Ryan's Summer Adventures

Now that summer has come to a close, and school has started for the year, Ryan and his family took some time to reflect on the awesome summer they had, and share it with us!

When it comes to summer, Ryan and his family look forward to getting to spend more time together, and going on their family vacations. This summer they took a trip to South Dakota to visit Ryan’s grandpa and celebrate his 80th birthday. Ryan also got to do fun things during vacation, like go camping in a cabin for the first time, swimming, make campfire cones, and lots of other cool things.

Out of all of the activities the family experienced this summer, the most fun was meeting Ryan’s runner from the I Run 4 program that he participates in. This program pairs people who want to dedicate their workouts to someone who might not be able to run, bike, walk, or do exercise in general. Ryan’s family was paired with a mom from Michigan, and this summer they met halfway in Springfield, Illinois, to get to know each other. It was a great experience and a neat trip to a city they had never been to before.

If Ryan and his family aren’t traveling, you can find the Toews family either at the pool, or the bowling alley during the summer – bowling is their favorite summer activity!

Now that summer has ended, the Toews family is looking forward to football season. Ryan will once again be helping manage his middle school football team at Pioneer Ridge Middle School in Gardner, KS.  To see some more pictures from Ryan’s amazing summer, check out our photo album on Facebook.

Grandparents Day Appreciation

Grandparents can play a key role in a child’s life. In honor of Grandparents Day, we sat down with Dick and Diane Murray to see just what it’s like to be a grandparent to their grandkids, Hannah, Luke, Nolan, Abby, Gracie and Wilson.

When Luke was first born almost 9 years ago, Diane recalls thinking he was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. To this day, you can still see the joy that he radiates; immediately when he walks in the door Diane is given a hug and a kiss!

When we asked what activities Diane and Dick like to do with their grandson, they explained that most of the things they do are things you would do with any grandchild. Luke loves to swim and play ball, sometimes the pace just needs to be slowed down a little bit. In addition to these outdoor activities, Luke loves to play on the iPad. Dick explained how playing with the iPad is not just all games, Luke is able to use it to help his reading skills through apps developed just for children with Down syndrome.

Although last year was Dick’s last year participating in the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk, he and his team made major impacts in the years they participated. They raised up to $125,000 from only small individual donations, not from large companies. He wanted to spread the word and gain more participation. The average team size for the Step Up Walk is about 24, but in certain years Dick’s team got to be up to around 300 people! So many of their team members got to know and love Luke, and he is very thankful for all of his participants. He even thanks them with hugs!

When it comes to being a grandparent, we asked Dick and Diane how to have such great grandchildren – and their answer really stuck with us. If you want to have great grandkids, raise good kids! You will get to see what you did as a parent, and be proud of your own children for how they are raising their children. It is great to see everything that you’ve given your children come to the test with their own kids. 

Becoming a grandparent can be one of the most joyous things that happens in life, and Dick and Diane are enjoying every moment they spend with their six grandchildren.