And the glue dried...

So, we were finally able to go swimming! We just love Joe and Gail (and their pool!) :)
The boys love it when Daddy is able to go do stuff like this with us. This is Daddy being a boat (yes, really making boat engine noises with his mouth in the water) taking Jackson "back to shore."

It is funny how Jackson has to have snacks throughout the day no matter what and yet he often balks at them and want to play instead of snack. Preston, on the other hand, is loving snacktime! :) But, he is not liking more sandwiches at home and less chicken nuggets out to eat. :)

I love this picture. Gail looks so young; she looks like she could be his mom! Their hair looks almost the same!

I thought Paul would freak when Preston decided to try out this pink float. :) He got quite angry though when he leaned and it would tip him out. I think Paul enjoyed seeing him get frustrated so he allowed the pinkness of it. :)

We had a fun day, and I am so glad we finally got to go. We went to Pizza Hut afterwards, and while the sugar was mildly elevated afterwards, it was better than Mexican. :) We really want to eat out as little as possible right now, but we are trying to see what places work well and which ones do not.

I cannot believe summer is almost over! This is definitely a summer I won't ever forget...in good ways and bad! :)

A Day At the Park...

A day at the park isn't exactly the phrase I would choose to describe my life right now, but I still managed to muster up the energy and courage to take the boys to the park after I got off work Saturday. We were meeting up with my high school friend, Andrea, who I have been able to catch up with again through Facebook. Her little boys are David and Daniel and are pretty close in age to my two. It was blazing hot!!! But, we still had fun!

I think Jackson has really come around the past few days. I really think it started with Dixieland. I think the more we do "old" stuff, and he sees life continues on even with the diabetes, the more he is able to move forward. I really think now he is surpassing me with the emotional part of it which is to be expected since I am the caretaker, the worrier, etc. I'd rather it be me lagging behind in the happiness part or the relaxation part. For now, all he needs to know is he is still a kid. With time, I will be able to teach him about the disease, how to embrace it, fight it, and control it. But, for now, his life is just a day at the park.

Dixieland!

Last week was quite eventful to say the least. Friday we were supposed to go swimming with our whole family over at Joe and Gail's. But, that morning Jackson had different plans. He decided to play slip n slide with throw pillows from my bed and bust his chin open on the hardwood floors. :( After driving around relentlessly trying to find some place besides the ER to do the glue on it, discovering his blood sugar was 258 during the upset, and making the poor choice to treat him to Mexican for lunch that also resulted in blood sugars in the 200s that afternoon, we decided to instead go to Dixieland Fun Park since he obviously wouldn't be swimming with fresh glue on his chin.

We had a really good time. I will say Dad and the boys had an even better time than me. I was too busy fretting over the high sugars and just the drama of the day. It is sometimes quite hard to be mommy and wife. I feel like lately all I am is nurse. :(

But, as you can see from the pictures. The rest of the family is quite happy with that arrangement. :)

After seeing how excited Jackson got about this small rollercoaster (and how ticked Preston was he wasn't tall enough) I am looking forward to Six Flags...I think

Jackson LOVES air hockey!

Jr. Go Karts!!!

I Just Won a Million Dollars!

Well, sort of. Something like that.

We just had our very first day of in range blood sugars ALL day long. Well, we still have the 2am check which counts on today's line on the log book, but I am still bragging. I cannot take the credit because I tell you this disease is so hard to get in line, I'm giving Jesus all the credit! But, still I am so happy I won the lottery! I bet I sleep better tonight than I have for a week! I know everyday won't be like this, but I needed it!

Back In The Saddle Again...

We are trying to get back to our normal, everyday life as much as possible and keep some of the same scheduled playdates and fun things that were on the calendar before Jackson was diagnosed. Monday John Michael and Bree came over for a playdate filled with running, sliding, swinging, riding, water balloons, sidewalk chalk and lots of fun!

I wasn't in the best frame of mind. Okay, who am I kidding? I haven't been in a good frame of mind in a week now. :( But, it really was important to me to see Jackson do just what he got to do. Smile, laugh, argue, talk back, not share, play, run, get red-faced from all the sunshine, and....BE A KID. Not a kid with diabetes. Not my baby who I was so worried about. But, just be a kid. That's all I wanted. And, that day I got it.

Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

I seriously cannot believe my baby Nicholas turned 11 last week!! It seems impossible! We were invited over for some cake and ice cream and decided to give it a go even though we'd only been home from Scottish Rite for a day. The kids all tore up Chev's basement, played soccer outside, played with nerf guns, played on the swingset, some kids did Rock Band (see Aiden below!), and we enjoyed yummy cupcakes and ice cream. Don't worry Jackson had his with his lunch and a shot so he was able to enjoy them!

