Poem for Parker

This is my FAVORITE poem of all time. It really does tell what life is like with a special needs child.....We LOVE you Parker :)

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome To Holland”.

“Holland?!?” you say, “What do you mean “Holland”??? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy”

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

So you must go and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills…Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy…and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned”.

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away…because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But…if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things…about Holland.

Too funny not to share :)

Presley, Parker and I were at the mall the other day. We were in the middle of eating lunch when Prelsey said she had to go potty. We all went in the womens bathroom (which was packed!) and Presley chose a stall. When we got in there she dropped her pants and yelled "Look Mommy!!! NO skid marks!!!" I think the whole bathroom was laughing :) Thats our "precious" little girl :)

P's FAVORITE part of the day :)

Presley and Parker's FAVORITE part of the day is after bath time when they are all clean :) They both lay in Parker's bed and watch "toonies" together from about 7:45-8:15. They both lay there so darn cute. Presley sometimes talks to Parker and acts like he is talking back :) Its awesome to see such a cute sibling bond. This is by far their most favorite part of the day :)

Easter

This year Easter will be at our house. Krista and Scott are going to Bismarck and Nick is working most of the day. Nick is hoping to get off for dinner :) Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa Majkrzak, Steven and Steph will be here to celebrate. Presley, Parker and I plan on making an Easter bunny cake. I remember my mom making me bunny cakes when I was little for birthdays so we will see what kind of distorted bunny cake we can whip up :) We have done and Easter egg hunt the past couple years and Presley and Parker LOVE it! Its suppose to be nice on Sunday so lets hope we can be outside for the big egg hunt :)

I'm thinking Presley is coming to an age that we can start explaining what Easter is really about. She thinks its all about chocolate bunnies and candy. Little does she knows what actually happened on Easter. I will take a stab at explaining that to her this year. She still thinks Vader can get out of his "coffin" in the backyard, so explaining that Jesus rose from the dead wont be such a far fetch thing for her to understand :) Happy Easter Everyone!

The Anderson's

Parkers Bestie

Parker and my dad have had a strong bond since day one. I think all kids LOVE their grandparents unconditionally but Parker and my dad are different.....Parker loves papa Bob more than mom and dad sometimes I think :) My dad can walk in the door and say "Parker, Papa is here" and Parker will get a HUGE smile on his face. Papa Bob loves to wrestle with Parker on the floor and can get him giggling non stop. Papa can make Parker stand up more than his therapists. I think the reason Parker is drawn to my dad is because he treats him like he dosent have a disability. He plays with him just like he would play with Presley. Plain and simple Parker LOVES his Papa Bob! I always think of this quote when I think of my dad and Parkers bond: ""To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."
It couldn't be MORE true with Parker and his Papa!!

Best Friends

I was just thinking how important it is to have a "best friend" when your little. I can remember my best friend when I was younger and we did EVERYTHING together! Presley is SO lucky to have Taylor in her life. Not only is Taylor (TT for short :) her best friend, but she is also her cousin! There is always someone who "gets your humor" or laughs at your bad jokes. Presley and Taylor can sit and laugh for hours about nothing. The beauty of their friendship is that there is no judgment, no rules, just too besties hanging out. Taylor and Presley could not be more polar opposites, Taylor is a perfectionist and most of all the "girliest princess" that I know :) Presley skips the details to everything and is more tom boy :) Its very cool to see these two develop such a strong relationship. I know their bond will last forever! I LOVE my TT girl :)

One of my favorite Presley stories

I have to tell you this quick story about Presley......We had our good friends over for dinner, The Alderson's. They have 3 darling boys, all who Princess Presley has crushes on. Luke is the youngest and probably the biggest crush :) When they were all getting packed up to leave Luke was sitting on our floor in the entryway getting his shoes one. Presley was going around giving everyone "huggies" and lastly saved a huge huggie for Luke. She bent down and let out a HUGE toot :) We all about died laughing and when we quieted down she said "That was my just kidding fart you guys" and walked away like nothing had happened. Pretty proud moment for both Nick and I as parents :) Shes SUCH a lady!

Vegas Baby!

My dad had the BEST idea for my moms 55th Birthday.....to surprise her in Las Vegas (one of her favorite places in the world!) at Margaritaville (her favorite restaurant.) I am happy to say it went off without a hitch! Dad planned it perfectly and it was hands down the best surprise I have ever been a party of! My mom is ALWAYS doing things for other people, she deserved every minute of fun we had there :)

I can honestly say I have the BEST family.....my parents are amazing role models, my brother's are awesome, and my sister in law is more like the sister I never had.....VERY few people can say that! I am happy to say mom won $1,000 right away and another $250 I think....but re-invested it into the Bellagio. The wheel of fortune machines get he every time :)

What a FUN time and amazing surprise!

To Nick, the love of my life

Nicholas Peter Anderson is the number one person in my life....why? He could possibly be the BEST dad, BEST husband, and #1 supporter of me and all my good and bad decisions in life.

