The month of Ordinances

On December 14th, our church announced an age change for the ordination to the priesthood. Haken will be turning 12 years old this June and would be able to be ordained to the priesthood. However, under these new changes, 11 yr olds can be ordained in January of the year they turn 12 yrs old. This means that Haken could be ordained a full 6 months sooner than we anticipated. This was a huge surprise for us and I was pretty emotional about it when I read the announcement.

When I heard the news I had a confirmation that this change was from God. The youth of our day are so ready for this change. They are more prepared than ever before. Haken has been doing family history and indexing for the last year and been on fire. He absolutely loves it and has really gained a testimony of the restored gospel by doing that work. He could not wait to be ordained so he could go to the temple to perform baptisms for those names that he had found. When he came home from school that day we sat together as a family and read the letter from the first presidency to them. Haken sat there for a minute and then said "wait...that means...I can go to the temple?!"

On Sunday, January 6th he was ordained to the Aaronic priesthood in our home by Shad. A member of the bishopric and the Noonans came to our house for the ordination because I was still staying home from church with the twins. We had grandma and grandma Anderson and Grandma Lori on facetime to see it.

I am so proud of him being worthy to be ordained to the priesthood. He is a special kid and such a great example to his siblings. He was so excited to pass the sacrament and attend the temple. He didn't have to wait long. That Friday, January 11th, he went to the Indianapolis temple for the first time. He had his clothes all laid out in his room ready to go the night before. It made me laugh when I peaked in there.

He was able to take the names of the ancestors he had found and performed baptisms in their behalf. I wasn't able to go, but Shad loaded up the new 15 passenger van and headed to Indianapolis right before the storm came in the next day. Haken's friend Laney was also able to go for her first time with him. Monica, James, Eliza, Dayna Perkins, and her three kids, Bryton, Meadow, and Micah also came. It was the first time we had taken the van out and everyone had a great time together. I was sad that I wasn't able to be there, but I'm sure there will be lots more opportunities to go with him. In fact, we went the next Friday to Nauvoo when we had all of the grandparents in town for Jack's baptism and the twins blessing.

My mom had flown in on the 7th of January and Steve and Kristin had flown in on the 17th.

Steve and Kristin had never been to Nauvoo before so we decided to go the next day. We loaded up the 15 passenger van with all of our kids, the 3 grandparents, Monica, Eliza, and Laney. It was our first time having our whole family together in the big van. The twins traveled really well. Grandma sat between them and popped in the binkis when needed.

We stopped at Carthage jail on the way to Nauvoo. I fed the babies in the visitors center while everyone else took a tour.

We grabbed some lunch and then headed into Nauvoo. When we got there Shad dropped us off at the visitors center, except for Steve and Kristin. He took them to explore Nauvoo a little bit. It was freezing! There was a huge storm coming in the next day. I sat in the theater and fed the babies while Monica and my mom took the kids on a sleigh ride and wagon oxen ride. They had a great time even though it was cold.

Then we headed to the temple. My mom watched the kids in the welcome center while the Haken, Laney, and Eliza did baptisms and the rest of us went and did an endowment session. I was so grateful that my mom could come with us so I could go to the temple. With us being so far away from any temples and the babies being so small I didn't think I would be able to go anytime soon. It was a huge blessing.

We headed home, grabbed some pizza on the way, and beat the storm home. The next day was supposed to be Jack's baptism at 10am. We decided to postpone it until Sunday night hoping the weather would be better.  Unfortunately, the storm was pretty bad so they canceled church on Sunday. We were supposed to bless the twins in sacrament meeting that day. After talking to the bishop we got permission to have Jack's baptism that day at 1:00 at the church anyway and bless the babies then as well. We figured it would be safer to have it earlier in the day than in the evening when it would ice over again.

It was such a memorable day! We had so many of our ward family show up to support us. We even had a few nonmember friends come. Our neighbors, the Cunninghams, and our friends the Leser's were there. Jack also invited his teacher from school, Mrs. Benedict, and she was going to come when it was on Saturday, but couldn't on Sunday. He handed out invitations that Shad had made and some actually came.

