Caden's birthday party

He was just a little excited about his party. Just a little...

Happy Father's Day

We are so lucky, Caden!

Tottoos

Time for a little product endorsement. Caden is a runner. He makes a break for doors, elevators and the like so I was very worried about taking him to various attractions in Baltimore on a busy weekend. And combine that with some mild hearing loss that makes it difficult for him to hear mommy yelling "Stop!" and we have a perfect storm. It would be way too easy for him to slip through the crowd and escape. So I tattooed our phone numbers on him. Well, actually it was a temporary Tottoo. It stayed on for 2 days before it started to peel and gave me some security that if he was lost, someone could then call my cell phone and reunite us quickly. There are other versions out there and other forms of ID for children but I was very happy with this particular product. Okay, product endorsement over. They should at least give me a discount on my next order, don't you think?

More Baltimore

Here you can see our little rockstar in action:

Baltimore Adventure

It's no accident that Caden knows the sign for "explore." This kids loves an adventure. The Tank and I recently took him for a long weekend trip to Baltimore and he had sooooo much fun. He was running from animal to animal at the Maryland Zoo, had to be dragged crying from the Port Discovery Children's Museum and still didn't get enough of the National Aquarium after two visits. As soon as Caden was dressed each morning, he hopped in his stroller and signed "outside". He didn't even want breakfast. And it was such a treat to see him discovering new things and see the absolute joy, wonder and amazement expressed on his face. We all had a fantastic trip. Our biggest moment of drama was when Caden pitched a toy into the harbor. The Tank was proud of our son's throwing arm but Caden was beside himself watching his stuffed animal drift away in the water.

The weekend was such a joy that I can hardly wait till our next getaway.

What a joy of a weekend. I can't wait for our next family adventure.

Soeren spreading the word to end the word

This young man is such a powerful presenter, inspired by his love for his sister. Soeren Palumbo is a student at Notre Dame and because of his incredible message has had the opportunity to travel the world reaching out to others. Such an inspiration.

Watch him here asking an audience to stop using the r-word and to choose love instead.

Vote for Brad!

I've previously mentioned an amazing individual and self-advocate by the name of Brad Hennefer in this blog and he's back in the spotlight again. From a National Down Syndrome Congress email I received:

Self advocate Brad Hennefer, founder of the Golf for Life Foundation, (and a very popular speaker and exhibitor at our convention) has been chosen as one of 90 finalists in People Magazine and Major League Baseball's "All-Stars Among Us" national contest.

Vote For Brad!

The individuals nominated are people who have gone "above and beyond" in service to their communities. Each major league team is represented by three finalists.

To vote for Brad, go to www.peopleallstars.com and click on the Philadelphia Phillies logo. (We know--this can be difficult if you're not a Phillies fan. But it's for a great cause!) Then click on Brad's picture.

If Brad wins the Phillies vote, he'll win a trip to the MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis on July 14th, and will be recognized there. If he's the top vote getter among all teams, Brad will be featured in an upcoming issue of People Magazine!

You can vote for Brad until June 24th--and you can vote as many times as you want every day!