One month already

It has been a month since Krissy was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. So far our approach of one-day-at-a-time is working well. Lots of good days have turned into a good month. We have learned a lot and cried a lot, but I would say we are all doing great. Krissy has come a long way. A month ago she was the kid that freaked out about having her temperature taken or standing on the scale at the doctor's office. These days she is taking her shots like a champ. She rarely complains about poking her fingers to check her blood sugar. I am thankful she is brave and resilient. We have had so much great love and support from friends and family. Tiff lets Krissy give her her shots. Krissy likes checking her blood at the same time as Papa. Mike, Hollie, Erik & Brittany have all taken the plunge and given themselves shots for Krissy to see. (We are always looking for volunteers, so let me know if you are interested! :) Christian (Krissy's cousin who is 4) asked for a shot one night when I was giving Krissy her shot. He wanted to show Krissy how brave he could be. He sat right on my lap and didn't even flinch when I injected his arm with saline solution.

I realized how quickly we have made this lifestyle transition when I was talking with my sister-in-law, Dani, earlier this week. We were discussing how sick her kids have been this winter and I mentioned how lucky we have been not getting sick...oh, wait, except for getting a chronic disease...

Last night Krissy got the throw-ups & it was a good test of my new "Sick-Day Management" skills. She finished throwing-up by midnight and seems much better today. I am crossing my fingers that she just ate something that upset her tummy.
All in all, we are doing great. Thank you to all of you for your love and support. Here is to many great months ahead!

Fresh Air

I guess I have been feeling a little uninspired the last few days. Today I decided to open a few windows and let a little fresh air in. It is amazing what that does for my spirit! I tend to be a little obsessive about the condition & smell of our home. There is nothing that perks me up quicker than opening the windows, clearing the clutter, scrubbing the sink with Clorox, and spraying few a quick bursts of room spray from Bath & Body Works (they sell them for $5, they last forever, smell amazing, and are well worth every penny...and I am not even getting paid to say that anymore). I have them in, let's just say MANY, scents & even wish I had more. If you ever find yourself feeling a little uninspired, you may want to try this routine yourself! Ahhh, breathing room.

Necco Mighty Malts!

Three years ago my sister-in-law Brittany gave me a box of Easter candy that she was going to throw out. She bought them thinking they were the kind that has the hard candy shell that we all used as "lipstick" when we were kids. Are you following me? She didn't like these ones because they were kind of waxy on the outside. Well, they have definitely become my favorite Easter treat. I found them last year at Wal-mart and bought two bags. When I went back for some more they were all out. And I was pregnant. Aaahh! Knowing it would be another year until they were on the store shelves again I looked for them online, but never found any.
So this year I planned much better. I started with a total of 6 bags. I am hoping they will last for a while. They are so good you could eat them by the handful (and some days I do. I am not proud of that, please don't judge me :) Thank you to Brittany (I guess) for introducing me to my favorite Easter treat.
It got me wondering if anyone else has a favorite Easter treat. What is yours?

Hairspray!

Tonight Krissy said, "Let's play Hairspray!" She went up to her room to choose her costume, then to the bathroom to grab a handful of toilet paper. She stuffed it into one side of her shirt. When she came down the stairs we cracked up! As I am typing this I can hear her singing, "...and I'm Tracy!" This kid definitely has a great imagination! But apparently we have seen Hairspray a few too many times.

Method

A few months ago I saw an Oprah show that was about going "green". I am definitely not the tree-hugging type and we definitely produce much too much waste in this house. I am also not ready to give up my plastic bags at the grocery store, or my energy-consuming lightbulbs, but this is one change that I have made for the good of the environment (and our home)! I fell in love with this line of non-toxic products as soon as I tried it. It does feel good to know that we are helping the environment and to know that I am not poisoning my loved ones with toxic chemicals (at least not as many as before; I am not giving up the Clorox Clean-up either!).
A few of my favorites: the Wood for Good floor cleaner + mop (smells like tasty almond extract), the Pink Grapefruit dish-washing soap, the Pink Grapefruit cleaning wipes (perfect for wiping down the toys the kids put straight in their mouths) and the Daily Shower cleaner. Click here to check out their website. You can also find most of their stuff at Target (another reason we love Target!).

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I love holidays & traditions. Green pancakes, green clothes,  & a green scavenger hunt. It is so fun to have a kid old enough to enjoy all of my old traditions. We also made some yummy Snickerdoodle cupcakes (recipe by Lisa Bearnson on pg. 74 in the QuicKutz cookbook for those who have it.)  We definitely had a fun-filled day. Kendall took a great nap so I did get in a few good hours of work too. Of course, we ended the day with coloring Easter eggs!? I guess there is no better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

Crazy 8

I just got an email about Gymboree's new concept store called Crazy 8.  They have got some darling clothes at great prices.  It kind of reminds me of the Old Navy & Gap relationship.  Well now we have Crazy 8 & Gymboree.  There are no stores around here, so thank goodness for the internet.  You will have to check out crazy8.com.  I'm sure it won't be long before they get our first order!