I was so proud of Jack. He was so ready to be baptized. It was hard for him to wait a few extra weeks for his grandparents to be there because he was so excited. After he was baptized he was confirmed and received the Holy Ghost.

After Jack was baptized Shad blessed each of the twins. He said it was difficult giving 3 different blessings right in a row but he did a great job and I felt like he gave them each a blessing that the Lord wanted them to have.

Some notable things that the twins were blessed with was for Tennyson to have a "stead and calm presence in our home and help others to see clearly through the chaos in their life" and Chapman to "direct the energy that you have towards the work of the Father to bring souls to Christ and to be a source of happiness in other's lives."

Tennyson on the left and Chapman on the right

I am so grateful for a worthy priesthood holder in our home. I am so blessed to have a husband who honors his priesthood and cannot only bless our children but also perform the saving ordinances that they need for salvation.

January was a month of ordinances that I will never forget. Four in one month must be a record!

First Day of School 2016

August 22nd was the first day of school for these boys. As you can tell from these pictures Jack was way more excited for this day than Haken. I think once you get to 4th grade you know how long the school year will be and you know you are in it for the long haul. Haken has Mrs. Schroeder this year with two of his friends from church, Laney and Seth. She is a really cute young teacher that is very organized and meticulous. I think she will be a great fit for him.

The first day of kindergarten for Jack was everything that he hoped it would be. His most favorite part of going to school so far has been riding the bus everyday. He is in Mrs. Raver's class. He really likes her. She also has been great with his diabetes so far. Let's hope this enthusiasm lasts all year!

Walk the walk

Every year JDRF does a 3 mile walk to raise funds for type 1 diabetes research. We haven't even been through a year of diabetes with Jack and I am already hoping for a cure everyday. I am so happy for all of the technology that is out there but honestly it gets really old day after day trying to manage it all. My hat goes off to people who have dealt with this for years on end or virtually their whole life. After 9 months I am so ready to be done and pray for a cure.

This is why I felt that we needed to do our part this year and participate in the fundraising for JDRF by participating in the walk. I was amazed at the response from our friends and family. So many donated and we ended up doubling our goal of $200. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I made our goal. I hate asking people for money, especially when I already feel like they give so much. Our family and friends were so generous and didn't even think twice about it. It's really hard to resist a donation in behalf of cute little Jack.

We also had my parents, one of my friends, and my brother and sister-in-law and their boys come up for the the actual walk in Logan. It was so fun to have their support there for our little super Jack-Jack. I think Jack loved the attention and had a really great day.

We are excited for the walk next year and already have an action plan to raise even more money. The future looks bright for diabetes research and I can't wait until Jack will reap the benefits of the generosity of our friends and family through JDRF research.

All of the T1D's at the walk posing for a picture

This lady was so sweet. Jack was looking uncomfortable so she
offered to have him hold her hand.

Helping cut the starting line. Jack really liked
the big scissors.

Super Jack

TEAM JACK-JACK

The Life of a Super Hero

During the month of November Jack said to me on more than one occasion that he was a super hero. He would say "Mom, I'm super Jack-Jack, and you are super mommy." This is significant to me because on December 16, 2013 Jack was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and really did become my super hero.

It has been a whirlwind the past couple of weeks and I have had a lot of people asking me questions. I have been meaning to write this post for a while to help answer some of these questions and I am just now getting to it. I am by no means an expert about diabetes. With this disease you learn by fire. We are still in the fire, so I am still learning something new everyday. There is a lot of trial and error involved and a huge learning curve involved. I'm sure by the time I get it all figured out Jack will be ready to do it all on his own.

Hopefully this post will help educate some of our family and friends on diabetes.  If nothing else it will help me to write down and review the information for myself. I honestly didn't know anything about diabetes before Jack was diagnosed except for that it involved high blood sugar and insulin.

Here are a few of the questions that I have been asked:

What is Diabetes?
I thought this video from youtube would be better at explaining diabetes than I could. It is 2 minutes long and explains it in a way that my 6 year old can understand.

Right now Jack is in what they call the "honeymoon" stage where his body is still producing some insulin, although it is a guessing game to know how much. My Dr. described it as wringing out a wet rag. You never really know how long you will be able to get a few drips out. It can last for weeks or months. This is why getting his dosages correct right now is kind of a guessing game.

