Blogging about life in Minnesota, raising our six kids with Down syndrome while battling Breast Cancer.

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says, "Oh shit! She's up!"

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

12

Yesterday was a very special day here in our house. This young man turned 12 years old.

When he woke up in the morning the first thing he said was "Party!" I told him yes, today is your party! He was so excited! Then I said, "Axel,  how old are you?"

 He signed 11. 

"Nope! Today 11 is finished. Now you're 12!" 

Clapping and cheering ensued.

Later in the day the REAL party began. Angela was just as excited for Axel's birthday as he was. LOL A couple times I had to remind her that it was AXEL'S birthday and that he gets to do the stuff without her help. She was very good about calming herself down and taking a step back. 

There was the birthday song...

and there were the presents...

and of course cake to be enjoyed!



But his most favorite gift he actually received the day before. We've been discussing this for awhile, but we had this hazard in the back yard:

Yeah, looks beautiful, doesn't it? Well that picture was taken 7 years ago and that 20ft x 40ft pond didn't look so nice anymore. It was time to fill it in. Filling it in allowed us to get this for Axel.

Yes, I know EXACTLY what you're thinking. That we're insane. It's possible you're right. First, this is just a battery operated toy, not a gas powered machine. It doesn't go very fast, but it's plenty fast for Axel

Believe it or not, he was much better at this point. The first time he rode I decided I was better off not watching and just letting Dad call me if we needed a run to the ER or something. Sometimes its just better for the mom to NOT WATCH!  Oh, and check out where the pond used to be!

We've had a couple of these:


(he wasn't moving in these pictures, just stuck on top of the rock.) and of course his head is so tiny we have a hard time finding him a bike helmet that fits. Good thing he doesn't ride a bike. We're on the hunt for a smaller helmet.

He gets better each time he rides it; going longer and longer in between hitting objects. YAY! Still, I predict an injury or two before summer is done.

It was sure fun to celebrate Axel's second birthday with our family. It can't go without saying that while  we celebrated, while we watched the joy on his face, there are people on the other side of the world who are missing this part of his life. I think about them every day.

4 comments:

Jackie said...

Happy Birthday Axel! Pretty soon you'll be zooming that 4-wheeler in between the rocks and wearing out the grass with your precise moves. Asa has a John Deere Tractor and he LOVES it, the best purchase we've ever made. He can weave in between objects crazy like, he's even driving with no hands now and pretends he's flying :)

Becca said...

Happy birthday, Axel!!! That video of him crashing into the fence had me cracking up - love how much fun he was having!

Karen said...

Leah - thank you so for sharing this. This makes me so happy for all of you, especially for Axel - totally heart warming.

abby said...

Happy Birthday, Axel!


Leah...we found smaller good quality helmets at REI. They sell toddler ones that don't look like bay stuff.