Life with the Coopers... Diabetes and all!

Finally something different

2011-01-31T19:58:00.000-08:00

I couldn't even think of a witty or funny title to this post because it has been WAY too long since I have even posted a single word. I was getting insanely sick of seeing that post when I logged in. Its about time I said something. For those of you who were wondering, The Walk To Cure Diabetes (Rock the Walk) back in August went fantastic! Team Avery raised a little over $2,700.00 and we had a great day. We had 60 team members walking around in our bright red shirts. It was fun that we were kinda hard to miss ;) Our family and friends really stepped up and made it a day to remember. There have been some problems with some of my thank you cards so if you got one, great! If not.. I'm sorry and I'm trying to find out who didn't receive one yet. To everyone that donated or helped in anyway, THANK YOU!! From my family to yours.. It means more than you will ever know. We are already getting ready for next years walk. "Safari To A Cure!" My brain is about to explode with all the fun ideas I have. I'm on the Walk Committee again as a Family team chair and I'm so excited! My friend Shannon and I have a few things in the works for the local Diabetes Community and we couldn't be more thrilled to get going on some of them.

On a different note.. My family is doing great! Kendal is working and going to school full time still, Avery is in his last year of preschool and going to start Kindergarten this year. I cant believe how fast time goes when you have kids. He is in swimming and starts soccer this week. Anything that keeps him active is fine by him. He still seems to shock and amaze me with how well he is doing with his diabetes. He doesn't let it bother him one single bit. Sometimes I go to bed crying after a bad "D" day but not him. He just keeps on going! Landon turns 2 this month and is getting so big! He is talking a lot and he follows his brother around like a little shadow. He looks at Avery like he hung the moon... Its very sweet. They fight like there's no tomorrow too! You never know with the two of them :) I have been staying busy with the boys, doing mommy stuff, Ill be coaching Avery's soccer team, and of course all the stuff I love to do for the JDRF. I feel like I live in my car some weeks.

There is too much to post as far as whats been going on from June until now! To keep it short.. Our summer weekends were spent in Bear Lake Idaho, Avery's 4Th B day was a blast, 4Th of July was great, Kendal had a fun 31st in Bear Lake, Halloween is always the best, Thanksgiving was small but nice, Christmas was insane but wonderful, and New Years was spent once again in Bear Lake and we had almost the whole family there.

Of course in between all that was a lot of special little things, and A LOT of Diabetes related things!! I hate that he was diagnosed but I feel so blessed with the lessons that we have learned from it and the AMAZING people that have come into my life because of it. You all know who you are XOXO. I would like to say I will do better at posting but you all know that's probably a load of crap! Ill try ;)

Calling all Rock Stars!!!

2010-06-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Its that time! We are participating in our very 1st "Walk To Cure Diabetes" event and we are very excited about it! This year the walk theme is "RoCk ThE WaLk" and we intend to be rocking out with the best of them! I'm sure all of you know now that anything that has to do with curing diabetes is very close to my heart. My 4 year old son Avery was diagnosed a little over a year ago and since then our lives have been very different. Every day brings something new, and every day I learn something new about this disease, about myself and about my brave little boy Avery.

Avery's little fingers have to be poked at least 10 to 12 times a day to keep his blood sugar in check.

Avery is on a insulin pump that gives him insulin whenever he eats and throughout the day to keep his blood sugar as normal as possible. I give him his insulin for meals and monitor what hes getting throughout the day with a remote that works with his pump. It has been so much nicer having his pump rather than having to give him 4 to 6 shots a day. He still gets a shot with his pump but now its only a site change every two days. This is what it looks like.

This adds up to around 340 finger pokes and 15 site changes a month. And that's not including when he gets sick. When Avery is sick, finger pokes have to be almost doubled and he goes back to regular shots with a syringe until we are comfortable again with all of his dosages. Being sick is hard for any kid, but being sick with Type 1 diabetes has its own mess of complications and most of the time involves a hospital stay.

When we get Avery's medical supplies every month its still seems to amaze me what it takes to keep him healthy and alive for just1 month...

