Monday, April 29, 2013

Cute pigs, can I have your insulin?

Girls Weekend!  We took the girl scout troop to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to stay the night.  We'd planned a hike, a hotel stay, and a zoo trip.  They were so excited!  I think the trip/car ride was half the adventure. ; )

We started at Natural Falls State Park:
Even in the drizzly (read: frizzy hair weather), the columns were gorgeous!

So..Mary Claire chose her own clothes, and thought it'd be warmer! : )

The girls in peril.  I couldn't go out that far on the ledge. The concrete just wasn't thick enough for me.  They clearly loved it.  It's a shear drop to the bottom. : P

This is looking down.  Gorgeous, yes.  Scary, yes.

And..at the bottom!  Safer, yes. ; ) We didn't have the entire group quite yet.

A massive bridge so high in the air.  I could feel it flex as they walked.  More scary. (am I technically old then?)

Ahh..my kind of weather!  It was sunny and 80 degrees.  Cuties in the bubbles!

And in the shade so we can see their faces before we split up again.  It was tough to make group decisions with so many adults and kids!

I had a smiley picture, but this was cuter.  Ohhhh! they say.

A chimp's proportions.  Her legs are too long. ; )

I like the wet earth rotating.  The girls are keeping it going and the boys are trying their hardest to stop it!  (and isn't her braid pretty?  It goes off to one side.)

We loved the seahorses.  Their little back fins propel them, and their tails keep them steady.  Truly a wonder.

More proof God was creative. ; )

Mary Claire loved the tiger.

Me?  I love the flamingos!  This one has its feathers all fluffed up.  We think they were flirting with each other.

Waiting to ride the train back.  They were hot and very tired.  Should have gone to bed earlier last night!

But so thankful they can manage a smile! : )
What do you not see in the pictures?  Well, the panic that comes with absence of insulin.  I'd worked so hard to clean the house (we'd had a showing the night before) and prepare all the boys (I'd never left Carter over night!!), that I left the insulin in the refrigerator.  I didn't discover this until we were checking into the hotel.  I panicked.  (I had the supplies for a site change..but nothing to load in the reservoir!)  Ches' answer was for her to eat no carbs if she wanted to stay.  (Mean.)  I asked him to meet me halfway, but he wasn't excited.  I called our pharmacy, and since we'd filled it on April 10, we couldn't get a refill or have it transferred.  I posted on FB that I needed insulin..and after a few minutes, we had a response. (!!)  I called the sweet lady (that I didn't know), and just started crying.  I couldn't talk to her.  Really.  I blubbered, and said I was sorry, and that it'd been nine years, and how could I forget insulin?  I'm not a newbie.  She was so sweet, and we worked out a plan.  She brought the insulin to me at the hotel.  

Talk about humbling.  I've mailed insulin out, given it out, no big deal.  But receiving?  SO, so, so, so much harder.  I cried again when she came.  I guess I felt so powerless.  I had asked the pharmacist if I could get it OTC, but only long-acting insulin is available.  I knew there were stores within a one mile radius that had what I needed..but I couldn't touch it.  It was so hard.

I used to stick insulin and supplies everywhere.  Hoard them, you might call it.  But I thought I'd evolved since I didn't live in fear anymore.  Umm..talk about regretting it.  I made it, she had awesome blood sugars, and a wonderful trip.  And memories, thank God, she'll remember the good things.  I didn't really tell her all that was going on.  I didn't want her to know.  Bless her heart, she deals with enough.  I had to spare her something.  She just knew I forgot insulin, and someone was saving the day and was bringing it.  That's it.  Enough.

I think that's all I can say.  I am still tired.  Thankful and recovering.  God, please heal my girl and eradicate diabetes.  Please. (but thank you for the saving grace of our T1D family)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Firsts

Do you remember the first time you shaved?  I totally do.  I was in sixth grade (after this girl, Lisa, came to school with her legs shaved and so Barbie doll smooth.  She laid back on the playground with her legs in the sun like it was THE thing to do.  I think it was almost summer at the end of the year.

I started with an electric shaver (do they even still make those?) and shaved off my long blonde leg hairs. : )  Kinda messy that first time.  And then there were the first (100 times?) of razor shaving where I sliced off ankle and knee like sandwich meat.  I had this belief that you had to push hard.  oh so wrong.

