This past Friday and Saturday Katelyn and myself, along with a friend attended the CHAP homeschool convention. What a treat that was to see all those other homeschooling families and ALL those resources! At first it can be overwhelming to see all that stuff, your not even sure where to start or what to look at!!!!
From the weekend I wasn't really looking for anything special we already have our curriculum for this upcoming school year picked out I just need to finish my lesson plans. So I pretty much was going just to be encouraged by other mothers and look for some fun resources for the boys!
I find it so amazing how God leads certain people to each other at the perfect times. I remember last year at the convention there was a little girl with DS that reached out and grabbed Matt's bag while we were walking by, at that point we weren't sure if Katelyn would have DS but one look into that little girls eyes Matt and I were sold! We knew if Kate had Downs that it would for sure be just fine! Somehow I feel this was one of God's ways of letting us know she would in fact be blessed with and extra chromosome.
This year was no different, there were a few people we had a chance to met that was a wonderful surprise and blessing to us! First off we met a lady at our hotel that has 9 children ranging in age from 11 months to 17 yrs. She was an encouragement more than she knows, by seeing someone being able to homeschool with a family of 9 children and manage a household is amazing to me! Makes me feel like having 4 should be a walk in the park (haha at least sometimes). This lady was very friendly and sweet, you could sense God's presents in her spirit and it was refreshing to speak with her. After the few moments of talking with her my cell phone rang, not having any more hands she reached out to help with Kate. This is one of those times a mother normally would feel a little unease about passing her child off to a stranger but it wasn't like that at all. I felt like I had known this woman forever, a sister in Christ. She held Kate safely and talked to her sweetly, all the while Kate was soaking up the attention and giving her million dollar smiles! Having to leave for dinner we didn't get a chance to exchange information, but as I was walking away I prayed for Sherry and asked the Lord to give us as chance to met again if He seen it fit. If you have ever been to a convention this big you would realize the chance of seeing the same person again could be difficult. The Lord had it in His plan though. Thankfully Katelyn needed to nurse it just so happened to be the time when one of the speakers I was interested in hearing was about to talk about exploring the supermom myth so we headed to the room and sure enough who was there volunteering but Sherry. At first I wasn't sure if she realized it was us but when the speaker was almost finished she came over and said please could I hold Katelyn for you. I think Kate must have stolen another heart that day! She sure is stock piling them! haha We had a chance to talk afterwards and I was able to give her our information. What a huge blessing this was to met this wonderful lady! Sherry thank you for your kindness to Katelyn and myself, it means alot to me!
We also had the chance to met two mothers with children with Down Syndrome. The first lady came up to us and said Katelyn was cute and then asked if she had DS. After saying yes she told me she was also blessed with a little boy age 3 with DS!!! We talked for awhile and then headed on our ways. Funny thing is after we parted I thought the same thing, (oh it would have been nice share contact information) so again I prayed and asked the Lord to lead us to each other again if He seen fit. Sure enough a little later Katelyn and I got a chance to me her and her husband during lunch and were able to exchange information. Thank You Lord for answered prayers! The second lady my friend noticed she had a little girl in a stroller with DS. We made a uturn and I said hello to Ashlyn (the little girl) she was sooo cute and happy! Reminded me of Kate soooooooooooooo much! We also exchanged information and Ashlyn's mother was able to give me alot of helpful information! So very thankful for both of these woman! It was so nice and encouraging to see two other mothers willing to homeschool their special needs children. Praise God for blessing us with support!
Lastly but most certainly I am so thankful for my friend Karin for asking me about the convention. Since Matt and I attended last year we weren't planning on going this year, but I am so glad Kate and I got a chance to go. It was such a fun time and Karin was able to get alot of advice and information on needed materials. Looking forward to the convention next year and seeing who God has in store for us to met!
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