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You are here: Home / Archives for Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome

Our Summer Family Traditions

by Alan 1 Comment

June is my favorite summer month because we have a lot of family traditions that take place in it.  I wanted to share some of our family summer traditions on our blog but I’m going to split them between a few different blog posts so that they aren’t so long.

In the first few days of June, we tend to end up spending a lot of nights on the deck eating watermelon or lying on the trampoline planning our summer traditions. This is the first summer we’ve had to plan our family traditions around our three oldest kids having summer jobs.  Gracie started lifeguarding at the local pool and both Zac and Nik started moving pipe for the local farmers. It’s been a little tricky working around their work schedules but so far we are making it work.

In the first week of June we like to kick off summer with our annual dunk in the Spring Hollow waterfall. This tradition started about two years ago after we took a small hike up Logan Canyon and stumbled onto the falls. I’m pretty sure either me or one of my boys dared each other to see how long we could stand under the freezing falls and it became a new challenge every year after that. For the past two years Zac has held the record for the longest time (five seconds), but this year I finally managed to steal his glory by standing under the falls for six seconds!  It doesn’t seem like a long time but that water is coming straight out of the mountain and it’s pretty much like taking an ice bath.

For the second week of June, we like to spend the weekend at a local Arts Fair called Summerfest. It’s a fun event where a lot of the local artists gather in the center of town to sell their work and show off their talents. I think our favorite part is the food (mainly the fresh kettle corn) but it’s also fun for the kids to see different artist blowing glass or making metal sculptures.

This was the first year we took Wil and Rockwell and they loved it. Since there are so many booths and people all crammed into one little spot we wanted to make sure we could keep Wil close and not have to worry about him running off so we took the Riva Travel System. I’ve mentioned how much we love this stroller on my Instagram but I haven’t shared it yet on my blog. Both of our younger boys are at the age where they would prefer to walk and we love that but Wil likes to take off after a short time of walking (like prison break style). We like to have a lightweight stroller with us so that we can keep him safe but also give him some freedom from time to time. The RIVA stroller has been perfect for this very reason. I’ve put a link below if you would like to learn more.

That wraps up the first two weeks of June but this is just the beginning of the series of blog posts about our summer traditions. The third and fourth weeks of June should be a lot of fun as we head to the rodeo, float the river in Idaho and go on a fire fly excursion in the mountains.  Thanks for checking in on our family journey.

By the way, this is a partner post with Safety 1st and we choose to partner with them because their stroller frame is made in the USA from recycled materials. We also love the fact that they are working on a more sustainable future with their Zero Waste manufacturing facility.  We love to see companies that care about the environment and the future of our children. The RIVA Travel System is available exclusively at Walmart and you can learn more about it by clicking here: RIVA Travel System

Filed Under: Down Syndrome, Travel

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Alan Lawrence

thatdadblog

After lots of prayers and counseling with her doct After lots of prayers and counseling with her doctor, Nikki has started talking a medication called Hyramoz which after time (hopefully in a year or two) can put the Ankylosing Spondylitis in remission. 
she’s also taking something to help ease her pain. She called me from Costco crying, she was so excited that she could lift a bag of flour into her cart without pain.
Diet is another big change that she is doing to help
Well, thank you so much for your prayers and ask you to please continue to pray for her that this will soon go into remission.
Yes, we are that family. If you’re a part of the Yes, we are that family.
If you’re a part of the T21 tribe you get it - we take care of each other and if we can meet another family in the tribe nothing gets in our way.
#downsyndromelove #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness
#downsyndromerocks #21 #trisomy 21 #upsyndrome #morealikethandifferent #nothingdownaboutit #theluckyfew #mystory #dadlife
I was showering and thought I heard someone come i I was showering and thought I heard someone come in the bathroom.  I finished washing my face, turned around and there was Wil 
“Hey Dad!” 
He knows how to pick our bathroom lock and said he was bored and missed me. It’s hard to get mad at that. 

He is still learning the concept of privacy but at least he rolled up his pant legs! 😂

#dadlife #downsyndrome
Throw back to when Wil was young and we were comin Throw back to when Wil was young and we were coming home from a vacation and were letting everyone exit our plane before we organized our big family to exit. While we waited, Wil made everyone’s night a little brighter. #downsyndrome #reels #dadlife #downsyndromeawareness
Sharing this with permission from Nikki to possibl Sharing this with permission from Nikki to possibly connect her with others who have been through this and also to ask for your prayers as she navigate her daily pain and for guidance on solutions.  Thank you! 
these photos are from a recent trip to a Hot Springs in Idaho, which felt so good on her joints. 
#ankylosingspondylitis #ankylosingspondylitisawareness
“My butt is ouchy” 😂 Leidy and Rocko spent “My butt is ouchy” 😂 Leidy and Rocko spent the day on the mountain with me learning to snowboard.  They both did great! Leidy was very nervous and told me she was worried that she was going to throw up but by the end she was going on the lift by herself and told me she was happy. 
Rocko was a trooper and told me I could go do some runs by myself he wanted to concentrate 😂 
These two pushed themselves and over came some fears today and I am very proud. 
#prouddad #familyiseverything #dadlife
Sweet 16!! It’s hard to believe that its been th Sweet 16!! It’s hard to believe that its been three years since I first met Leidy in her orphanage while helping to film a project that was advocating for orphans in Colombia who were close to aging out.  Now she is home celebrating her first birthday with her new family! 
This happy, and stubborn girl has a big heart and even bigger dreams.  She was full of joy on her first birthday with her new family!
Meeting a fellow Dad that shares the same Down Syn Meeting a fellow Dad that shares the same Down Syndrome connection erases all awkwardness of bear hugging in the middle of a shopping center. 
YOU ARE OFFICIALLY BROTHERS FOR LIFE!! 
-
#advocatelikeadad #dadlife #extrachromosome #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness #downsyndromerocks #t21 #trisomy21 #upsyndrome #morealikethandifferent #nothingdownaboutit #theluckyfew #mystory #changingthefaceofbeauty
You sourdough mamas know the feeling. if you want You sourdough mamas know the feeling.  if you want to be a domestic goddess and try sourdough bread but you’re intimidated. Send me a DM - Nikki is sharing some of her starts and she also has a 15 minute instructional video on how to make sourdough bread from start to finish 👍
#sourdough #sourdoughstarter #sourdoughmama #sourdoughbaking #domesticgoddess #funnyvideos 
#homeschool #pioneerwoman
Three Running tips I learned from my new trainer:  1. Randomly laugh for minutes at time for no apparent reason. 2. Always check to see if you are being tracked my a bear or racoon. 3. Hug your running buddy while you are running to motivate each other. Looking forward to learning more from my new running coach. He is the best in the biz. 
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#runhappy #noexcuses #downsyndrome #theluckyfew #fyp #prouddad #viralreels #dadlife
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