Saturday Smile

Here's a smile for your Saturday.

Davey and Huayra

William's new haircut

Be gentle.

Homecoming Queen and she rocks her extra chromosome.

Alex's story makes me smile.  Inclusion, friendship, everything we can hope for our children.  Although the title of this piece could be better, it shows a happy group of friends enjoying a high school milestone.

Royalty: Gull Lake High School's Homecoming King and Queen, Pat Gaudard and Alex Milan pose side-by-side in their gold and silver crowns

Miss popular: While spending half of her time in a special education classroom, Alex, seen on the arm of Pat, is known by all students who describe her as spirited and charismatic

Popular, funny, and often seen on the arm of one of her high school's football players, classmates of Alex Milan say it was a given she'd be voted this year's homecoming queen.

What they don’t say was a factor, however, was her physical disability: Down Syndrome.

'Everybody knows her and she's so charismatic ... she's always trying to cheer people up,' Gull Lake Senior Khelsea Younker in Richland, Michigan, told MLive.com.

A student within Gull Lake Community Schools since the sixth grade, despite spending part of her day in a special-education classroom, everyone’s said to know her as the spirited, highlight in the halls.

'I think everyone kind of knew she was our homecoming queen from the start,' Homecoming King Pat Gaudard said while seated beside Alex and her friends. 

'...that's her personality, she's a princess,' he said to Alex’s blushing squeeze into his arm.

In a landslide victory battling nine other girls for the crown, it was during half-time of their homecoming game last Friday that Alex took to the football field to receive a sparkling tiara, wand and an arm full of red roses beside Pat.

'Every day she comes in and tells me she wants to be the queen and wear the crown,' her special education teacher Tasha Harrison at Gull Lake told WWMT.

All her: Classmates of Alex, seen walking with her in the halls, say that the high school senior's disability had nothing to do with her votes but that it was all her personality and charm

Having readied a camcorder to capture the moment Alex heard her name voted to the homecoming court – showing the astonished 18-year-old clapping and racing from her chair around the room – Alex’s popularity was already well known by Ms Harrison making her win perhaps less of a surprise, though no less than an absolute joy.

‘She’s just a magnet. People just want to be around her because of her personality and because of her charisma. People stop by the room all the time and just want to say hi to Alex,’ she said.

'She's so friendly and definitely loves everybody and I think that's a great way to represent Gull Lake,' student Hadlee Hoeksema said.

'We didn't nominate her because she has Down Syndrome. We nominated her because she's the nicest person in our class'

         - classmates of Alex to her mother

Alex's mother Jodie Milan says she can attest to that from the countless text messages received from her daughter's friends congratulating her win.

'They were saying, "We didn't nominate her because she has Down Syndrome. We nominated her because she's the nicest person in our class,"' Mrs Milan said. 'It's nice that they look away from the disability and see her as a real person.'

Beginning a magical day for the school's young queen, a limo donated by a community resident drove Alex and her friends to lunch before taking them to have their nails, makeup and hair done - all services donated to the girls.

What made the event far more memorable, however, was Alex's escort onto the field.

Arm-in-arm, her father Jeff Milan escorted his daughter out, himself suffering terminal lymphoma. 

Welcoming them was a standing ovation.

'There was not a dry eye anywhere,' Mrs Milan said of the night.

'What they did for Alex is a huge thing. It's something they should feel proud of their entire lives,' Gull Lake teacher and interim Vice Principal Matt Hawkins told MLive. ‘There's very few times in an educational career where you see such a large group of kids have this many staff people moved to tears.’

'I've had a lot of parents come up to me and say "Gosh thank you so much for the opportunity to have them learn from Alex and having her around us,’ Mrs Milan said with her voice cracking, ‘and that I think is important.'

Beloved: Alex's special education teacher says students will frequently come around asking specially just to see Alex

Be gentle.

Tuesday Smile

Be gentle.