What are the signs for Diabetes?
Of course when I talk to other moms about Jack being diagnosed they want to know what the signs are so that they can make sure their own children don't have any symptoms. It is something that can really sneak up on you. Especially in toddlers because a lot of the signs are common for really any toddler.

- increased thirst
- increased (or decreased) hunger
- increased urination
- weakness or fatigue
- weight loss
- blurry vision
- fast, deep breathing
- slow or confused thinking

The last few symptoms come when your blood sugar has reached its max. Your body starts breaking down your fat causing you to go into what is called DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis). It can be a very scary thing and these kids are very sick.

Fortunately, we caught Jack very early. Looking back I am not sure how long he was really showing signs of diabetes. The only signs that I saw were the week before his yearly check-up. He was always asking for water, peeing about every hour, waking up at night in a panic to use the bathroom, and fighting us at every meal to get him to eat.

I have told many people this, but I honestly think that the spirit was prompting me that something wasn't right and told me to ask questions. Two, almost 3 yr olds, are like this, so I have no other reason why I was lead to get him checked out. One night as Shad and I laid in bed my mind went to a conversation that I had with one of my friends whose son was diagnosed recently. I asked her what the signs were and she talked about frequent urination and loosing weight. Shad and I looked up all of the symptoms of diabetes, and although I didn't think they sounded like Jack at the time, I couldn't get the thought of diabetes off my mind.

This is what led me to ask the Dr. at his appointment a few days later. This was the first time that we had seen our new pediatrician and I wasn't sure how seriously he would take my concern, however, he immediately had him tested in the office and his A1C (a sample of blood that can tell the doctors what your blood glucose has been like in the past 3-4 months) indicated that he was indeed diabetic. He was an 8.7 where as a normal A1C is around 6.5

Honestly I was in a little bit of shock, especially when the doctor told us to pack our bags and get down to primary children's hospital in Salt Lake that night and expect to spend the next 2 days there. As we left the office I just kept thinking "but he's not sick." However, I heard from a number of people how lucky we were in finding out in this way. Unfortunately a lot of cases go unnoticed until something serious happens and they have no choice but to go to the hospital. I was able to finish my laundry, let Jack finish his nap, and have dinner with my parents before we were admitted into the hospital.

I wasn't always a believer in getting those yearly check-ups done with my children. I always did, but they were always healthy so I never worried. Now I know just how important they are. What if I would have put it off or not done it at all? What if I wouldn't have followed the promptings and asked questions? The timing couldn't have been any better.

So, my advice to all of the moms that have asked me if they should get their children checked because of things they have noticed, I would say "it doesn't hurt." Ask questions. All it takes is a urine test or a little finger poke for a peace of mind.

What causes type 1 diabetes?
Type 1 is more common in children or adolescents. It is the result of an autoimmune process, which is basically like a case of mistaken identity. Your body's immune system, which is responsible for protecting your body from invading illness, attacks your own healthy tissue by mistake. With type 1, the autoimmune process attacks the pancreas, damaging it so it can't produce enough insulin.

Scientists aren't sure what triggers the autoimmune process but there are two factors that seem to play a role:

- Genetics. People with diabetes are more likely to have inherited certain genes that make them vulnerable to the disease.

Jack doesn't have any immediate relatives with type 1, although my teenage cousin was diagnosed a few years ago and Shad also has a cousin with type 1. My other children will be tested since it does seem to run in families.

- Environment.  Something sets off, or "triggers," the autoimmune process in a person with a genetic tendency toward diabetes. The trigger could be a virus, a chemical, stress, or something else the person encounters in daily life.

I have wondered since diagnosis if all of the stress of moving to grandma's house and then to our new house this past year could have been his "trigger." Not to say that if we didn't move this wouldn't have happened. If it wasn't moving, it would have been something else later on. Diabetes doesn't happen suddenly, although it did seem that way. It happens over a matter of months or years in where the beta cells (those that produce insulin in the pancreas) are under attack. This is how they can actually test to see if you are at an increased risk for diabetes before you even show visible signs. The damage to the beta cells is detectable through tests.

