Kelz turns 11!

On April 30th, our baby girl turned 11 years old. Not quite the baby these days, Jon and I have realized, but I think the name is going to stick for a while longer.. If not forever. I guess that happens when you are the youngest.

So in honor of her birthday, I thought I would post 11 things about Kellie that I love, or that you may not know.

1. Kellie comes across shy on the outside, but at home she definitely speaks her mind. She has a sarcastic wit and is quick with a comeback, and is the most stubborn thing I know. I have no idea where she gets this from. She keeps us on our toes, and makes us laugh like crazy, although she does not like to be laughed at! She is smarter than you give her credit for. As the youngest we tend to make excuses for her, and she uses that to her advantage! She absorbs everything going on around her and retains it for later use. Kellie remembers everything she hears, and she defintiely likes to be in the know. Do not leave her out, or you will pay!

2. She is a great friend. Kellie will play with anyone, and does. She has a sweet nature and she loves to share it with others. It's a little harder for her to make friends, but once she does, they are friends for life. She is forgiving, patient, kind and friendly to everyone.

3. Secretly, and she will never admit it out loud, she loves her brother. They fight, they argue, they make me want to pull my hair out, but the moments that they get along are the very best in the world for me. Kelz, I truely hope when you two grow up that you become great friends.

4. Kellie loves babies! No longer the only granddaughter, Kellie is so excited to share that role with her cousin Baylee. She has waited months for this baby to come and she counted the days when it got close. Kellie will drop everything to see her for even a few minutes. Kellie has loved baby dolls since she was tiny. She had millions of them, and has practiced being the little mother for years. Sometimes I wish she had one of her own, but since that is not in the cards for us.. she is lucky to have aunts and an uncle willing to share.

5. Kellie is an animal lover. Big and small, furry and not.. Kellie loves her four legged friends. She is allergic to cats, and probably dogs too if I had to guess but that doesn't stop her from loving on them as much as she can.. Even if it means she will sneeze for the next 4 hours.

6. Kellie is a junk food junkie! She loves chocolate, and anything sweet. Fruits and Veggies, not so much... :) She learned to make chocolate chip cookies when she was 3 years old, which pretty much says it all!

7. Kellie is in the 5th grade, soon to be 6th. I have no idea where the time goes. She has an awesome teacher that pushes her to not be lazy and get things done. Kellie has been on the student council at school for the past 2 years, and wants to be an SBO just like Cody when she is older. A career in government would definitely suit her.

8. Kellie is an artist. (This I really have no idea where she got.) She loves to draw pictures, make cards, design clothing and color. Give her some paints, crayons and paper and she will be happy for days. Don't dare to throw any of her artwork away, however, or she will not be pleased. You must keep everything!

9. Kellie has been a cheerleader for Bingham Little League cheer for 5 years. She does a great job and has a ton of Miners spirit. She loves to learn new cheers, and is always willing to help the younger girls learn them too. She never says no, and always does what she is asked at practice, something she rarely does at home! :)

10. She is a Daddy's girl. Or maybe Daddy is a Kellie's boy. She has him wrapped around her little finger. When her big blue eyes tear up and she asks him for something, he can never say no. He hates that she is growing up, almost as much as she does. I think they would both be happy if she stayed a little girl forever.

11. Kellie loves to be outside. She is always on her bike, her scooter, or jumping on the trampoline. She loves to be with her friends but will even go out riding the streets up and down by herself. In the summer she loves to swim, but she doesn't like just sitting outside.. She melts in the sun!

And number 12.. my one to grow on. Kellie, I love you for everything that makes you, you! Some days it's just like looking in a mirror, kid! You are such a special part of our family. You amaze me. You are so beautiful, and smart, and determined.. and fierce! As you get older I know that nothing will ever be able to stop you! I hope when you grow up that we become great friends.. (because I know that for the next few years we won't be!) Stay close, follow the great example your brother sets, work hard and the world will be yours for the taking.

Love you Baby Girl!!

Generosity

For the past few weeks Cody and Kellie have been doing a service project collecting water bottles to send to Haiti. We heard about the opportunity through Disney's Give a day, get a day program. We chose this project so the kids could participate, and so it could be done at home. They collected over 600 water bottles and quite a bit of money. I took this picture on Sunday when we loaded up all the water to go turn it in.

They seemed as proud of themselves as I was of them. It's great to see kids that have so much give back to those that don't. What a great thing to teach our kids now, before it's too late.

Thanks to everyone who donated money, and water, and words of encouragement to my kids. It was all appreciated!

Type 2

As you may already know.. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes on April 21, 2009. So I've been dealing with, or not dealing with it for about a year now. I'll admit to not being really great about taking all my medication and doing all the things I should but I have made improvements to be healthier.

My diagnosis came with several pills I am supposed to take and I hate most of them!

Metformin.. to control blood sugar. This is by far the worst, and the one I am the least good about taking. It makes me so sick.
Hctz, or hydrochlorothiazide. This is for high blood pressure, and I have been taking it for about 5 years.

Crestor, for high cholesterol. Which mine isn't too bad anymore but as a diabetic you are at greater risk for heart attack so you are still supposed to take it.

Trilipix, also for cholesterol. It helps your triglycerides that somehow the first pill can't do all by itself.

and finally a cute little baby aspirin, a daily regimen to prevent heart attacks.

