Back in Black!

On Saturday Bode had is 3rd Buddy Walk, it was awesome! It was by far the best Buddy Walk we have been to. Our new president Mandy did an awesome job. The best part about it was that Bode had the MOST buddies! O'yeah, he won!! He had 112 buddies, 112 buddies...that rocks! He took home one of the new ipod Shuffles, he thinks that shuffle is pretty sweet.

The Buddy Walk started off with a great carnival! It was done by a down syndrome boy trying to earn his Eagle project, how awesome is that? Pretty sweet! He also threw the best carnival yet! The kids came home with tons of Ty Beanie babies, candy, chips, balloons, cotton candy, popcorn, you name it, they got it. They also had a few inflatable slides for the kids to play on and TONS of activities to do. It was great.

We started the walk after the carnival, it was short and sweet and a ton of fun. It was really amazing to see all of Bode's buddies dressed in black or wearing their black bandannas. It brought tears to my eyes several times. Everyone was so enthusiastic about being there and just seemed like they had a great time.

After the walk we were served yummy Red Robin hamburgers, they were yummalicious! I gobbled mine right up.

After the lunch they had a NICE program. This was when the Bodester got his prize for having the most buddies. They also spotlighted each of the children with downs and had them run the bases on the baseball field. The Brighton baseball team, Miss Sandy and the SUU cheerleaders were all there to cheer them on, it was great!

This year they had a little pearl necklace for all the moms and grandmas, it was really neat. The things they said before they gave each of us the necklace just reminded of how special these little kids are and how LUCKY I am to be a mother to one. I LOVE Bode so much!

They then finished off with a raffle, they had some pretty cool stuff to raffle away, we didn't win any of the really neat stuff, but we did win a few things. It was a great Buddy Walk and we appreciate all the effort that went into it.

We also would like to thank ALL of Bode's buddies that came and supported him. It means a ton to us! We know Saturdays are busy and it takes a lot out of they day to put this little guy first, we really appreciate it. We are so grateful for your continuous support and helping us raise this special little guy. We can't thank you enough!! And thank you to all that donated money that couldn't make it or still made it and donated extra money. Us and the UDSF appreciate it all!

YOU ROCK!

Here is a little (not really little, it is like 9 minutes long) but it just shows how much fun everyone had! Thanks again!

Just a reminder...

Just a reminder for those that are interested in being Bode's Buddy for the Buddy Walk, pre-registration ends on Friday. So if you haven't registered yet, go and do it. This will guarantee you a T-shirt and lunch. You can still register after this point, you just may not get a t-shirt and food will be limited. Thank you to all that have already registered, we are going to have a great time!

Go here to register or donate money.

Bode needs his "Buddies!"

It is that time again for The Buddy Walk! It is a little over a month away and they have opened up the pre-registration. The Buddy Walk is awesome, it is a great experience and the proceeds go to a great cause, they go to all the cute little people like Bode. The Buddy Walk raises money so Bode and other kids with Down Syndrome can particpate in many activites that help them and their families. It also teaches you a little bit about Down Syndrome Awareness.

We have particpated twice now, the first year Bode had about 70 buddies come and the year after he had 90 something, it was AWESOME, we Bode had the most buddies. We can do it again! We have had so much support with the Buddy Walk and we are hoping we can count on all his "buddies" again.

We will be back with a new color of bandana to help everyone see all of Bode's Buddies. With registering you get a T-shirt, lunch (this year it is sponsered by Red Robin, yummy hamburgers) and a kids carnival. You also get the experience of being surrounded by all these special spirits, that alone is worth it!

Date: September 26th

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Place: 1850 E 7200 S Anctzak Park Cottonwood Heights

Cost: $7.00 per individual

Family registration $5.00 per person (you must purchase at least 4)

to Pre-Register go to here. The pre-registration is only open until Sept 4th, they need to get an accurate count so they can get the shirts, lunch and games. So, pre-register so you will be guarenteed a shirt.

If you can't make it and would like to still make a donation go to www.firstgiving.com/bodesbuddies. You can also make donations if you are planning on walking, the more donations the better! If you have any questions you can email me @bode1110@msn.com

Like I said before, we always have a great experience at these Buddy Walks and we have always appreciated so much those that come and support our little guy, it means a lot to us!

Here are 2 different videos of the Buddy Walks that we have particpated in. The first one is 2007 and the 2nd is 2006 (Thanks TJ for making this one, it was the perfect song). Everytime I watch these I get tears in my eyes because I am so overwhelmed with all the support we have. We love you! Enjoy!