Hangin' in there!

Right now I wish that I didn't share my camera with Grandma & Grandpa. Carter is sleeping, curled up around his "fox in sox" stuffed animal! He is so darn cute -- especially when he is sleeping :)

It's been an eventful week here - Grandpa & Grandma came back from Glenwood on Sunday with Jerdan (my oldest nephew). We spent monday at the zoo - and the pictures are also on the camera mentioned before! Tuesday, the Grandparents took the oldest grandsons (Riley & Jerdan) on their first roadtrip -- without parents. Grandma loaded up on snacks (if you know my mom, you know she tends to have WAY too much food for any occasion) and they loaded the boys into the best roadtrip vehicle in the world - Grandma's acadia - complete with DVD player and wireless headphones! At this point, they have been to Mesa Verde and Four Corners -- and I think they are on the way to Moab.

As for the rest of our family, Brian has less than one week left of school. The kids are GONE, he made it through middle school graduation and now he just has to survive High school grad (on memorial day weekend) and a couple of work days. Carter and I are headed to Glenwood tomorrow (a 4+ hour drive depending on how many other people are headed the same direction) to meet up with the roadtrip warriors and to celebrate Jerdan's birthday. We will come home monday and have less than 2 weeks before we are on the road to seattle! Phew, I'm worn out just thinking about the plan -- shoot... i have to pack!

Watch out SEATTLE, here come the Darden's!

Friends in the Pacific Northwest....
we are comin' home! (ok, home to me... just a visit for Brian & the boys)

We will leave Colorado on June 5th (driving thru the night with my parents) to arrive in the beautiful Pacific Northwest sometime on the 6th. We will be there until June 17th...

now, let's make some plans!!!!!!

Did you know????

I'm looking at all the photos from the last couple weeks... so bear with me today!

This is Carter & Noah. Noah (and his big brother Nick) have Downs Syndrome. He is a blessing... my boys think he is their other brother. They LOVE Noah for who he is and don't really "get" that there is anything different about him. But I was talking to his mom, Julie, last week and she told me a statistic that makes me sick.

97% of women who receive a diagnosis of being pregnant with a baby that has Downs Syndrome in the US abort the baby.
100% of women with the same diagnosis in Europe abort their baby.

A diagnosis of Down Syndrome (or any disability) can not an easy thing. I do not have a child with a disability so I know that there are challenges that I can not comprehend. But... I have seen glimpses. I know that it's not easy to carry a newborn and an oxygen tank, while trying to keep up with the toddler that is connected to said oxygen tank. I know how scary it is when you hear a child wheezing or struggling for breath. I know what it is like to go into the pediatric cardiologist thinking that everything is fine, only to come out with your baby on a monitor that is as big as their little tiny chest. And.. I know that there are resources for families - organizations like the one I am proud to work for, as well as families that have gone before them and understand the struggles. There are resources for the child -- not perfect resources -- but resources that allow them to succeed and reach their potential.

I know that Noah brings GREAT joy! My heart breaks to think that people don't have a Noah and a Nick! They have taught us SO much and our world would not be nearly as wonderful without them!

Carter!

I thought it would be fun to take a minute to tell y'all about Carter! If you know Carter, well, I hope you get a kick out of this! First of all, the boy LOVES trains! We aren't quite sure how the obsession started (especially since his big brother LOVED construction machines and airplanes at this age!) but he can't get enough!

Carter just turned 3 (on occasion, he has been known to say "I'm turning 5, 6... etc"). He is our family comedian... we often joke that he will be our stand up comedian!

He talks NON-STOP!!! In the car I will often say "Hey, you guys want some crazy kid music?" just so I don't have to answer anymore questions. And... he LOVES to ask the same question about 8 million times. My new favorite response (after I've answered the first time) is to ask him the question he just asked or say "You tell me"

Carter likes to tell jokes and is genuinely funny. Our good friend "Miss Kris" once told Carter that he was funny. A few days later he asked his grandma "Grandma, am I funny?"
She's a good grandma, so she said "Yes, you are."
Carter's response "Miss Kris thinks I'm funny."

He like to repeat what he hears (like every kid) but he especially likes the BIG words!

On a totally different note, Riley (who is now 5) used the word non-functional in a sentence the other day... and used it correctly. His guns (on his transformer) were non-functional. Pretty sure his uncle Bug taught him that one!

Chalk art & weeding!

I should be getting ready for the 2nd birthday party in as many weeks but i was moving the pictures to my computer so i could take some more when i couldn't pass up these great ones!



Riley & I did chalk art while Grandma & Gram weeded the front yard -- thank you Gram and Grandma!

Riley & his amazing T-Rex





Riley and Gram & Grandma...
pausing for a picture!










Riley working on his next masterpiece....
















A Tiger!


Blogger seems to think that y'all don't need to see my FABULOUS STEGASAURUS... maybe it will get it's own post after the party!