I have a few other pills I take not directly related to my diabetes, but with all these I average about 8-9 pills a day. Ugh. And each one comes with it's own special side effect or problem and I think I have really forgotten what it feels like to be normal again. Not to mention how much they all cost! I know I should feel lucky that it's type 2 and not 1 and that I don't have to do insulin injections and most days I do..

I'm supposed to test my blood sugar a few times a week, and I'm pretty good about that, but the numbers always are high when they should be low, and low when they should be high. I just don't get it.

So how did I get here?? I'd like to say genetics, and while that does play a big factor it's not everything. A lot of it is self inflicted. Too many years eating crap and not taking care of myself caught up with me. Type 2 diabetes is reversible, in a way. You can get to the point that you can control it all with diet and exercise, but I'm not there yet. I'm down 32 pounds. With plenty more to go. But every little bit helps. I'm hoping to make some more changes and improve things in our home for both myself and my family. I don't want my kids, or my siblings to go down the same path. I haven't been the best role model in that area for any of them, and I'm hoping to change that now! Wish me luck!

My Return..

It was pointed out to me that my last post was about Lacrosse, and here we are coming up on Lacrosse season again. So shame on me I guess. There is so much I want to write about that I have no idea where to start. So I thought I'd put up something I wrote and read for my grandma's funeral in January. I have it hanging in my office as a reminder and I kinda like it so I thought I'd share. It was a great tribute to her, and who I thought she really was, and it was very personal to me when I wrote it..

My Grandma
I stop today and think of what she meant, and who she was.
I play back memories in my mind and smile at each one.
My Grandma, loved in her own way, she was special to us all.
She cared for you, and wished you well, but she rarely answered when you'd call.
She had her quirks, she spoke her mind, she'd tell you exactly what she thought.
Your hair is messed; you've gained some weight, that doesn't look like you at all.
Here's some money, grab your coat, Linda will take you to the mall.
Grandma shopped with us for our first crib, bought a prom dress here and there.
A wedding dress, the costumes made, she was always one to care.
She loved her grandkids most of all, sang their praises every one.
Soccer games, and skating lessons, even cartoons in bed all day.
She lived her life through all of us, each special in our own way.
Grandma, quite a stubborn thing, worked hard her whole life through.
Retired off and on for years, so Dr. Ward she must have loved him too.
I think God saw her struggling, saw her sick and said no more.
He called her home to be with him, he helped walk her through the door.
I held her hand when she said good bye, we all felt the loss that day.
She will watch us now from up above, I can almost hear her say.
Don't cry for me, I'm not in pain, I left that all behind.
I'm happy now, I'll miss you all.. It's Grandma's turn to shine.


I will admit to not being as close to her as I should have. I tried, but could have tried harder. My mom encouraged me to see her and always asked if I had. No excuses but sometimes I get so involved in myself and my problems that it's hard to make time for someone else. I am grateful that I went to see her on Christmas since she died just a few days later. The biggest lesson I learned from that is that you never know when the last time you see someone will be. Make it count.

The Return of #13

Lacrosse...

Um, I have no idea.. I know nothing about Lacrosse, other than it's boys beating each other with sticks.. It looks like it would be pretty fun to play, and Cody seems to be pretty good at it and Jon seems to love coaching it.. (No surprise there) When I agreed to Lacrosse it was under the condition that Kellie and I not be left alone on the sideline, and that there would be someone there to help explain this sport to me! But, as always Jon was more than happy to step in as a coach and Kelz and I left to fend for ourselves.. Oh well, it's getting to be nice weather, the games don't last too long, and it is no where near the pressure of football.. so this too I shall endure! The things I do for that boy!

Rad Kids!

So I think I'm going to start current and move backward...

Today Kellie had her graduation from Rad Kids at school. It is a new program at her school and until today I wasn't too familiar with it, but the basic idea is to teach kids empowerment and self protection. Kind of like a practical lesson in stranger danger. The basics of being a Rad Kid is that no one has the right to hurt anyone else, you don't have the right to hurt anyone, including yourself, and if you can't get out of the situation, it's okay to protect yourself. I have to say I was shocked.

They have a deputy from Utah County sheriff dress in a "Red Man" padded outfit and he simulates an attack on each kid, and they have to physically fight back. Watching this man touch my daughter and her try and fight him off, was for some reason very emotional for me. I'm not sure if it was because he was coming after my baby girl, or because she has learned to fend for herself a little, or if it was because I know first hand how real this situation can be and how easy it is for someone to trick or take your kids.. Having endured two child abductions at work it was terrifying to me just how real this situation can be. Anything can happen and our kids, especially our girls, should be prepared!

Overall, Kellie and her classmates were awesome and the deputy was quite a trooper with all the hits he took.. I don't know if every school has this program, but I'm thinking they all should.. I'm just not sure I want to be witness to it again! Great Job Kelz!

I would have been terrified!

Away For Too Long!

So I can't believe how long it's been since I updated my blog! I haven't read anyone else's in forever either. I think it was Facebook or Blogging and I chose Facebook.. So much quicker. Plus we were blocked from this site at work forever and that is where I choose to update everything, because that is when I have the time! Not for long though..soon I think I will have a job where I will actually have to work! Well, work more than I do now anyway. But more on that later... I have lots to share since January but I think I'm gonna pace myself and wait until I have my camera available to post some pics too! So stay tuned for SBO info, Lacrosse, new health updates and hopefully soon to be official this my new job!