We did have to check his sugar before he ate though, and he started out wanting to show everyone. But, that quickly changed. I mean I guess it could feel overwhelming with like 10 kids staring over your shoulder. We cleared the room for him, but he still panicked. :( He is kind of embarassed I think...or unsure...or anxious...or self-conscious...I don't know. I just know in public is when he pitches the biggest fit sometimes or just in front of other people. And, he hasn't even wanted to leave the house much lately. Okay, I am digressing..this is about Nicholas! More about the agoraphobia later! (PS I think it is partially because his sugar has been low and he hasn't had as much energy???)

Nanny was a super help! I know she probably hasn't changed a diaper (a poopy one at that!) in years! But, she jumped right in there and cleaned Preston's stinky bottom all right up for us during Jackson's meltdown.

Chev also had poundcake that she wanted to trash because she thought it looked bad. :) Nicholas would hear nothing of it, and he was very cute as we sang Happy Birthday to him! It's like he's too cool to be a "kid," but still relishes in it some. :) I love it.

I hope we didn't ruin the day for everyone there since we put on quite a show...but we had fun and we were glad to be there to share in his special day!

Happy Birthday, buddy!

Stick or Prick...

As most of my readers already know, we were just released from Scottish Rite children's hospital yesterday with a diagnosis of type 1 new onset diabetes for my oldest JPM, Jackson. I promise to update more later, but things are still such a whirlwind right now. We are alive and as well as we can be. We are exhausted, confused, anxious, worried, thankful, agitated, angry, obsessive, and so much more all at the same time. It is definitely THE hardest thing I've ever encountered or had to deal with in my entire life. I know I've said that before, but now I rescind all of that. This is the worst. Thankfully, though he was caught semi-early, and we are working hard every day to try to get him regulated. Today was not such a hot day for that, and the doctor already made some changes tonight. I am thinking she'll make more tomorrow. We received good news that his teacher next year used to be a paramedic, medical assistant, and took pre-nursing classes before becoming a teacher. Amazing, huh? I kept saying how I felt led to change him to that class all of a sudden last week. God was lining all that up before my very eyes before I even knew Jackson was diabetic. Amazing. What a wonderful God we serve. He's never left me alone, so I know I'm not alone now. Neither is Jackson. Sometimes it feel that way, but He's here. He is going to get us through this. And, all I can do is hope and pray His plan involves my little man changing the world for the better...for many, many years to come.

Please add our little boy to your prayer list...yes, there are MANY worse diagnoses, but this is still very difficult. We appreciate all of your support and know that we will be relying on you during the days to come.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Sunday, my sister cordially hosted a small get-together with family and a few friends we haven't seen in a few years, Tommy and Marty, in honor of my daddy's 54th birthday. Her house/basement was perfect for this occasion, and we all had fun.

The kids all played together so well! Nicholas was so cute annoying Preston. It was adorable to watch. I think Preston loved it as much as he was annoyed by it.

I made his cake...easy as usual. All he wants is yellow cake with chocolate icing...every year! I did add some border and some hot wheels to the top to dress it up. He loved it! And, he was glad there was some leftover to take home.

Aiden and Jackson haven't had many playdates over the years. Things have often been rocky with my sister and I. It means so much to me to have the memories of that day watching them play together and interact. They both seemed so old and mature. It was neat to watch.

My daddy's health isn't quite up to par lately again (although you'd never know it from the pictures! He appears as young and healthy as a spring chicken!) So, this birthday was meaningful to me. I tried to soak it all in. He is off his blood pressure medicine (don't ask) and is smoking again. He had his first "spell" again last week in over a year and a half. I am worried about him. But, Sunday I just enjoyed him. I love him so much. No matter what. He'll always be my daddy. I pray he begins to take better care of himself, and the "spells" go away forever. (He doesn't read the blog if you're wondering.)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Cancelled Plans...

Often turn out to not the best plans anyway. I was supposed to go shopping at the mart last Thursday with my friend and leave the boys with a sitter. (Thanks, Gail!) :) However, my friend's sitter cancelled on her so it turned out no girl's day out for us. I still wanted to do something fun though. You know how you get yourself built up to the excitement of fun stuff. I had planned on taking the boys to the Aquarium downtown this week and instead decided to go ahead and go that day. We've been before with Paul, but Preston was two months old! So, it was time to go back for sure. The boys didn't know what to expect, but as you can tell they thought it very neat and exciting.