Like I have said on here many times before, Avery makes me so proud of him on a daily basis with how well he takes all of this. Its hard when something like this happens to a teenager or an adult, and its even that much harder when you found out at 2 years old. He is so brave and Id like to think that so far he doesn't let it bother him. I do get questions though every once in a while. "Mom? Why don't the boys at preschool have pumps?" "Why do I have diabetes?" "Will Landon get it too?" These questions have answers but as a mother they are so hard to give. I don't want to give him any reason to feel bad about this, so I word my answers very carefully, he listens and then usually goes on playing. I don't look forward to the day when things really start to hit him that he has to do things differently then most people do.

The worst fear you have as a mom is that something bad will happen to your child. And then if that something bad does happen, your next worst fear is that they will suffer because of it and in some cases be made fun of and feel different then other kids their age. I hope Avery will take the attitude that he has had this past year with his diagnoses and carry it with him the rest of his life. I want him to be an example to other children and to help them as much as he can. I know there will be bad days when he absolutely hates having this disease. All I can say about that is, I hope the good days out weigh the bad!

Our lives and especially Avery's have forever changed with him getting diabetes. In our attempt to encourage and support our son, while educating those we know, we have formed Team Avery in hopes of doing 2 things. 1) Raise money to support the research required to find a cure, and 2) To provide Avery with support and love and to let him know that he is not alone in his fight against diabetes.

The walk will be a wonderful place where Avery wont feel alone with this disease and we hope it will teach him that he can accomplish anything he wants with hard work and determination! As a 4 year old there is only so much Avery can do himself when it comes to fighting this disease. The walk is something he can do, and with your help we can make his very first walk his BEST one!

Please help us reach our goal!!

Here is how you can help..

Make a contribution in support of Team Avery!(any amount is welcome!) Get online and head to http://www.walk.jdrf.org

or just click on the link on the side of my blog page. Make sure you type in Avery's name or Team Avery and just follow it from there. We would also love for anyone that wants to, to not only donate but to join Team Avery as well! Just follow those same steps and join us to walk with Team Avery on August 21st at 9:00 a.m at Wheeler Farm! Our team goal is $2,000.00 and at LEAST 30 walkers so please join us and help make it a memorable day for Avery and all the other children affected by Type 1 Diabetes.

I will be posting more and more information as the weeks go on. This is where most people will be getting all of the information about Avery so please don't get sick of reading and please help us with the wonderful cause! My friend Shelley put this darling flier together for me.. This also has a lot of the information on it.

4 Years Ago Today..

2010-06-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

4 Years and about 8 Months ago It went from THIS...

To THAT...

To HIM...

My Perfect litte 8lb 0oz 22in Long baby boy! Some days its a hard being a mommy but I wouldn't change Any of it for Anything! Avery is such a wonderful blessing to us and he teaches us how to be better and stronger people with all the stuff he deals with everyday. We love him SO much!

Happy 4th Birthday Avery Boy!!

(Party Pics coming soon..)

Our first year.

2010-05-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

Today is a bitter sweet day for me. Bitter because we still wake up every morning and Avery still has diabetes. Sweet because its has been 365 days since we found out about his diagnoses and I never thought we would make it through the first year. I was told many times within the first couple of weeks that the first year is the hardest, but once you get through the first year it becomes just a part of your daily life and you hardly notice it anymore. On one hand that's true but on the other it couldn't be farther from the truth. Is it easier now? Oh yes! Do I hardy notice it? Oh no! Like Ive said before Diabetes does not define us but it sure runs our lives most days! I notice it. Avery notices is it. Every day. Before May 19th 2009 Diabetes was something I knew a little about but thought nothing of. Most of the time you don't think about things like that until they punch you in the face and we got punched in the face pretty hard. I know a lot of you don't know how we found out Avery was diabetic so Ill share it for you again.

I had been noticing for a while that Avery was drinking like crazy! At first I thought nothing of it. I actually thought it was nice for a while that my kid drank so much water when other kids hated it. We were potty training him at the time and I couldn't believe how much he was peeing. I thought he was just excited about using the potty so he just wanted to go all the time. One of the biggest things that happened that made me think something was wrong was how mad he would get when he couldn't drink. We were at wal-mart (the Monday before he got diagnosed) and he was telling me that he was thirsty. I kind of got upset with him because he had just downed almost a whole bottle of water in the car so I was thinking there was no way he was still thirsty! I told him no and he flipped out. He then took it upon himself to go get a bottle of water out of those cooler things that they keep at the end of the isle. He opened it, took a drink and started to get upset again. It was frozen. You would have thought the word was ending with how he was acting. I gave him another bottle of water and he gulped the whole thing down in a matter of seconds. At that point I think I already knew what the answer was and remember being glad that I already called to make an appointment for the next day.

