Physicals

I'm sneaking a few minutes..my baby is still sleeping since he only took a quickie nap in the van yesterday while I ran an errand.  Less than 45 minutes, but it got him by all day!  Guess he's catching up on his sleep now. : )
 

with Ches' edible arrangement ; )

My sweetie is 22 months, I can hardly believe it.  He's not a baby anymore.  In fact, I think he's getting ready to potty train.  We've been reading potty books for a while now, and he keeps telling me *diaper* when he's about to go (well..it's still clean!), then when he goes he says "ut-oh, momma".  So sweet!  When I ask if he wants to use the toilet, he says no.  We'll see. ; )

Sweet boy playing with all the toys we've finally gotten back from storage!

After lots of hurdles (ha, no pun intended!), Clay has begun track for junior high.  He had to have a physical.  He couldn't go to the regular free ones for everyone else since he had a pre-existing condition, so we went to see our endocrinologist.  He wrote him a release, and wrote that he had to check himself at 3:15 and 4:30.  The coach told him it was a "poor excuse for a note".  Umm, hello?  Rude maybe?  And the doctor is a specialist, his diabetes specialist?  And his a1c last Monday was 6.5-rockstar!!  So, we tried to do it the nice way.

I called the principal to see what we needed to do.  He called the school district's athletic director (can you believe we have one?!).  We had to have a physical FORM filled out that was on the website.  This was never mentioned at the big meeting for parents.  Guess they just had copies of it at the physicals for the other kids?  I don't even know.  Anyway, we filled it out, and went to see our regular doctor.  Only, we couldn't get a "sick" appointment (same/next day) for a physical.  Has to be a well visit.  And well visits are scheduled 4-6 weeks in advance.  Oh my.  Call on Jesus.

But, she checked for any cancellations, and got us in on Monday. Whew.  He gets to go back to practice now.  It is super hard parenting these special kids!  Hope they n-e-v-e-r find out how hard.

My baby is up, my baby is up!  Sometimes I just can't wait to get in his room to get him.  He's so happy, and he's calling my name.  Momma...momma!  Love, love.

Hope your days are going well!  I'm getting my hair done today.  Love fresh color.  (wha?  You didn't know I colored my hair?!  God blessed me with a few things, but good colored hair was not one of them.) And I've started taking things to do while I sit and process.  Like it's office time.  Address changes, bills, etc.  That's so wrong.  Duh, it should totally be magazine time.  Until you're a mom, home manager, loving laundress, chef, expert dishwasher unloader, and diaper-changer-extraordinaire!  ..Hugs!

Valentine's Minute to Win It and Kitchen!

So..I had this big horizontal space. And I had a big steel J.  I used vinegar to take off all the rust, painted the edges then rubbed some olive oil on, and repainted the wings to match my cabinets. ; )  I think it's way country, but I like it.

My shelves!  Obviously I need to unload the dishwasher since I'm missing some bowls!

Left of sink.  Love my ovens.  (except I got foil stuck to the bottom of the bottom oven.  Oops.

I washed a big box of delicious fresh strawberries to chocolate dip and drizzle!  Can't wait!

I had to have this sign!  Isn't it sweet?  They had "I Love You More than Chocolate"..but I didn't know if I'd be lying.  You shouldn't lie to your kids.

I finally hung some drapes!!!  I take a terribly long time to make up my mind..then after they are in my house it takes another long couple of weeks to actually put screws into my wall.  That's called a commitment issue, I think.

Yay!!  I know..I'm trying to commit to new chairs.  Still can't decide to reupholster these or get new ones.  Way cheaper to get new ones.  But I *heart* them!

I've been knee-deep in Valentine's Party fun!  I've planned Ethan's classroom party, and it's been a blast.  Really.  I planned a lot of Minute To Win It activities, and I can't wait to watch them!  I've had parents volunteer to help gather stuff, and prepare some things, so I'm THANKful!! : )

Ok..so it's the only picture I had.

For fun, we tried it at our JDRF Mom's Lunch on Monday!  I did it with the girls to practice.  It was hilarious.  Adults blowing on Twizzlers and Pixy Stix.  It looked a bit like Coke lines.  That's all I'm gonna say about that.

First, you have to unwrap a kiss one-handed.  Next, you tear the top of your pixy stix (these eluded me!!  I ordered a pack from Amazon.com for $7 before my friends found some locally!  After searching five stores.) and pour it into the circle.  Bite off the end of your Twizzler, and blow through it to move the powder out of the circle.  Last, sort your Skittles (moms prefer M&M's in a local taste-test), and add up the number of colors.

None of us finished in a minute.  I think our mouths were too full of kiss and Twizzler to blow really hard!  So..I'll give the kids longer than planned!  I think maybe the first graders might listen better also.  Just sayin'.