Is it possible to grow out of type 1 diabetes?
No, Jack will have this for the rest of his life. He will need to manage his blood sugar through food and insulin until they find a cure, until someone creates an artificial pancreas, or until the resurrection comes. This sounds a little daunting to me. I try not to think about it too much and take one day at a time.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Jack won't know any different once he gets older. This will be a way of life for him and something he will have always known. For those that are diagnosed later in childhood or adolescence know what it was like to live without diabetes.

How do you treat type 1 diabetes?
Diabetes is treated with basically two things: Food and insulin. Food brings the blood glucose up and insulin brings it back down (so essentially food is like medicine for Jack). Our goal is to keep Jack's blood sugar within a target range at all times. Since Jack produces no insulin (or will eventually produce no insulin) his blood sugar has to be treated using artificial insulin. This can be given through a shot or a pump that is attached to the body (something we hope to get before he starts school.)

There are two types of insulin:

- Long acting (basal): taken once a day and lasts 24 hours. This insulin stays in his body for a longer period of time and essentially gives him a small dose of insulin throughout the day to keep him in check. This dose stays the same everyday, but changes slightly as he grows and needs more insulin.

- Meal insulin (bolus): taken every time he eats. Since food brings up the blood sugar, this has to be counteracted with a calculated amount of insulin based on what he eats. For those without diabetes our bodies do this naturally based on what we eat.

 This is the tricky part of diabetes because everything that he eats has to be counted for carbohydrates to see how much insulin he will need for that particular food. If it is not calculated correctly or food is taken without insulin it could cause a high or low blood sugar which can cause complications.

Right now since he is on his "honeymoon" and doesn't eat very much he hardly ever has to have a bolus shot and is on a very low dose for his basal shot. Almost enough that it makes me wonder if it is worth dosing him at all.

Obviously, it is impossible to keep him completely within target range all of the time. You are continually correcting the highs with additional insulin and the lows with additional snacks. The goal is really to just make sure that everything stays in check all of time (or MOST of the time). As long as you know what is going on then corrections can be made. This is why we check Jack before he puts anything into his mouth so that we know how to treat him. We also check him even when he doesn't put anything in his mouth just for peace of mind. This includes checks at 2:00 am, which he hardly ever wakes up for.

How is Jack taking all of this?
Honestly, for anyone who knows Jack knows what a happy and carefree kid he is. Although he doesn't like the shots entirely well, and he would prefer not to check his blood when all he wants is a few crackers, I think he has accepted this new way of life already. The needles are so small that you really can't even feel them and I think he is already starting to develop some calluses on his tiny fingers.

He still can to anything that any other normal 3 yr old can do. His diet has not changed at all. He can still have snacks, candy, and his beloved peanut butter and honey sandwiches. He is not limited to a "sugar free" diet. Just like any kid, it is important for him to have a balanced diet and that still includes sweets. However, now everything he eats has to be counted, calculated, and a possible shot given. I think it will make him value what he eats that much more once he gets older.

How is our family handling this?
It has been a lifestyle change, a stress, a learning experience, but also a huge testimony builder for us. We have already learned to rely on the Lord for help and never to ignore promptings when they come (which I am sure will become more frequent than ever.) Haken has learned the value of empathy (a topic for another post), and Gracie has learned that she is not always going to be the center of the universe with our attention turned to other things lately.

We are taking it in stride, but that is because we have been blessed by some of the most amazing doctors, support groups, ward members, friends, and family. We have a stable job with insurance (something I will never take for granted again), and have had confirmation after confirmation of why/when/where things need to happen.

When I see my sweet little boy's fingers already developing "prick marks" my heart hurts a little, but then I realize that he is alive and I will take seeing that little drop of blood every few hours to see his sweet little smile every second of the day. Being a diabetic is not what it used to be. We live in a day when it is better understood and controlled than it has ever been.

It is an adjustment (probably the biggest understatement of my life), but nothing we can't handle. People do this everyday and we are going to take this disease one day at a time because being a super hero isn't supposed to be easy.

Parenting Success

 As a woman I have so many different roles (mom, primary president, friend, wife, housekeeper, cook, and the list goes on...) and there are sometimes days where I feel like I haven't succeeded at even one of my roles. Every once in a while I have a day where I really feel successful in my roll as a parent.

