Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas!  Hope you’ve had a great holiday break so far!  (No school/work/alarms, ha!)

We have been traveling for Christmas this year.  We had planned on going to Disneyland three years ago, and then I was miraculously pregnant after five losses.  We stayed home to prevent any blood clots or problems, and we have a sweet little two-and-a-half year old to show for our sacrifice, ha!  ..But we never lost that desire to travel at such a magical time of year. : )

Last week, we planned a fun helium-balloon filled scavenger hunt filled with clues for the kids.  (We wanted a little build up for the trip!) (Plus my kids love a good scavenger hunt!)  They figured it out, and we spent two days packing and preparing.

It takes us about two days driving each way, and boy…  are we super glad when we reach our destination!  Let’s just say the first 8 hours either way are the worst.  By the second day, they are all adjusted and settled in to a cramped, van existence. : )  Only difference?  The luggage was sooo full going down..and now we have room!  That extra stuff is all over the van now, ha!  Post-Christmas, love!

We were headed to Disney Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day (I wanted to see Cinderella’s Castle!  Selfish?  Nah.)..but it was so busy, they had signs up that said FULL.  We were diverted. : (  We decided on Hollywood Studios since we love a good Tower of Terror dropping our tummies out from under us, or a Rockin’ Roller Coaster..or even playing in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids H.U.G.E. playground!  Sissy and I had cinnamon pecans (the smell lured us in..) and watched the Jedi training too while the boys climbed and played. : )  Those jedi younglings were so cute!

We also went to Christmas Mass at St. Mary’s of the Universe in Orlando.  It’s such a beautiful church.  We lit candles for a friend and his mom who is battling cancer, new drugs, and lots of confusion.  We are asking Mary to pray for both of them especially right now.

The next day we went to the (Florida Mall and the) American Girl store in Orlando, bought some of the sale Isabella (Girl of the Year 2014) stuff (yay!), and shopped a little there and at the outlets.  The weather for Saturday (Ethan’s birthday!) is HOT again, so we shopped for shorts and short-sleeved clothes!!

Then Ethan’s EIGHTH birthday!  Legoland!!  Ethan was sooo excited!  It really was a great day.  I think because we made the effort to get up early, we were there not long after they opened (this park fills up quickly and shut the gates too!).  We also had the kids check out the map and star the things they each wanted to do the MOST.  We did those FIRST!  They went to Driving School and got their licenses, then to Flight School, the Project X roller coaster, The Dragon roller coaster, played in a huge park, participated in a Build/Design Contest, and went up in the Island in the Sky.  We were sooo high, circling around looking over the park (I have to tell you..I got scared/sick as we reached the top/came down).  I get that “we’re-going-to –fall-and-die!” feeling!

Today we are on our way home.  We are nearing the break-in point..but not quite yet. Still some yelling/struggling/baby peeing in bottles going on, haha!  We must work harder to synchronize our bladders, yo.

Here are some pictures of the excitement thus far:

I’m praying for my family to have a conversion of heart as we celebrate the sixth day of Christmas today.  We all need to continue to bask in Christ’s glow and the joy in His coming..I could definitely use some shining up, and my family needs a little too.  I pray God m.o.v.e.s in my children.  That they remember the reason for the season.  We can teach and talk and show, but sometimes we have to leave it to the Holy Spirit to step in where we fall short.  (which is a lot obviously)  : )

** I might mention we will never go to Disney again for Christmas.  It was crazy busy all over town (not just being blocked from the Disney pinnacle of Christmas craftiness and decor!), traffic was backed up  every day, sometimes for HOURS.  It’s fun, but taxing.  We’ll be celebrating from the cozy comfort of our home next year, for sure! **

Praying you have a season of pure JOY at your house this holiday season!

Hugs, y’all!

 

Bolusing: Chocolate Effect

Yesterday was my oldest sweetie's FOURTEENTH birthday!  He's been through a lot in his short life.  Four pounds, thirteen ounces and 18 inches to over 5'3' and 106 pounds.  Whew.  Over a year with diabetes..and every year it gets harder (especially when he wants cheesecake for dessert!).  It's totally worth every minute, and I love him so much.  I hate diabetes, and don't spend too much time writing about it..since I don't like to give it a minute more than it deserves.  But we can talk about chocolate, no?  Yum!

