The Croaky Pokey

We checked out The Croaky Pokey from the library.  Kaylee LOVED to read/sing it!

 

First Days of School

Kaden started first grade this year.  He was so excited for school!

Then he started getting goofy because we were taking so many pictures.

Kaylee is going to a neighborhood preschool we're doing.  We are each taking turns teaching.  So far she loves it!

Story behind the rock: It's her baby.  Every time we go outside, she has to snuggle it.  She thinks I'm mean because I won't let it in the house because it will scratch the floor.  She's accepted that it will stay outside and she treats it with great care when she goes out.

Overheard - Kadenisms

Kaden has said some funny things the last few days.  This one happened tonight.

 

Jaron: Hey guys, they're doing fireworks over by the high school. Come upstairs and see if you can see them through the trees.
Me: We might be able to see them better if we walk up the street
(kids frantically get shoes on and we walk)
Kaden: Who's doing fireworks?
Me: I don't know who it is. 

Kaylee: Can we see the fireworks?
Me: I think they might be done now
Kaden: Done with what?
Me: Fireworks
Kaden: They're doing fireworks?!?!?

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On Wednesday, we went to the Brigham City Temple Open House.  We had to leave right when Kaden got home from school, but he had to change into his church clothes.  Picture a two-year-old in an all out tantrum over not being able to have the lolipop they want.  Now put that with Kaden and you might be able to picture what was going on.  He did not want to put on church clothes.  I can't say I blame him; it was Wednesday after all.  He finally decided to change his clothes.  As he was pouting and taking his clothes off, he all but screamed, "Can I at least keep my underwear on there?"  Trying not to laugh, I replied, "Yes, yes please keep your underwear on there."

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And here's some pictures from the temple.

 

Kaylee was so excited to see what the temple felt like on the outside. 

Kaylee has to pose in front of flowers as often as possible.



This is how Kaden's face was most of the time when a camera was pointed at him.

This was the least cheeseball picture I could get.

The temple is beautiful and I'm so glad we were able to go!

Surprise!

So, if anyone still reads this, remember how I keep saying I'm going to go back and catch up?  Umm, yeah, that may not happen.  We had a little surprise Wednesday night!  Jaron was doing homework and I was getting Kaden to bed, when this conversation happened:

Cindy: Hey Jaron, how busy are you right now?

Jaron (thinking there was a bug or something that needed squishing): Ummm, hang on

Cindy: Ok, will you come here when you have a minute?

(Jaron comes upstairs to the bathroom)

Cindy: Ummm, so my water just broke.

Jaron frantically tried to pack a bag and get the kids ready to take to my sister's house while I pretty much just laughed.  This happens to other people, not us!  I had thought all day that I needed to get my bag packed, but I was getting other stuff done, which was all very productive, too. 

So, off we went!  Then we realized my sister had never given Kaylee a shot.  That was one of those things that every time we were with her, Kaylee never needed a shot.  Luckily it was late enough that she wasn't going to need anything until morning.  At that point, Jaron would be ok to go help with her if he needed to.

So, yeah.  Labor was pretty quick and easy.  Emily didn't do awesome with the Pitocin, so it took a little longer than they expected because they had to turn it off.  But it still wasn't bad considering.

So, here she is!  She's definitely tiny at 6 lbs 10 oz.

And, can I just say, I would totally recommend Davis Hospital?  The cosmetology school comes and does manicures, pedicures, cut/styles, and facials to get their hours in.  Umm, hello, I'll take a pedicure, please!

Bryce, Stephanie, and Bradley came to visit.  He looks huge next to her!

Jaron brought the kids that night.  Kaylee was asleep, but Kaden was so excited to see her! 

On discharge day.  Kaylee loves holding her...

...and gets quite mad when it's someone else's turn.

Emily all dressed and ready to go home. 

My sister and her kids came to visit today.  Whitney and Hillary loved holding Emily!

So, there's a little story behind this.  We've always gotten the kids a special stuffed animal from somewhere we went while I was pregnant with them.  Kaden has his bear, Henry.  Kaylee has a Koala (that we haven't ever named).  And now Emily has Jack the Moose.  We got him while we were camping in Jackson Hole last month.  She's not too sure about him, but hopefully she'll learn to love him! 

