Christmas activities-2

Just a few days before Christmas, each of the boys got an email with a video from Santa. Somehow (wink wink) Santa knew a little about each boy and he even had a few pictures of them in his file. Tyler was shocked that Santa knew about his triathlon and about our trip to Disneyland. In the video Santa puts each boy's file into the naughty and nice machine to determine if they have been good. When it was time for Tyler's file to go into the machine, he sat there quietly with his fingers crossed. I loved watching each of their reactions as we watched the videos. Ah, the magic of Christmas- love it!

Another one of our favorite Christmas activities was building gingerbread houses. Watching Tyler carefully plan and decorate his house was particularly fun. I think this was the first year that he was more into the construction of it than in the candy.

Robby on the other hand, has too much OCD for this to be fun. He couldn't stand it every time he got frosting on his fingers.

But he was still pretty cute.

And the finished products made me smile every time I saw them sitting on the counter.

Mini Bob

It turns out that not only was Robby named after his grandpa (my dad), but he also just so happened to inherit one of grandpa's biggest weaknesses: being EXTREMELY ticklish under his chin. When I was younger our family would have wrestling/tickling matches. If one of us kids wanted to completely paralyze my dad and make him defenseless, all we had to do was tickle him in his neck. Done. He'd become a laughing, squawking, gasping mess with his chin tucked down trying with any ounce of remaining energy to defend himself.

Robby is exactly the same way. All it takes is one wiggly finger being poked into his chin and he can barely breathe because he's laughing so hard. Well, this becomes a problem when we're trying to get his helmet on to ride his bike. The minute my fingers come near his neck to try to get the buckle and chin strap under his chin, he starts thrashing and laughing and even drooling. Every time. And I think it's funny every time. See for yourself.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was fantastic! We started the day off by participating in our neighborhood turkey trot. My friend Tiffany has hosted this event for two years now and I give it two thumbs up! Our family participated in the one mile fun run together (Gus in the running stroller). It was the perfect way to start the day. The weather was perfect and it was fun to do something active with lots of our friends and neighbors.

After the run, it was time to start preparations for the big meal. A few days prior to Thanksgiving I was at the store and picked up a flavor injector for the turkey. Robby saw it and asked what it was. I told him it was so I could give the turkey shots. His eyes lit up and he said, "just like me!" And so Robby got to be the official turkey poker.

Tyler was also a great help. He peeled all the potatoes all by himself.

This year was the first time in a long time that we haven't had out of town visitors for Thanksgiving, but it's also the first year that we have actually had the opportunity to live close to family. We were so glad to spend this holiday with John's brother and his family (they live only 15 minutes away). Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures. I suppose I was too busy palying and eating! The kids had so much fun playing together and I certainly appreciated the help with the food. It was a very relaxing and nice way to spend the holiday with those we love.

During the Thanksgiving break we also decorated the tree, went out to dinner, and went to see a movie. The cousins were kind enough to let us borrow their Kinnect for a few days so we also spent some fun times playing that (a huge hit with Tyler). ...and we made sure there was plenty of time for this

Utah trip- Part 5

While in Utah, we took advantage of visiting some of the many temples there. Tyler thought it was cool how close the Draper Temple is to my parent's house. He decided to count how long it takes to get there...162 seconds. Exactly.

We also headed downtown to visit the SLC Temple, visitors center, and church history museum.

At the church history museum, they have a number of interactive displays for children. I was impressed that this magnetic quilting board captivated the attention of five VERY active little boys.

They also built a boat like Nephi in the Book of Mormon...

...and fished for food.

They drove a delivery truck of sorts...

...and made a nutritious dinner of their own.

Robby loved the little kitchen. He takes his cooking very seriously...

...and as seriously as Robby takes his cooking, my nephew Brock, takes his Latin dancing. I could have watched him all day. I wish you could see in this video the serious concentration on his face.

Utah trip- Part 2

Next, headed over to Park City for the alpine slides.

Seriously, what more can I say about riding a ski lift up to the top of a mountain and then riding a fast sled back down to the bottom?

Tyler was all smiles the whole way down. Loved it!

