Christmas Program 2012

Mrs. Robbi worked hard with the kids to teach them their parts, the songs, and most of all get them to behave long enough to hear anything she had to say. All of the kids did a great job and tried their best.

 

Here is Isabelle’s solo. She was very nervous but did great. She was a little quiet so it might be hard to hear what she was saying. This song also was one of the two that Luke was supposed to sing in.  He loves to sing and knew the words because I have heard him sing them a hundred times. Mrs. Robbi and the other workers told me that he usually behaves and sings and does what he is supposed to.

 

Of course, though, it wouldn’t be a Jay First Baptist Children’s Choir Musical if one of the preachers kids didn’t do something to completely embarrass their parents. This year it was Luke’s turn.  He refused to take a nap yesterday so I thought all of his behavior issues was because of no nap. As it turns out, when we left the church for snacks at the fellowship hall, his blood sugar was 57. He was having a low blood sugar and didn’t have the energy to even sit up towards the end of the song. And this was the last song of the night. He had been up and down the steps to sit in my lap several times. Most of the night he just laid on the steps of the stage.

 

Unfortunately, I have no excuse for the finger up the nose portion of the evening. He said it itched. What can I say?

 

 

I thought that song was beautiful! Nothing better than a group of kids singing happy birthday to Jesus!

 

Anna is still unwilling to take a solo. But she is making progress. This year she moved up front to do an echo part with some of her friends. She barely sang, but she did attempt to hunch over like they were supposed to.  Progress….

 

 

 

 

It was a fun night. Thanks Mrs. Robbi for all the work that you do with our children.

Let The Adventure Begin...

Well....it has been a crazy couple of days to say the least. For those of you that don't know, Luke was diagnosed yesterday with Type 1 diabetes. We have learned a lot over the last 24 hours and I am sure we still have so much more to learn. But for now, the Dietician and the Diabetes Educator have taught us all that they can teach us today. I thought I would answer a few of the questions that we are most often getting from our friends and family while I have a few minutes.

What Happened? I noticed that around the time when the girls started school this year, Luke began to ask for more food and more drinks (in particular) than normal. He was crankier than usual and just all around not the same kid. I accredited this to the fact that his sisters were gone all day, he was bored, and just wanted entertainment. Over the last two weeks, his sleeping has been awful, his naps were getting shorter, his bedtime routine was becoming a problem (whereas he used to just go to bed and fall asleep with no fuss), and he wasn't staying asleep (he'd wake up and whine and need a drink; and even then it wasn't just a matter of him going right back to sleep like he used to do).

Last weekend, we took a surprise trip to Disney World with the kids and Grandma. We drove on Thursday night and into Friday morning. When he should have been sleeping he was waking up and pitching a fit for a drink every 20 minutes; which were then followed by bathroom breaks 20 minutes later. If we tried to tell him no drinks, he just screamed hysterically (no calming him down). This is very unusual for my little Luke. His mood became more irritable and liquid dependent throughout that Friday. Friday night was even worse and we got only a few hours of sleep. On Saturday while in the parks, he again just wanted to drink constantly! Even if we distracted him and didn't give him a drink, we stopped at a bathroom every 20 minutes and he peed a gallon. Finally we figured, if we are stopping anyway, we'll just give him the drinks to keep him happy. And by this point, he wasn't getting sodas or anything sugary. We were only giving him water because of how much he was drinking. This in itself is unusual. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't touch water. Now he was drinking 12 to 15 glasses a day plus three or four glasses of milk. Grandma mentioned that maybe we should just mention it to the doctor because those are the symptoms that her doctors ask her about regarding diabetes. And again, it was obvious that this was not his normal behavior. This started me thinking (well...to be honest, worrying) about my days as a gestational diabetic and that if he was having high or low blood sugars, it was no wonder he was so cranky. Will's words were, "Mom, don't tell her that stuff, just tell her that everything is fine." Amazing how men want to exaggerate everything until it comes to the health of their children.
    
