Monster Mash Redux

This year for Halloween, things were pretty low-key. I didn't have the time to focus on what everyone was going to be, or to make their costumes like I do some years, so we ended up with a lack of creativity in the outfits. However, the end result was the same: candy candy candy. Jon helped the kids carve pumpkins, and they did a great job. In case you can't tell, the pumpkin with one eye is B.O.B. from Monster's vs. Aliens - Hailey carved him.

Anna wanted to be the bride of Frankenstein, and the main challenge there was how to get her hair to stand up. In the end, I used a Gatorade bottle, Aqua Net hairspray, some bobby pins, and a headband to do the job. Then I did her makeup and put her in a dress/sheath I made from an old sheet, and she was good to go.

Hailey wanted to be a cat for Halloween, which was really easy. I got her some black leggings, a black shirt, some cat ears, made a tail, and drew on some whiskers and voila. With her black Chuck Taylor's, she was one cool cat.

Adam borrowed an outfit from his cousin and went as Mr. Incredible.

I really wanted Jonathan to be a vampire, because I thought he would be so stinkin' cute with the pointed hairdo and a cape and bow tie, but couldn't find a cape for him. Instead, I found an elephant costume for $6 at Goodwill. He loved it when we bought it, but then on Halloween didn't want to wear it, until Aby showed him the elephant scene from The Jungle Book, one of his favoritre movies. (When you ask him what the elephant says, he answers "Hup two three four.")

At the last minute, Jon decided he wanted to dress up. With 5 minutes to go before we left the house, he found an old orange jumpsuit in Jake's closet, we printed out the Dharma Initiative symbol and sewed it on, and he had an awesome costume. Not everyone knew what he was, but it was worth it when we ran into someone who does watch Lost, because they thought it was totally awesome.

Next year, I hope to be back into the Halloween spirit in time to get together some great costumes for the whole family.

Sugar, Sugar

Just about everyday I have a minute where I think "I should go and blog," and then life keeps going and things are just too busy. I looked at the date of my last entry, and realized why it was my last. It was dated September 8. September 14, Anna was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Our lives were thrown completely off kilter, and we still haven't quite gotten them back on track.

Diabetes was not something I had ever considered with my kids. Type 1 doesn't run in our families, and when I think of diabetes I think of chunky kids, which everyone knows my girls are not. Once we were informed of the signs and symptoms, though, I could look back for months and see it. Hindsight is 20/20.

What led to the diagnosis was that Anna had been feeling pretty sick throughout the weekend, running a fever, listless, and really pale with sunken cheeks. Of course all this started Friday night, so we couldn't get to a doctor until Monday morning. When Jon told the doctor her symptoms, (which also included peeing A LOT) they pretty much knew what it was. (She had also lost 10 pounds in the past few months.) They did a urine sample and blood test, and immediately reserved a spot for her in the pediatric special care unit at Sutter Memorial in Sacramento. From there it was a blur.

Anna's blood sugar level upon arrival at the hospital was near 750, which, for those of you who don't know (as I didn't) is incredibly high. Normally it is in the 100's. She was admitted and hooked up to an IV and we spent four days there, learning everything we never wanted to know about Juvenile Diabetes and trying to bring her sugars down before they sent us home. We were admitted around 3:30 in the afternoon, and the next morning the nurse asked me "Are you ready to give a shot, Mom?" Before I could even blink, let alone say the "no" that would surely have been my response, she said "Yeah, you're ready," and handed me the vial and needle. Anna was very brave as I very hesitantly gave that first shot.

Those first couple of weeks at home were ROUGH. I was emotional, none of us were getting enough sleep, and everything was turned upside down. I can remember cutting chicken for dinner the second night we were home, and breaking down in tears, to which my husband kindly and sensitively replied "Oh, does chicken make you sad?" "Yes, it does." I told him.

Since then, things have improved. Anna gives herself almost all of her own shots, drawing the insulin into the syringe like a pro. She counts all her carbs and keeps track of her blood sugars. Not once has she complained about having the disease, or about what all it entails. She is an amazing kid, who amazes me more and more every day. If I had one one-hundredth of the resolve, patience, determination, and courage that she does, my life would already have righted itself.