Well..my girl is there.  Now I have a walking baby and a shaving baby.  She raised her arms HiGH last night at the baseball game in her tank top. . . and I saw hair under her arms(and she'd DiE if she knew I was writing this down! so...shhh!) (maybe one day she'll be glad I saved it for posterity?)  So, we talked about her needing to shave every shower now.  (pits, not legs yet ; )

So, after a long game night last night, and a big 'ol warning not to raise her arms or wear sleeveless shirts today.. we had a Meeting in the bathroom tonight.  She got her very own pink razor with a moisturizing strip (she wanted no part of electric shaving), we lathered up together in tank tops, and. . . Shaved.  Together.  Since if you are going to have razor burn, you might as well have it together.  Call it bonding. ; )

She needed help stretching her arm pit out a little, and I helped her lather and stretch.  I just can't believe she's almost eleven.  And needs to shave.  I just thought maybe she'd shave before she actually needed to.  And that might be in a couple years?  Wrong.

Ok, just had to share.  My babies are growing up.   But I am so proud of the little people they are!  So..let me add this before you think they are all perfect. ; )

Last night, Ethan was taking a rubber mallet to our tulips along the back fence line.  He was literally slamming each one..kind of like playing croquet with each big fat, beautiful flower.  I gasped for air like a guppy out of water, and Ches ran outside to grab the mallet.  Ches had words with him and brought him inside.  As soon as he came in, I told him he'd lost his cake (the last of Carter's birthday cake!).  He cried like a baby.  He had time out, and we talked about how he was destroying those gorgeous flowers God had created.  And making his momma s.a.d.

Fast forward to later..and his daddy came to tell me that he (Ches) wasn't very honest, but Ethan was.  I asked to see Ethan.  He told me that during his bath, Daddy had said he could have his cake piece out in the garage or outside so mommy wouldn't know.  He told Daddy that wouldn't be honest. (!) We had the sweetest talk, and he knows I *heart* truth-tellers.  They melt my heart.  So..he got his cake.  I just had to reward him for his honesty.  A few flowers might have had to suffer..but somewhere the honesty lesson got through.  Whew, two steps forward, one step back.  Every day.

What parenthood is all about.  I'm going to count it as some tiny steps forward, regardless. 

Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.  They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
Proverbs 1:8-9   

Sunday, April 14, 2013

And he's ONE!

I have a one-year-old.  (He had a birthday, ya'll!)  Can you believe it's been a whole year?  I can't.  I mean, it was a long couple months of colicky crying..and a lot of hair pulling (mostly mine), but we are there.  And now..I think I'm going to miss his little lovey self.  He's certainly a huggy baby now..but he's off ExPLoRiNG his world.  On his FEET!  Yep, he prefers to walk now.  Just stands up (alone!) and walks.
So..I'm behind.  This was his first haircut.  And he didn't love it. ; )  But we made it!  Even after he picked up the lollipop off the hairy floor.  And sucked it.
We were singing Happy Birthday to our sweet baby toddler. 
Daddy will always be in the pictures.  Since I like to capture everything. ; )

His cake.  It was cute..but doesn't look as adorable in pictures.  And it was yummy..and even that trumps looks. ; )

This moment he is into toothbrushes and hair brushes.  Gross, I know..but he likes them!  And he prefers electric toothbrushes.  hehe  He still doesn't quite understand gifts.

 
but he's so thankful! : ) Oh, and forks.  He loves forks.

And oreos.  Mint are his favorite.

Ok. Last one, I promise.  He loves cabinets!  Or maybe it's the colors?
So..there are other people in this house doing stuff.  Baseball season has begun!  Clay and Ethan both had two games last week.  Ethan's were back-to-back (hard on a kindergartner) and Clay's were over at 9:30pm (hard during benchmark testing!)..so needless to say it was a long week.

Mary Claire had a Father Daughter Dance.  She wasn't even going to change into a nice dress until about five minutes before.  She wanted to wear "comfortable shoes" and leggings.  Really!  And this is my dress-up girl.  So, Ches didn't really dress up since she wasn't..but then she did.  It was fine..and they had fun.

And Ethan looked so cute with Daddy too:




And..I missed Easter (has it been two weeks already?)  Praise the Lord for the family who keeps me so busy, and the salvation I'm so thankful for..all due to Jesus' sacrifice.  Happy Easter, friends!
They were not matchy-matchy..but they coordinated. : )  And she didn't wear a bow.  For the first Easter.  My babies are growing up!

Because he had his eyes closed in the one above.  He had a little navy gingham bow tie..and it was so cute!  He never even touched or pulled at it..he's a natural. ; )

Hope you have a week full of God's blessings..I know I will! ;o)