I love using Instagram. It’s a fun little photo app for smart phones that allows a user to take & share pictures with friends. I’m currently following a fun list of mamas who I find completely inspiring. One, they take creative photos. And two, they do really fun stuff with their kids, on their own, and with friends. Seeing their pictures actually inspires me to go on new adventures and enjoy little moments. I didn’t even know you could share photos with friends on it until I was spending lots of time sitting next to Sam’s crib in the NICU three months ago and somehow figured it out. If you’re on Instagram, I’m cupoftea. I’d love to see your pics, too!
Ella loves when Dadddy gets to take her to school
hide & seek
Uncle Jake & the Sammy man
so in love
getting bigger!
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In other amazing news, Sam had an appointment this week with the pediatric cardiologist. The doctor told us that Sam’s heart looks great! Yay! We’ll have one more appointment right before Christmas, and if things continue the way they are now, we’ll be able to check cardiology appointments off our list for good. Many friends have been praying for our Sammy man’s heart, so THANK YOU!!
One of my very favorite days of the summer is the day we head to the Minnesota State Fair. My family has been going since I was really little. My mom even has a story that comes up every year of me throwing up on my shoes when I was a wee child. (Is that right, Mom?) The summer my little brother was born, my parents packed up the four of us and headed to the big ol’ Minnesota get-together, never mind the fact that Jake was only three weeks old. I never appreciated that story until I had my own little ones. Mom & Dad, I hope you had leashes! Yikes.
Mama Bex & I loaded up the Jeep with strollers and kids and drove the three hours to the fair. Now that there are four car seats and two big strollers, this is not an easy task, but we did it.
By the time we made it to the fair grounds, we were a little frazzled. Ella didn’t sleep a wink in the car. Instead, she sang and sang. Not quietly. We were ready for the outside fair air, but there wasn’t a parking spot to be found! Fortunately, our friend Eli’s parents live just half a mile from the fair grounds. They graciously let us park in their driveway for the day. Thank you, Mr & Mrs Horn!
playing at the Horn’s while the mama’s got everything ready
This was Sammy just about all day during his first trip to the fair. A cozy little bug.
Getting all hydrated to take on the festivities. Almost there…
We made it! The FAIR! After passing through the main gates, we searched for Nana & Papa Scott, Uncle Mike, and Great Grandma Scott. We were ready for adventure!
Ella & mascots. Doesn’t matter what they are, she’ll chase them down to say hello, even with this mama weaving in and out of a crowd of craziness to try to keep up with her. This State Fair gopher gave her some love. (I can’t even imagine how hot it was inside that costume. Bless you, Gopher. You made my child’s day and didn’t pass out doing it.)
What can I say? The girl’s got style! She wore her glasses like this ALL DAY, insisting that was the way it was done. We got some cute comments from people. Maybe she’ll be a trend setter.
I’m a huge fan of cheese curds, but check this out. Cheese curds and gravy over fries. Whoa. I didn’t try it, but my parents did earlier in the day and said they were actually good. Hmm. Is this a Canadian thing? Shauna? I’m just thinking it’s a good thing State Fair calories don’t count. *wink, wink*
The crazy cheese curds were right next to our booth of choice, a first stop destination every visit to the fair. All-you-can-drink milk for a buck. Yes, please. It was crazy hot the day we were there, so milk tasted amazing. I alternated between white & chocolate each cup since I can’t commit to one or the other.
While visiting the animal barns, we were stopped to allow these enormous wagons and teams of horses into the Colosseum. Ella was in awe. So was I! The horses were in teams of 6 or 8 and the drivers were looking sharp in pressed suits and cowboy hats. I had a sense of pride watching them. Maybe it’s my Western roots. Just kidding; I have no Western roots. It must just be all that country music I listened to growing up. And the fact that I grew up out in the country where we all had horses.
Ella wanted to be anywhere she could reach out and touch the animals.
Sam met a horse! I have a feeling he’ll be a little more interested next year.
After a crazy hot day of walking around in the sunshine, it was time to find a picnic table in the shade. That gave Sammy a chance to soak in some Great Grandma lovin’.
And because the picnic table was near one of the open band shells, Ella got in some dancing.
Papa & his Sammy. I think they’re going to be pretty good buddies.
Of course I had to get this photo. Look at Uncle Mike’s shirt! It’s a preview of Sammy’s Superheroes! It was also at this point that we freed Sammy from his onsie and let him bare it the rest of the day.
those cheeks are for kissin’
four generations at the fair
one of my fave fair treats: honey ice cream
he always smiles when he flies
we all shared a deep fried Twinkie. Ella was thrilled.
