My new look!

Last week I finally went in for a haircut! I was so fed up with my hair and had one of those additudes of just chop it all off. I told Christy what I had in mind for the color and then told her "have fun, give me a new look". Here's the outcome. I came straight home and took a bunch of pictures, knowing that I would never be able to fix it the way she did. Sure enough, it looks different every time I fix it. Oh well.... I try!

From a day spent at the E.R., to an evening of bike riding

Saturday afternoon Michael started showing symptoms of not feeling well. He had a headache, neck pains and a fever. We woke up Sunday and went to church and came home and he ended up having a fever of 102.5. Later in the evening he seemed to be doing better, except for his blood sugar levels were very high. Soooo, this morning I still was concerned and decided to call the advice nurse and schedule an apt. with our pediatrician. Once I told her the symptoms and what was going on, she told me I needed to get him to the emergency room right away. That's one way to freak a parent out! Because of his diabetes, he can't fight off viruses as easily as those of us that don't have diabetes and it also causes additional health issues when he is ill. Once we arrived to the E.R. they gave him fluids through an I.V., did a throat culture, blood tests and ruled out meningitis(thankfully). The doctor at one point was ready to do a spinal tap and I shared my concerns and thought we should hold off on that. Today was a very difficult day to get through. This was the first time since Michael was diagnosed that he has been sick with anything. I've dreaded this day and have done my best to try to keep him healthy. It's amazing how diabetes can make some simple viral infection turn into a day long stay in the E.R. I think it brought back a lot of memories for Michael also. As soon as he saw the bed in the E.R he stopped in his tracks and looked at me and said "what is that for". Kind of like, that's not for me is it? He cried all day, saying he wanted to go home. Finally, when we got the o.k. to leave, we told Michael we would take him to Toys R Us and get him a new bike. He definitely deserved it. He was a brave little boy today and continues to amaze me. I love you Michael and I don't know what I would do without my little "Pistachio".

A LITTLE BIT LONGER.....

O.k. everybody, you are now listening to a song by the Jonas Brothers. YES, the Jonas Brothers!! Can't say I've ever been a fan, until NOW! About a month ago I heard that Nick Jonas has Juvenile Diabetes like Michael. Anytime I hear the word diabetes, all of my attention is directed to the source. He was on Regis and Kelly and shared part of his story and said that he wrote a song about his life with diabets. I immediately went to the computer to listen to it.....instant chills.
This song hit home like no other. It starts.... "got the news today, Dr. said I had to stay, a little bit longer and I'll be fine." I remember when Ranse and I got the news in Mexico that Michael had been diagnosed with diabetes and was in I.C.U. Not understanding what our new lives would bring, I thought that Michael would have to stay at the hospital until he felt better and then could go home to his normal life. Once we finally arrived at the hospital(not knowing anything about juvenile diabetes) and witnessed Michael screaming anytime a nurse walked into the room because she had to prick his finger or give him an insulin shot, I finally asked "how much longer will he need these shots?" I think I went into shock when she told me "He'll need these the rest of his life" My heart sank and I instantly felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I'll never forget how I felt when she told me that and when I hear this song it takes me back to that day.
The song goes on to say "you don't know what you got, till it's gone". We truly don't, one minute you can be perfectly healthy and the next minute, fighting some awful disease.
Another part of the song that stands out to me is when the chorus says "you don't even know". Juvenile Diabetes is one of those diseases that I don't think many people really understand. Believe me I had no clue until I had no choice but to learn. I am still in the learning stages a year and a half later. I've decided though, that I was not going to sit back and be quiet about it. I feel as a mother, it is my responsibility to get the word out about this disease and do my part to help find a cure. I want my son to one day, not rely on insulin injections to get through the day. I also don't want any other children to have to endure a life with diabetes. It's not any fun!
As a mother of a young child with diabetes, I worry every minute of every day. Michael doesn't come to me and say "I'm not feeling good right now", it's a total guessing game on my part. I look forward to him getting older and being able to notice the symptoms of when his blood sugar is high or low. Luckily for me, I have the gift of the spirit with me. I've been prompted to test him while he was sleeping in the middle of the night a few times and luckily I followed those promptings. His (numbers) as I call it, were very low and I had to wake him and get him to eat or drink something to get his numbers up. Blood sugar levels that get too high or too low could be fatal.
Michael is a trooper! He is so positive about his situation. I asked him earlier what he thought about having diabetes, just curious to see what a four year old would say and he told me " It's good mommy, it helps me to be healthy because I can't eat candy". I guess that's one way to look at it, the cup is half full!