The next day, we had a little bit of time to kill, so we headed back over to Park City to check out Olympic Park. We watched the ski jumpers practice their ski jumps into the pool.

Utah Trip- part 1

We're back!

We decided that we couldn't stand the heat and it was time to get the heck out of Texas! We spent two wonderful weeks in Utah visiting family, relaxing, playing, and spending LOTS of time outside.

Our first stop in Utah was at Nani and Papa's house (John's parents). We weren't out of the car for more than two minutes when Robby discovered Papa's fantastic riding mower. Boy was he in heaven!

The next day was Sunday and it would be the one day when the WHOLE family would be together. All five siblings and all 15 grand kids! That made for a LOT of fun! Talent show, games, activities, good food, and plenty of cousins to play with- what could be better?!? I seriously love getting together with everyone like this- it just feels like happy chaos!

John's parents live in a beautiful mountain community. I do believe it is Utah's little slice of heaven. We wanted to take full advantage of the beautiful scenery and weather, so we spent as much time as possible outdoors. And it isn't very hard when the backyard has a nice, cool mountain stream running through it!
We had to convince Tyler that this wasn't his own personal swimming hole. We really did feel like it was heaven. Every morning John and I would go for a run- it was AMAZINGLY beautiful. One morning John left while it was still below 60 degrees! Coming from Texas where we are having one of the worst summers on record and our temps often don't dip below 85 at night, this was pure bliss! I loved letting the boys run, play, hike, and explore to their little heart's content.
One evening, we headed down to Provo to visit BYU campus where john and I both attended school when we were first married. We took a minute to swing past our old condo where we lived for the first six years of our marriage. We were both flooded with nostalgia- so many wonderful memories! As we drove past our old patio and front door, the memory that stood out the most was the day we received a knock on our door, only to find a pair of blue booties and a letter from Tyler's birth mother informing us that she had selected us to be the parents of her baby boy. I can still picture our caseworker standing there with her camera ready to capture the whole thing. It was in that condo that we waited and prayed for years and years to become parents...and it was in that very condo that we received the sacred news that we were receiving the most precious gift.
I'll admit, I got a little emotional as we drove past that little home where our story began.

No trip to Provo would be complete for us if we didn't head up the Provo River Trail. Oh my goodness...talk about literally walking down memory lane! The trail ran right past our condo, so I spent many miles and many hours there. It's where I trained for my first half marathon. And it was my solace during difficult times. I think I either ran or rode my bike up the canyon on that trail at least twice a week for a number of years. Walking up that path with my little family by my side was a unique experience. I can remember riding my bike up that canyon with tears streaming down my face, wondering if I would every have a family of my own, and here I was several years later, walking that same trail with my sweet husband and two babies at my side. Life is sweet.

As we arrived in the parking lot of Vivian Park to walk up to Bridal Veil Falls, Robby was sure we were there to mountain climb and not hike.

Dancing

Last week I missed the General Young Women's Conference broadcast, so I listened to it at home on the Internet. During the closing hymn, Robby told me he wanted to dance to the music. Now let me say that we dance a lot at our house, but not usually to hymns, so I wasn't quite sure which of his dance moves he was going to pull out for this occasion. I must say, I was quite impressed...and a little confused- where in the world did my boy learn ballet moves?!?

This past Friday, we took a little trip to the zoo. The boys had a great time.

The day before our trip, we asked the boys what their favorite animals are and what they wanted to see. Tyler loves snakes and wanted to see the King Cobra.

Robby told us that he wanted to see the giraffes. When we got to the zoo and were looking at the Rhinos, Robby spotted the giraffes off in the distance and started squealing, and jumping up and down shouting, "giraffes, giraffes!" He was so excited to see his favorite animal. We ditched the Rhinos and headed over to the giraffes.

...and then John had to go and have this conversation with Robby that I was afraid was going to break his little heart into pieces. Can you see from the expression on his face that he actually believes what John is saying.

Recently Tyler has really gotten into the show Wild Kratz. It's a kids show that teaches a lot about wild animals, so he was really excited to see a lot of the animals he's learned about up close. I dare say he knew more about a lot of the animals than I did.