Anna shortly after being admitted to the hospital. She tried to smile, but she just wasn't feeling well. She looks so much better now!

Pa (my dad) practicing giving shots to a roll of gauze.

Anna practicing

Aby (Jon's mom) practicing drawing liquid into a syringe

Pa giving his first shot. Anna is focusing on not paying attention to what he is doing - it was a defense mechanism of hers for the first week or so. Now, when she doesn't give the shot herself, she barely notices the needle.

Max the monkey, a gift from Aby

Visiting with Hazel and reading Tiger Beat - does it get any better? Hazel is one of three dogs at the hospital that go around visiting the pediatric patients. Grandma provided the magazine.

Watching Prince Caspian

Watching Anna. I have decided that seeing my child in the hospital is my new least favorite thing in the world.

Getting some much needed sleep.

Leaving - finally!!!

I have to give a huge thank you to all of my friends and family who expressed their love, concern, and support, not only while we were in the hospital, but since. I am so grateful to have such a great network of support and love.

Change of Season

Ah, Fall. A time when the air gets crisp and the leaves start to change...unless you live in California. It was well into September (maybe even the beginning of October?) before the 100 degree temperatures finally went away for good, and just the last couple of weeks the minimal amount of leaf change we get here has come about. But still it is officially Fall now, and I LOVE this time of year. We have been pretty busy lately.

The first weekend of October I went to Apple Hill with my step-mom Paula and sister Tara. I go every year, but this year we rented a house and stayed two nights with no husbands and no kids. It was quite nice. We spent Friday at Apple Hill, buying apples and gourds and home decorations (and spending too much money in my case) and the spent Saturday going to some thrift stores and laying around the house. I think I spent the majority of my time in the hot tub, which was fabulous.

Paula and I

Me with my feet in the hot tub, enjoying the incredible view

My sister and I getting ready to eat dinner and watch a movie

My dad took my sister and I to see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt play an acoustic show at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. I know, I know, sounds boring or maybe even painful, right? But it was actually a really great show. They are two very talented men, and Lyle Lovett is actually pretty funny. We had a good time.

Every year we go to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm, and this year was no exception, although the entire family didn't make it out. First, I went with Adam's kindergarten class. We had a lot of fun.

Then Jon and the boys and I went with his oldest sister Jen and her family. They were out here for my youngest brother-in-law Jake's wedding (more on that in the next blog post...)

Jon and the Nortons (and Jonathan on the end)

My boys in jail...let's hope this isn't foreshadowing

Attacking Daddy

Jon snapped this one

Adam and his cousins Wesley and Andrew

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe they are making me sit on a pumpkin."

So as you can see, our Fall has been busy so far, and I haven't even gotten to the wedding or Halloween yet. Hopefully I will blog about those before Christmas!

You Say It's Your Birthday

Who needs a blog when you can post your pictures on Facebook? That is how I was feeling last night as I uploaded picture after picture to my Facebook account, where there is no pressure to tell any cute stories to go along with the photos, and, let's face it, many more people will see what you have posted. But then I got to thinking that Facebook is yet another application that is replacing some of those things that are so good in life, such as exercising your mind and creativity by writing actual paragraphs about what is going on in your life. Technology has already made letter-writing a lost art form, not to mention making actual human conversation unnecessary. And so I will try to continue to blog rather than let myself lapse into complete laziness by only slapping pictures onto an impersonal website and letting everyone guess what they are all about. No, instead you will continue to get too much information about what is going on in my life, complete with pictures. That being said, here we go...

Three of my children were born in the summer, one in June and two in August. (Yes, in California, in the heat, and yes, you can feel bad for me.) This year, we had pretty lowkey birthdays, nothing fancy. Some years are just like that for us.