We'll just keep waiting "A little bit longer".

I was going to end this blog with that quote above, but I can't go without sharing some of the signs and symptoms that come with diabetes. Any child can get it, no one is immune, so if you see any of these be sure to see a doctor. Extreme thirst, extreme hunger, constantly needing to go pee, instant weight loss, sweet odor to breath, fatigue or go into shock.

"You're all a bunch of LOSERS!"

I was flipping through my pictures and came across some from Michael's soccer game last weekend and they reminded me of a funny story. Michael is 4 and is playing soccer with boys that are 4 and 5. It's very important that you know how old they are. So, at this age, the coaches are allowed out on the field to help tell the kids what to do and where to go(cause really, how many 4 year olds have a clue). We have great coaches who are very positive and try to make it fun for the boys. Let's just say that the opposing team was not as fortunate as us, they were coached by a husband and wife that had some issues. Let's start off by saying the wife had absolutely no patience with the boys and was literally dragging them to their positions and shoving them in place. After our team scored it's third goal, making the score 3-0 the husband/coach for the other team spoke up and told the boys "you're all a bunch of LOSERS!" Gasp, SAY WHAT!?!?!?!?!?! Ranse and I looked at eachother at the same and busted up laughing. We couldn't believe the coach told a bunch of 4 year olds they were losers. So, the rest of the game we were hoping one of our boys would "accidentally" kick him where it hurts! What a LOSER!!!!

A couple of Country Bunkinzzzz...

O.k. if I can't make fun of myself, who will??? Well, actually, many people would. Why not join in on the fun!!!! So, as many of you know I have been toothless for a good year and a half. I won't bore you with the story that my permanant tooth was lodged up in my gums and the orthodontist tugged on it and tortured me for the last year and a half trying to get it to come down. Only to realize it was as stubborn as it's owner and it wasn't budging! So, I finally had it removed by the oral surgeon, had a bone graft and am patiently waiting for it to heal, so I can have an implant done after the new year. Aren't you glad I didn't bore you with my story???haha Anyway, Ranse's brother also needed an implant and had to go without a front tooth for a couple weeks while they fine tuned his implant. I thought it would be too hilarious to get a picture of the toothless couple. Here's the outcome!!

Jen's Big Day!

Check out the similar outfits (total coincidence)
Uncle Ranse, Jenny & Aunt Shelly
The Gale Boys: Darin, Brian, Ranse
Friday, August 29th is a day that Jen will always remember. She was able to take out her own endowment at the Sacramento Temple. We were honored to be there with her. She had a lot of family there to support her and had a wonderful evening. We love our Jenny! She's amazing!!!

The last picture goes to show that even wild turkeys know that the Temple is the place to be.

Soccerfest featuring "The Rockers"

Soccerfest was actually a couple weekends ago. I'm just a tad bit late. In case any of you didn't know, Taylor and Malia formed their own rock group called "The Rockers". They were the hit of Soccerfest! Taylor and Malia got lucky this year and were placed on the same team. They are hilarious. Watching them together takes me back to my younger years of acting like a complete fool with my best friend. It should be a good soccer season.

I can't fail to mention Michael. He is playing soccer for the first time and is lots of fun to watch. His coach told him to get the ball when it was coming his way in his first game and instead of kicking it, he bent over and picked it up. 4 year old soccer should be called comedy hour.

Our outing with the Warren's

The tiniest piece of tri-tip you will ever see!haaaaa
Taylor kayaking on her own
The two lovebirds :)
Michael and Taylor enjoying Emeli's company

O.K. first off, call me crazy cause it is 2:00 a.m. and I am blogging. Is that a sign of true addiction? I have been killing myself trying to get our letter ready for Michael's diabetes walk and have fallen behind on my blog. I'll try to recap the events of our visit to Paul's house for dinner to see Emeli off to college. Paul has come to our house many times for our family gatherings and dinner, but we have not made it his way at all. So, the tables were turned and we we're treated by him.

Upon our arrival, we noticed a very "tiny" piece of tri-tip sitting on the counter. Ranse and I both thought that there must be more coming. WRONG!! We took this as an opportunity to harass Paul all evening and have a good laugh at Paul's expense. Did he not realize that the Gale's are GIANTS? Hilarious!!!Thank goodness for the larger than life baked potatoes.

After dinner, we headed over to Lodi Lake to kayak. We all had a great time! Along with kayaking, we also enjoyed watching the kids get chased by the ducks.

We headed back to the house for a wonderful dessert, made by me and shared a few good laughs! The kids enjoyed hanging out with Emeli(literally). We'll miss her while she is away at school!