We went in and they took Avery's blood and had him pee in a cup. The doctor came it within just a few minutes and told me that Avery had Type 1 diabetes. My head was spinning and it took me a second to say anything. Even though I thought that was what she was going to tell me, it didn't make actually hearing it any easier. We talked for a minute and then she told me to go home, pack a bag and head to Primary Children's Hospital. Long story short we spent 4 days learning how to take care of Avery with this disease. I compare bringing home a diabetic with bringing home your first new born baby. Its scary. Its new. And you are ALWAYS checking on them and you don't want them out of your sight for too long. The first week home was insane but we made it. The coming months were also a bit crazy but we took it one day at a time and we made it. I still just take it one day at a time. Its all I can do to keep my myself from going crazy thinking about all the "what ifs".

I look back now and it breaks my heart thinking about what his little body was going through and we didn't even know it.

Was he always this skinny??

Why was he acting out so much??

He just wasnt himself..

He was so amazing at the hospital. The nurses couldn't believe how well he was taking everything. I was grateful for that. I still am.

This was us at the hospital. Little trooper...

The day we got home from the hospital he was back to his same hyper self! Its amazing what a little insulin will do for the body huh?? His cousins came over and they played and played! Just what he needed..

I grow more and more proud of Avery every day. He is my hero and I'm so lucky to be is mommy. This has been a tough year but we take it day by day and we get through it. He makes me a stronger person, and going through all of this has made me be a better mother and wife. I hope we will continue to teach Avery all that he needs to do to take care of himself. I hope he will be as proud of his dad I one day, as we are of him!

We have a lot coming up in the next few months that I'm very excited about! Our very first Walk To Cure Diabetes will take place on August 21st and Ill post some more information about that too and what you can do to be a part of it! I hate that Avery has this but I'm thankful for the lessons that this year has taught me and for the friends that we have both made because of it. Thank you to everyone who has taken those steps with us day by day! We are going to celebrate Avery today and the little hero that he is!!!

Almost 1 year..

2010-05-08T00:23:00.000-07:00

I cant believe its almost been a year since Avery's diagnoses. Our diagnoses. Its been a crazy year! Ill post more about it soon but I just wanted to say how much this whole experience has taught me. Not just about Diabetes but about everything in my life. It has made me appreciate the little things even more and I look at Avery not just as my handsome little man but as my handsome little hero. Hes so brave and he teaches me something new every day. I love him so much and I thank my Heavenly Father every night that I am his mommy!

Are we prepared?

2010-04-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

So last week I was sitting here all by my lonesome watching TV. I was flipping through station after station and then I stopped on the movie "Signs" You know that movie right? Mel Gibson, M. Night Shamalon ( or whatever) aliens? Anyway, So I'm watching this scary movie all alone and it gets to the part when they are hiding out in the cellar because those freaky things have made their way inside. Their hiding out and making sure there is no other way into the cellar. Then yummy Mel Gibson remembers that there is a coal shaft in the cellar so they try and find it so they can cover it up. The camera focuses on the coal shaft and the little boy is standing right in front of it. Oh crap you know something is going to happen! Just then a scary ass alien arm grabs the little boy! Don't worry!! Mel saved the day and got him ;)

If you remember in the movie the little boy has asthma. So that attack by the alien got him really worked up. The next scene is the little boy laying in Mels lap and trying his hardest to breath. Mel looks over at his brother in a sad panic and says " We don't have his medicine" My heart sank and for a minute there it felt like I couldn't swallow. I was scared. Not scared of the aliens anymore but scared of that one little sentence "We don't have his medicine" Since Avery has been diagnosed I feel like as a family we have done everything humanly possible to make sure that my little man is safe and taken care of with his medical needs. I pack WAY more then I need to for outings, we know exactly what supplies we have and when we are about to run out, Everything is accounted for and lists are made so nothing is forgotten. But are we really PREPARED??

