Our Six Pack with a Twist

Our Six Pack with a Twist Welcome to Our Six Pack with a Twist! We are raising 6 kids, ranging in age from 1-18, including two boys who are rocking an extra chromosome!

Family blog focusing on motherhood, life with Down syndrome, activities for kids, organization, fashion, recipes, travel, and brands we love!

Happy Father’s Day!
06/16/2025

Happy Father’s Day!

It was a LONG day! Hayden’s surgery went well, and he was in great hands! The sleep endoscopy showed that his tonsils we...
06/14/2025

It was a LONG day! Hayden’s surgery went well, and he was in great hands! The sleep endoscopy showed that his tonsils were causing the obstruction, so those are gone, along with his adenoids. The ENT cleaned out his ears, but no fluid was present in either ear, so he decided to skip the ear tubes.

Hurricane Hayden woke up really fast in recovery, and tried to climb out of the crib, so they had to sedate him. We were in a room by noon, and they started him on meds every 3 hours. He is eating yogurt, applesauce, and pudding, but he doesn’t want to drink. He spent the day running all over the hospital, made a lot of friends along the way, and has charmed all of his nurses. He even managed to convince his nurse to rock him to sleep!

Unfortunately, he is feeling pretty miserable. The meds work for about 2 hours, then he screams for an hour before he can get another dose. We are sharing a room with another patient for the first time. You know what’s worse than 1 toddler recovering from a tonsillectomy? TWO toddlers recovering from tonsillectomies. I feel so bad for both of them!

We’re hoping to break free tomorrow (and not have to come back), but if you have known us for a while, you know Hayden likes to keep life exciting. I have learned to expect the unexpected with him!

06/13/2025

Hayden was entertaining us this morning! The nurse brought in the loudest toys, then promptly left!

Hayden’s surgery is on Friday. I wish we could just skip over it, but he’s got this! 💪🏻 He does have to stay overnight, ...
06/11/2025

Hayden’s surgery is on Friday. I wish we could just skip over it, but he’s got this! 💪🏻 He does have to stay overnight, but let’s hope that’s it, because we have 4 other busy kids at home!

(He’s wearing a “vintage” outfit. Dylan wore this 19 years ago, and it has made its way through 4 boys!)

A few months ago, Lily made the decision to give up school cheer so she could focus on track and plays/musicals next yea...
06/10/2025

A few months ago, Lily made the decision to give up school cheer so she could focus on track and plays/musicals next year. She wasn’t quite ready to give up cheer completely, though. In true Lily style, she just decided to swap one responsibility for another, by becoming a junior coach for youth cheer teams.

This weekend, she headed to Penn State University for states with all 3 of her teams. It was a long and busy weekend, but she had fun! She loves her tiny cheerleaders! Shoutout to our amazing friends who took her with them on Friday night so we could attend Lexie’s rescheduled graduation without rushing. We missed the 2 teams who competed on Saturday, but we left at 4:30 AM on Sunday morning to make it in time for the last round!

As we were walking to the car, past the stadium, Lily said she could see herself going to school there. She loved the big campus and the mountain view. Thanks to cheer, English Fest, and Lexie’s college decision, Lily has been able to experience several college campuses, and this one was the winner so far. She might have a head start with unofficial college tours, but we are NOT rushing the next 4 years!

She did it! 💙💛
06/07/2025

She did it! 💙💛

Last day of 8th grade, 6th grade, and Kindergarten! When they go back to school, Lily will be in high school, Liam will ...
06/05/2025

Last day of 8th grade, 6th grade, and Kindergarten! When they go back to school, Lily will be in high school, Liam will be in middle school, and Coen will be in school all day. So many changes, but first, summer break!

