Life on the Ranch

    I tell my kids many ties that they are so blessed to grow up on a ranch like we have. It is so nice to be able to go outside and enjoy the beautiful area we live in. It is so nice to see trees, grass and animals everyday. The other day, little O and a few of his sisters went outside with our last Bullmastiffs, The weather was perfect, the sun was shining bright . Here are a few pics just to show how "normal" a little boy with Down syndrome is!     Hiding behind a tree with sister!     This is Canuck, the last Bullastiff that we have right now.     Big sister, Ezriyah, with her "pup"!      O, standing in the pasture.     It seems as if the cow is looking at the kidos in the field to figure out what they are doing. My little man with Down syndrome - WHAT A BLESSING!

   I think from the posts I have been doing this month, it should be apparent that our lives have not slowed down at all since our little blessing with Down syndrome has entered our lives. We feel that he is a BG blessing and an enhancement to our lives.     As I was sitting here wondering what to write about today, I was reminded that many years ago (almost 8), I was told that my life would be different having a son with Down syndrome. I was told how he wouldn't walk at the same age as "normal" children. I was told that he would need WAY more work than "normal children. I was told a bunch of things that he wouldn't be able to do. I was given a very grime and sad picture as I sat in the hospital just days after giving birth to him.     Well, being the family that we are - one that likes challenges, one that doesn't mind if things take a little bit of hard work, one that likes to try to overcome obstacles, one that goes against the grain of society in gen...

     I thought I would put up another picture post about things from around the ranch. Our morning started with the biggest stick bug we have ever seen. It was right on the milk room door. That is my 18 year old daughter's hand next to it! It was so big the kids were calling it a "branch bug"!     This is Cougar, the resident male cat. He is the dad to several kitties that are running around this ranch right now! We lost his dad last year to lyme disease.      This is Cuddles. She is an outside and inside kitty. Some nights she is in and some she is out. I think she is a good mouser.     Here are some pictures of some of the beautiful chocolate Muscovies that were hatched out here this past year. There are 6 or 7 of them that are found hanging out in one of the hay trailers every morning. They have even begun to lay a clutch of eggs in the hay trailer. One of my daughters got a few pics of them flying today. ...

   Well, today was the big day. Us and some of our friend's went to the Buddy Walk. I think we all had a great time checking things out, playing games, eating food, dancing to live music and just hanging out together. SInce I am really tired, I will let the pictures "tell the story":

    In the midst of our busy ranch life that involves animals being born, animals dying, goats needing to be milked, cows needing bottles, birds needing fed, eggs needing to be collected, political meetings to attend, grandparents from out of state visiting and whatever else our crazy days bring us - we are still planning on being at the 10th Annual Down Syndrome Buddy Walk tomorrow in Tulsa.     This morning, (yes, the day before the buddy walk!), Qadoshyah was at the kitchen table getting our sign ready for the walk. Nothing like being prepared, huh?!? Well, last year we were "O's Ranch Hands". We decided to change our name this year to "O's Freedom Fighters" - kind of appropriate for where our life has headed this past year.     Anyway, if you happen to be in the Tulsa area tomorrow around 1:30pm, please feel free to join us at the event. Click this link for info about where it is being held this year: Buddy Walk 2012

   One of the things we deal with here on our ranch is life and death. Sometimes there seem to be days , weeks or even months that go by without a single life or death being added to the ranch. Other times, there are many that happen. This week has been somewhat unique in that we have had 4 new baby goats born, found one sheep unexpectedly dead in the sheep shed and have our oldest Bullmastiff not doing well. We also have a goat that is old and not doing so hot.     I count these life lessons as something important. Little O and his siblings are not growing up in some fantasy land of just good things happening. On our ranch they are forced to face these "harder" issues and I am glad for that. There are times we all cry together and other times that we laugh together. It is all apart of this life.     A few years ago, I started an "opposite" blog to this one. It is called Death on the Ranch and you can see it here - Death on the Ranch - it is somewhat o...

Q: What is Down Syndrome? A:  Down Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is caused when there is a triplication on the 21st chromosome. People with Down Syndrome have 47 chromosomes instead of 46, like people without Down Syndrome. This is the reason it is called Trisomy 21, being there are three 21st chromosomes instead of the usual two. Q: Can Down Syndrome be cured? A:  Cured? No. But, can the processes and metabolic imbalances going on in their bodies be slowed? Absolutely! This is what Targeted Nutritional Intervention for Down Syndrome is all about. Please see our articles section for more information on that. Q: Are there degrees of Down Syndrome? A:  No, there are not degrees to Down Syndrome. However some individuals with Down Syndrome may not seem as mentally retarded as others. Why would this be? This could be dependent upon the person's upbringing and what foods or vits they have had or not had. The individual may not be deficient in some things that D...