colorado- part 5

(this is the last post in the series of posts about our trip to Colorado over the Fourth of July- scroll down to get the first post)

...and lastly there's the drive home. Luckily this time we had Jaelynn to help us liven things up a bit.
She totally turned the joint into a party van complete with balloons...

...and tin foil sculptures. She also hosted a very cool dance party (not pictured, unfortunately).

So as to not over-do it, we each took a turn at the wheel

And just for kicks, we took this picture and entitled it, "how much technology does it take to drive to Colorado?"

2 ipods

1 ipod battery charger

1 GPS

2 headsets

1 tv screen (no in the picture)

1 CGM (continuous glucose monitor)

1 PDM (personal diabetes manager)

and 1 kazoo from a Wendy's kids meal...(not really technological, but somehow made it into the photo)

How on earth did our parents ever do it?!?

colorado- part 4

One of our favorite things to do when we visit Colorado is to go for a hike. We had done this particular hike before but I hadn't remembered it being so long...I was beginning to wonder if it was a bit too ambitious for Tyler and the rest of our "not-so-used-to-elevation" gang, but everyone did pretty good. Tyler thought we were mountain climbing and not hiking so every chance he got he was scaling large rock walls and big boulders. We had to take turns pulling him off of high rocks and keeping him reigned in.

Robby was a good little trooper. It turns out that higher elevations cause low blood sugars. Thankfully, I had read about this before we left and had plenty of snacks on hand. It made keeping Robby happy the whole time a lot easier because the higher we went, the more his blood sugar dropped, and the more treats he got.

When we got to the top, the scene was breath-taking, but having never done this hike with my children in tow- I was a nervous wrek. I sat horrified as Tyler bounded across the top of the cliff as if he were a mountain goat and then watched as John dashed around trying to keep Tyler safe while balancing Robby on his back. Watching all of my life's most precious posessions teter on the edge of the mountain top like that was almost too much for my nervous heart.

Colorado- part 3

We played lots of games and ate lots of yummy food!

Here are some of the "minute to win it" games we played

The kids loved the pinata...who doesn't?!? And this one was filled with dental floss and toothbrushes along with all of the candy (John's sister is married to a dentist)

While we were in Colorado, I really wanted to make s'mores because it's something you totally COULD NOT do in Texas. It's so hot here that standing over an open flame is out of the question. When we found out that the area had a burn ban in place, Joleen had the ingenious idea to cook our marshmallows over the barbecue grill. Worked like a charm! And hopefully Jonah (Tyler's cute cousin) was enjoying his more that this picture portrays. I guess it's pretty obvious how Tyler feels about it!

Colorado- part 2

We spent one afternoon at the local mini-golf place. Tyler and Jonah were hilarious and so cute riding the bumper cars...grins from ear to ear.

Robby found a truck and an old pal.

We spent another afternoon playing at Mammoth park...Tyler's favorite.

We even found time to do plenty of relaxing. Here's how Robby would unwind after a long day of play...kicking back and watching his favorite episodes of Bob the Builder.

Then he'd be off for more fun. Robby really had a great time with the Clark's little dog, Zorro. I wish I had captured a few pictures of his happy grin as he ran around looking for that cute, little dog. At least I captured a picture of him figuring out this whole doggie door thing.

With all the fun and excitement, I hope it is moments like this that my children will remember the most- hanging out and enjoying time with their cousins.

Colorado- part 1

It's been a while and I've been meaning to post about our trip to Colorado, but I was afraid that going back through all the photos and memories would make me miss everyone all over again. Oh well. I'm glad we had so many fun moments to cherish and to make this summer a memorable one. (I'm splitting up the trip into several posts just so that I can pace myself as I upload the pics)

Our decision to make the trip was a last minute one, but we are so glad we went. Three out of John's four siblings and one favorite aunt came together at Joleen's house for a few days over the Fourth of July weekend. We enjoyed being together and participating in lots of fun activities.

On this particular day, we headed to the park for some balloon launching and parachute fun.

It turns out that some people take their balloon launching very seriously.

And others could care less and would much rather play in the sand all day.

Tour de Cure

Saturday was the big day. I rode in the American Diabetics Association's Tour de Cure. It was a great experience and I want to thank those of you who supported our family in this cause. I was able to raise $200.00- exceeding my goal of $150. Fantastic! It is my hope and dream that a cure will found during Robby's lifetime. Thanks again for your support in this dream!