OK, OK.. Don't get me wrong, I'm not yelling: "Hey D parents make sure you have your kids diabetic supplies accounted for in a safe place because you never know when some scary ass aliens are going to come knocking at your door!" But I am saying.. Do you have a 72 hour kit prepared in case of emergency? Any kind of emergency? Earthquake, flood, fire, etc. And in the kit do you have the necessary things? Water, canned food, blanket, first aid kit, etc? What about diabetic supplies? Stuff for their highs and lows, Syringes, Lancets, extra strips, batteries if you use a pump, pump supplies, and of course INSULIN??!! That's kind of a tough one because unopened insulin needs to be kept in the fridge so I don't know how that works if you wanted to keep some in a 72 kit and then swap it out every time you knew it was out of date. The point is that I never want to be put in a situation. ANY SITUATION where the words " We don't have his medicine" come out of my mouth.

I'm sure you guys have thought about this before and I'm sure there are some of you who have this all taken care of. As for me? I don't. But at the end of this weekend? I will. It will make me feel so much better that if the unexpected does happen I can just grab his backpack and know without a doubt that everything he needs to survive is in there.

If there are some of you who have this all taken care of I would love to hear about it! Let me know what you have in your kit. This has actually got me thinking about a few other things I have had on my mind to do for a while.. But ill save those ramblings for another day! Ill try not to let it go so long before my next post :)

2 GINORMOUS blogs in one!!

2010-03-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

So whos version do you like the best? Shannons? Shamaes?? Well sit back and enjoy my version! Just for the record Id be happy if we all tied for 1st ;)

For those of you who take a look at my blog that arent on my D-mom list, A friend of mine whos daughter also has Type 1 was driving from Idaho Falls to come see a new Endo. He happens to be Averys Dr. too so it was just another thing to bring us a little closer. When I was talking to Shamae on the phone on Thursday night I told her I was so excited that trying to fall asleep that night was going to be like trying to fall asleep on Christmas Eve.. And it was! I really was THAT excited about meeting the both of them. The drive over to meet them was pretty exciting too. I havent had 2 pound butterflies in my stomach for quite a while ;) When I walked in and saw both of their faces my eyes started to fill up with tears. I hugged them both and we all just started chatting away!

And just like both them wrote on their blogs.. It was great! It was not a conversation you have when meeting with people for the first time. Oh no! It was just like talking with close friends that Ive had for years!! The kids got along great and that made it so nice because we were able to talk and get to know each other even more. Those cute kids.. Shannons litte man will just melt your heart like no other and all of the girls were just so sweet. It was so great for Avery to see other kids his age with pumps and other kids getting their finger checked before they ate too. I could see it on Averys face.. He lit up when he saw the other kids doing it too and Im hoping that in his sweet little mind he was thinking "Hmm Ok.. Other kids DO do this. Mommy was right. Its ok"

When we were taking pictures outside I was so happy I could really just puke. I was glad that I could act totally like myself and that they could too. Thats when you know you have found good friends. I hate this stupid disease more then anything.. But Im also so thankful that it has lead me to wonderful people! Its hard to make new friends when you are a stay at home mommy with 2 kids. But im proud to say that I have made some wonderful friends through blogging and facebook. Diabetes introduced us but its not the only thing that will keep every one of you in my life! Thank you for all your help and support and I hope to meet all of you one day and I know when that day comes it will be just as wonderful as my day with Shamae and Shannon! Ok maybe a close 2nd ;)

Loved EVERY minute of it.. Thanks girls!

And now on to my other post..
My baby is 1!! I cant even believe it! The time has just flown by and I hate to see some of it go. Dont get me wrong I love watching my boys grow up but they just do it so fast. Slow down and let me enjoy the baby time a little bit more!

We had a birthday party on Saturday and despite me screwing up on a few cute things I had planned I think it turned out great. It was just a small little get together with my side of the family and our 2 best friends. (We are getting together with the Cooper side next week I think) Now what is the funnest thing about a 1 year olds B day party?? Getting to watch him dive into the cake right? It took Landon a while to get the hang of it but he finally got it down and had a pretty fun time gettin' dirty!

