Tell us a little bit about you and your family… My name is Mallory Roberts and my daughter Ava has Down syndrome! We live in Central Kansas in the beautiful town of McPherson. Ava is 4 (almost 5) years old. She loves trips to the zoo, music and dancing, family time and spending time with her “friends” aka classmates. What’s the one word you would pick to describe Ava? Life-giving (does this count as one word? 😂) What do you want the world to know about Down syndrome? What has Ava taught you? That it is not scary or a burden – so don’t say you’re sorry for someone. My…
-
-
DSAM: Mama Jennifer & Nora
Tell us a little bit about you and your family… My name is Jennifer. Nora is 3 years old and the youngest of 3 girls! We live in the Chicago suburbs. We love to vacation as a family, go camping, go on walk and bike rides and have dance parties!! What’s the one word you would pick to describe Nora? Determined. What do you want the world to know about Down syndrome? What has Nora taught you? Down Syndrome is not scary. It’s not a life sentence of never being able to go do fun things as a family ever again, and it will not affect the other kids in…
-
DSAM: Mama Caroline & Bennett
Tell us a little bit about you and your family… Hi! My name is Caroline, I’m 32 years old and currently live in Minnesota with my husband and 2 kiddos – Bennett (2.5) and Ruby (10 months)! We also have a 4-year-old English Bulldog named Ziggy. We found out when I was 13 weeks pregnant that Bennett would be born with Ds and although it rocked our world, we didn’t realize how truly amazingly lucky we were about to become! What’s the one word you would pick to describe Bennett? It’s not one word but: full of life. What do you want the world to know about Down syndrome? What…
-
22 Fall Bucket List Ideas for Families
It’s officially the first day of fall – hooray! I can already taste the spiced cider, smell the cloves and orange mulling on the stove, hear the crunch of leaves as they fall on the grown, and feel the soft and cozy infinity scarf around my neck. Yep…I’m ready for you, fall. But what happens when the rest of your family doesn’t obsess over this new season like you do? How do you get them on board? Simple my friends. Simple. May I present to you….the 2019 Fall Bucket List. (hooray….cheers…applause…wahooooo) I thought of my favorite activities that help get me into the fall spirit (including the basics I listed…
-
Giving It a Shot: VLOGGING!
Hello Moonbeams! In case you don’t follow on social media, I wanted to share some exciting news about a new venture for Holding Moonbeams…. WE ARE VLOGGING! Since turning my social media focus toward blogging and intentional sharing about our lives as a special needs and blended family, I have really enjoyed connecting with our readers. Reading everyone’s comments makes the internet seem like a smaller place…and I love getting to know people (who I may never have otherwise met) through Instagram, Facebook, and through this blog! But one of my most favorite parts was using Instagram stories to give everyone a taste of life behind the scenes…life behind the…
-
Disneyland: Hudson Frozen Show Reaction
This video needs a place to live FOREVER. My sweet boy absolutely adores Frozen. We went to Disneyland over spring break and he got to see the live-action theater version. The sights, the sounds, the bubble snow – all of it was so beautifully overwhelming for him that he was practically moved to tears.
-
2019: World Down Syndrome Day – Gratitude
When I was first told about Hudson’s possible diagnosis (which was confirmed via blood test several days later) of Down syndrome….I remember the fear and uncertainty that crippled my heart as I held my newborn baby. What would his life be like? How would people treat him? Would he go to school? Will he have friends? Will he ever find love? ⠀👶🏼⠀And then he looked up at me with those big blue/green eyes, and his soul locked onto mine. God whispered gently in my heart that He had it all figured out and I just needed to obediently follow and expect big things from this little man. Those fears melted…
-
Find Your Voice Girl!
A few weeks ago, I had my first opportunity as a mother of a special needs son to step up and advocate in a childcare scenario. I started a Bible study group on January 8th. The main reason I chose this group was because they offered childcare! SCORE. I remember mentioning in an email to one of the childcare facilitators that Hudson has Down syndrome but did not think it was relevant to mention that he was a non-walker. The morning of my first time attending this bible study went smoothly. Hudson has struggled with separation anxiety but it improved over the holidays with family in town. I wasn’t worried! …
-
Sibling Love Video – Part Two
As October is winding down, I am still going headstrong with Down syndrome awareness and acceptance month! Thank you to everyone for your love and support with the first video I released last week. I love reading comments and seeing people share the videos and posts. When you have a child with special needs, there is a looming thought in the back of your head….will the world accept and love my child? Or will they only see differences? Knowing that there are so many lovely people out there in the world that want to support not only our baby Huddy but all of his rockin’ friends – well that brings…
-
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Hello hello friends! Happy Wednesday to you 🙂 We are over halfway through October which blows my mind. But I can tell as the leaves are starting to fall off the trees and the wind has turned bitter cold up here in Chicago. The other great part about October … it is also Down Syndrome Awareness Month! When thinking about this month, I came up with two separate campaigns I wanted to run from the blog, Facebook and Instagram to spread awareness and encourage acceptance. First Campaign I reached out to several Instagram accounts I follow that have and/or feature someone with Down syndrome and asked if I could have…