We were all sweaty, dirty, and a little on the crabby side, but Mama Bex & I decided to make one last stop on our way out of the fair. As we passed through the global market, I found this amazing little shop, Global Mamas. After reading about who they are and talking with one of their designers, I fell in love with the company and will definitely be making more purchases in the future. (Christmas presents!) Everything is hand made by women in Ghana (that’s in Western Africa) and sold through a place in Minneapolis. I didn’t get to spend nearly as much time looking through their booth as I would have liked since Miss Ella was on the verge of meltdown, but I did manage to buy a wrap dress, a pair of glass bead earrings, and slippers for Sam. On the back of each tag is written the name of the woman who made the product. Love.
Another year, another fabulous visit to the fair. We had a great time, but I do have to say it was a lot more work with two kiddos, even if one was just sleeping in his stroller. Bex & I joked that next year we’re taking the little ones to the zoo in Duluth to get their animal fix and then getting a sitter so we can go to the fair on our own. There’s a whole world of things a mama doesn’t get to do while trying to keep the babes happy! We’ll see. I have so much fun seeing the fair from their perspective that I’d probably miss having them there. We just might have to make two trips. 🙂
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A couple weeks ago I crossed paths with a recipe on Pinterest that I ended up making four times in about five days. It makes a perfect meal to deliver to friends when a new baby arrives or they need a little something special. The recipe is Crock Pot Italian Chicken from the blog Crock-a-doodle-do. Super, super simple. Chicken, veggies, and dressing all go into the crock pot and cook all day. I don’t recommend making it with light dressing, though, because it just won’t turn out as tasty. Yes, that is from personal experience. After cooking, I carefully take it all out of the pot with a slotted spoon (so it doesn’t take all the dressing and juices) and put it in a disposable aluminum container with a lid. Then I add rolls or bread and something for dessert, and a deliverable dinner is complete!
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Does your family go to the fair? What’s something you can’t miss when you go?
I am so very humbled by what happened over the last two days during our sale for Sammy’s Superheroes. When I was getting ready for the big event, I kept wondering how much money we could possibly make and got pretty excited about the thought of bringing in $150. I’ve never had a yard sale, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I vaguely remembered someone mentioning they made $100 at a sale, so even the thought of $150 was stretching it a little.
Oh, friends, we went so far beyond that! I get teary just thinking about all the people who came through the yard, asked questions about the walk, met little Sammy, and so kindly told us we could “keep the change” after their purchases. With such generosity, we raised an incredible $637 for Sammy’s Superheroes!!
Seriously, I cannot thank everyone enough for all of the support and help and kind words and prayers over the last couple days. It may have sounded like we had some rough interactions at the beginning of the sale on Friday morning, but we really didn’t. They were just funny and made the experience that much more memorable.
So was I ready for those early birds yesterday? Oh yes. You should have seen me. I dropped Ella off with Mama Bex and the girls at 7am after swinging through the drive-thru at McD’s for an iced coffee. I was in desperate need of a caffeine kick. Sammy and I rushed home and I got right to work pulling the boxes into the yard and emptying them on the tables. I had been so busy trying to beat the rush on Friday morning that I didn’t get to decorate any of the tables, which made me feel like something was missing. That just isn’t my style. So after the little ones were sleeping, I printed table signs, hung paper lanterns in the tree, and dug out a coat rack to hang nicer items. All of this was set out and organized by 8:15am. So what did I do when the first person walked into the yard just a moment later? I smiled, said good morning, and sat to cuddle my babe at the check out table. It was practically perfect.
I had two very lovely surprises throughout the day. The first was when Gillian, John, and little Ruby arrived. They live hours away, and I had no idea they were in town. We got to chat for a good while, which was so good for my heart. They’re just an awesome family. Then Beth and Brian strolled into the yard! No joke, this was like a birthday present. B&B are really close friends of ours and we just don’t get to see them often enough since they moved to the Cities. They ended up staying through the rest of the sale, had a picnic with us, watched a movie, and even stayed over night! Yes, they are the kind of friends who can drop by and do such a thing. Bless their hearts for excusing the state of my house. Let me tell you, my house is in great need of attention. Great need. Oh, and right when I was starting to clean things up after the sale, dear Amy stopped by and helped me box everything and take down the tables. Can you see why I have felt so blessed after these couple days? Generosity and love on so many levels.
Brian & Beth
Today we’re recovering. I explained to Ella that today is a “chill day” meaning we aren’t leaving the house and it’s okay to watch movies and be lazy. We’ve all napped, though mine was brief since I wanted to soak in the alone time while the little ones slept. Ella just woke after four hours in bed. Four hours. We all needed that after she refused to nap the last two days. And now Sammy is awake. I’ll go nurse him and cuddle him and maybe watch a girly, princessy movie with my Ella.
