Somehow World Down syndrome Day passed me by this year. A friend I grew up with sent me the video below. Those of you in the Down syndrome community might have seen it before, but I didn't want to assume you had, so I'm posting it now - a couple of weeks late.



I must have watched the video 10 times. The song A Thousand Years in my head. The image of Ace jumping up and down, and the smile on Archie's face - and how he reached out to hug her - come to mind over and over again as one of the most beautiful moments ever captured on film.

I showed the video to my students who are going out into the teaching profession - I wanted them to hear Ace's message. I wanted to share the love.

Thank you Ace, Archie and the Eicher family - your video made us all smile wide :o)

Trying to Do a Little Good

I believe we can do a little good.  When one in our community is down, we can rally around show we care.

I've donated The Knight's Gift to the $5000 fundraiser for Subha Gill.  Subha has a rare form of bone cancer.  Her younger brother is in my son's class.  Chemo isn't working.  Stupid cancer.




I used acrylics on a 10 x 10 wrapped canvas.  The black frame is digital - the painting appears as below:



Text around the outer frame reads:

Even after all these years the sun never says to the earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens to a love like that.
It lights up the whole sky.
(Hafiz)

HOW TO ENTER A BID:   You can place bids via e-mail at  carolnaha@gmail.com - I will post the bids in the comment section here, as well as on facebook.

For further details of the fundraiser go to:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/270651553012125/  For more details about Subha Gill:  http://janislacouvee.com/subha-gills-5000-fundraiser/

Together we're better, and together we can do a little good.

Carol N.

Happy Heartiversary, Aidan!

Yesterday marked the 5 year anniversary of Aidan's heart surgery. We made a cake together, complete with bandaid:



We sang, "Happy heartiversary," Flintstones style.  Then we all helped to blow out the candles.  Afterall, we were all in it together. 

 Aidan clapped...but wouldn't eat any of the cake.  Or taste the icing. 

We will continue to celebrate as much as possible, because everyone out there who's gone through something like this, knows it is pretty much life changing.  Being in the Pediatric ICU for that little amount of time was the most humbling experience of my life. 

Liam, the middlest of billy goats, was playing piano on the weekend.  He was playing a medley of songs that he knows.  During the Buffalo Hunt, he said, "this was how fast my heart was racing waiting until Aidan had his heart fixed."  Then he moved into Somewhere over the Rainbow - "and this is how joyful it felt when he was done."

Amen to that middle billy goat.  Amen to that.