And here is a picture of one of the animatronic dinosaurs that the zoo has on display. They move and make noise. And so to that I say: thank you Fort Worth Zoo for blurring the line between fiction and reality. Tyler and Robby still talk about their favorite animals at the zoo- the dinosaurs.

Texas Sledding

While many of our family and friends enjoyed a little snow in Utah over the weekend, we were out sledding TEXAS STYLE!

News Flash

Yesterday while I was making dinner, I noticed Tyler in the other room playing with my camera. I only caught the end of what he was video taping, but he seemed to be taking it very seriously.

A little later I went to check out what he had filmed. I discovered this gem and about died laughing.

Apparently there is a lot of destruction on the news these days...especially if you watch the nightly lightly news. And who knew Tyler wanted a career in newscasting?

The Count

Seriously, I could put him in a bowl, pour milk all over him and eat him for breakfast. He's so SWEET!

No More Training Wheels

In case you can't tell, riding bikes is kind of a big deal around this house. It's something John and I have a passion for. Cycling is something we hope our entire family will enjoy together. We have big dreams of someday riding the Oregon coast or riding across country when our kids are older. So you know how some dads are big into football and are so excited to buy their kid their first football and take them to their first football game. It's kind of that way with John and bikes. Ever since Ty was little, we've always bought him a decent bike-at least one that is the correct size for his age. Last year when Tyler turned five, we bought him a nice bike, one that could grow with him for the next three years or so. John was very excited to teach Ty to ride without training wheels, but as everyone always told us, kids tend to learn to do so at their own pace- when they feel ready for the challenge.

John was always so good and never got frustrated with Tyler's fears and inhibitions when it came to riding without the training wheels. He's been very patient and has given it a try and backed off more than a few times. Well, now that the weather is cooler and our evenings are so pleasant, we decided it was time to try again. This go around Tyler seemed more determined and excited when we talked about it. Sure enough, with only a few attempts and a few nervous falls, it finally clicked. Tyler was THRILLED...and so was his proud daddy.

I'll never forget watching him ride down the street yelling excitedly, "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" It was fun to see him so pleased with himself.

And now he asks to ride his bike after school every day. He loves the freedom and I love watching that expression of pure childhood joy on his face. It's super sweet. The other night I was heading out for a run, but at the last minute, we decided to make it a family event. Dad and Ty road their bikes and I pushed Robby in the stroller. It was great to have Ty be able to ride for several miles and keep up (his training wheels frequently slowed him down), and I loved watching John teach Tyler about bike safety and how to ride safely on the streets with cars.

Since the start of school, we have seen Tyler grow so much. He is experiencing so many new things and has found lots of success along the way. He's learning to read, doing well in soccer, and now this. It has been neat to watch him try new things and feel successful at them. As much as I hate that he's growing up so fast, I'm still a proud mama, and I'm so happy that he feels so positively about the things he has accomplished.

(I don't know who looks happier in this video, Tyler or John)

One last trip to the pool!

Our neighborhood pool finally closed last week. I was glad that on one of our last visits to the pool, we found it was completely empty- just like the good old days. When we first moved in, we frequently had the pool all to ourselves. This was a fun afternoon with my boys.

I have to remind myself that Tyler is a big boy now and doesn't need me following him around the pool. He loves to jump off the ledge and swim in the deep parts.

Robby, on the other hand, is completely content playing with toys in the little pool or on the stairs of the big pool. He keeps quite busy filling up these two buckets.

Here are a couple vids of the kids at the pool. I couldn't get Tyler to actually swim instead of dog paddle for the camera...oh well. And he still yells, "Candy Bar!" instead of "Cannon Ball!" Love it.

Robby has come up with his own variation of swimming. It's the cutest thing ever. He just scoots along the step of the kiddie pool.

And one last story that must be documented because in my book it's a pretty big deal. While we were at the pool, Robby was able to, in his own way, communicate a low blood sugar. You see, as a parent of a diabetic, one of my jobs is to teach Robby to recognize and communicate if he's feeling high or low, but especially low due to the dangerous nature of a low blood sugar. Some of the signs or symptoms of a low blood sugar are fatigue, sleepiness, hunger, confusion, and shakiness. The brain is highly glycemic, but doesn't store any glycogen, so when blood sugars drop low, it's essential to treat it quickly. Many kids typically feel it in their weak legs. They'll notice that they can't walk or feel like they just want to sit. Robby's had a few lows that made him irritable and shaky, but the other symptoms are hard to read.