In the last week I have had two balls rolled at me (potty training and weening) and I was not sure I was going to be able to tackle them, but surprisingly it has not been as bad as I thought it would be.

I decided at the beginning of last week to start potty training Jack again. We started it a few months ago when he was motivated but then he got sick and all of his motivation went out the window so we didn't push it. I decided to just go for it even though he was now fighting me a little bit. I just kept thinking about how great it would be to have him potty trained by the summer and he was waking up with a dry diaper every morning and nap so I knew he was able to control it well enough. The first two or three days were not so great. He had an accident pretty much every 2 hours during the day. I actually think most of it was my fault because I was not queuing him like I should have been. I got busy and then forgot and then of course just as I thought about it, it was already too late. On the first day he was in the corner for throwing food on the floor and was singing "I am a child of God" at the top of his lungs, obviously not bugged at all by being in the corner.  When I went to get him out I instantly noticed the smell and of course he had pooped while standing there singing. Cleaning that out was not pretty, but it is a story that still makes me laugh. That is SO Jack.
I finally got smart and started using plastic pants this time around to save my carpet and my arms from the scrubbing. By the 4th and 5th day he only had maybe one accident a day. Then the moment of truth was when we decided to send him to church without a diaper. As we walked to church we realized what a risk we were taking because we didn't have a car to drive him home, nor did I think to bring an extra pair of clothes. Turns out we shouldn't have worried so much. He went pee in the big potty at the church (his first time in a public restroom) with no problems and came out of nursery completely dry. I am actually pretty lucky with my boys because they seem to have this amazing bladder control that I know they did not get from me. They can hold it for hours on end and I have it pretty much down to a science the times of day that they go. Pooping is the tricky one to time, it differs from day to day. However, today Jack told me his tummy hurt and I knew it was time to poop (it had been a few days, I think potty training keeps it in there longer.) He sat on the potty, read a few books to himself, and low and behold, there was a poop. Today was the first day with absolutely no accidents! I think the trick with Jack was something Shad discovered midweek last week. I was at a point with him where he would sit on the potty for 20 minutes before he would go, even in the morning when he first got up with a dry diaper. He had a really hard time just letting his body release it. It was super frustrating so I turned him over to Shad. He discovered that if he put a little piece of toilet paper in between his legs so that he didn't have to watch himself go, didn't have to point it down himself, and he didn't feel like he was going to get the seat wet, he was good. It works every time now and he'll go instantly once the toilet paper is there to block everything. Whatever works right?!
Anyway, that is probably TMI for everyone who doesn't want to know about potty training...but maybe it will help someone else somewhere down the road. Here's to many more days of dry "Thomas the tank engine" underwear. I'm not holding my breath yet for sure.

Our other mountain which will hopefully turn into more like a molehill is weening Gracie and getting her weight up. Last Wednesday we went for her 9 month check up and found out that she is not even on the charts at all anymore. At this point her Dr. was concerned because she had actually dipped down from her own little curve on the 1-3% line. I knew weening was coming soon. She just wasn't really interested anymore and it seemed like she had to eat a ton of solids to get full. She was still sleeping great, but eating wasn't her strong point. My milk supply was down and by the end of the day she would down a 7 ounce bottle of a formula/breast milk mix. The Dr. recommended we concentrate her formula to pound the extra calories. For every 2 ounces of water, mix 1 1/2 scoops of formula. I didn't know you could do that, but apparently you can actually buy concentrated formula if you want to, it is just more expensive. I knew this would be a challenge because just getting her to take a bottle a few months ago was tricky. She only liked a certain kind and even then it had to be mostly breast milk for her to take it. So, after the Dr. appointment we pretty much went cold turkey with the exception of topping her off after the bottle (which only lasted 2 days). She fought me a lot at first and really spit it out every time I would try to give her a bottle. It was like a wrestling match. She went a few feedings with nothing at all, but then finally gave in, probably out of thirst. Now she doesn't fight me hardly at all except for me to get that last little ounce in her at the end of the bottle. I'm determined to fatten her up, so I fight her to get in as much as I can. It sure is easier to make her eat with a bottle than with nursing. I don't know yet if she has gained any weight, but she already looks bigger to me. Maybe it is just my imagination? She doesn't eat as much of her solids, but I don't mind it because I know she is getting pretty full on all of that milk. She is doing really well with picking up table foods so that is mostly what she eats with a little baby food mixed in here and there.
Today we also had a big success with her taking a straw! I love using straw cups with my kids because then I have access to a sippy cup nearly everywhere I go. All restaurants have straws, but selected few have sippy cups if I happen to forget mine (which happens often). Teaching a baby to take a straw is usually kind of tricky, although Jack took to it like it was second nature. With Gracie I had to suction it with my finger and put it in her mouth and after a few times of doing that and having her suck it out, she started doing it out of the cup on her own! I was pretty excited about that. Now the trick will be to get her to hold onto it on her own. She has yet to hold the sippy cup or a bottle on her own because she has been so used to nursing and not having to hold anything.

