Step Up for Down Syndrome - 6th Annual DSIA Walk for Down Syndrome

Our family is excited to be participating in our first Walk for Down Syndrome on October 17th in Sacramento.

If you are local and are considering walking with us, here are the details of the event.

To join Cody’s Gabba Gabba Gang team, visit our team’s home page and click on Join Our Team. We would love to have you join us!!!

If you are not local, but would like to help us raise money for the Down Syndrome Information Alliance, please feel free to donate here or contact Michelle to arrange a donation.

Thank you so much for your support! We have already had some  generous donations come in and we GREATLY appreciate it. Cody will be happy to give you all GIGANTIC hugs when he sees you!

We are looking forward to participating in the walk and meeting other families whose children have designer genes like Cody! ;)  Don’t worry, there will definitely be pictures posted after the event.

Buddies

Cody can’t get enough of Lexus. He wakes us up at 6 in the morning some days just to tell us “that’s Lexus!”

We have been VERY lucky to have such a mellow mannered dog. It amazes me how much like Scooter and Xena she is. She has traits from both of them – right down to licking her paws like a cat.

There is only one person that Lexus ever licks. Can you guess who?

 

A little background on these two-

Lexus is not the puppy that we intended on buying when we went to the breeder. I had already put claims on a black mini schnauzer girl puppy the day before when I went there with just DJ. When we went to see the puppy the next day, Cody came along and wanted nothing to do with the black puppy (Cody does NOT like small dogs).

He kept going up to one particular puppy and even pet her. He had never pet a small dog before or even willingly acknowledged one so this was a huge step for him.

Throughout the visit he kept going back to her.

We had no choice but to choose this little puppy as our “Lexus” and not the black puppy. Apparently, Cody knew something we didn’t because she is such a well-mannered puppy and she is patient with the boys and puts up with their antics.

Cody and Lexus have a special bond (though DJ claims the puppy is his). I constantly find the two of them cuddling up together and he even lays in her bed with her sometimes.

He is saying “that’s Lexus” in this picture. :) 

A lot of times, I find them sitting together just like this.

This was supposed to be a picture of just her, but someone managed to get his face in the picture, too. He has been doing a lot of picture bombing lately.

 

This is the face she gives when she is ready for Cody to stop “playing’ with her. Doesn’t she just look sad???

Picture Day

DJ was excited to get dressed up for picture day this morning and even willingly let me take pictures of him (a rarity!).

Our handsome boy ready for picture day -

Drawing

Cody LOVES to draw. I enjoy that he is now starting to draw faces and things are starting to look like what he says they are. =)

One of his favorite games is asking us to draw something so he can guess it. He likes to draw things, too, and have us guess.

This is him asking “what’s this?”

 

When I don’t guess right, he gives me this “you DON’T know what IT IS?” expression. It makes me laugh every time!

 

Apparently drawing is exhausting.

 

This is him signing and telling me I drew a '”pig”. (Please do not look at the drawing. I’m not very good at drawing so it amazes me that Cody knows what I drew!)

Last Day of Summer Fun – Bay Area Discovery Museum

Last Sunday, we decided to go to the Bay Area Discovery Museum for one last day of fun before both the boys started school. We had never been there before, but since the boys had SO much fun, we will definitely be back!

If you know DJ, you now he LOVES to climb trees. When he found this tree, he couldn’t resist. He spent more time climbing trees than playing in the playground!

Guess who else tried to climb up the tree…but didn’t get it very far…

The boy hanging out in a hut.

Cody even found a friend.

 

Then needed to rest….

 

They had a cool area about Space that had stations set up  like inside of the space shuttle. DJ took the controls and was ready to blast off…

Then stood in the sleeping bag for a quick nap…

 

While Cody found the bathroom… (it is not a clear picture, but it is a funny one)

…and he found some space gloves. He even tried to leave the building with them on.

Monkey boy climbed the lookout tower outside.

 

Then reluctantly posed in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

Just chillin’ on the shipwrecked boat…

And FINALLY a posed picture where he is happy! DJ tries as much as possible for me to not take pictures of him so I am loving this picture of him!

 

Mr. Happy boy!

 

Cody was checking out the view….Actually, he was really yelling “HI!” to the people below and waving at them. ;)

 

If there is a tree to climb DJ will find. If there is an instrument around, Cody will definitely find it…play it…and dance to it!

Daddy and the boys goofing off in front of the bridge.

A rare picture of me and my boys!

First Day of School

This may be the smoothest first day of school so far!

The boys were both asleep by bedtime last night, woke up this morning with plenty of time to get ready and without rushing out the door (like last year) and both boys were successfully dropped off at school without tears (including from mom).

DJ is now a 2nd grader and we are excited that he is now in a 2nd/3rd grade combo class. I really don’t know what that all entails, but I am glad that he will now be more challenged. Hopefully, it will not be too overwhelming for him, but he is excited about being able to do 3rd grade work.

Cody is starting his 3rd year of preschool and is very excited to have his teachers  as well as his best friends from last year.

Of course the first day of school would not be complete without the mammarazzi hounding the kids before school!

DJ proudly displayed his newly-toothless smile. I CANNOT WAIT to have his school pictures taken with missing teeth!

 

This year, DJ asked for a “non-character” backpack. He is growing up. SIGH.

His Uncle/GodFather bought him and his brother these super cool Clone Wars tennis shoes. The velcro part is the eyes and lights up when they walk. DJ has been asking for non-character shoes as well, but he couldn’t resist these!

This awesome mask came with the shoes! DJ decided to put it on while getting ready for school.

Cody still tends to be a lot more cooperative when it comes to getting photographed so I had this adorable face looking at me this morning!

Then he started taking pictures of me with my lens cover.

Then….he was done with pictures. This face says it all!

 

Cody picked out this cool backpack this year. He has not outgrown Yo Gabba Gabba at all, but the Brobie backpack was on its last leg and needed a replacement. When he saw this backpack while Back to School shopping he squealed out “EEEEMO!” I guess that meant he wanted it. 

He was eager to pose with his backpack like big brother.