Tuesday, Will talked with Robbi at the church and she mentioned that some of those symptoms were the same as what her grandson had when he had some kidney issues. The drinking and peeing continued Tuesday and then Tuesday night was so bad that he ended up in the bed with us and that never happens. So, we decided that we just needed to have our fears addressed so that if nothing was wrong we could do the tough love parenting and not feel bad about it. We really thought that we'd have a quick trip to the doctor and she would say we were overreacting and send us on our merry way. Of course, though, after peeing constantly for five days, when we need Luke to give us a urine sample at the doctors office it was about near impossible. 45 minutes later, after we get him to oblige, the doctor comes in and says, "well there was glucose in his urine and some keytones evidenced. I am waiting on a call from the Pediatric Endocrinologist to see what to do next. So, just make yourselves comfortable we could be a while." They did a finger stick to get a blood glucose reading. The doctor came back in and said, "It was 377, I just want to prepare you that usually when we diagnose new onset diabetes in children, we admit them to the hospital for a few days."

Let the phone calls begin.... Called my mom to come take care of the girls for a few days (she then had her own phone calls to make to prepare her household). Called the church to let them know that Will would be out a few days and we would not make it to AWANA (Bill then had phone calls to make to cover Wednesday service and AWANA stuff for us). Called Will's mom (she then made phone calls to let that side of the family know). Called Robbi to arrange pick-up for the kids from school.

Now for Sacred Heart....we walk right in and were put immediately into a room (better than checking into a hotel; no wait!) After the blood gas was drawn (which he still has a big cut from) we moved onto the IV. After three different tries and two nurses attempting the sticks in the wrists, we moved on to a third nurse and another stick in the inside of his elbow. This time she got it! Oh, but wait, she didn't tape it, so it came out. So, now, we have a fifth stick with an IV needle. Needless to say, by this time, he was crying, I was crying, and Will was in the corner trying not to pass out. Uncle Mike had shown up and he was there discussing the Vein Finder machine with the other nurses in the room. (For those of you that know him, you'll find that amusing.) Once that was over we went back to the room to work with the diabetes educator in figuring out how to manage and control his diabetes.

 


After the first finger stick and the first insulin shot, Luke learned that every time someone wheels something into the room, it usually means something not nice is coming. At some point last night, when Will was checking for keytones and had something in his hand, Luke looked at him and said, "Are you gonna cut me daddy? Please don't cut me." If that doesn't break your heart, then you don't have a soul!

During our education portion of the days, we learned that Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease and for some reason, the body decides to attack the cells that are producing insulin. After it destroys all of those cells the body doesn't have a way to produce insulin and there is no correction for this. This means insulin shots for the rest of his life.




They don't have any idea why this happens, there is no rhyme or reason for it. Nothing we did could have prevented it, caused it, or slowed it down. Nothing he ate or didn't eat could have helped. It is random and unexplainable. In Type 2 diabetes, the body still makes insulin, it just can't get the insulin to the cells that need it. This type is preventable, curable and can be controlled with diet. Type 1 can not be. Type 1 diabetes is NOT caused by a family history of Type 2 diabetes. It is no one's fault.




Our goals to get out of the hospital are to get the keytones out of the urine, go through all of the education classes, and get Luke's sugars regulated so that we will have a starting point for going home. The keytones are out of the urine, the education classes have been completed, and now we are just trying to get the sugars regulated so that we can go home. They are still swinging from the 120's to the 3 and 400's after he eats. We need them to stay between 80 and 180 most of the time.

Thank you all for your prayers and concerns! Thank you to everyone that is helping out with the girls and church. Please pray for the girls. They know that he has diabetes, but they are not sure why he has to be in the hospital and they want him home. They are worriers like their Mama.

Thanks again for the prayers, we hope to be home tomorrow.

Our Shutterfly Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

Beach Pictures 2012

I want to start off by saying a big thanks to Jenny and Jason for taking the pictures and being patient with our chaos as we tried to get our three kids to cooperate.

 

Last year due to a very busy year and crazy schedule we didn’t get a chance to do our annual beach pictures. This year we were able to take pictures during our vacation to Destin, Florida. I wish the kids would have cooperated a little more. There were some really great pictures but it never failed that in those pictures one child would be making a funny face or looking the wrong way. Here are the good ones that I am okay with sharing…

 

I love this picture!  But you should see the other twenty pics of him pushing them away and us trying to get him to be still to take this one photo.