Jackson loved the playground areas. I typically leave those until last hoping for good behavior througout the rest of the exhibits (no, I would never blackmail my children!:)) But, this day Jackson I could tell was constipated (sorry, to share so much information), but quickly it was apparent he was in a unhappy place. The first two exhibits he was just not feeling it. Preston was though. It was lunchtime though as well, so that might have contributed to the grumpiness. Jackson is so hungry lately! He's a growing boy. So, we stopped for lunch and I instead chose to do the playgrounds in the middle of the day hoping instead for good behavior during the remaining exhibits afterwards. It actually worked. We did make one last quick stop at the playground right before we left again, too, though.

My kids have never really been terribly afraid of characters. And, Deepo, the fish, was no exception!

Preston, like I said, thoroughly enjoyed all of it and make himself quite at home.

AND...my kids who are terrified typically of 3D or 4D movies, actually sat through the 4D movie featuring Deepo without making us get up and leave. Notice I didn't say they did not get scared..they did..but not too bad. They just grabbed my arm and closed their eyes. Jackson took his glasses off a few times. But, overall they squealed and laughed and really I started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with their anti-4D stage.

Many people would think I'm crazy for attempting stuff like this without big JPM. Actually he does like the aquarium much more than other fun stuff we go do without him. He was working this day though. And, while he does enjoy it, he is very busy and enjoys his off days doing stuff around the house or in the garage. So, either we don't go or we go alone often is how it turns out. I am not afraid to go alone, and really if you've ever done big things like this alone with your children, then you know what I mean when I say there are very tender, special bonding moments that happen when it is just you and them. Now, there are also chest pain filled moments where you are shaking you have your hands so full, you want to smack yourself for thinking you could go it alone. :) But, no seriously. That is why I enjoyed Stone Mountain so much with them the past few years. It was just our thing. Me and them. Noone else. There were times we'd be sitting on the train, Preston sucking his thumb and Jackson playing his pretend banjo where the wind was blowing back our hair and we were bouncing along, that I thought...if I died tomorrow...THIS is what I would remember.

Preston was very happy, too, to see that he was able to play on the playground, too. One playground he wasn't tall enough for so I was thinking well, we won't do that one. Jackson begged, and I thought gosh their age difference is starting to show. I let Jackson go (thankfully they could only go on it two times so I didn't have to drag him off later), but Preston cried that he couldn't. We are going to Six Flags later this week, and I have a helper going with me to assist during those moments or on the rides where an adult must accompany each child. But, still I'm not looking forward to telling Preston he's too small. But, it's equally unfair to hold Jackson back from doing things he's been waiting to do for a few years.

Now, the one thing about being alone is the missing set of eyes for safety. The entrance to this slide was nowhere near the exit. So, I had to go up to the top with them, slide down first (yes, I fit...barely), and then have Jackson send down Preston and Jackson follow. It was still too risky for even me because there was like two seconds where I could only hear them and not see them. The good thing was I could see the two exits from where they were so I could see if someone was trying to escape with them. But, still... That is hard going places alone. I feel like sometimes we don't have quite as much fun because I put the fear in Jackson. Do not leave my sight. Do not talk to strangers. If he ends up in a crowd a foot away from me, he panics and cries. It's difficult. You don't want them to live in anxiety, but you also want them to understand the danger of bad people in this world.

If you have ever been to a festival or fair with Jackson, you know that he isn't much for face painting. I thought he'd outgrown it. But, he didn't want his face painted this day (maybe because it was before lunch. Oh, I forgot to add he did poopy after lunch:)) There was a lady there doing it, and Preston at first said no. But, when I explained it was like having a sticker on you, he was ALL about it. He sat up in the chair all big boy. I knew what picture he had picked out, but I made him ask for it. I said, "Tell her what you want." He said, "I wanna dawfin!" This child LOVED that dolphin. It was life altering when late in the day he was crying about something because he was tired and kept rubbing his eyes. I kept saying stop! You are rubbing off your dolphin. Finally, in a bathroom mirror he realized he'd rubbed it off. I tell you it was like someone said your dog died. He was trembling he was sobbing so bad. He said, "Wha happened to my dawfin?!" I told him you cried and rubbed it off. He said, "You gotta go get me a new one!" (sweetly and pleadingly) I felt so bad, I almost gave in. But, I though heck, it was going to come off in the bath hours later anyway. Oh, well.

This was my favorite creature...