I will always have a little bit of guilt when it comes to Landon and these past 9 months :( He has been put on the back burner I feel from time to time while we have been getting used to everything with Avery and our new lifestyle. That little guys is SO loved though and I hope he knows it! Its hard to believe that a whole year has gone by. Only a year and I cant remember our lives without him.. I hope you had a great birthday little man!

*WARNING* *WARNING* Some of these pictures might make you want to throw up in your mouth a little bit :) Enjoy!

I LOVE YOU BUDDY!!

V.I.P

2010-02-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

At Averys preschool they have this cute thing called V.I.P of the week. This week it was Avery and I think we have more fun with this stuff then he does! You're supposed make a poster with some pictures and talk about his favorite things and stuff like that. He LOVES cars so I wanted to make the poster look like a car. I just wanted a simple cartoon car that I could slap a few pics on and call it good. Kendal had a totally different thing in mind. Being the great artist that he is, he begins to create this car poster and by the end of it I had NO room to do anything on it. No pics or anything of the sort! So sadly Kendal had to take his little masterpiece and dial it down about 50 notches. He was irritated with the end result but it was exactly what I had in mind so we kept it the way it was. I put up pictures that best describe Avery and wrote down a few of his favorite things. I also put together some little treat bags and he was so excited to hand them out to his friends!

He was in the 400's (WTH??) right before school so that kind of took away the excitement for me but Avery didnt know the difference. I corrected him and he had a great day! The best part of my day on Tuesday's and Thursday's are opening up his backpack and seeing all the stuff he has done that day. If he's in the mood he goes over everything with me. If not he just says "I dont remember mom". Kendal has school on those same days so he thinks thats pretty cool too. I posted some pics of the finished project. I think it turned out pretty cute for his very first V.I.P!

Another fun thing thats coming up pretty quick is Landons first birthday! I cant believe a whole year has gone by since I had my little man. I feel guilty sometimes because with Avery being diagnosed when Landon was just 3 months old I feel like he was kind of put on the back burner for a while :( I tried my hardest to give him all the love and attention he deserves but it got really hard sometimes when there was so much going on with Avery. Things have calmed down a lot though and I know he knows that he is SO SO loved!! He is the cutest little thing and has got the curliest hair and the biggest dark brown eyes. He just melts my heart and I cant believe a whole year has come and gone already. Ill do a year post on his bday so check back for that..

And last but not least another thing Im SO excited for this weekend... I get to meet a fellow D mom!!! Shamae and I have plans to meet on Friday and I cant even tell you how excited I am to meet her and her sweet girls face to face. I love her online and through the phone so im sure ill love her even more in person. Im sure we will BOTH be blogging about our little "date" so we will take tons of pictures for everyone!

The other side of me..

2010-02-12T22:01:00.000-08:00

SO... Shamae said whoever read her whole post was obligated to write some stuff about themselves. Geez thanks Shamae ;) Here a few random things you might not know.

1. I moved a lot as kid and went to 4 different highschools (sucked)

2. Knowing I have diet pepsi in my fridge makes my day better

3. Im outgoing and easy to talk to, but hard to get to know at the same time.

4. People piss me off way too easy. Especially stupid people. You know who you are.

5. I love red-box. My favorite thing is treats and watching a movie..

6. My guilty pleasure is double stuff oreos

7. I have more guy friends then girls and its always been that way. Less drama

8. I have a tattoo on my back, and once had my tongue pierced! (that one surprised you huh?)

9. My family bugs me easily. Sad but true

10. I love my mom and I hang out with her more then anyone.

11. When Kendal and I first met I thought he was the biggest dork!!

12. When Avery was 5 weeks old I forgot to buckle him back in his car seat after grocery shopping. I lifted the car seat up and out of the cart and baby Avery rolled out landing on his left side. Resulting in a broken collar bone and a head bleed between his brain and his skull :( My tough little man can pull through anything! (and yes i STILL feel horrible about it)

13. When I was 7 months prego with Avery I slipped on porch stairs, fell and shattered 3 of the fingers on my right hand. Kendal looked at my hand, almost dry heaved, put me in the car and took me to the ER.

14. My boys were born c- section. Averys heart couldnt take the contractions and we had to get him out quick. I didnt want to stress about the risks with a normal delivery after Avery so baby Landon came the same way.