On this particular trip to the pool, we were just about to leave when I remembered I didn't have the diabetes bag (a bag full of the essentials- needles, test strips, BG meter, and lots of sugar snacks to treat an emergency low). For a split second I thought, "Nah, we won't need that today. We'll only be gone for 45 minutes and we literally live a 30 second walk from the pool. If anything goes wrong, we'll just run home."

Uh. Hello? No. That's when the voices in my head reminded me that I have a child with diabetes and we don't go ANYWHERE without that bag, especially not the pool. Miracle #1.

When we got to the pool, I checked Robby's continuous glucose monitor one last time. The monitor isn't waterproof, so we fly blind when we're at the pool. It read that he was at 138 (great number), but was indicating he was in the middle of a slow, gentle drop. So for good measure, I game him half a small box of raisins to be on the safe side.

30 minutes later, Robby said, "I unt nack" (I want snack). This was actually the first time I had ever heard him use these new words. At first I just brushed it off, and thought it was kind of cute. But then he said it like three more times. The thought came that maybe he was low. But I discounted that because he was acting completely normal, and I had just given him a little snack before we got in the water. But then those little voices returned: check his blood sugar now. Miracle #2

I reluctantly pulled him out of the pool and did a quick poke and the meter read...

52

52!?! What??? I ran and got the bag, glad that I had brought it and wishing it had a fast acting sugar like a juice box (why it didn't have a juice box, I don't know). I gave him an entire box of raisins, which he gladly downed and several more yogos for good measure (and then of course gave the rest to a patiently waiting big brother...he knows Robby gets a treat first in cases like this. Good little boy). Immediately Robby was begging to get back in the pool. Uhhh...sorry buddy, they'll be no passing out in the pool today. We gave him a few minutes, re-checked his blood sugar, and then got back in the pool. I hate to think of what that mad dash home would have been like if I had left the bag.

I was grateful for the little voices that whisper in my ear and help me know what my little boy needs and the instant at which he needs them. I rely on that gift and pray for it daily. I am grateful that Robby is starting to recognize what his body needs, and I am confident that as he grows, the spirit will be a strong, guiding influence in his life.

...and one other thing is for sure...when Robby wants a snack, Robby gets a snack.

Labor Day

For Labor Day this year I wanted to do something memorable. We usually lay low so as to avoid all of the crowds, but this year I wanted to get out and do something fun. I don't want this summer to be remembered as "the summer Robby got diabetes and we didn't do anything fun."

So in the spirit of "TAKE THAT, DIABETES" we packed up and headed to the lake for the morning. We may not be able to make it to the beach on the coast, but I still wanted my boys to have some fun in the sand this year...and that they did. The last time we were on the beach was last year in Hawaii...Robby was only 9 months old, so he obviously doesn't remember the experience. It is always fun watching your kids experience something new.

The minute we got there, Tyler made a mad dash for the water. He was fully submerged even before we got sunscreen on him. Robby on the other hand, was thrilled with all the dirt! He was in heaven. He stood on the shore for the first 10 minutes an threw hand full after hand full of mud clods into the water....mud, glorious mud!!!

We had a fantastic time, and created a memory I will cherish for some time.
And diabetes didn't even ruin the day...although it tried.
Robby's pod was on it's third day (it has to be changed every three days). The adhesive was starting to come loose, so we brought along extra insulin and needles just in case. Good thing because when we went to change Robby's clothes, his pod was nowhere to be found. Luckily it stayed on long enough to get his lunch bolus and we had the back-up tools to still deliver insulin after it had come off. We actually got a good chuckle thinking about that thing washing up on shore in a few hours. Once the pod goes dead, if it's not deactivated, it will continuously beep (LOUDLY) for several hours straight. Whoever finds it beeping (or should I say screeching) in the sand is going to be quite perplexed I'm sure.