Doing the Happy Dance we are home!!

After a very hot Saturday morning spent with a friend at the Zoo, we headed to the airport and back to sweet home Indiana. Ivy had the grand daddy of them all meltdowns at BWI Airport before boarding the plane. I had people looking at me and her and staring and for the first time in years I felt the need to explain her behavior. I was mortified. She kicked the poor man sitting directly to our left and the poor lady to my right, just kept looking at her like she was a real brat and the couple behind us was also staring and saying things like, "can you believe the way she is talking" and "omg, what a brat". So, really LOUD, I say, "I'm sorry everyone, she really isn't being bad, she has autism and she has just had a really long and loud week here in DC and she is on system overload, please excuse us". Everyone just shut up and quit staring after that. I think I embarrassed Ed when I did that, but I hate it when people stare at us and assume my child is misbehaving when she can't really help it. Makes my blood boil. I can't NOT say something.

I then proceeded to the counter and begged for a special pre-board pass which they quickly honored. So, we got home in a little over an hours' flight and when we were exiting the plane, Ivy began hopping and flapping like a birdie and dancing and skipping and smiling from ear to ear. She was more than ecstatic to be home. Yeah for you little Ivy, it's so good to see you smile!

Happy Ivy, Happy Jade

The Happy Dance

The Rally's over now...so let's vacation!!!

Well, we decided before ever leaving for DC, that we would take the kids and make a family vacation out of it. Can you say "probably not such a good idea"? Washington DC is LOUD, CROWDED, BUSY, NOISY and HOT, HOT, HOT!!! Not the best place for your 7 yr old autistic, sensory overloaded little canary.

Each time we tried something new, Ivy was resistant to that. Her favorite thing was staying in the hotel room, swimming in the hotel pool, eating and the riding the Metro. So, here are some pics of our family trying to have a good time after the Rally.

After the Rally, Jade giving the food 2 thumbs up!!!

I'm exhausted after being in the sun and heat for 4 hours, Ivy is feeling good though!!

Cool shot of Union Station

Love this shot of the Metro Station

The Old National Postal Building, downtown DC

Jade fanning herself At Hard Rock Cafe' with a lettuce leaf...

Me goofing off with my new boyfriend.....

Ivy gets to relax some

The girls being silly together

If we get crowned Miss America, we would strive for World Peace.....

One last shot of horse play in the pool

Riding the Metro...yipppeee!!

I'm so happy on the Metro!!

We had an awesome opportunity to see the Washington Nationals play, thanks to their pitcher Tim Redding who gave us the best seats EVER!!!!! Beautiful night, beautiful ball park, thank you for being SO GENEROUS to our family. There were a couple of people behind the scenes that made this possible for our family, you know who you are and I thank you too!!!

Jade at her first ever professional Baseball Game, she had a BALL!!! (no pun intended, LOL!!)

Ed whistling Dixie....his first ever Pro baseball game as well

Ivy could care less about baseball apparently because it's TOO loud, too hot and too many people at the game. As you can see, she is NOT happy here.
All she wanted was a dang a hot dog!!!

leaving the park

The Smithsonian Castle

Jade in front of the Castle

Loved the gardens and this unusual bush/cactus plant

Jade & Ivy sitting by a pretty fountain in the Botanical Gardens


The Fountain

More flowers, so pretty!

Beautiful Roses in bloom everywhere

The prettiest flowers in the Garden

Ivy riding the Carousel.
It has been there since 1967 and in operation since it was erected.

Jade riding too

I love me some Granny Smith's mom!!

Snacking a little bit and resting a LOT

Please stop whining!! I want to go home!!!

The Museum of Natural Science

The inside of the Museum in the foyer. Ivy had meltdown number FOUR here and she and I left and headed back to the hotel for some much needed decompression time. Ed and Jade stayed on and did some more sight seeing here and at the American Indiana Museum.

Jade sitting pretty by another Fountain, Old Town Alexandria
She is so beautiful here.

Same fountain, me and the girls before dinner with friends


My little yellow canary, she is going to change the world someday...

Jenny Video

My favorite part of the Rally, view this after you have read the update.

The Final Chapter on the Green Our Vaccines Rally

Well, we are home and we are all completely exhausted. I cannot begin to express the emotions I am feeling at this moment now that I have had time to sleep on it and really, really think about what I have experienced. I think for me, it was one of the most special moments in time for me. Behind getting married and having my children....it was just the most amazing thing to witness and be a part of.

It rained the day before the Rally and the forecast called for 80% change of thunderstorms the day of the march. We were sure we were going to be walking in the rain. Lo and behold after much prayer I am sure...the morning of the Rally, we awoke to partly sunny skies and 85 degree weather, which lasted until after the Rally was over and then we experienced a torrential downpour and a scary tornado warning. Tell me that was not DIVINE INTERVENTION for you.....

Wednesday, Day of the Rally

We ate breakfast and got ready to leave for the Rally and met up with some other local families from Indiana and Donna from Arizona (loved her).

Ivy eating Fruit Loops

Jade doing the same thing

Ivy showing us her sign

Jade's sign

Lisa Fox and Maria Janik founders of IBK (Indiana Biomedical Kids)
Donna from Arizona, Ed and the girls waiting on the shuttle to take us to the Rally

Waiting for the Metro to take us to the Rally:

We took the Metro to the Smithsonian and then started at the Washington Monument:

Washington Monument from across the street

Waiting for the light to change to cross the street, doing ok at this point

Up close

Lining up beside the Monument

A Sea of Green 8400+ people there!

Ed & I waiting to start walking

The start of the walk...traffic had to wait on all 8400 of us to file out onto Independence Street

Walking with our new friends Jacob and Arianne






More walking....with our new friend Donna from Arizona

We made the mile and a half walk to Capital Hill...woo hoo!!!!!!!!

Coming on the Capital Lawn

Waiting on the press conference to start





More waiting....

More waiting....

A huge bouquet of flowers presents by the MOMS (Moms Against Mercury)
There were 150 white flowers and 1 yellow sunflower to represent
1 in 150 kids diagnosed with autism.

There were several speakers at the Rally including:

Dr. Jay Gordan (Jenny's son Evan's doctor)

Boyd Haley, PhD

Dr. Jerry Kartzinel

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr

Amy Carson from Moms Against Mercury

Jim Carrey

Jenny (Miss Thang) McCarthy:

As I listened to each speaker talk, I decided that I want to be doing more than just flying to DC to attend the Rally. I am not sure exactly what the "more" is yet, but I know with some time to let the whole experience really soak in, I will come up with an answer to that. In the meantime I will just keep on keeping on and hope that one day, our time WILL come. I am going to do as Jim Carrey asked of us and dare to envision that our vaccines are already greener, that there is already a safer vaccine schedule and it is now being spread out and that there is a future generation with no autism because of days like today where we have rallied together to tell our government that we are not going to stop talking until someone listens to us and makes a much needed change.

Loved this guys license plate.

My Video of Jenny