighting over the bow in her hair, but shortly after all I could do was focus on the wire she was chewing on.  Other than that Edie did great and I did wonderful since I did not have to speak :0  So let me just tell you about the next part of the interview.......the news anchor did a wonderful introduction of us by stating that we were with P.A.D.S, Parents AGAINST Down Syndrome!!!  I would like to clarify that we are in no way shape or form AGAINST Down Syndrome!!  Scott promptly corrected her to state that P.A.D.S stands for Parent Advocates FOR Down Syndrome.  But she said it and never looked back!  It is funny to think about now but at the time it was a little shocking.  We are still trying to get a clip of the segment and we will post once we do.  But for now just keep in mind that we are totally FOR Down Syndrome, it is a beautiful blessing in our lives!  Our daughter is Edie, and she "happens" to have Down Syndrome.

Buddy Walk 2010

What a perfect day for a Buddy Walk! Sunday's weather could not have been better and with over 15,000 people attending this years event we certainly enjoyed the day. There were space bounce(s) arts and crafts, face painters, balloon pop, dancing and much more. Did I mention dancing?! I loved seeing the kids and older kids up on stage singing and dancing away!! For those of you who do not know this was Scott's 2nd year as VP of PADS. His most important job as VP is coordination of The Buddy Walk. It is not small potatoes to coordinate an event for over 15,000 people. Scott also appeared on two radio shows and as a family we were on FOX 6 Saturday morning promoting the walk. Scott did a wonderful job and it showed! There were more walkers than last year (a lot more) and a great tailgate tent area where each team pitched a tent and enjoyed food and the company of their team members before the walk.

We did not have a tent this year but we did have a team and Kelli and I are already planning the food and signs for next year!! As we are nearing the end of our road with The Bell Center it is hard to manage two fundraisers at the same time "The 3rd Annual Ladybug Fundraiser benefiting The Bell Center" and the PADS "Team Ladybug". We decided when we had Edie that we would really concentrate on TBC until Edie graduated from the program and then we would focus our fundraising on PADS which is an organization we will be a part of for the rest of our lives. So look out Buddy Walk 2011 here we come!!

We are so grateful to those who gave their Dollars for Downs and supported our team this year. We exceeded our goal and we hope you know how much we love you and we thank you for everything you do for our family. We hope to see you all at next years Buddy Walk, walking for TEAM LADYBUG!!

Team Ladybug!

Edie with her buddy Allie and Stella who came to The Buddy Walk to see Edie

Ladybug Shoot Continued.......

OMGosh!!!! How cute is this!! She was over it by this point. I was sweating like mad yet I dressed her in pants and a corduroy top (which was way too small because it was her dress from last years fundraiser!) I thought it would be cute as a top, if the buttons would have worked! Poor sweet baby.

Ladybug Shoot

We are so lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family who love and support us. One of our friends in particular happens to be a VERY talented professional photographer. Grethel Van Epps spent a very hot afternoon with us over the summer taking pictures for Edie's Save the Date card for the 3rd Annual Ladybug Fundraiser. There were so many good pictures it was hard to choose which one to use. We narrowed it down to just one and I bought a few more for memories. Because Grethel is such a wonderful friend she surprised me with the best birthday present ever! A CD of ALL of the pictures from the shoot for me to cherish forever!! I have big plans for the black and white shot of her looking down holding her tutu. It is the sweetest picture ever!! Who am I kidding......they are all the sweetest pictures ever!!

 

Rail Road Park

We enjoyed a Saturday at Pepper Place a few weeks ago where we bought lots of fresh vegies and fresh baked bread. Followed by a visit to the new Rail Road Park downtown. It is a really super cool place. The playground was not huge, but the toys are cool. There was so much wide open space to run and play too. At one point Edie took off running down the track as fast as she could. I think she likes feeling like she is getting away. We just let her run and eventually she came back :)

I liked watching the gobs of people doing yoga, the dogs playing in the water and seeing families just enjoying the day. It was a great relaxing way to spend the afternoon with my family.

Painting with the Ticking children

Back in September we visited A'Mano's and painted with the Ticking children and their mentors. They had several beautiful pieces on display that the Ticking children had painted and one piece up for auction. The proceeds benefited The Bell Center. Their paintings are mostly on tar paper and wood. Edie painted a house using tar paper and house paint. We were able to take one home and one was left to decorate The Bell Center with. The Ticking family took on the love of painting and now sell their pieces in many art galleries and craft shows. They also have a love one who once attended The Bell Center. You can see their story by visiting www.trestaylor.com/tickingfamily_communityprojects.html.  As you can tell Edie LOVED it!