So, we’ve reached our original goal of $1000! Yay!! Now what? Well, to be honest, I feel like I should confess something. When I first set up our team and had to choose a goal amount, I entered $2000. The next day, though, I got back on and changed it to $1000 thinking the first amount was just way too high. Then I started thinking $1000 was too high, but I kept it. We still have an entire month to raise money before the Step Up walk on September 30. I’m really feeling like that first amount was what we were supposed to go after as a team before I got scared. Can we get $800 more in the next few weeks? I say we go for it! If you’d like to be a part of the team, click on Sammy’s Superheroes on the sidebar next to this post. We’d love to see as many people a part of Sammy’s team as possible!
Have any plans for Labor Day? Pete will be on call, so maybe we’ll do a picnic and go to the park. Something simple. Enjoy the holiday!
Whoa. People were not joking when they said yard sales are a lot of work. I’m ready for bed and it’s only 7:03. Could it be from the 3 short hours of sleep I got last night? I’m going to go ahead and say yes on that one. I’m not complaining though. Not a bit. I loved getting ready for the sale. I adore organizing and sorting and setting things up. I’ve wanted to try having a yard sale pretty much my entire life. And today was my day.
Early this morning
Do you want to know what I do NOT adore, though? Snippy garage salers who walk into my yard an hour before the sale begins and loudly complain, “This is all there is?” Um, ma’am, I just nursed my baby, am dressing my three year-old for preschool, frosted 30 dozen cupcakes, and got three whole hours of sleep. And now you’re coming into MY yard and giving me sass? You can just turn right around and be excused. But of course, all I did was gently mention that the sale was scheduled to begin at 9 and items were still being set out.
Sammy’s table
I knew it would happen. I had been warned. But what was I supposed to do? I had no other time to set everything out before the yard was bombarded with fanny-pack-wearing, quarter-shuffling salers. And holy moly, do they take their shopping seriously. I could not work fast enough for some of them. I’m quite sure they had a carefully mapped out plan of attack on every sale within a 30 mile radius and my snail-speed figuring of prices was slowing their pace.
Maira checking out the sale
And then promptly at 9am, when the sale was actually scheduled to begin, everything slowed. The rest of the day was completely enjoyable. We had a steady flow of shoppers who smiled and chatted and enjoyed the process of searching for treasures. Sammy cooed and smiled as guests paid for their goodies and left generous donations in Sammy’s glass jar. And the weather was perfect. My mom and I spent the entire duration of the sale sitting in the yard, sliding our chairs every 30 minutes to stay in the shade. I’m actually looking forward to doing it again tomorrow. After the morning rush.
Nana Scott & Sammy
 Tomorrow I’ll be ready for them. I’ll wake at the crack of dawn to set up my tables. I’ll set out my cupcakes and sit in my chair ready for their arrival. Then I’ll look those crazy serious salers in the eyes and know I have them beat. ‘Cause I will. I’m a mama, and mama’s can do everything.
Sometimes.
neighbors had a sale, too. these were my treasures.
No, no! Not the baby! Ella was just getting a little excited with the price stickers last night. We’re having a very special yard sale!
I’ve always wanted to have a yard sale. It reminds me so much of playing store with my sister when we were little. I loved playing store. So, about a month ago when I thought of the possibility of having a yard sale, I realized this is as good a time as any! And then I got a really fun idea. We can have a yard sale and put all of the money toward Sammy’s Superheroes and the Step Up walk here in Duluth. Lovely!
My living room is now filled with great big moving boxes labeled with signs written in red permanent marker in my attempt to keep things organized. Baby clothes, household, kitchen, FREE, etc. Yes, there are certainly those few items that I don’t feel I can ask to exchange for money. Everything else is pretty cheap. I hate making my way through a garage sale where things are priced comparably to what it would be new at the store. Seriously? Doesn’t that sort of defeat the whole idea of a garage sale? I take it as a good sign that I’ve already run out of 25 and 50 cent stickers. I’ll be swinging by Target later to pick up another package since I still have a huge bag of baby clothes to price.
I want to make this yard sale a bit like a party in our yard. I already have a string of bulbs hanging from our big tree. I’m going to buy balloons to attach to the lamp post by the street and hang bunting above the front door, just like I did for Ella’s birthday. It’s not your everyday yard sale, anyway. We’re doing this to celebrate Sammy’s Superheroes! The Little Yellow Kitchen will be selling cupcakes and donating all the money to the team. We’ll also have a jar out for scattered donations along with a sign explaining the walk and Sammy’s team. My mama (Nana Scott – a garage sale expert) will be helping all day Friday.