We are also stacking empty soda cans on a plastic plate floating in a big bowl of water.  And picking up mixed candy with chopsticks (they're motivated since they get to keep whatever they move!) called Chopstick Pick Up, Carry the Crunch Berries (sucking up Crunch Berries with a straw to move to their plates).  Let's see..Heart-a-Stack (stacking conversation hearts as fast as they can), Cookie Face (moving a cookie from their forehead to their mouth without touching it), Nose-Diving (a contest of two with Vaseline on their nose, picking up cotton balls and moving them to a bowl..with the sticky nose!), Gumdrop Architecture (each child gets a baggie with 14 gumdrops and 14 toothpicks to build SOMEthing!) and we were going to make balloons with rolled up messages inside..but not only do we have a peanut and egg allergy. . .we have a latex allergy!  And I just found out.  I'm glad we made the balloon valentines at church last week, they were fun!  I also have some back-ups.. 

Don't Break My Heart (passing a tissue paper heart around the room from child to child-and they all have clothespins..no hands! Oh, and tearing it is a no-no..so don't speed!)  We have Fly Fishing (waving tissue paper fish to a finish line with paper plates, competition-style), and we have pizza, heart-shaped cucumbers and heart-shaped carrots, we had to have some healthy in there somewhere! :)

Woohoo, I can't wait to watch them.  Seriously!  I hope I can remember pictures in those precious -minutes- of each game! : )

 

*Imperfect* House Tour

Thank you for not giving up on me.  And for caring that I disappeared into the abyss of T1D and moving! : )  I'm sorry it's been so long, but thanks for checking in!  I know that it's totally disappointing (haha!) not to see the house more complete.  I decided to just take pictures and post them..boxes, folded laundry, and all.  It won't be near perfect enough for me till summer I bet.  So, why wait? : )

Here are some I took yesterday and today.  I have learned that pictures taken at night don't look so good, and I kept forgetting to take them until the kids went to bed each night (my free time!), so it took a while to get on top of things and take DAY pictures! : )

I might mention, they ended up out of order..so I'll try to explain. ; )

Office.  Right inside front door to the right.  My plan was for a craft room/office.  It'll probably change a little.

Carter's room!  Still needs a few things (like curtains!).  But he's cute, so good enough.

Ethan's desk (see, it jumped a bunch of pictures!)  The adirondack chair was painted by Misty Collins with Gravel Road Art.  She's awesome.

Oh look..back to Carter's room!  This is the other side of his room.  He's going to show you his night light.  The one he likes to plug and unplug.  Hence the reason it's in the drawer, not the wall.

The houndstooth is my dining room drapery fabric, and I was trying to pick a fabric to reupholster my chair seats.

This is by Cari Humphry.  I first saw it back in April, but she didn't want to come down on the price since it was almost graduation (it's a picture of Old Main on the University of Arkansas campus, where I went to school, and Ches teaches! ..so sentimental!), so I went back a couple weeks ago!  (No drop in price though.)  I love it!

This is Bernice.  Also by Cari.  I fell in love with her when I was getting Old Main.  She was only finished the day before, and she was headed to Nashville for a gallery exhibit.  She told me she just wasn't in the mood to travel, and she needed a home.  It worked, and I brought her here!

Our room.  Smaller than our last house, but exactly what we need.

LOVE the way the glass on the ceiling fixture throws the light!

Our bathroom.  There's me in the mirror!

Ok, so yes, I love the shower.  But let me tell you about these big open glass things.  They are cold.  I have to turn on the hot water, let it run for a few minutes to fog it up, before I ever get in.  It's cold!  I've decided I like those closed-in showers in little rooms! : )

When I said it was the imperfect tour, I wasn't kidding.  Check out our dirty laundry.

Two of my favorite things.  Rocks from Nice (French Riviera!), and the oyster shell frame from Hawaii.  *Must put a pic of my own kids in there.

Our linen cabinet.  And why I'm giving away a bunch of towels!

Another jump to Mary Claire's bathroom (shows how I wasn't willing to wait till her matching towels were up on the towel bar, ha!).

Her vanity.  Also no towel, it's in the dryer!

Mary Claire's room : )

I didn't do her room for the longest time, I had to get inspired.  I needed to clump some things together..and I still have tissue paper flowers to hang! : )

Her dresser/desk.  Still in progress.  And Megan and Sierra hanging out/having a chit chat.

She's still sporting her Christmas bunting we made!  *Must make a new one.

Ethan's room!  His chalkboard painted 7 goes up above the crab.  I'm working on that! ; )

He has a wall-sized world map mural that goes on this wall..I just haven't had the time/motivation to put it up yet!

Another jump to Clay's bathroom, his sign says it doesn't cause brain damage to change the toilet paper!  (it doesn't, seriously y'all!)

His shower.  Yes, I hung his towel up for the picture.  You're welcome!

Dining Room..still in progress.  Need art.  And the burlap runner I bought.

Oh, and those drapes aren't going to make themselves!

I TOLD you it was in progress.  Don't take note of the mismatching colors.  I'm still working on it.

Breakfast area..again, in progress, and those boxes don't unpack themselves either.

Yes, dinner is in the crock pot and I'm boiling water in the hopes of raising the humidity enough to cut all our static and dry hands!  Fun times in Arkansas.  And our swing!!  And yes, I love my window over the sink.  Love.