Hailey Elizabeth Ila Joyner was born on June 27, 2002. She is the only child we actually, consciously planned, and she is also the most dramatic and somewhat bipolar (by our own diagnosis - not a doctors.) She is given to bouts of free-form dancing, and as soon as they have an Olympic category for interpretive dance, we are there. Hailey is very into fashion - not necessarily popular fashion, but her own idea of what fashion is. She loves the smell of the mall. Let me tell you, this girl was born into the wrong family to be high maintenance.

Anna Marie Joyner was born on August 13, 1999. It was actually Friday the 13th, but turned out to be lucky for us. Anna is very smart, very kind, and very responsible, all the things that a first child should be. She also has her daddy's goofy sense of humor, paired with her mom's wit. I dream that she will one day learn to use sarcasm in the way that my family always has. Her dream is to one day have her own bedroom where her sibings will not be allowed.

Adam Crandon Joyner was born on August 27, 2004. He is the only child we have who in no way, shape, or form resembles a Joyner, but is instead a King. It does not seem like he has inherited the extreme Joyner height, but instead will probably be just about average in size. Jon calls him his "all-American boy" and hopes he will play football. Adam is a hilarious kid, and makes me laugh all the time. He is also an evil genius, which his father says he gets from me.

Luckily for us we are done with birthdays until February. Maybe by then I will regain my desire to throw them great parties with food and fun.

All Summer Long

Where does the time go? It has been hinted to me, by more than one person and oh so subtley, that it has been far too long since my last blog post, and so, here I am, returned to fill you all in on our lives. The thing about this summer is that we really didn't do much that was worth blogging about. Funds being what they were, we were somewhat limited in the distance we could travel and what we could do once we arrived at our destination. So for the most part, we stayed close to home.

The one exception to the "close to home" statement is the trip I made in June to Idaho for my step-sister's wedding. Jon and the kids stayed at home, and I drove up Friday with my dad, did the wedding thing Saturday, and drove home with my dad and step-mom on Sunday. It was a very quick trip.

My sister, my Dad, and me at my step-sister's wedding

Anna and Hailey took four weeks of swim lessons at the Del Oro pool, which really taught them so much. Anna now has a confidence in her swimming and can make it across Upper Lake Clementine (which is more like a river in case you are suddenly wondering if she should be enrolled in the Olympics) without help or a lifejacket. Hailey began learning the different strokes and improved greatly.

Adam got to take two weeks of lessons at the Alta pool, during which time he went to live with Pa, who took him everyday. He came home to visit on the weekend, but the break was more for Pa than Adam, who would more than happily have stayed at his house until school starts. Jonathan had no lessons, but when wearing his swim vest is convinced that he swims better than anyone. His constant refrain was "No touch me Mommy, no help!"

While Adam was living with Pa, the girls spent almost a whole week camping in the backyard. Pa gave them his old tent, which I think may very well have been one of the first tents ever made. Seriously, it is old. I spent my childhood camping in it, and it was elderly then. I love the fact that when I set it up, it smelled just like I remembered.

We managed to make it down to Lake Clementine a handful of times and to Ponderosa once, all of which were great. Those three weeks of 101+ degree heat really made swimming necessary. We also went to the Del Oro and Alta pools a couple of times for swimming.

My step-mom Paula and I at the Alta pool

Kids at Clementine

Our family spent several Friday nights at the Fountains shopping area, where there was a DJ playing music and a woman who would teach different dances. We had a blast with our friends the Lammies dancing and then eating frozen yogurt at Big Spoon afterward. So far the music we have enjoyed has been Motown, Techno (which quickly changed to just oldies and things once they realized that no one really wanted to dance to Techno,) and Country, all of which came with their own dances to learn.

The kids and I spent a full day cleaning house, including the cleaning of our bedrooms, which previously looked like they had been hit by several tornadoes and abandoned by their inhabitants. Jon made the deal that if we all could keep them that clean for a week, we would get a reward. We all worked hard and we earned a trip to the zoo and dinner at Noodles & Company - yum!

Ok, that is the general summer update, but there are a couple more posts to come...notice I didn't say when...