 

Isabelle

 

Anna

 

Luke

 

 

Luke was a ham and thought it was funny to stick his tongue out in almost every photo!

This one was really dark. I tried to lighten it up a little but it is still kind of dark. I just loved the sunset in this photo.

I am hoping that Will can edit out the people in the background on this photo.

 

I really like this picture (except for Luke not smiling)! Love the reflection of the sun on the water! And it looks like God is giving us a thumbs up in the cloud behind us.

Me and the kids!

The moon began to shine during our picture taking so we took a few photos in the opposite direction.

Anna and Josie in the moonlight!

Here is a beautiful picture of Jada and Isabelle in the sunset.

Apart from my hair in front of my face, this ended up being the best picture of Will and me.

 

Apparently, when we used the timer, Luke was excited about the flashing light because the two group shots that we took turned out to be Luke’s best photos.

Miracles Do Happen!

Tuesday, while Jenny and I were planning VBS, she said in a joking manner, “I hear a cat; do y’all have a cat?” I laughed and said, “no, you must be hearing things!”

 

A little while later while we were outside with the kids, we continued to hear a little cat sound. Refusing to believe that we would have to deal with a cat, I ignored it for as long as possible. Finally, when all four little girls started climbing up on the fence to see the cat that they were hearing, the adults went to looking for it too.  We found it living in the carport of the church, amidst the tractors and lawn equipment.

 

Well of course my kids immediately started in with the ‘can we keep it, can we keep it’ business. I tried my darnedest to get Jenny to take it home with her.  The kids started throwing scraps of food over the fence (unbeknownst to us) to feed it. They named it Annie and from then on it was ‘their’ kitten. It started sneaking into our backyard (under the fence) whenever the kids were outside playing. Wouldn’t let anyone near it; just wanted to be in the yard when the kids were swimming and playing.

 

Will and I did take pity on it because we didn’t want our kids to walk out into the yard and find Annie dead at the fence. We fed it milk and cheerios (isn’t that the breakfast of champions?).

 

Everyday it got a little more brave, was a little harder to scare off, and hung out in our yard just a little bit more. I had visions of it using our sandbox as a litter box, Luke wanting to know what the little black things were in his sandbox, and me having to deal with worms (for the kitten and the kids) and fleas on a weekly basis. So, I told Will that this Sunday we would ask everyone we came in contact with at church until someone said they’d take it. I ended up in the nursery and of course Will didn’t do what I asked him to.  So tonight, while I was in church I asked a sweet lady that I knew had lots of animals (on a farm) and would surely take just one more.  Sure enough, she said yes.

 

So tonight, after telling the kids that Annie would have a wonderful home, lots of food, lots of fun, other animals to play with, humans that were not allergic to it, and a safe place to live; the kids were thrilled that someone was going to care for their little Annie.  Then began the task of catching the little thing that wouldn’t let anyone near it.

 

We bribed it with more milk, and Will (even though he is allergic) because I am not an animal person inched his way closer and closer and built up trust until the kitten let him touch it.  We immediately boxed it up (with air holes for all of you doubters out there) and taped it shut to be given to the church lady after choir practice was over.

 

The kids wanted to say goodbye and watch the lady take the kitty, so we all sat out on the front porch waiting for choir practice to end. Across the parking lot we noticed that the lid of the box is coming up and that darn kitten was escaping! Apparently, Will and I underestimated the ability of a little kitten to worm its way out of a cardboard box.  It immediately crawled up into the engine of the truck that it was next to.

 

My husband, the hero, crawled on the ground and coaxed that kitten out of the engine. This time he decided to just hold onto it until choir practice was over. So for about thirty minutes, Will was the cat whisperer and I was able to take a few photos to remember this day.

 

Yes, we know that Luke is wearing purple sparkly flip flops. Isabelle and Anna sacrificed their feet so that Luke could walk on the pavement.

