Going back a few weeks now, we were blessed with celebrating Andrew's 7th birthday over the Thanksgiving holidays! We started the birthday bash with Andrew and Kristi going to paint a turkey together. It was a lot of hard work, but they both really enjoyed it and did a great job!
On Thanksgiving, which was his actual birthday, we met up with all the cousin's and Kristi's parents at my mom and dad's house in The Woodlands. It was great to get together with the family, but even better to celebrate Andrew's birthday. I am so thankful for God blessing us with Andrew and the little man that he is becoming. He knows and loves the Lord; he takes his role of being a big and little brother seriously and strives to be there for his sisters; he is joyful and almost always creating some sort of fun; he loves his mommy in a way that only a son is able; he is sensitive when he falls short and sins and is truly repentant in these situations; and if he ever sees Kristi and I having a disagreement, he intervenes to remind us of what is important. He is a tremendous blessing and I am so thankful that I get to have him as my son!
Here is Andrew's pilgrim project from school. It's a good depiction of the kind of kid Andrew is.
Kristi really wanted to make a turkey cinnamon roll for Andrew's birthday since he loves animals and requested a turkey on his birthday cookie, but it may have been more of a Pinterest fail (but Andrew loved it, I guess that's all that matters).
We also celebrated cousin Joe's birthday!
To finish up his birthday celebration, we went to play laser tag with another family who has a son the same age as Andrew and a daughter the same age as Abigail. We had a great time playing laser tag and someone in the family, I won't mention any names, was even successful in winning the first game we played.
Last weekend, Kristi and I went through a whirlwind and somehow are able to remember everything that happened. Saturday began with Kristi and Grace leaving the house at 5:00 am to be at the Fox 26 Houston TV station to be interviewed for the morning news, as they were sharing about GiGi's Playhouse Sugar Land grand opening that was going to be happening at 2:00 pm that day. Kristi did a great job and Grace.... well, Grace was cute, but perhaps a little too rascally for live TV.
***I don't have a link, but here is a video of the TV interview
Abigail had a soccer tournament, so she had two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday. In between her two games on Saturday, we had the GiGi's Playhouse Sugar Land Grand Opening. Abigail was speaking at the grand opening and Kristi is on the board for GiGi's, so we were all hands on deck. It was so great to see all the handwork that has gone into making GiGi's Playhouse Sugar Land a reality. We can't wait to see and experience all the blessings that will come from having a down syndrome achievement center in our own community. The grand opening was a huge success and there was roughly 350 people who turned out for the event.
***Here is what Abigail had to say (in her own words) about what life is like having a sister with Down Syndrome!
Immediately after Abigail got done with her speech, I whisked her away to her soccer game and the made it just before the first half was finished. After the game was done, we headed home (as Kristi was leaving from the grand opening with Grace and Andrew) and made it home with about 20 minutes to get ourselves all gussied up to leave for a wedding that night. On Sunday, Kristi taught children's ministry at church, while I took Abigail to another soccer game. In the afternoon, Andrew had a birthday party to attend and Abigail had her last soccer game of the tournament. Her soccer team did great and they got second place in the tournament and missed first place by only one point (that last game was intense to say the least). We finished the weekend with an end of the season soccer party before heading home and trying to prepare ourselves for the start of another busy week.
Grace wearing Papa's hat while cheering Abby on at soccer!
I know that Kristi has shared that Grace has been in the process of potty training and I am happy to report that she went three days at school last week without having any accidents. Slowly, but surely, we are coming along on this potty training thing and I know it will only be a matter of time before we get to celebrate having no more diapers in the Ross household.
"potty training is my Christmas present to mommy and daddy!"
Santa came to visit Grace's school last week, so in preparation for Santa's arrival, one of the therapist's at Grace's school dressed up like Santa, in order to give the kids some practice of being around Santa before the real deal came later in the week. Grace did great when the therapist dressed up like Santa (although she made it very clear that she didn't like the beard) and she talked a big game with us and told us how she was going to give Santa a high five and sit on his lap.
We even practiced at home...
However, when Santa arrived Grace did not want to get too close to the big guy, so she pulled off an air high five and blew him a kiss (from a good distance away), but she did not want to sit on his lap. That did not, however, hold her back from telling everyone she talked to that she got to sit on Santa's lap. At least Grace's school had a trick up their sleeve, they had Santa leave the room, sat Grace on the bench, and had Santa sneak up behind her so she didn't even know he was anywhere near her. You can tell by her face in the picture though that she knew her teachers were up to something and she was not buying what they were selling.
Abigail had her 3rd grade performance last week and it was so much fun to watch that when it was over Grace was heart broken and pleading "more show!"
Andrew had Polar Express day at school last week
Another fun, but crazy busy weekend... Life Group Christmas Party, Hi-5 children's ministry Christmas party, 3rd grade girls Bible study, and Ugly Christmas sweater family church service. We got to watch the big kids sing in the children's choir during the service, but the highlight for us all was watching Grace in the petting zoo after the service. She couldn't get enough of these animals!
I think the bunnies were her favorite
Polish chickens
Grace was certain that she was speaking duck and that the duck totally understood her because he would talk back to her
More bunnies!
PRAYER REQUEST- This is Kristi, I need your help! The big kids are going to a two night sleep away camp called Winterfest with Pine Cove (the same amazing Christian camp organization where we go to Family Camp each year) from Friday to Sunday of this week. Will you please pray that they are (and stay) healthy, make great godly friends, connect with their counselors, grow in their faith, don't get home sick, and are safe? You know a momma's heart, sending your kiddos away to camp for the first time is enough to make me want to cry as I type this. Thank you!!!
Christmas is in the air!
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