Spring Break with the Lipnicky's, Tour de Midwest Style

10 days trip. 2,000 miles. 30 hours driving. 6 states, and slept in 5 different rooms.

Amy Lipnicky and daughter Ellie mastered the art of the road trip, packing 5 destinations into one Spring Break to remember.

Amy, her mom and sister weaved their way through the midwest visiting family members, eating their favorite foods, and

Spring Break kickoff, Chicago The Lipnicky's participated in all the token Chicago activities including deep dish pizza, The Bean, cold weather, and sight seeing downtown.

Catching up with family friend Denise. 

Hitting all the stops. 

The Bean. 

Ellie checking out her reflection. 

Next up. Lansing, MI

The Lipnicky's took to Lansing to visit Ellie's uncle Jeff and Aunt Jan's family. 

Their family lives on a lake, an icy one on this Spring Break! 

Ellie and her fam went sightseeing to Frankenmuth. In keeping with the cold Midwest Spring Break theme, the Lipnicky's visited Bronner's a Christmas store the size of a football field.

Next stop: Detroit. Spring break was all about family for the Lipnilcky's. In photo: Ellie, her mama and her two cousins

Dayton, Ohio. The Lipnicky's made their way to Dayton to visit their old neighbors.

While they were there, why not visit Young's Dairy Farm?The family enjoyed the attached a restaurant and homemadeice cream.

Ellie making a new furry friend! 

Last up: Fort Wayne, Indiana. Taking it back to Ellie's birthplace, the Lipnilcky's spent one night in Indiana dined at our favorite Italian restaurant, Casa's, with a close family friend, Carol.

That is how you pack the most Midwest and family into one family-filled Spring Break. Thank you guys for sharing your Spring Break adventures with First Downs. Hope Spring weather keeps up and stays with us until summer!  

In Honor of #WorldDownSyndrome Day, Pass Along These Myths and Facts about #DownSyndrome

We want to take a moment, actually an entire day, to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day! We're a little early. The big day is tomorrow, and we want to share our excitement with you.

How will YOU celebrate World Down Syndrome Day tomorrow? Ditch the myths. Squeeze the loved ones in your life who have DS. Celebrate them! That’s what today is for :)

Down Syndrome Awareness. Beyond raising money for the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City and Children’s Mercy Hospital, we want to start changing the way people see #DownSyndrome. 

If you're reading this you've probably heard and rejected Down Syndrome myths a million times, but that's exactly why it's up to wonderful people like you to spread the word, to raise awareness about what #DownSyndrome actually means.

So, let's get started!

For a while now we have been tweeting and retweeting Down Syndrome Myths and Facts, and today is the perfect day to get them all in one place.

So tweet, share, and love on these little lovely reminders about Down Syndrome.

Myth: People with #DownSyndrome are always happy.

Fact: People with #DS have a wide range of emotions like everyone else. They're hurt by unkind behavior and respond to positive expressions of friendship.

Myth: People with #DownSyndrome can't have romantic relationships. 

Fact: Many people with #DS date and marry. 

Myth: Adults with #DownSyndrome are unemployable. 

Fact: Adults of all ages with #DS are happily employed. We know many here in Kansas City, alone. :)

Myth: Down Syndrome is a rare disorder.

Fact: #DS is the most commonly occurring genetic disorder.

One last thing, Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

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