Goodbye To Twister....For Now

Twister brought joy and laughter to our lives for 14 years.

She was a huge blessing!

I believe with all my heart that God has a special plan for animals and we'll get to see her again.

Oh to hold her just one more time....

Vacation Bible School and Diabetes--Progress!

This was Matthew's 3rd year having diabetes at Vacation Bible School.  The progress I've seen in him over the past few years is nothing short of amazing.

Matthew is such a smart kid.  Fabulous grades, avid reader, and---perhaps best of all---he's a rule follower.   Very important when you have diabetes!

BUT, before you jump to the conclusion that I have the perfect child, you need to know that Matthew is much more interested in robots than diabetes.

He would rather play Minecraft than count carbs.  The child would rather do anything besides think about diabetes!

Which is why it's such a blessing to see him taking over more of his diabetes management.

VBS and Diabetes Three Years Ago

I would hunt Matthew down at snack time.  Whenever I asked how many carbs he thought it was, he would say "10" every single time.  He wasn't thinking about the carbs at all, "10" was just the magic number for him.  I would help him get a more accurate count, give him a shot and leave.

Fast Forward to VBS This Year

We would start each morning with a visit the church kitchen.  Once we found out what the snack would be, we'd discuss it, make a plan, and he was on his own for the rest of the morning.  He had his phone and could call me if he needed to, but he never did.

He was amazing.  Even the day his group got a different snack than what was planned!

He rolled with the punches.

Made a good carb guess.  Bolused.

His BG was right where it should have been at lunchtime.  I couldn't have done better myself!

Some days I think he'll never learn to take over his diabetes care, but clearly he's getting it and I'm so grateful.

Related Links
Giving Myself Grace
School Year Wrap-Up

Focused Summer Fun

Vacation Bible School. Swimming lessons. Diabetes Camp.  For the entire month of June, we have only ONE free day.

All the activities are great, but truthfully June is so busy that "fun" isn't how I would describe it.  "Hectic" might be a better word, but "hectic" isn't the kind of summer I long for.

Focused Fun

This year, I just want to enjoy time together, so we made a list of fun things to do.  Each week we pick an idea and get busy!

Here's our list:

Invent a board game
Eat ice cream once a month
Candy Kiss Memory Game *
Tissue Box Monster*
Make a new recipe
Krispy Kreme for breakfast!
Make a bird feeder*
Plant flowers
Family Hike
Surprise Dad at work for dinner
Sock Fight
Make Monster Bookmarks*
Make a soap cloud*
Adventure bike ride

(Those with an asterisk are from Pinterest.  If you click over, most of them are on the Matthew board.)

One of the best things we've done so far is visit a local mosaic shop to get crafty. Look at this great sword that Matthew made!

Great sword, but he doesn't look very fierce with that big smile!

Kevin made a sunset!

And I made a gecko!

It was a great way to spend Kevin's birthday and we created some fun memories.

Your Turn

It's not too late to start your own Summer Fun List.  Jot down some thoughts.  Ask your kids for ideas and then be sure to share in the comments. I'd love to hear what you're planning!  And I'll probably add them to my list!

Twister's Birthday

Our sweet dog turns 14 today!   Isn't she a cutie?

Just before Matthew was diagnosed with diabetes (about 2 years ago) she got very sick and we didn't think she'd make it.

Today she's happy, playful and doesn't take any medication at all.

However, she does tend to fall asleep.  On anything.

I took this picture when I realized she fell asleep on my library book!

She's goofy and we love her so much!

Happy Birthday Twister!

My Christmas Problem

My Christmas problem is that my husband is the most amazing gift-giver. 

And this is a problem?  Yes!  Stay with me here....

I can casually mention something to him in July and that man will have it under the tree for Christmas!  He's very sneaky that way. 

Always watching.....always listening.....always remembering....

Hmmmm.....Maybe's he's Santa?

Wait!  That sounds good and this really is a problem!

And why, you ask?  Because naturally, I want to do the same for him.  I want to shower my fabulous husband with gifts that he'll adore!

I want him to ooohhh and ahhhh on Christmas morning.  Just like I do!

Unfortunately, I don't have that "Santa" gift for finding the perfect present.

Oh I try!  I really do!  Each and every year. 

And then, without fail, I start the "Christmas Panic."  I just frantically start buying stuff for him. 

Maybe I should get this?  Perhaps I should add that.  I know he spent too much on me, so I better scoop up one more thing!

It's a vicious, never-ending, cycle!

Because I love my husband. 

I love his thoughtfulness.  I love his generosity.  I love his kindness.

But people.  This is really is a problem!

Silly Talk Overnight

Do your kids talk when they're half asleep and you're trying to get them to drink juice?

Sometimes Matthew is hysterical.

Me:  Honey, you need to drink some juice.  Can you drink some juice for me?

Matthew:  Yep. (Then closes mouth.)

Me:  Matthew, I need you to drink some juice.  Open your mouth.

Matthew:  I can't. I'm grounded.

Me:  No, you're not grounded, silly, I just need you to drink some juice.

Matthew:  Oh, I'm just talking to myself.

Me:  (Now I'm really laughing.)  Well....can you drink some juice?  Open your mouth.

Finally, I get the straw in his mouth and he drinks.  What a goof!

School is in full swing....

And it's going great!  (Thank you, Lord!)

The first week, Matthew ran a little low at lunchtime.  VERY surprising because my kiddo gets so excited about school that his sugar runs high.  Guess I was a bit aggressive with fixing that this year....

Anyway, I made adjustments and he ran high on Tuesday.  Whatever.

Today is take three.  Time will tell...

On a related note, I was thinking recently how hard is it to "control" myself when picking him up from school.

He's all excited to tell me about his day...his friends...what goofy things his friends did at lunch.

But me?  Of course, I care about all that stuff.  I really do!

But FIRST I want to know:

Did you go low? 

How many carbs did you take? 

What was your number at lunch? 

No worries though.  I put on my "Mom Face" and toss aside my "D-Mom Face" until Matthew shares his joy.

Then I ask about that other stuff.....

My Troublemaker Boys

So today my boys decided to go for a morning bike ride.

Matthew LOVES biking with Kevin.  They have such fun simply exploring the neighborhood.

Or so I thought.

While they were gone, I planned to dash to the grocery store.  When I got there, this is what I saw in the parking lot:

What a surprise!!


(FYI:  Matthew does wear a helmet, but it's so darn hot that he took it off while they rested...)