Tuesday Travels

We headed up to Ogden to pick up Liam for a pre-birthday breakfast lunch.  He loves IHOP so we headed to one near his home.  It is actually is the same place Jena and I took Jessica for lunch a couple of weeks ago.  Like Mother, Like Son--in this case.  He knew immediately one thing he wanted Cinnamon "somethings."  They had had them over a year ago when they went to IHOP in California during their vacation.  I looked through the menu and we found them Cinnamon Dippers. He was so excited.

Doing the puzzles on the children's menu

Our selfie--which I love

It's your birthday lunch with Grandma.
You can choose whatever side you want.
French fries and pancakes...

Liam's Breakfast lunch with his dippers as well

When Jena and I picked up Liam, Alex was telling me where she and Carter wanted to go for their lunch in September and Zander was giving his input for his December birthday.  It made me happy that they want to spend time with us.  We won't do this every year, but I thought this first year back, I wanted to do the lunch thing.  Our out of state grandchildren will get visits with us this year and maybe we can work in a lunch as well.  Last time we visited Scarlett and family, she was the one who informed us that the girls all had to do lunch together.  We will keep that tradition going in some form or another as well.

We made it back home from lunch for me to start cooking sloppy joes for Jena's Cast party that night and then for me to attend my weekly Zoom meeting with the Utah Shattering Silence Coalition as we prepare for upcoming hearings and a symposium in September.

Then Jena and I were off again to travel to Centerville for her cast party. It was a beautiful night for a picnic. It was so great to talk to parents--old friends who we have loved and connected with over the years, not just in Friend to Friend, but Special Olympics, school, and Utah Down Syndrome Foundation.  We didn't know when Jena entered our family, just how much our lives were going to expand outwards.  Just a blessing....

And If you think watching them perform on stage is amazing, you should see them line up and sing along with songs of their choices.  With an outstanding DJ and music system, we enjoyed about 2 hours of singing, dancing, and singing along.  We gave the park joggers and other visitors a very unique but amazing show, I am sure.  Makes me excited as we are intending to start again our yearly Early New Years Eve Family Party in December.  I intended to get on that DJ's schedule in the next couple of weeks.

Jena watching the show for a bit

and then she started dancing and singing as well.

Jena got the mic for the ending song from their show Deny Gravity...Here she is saying the opening words by Witch Glenna with a bit of coaching....and then they all sang and danced their hearts out.  Oh, how we love them all!

One of the moms reminded me that I was the first person she talked to who had a child with Down Syndrome.  She had gotten a prenatal diagnosis and had reached out to our phone number which I happened to answer.  We talked for an hour or more.  She said that she hadn't even ever known or even really seen a person with Down syndrome.  Later meeting Jena was so helpful to her as she and her husband processed their surprise and their grief as they waited for their sweet son to arrive. Finn is a ball of joy and they are so grateful for him and the life they have built around him. I had forgotten that she was one of the moms I had talked to in that situation over 11 years ago, but it is good to know that in a small tiny way, it mattered to them. We matter to each other!! Never forget that.