So far she has been an excellent baby.  She's an awesome sleeper and eater!  She doesn't cry (except when we put her in the carseat.  Hopefully she gets over that one).  And when she's awake, she's just so happy to take in everything around her.  She's so calm when Kaden holds her.  She's so intrigued by everything he says.  If she's awake when Kaylee holds her, she gets pretty wiggly, but still very happy.  I'm not sure what that means about how she feels toward her big sister, but it's kinda cute.

Garden

We decided we're crazy enough to plant a huge garden and have a baby in the same summer.  Luckily my sister lives close and is helping with it all.  So far it's been pretty successful.  I don't have a picture of the whole thing, but we've picked plenty of radishes and peas already.  We've got a cucumber on the vine and the pumpkins are out of control.  We'll have so many tomatoes for yummy salsa, too!  I even managed to save the garlic I planted upside down.  Hopefully it really works, since I've never grown it before. 

This was the second round of radishes.  I filled two and a half more of these 2 lb strawberry containers.  They're pretty hot because I didn't do an aweseome job of watering.  Oops!

Jaron's parents gave us a few Daylillies when we moved into our house.  This is the first year they have blossomed, and they're beautiful!  I love the colors!

I'm always amazed at how things grow.  We're on our third year with a veggie garden, and I'm still shocked that stuff actually grows when we plant it.  I've never had much of a green thumb, but whatever we're doing seems to be working ok!

New Cousins

Our kids are getting lots of cousins and second cousins this year.  We're lucky to have Bradley living close to us for the summer.  The kids LOVE him and always talk about how he sticks his tongue out and spits his binky out.

End of School

Kindergarten ended on June 1.  Kaden LOVED Mrs. Lowry and keeps saying how much he will miss her this summer.  He's a little confused about her not being his teacher next year.  Hopefully he'll get to see her every once in awhile!

This is a little clip of the video from the program they did.  Kaden is on the stage being a monkey.  I think they saved that part for the goofy kids in the class!

Happy Birthday, Kaylee!

Kaylee turned three in May!

She had fun helping decorate her cake.

Grandma and Grandpa sent a new outfit for her "special baby."  Now she has more than just jammies.

Blowing out the candles. 

We spent the evening at Chuck E. Cheeses playing.  It's a favorite for the kids. 

See Kaden's birthday for her present from us if you didn't already.

Happy Birthday to my sweet little girl!

Happy Birthday Kaden

Kaden turned six in May!

With his and Kaylee's birthdays so close, we decided to do one big present...a trampoline!  My wonderful brother-in-law helped Jaron set it up the night before so the kids would be surprised in the morning.  Kaylee's reaction was much more enthusiastic than Kaden's.

 

Kaden had his first friend party with lots of kids!

He wanted a Pokemon party, but I couldn't find much for it.  Once the friends heard we'd gotten a trampoline, they pretty much played outside the whole time, so that was fine.  I can't believe my little guy is already six!

Gratitude

This past weeked, right after Kaylee was diagnosed with diabetes, we went to Logan for a baby blessing.  We stayed at Jaron's grandparent's.  Jaron's grandpa is a Patriarch in the LDS church and he gave Kaylee a wonderful blessing while we were there.  I felt like it was as much for me as it was for her.  I think we've all been a bit calmer since and truly feel the love our Heavenly Father has for each of us. 

The Day Our World Changed...