Bama Fans....BIG & small

Edie was something else over the weekend. She was in the best mood and everything was so funny to her :) She clapped, sang, screamed with glee and laughed more than I have ever heard her laugh before. Scott and I loved every minute of it too!! She also started jumping on the sofa. So every time Scott would say "Touchdown Bama!" Edie would climb up on the sofa and jump. She thought it was the best thing ever. Cute yes - dangerous YES! But how can you say no to this sweet little thing in her Bama shorts :) Scott purchased these Saturday morning when he and Edie went for her Chocolate Cheerios at the grocery store. What a cute Bama Baby!!

AL vs Penn State

Scott and I were fortunate enough to be given two free tickets to the game last weekend. Mindy and Chuck have season tickets and were not able to go, so we were the lucky winners of two tickets with great seats!! It was a long, HOT, day....did I say HOT!! The quad was SO crowded....did I say crowded!! It only took us an hr to park, 30 minutes to find our friends tent and an additional 20 minutest for Scott to go back to the car to get the tickets we forgot the first time but in the end we had a great time. Personally I have no idea how people tailgate every game. For me one or two is enough and then I can call it a season :)

The Backyardigans

Before

During

After

Our yard was pretty much useless before. We did not spend a whole lot of time out there. But now we are out there almost every evening. We extended our patio by adding a raised flagstone area. We wanted to keep it as natural looking as possible so we had grass planted in between each stone. Not only did it extend our patio but it really seems to have made our yard as a whole feel a lot bigger. A lot of the space that was previously useless to us is now filled with stone making the whole patio much bigger.

We (I mean Scott) used the leftover flagstone to make a border for our flower bed. We bought a few more plants, relocated others and we are now well on our way to the courtyard feel we are shooting for! We still intend to have the patio stained to match the flagstone and plant more plants in the spring. But for now we are just enjoying our new backyard and the cooler nights!! More to come!

We have been have been busy with our back yard for several, several weeks now. We still have a little left to do, but we are so happy with the end results so far! If you have ever been to our house you know how small our yard is. Which is OK. We did not buy because of the yard, we bought because of the potential the neighborhood has once it is fully developed. Granted we may not even be here once that day comes but for now we are going to enjoy every inch of it!

So Tweet!

Nanny bought all of the grand-girls matching Tweet Bird outfits so we headed to the park today to take some pictures since it was such a nice day. We got a lot of good ones, which I was really surprised that we were able to do it. I still have no idea how those professionals do such a good job at getting four kiddos to all smile and look at the same time. But for a bunch of amateurs we did a pretty good job! I think Nanny was pretty tired after doing jumping jacks, singing and dancing for for them but it was all worth it!!

Edie + Pudding = a sweet mess!

This is what you get when you mix Edie with pudding!

The bottom right photo is Edie signing "more" - AFTER a FULL bowl!!

2nd Annual Tailgate Challenge

Last Saturday after the birthday party we headed to the 2nd Annual Tailgate Challenge benefiting The Bell Center. There were several more tents as compared to last year and the tents really stepped it up on the food too! During this event people are able to set up a tent, decorate it, serve something small that goes with their theme and cheer for their favorite team. There are awards for the tent with the best spirit, best all around and best food. We had so much yummy food to taste I was full within the first 10 minutes, but that did not stop me! We had hot dogs, fish tacos, Krystal's, cookies, rum balls, salsa, and I can not even remember the rest. Let's just say too much of a good thing! But there is never too much of a good thing is there??

Happy Birthday Wesley!

We celebrated Wesley's 5th Birthday last weekend. She had a Mary Poppins themed party complete with black hats that we got to decorate. This is a photo of the birthday girl blowing out her candles on her yummy cake right before Edie planted her hand in it! The good thing was Edie made a perfect hand print, the bad thing was it scared Edie so bad that she screamed while holding a handful of icing which she promptly rubbed all over her shirt. But in the end the party was great, the cake was still delicious and the birthday girl got lots of great gifts :)

So Sweet

  

I had to post the photos of Scott's recent contribution to nest EGgS design - a toddler picnic table. Edie LOVES hers! She sits at it like a big girl eating snacks, watermelon and drinking her pink lemonade. Scott is offering them in three colors - a coastal blue, green and white. They are really "cottagy" looking and the perfect size for Edie and her friends! We hope he can get in some orders for the upcoming holidays so please spread the word! You can see them under "for your {eggs}" on the nest EGgS design blog.

S-L-I-D-E!

