Trunk or Treat

Tonight the Super Laytons attended our church's annual chili and corn bread cook-off (and my cornbread was amazing, if I do say so myself), carnival and Halloween trunk or treat.

Wonder Woman loved the games (she dominated the cake walk) and trick or treating at everyone's trunk.

Super Girl was my accomplice and was seriously super at handing out candy to everyone who passed by. She also tried her hand at trick or treating for the first time ever. She was generous in the taking, to say the least. BUT, she was also generous in her giving, so it balances out??

A super time was had by all!

(Also, please note that Ryan dressed up this year. This a superhuman feat accomplished by me in and of itself.)  

Miss Melia

Today I had the opportunity to run a 5k for a darling little friend of mine named Melia. I was blessed to meet Miss Melia and her mom at the IRSF conference back in June this year.  

You see, Melia has Rett syndrome just like Leah and her brilliant mom set up a 5k run for Rett syndrome awareness month. But the brilliant thing about this run was that anyone could run, walk, crawl it from ANYWHERE. You just had to do it during the month of October. 

Melia and her family did their run in Canada, where they live. I did mine in Iowa. And lots of others ran in lots of other parts of the world.

But we all ran for Miss Melia. We all ran for Rett syndrome. 

And, as an added bonus, when trying to find a good 5k route, I decided to venture onto a new trail (so far I have only run on the path that parallels the streets here) and I was richly rewarded. It was a beautiful path surrounded by lush, color-changing vegetation (and corn fields too!) that made me feel like I was on my old trails in  California and New Hampshire. I will definitely be revisiting it soon. 

Thanks for the run, Miss Melia, and thanks for being an inspiration and the cutest little friend!

iowa is confused

Iowa was confused this week. On Tuesday, I got in the car and the radio weatherman (is that his name?) said there would be flurries north of I-80, but those living south of I-80 (me), would just see some rain. 

An hour later, as we finished up an errand, we saw flurries. Snow flurries. 

Then Kate and I went to a music class and an hour later when we came back outside, the flurries looked like this. 

And then, two days later, the flurries looked like this. 

I think Iowa is confused.

Purple Piggy Collage

In Octobers past, I've really gone all-out for Rett syndrome awareness. This year, I just didn't have it in me. And you know what? That's fine. I'm learning to say no and give on things that can give. I'm sure there will be years when I have endless amounts of energy and years where I need to dip into my reserves. 

This was a dipping-into-my-reserves kind of October. 

Lucky for me, I found a way to support my miss ribbons AND relax at the same time: by painting our piggies purple. 

This is one tradition we have done every year since 2009 and I plan to keep it up for many years to come. Leah even used "purple polish" as her secret letter P object in school last week. We recorded clues onto her switch that she shared with her class to guess what she brought.

As part of the recorded message, she invited anyone who wanted to paint their piggies purple along with her. So, I'm doing the same. 

I know there's only 10 days left in October, but let's see how many people we can get to paint their piggies purple for Leah and her friends. 

If you send me a picture (email - marejl@gmail.com, text, tag me in instagram! - marejl), we'll gather them all together for Leah's Purple Piggie Collage. (It's fun to paint, but it's even more fun to take a picture when you're done!)

Purple Piggies for Rett Syndrome! Who's with me!?

red barn pumpkin farm

We spent a glorious Saturday morning today with some friends at the Red Barn Pumpkin Farm about 40 minutes from our house. Somehow I have no pictures of said friends, but I promise they were there! We couldn't have asked for better jacket weather or a more perfect (and free) farm to fill our fall needs!

Kate tried and tried to get that orange tractor to work. Then she realized the problem was the color. 

 Much better success with the green ones!

 We enjoyed the golden views. 

 And the orange pumpkins.

 And more golden views.

 And more orange pumpkins.

 We played games.

And measured ourselves against the scarecrows (apparently there was something very interesting on the ground?).

We played in the corn crib (and one or two kernels home in our shoes).

 And we walked through the corn path and the hay maze.

And then we picked out some fresh corn kernels for popping and some Indian corn for decoration. A perfect way to spend a perfect fall morning.

super powers

October brings a lot of things to our house. A lot of fun, wonderful, beautiful things. But in 2009, it brought something that hadn't previously crossed our minds: Rett Syndrome Awareness Month. 

And because it's Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, our lives tend to be overwhelmed (usually in a good, positive way) with all things purple and Rett. Events are held, monies are raised and new friendships and connections are often formed. All good things!

Our focus, all month, is amazing individuals fighting the Rett syndrome fight every day. As well it should be. 

But, hanging in the shadows are some pretty amazing sidekicks that I can't help but notice are pretty influential in spreading the awareness we tout so much all month. 

They watch the seizures, endure the appointments and therapies, help with the feedings and learn the language spoken only with eyes. And then they share Rett syndrome with their friends, classmates, teachers and teams. And they do it from the moment they wake up until their heads rest on their pillows again at night.

They are siblings. And they are superheroes. 

In the words of one of my favorite sibling superheroes, Chloe, "I have super powers. I'm a Rett syndrome changing girl."

With every word spoken, penny fundraised, chin wiped, step taken, hand held or hug given with, to or for their sisters, they really are changing the world. 

Young siblings learn patience, kindness and understanding and then teach these traits to the people in their own worlds every day. Grown siblings have become doctors, scientists, therapists and advocates literally changing the lives and futures of many girls and women. And in addition to growing awareness, funding or performing research and improving perceptions of the world, they are changing the worlds of their sisters, making them more pleasant places to be. They are their sisters' voices, hands, number one fans. They are their legs, their hearts, their friends. And if someone doesn't have an actual sibling to call their own, they are immediately taken in by an extended family full of them. 

I love and admire Leah. And Claire, Avery, Henslee, Melia, Katie, Cristia Isabel, Emilia, Jillian, Samantha, Sorel, Lucy and more, more than words can express. 

But I also love and admire  Chloe, Nolan, Nixon, Owen, Abby, Melissa, Ava, Olivia, Griffin, Collin, Xander, Fischer, and Mason more than words can express. And I really, really love Kate. I love her for things she already understands and accepts and for a lifetime of those to come.

I love them for spreading awareness, painting their toenails purple, being helping hands. I love them for serving as sidekicks when Rett sydrome periodically takes the forefront and everything else is forgotten, and for being full blown superheroes every single day. 

One by one, they are Rett syndrome changing girls and boys with incredible super powers. In October and every month of the year.

32

In a nutshell, my 32nd birthday was perfect. 

It started off dark and early - I was on the road by 5:30am. I even got to watch the sun rise. 

Two and a half hours later, I arrived in beautiful Nauvoo. I spent the next two hours in the most peaceful place I can imagine before I turned right around (well, I did buy some fudge first) and drove two and a half hours back. 

When I looked at my phone after my drive, my heart was full - because my inbox was full of birthday love. 

I was gifted from near and far. 

I got help opening each gift. And I got spoiled rotten.

I got hugs, kisses and even an incredible hand squeeze (from a girl who can't use her hands, no less!). 

And I got pie. 

Looks like 32 is off to a pretty great start. 

trip to the dentist, the first

Kate had her first trip to the dentist today. 

She nailed it. 

No cavities, Grandpa Hauley!