Family

Bedtime smiles

Do you ever have one of those days, when you look at your kids and just think, "Wow! I am the luckiest person alive!" I've had a few of those moments today. Amy, our eldest daughter (21), called to tell me she had just picked up some letters from her old school. Twelve years ago, Amy (then aged 9), Bekah (then aged 8), Daniel (who was 11), and Joel (who was 6), put a letter inside a time capsule at their school. In the letters, they wrote about what they thought they would be doing in ten years time (the capsule was opened a couple of years ago). Amy went to visit there today and was given the letters back. She promptly sent me photos of them and we had a good laugh at what her goals were, at the age of 9! It got me to thinking about the kids when they were younger, and how precious they were. It also made me think about where they are now, and how much my love for them has grown even stronger. I am so proud of all of our kids! However, it must be said....of course there have also been days when I would gladly have given them away ;) (Love you kids!)

Asleep on the couch

Another one of those moments was tonight, after we had got Felix ready for bed. Isaiah (14) and Aaron (13...in 2 days), were playing with Felix and making him crack up laughing. It's always such a joy, for us as parents, to watch all three of the boys having fun together. In times like that, the age gap doesn't matter and the fact that Felix has Down Syndrome is irrelevant. Their laughter continued all the way into Felix's room as we all put him to bed. As he lay down with his monkey and his 'ugly' sock cat, he had the biggest smile on his face. He was so peaceful; secure in the knowledge that he has a family who adore him and would do anything for him. Love our boys!

Fun with his brothers

This morning Felix had a follow up appointment with the GP to check his ears again! We had been putting the bicarb drops in them to dissolve the wax but, the last time we checked, his right ear was still blocked. Thankfully, the drops did their job this time and the GP could clearly see his right eardrum. As we suspected, there is no grommet in there any more. Felix goes back to see the Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist in a couple of weeks, so I'll use the drops prior to going, so they can have a clear look as well. I'm not sure where we go from here, but it would be great if they could multi-task and do his grommet, MRI and his (possible) hernia all at the same time. I think that's wishful thinking though!

Afternoon walk with Daddy

Earlier in the afternoon, Felix was sitting on his picnic mat, eating his lunch while he watched Playschool. It's the time of day he likes to sit quietly, undisturbed by anyone, and eat his lunch. After a few minutes, he had gone very quiet, so I went to check on him. He had climbed up on to the couch and was fast asleep. He must have been so tired. I only ever recall him doing that once before when we were at my parents house. He slept soundly for a couple of hours, looking very tiny up on the big couch. He looked a bit bewildered when he woke up. I don't think he was sure where he was. He woke up in a great mood though, and giggled and smiled his way through the rest of the day!