Ashley is 23 years old, which is very hard for me to believe! Even though it seems like it has taken an eternity to get to this point, it also seems like just yesterday when she was an infant, toddler, and schoolgirl.

As with all of our girls, our dream for Ashley is for her to be happy and have a fulfilling life in every way. The doctor's diagnosis of Down Syndrome only hours after her birth didn't alter that dream, but it did change the way we were to help her. Instead of preparing her to a certain point, as we did with our other daughters and then letting her go, we are responsible for helping her achieve not only our dreams, but hers as well.

We know her better than anyone - her talents, abilities, likes and dislikes. She is organized and pays attention to detail, plus she really desires to do a good job. She likes to feel appreciated, accomplished and valued. She dislikes being ignored and bored. When school is over for kids with special needs, many times boredom is their constant companion. It is our goal for Ashley to have a fuller life than days filled with watching videos and listening to the radio.

My Blue Eyed Girl began about 15 years ago before we even had begun to think of these lifetime issues. We secured the domain name and always in the back of my mind, I knew that someday, My Blue Eyed Girl would not only honor Ashley but would help fill her day with something she enjoys and is successful doing. She became so excited when we told her about the website and her role in the business that she immediately went to pull pictures of herself to be used. It is my desire for Ashley's skills to steadily reach greater levels of independence as her involvement in the business increases. We are all looking forward to this as a family enterprise and hopefully through My Blue Eyed Girl there will be a heightened awareness of the abilities of people with special needs.

We appreciate in advance our customers input and suggestions for new products for Ashley to pack.