I remember the first time I ever met Nick....we were both at Woodys Bar in South Fargo. My friend introduced me to him and of course I thought he was super cute. He was dating someone at the time so I didn't think anything of it. We ended up sitting by each other that night and never spoke one word.....its funny now that I think back :)

A few months later I ran into him at the softball fields in Moorhead. I was walking in with my pugs, Jabba and Vader...and as most of you know they were not (and Jabba is still not) the best trained dogs you have ever met :) They ended up getting out of their harnesses and running onto the fields...needless to say I caused a bit of a scene when I came in and Nick saw me. He came running over and said "Hey Majkrzak!" I was thinking to myself....that is what buddys say....like a buddy you punch in the arm and say "Hey big guy!" We talked for a bit and told me to come back to watch him later. I ended up watching his game and he invited me out to the VFW afterwards with his team. When I showed up a guy on Nicks team yelled "Nick's wife is here" and that was the first day of the rest of our lives....

Nick love our kids with all his heart. He loves me for who I am.....imperfections (A LOT :) potty mouth, Macys shopping addict, oversensitive self. He asks for next to nothing, he is happy to give me a much needed "mental break" from the kids. He texts me out of the blue and tells me how much he loves me....pretty good guy huh? Way to go Pete and Mary and Margo and Virgy for raising such a great guy! I truly do feel like the luckiest girl in the world 99.9% of the time :) Just kidding Nick......

Perfect Parker

I remember the day the kids were born like it was yesterday. Nick and I were pretty much in denial/shock that our children were actually being born that day. Lisa was such a trooper and SO incredibly strong. I remember thinking to myself how very lucky we were that she gave up so much in her life to give us our children. I remember getting gowned up and walking in the the operating room where Lisa was along with Troy and a fleet of doctors and nurses. We were literally standing there for less than a minute when Presley came out screaming bloody murder (thats my girl :) and a few seconds later Parker was out and quiet as a mouse.

They put both of them on warming beds and were immediately surrounded by nurses. I remember them being really rough with the kids and trying to make Parker cry. He finally let out a huge wail...it was music to our ears :)

I remember the nurses handing me Presley and Nick was handed Parker......it was the BEST moment of my life. It was amazing to look at these tiny people that were ours. We walked out and were greeted by my family along with Grandma and Grandpa Majkrzak. We joke it looked like a herd of elephants trying to stampede through the door! That was another highlight of my life. Showing my family my children when I never knew if I could have them.

Parker is the light of my life. He smiles and it makes my day SO much brighter. I love him so much it hurts. So many people have asked what is is like to have twins....and what it is like to have a special needs twin. Honestly, I think its a privilege to have a special needs child. Obviously God thought we could handle it (sometimes I could question that!) God gave Parker his sister Presley for many reasons too: To talk for him when he couldn't....To stand up for him when he can't....and to be the best role model and sister a boy could ask for.

To my little Parkman, I love you more than anything in the whole world. You make me SO proud by just being you. Your strength and determination are to be admired by all. You may not be able to talk, but I know what you are saying.....and I hear you loud and clear.

I love you to the moon and back,

Love,
Mommy

Perfect Presley

When Nick and I were going through the IVF process I remember saying "I just want boys." I thought that I could relate to a boy better for some reason. After finding out we were having a boy and a girl I was overjoyed but nervous! I didn't know if I would be the right mama for a girl and I don't know why I felt that way. Boy was I dead wrong!!!!

Presley and I are two peas in a pod. I love that girl more than any human being can love someone else. Yes, she is high strung, loud, hysterical, and out of control at times....but that is just Presley :) She was born a spitfire. I remember Lisa saying that she could irritate Presley pretty quickly when someone would press on her belly, etc. She would kick and move around until she settled down....that's my girl! Apple didn't fall far from the tree did it?!?

To my Presley girl:
I love you to the moon and back. You are my world and most of all the best daughter a mom could ask for. You are SO gentle with your brother and understand him more than anyone else. You have a real spark that will take you places one day....dont ever loose it.

Love,
Your crazy mama

Patient Parker :)

Parker could be the most patient boy ever! Here are some pictures of trips that we have made. We have had countless hours in the car with him and for the most part he watches his movies and giggles. Nick is usually drinking an energy drink to stay awake and I am trying to keep Nick and Parker entertained. I have fed Parker many meals backwards in my seat. We have had MANY spills :) We are very fortunate to have Parker seen by some of the top Doctors in the US. We will continue to try and make his life the best it can be. We are the biggest advocates for Parker and will continue to be until the day we die. If you have an in cling that something is wrong with your child do not take NO for an answer. Doctors are NOT God and they do not know your child like we do as parents. I am sure I have put my foot in my mouth more than once around doctors, but we are only looking out for our number one interest....Parker. I am an honest person....what can i say?!?

Listen to this playlist: New1

Our Make a Wish Journey

There are SO many emotions that have come over us as we have started the Make A Wish journey with Parker. We have met some of the most kind, genuine, amazing people. The fact that people that we don't even know want to give our child a gift as big as Disney World is beyond belief. As long as everything gets approved in the next couple weeks we can set a date! I cannot wait to see the look on Presley and Parker's face when they finally get to see Disney World. I hope that Presley can meet all her favorite characters! Also, for Parker to experience something so magical and amazing. Parker knows more than we think and I KNOW in my heart that he will be the happiest kid in the whole park when he gets there. He is such an amazing little boy and deserves the world. He deserves a trip that is "just for fun" and not to a doctor. He will get treated like a king and we cannot wait for that :) Can you tell we are getting a little excited??!????

My first post :)

Hello!

I am going to give this blogging world a fresh new start. I am bound and determined to make this blog better than the last! I want to include more family things that go on in our life....not only Presley and Parker's life. I hope you enjoy it and find it amusing if anything :)

Love to All,

Sara & the crazy Anderson family :)