I don't know about you, but when we bolus (give insulin) for chocolate (even pure bars, no nuts), I have to multiply printed carbs x 1.5, then give a dual wave bolus (on the pump).  So, today his cheesecake said it was 33 grams (big fat HA!), I bolused him for 50 grams.  His bolus ratio is correct with other foods, so I've isolated it to just chocolate for both him AND his sister.  Chocolate is yummy..but it keeps coming back to bite you.  You just can't trust it.

So, I delivered a dual wave bolus for 50 grams, about 66% normal and about 34% over 4 hours.  (Have you ever checked your child/yourself an hour after eating to find you are perfect..but four hours later over 300?  We call that the Chocolate Effect.)  We'll check him in four hours to see how we did. : )

We do the same with chocolate chip cookies (anything with chocolate chips), chocolate fudge, Hershey's kisses (ANY pure chocolate candy/bar, nuts or not), brownies, chocolate pie, etc.  I have found that Oreos do not need increased insulin.  Huh.  Can't explain it.

BTW, we bolus other desserts (like chocolate chip cookies, fudge, candy bars) with a dual wave bolus.  We deliver 60-70% right away, and 30-40% over 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how much fat/protein is in the food.  (Do you know there is PROTEIN in chocolate?  yep, so you need more, haha!)  Then we pray and keep an eye on them hourly for at least three hours.  This is why we don't have rich desserts at night when we are super tired, ha!  ..We parents have to look at each other and agree to allow it if they want something rich after 8ish..it'll mean a (minimum) 1am night!

Do you know that if your child stays high during the (minimum) 8 hours they sleep, not only do they build up ketones, but their a1c will increase dramatically?!  It's like letting them go high for an eight hour stretch in the day.  You wouldn't dare do it then.  So..by staying on guard that extended time early on in their sleep (11pm to 2am), you protect that long stretch of time.  Therefore lowering a1c.  We all win, Hooray!  (..More protein-filled chocolate Reese's bells tomorrow!) (and of course, I order four bags at a time..is that not normal?)

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!    Psalm 119: 103

Robots, Diabetes, and Doctors

Goodness, we've done so much in the last month.  Baby showers, Lego Robotics qualifier, my baby is potty trained, had our first snowfall, and has it been longer than Halloween?  Eek!  I made a couple costumes! ; )

old shoes...get transformed into..

New Shoes!  Super Girl styled with red shoes laces. : )  (We totally just painted them with craft paint!)

He chose to be Greg Hefley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid for his school Book Character Parade.

This puppy is a keeper.

The kids all split up on Halloween.  Peyton and Clay took Carter trick-or-treating, and Mary Claire had some friends over..and they went out alone!  Ches took Ethan out in the neighborhood while I answered the door. : )

Veronica's beautiful shower, and her daughter, Isabella, absolutely adores her mommy..and she's so excited to have a baby sister!!

Just my cutie.

Finding all kinds of pictures to share.  I'll need them one day to remind me what I did all day every day.  Ha!  I'm currently making wreaths for the front doors, just until Thanksgiving.  I want real boxwood wreaths for Christmas..so I'd better get a move-on, or these will be useless.

Deciding between the two sizes of monograms..bigger is almost always better, right?

Painting this was no picnic.

Clay made it into Symphonic band, which is the top band!  I'm always shocked at my kids' ability to play all those fascinating notes.  Really.  I totally loved percussion since I could just work on rhythms instead of notes.  Mary Claire is sounding really beautiful too (she plays flute).  I'm impressed the way the band directors can coax such beautiful music out of first year students.  They are certainly working in their spiritual gifts.  


Ethan went back to the ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor last week.  His hearing is way below normal, and he'll have surgery for his t-h-i-r-d set of tubes, this time with
tympanostomy tubes (they have a T-shaped backing that is more sturdy and holds them in longer than pressure equalizing tubes, but essentially do the same thing).  They should last more like 3-4 years.  He is having an awful time hearing.  He turns his head at a sharp angle, and turns his good ear toward you just to hear.  His school work is better since I explained to his teacher.  Now she looks at him, speaks close to him, and gets his attention first.  I know it's hard on everyone else, not just him.  We're praying it goes well, safely, and cures the hearing loss.