Tuesday Smile

It was picture day at school last week.  Davey wanted to look his best, so he thought he should wear his tuxedo shirt.  Sure made me smile, I hope it does make you smile too!

Be gentle.

Saturday Smile..... First day of 7th grade

This week was the first day of 7th grad for my boys.  Time goes by way too quickly.

Be gentle.

Sunday Smile

For your Sunday morning viewing pleasure.........

Puppy love.

Be gentle.

Saturday Smile

Can you tell Davey just loves these pups?  And they love him too.

Be gentle.

Sunday Smile

Some days you just need a smile.  Davey loves to make people smile.  Enjoy.  I always smile when I think of how silly and creative Davey can be.

Be gentle.

Sunday Smiles

OK, you can tell I am really enjoying our puppies.  I can sit for hours and just watch them  I know it is going to get crazy soon when the pups really start getting mobile.  Enjoy this video and pics of the pups taken this morning.  The pups are 12 days old.

Be gentle.

Monday Smile

I needed a Monday smile.  This blast from the past photo worked.  Love these boys.

Smile.......  It makes you feel good.

Be gentle.

Monday Smile...... Ways to relieve boredom of a long car trip

Father's Day visit yesterday to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  About a two hour drive each way.  A car ride can be quite boring and usually ends up with the boys fighting and arguing with each other when the boredom sets in.  Davey found a way to occupy himself for a little while before the fighting started.  Yes it was a long ride home.

Be gentle.

Blast from the past. Thursday Smile

The boys are twelve now.  Crazy, happy, fun.  Wait a minute, that describes them when they were little guys too. Can you see the mischief in their eyes?  

Love life and be gentle.

Daddy time smile

The two Davids

Be gentle.

Sunday Smile and a special gift

Sunday Smile

 Davey likes to grab my digital camera and take pictures.  Lots of pictures.  He loves taking self portraits.  Not sure why he took a picture of his foot yesterday, but I thought it was funny.  Also sweet picture of Davey and Veronika.

Also got a really cute photo of William at the end of the school year honor roll ceremony.  William made Superintendent's Honor Roll all three trimesters and only missed 2 days of school.  So proud of him!

Also, under the photos is a brief intro to my blogger friend Caroline and her wonderful, inspiring e-book.  She will send you this e-book for free.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Here is that special gift information from my friend Caroline........

My name is Caroline McGraw, and I write about finding meaning in your most challenging relationships at AWishComeClear.com. Having connected with Shannon, I'd like to invite you to receive a free copy of Your Creed Of Care:  How To Dig For Treasure In People (Without Getting Buried Alive). It’s a book about balancing the responsibilities of caregiving for an individual with disabilities with that of caring for yourself. It’s a labor of love, containing 60+ pages of true stories and essential insights on life alongside someone with a disability. It’s about living a life grounded in self-respect. It’s about loving yourself, so that you can love people with special needs from a place of peace.

Be gentle.

Wednesday Smiles

My guys smiling.  Photos from last weekend.

Be gentle.

Silly Sunday Smile

Silly Sunday Smile.  Davey loves to make us smile.  Enjoy your Sunday.

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Monday Smile

Love this face!

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Tuesday Smile! Vacuum help

Time for a smile.  Davey decided he wanted to help me last night.  I asked if he wanted to help vacuum?  He jumped at the chance to push that bad boy around.  What boy wouldn't jump at the chance to play with a noisy machine?  Teach them early that housework is fun.  Yes, sounds like a great idea to me.  And yes, boxer shorts only is Davey's favorite at home attire.

Be gentle.

William is Flying high!

William has discovered a new love.  He has always been fascinated with airplanes, history and how things work.  Now, he is enjoying learning to fly model airplanes.  The whole family went yesterday to watch and enjoy the fantastic weather out in the Sacramento Delta.

William is working hard and practicing with his simulator program.  He is researching and learning as much as he can all about model airplanes.  It is so wonderful to see him smile.

Be gentle.