...or so I thought.  Kaylee has been peeing like crazy for a couple of weeks.  Like, potty training was put completely on hold because it was out of control. Last Monday night, we were fed up with it (and worried, it had been the worst day of it).
On Sunday, I had talked to my mom about some family history of urinary tract issues and thought that may be it.  I had called the doctor and they couldn't really give suggestions, but said if everything else seems normal, it would probably be ok to wait until her well child check next week.  She'd been grumpy, but she's a three year old girl who is just as emotional as her mom.  She hadn't been drinking a whole lot more than normal, so in my mind I tried to rule out diabetes.  We'd just wait it out for a week. 
As the day went on, I knew something was wrong.  Then she soaked THROUGH a night time diaper in an hour, and was still peeing.  I think Jaron and I both knew, but didn't want to accept it.  Jaron checked her blood sugar and it was high enough his meter wouldn't read it.  Diabetes was real for us.  What we had prepared for, but hoped wouldn't happen.  So, we dropped Kaden at one of my amazing sister's (I do have several amazing ones, but only one that lives close). 
We got checked into the ER, they poked her too many times trying to get an IV in, and her blood sugar was well over 600 there.  They did tons of poking, proding, and testing, and everything else with her was fine.  No Ketones in her urine, nothing else weird.  So, they set us up to be admitted to Primary Children's Medical Center in the morning and we got to go home around midnight.

In the ER before being poked

There were tears from all of us that night, but by morning, we were much more calm.  We got to the hospital and it seemed like every fear washed away.  We were never in the dark about anything.  Kaylee was so loved by everyone (even though she was wearing two different shoes, oops!).  They have so many fun things for the kids.  She even got to stay in her own clothes and jammies the whole time.  They didn't have to do an IV or draw any blood, so she kept telling us how nice the doctors there were. 

Watching Bob the Builder in her froggie jammies and mismatched flip flops (Jaron accidentally grabbed two different ones on our way out the door).  Pretty much every nurse, doctor, and tech commented on it.

We got a lot of education over those two days, and came home Wednesday night feeling calm (at least I did.  I'm not sure how Jaron really felt).  I could check her blood sugar, give shots (something I never thought I would be able to do), and count carbs (sort of).  Kaylee didn't want to leave the hospital because they have an awesome play room.  They even have an outside play room, but it was way too cold to go out.  She still talks about going back to play there.
We're so blessed that we caught this early and there weren't other complications with it. 

Things I've learned

• I knew a lot more about diabetes than I thought
• There are more carbs in some veggies and not as many in some fruits as I thought
• I am capable of giving shots - something I never thought I could do unless Jaron was completely unconscious

Things I'm grateful for:

• Jaron has diabetes.  Not that I'm glad he has it, but that because he does, we know what's going on and I have a resource at home to help Kaylee
• Kaylee is going through this and not Kaden
• Insurance. This may sound petty, but we increased our coverage in January to have better maternity coverage. It has also helped with all of Jaron's diabetes supplies. So really, timing couldn't have been better because we would have gone back to the lower coverage after the baby is born. 
• A sister that lives so close and is willing to take my kids on a whim.  She just moved here in October and it is such a blessing to be close to family again!
• Many supportive parents and grandparents.  Jaron's parents made sure I knew I could call any time, since they went through this too.

So really, life isn't nearly as crazy or stressful with all this as I thought it would be.  We're all handling it much better than I ever expected.

I'll try and keep things updated, but no promises. I don't plan on posting all about her blood sugars, highs, lows and doses. But you may see the occasional A1C check and maybe when she gets a pump, and any other adventures that come with it. I still need to catch up on birthdays and school being out, so watch for those!

Another Track Meet

Kaden's track meet yesterday was combined with the Ogden Track Club.  There weren't any from Ogden in his 50 M Dash, though.  The younger kids only got to choose two events this time, so here's what he did.

50 M Dash (That's my sister in the background saying he's practicing for hurdles.  I guess at least this time he wasn't looking at us!)

Softball Throw.

Is this not the most amazing form you've ever seen for someone to throw a softball?  Maybe we'll look at soccer next...

Overheard - Kayleeism

A little while ago, Kaylee came into my room and laid on my belly and the baby started to kick.  I said, "Kaylee, did you feel the baby kick you?" She replied, "No, I just hear her sing and it tickles my ear!"

Track Meet

Kaden wanted to run track this year.  His first meet was yesterday, and I was a little nervous for him.  But, he ran a 50 M Dash and a 100 M Dash.  He didn't stop during the races at all.  He did get last place, but I'm proud that he did it.

100 M Dash (the memory card got full in the middle of the race.  Go figure!)

Walking back with Aunt Chari after his 50 M Dash. 