The boys really liked the jellyfish...from a distance..I think they thought it could sting them through the glass...

Some of the fish were plain huge!

As you can see, we had a great time. Really. I am so chatty tonight, sorry! I typed so much! But, if you haven't been, go. And, if you are one of those moms that never takes your kids places by yourself, do it. You won't regret it. It's hard, but SO worth it. Your children will never forget it.

Paul's Leaving Me...

He has a new love in his life. And, he loves it enough to ditch me. :) Just kidding! But, no really he does have a new love! What do you think about this beautiful truck???? Well, he's the proud new owner!
If you are a big part of our lives, you know Paul has been driving a "Paw Paw" car for several years. :) HAHA! Nicholas, our then 8-year old nephew, so tenderly named it that one day. It was a Grand Marquis that was champagne in color. It was a nice car, don't get me wrong! Leather interior, woodgrain dash, air, and plenty of people would kill to have a car like that. But, secretly deep down I know Paul's always wanted a truck. He's been wanting one for a while. It is hard to find one that is very close to just what he wants though that is affordable. Thankfully, his buddy, Steve Rayman, hooked him up with a great deal on this one. And, it is just what he likes! Black, tan leather, special grille, some special exhaust/muffler, and some special stuff under the hood. Sorry. You can tell I have no idea what I am talking about. I just know it sounds good when he revs on it and cranks it up, and he looks good driving it!

Paul works so hard to take care of our family. Really. I am spoiled and so are our children all thanks to God and him. There are few things we ask for and don't receive. (Although I will pat myself on the back and say I am smart with our money, too, and don't ask for things out of reason. :)) And, more importantly, than the spoiled part, we are taken care of necessity-wise. We have a wonderful home, food, and clothing, and all that important stuff, too. There are many nights Paul doesn't want to go work in Albany, and now I know he will enjoy the drive a little more with his new toy. That makes me feel good. He has always made sure I have a nice car to drive and tries to get as close to what I want as we can and stay in our price range. He deserves this. I don't think he believes that, but he does. I am so happy for him!

Congrats, JPM!

Happy Birthday, America!

This past 4th of July was quite possibly our best ever. There were definitely some things I wish would have been better like Jackson being constipated and being grumpy. And, how I was only with Paul's family and not mine. But, other than that it was just a great family day. And, by family I mean extended family. Cousins and siblings all set aside any differences and everyone got along very well together and we just had a blast. That simple.

Our day began at Maw Maw Brown's as we have done for many many 4th of July celebrations. Good food and a wonderful yard and great company always make celebrations there memorable. We put out the slip n slide and let the kids go.

Thanks, Aunt RaRa for the extra push!

I promise we had plenty of tea for everyone! Including Preston!

Me and my boys

I love how excited little Madison looks leading the way!

Then, we took the party over to Aunt Dee Dee's house to swim in a bigger pool than the small inflatable one at Maw Maw Brown's. Aunt Dee Dee was enjoying the 4th from her home in Panama City Beach, but thankfully didn't mind her daughters and nephews and their families crashing at her house. We cooked out yet again (well, Richey, Ashley, and Robin did) there and enjoyed more delicious food and great company. Then...the grand finale came. Everyone in the pic above is enjoying the FABULOUS fireworks (not quite legal though) that Uncle Steven grabbed for us when he and Malia went to visit her family in Alabama the week before. They were awesome! Words cannot describe how prideful it is to put on your own show! :) We definitely had professional ones! Poor Paul later said he was so worried about setting a nearby tree or house on fire (we did them in the middle of the street in Ashley and Shane's neighborhood.) I don't know how much he enjoyed them, but we all sure did. Although leading up to it I was nauseous wondering if we would all end up being arrested. :) You all know how I don't break the rules often. :)

And, the pooltime was just as great as you can see...the adults had just as much fun as the kids...

Complete with chicken fights and everything! My neck still hasn't recovered from that! We did pretty good though...me and Jackson and Libbey!

And, the kids loved all the animals Blake had! A bunny rabbit even named HoneyBunny! Can you believe Preston touched it?! He said "I wuv it!"

This picture captures it all..good family time bonding.

Bree and Preston enjoy the fireworks display...

And here's a shot of my two and Malia and Steven's two taking it all in... (bet their necks hurt the next day, too, huh?)

Happy Birthday, America! I know it is so easy for even me to forget what we are truly celebrating this day. I saw a sign on a church that really hit home for me. Something about "Come home, America. Your Father awaits to free you yet once again." How true. If only our nation could devote itself completely to God. Then, it would truly be a day of celebration.