Carter is potty trained, and I'm so proud of him.  He's so smart, really.  Do I say this about all my kids?  Ha, probably.  He just speaks so clearly, and reasons well.  And his manners are so good.  Maybe I'm just in love with my last baby.  In that case, just ignore me. ; )

Went number two in the potty chair..a big deal! : )

We've all been sick for the past month, two pneumonias, two cases of bronchitis, and I'm pretty sure we had two cases of flu.  I'm trying super hard to feed everyone well, give them vitamins, and make sure they get rest.  We all need to build our immune systems back up!

Mary Claire's Lego Robotics team just competed in the local qualifier, and they have made it to state!  I've started helping with the team and going to all the meetings, so it's been a big family commitment.  Ches has had to step up and take all the boys during all the meetings (two a week now).  Maybe that's why my wreaths aren't done, ha!  The team has been working so hard on their presentation, robot missions, and a video.  They get kinda tired of it sometimes, but they love to hang out together!  I love their faith.  Mary Claire is just sure they can win at the state competition, but only one team moves on.  I can't dare speak against her faith, who knows what could happen. : )  Sweet girl.

Checking schedule..

Rick's Bakery cookie animals to sugar them up!

Judges are giving them the results/points earned on the last round.

They qualified for state, scored fifth overall, and first in the Nutty Professor tournament! : )

Clay has been saving and working to earn money.  His latest thing is an Xploderz gun.  It shoots these little water bullets.  I don't even know how to describe them better.  They are teensy tiny pellets (like the head of a pin)..and you soak them in water to make them bigger (almost a small marble size).  Then..shoot them.  They don't really break on the target, but apparently they slowly dehydrate?  The water soaks into the ground..or your plants, depending on where they shoot them!  Def. interesting.

Last, but not least, we hosted the girl scouts at our house for a badge on New Cuisines.  We tried a new food (fried plantains), a recipe from the past (fizzy drinks with fruit), a recipe from our region (biscuits with chocolate gravy from Arkansas), and modified a recipe (exchanged oil and eggs for bananas and applesauce in a brownie recipe).  Obviously they girls got to vote on their choices, and so we had a lot of sweets..it was almost a tea party!  But..YUM!!

I am always exhausted at the end of each day.  But somehow, I still wish I could do more.  Sometimes I still feel like I fail in so many areas.  Do you ever feel that way?  Diabetes has been hard lately..and with the kids bigger, they go through the insulin in their pump reservoirs and have to be changed so often.  I did complain a couple nights ago (after 1 am!) that I wished someone else would learn to change sites.  It's hard having to do it all.  I didn't even want to do it, but the fear of the high number by morning pushed me out of bed.

The kids are playing the lets-pretend-I-checked-my-blood game.  They give me a nearly perfect number, and I ask to see the meter.  They disappear, hope I'll forget, then really check their blood.  It's so fun.

Some of the JDRF moms and I went to the NWA Boutique Show last weekend, and it was so fun.  It really helps to be friends with these great women who get it.  Sick days just mean ten times the work, and insurance issues are always fun.  Kids get tired of diabetes just like we do.  And we have to a.) talk it out, b.) tell them to suck it up, or c.) tell them we hate it too.  All depending on a.) our mood, b.) their mood, c.) their number, or d.) the weather.  It's just a crap shoot, and we hope we all make it out alive still loving one another on the other side.

Oh yeah, I had to leave before we all went to dinner since Carter was headed to the ER for a head injury.  We wrapped up our evening seeing doctors!  Totally par for us. ; ) He is fine now.  We had to wake him in the night to make sure he was responsive and that his eyes continued to dilate.  He's (almost) learned not to stand on things.  

We never say our life is boring.  Or dull.  Nope, we keep it exciting.  Hope your life is going equally well.  Don't you love knowing no one has it perfect, ha!  We're all in this game together.  Hugs to you!

..complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Philippians 2:2-4

Pneumonia : (

Ethan does in fact have pneumonia.  We went back for x-rays on Tuesday, then for two rocephin shots and a new oral antibiotic.  The shots were about as fun as wrestling an octopus with two heads.  An angry one.  Took three of us..same as the flu test on Monday.  I tell you, that kids got some fight in him. ; )  It's a good thing we sat in the parking lot and prayed before we went in.  (He said he needed a few minutes to *get ready*  So..it could have been WORSE than a two-headed angry octopus, eek!!)

He's still coughing, but getting better.  Still no school.  He's just tired (and cough-y).  I know I already said that, but he's been really good about keeping a water bottle in his hand all the time.  He's a precious.  It's been good to have the time with him.

Momma's too lazy to go see if he cleaned his room..so she sends him up to take pictures.  I personally think I'm a GENiUS!

We've 'homeschooled' this week.  We did some writing, counted coins (more than he'd like), subtracted and added coins, and did some spelling.  He missed last week's spelling test, and it looks like he might miss this week's. : (  But he's ready just in case.
 

Gigi brought him some cappuccino..he's happy.  Except about the coin counting.

I love him and that cutie I'm potty-training, but I'm pooped.  (no pun intended, haha!)  My pre (religious education) class is more than I can handle with 32 kids in a moldy, tiny, noisy room.  I'm overwhelmed, and I don't feel like they are getting the best out of the class either.  It speaks volumes about how our church feels about these kids too.  I'm not happy, and something has to change.  Obviously I have loads of self-confidence since I'm venting here about it rather than doing something about it. (ha!)  I actually have typed a letter to our director..I'm just sleeping on it, and I'll read it again tomorrow to make sure it wasn't written too hastily/with too much emotion.  I kinda know how I can be. ; )  Emotional?  Nah..

..still potty training.  More pee in the potty than out, woohoo!  In this picture, he was still pant-less.  He's sooo modest, he wraps his lovely blankie around his body.  But he doesn't dare pee on it!!  ..And he's now up to wearing undies.  SO cute.  Love those little tushies in teensy undies.

Tonight Clay played (with the marching band) at the junior high game!  We went to watch and to serve snacks after the halftime show.  He's a sweetie.  I'm glad he made it, there are some great kids in his group!

See the young lady on the 40 yard line in the dress?  He's behind her between the 40 and 45 yard line..if that makes any sense!

Yes, I have a nice camera.  No, I don't use it.  I don't even know where the battery charger might be.  I might learn to use it again.  In the next year.  I'm busy right now, ha!  
One more picture for you.  I have seriously cried today.  I don't know if it's stress or high emotion (the potty training, maybe?), hormones (have you ever tried to take a shower while your adorable child is sitting on the potty chair watching tv?), (and the potty hasn't come yet?) (and you've already waited two hours?), nervousness at sending a distress email, the need to go to the store for some groceries with two little boys who are both having bathroom troubles (one on STRoNG antibiotics, hint, hint! ..and did I mention the other was potty training?), or maybe I was just feeling sorry for myself.  But this ministered to me:

Ann Voskamp often ministers to me.  She is gentle, loving, and understands.  And she's an artist, bonus.

We all get to those places where we have given a-l-l we have..and there is nothing left.  It's painful, and we have to lean into God.  I've been here before, and it won't be the last time.  If you are there, I understand.  (If not, pray for me to get out!)  (Just kidding..kinda.)  It's not the worst ever, I just have to cry out to God.  To direct me.  To show me the path.  To keep my family covered in prayer.  Ches wants to let Clay go on a retreat with another church this weekend.  I think it is a Good Thing..but I'm crazy nervous.  Think Diabetes.  Meds.  Alone.  Without Guidance.  I guess I'm growing my faith one gigantic step at a time.  This is something he very much wants to do..and I'm trying to let go (of control, I think).

Praying for you right now.  That you can let go, and let God.  Whatever is weighing on your heart.  The Bible never tells us to worry.  Not once.  I'm going to turn this day over to Him.  Hope you can too! : )  Hugs!

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  Philippians 4:6