Old Things Become New

For those of you eagerly anticipating a report of our gold panning adventure, you will have to continue to wait until Justin can muster the energy to bring the cable home from his office. Between teaching seminary and running a business, he is running a bit low on energy these days. And so goes my problem with the technology advancements in our household...one missing battery, unknown step, or missing cable and, well, I'm out.
So, I'm dredging up pictures from my library and thought I'd share a new talent I learned from one of my favorite people. We needed to create a girl room for our precious girls (However, quite honestly, I still have not been able to separate Kate and Andy. Apparently, Kate has her doubts about Lily Jane's ability to protect her.) So, when my sister offered my old "golden oak," thoroughly "eighties" daybed, I grimaced. The potential remained masked until I discovered the delights of creating "antique white" furniture. So, much to my dad's chagrin, I roughed up the golden oak finish, painted it white, and "antiqued" it. And there you go...an old thing became a new thing for free.


And the dresser too!

Kate Lesson of the Day

Recipe to convince mom or dad to let you stay in bed with them after having a nightmare:
1. Clamber in bed noiselessly.
2. Lie silently a few moments for a dramatic pause.
3. Offer a prayer that the bad dreams will go away, that Andy's teeth will grow in straight, that mom will feel better, and that dad will be able to ride his bicycle.
Who can resist sincerity?

Hostage

I'm holding the next posting about our fascinating gold-panning adventure hostage until I receive some comments about my existing postings. I received some e-mails from some wonderful friends, but I need some positive feedback to keep my intertia going.

Kate Quote of the Day:
"How was Kindergarten Kate?"
"It was absolutely fun!"
For Kate, the world is hot or cold, never lukewarm.

Best Buds

For those of you wondering, here is Andy's little posse from church and cousin Jared. Andy truly loves these boys, and they love him. If only Andy could attend the CTR 10 class!

Kansas City Trip

Justin and I visited Kansas City for the National Down Syndrome Congress Conference in August..a bit crazy considering school started the following week. Mama and Papa watched Kate and Andy while Justin and I drove (yes, drove) to Kansas City with Lily Jane. We were a bit nervous as we pulled in late at night to the location of the historic bed and breakfast and saw pawn shops and easy cash stores with bars on the windows. Sadly, the historic district was run-down, but the bed and breakfast was absolutely breathtaking (detailed woodwork, huge stained glass window, and winding staircase) and run by a sweet couple. Sad to see the general trend of the neighborhood, but downtown Kansas City was wonderful...very 40's decadent. We also took the time to visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum to see the giant shuttlecocks and Monets...all for free.
It was interesting to attend a conference with Lily Jane instead of Andy when most other parents bring their child with Down syndrome. It was my first time having people look at my child and wonder why she didn't have Down syndrome. It was actually kind of cool to have a complete paradigm shift. Perspective is everything.

Kate Quote of the Day

Reenacting the scene from "Guess How Much I Love You," Kate extends her arms and says, "Mom, I love you this much."
On cue, I stretch out my arms and say, "But I love you this much."
Kate responds, "But Mom, my arms will never be as big as yours."
"That's because I will always love you more than you love me," I tell her knowingly.
Kate extends her arms again, and after examining them, pronounces, "Mom, I wish I had freakishly huge arms."
She really loves me.

Kate Quote of the Day

"Mom, I can read my own mind."
"Really? What are you thinking right now."
"That I can read my own mind."
Duh?