Yesterday Ella was helping me put price stickers on items while in her own garage sale find – this lovely princes dress. We were working away when Daddy came home from doing a c-section at work. As soon as he came through the door, Ella put her hand on her little hip and pointed to my mess, telling him, “Look at Mama’s mess, Daddy. She made a biiiig mess.” What?! She was tattling on me? It was too cute. I had to take a picture of her sassiness.Â
So here are the details: Multi-Family Yard Sale for Sammy’s Superheroes and Step Up for Down Syndrome in Duluth. Lots of boy/girl baby clothing, adult clothing, kitchen & household goods. Friday 8/31 and Saturday 9/1 from 9am-3pm. It will be postponed if there is a lot of rain. Location is right across from the old East High School. Look for the bright signs! Feel free to email me if you need more details or if you are in the area and happen to have a table or two we could borrow Thursday through Sunday. olsen.angela {at} gmail.com
Thank you so much to those of you who have already made donations to Sammy’s Superheroes or are starting to make plans to join us in Duluth on September 30 for the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk! We’re stepping closer to our goal of $1000!
Through the last three months, we’ve entered into a world that we knew very little about before our little man arrived. It’s not one that we’re constantly aware of, but Down Syndrome has certainly become much more a part of who we are as a family. I think there’s a line that crosses into “we’re completely consumed by this diagnosis and it will be in every single thing we do” as opposed to “this is one part of who we are, just like other things are part of who we are.” I’ve learned through reading blogs and magazine articles and following advocacy groups on Twitter and Facebook that, at this moment, I would like to have DS as one part of our family but keep it in balance with other parts of who we are. We embrace it as a part of our “new normal” and know it is becoming a part of the intricate fabric of our family.
With that said, I’m pretty excited to share about something fun just around the bend. Every year, families and friends around the world participate in what has been know as Buddy Walks, big events that raise money and awareness for Down Syndrome resources and advocacy. Minnesota has been hosting walks for 15 years and for the last 11 years, there has been one right here in Duluth, though now Minnesota calls them Step Up for Down Syndrome walks. I’ve done a little searching and reading and have looked at multiple albums of photos from past walks in Minnesota and beyond. Everyone gathers in a central location for a big ol’ party and completes a walk of some kind. Besides raising money and awareness for a really great cause, one of the best parts (in my opinion) is that families can create teams for the event. And yes, dressing up is an option. Yay!
Therefore, I’m very excited to reveal…
Wohoo! Mr Sammy Sam will be the center of our team as we head down to Canal Park in Duluth on the afternoon of Sunday, September 30. We would love, love, love to have lots of family and friends join us, so if you have even the slightest desire to be a superhero, come to the walk! We’ll be making signs, carrying balloons, and dressing in our very best superhero attire. All of the official information can be found on the Duluth Step Up for Down Syndrome website. Registration for the walk is fast, easy, and FREE – which includes a t-shirt! – and can be done on this REGISTRATION PAGE. Registrations need to be done before September 4, though, if you’d like a t-shirt the day of the event.
As I mentioned, one of the big parts of this walk is to raise money for Down Syndrome resources in the state. We’ve been fortunate to benefit from some of these resources already. Right away in the hospital, we received packets of information, and once we registered as new parents with the organization, we were sent a box with multiple books and a DVD. This fall we hope to be a part of a local family group, which will be largely supported through this walk.
Ella reading to Sammy at the flower shop
After considering what we think we might be able to do for our part of the walk, Pete & I decided to go with a number that seems really big, but one that we think we just might be able to reach with your help – $1,000. We’ve set up a donation page through the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota, which makes donating super simple. Whether you’re able to join us for the walk or not, you can still donate. We really want to make Sammy’s first Step Up walk memorable with a sweet party and a strong donation, so will you help us? These resources really do make a difference. We’re proof of that. And I know we’ll rely on the continuing resources for Sammy through the entire year to come.
big sister strikes again
To be a part of Sammy’s Superheroes team, visit his DONATION PAGE or click on the widget in the right sidebar on this page. Even a little donation makes a difference. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. We needed support and information after Sammy was born, and the things we were given right at the hospital made a pretty big impact on our first few weeks with our little man.
This weekend I’ll be posting another way to get involved that you won’t want to miss if you’re in the Duluth area. Check back for details!
Who is your favorite superhero? We’re looking for a bit of costume inspiration and would love to hear your ideas in the comments below!