Carter's bathroom/guest bathroom.

His vanity.  In progress.  Can't decide what I want to put on the counter.

Oh look, back to Ethan's bathroom!  We have to really remember to keep his blinds closed..he's a pretty proud bather.

Landing at the top of the stairs.  We have a thing for books.  Lots of 'em.

Clay's bedroom!  Debating on his over-the-headboard decor.  Debating between some letters and signs I got and a big picture of a baseball stadium.  We can't decide, so we do nothing. ; )  Notice all those tshirts he's outgrown at the end of the bed!  Whew, growing kiddos! : )

I guess I forgot the laundry room and pool bath.  I'll catch them next time! : )  Ethan will be here in a few minutes, so I have to hurry.

And, yes, it's been totally rough having two kids with diabetes.  One more thing to keep up with.  AND they both got new pumps in late December (had to fit it in on 2013 insurance!), AND Mary Claire started the new Enlite sensor (Constant Glucose Monitor, or cgm for short).  That has been a learning experience, seriously.  We did training finally two weeks ago, and she's finally having better blood sugars as I learn where to adjust her basal and bolus ratios.  She also had a little cold while we were training, so I think that didn't help with numbers!

All in all, we are making it one day at a time with D, still unpacking, and only 1.5 storage units to go.  No yard yet (just flat dirt), but we are praying to see progress.  It's absolutely frigid here, but we're up to 23 degrees and a windchill of 14.  Whew.  We saw 68 on Sunday.  Amazing weather here.  Or weird. . .whateva.

Praying your little ducklings are healthy, and you don't have boxes bumping into you! : )
Hugs!

Ahh..Hawaii!

O me oh my!  Can we not house talk? (since I've been living and breathing it for so long?)  We DiD get to move on December 20th, kinda got half way settled, then we got out of town (not a moment too soon)!  The Polar Vortex landed right in the middle of us causing crazy low temperatures, ice, snow, and no school!



And we?  Landed in Hawaii!! : )

Flying over the Pacific.  I swear I saw whales/sharks/something with a white belly.  But Huge.

Circling, getting ready to land.

Headed out!  This is just gorgeous.  Waiting to turn onto the one way street, you get an inland body of water, city/mountain/palm tree combo.  Everywhere is beautiful.

Convention Center.  Glass to reflect all the beauty!

We chose Sacred Heart Parish, doesn't it look like Jesus' head is just glowing in the sun?!

Just looking up at the palms.  Love.

He does this EVERY day.  Just a new sculpture.  ..Did I mention EVERY day?!

Sitting on the beach waiting for sunrise.  Beautiful.

I had to write everyone's names in the sand..you know for frames in their rooms, and so they know I love them, and I'm thinking of them! : )

So..when you squat on the beach, your feet sink in really deep. ; )

I'm trusting the Lord right now.  With all my heart.

Mary Claire wanted me to write Hi! for her since we were facetiming!  It's also the abbreviation for Hawaii ; )

The sun coming up..peeking through the buildings!

I took pictures if there were couples/families trying to get a picture.  One older man watched me alone..and asked if he could take my picture.  I was holding a huge rock/shell conglomerate I'd found for the kids that morning.  He took about 40 pictures (he did a Burst?), and I was in the shadows, so I didn't know which one to pick.  Maybe my eyes are open in this one? : )

Looking to the west down the beach.  Just gorgeous.  Our language doesn't have adequate words.

Behind me.

I took this for a friend, but brave sums it up.  I walk to the beach every morning alone-about four blocks.  It's relatively quiet and beautiful.  I get first pick on the sand, and get to see the sun.  Thank God for these moments.  I think I'm saving them up for the days when I'm home. : )

This is for Clay!  He's eating shrimp every day, as often as he can get it!  Huge bags at a time.  Whoa.

Headed to lunch at Cheesecake Factory.  I had an amazing Luau salad-tons of fresh veggies and orange wontons with sesame seeds.  And too full for cheesecake! : )

We drove up Tantalus (inactive volcano/crater), the veiw was amazing!

We rented a Dodge Challenger.  I thought Ches would enjoy it..but it was brand new (13 miles on it), so he's stressed about it getting scratched or something.  It has a gauge that measures your 0-60 and 0-100 time, and even one for telling you how many G's you are pulling in the corners.  Wow.  Except there isn't anywhere to actually play with it!

At the top of the mountain/crater/look-out, there was a swing!  Of course, I had to swing in it.

Ches ready to go. : )

Look what they have in Hawaii!!  Kisses with macadamia nuts!  Yum.

This is where we see movies.  Cool, huh?

It's been a relaxing trip for us, and I know it's been hard for mom with the kids.  It's been freezing cold back home, and they've missed two days of school for weather, and too cold to play outside (below zero!).  Pray that she is strengthened, I know it's long hard days with four kids!

We'll get back to home making pretty quickly, and get those kids rooms settled and moved into..it's a lot of work.  And a lot of boxes!

Hope you are staying warm with your family, and that your heat is working! ; )
Hugs, Holly

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5