We started with rides. The kids rode the hang glider with me again this year. It only fits three across, so Joel was on the seat behind us. He rode it again later with a friend we ran into. I just love this ride, feeling like I'm flying, but still feeling safe because I'm strapped onto a giant machine.
The older three kids rode a few rides before Seth got a turn. He thought this roller coaster was GREAT (obviously -- look at that smile!).
Joel and Makenzie rode this crazy ride that none of the adults would agree to ride with them. Joel held on tight, but Makenzie was waving her arms in the air.
Seth had to sit in the stroller most of the time because he can't quite get the hang of staying with the group. He didn't seem to mind too much.
Luke and Makenzie started out this ride smiling, but Makenzie was soon yelling at Luke after the ride started because gravity pushed him up against her so tightly that she was squished. She kept yelling at him to hold on tighter and SCOOT OVER!
Makenzie rode a little elephant ride with Seth. He didn't want to get off that one, but then he also enjoyed this little ride with Luke. Nothing could compare with the earlier roller coaster, though. I should've saved that one for last for him.
There were BEAUTIFUL flowers all over the fairgrounds:
It's amazing how quickly money disappears at the fair! Those rides were fun, but I'm not sure they're quite worth $3 or $4 each! And I know the food's not worth the money we paid for it! I'm such a tightwad :-)
The "funny" and the "fantastic" deal with these two sweethearts:
Luke came running outside to tell me that there was a "nude" in the house. When I explained that the word "nude" means "naked," he changed his terminology. Apparently, Makenzie had swatted Luke on the rear, and he knew that there was a grown-up word for this. "Mom, there's a HERBERT in our house!" I'm still chuckling :-) (just in case you didn't figure it out, he meant "pervert")
When there's both good news and bad news, I always want the bad news first so that the good news can maybe salve the discomfort of the bad news. I usually give news that way, too. Seth got tubes in his ears again a few weeks ago because of too much fluid built up behind his eardrums that could have gotten infected and that was keeping him from hearing well. He had two more hearing tests since he got the tubes put in, but his hearing really hasn't improved; so he'll be getting hearing aids in a few weeks. This is very disappointing, but the audiologist reminded me that it might only be temporary. Another child with Down syndrome had to have hearing aids for a while, but now she doesn't need them. The important thing, of course, is for Seth to hear correctly.
On to the good news:
Seth is in a regular kindergarten class for most of each day with a special ed. teacher or aide supervising and helping him try to do what the rest of the students are doing. He sees his special ed. teacher privately for about an hour each day. Friday, Seth's special ed. teacher told me that Seth had correctly identified 20 letters of the alphabet! I didn't really believe her completely. I thought she must have prompted him in some way or made the task easy somehow. So this morning I quizzed him with a set of flash cards, all shuffled up, not in alphabetical order. She wasn't kidding! He knew 17 letters immediately, another 5 on his second try! I was amazed. He can even accurately say and sign most of the those letters. Then we went to numbers. He definitely knows numbers 1-5!! Since Seth is the first child with Down syndrome that I've really known, I have no expectations. Every step that he takes in growth, development, and education is a FANTASTIC surprise :-)
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