Mohawks, Graduations and Wonderful Surprises...............

Wow! June has been another busy month for us! Let's see, where shall I begin? LOL At some point towards the beginning of the month, Ryan decided he wanted a Mohawk! Since Daddy is his barber, he decided to grant him that wish (only problem was that neither of them mentioned it to Mommy beforehand!) Needless to say, I was a bit shocked when Ryan appeared after his "haircut" looking like THIS!

Ryan LOVED it, Mommy not so much! But whatever, you pick your battles, right? So, meanwhile, we were so looking forward to June and the warm weather! So much so that the kids couldn't wait to fill up the pool. We had some really hot days during the first weekend but had too many plans. We were always on the go. The kids held us to our word to fill the pool, so finally we did, BUT the day they went in it was only like 60 degrees! I told them it was way too cold, and that they would have the whole summer to splash around, but they didn't care! LOL They wanted to have fun in that pool! And they did- until it was time to get out and they began to freeze their patooties off! ;) Next up came Mackenzie's preschool graduation - my how time flies! She was lucky enough to have both Grammy and Grandma (who's in town visiting from Indiana) attend her "graduation" ceremony! With Grandma here, we decided to clear out some old toys for her to bring back to the younger grandkids back in Indy. We unburied lots of lost treasures we hadn't seen in years including "THE WIGGLE HOUSE"! (Ryan and Kelsey LOVED this back in the day but the poor thing has been put away in the back of the closet for YEARS!) As a matter of fact, Mackie (who's 5) has never ever seen it. We decided we had to put it back up for "old times sake"! The best part of the Wiggle House is hanging out in the inside which Grandma happily did with her girls! (Ryan decided he was way too big, and way too cool sporting that Mohawk to hang out in there! LOL)

Then it was time for Ryan's "Moving Up Day"! It was a day that for me, was both prideful and bittersweet. As happy as I was that he was moving up and doing so well in school, I was also a bit sad that he wasn't just "one of the kids". My sadness soon turned to awe when the next two things took place.... First up, they were giving away the awards, naming and celebrating the "achievers". I was applauding along for all the "typical" kids when I suddenly heard his name called! YES, MY child, with Down Syndrome was one of the select few who were awarded the Presidents Education Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement! My son, the one I worried about ever succeeding from the moment he was born, was given one of the most highest honors of his class! Not too shabby! ;) We had no idea he would be getting that, and the tears still come now, days later, when I recall that magical moment! We couldn't be prouder! Wow, what a moment! The certificate came with a letter from the White House and a special pin, that he will proudly wear on many occasions.

Then it was time for the class "montage" where they showed many, many pictures of all the "graduating" students in various stages throughout the year. You could tell it was a popularity thing when some kids would get cheers and claps and others, not so much. I felt sad sitting in that auditorium knowing that I could spot the "cool kids" and the ones deemed "not so cool" just from the applause level they received when their picture flashed on the screen. It was very interesting. I was happy when there were shots of some of the kids from Ryan's class interspersed during the video, but NOTHING could have prepared me for what happened next! (around the 43 second mark)

Yes, Ryan's face popped on the screen, and I applauded and cheered with pride, but then I heard IT! HE, MY CHILD, the one with Down Syndrome that I thought would never make friends with anyone, let alone "typical" kids, got the biggest applause of the day! And it wasn't a pitiful, "oh that poor kid is disabled" cheer, it was more a "damn, this is the coolest kid I know" cheer that he got from EVERY KID in his grade! THAT moment (and realization) made us cry more than the President Award! :) These kids accept and appreciate Ryan for who he is! How cool is that!? Here he is proudly posing with Grammy and Grandma and his award! What an amazing day it was for all of us! And again later that night, when he attended the school dance, when many of the kids invited him to dance with them. He really was/is just "one of the kids"! Amazing stuff! Who would have ever thunk it at the beginning of this T21 journey?! Not me, that's for damn sure! ;)

And lastly, but certainly not least, is my beautiful Kelsey, who sometimes seems to get lost in the shuffle of my May bookend babies! Kelsey had another fabulous school year, and we are so proud of her! Here she is on her last day of school, waiting for the bus for the last time - and then returning home later that day! BRING ON THE SUMMER! WE ARE SO READY FOR SOME FUN IN THE SUN!

Hope you all have a great one too! :)