Lily’s 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony was last night! Lily occasionally shares a story about a favorite teacher, a book,...
06/04/2025

Lily’s 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony was last night! Lily occasionally shares a story about a favorite teacher, a book, or a project, but otherwise, sums up her day in 1 or 2 words. Some kids love middle school, but it was a tough transition for Lily. Academically, she did well, but as a perfectionist, she didn’t think anything she did was good enough. Last night was the first glimmer of pride that we saw in her! She ended up receiving the President’s Award for Educational Achievement, by making high honor roll/honor roll for every report card in middle school. She also received 2 Academic Recognition Awards and a Technology Award. She was recognized for competing in the English Festival at Youngstown State University, which required her to read several additional books throughout the school year. She is so smart, wise, and fierce! She has been independent from the time she was 18 months old, when her favorite phrase was Lily Do It, and she has been that way ever since. We are so proud of her! ❤️ After the ceremony, the 8th graders had an end of the year dance. When Lily gets home from school today, she will officially be a high schooler! She is excited about this next chapter, with more class options, more clubs and activities, and being in school with her older friends again!

In other news, my first baby moved out this week! He, Kai, and a friend moved into their first apartment, which is much ...
06/03/2025

In other news, my first baby moved out this week! He, Kai, and a friend moved into their first apartment, which is much closer to the college Kai will be commuting to in the fall. It’s the entire first floor of a house. The rooms are big and bright, with high ceilings, and they have lots of storage space. It’s perfect for them, and they are so happy, but we miss them already! ❤️

From the first day of kindergarten to the last day of senior year! 🩷 So often I wished time would slow down, and Lexie w...
06/03/2025

From the first day of kindergarten to the last day of senior year! 🩷 So often I wished time would slow down, and Lexie would stay little, but she grew up. She grew up beautifully. She touched so many hearts during her K-12 years, but she still has so many more special people to meet, and a world to conquer! I am so sad to see this chapter end, but excited for her future!

Early this morning, I went into her room, and she looked so sad. I knew she was dreading this day. She loves school, loves the amazing teachers who impacted her life, and loves her group of close friends. She is sad about not seeing her favorite teachers every day, and sad about her friends going to college in other states. I get it. She loves life right NOW, and change can be hard. I am so happy that she had such a great experience at school that it’s hard to leave behind. She asked me to take a picture of her before she left, so I did just that, then choked back a few tears as she got into the car with her friend, and drove away.

Here’s where the chaos kicked in, and one of the many reasons why I am going to miss my sidekick when she goes to college. As soon as I got upstairs, my phone rang. It was Lexie, and I heard her and her friend screaming. I immediately feared the worst, then realized they were yelling cookies. Sure enough, Lexie forgot the cookies she baked for a class. They were at the temporary traffic light, and it was seconds away from turning green. I raced down to the road and ran by a few cars, and Lexie jumped out and ran to me. We started laughing hysterically when I realized I was in my pajamas and glasses, and barefoot, but it was worth it. She made it back to the car just as it turned green!

Needless to say, Lexie had an emotional last day! When her friend dropped her off, they were both crying, which led to me crying. I’m not quite sure how I am going to hold it together at graduation!

This is it. The last Senior Sunday. Tomorrow is Lexie’s last day of high school, and she graduates on Thursday! She pick...
06/02/2025

This is it. The last Senior Sunday. Tomorrow is Lexie’s last day of high school, and she graduates on Thursday! She picked the song for this post, and it is 100% accurate. Where did all the time go?!?

Just for the record, I am not okay. This is emotional enough, but my oldest moved out today. SO many tears tonight!

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Welcome to Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too! Motherhood, Down syndrome, Fashion, Lifestyle, Kids Activities, and everything in between. I’m Stefanie, and I live in Pittsburgh with my husband and our four kids. Dylan is 13, Alexandria (Lexie) is 11, Liliana (Lily) is 6 and Liam, who is rocking an extra chromosome, is 4! Four rabbits and a giant English Mastiff puppy round out the chaos! My blog began almost a decade ago when we had two kids, and over the years, my family, and my blog grew. You can also find me over on Pittsburgh moms blog, volunteering for the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network, running, sipping hot tea, shopping, reading and taking LOTS of pictures. It’s my hope that by sharing my family’s daily adventures, I can show the world what life with Down syndrome is REALLY like!