A few weeks ago John surprised me with a new jersey and matching shorts from the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Along with the new get up, he gave me a sweet letter (one I will cherish forever) in which he told me how proud he was of me for championing my own cause, and hoped that the outfit would help me continue to do so. He also explained that it was high time I had matching shorts and jersey- something that sets a serious cyclist apart from a recreational rider- this is a major compliment coming from John, and one I was delighted to receive.

As part of my goal to raise awareness for the disease, I made this sign for the back of my jersey. I got a LOT of compliments, and several people thanked me for reminding them of why they were out pedaling their legs off in the heat that day. We also made shirts for John and Tyler that looked like this:

And for Robby, we made a shirt that said "Future Red Rider." Riders who participate in the race are given a special jersey that identifies them as "Red Riders."

And all three shirts looked like this on the back:

This year the event began at the Texas Motor Speedway, which I have to say was quite awesome! We parked on the infield and the ride started with one lap around the race track (hallowed ground for many NASCAR fans). Very cool! That place is WAY bigger than I ever imagined and the turns on the raceway are banked WAY steeper than I ever imagined as well.

The ride was excellent- scenic and well supported. I survived and finished with a respectable time. I even took a turn at the front of a pace line for the first time ever (riding for years with John allowed me the luxury of never having to pull a pace line).

65 miles later, I hit the finish line. I looked around and my cheering section was nowhere to be found. I gave a quick call to John and he told me they were in the parking lot making their way to the finish area for the second time that day.

Oh the irony of it all- diabetes had spoiled the day.

John had arrived about 1 hour prior to my finish time since he didn't want to miss me coming in. Bless his heart, he packed the boys, the chairs, and drinks all into the 100 degree weather.

As they got settled into their chairs and started their serious business of cheering for the finishers, John checked Robby's BG only to discover he was at 460. To put this into perspective- Robby's BG should be between 90 and 200 (normal is between 80-120). He had just changed the CGM that morning and it was still calibrating, which is why he was unaware of the problem until it got bad. After making a quick inspection of all of Robby's "hardware," John discovered that Robby's insulin pump had fallen out. He packed everyone back up and headed home (luckily we only live about 15 minutes from the speedway). Given that it was 100 degrees and that Robby's BG was above 460, he was crazy thirsty and drinking a ton, at which point he accidentally spilled an entire bottle of water all over himself. As John began the process of changing Robby's clothes (that's why he's not wearing his cute shirt we made him in some of the pictures), he noticed that the second CGM had come off before it had even had time to be calibrated.
Oh my poor, sweet husband. He changed the wet clothes, changed the pod, and placed a new CGM and booked it back to the Speedway.

...and that my friends is why we ride for a cure.

(above is a picture taken after all the trauma had ensued and below is a picture of the boys checking out a few of the cool race cars before all the trauma ensued...aren't they adorable?).

Week of Fun!

Whew...it's been a few weeks since I last posted. Things have been quite busy. We decided last minute to drive up to Colorado to visit John's family for the 4th of July (more on that later), but the best part is, we got to bring back our niece Jaelynn with us. We've had a blast and I will miss her when she returns back home after this week is over.

I'm going to let her finish this post by having her describe for her parents some of the fun things we've done while she's been here. So without further ado...here's Jaelynn...

Hey Mom and Dad! I've had so much fun here in Texas (besides the heat, sweat, and humidity), so I thought I'd share what I learned from Carrie.

To start off, she taught me how to look for cute swimsuits, and I think the one I bought is just darling, don't you?

Speaking of shopping, we went shopping at Sam Moon. Talk about ADORABLE!!!!! I was in heaven!!!!! Oh and don't worry I only spent 7/8 of the money you gave me...

Carrie decided to give me a full makeover!

(Before)

(After) Do you think it's a little too dark for me?

After all of the shopping and make-up doing, we were beat!! Nothing a little healthy food can't fix! All week we had the HEALTHIEST stuff!! YUMMY!

And now we come to my favorite part of the week. Carrie decided that texting is an important part of a teen girl's life, so she bought texting for me!! Don't worry, it's UNLIMITED!!!! YES!!!!!

Carrie also showed me what it means to be a parent. I'm sure you'll also appreciate that she took the time to share with me the finer points of motherhood.

After the kids went to bed, Carrie taught me a really fun game. Are you fond of Poker?

It turns out I'm actually really good at Poker! I even won back the money I spent at Sam Moon!!! Phew!!

To make sure that this vacation of mine always lasted in our hearts (and our arms) Carrie got us matching tattoos!!

I love you and miss you! Can't wait to see you in a few days!!!