 

 

Go ahead, let the heckling begin…I know, I know, we are horrible parents for not letting our kids have a pet. But in defense, the kids ran from it and hid behind me every time it got anywhere near them. Luke’s words were, “hey big fella!” “Awww, he’s cute, but I don’t want him in my backyard.” So, we felt bad for about ten seconds until we got inside and I had to start digging around for Benadryl and eye drops for Will.

 

Thank you Mrs. Helene for taking our little Annie!

My Weekend Art Project

Over the last couple of months Will and I have been working to cleanup the pool area and make it look a little neater. Also, we were trying to keep down the amount of grass and dirt that the kids tracked in when climbing in and out of the pool.

 

We started by deciding to make a circle around the pool out of cement borders from Lowe’s. While debating about what to put in the circle (rocks, dirt, mulch, etc.) a friend of ours found a place that sells a truck load of beach grade sand for 25 dollars. I said, “yes please!” 

 

 

Before we finished purchasing (we were collecting them over time) the cement borders, the wife of the same friend found a church member that was selling pool steps for 25 dollars (these steps go on craigslist for 150 used, 300 new). Again I said, “yes please!” And now I feel so much safer getting out of the pool.

 

 

After getting the steps, we decided we needed a walkway to keep down the grass and dirt that the kids were tracking. After looking and debating, we finally decided on a little cobblestone type road. I think it turned out pretty cute! And I am so proud of my husband for using tools and cutting stone and making them fit just the way they needed to.

 

 

Then we discovered that whoever had to stand there and scoop out all of the bugs had to stand in sand. So, we decided on stepping stones to go around the pool so that we could stand on those instead.

 

At first, I thought about making my own, Pinterest-style; with the cracked up glass and beads, and concrete mixed in my baking pans.  After realizing that I just didn’t want that much work, but I did want something cute that the kids could help me with; I decided to just paint the premade cement squares.

 

So, each kid got to help with two and then I did one family stone. Here are the pictures of the stones and then one of the pool from afar to see how they stand out.

 

Anna and her mermaid.

Anna and her sheep.

Isabelle and her crab.

Isabelle and her giraffe.

Luke and his monkey.

Luke and his owl.

Our family tree.

 

Now, if only the sealer holds up and the weather doesn’t ruin them within the first summer I will be a happy girl!

2012 Canoe Trip

Well…. I guess that isn’t the correct title for this year’s get together!

 

Despite Aunt Jan being in the hospital, Grandma having Shingles, the worst one day rainfall in 70 years for Pensacola, and a last minute change of plans, we had a blast!

 

We held out on cancelling until the very last minute. Sometimes when it is pouring rain in Pensacola, Pace, and Fort Walton Beach, it is dry as a bone up here in the north end of the county. So we had hoped that the rain would stay away until the afternoon.  After waking up on June 9, 2012 in Jay, Florida and realizing that that was just not a possibility at all; the decision was made to cancel the canoe trip.

 

I believe someone tossed around the phrase ‘let’s just reschedule for another day.’  But since it takes us (the Rushing bunch) a good six months to get one Saturday where we are all available, that was just simply not going to happen.  After realizing that it was that day or never for 2012, we decided to go to Lamberts in Foley, Alabama since only three of the people that were going had ever been there.

 

Our lesson of the day… When you go to a beach town and it is raining, EVERYONE packs into the nearest restaurant and shopping malls! After waiting for a good 45 minutes or more, we were seated; all 18 of us.

 

 

Will is taking the picture. Without him climbing into the booth with the people behind him, he only got half of my face, Angela’s roll, and no Luke. And of course none of the kids were paying attention since they were talking 90 miles an hour.

 

I had hoped that Luke would fall asleep on the car ride and be ready to go when we got there. However, that did not happen. So of course, as soon as we were seated he fell asleep. He took about a 30 minute nap like this…

 

 

The waiters and waitresses came around and played their jokes on everyone by pretending to spill a pitcher of tea, mustard, and a pot of beans on people. I think Parker (from what I am told because I didn’t get to see him) had the best reaction of the day. That honor probably would have gone to Mrs. Brooks had she not seen what they did to Parker and been expecting it.  As far as I know the only person from our group to get pegged in the face with a ‘throwed’ roll was Graci (again… I missed it).