I know it has been forever since I last posted and I had promised myself that I would start updating every Monday again, but as you can see it has been few and far between. What can I say, we are just too busy! Last MONTH we had a fun play day at Aunt Mindy's and Uncle Chuck's house which included, a pool and a HUGE slide! Any child's (and adults) dream come true! We had so much fun and Edie especially LOVED to slide - all by her self I may add. I would walk her up to the top and without hesitation she would flop on her belly and slide down just like the big kids. She had a blast!! We loved seeing her play with all of her little friends. Such a fun on a VERY hot day!

All I Can Say is AMAZING!!!!

Christian Maniscalco is AMAZING!!!

I met Christian during the PADS Golf Tournament this past year.  I heard of what he was doing, but I had no idea what he was REALLY doing!  Christian has been inspired by individuals with DS and he has taken on a challenge of his own.  He is supporting Edie and all of her friends by raising money for the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic right here in Birmingham and by participating in the Ironman Triathlon.  Do you REALLY know what an Ironman Triathlon consist of?  I didn't until today and this really puts it into prespective....

Swim the equivalent of 43 football fields

Bike the distance from Birmingham to Atlanta

Run the length of 459

Christian will finish his journey on Aug 28th in Louisville KY.  He has been training for the past 7 months with the mission to raise awareness for Down syndrome and raise funds for the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic.  He has raised $22,000 so far and he is still working on his goal of $25,000!  He is in second place in the Janus Charity Challenge and if he remains there he could secure an additional award for the clinic - up to $10,000 more!  Alongside this generous man is his wonderful wife, Amber who works with children in the Vestavia School system. Together they have two children. Thank you Maniscalco family - Thank you!  You are AMAZING!

See what one person can do!!!!! Read the press release below!

.........................................................................................................................................

Birmingham athlete, Christian Maniscalco enters IRONMAN TRIATHLON

Raises funds for the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic at UAB

July 26, 2010 -- Birmingham, AL

Not only will Christian Maniscalco swim the equivalent of 43 football fields, bike the distance from Birmingham to Atlanta and run the length of 459 on August 28th at the IRONMAN triathlon in Louisville, Kentucky*, he will also be raising funds so that individuals with Down syndrome* here in Alabama and across the Southeast will receive excellent healthcare. Their faces are his motivation and their stories his inspiration for the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and the 26 mile, 385 yard marathon.

Christian had always wanted to complete a full IRONMAN TRIATHLON. Shortly after he registered and learned of the Janis Charity Challenge he and his wife Amber, a speech therapist at Vestavia Elementary School East, attended The Buddy Walk* hosted by Parent Advocates Down Syndrome*. PADS invited him to tour the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic where he met with clinic director, Dr. Eddie Lose. He knew immediately he had found his source of inspiration and the charity he wanted support.

Christian is raising funds for the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic at UAB to be named in honor of John Mark Stallings in conjunction with the Janus Charity Challenge. Athletes who join the Janus Charity Challenge find deep meaning in the Ironman experience by using their passion for the sport to make a difference in the lives of others. When applauded for his efforts, Christian comments, “Sure I’m training for the IRONMAN, but all admiration should be directed toward parents of children with Down syndrome. They are IRONPARENTS, running the lifetime race of raising a child with special needs.”

Christian has two specific IRONMAN goals. His first goal is to raise $25,000 or more for the clinic - to date he has already collected $19k. The second goal is to complete the course within twelve hours. For this he is relying on encouragement from family and friends along the course since there are no breaks between events. Birmingham can cheer him on by donating to http://www.januscharitychallenge.com/ or sending notes of encouragement to downsyndromealabama@gmail.com

Melon Eating Contest

Scott is going to soon add some new additions to nest EGgS design of his own. Baby picnic tables and I am so excited! This is his first prototype that he made just for Edie. To test it out Edie decided that she would have a watermelon eating contest on it after a dip in the pool. That sweet girl loves watermelon!! Scott is actually painting now as I type - aqua!! I know Edie is going to enjoy many picnics and watermelons on this cute little table. It's just her size!

Take Me Out to The Ball Game

Friday night we celebrated the hot temps, crazy humidity and PADS at the Birmingham Barron's game. Scott and Edie had attempted this once before when I was out of town but due to the rain that night the game was called. So this time we all went out to the ballgame and despite sweating like the three little pigs we had a great time. Edie loved sitting on the bleachers like a big girl while she ate her hot dog. She also clapped and cheered at every crack of the bat. I think she may actually know more about baseball than I do! I know her daddy LOVES that too!!