The Party

Tonight we went to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point to celebrate Kendall's birthday. Afterward we FILLED up our house with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins! What a fun & supportive family we have. Our two families blend perfectly together...no in-law syndrome here.  My sister and her family traveled from Logan, and others traveled from as far as Orem! :)  As you can see, we had a GREAT time!  Thank you to all of you for sharing this special night with us. We sure love you. Happy birthday Kendall!

A few of my favorites!

My friend Melissa graciously agreed to take some pictures of Kendall on her birthday. She has a super cool lens that I am super busy coveting! Here are a few of my favorites. Thanks again Melissa. (It was so fun & I love them.  Let's do it again when the scrubbed-up nose heals.)

Happy Birthday Kendall!

I can't believe you are one already! This year has gone so fast. You bless our lives in so many ways and you definitely keep us on our toes.   I can't wait to see what the next year brings. Happy birthday sweet baby! I love you.

Just in time!

Today Kendall fell on the drive way and scrubbed up her nose, of course, just in time for her 1 year old birthday on Friday.  Poor little thing.  It doesn't seem to be bothering her, and yes, Dad, I did put some Neosporin on it.  She may even be healed up come party time.  I can't believe she is a year old already!  We sure love you baby. 

Hello Diabetes...

...welcome to our home. It sounds like you are here to stay for a while, so come on in and get comfortable, but realize we are in charge of this ship! Krissy is doing so well and everyone is so kind and thoughtful to ask about her. I thought it might be fun to share a bit of our routine. These pictures, while a bit sad, are so precious. I am sure someday we will look back on these and laugh. This is the morning shot ritual, we check her blood sugar, mom gets the shot ready and Krissy goes to hide.

Eventually she comes out and we take care of business. Sometimes mom gets a shot too, other times she gives a shot to her doll Sophie. (Then we go on to repeat this a few  more times each day.)  In the end it is okay because she gets to pick a toy out of The Bag. (If you haven't heard about the bag, keep reading.) She has even gotten to the point where she will ask to test her blood sugar just so she can pick a toy. We will have to work on this one. :) But for now, if it works I won't fight it!
Way to be a trooper Krissy. I know this isn't easy, but we can do it!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Okay, so it is not really my birthday, but sometimes Krissy likes to pretend like it is. Tonight she said, "Mom I have a surprise for you, come and open it!" She was so excited. This is what I found.  When I opened it I said, "It's an Eiffel Tower!"  and she said, "no, it's a microphone!"  

You should see her rock out like Hannah Montana.

Heaven Sent!

The day we got home from the hospital, which was a week ago yesterday, my friend Melissa showed up with this big bag full of wrapped toys. She told Krissy she could pick out a present to open each time she had to get a shot. Call it bribery, call it what you want, but it has been such a lifesaver! Look at it, you can basically see the goodness radiating from it! Now we loving refer to this as "The Bag". It seems like every where we go we pick up something new to go in The Bag.
What a fantastic idea. Thank you so much Melissa! Melissa's blog is linked to mine, if you haven't had a chance to check it out yet I would highly recommend it! I feel lucky to have such a great friend.

Finger paints and Swan Lake

We certainly have no problem staying busy around here.

Kendall

This is a highchair that my sweet grandpa made for us.  It doesn't have a belt attached and she has almost figured out how to get out of it.  It cracks me up when I see this picture.  It shows her determination & spunk!  Don't worry, now we strap her in with Kyle's belt.  It will be a while before she finds a way out of that one.

The St. George Race

Kyle, Erik, Brady, Chase, and Jeff at the end of their 100 mile bike race. I was so proud to see them all finish. Eight hours in the saddle is not an easy feat! Also, some pictures of the kids as we waited for the daddies to come across the finish line. Way to go guys!

A Krissy update

She really is laughing here.  Don't confuse this with torture...not that she hasn't had some of that too!
Check out all of these presents!  She really has been spoiled, and every bit has helped.
Spending time with aunt T, who definitely understands what she is going through.

 
Tonight Krissy was sitting on the kitchen counter and she stood up and bonked her back on the cabinet.  It definitely hurt and definitely left a mark.  Poor girl.  We were discussing the fact that she has had a hard week.  But soon we started to list all the good things that have happened this week too. We really have been blessed.  We have received so many well wishes & gifts. We understand now, at a whole new level, how comforting it is to be in so many people's thoughts and prayers.  It has truly been so heartwarming. Everyone has been so thoughtful and kind.

Krissy is doing great (minus the few times a day we pin her down to give her a shot).  I wanted to share some pictures of our time in the hospital.  You can see she looks healthy and happy.  I hope they will give peace to anyone out there who has been worrying about her.