 

When our food came out this is what I ended up with…

 

 

I took the majority of it home with me. For those of you wondering, that is a bread bowl that the salad is in.

 

After dinner, we all braved the flood and went to the outlet mall. We found some really good deals and the guys all stayed outside on the sidewalk with the kids and waited (and waited and waited) patiently (and sometimes not so patiently)!

 

This was the closest we got to a canoe for the day. Although, from what I hear, a canoe is what many people needed that day to get out of the homes and places of business.

 

 

We missed Aunt Debbie, Uncle Bill, Donna, Logan, Kaden, Kelly, Billy, Aunt Judy, Uncle Ron, and anyone else I am forgetting that was unfortunately unable to go with the change of plans.

 

Thanks to the three Rushing families, Mrs. Brooks, Tina, Jamie, and Jennifer for the fun day! Oh, and thanks to the lady that we stopped on the sidewalk to take our picture. She probably thought we were crazy for posing with a mechanical boat.

 

Oh, and a BIG thanks to Grandma, Mrs. Joyce, Aunt Joyce, Joyce or whatever else you refer to her as for the meal AND for sharing her and Mr. Butch’s anniversary with all of us!

Isabelle’s First Piano Recital

Last night May 18, 2012, Isabelle played in her first piano recital. She was nervous but really excited. She objected to the dress and the curtsy, but did very well.  After hearing the other girls, she is very excited about taking more lessons (we were a little tired after a year of lessons).  She plays Love Somebody, Skip to My Lou, and I’m a Little Teapot.

 

 

I asked Anna if she wanted to take lessons next year and she said no because she didn’t want to do the recital. I immediately went back to my dance classes, karate classes, beauty pageants, and pretty much everything else that I did that required me to be the center of attention. I think the only reason I made it through band was because it was a group thing and I was never the only one playing.  I know just how she feels.

 

Here is a picture of Isabelle and her teacher, Mrs. Bondurant.

 

Anna’s 1st Grade Field Trip to the Zoo!

Yesterday, we went to the Gulf Breeze Zoo with Anna’s first grade class. The day was beautiful and perfect for an outdoor field trip. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice, and big, the zoo was after hearing people talk about it. I was not expecting much.

 

Here is Anna at the Gorilla cutout on the boardwalk.

 

Anna and Jazmyn liked the trash cans. Here they are in front of the zebra trash can. Crazy kids.

 

Here is Anna and Jazmyn posing with what looked like a white peacock to me.

 

Here is Anna with the peacock.

 

Anna took this picture. I thought it wasn’t too bad.

 

Jazmyn’s mom, Janey, took this picture of the girls. I don’t know if food was on this window or what, but that bear sat there for the longest time licking and clawing at the window. Luke just giggled hysterically when I put him in front of it. If you can’t tell, that is Anna and Jazmyn in the window.

 

I think these birds were sleeping. They were pretty!

 

Anna as a raccoon!

 

Anna, the tiger!

 

Anna with the giraffes. She took this picture for her sister. She refused to feed them.

 

Here are some of the kids in Anna’s class trying to feed the giraffe. You’ll notice that Anna is in the back not holding up her hand.  Because the kids were so short, the giraffe had to stick its tongue out about six inches to get the food from their hands. It was so gross! I really don’t blame Anna.

 

Anna and her sheep. She loved looking at the lambs.

She was willing to feed the llama from the cup.

 

These Siamang Monkeys were really showing out for everyone in the afternoon. We could hear them from all over the zoo.  The kids were laughing and hollering at them. It was quite a sight. Luke, however, was shaking and ended up pulling his sun shade down so that he didn’t have to look at them. They were about six feet away and were extremely loud. We watched them for a long time. At the end of the video, you can hear Luke try to imitate the sound of the monkeys.

 

 

 

It was a wonderful day! Hopefully she’ll have some great memories!

 

Oh, and I just have to say that I will NEVER AGAIN go into a bird house to feed birds!