Let's not forget my sweet Haken.... Today I felt like a successful parent as we were having family home evening. We take turns teaching the lesson and tonight it was Haken's turn. He has been so fascinated with money lately so he decided to teach a lesson on tithing. He sat down and made up a game all by himself about tithing and how it is used. It was a matching game and he was so excited to have Jack play it. Here are the cards that he made:

I know you can't really really read what they say but they all say ways our tithing is used and then the back of them have numbers that match each other. He loved watching Jack play the game he had made. After that we took Haken's money jar (filled with $30 worth of change from Grandpa) and paid his tithing on it. He was so excited to pay his tithing on his own money. We had done it before, but I don't think he really got it until now. Filling out the form and counting out the money was right up his alley. He was such a perfectionist in filling out the form. He counts his money nearly every week and has gotten really good at it. Maybe one day he will grow up to be an accountant? In addition to his tithing he also decided to contribute to the missionary fund since President Monson asked us to in the last General Conference.

Needless to say I am feeling pretty good about being a parent tonight. It is a good thing that these kind of days come around every once in a while to keep me motivated to keep on going. Being a parent is one of the hardest, and yet rewarding things I will ever do in my life. Everyday my sweet kids make it all worth it.

Brothers

I worried about the 3 1/2 year (to the day) gap between my boys when Jack was born. I wondered if they would ever play together or be interested in the same things. I wondered if Haken would walk all over his little brother and ignore him. I worried that Jack would feel left out and get bored.

Turns out I shouldn't have worried. These boys are best buds. They may have an age gap but that doesn't mean they don't get along and love each other to death. Haken appreciates Jack's silliness and cracks up daily at the funny things he does and Jack worships Haken and tries to be just like him. It really is a great combination. I very rarely have to put out fires because then generally get along, and if they don't they can usually work it out on their own. Haken is fantastic at making others happy and compromising while at the same time getting what he wants. I really couldn't ask for two better boys! I think they will only get closer as they get older and the age gap is all relative.

With the cold mornings this winter this is how the boys like to warm up... We have a heating vent that comes out of the floor in the kitchen by the back door. They like to get a blanket and snuggle up together in their jammies to get warm before we eat breakfast. It also became a popular place to eat lunch. It was Haken's idea, and of course Jack does whatever Haken does. 

These pictures snuggled on the vent were taken a month apart even though it looks like they were on the same day. Those must be Haken's favorite jammies. The blanket is the one that Grandma Glenda made for Shad, it is their favorite because it is so big and they can both fit in it.

I'm going to throw this picture in because the title of this post is "Brothers." Shad has 5 brothers (and no sisters) and he is very close with all of them. That is one of the things that I really admire about his family is how tightly knit they are. I only hope my kids can be the same when they grow up. Two of Shad's brothers (Ricky and Ryan) came up from Arizona at the end of January to go to a family reunion luncheon that was held in Provo. It was a quick trip up and back but we still managed to have lots of fun with them. 

I took this picture because they are all sitting on their own Ipad's playing "Tiger Woods Golf." I guess this is how they play golf when it is 20 degrees with a foot of snow outside. They always find a way to work it in when they are together. No weather can hold them back.