(More pictures or video to come later.  I think Jaron took some on his phone, which I don't have right now)

Easter

We started out Easter weekend Saturday morning with a hunt at Barnes Park with cousins.  It was fun, but all cleaned up very quick!  (Jaron took Kaden with his age group, so pictures may or may not come later).

We had dinner at my brother's house that night and he had an egg hunt set up in the back yard.  The kids couldn't believe they got to do another one!

And, of course, I didn't take a picture of the kids dressed up.  I made Kaylee a dress, but Kaden didn't get new church clothes.  Oh well, some day!

It's A....

Last Thursday we found out what we are having.  We had dinner with my family on Saturday, so I decided to make colored cookie dough (eggless, so safe to eat) and dip it in chocolate to announce what it is.  They were pretty yummy!

Jump Around Utah

Kaden's reward for being good at school for 20 days was to go to a bouncy house.  I saw a deal for Jump Around Utah, so we went.  Driving there, I wasn't sure what we'd get.  It's in the ghetto full of warehouses.  But it really was a neat place.  In the middle, there was a giant jumping pillow that was so fun.  There was also a soft play area and a bunch of inflatables. 

 This video is sideways (someday I'll learn that I can't turn the camera sideways for video), but it shows that Jaron had just as much fun as the kids.

p.s. I'm not a total pooper who didn't get on anything.  I got really dizzy on the jumping pillow, so I didn't play much.

April Fools

For April Fools, we had to come up with something to do to the kids.  We made cookies and at first I thought I'd just leave out the chocolate chips.  Right, as if the kids would care.  So Jaron suggested sprinkling them with garlic salt.  Yuck!

Overheard - Kadenism

Kaden: Mommy, you're nice.  Like Santa.  And Jesus.

Wow, not what I was expecting to hear from the kid who usually tells me I'm mean!

Overheard - Kadenism

While Kaden was talking to Grandpa Ken on the phone, I heard him ask, "What did you say?  I'm not very good at listening."

Overheard - Kayleeism

Kaylee: I don't like dogs
Mommy: why?
Kaylee: I just like puppies.  And tiny tiny ones.  And black dogs.

Overheard - Kadenism

Kaden: What's an idea?
Mom: Something you think in your head.
Kaden: I have no idea what an idea is.

Overheard - Kayleeism

This morning, Kaden took out a lot of shoes while looking for his church shoes.  (We keep most of our shoes in a basket in the coat closet for easy accessibility).  I told both kids that whoever took them out needed to put them back.  Kaylee immediately walked to the pile, pointed at it and said in her adorable almost-three-year-old voice, "Kaden, you clean up dis holy crap!"

I guarantee she got that from me.  Yes, I should have my mouth washed out with soap.

Overheard - Primary

Today during singing time in Primary, during the game being played the chorister announced we'd be singing "Choose The Right.". A boy cried out, "No, not that!". Then he started bawling and sayong he didn't want to sing that song.  I guess he has some strong feelings about what we should be singing!

Treehouse Museum

We spent the afternoon yesterday at the Treehouse Museum in Ogden.  It was so fun!  We could have spent several more hours there!

My sister doing a puppet show for the girls

Kemery and Kaylee watching the puppet show

Kaylee standing on the map where we live (almost, she wouldn't stay in the right county)

Kaylee and Kaden in the teepee that's "just like my teepee" as Kaylee explained.  It's a little bigger than ours, though.

In the fire truck 



Kaden's favorite spot (I think, it was hard to drag him away from here).  It's a velcro wall where you line up the tracks and tubes to get the ball into a bucket.

Kaden did really like this, too.  You got to get a parachute guy up on a pulley, then drop him and see if you can hit the target. 

The music was fun!

I don't know what these are called, but you may be able to look at the picture and tell what it is.  I'm not even going to try and explain.  But we got to draw our own pictures to put inside and spin to see them move.

I think this was Kaylee's favorite.  We got to go to the hospital and play with the babies. 

They even got to put their babies on the scale and it told us how much they weighed.

And we finished off the day with a giant game of chess.  Not so much of a chess game as putting all the pieces on the board and knocking them over.