15. I LOVE cooking and Im always trying new stuff. Like Shamae said it sucks finding out carbs for new recipes but its worth it if i find a good one.

16. I love my boys and I cant wait until their taller then me. I always think about it for some reason. How cute will the family pic be with all my boys around me?? Dad is tall so im assuming they will be tall too. Avery is always off the charts for his height.

17. I cant handle when people are mean to my kids. Other kids or adults i just cant handle it! Im pretty damn vocal about it too.

18. My new favorite web site is howdoesshe.com My good friend Shelley started it up with some friends in Boise and its such a great site with wonderful fun ideas. Go check it out when you get a minute!

19. I cry at everything. I do. Everything. Commercials, re-runs of little house on the praire, anything patriotic, pictures, etc., everything. Really

20. I swear too much. Its a bad habbit but I cant kick it. Good hell is just a little taste ;) (cant wait to chat again ladies)

Surprisingly I really could go on but ill stop there. I hope this let you get to know another side of me.. I tag everyone because I really would like to get know all of you a little better. Especially you D moms. We all know the diabetic side of life so now lets get to know the other side a bit. Have fun! Thanks Shamae..

Okay.. Okay..

2010-02-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

So we ALL make mistakes! Nobody wins the award, But I'm so lucky to have the company of so many wonderful women in the mistake department! Thanks Ladies.. I'm so excited to learn more about each and every one of you. xoxo

And the worst D mom award goes to?? (opening envelope) ME!!

2010-02-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

Yep I'm the worst! Ive won it! Avery has had this disease for almost 9 months now, I should know better! What was I thinking?? What was I doing?? Double check Wendy. ALWAYS double check. Let me explain.. It was about 4:00 pm and Avery asked if he could have a treat. Avery is a really great eater most of the time so when he asks for treats sometimes I really don't mind giving in. He wanted Hershey kisses. I check his BG, 124. Hershey kisses it is! I put his checker down, pick up his little brother and walk to bathroom really fast to turn my curling iron off. I get a phone call from a friend and start talking to her for a minute. Meanwhile my patient little Avery is following me around wanting his kisses. I get off the phone. "Mom! I need to pee!" I take Avery potty and then as soon as hes done "Can I have my kisses now?" Sure buddy I'm so sorry Ive been taking so long! I walk upstairs and grab the kisses from the fridge. He helps me count out 9 then he starts scarfing down. 9 kisses are 24 carbs. Am I missing something from this pretty detailed story?? Oh that's right, I forgot to pick up his checker and give him his insulin for the kisses WTH??

Fast forward this story to almost 2 hours later.. I'm sitting with Landon on my lap and I'm talking to my mom. Avery is downstairs watching TV. I look over at the table and I see the Hershey wrappers and my stomach drops. Did I give him his insulin? I counted out the kisses and looked at the carb count, but did I actually give him his insulin?? I run downstairs and check his little finger. Hes a whopping 398!! Oh hell! 398? Coming down maybe from who knows what number! I freak out, yell at myself and then correct him. Sad to say I have been chasing his high ever since! Its down to the high 200's now but its taken a bit.

I would like to thank my stupid distracted mind for this award. I couldn't have done it without you! I would also like to thank my lack of double checking and my hurried sense of attitude that has brought me to this point today.

Sorry Avery.. Mommy will "try" to never EVER do that again!

D mom chat..

2010-01-31T23:00:00.000-08:00

Where and When is this D mom chat??? Come on ladies.. You're holding out on me. I keep reading all about it but have no idea where or when. Let me know, I would LOVE to join!

Calling all T1 Mommies!! (and dads too of course!)

2010-01-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

SO... long story short, Tonight was the first night that we put Averys site in his stomach. He has been on his pump since mid June and since then every 2 to 3 days we change his site and its always been on his little bum or upper hip area. Avery is tall and skinny and really doesnt have much fat anywhere else and so thats where we have been putting it. At his last Dr. app. his Dr. checked his bum and there was no scar tissue or anything building up so we are still fine to do it there but i hate seeing all the little pock marks its leaving so we decided to switch it up. Avery was super brave like he always his but i could tell that that one hurt him more then the other sites did. Now hes kind of walking around with his shirt up and trying not to bump it or anything because hes not used to it and its bugging him.

So what should i do?? Keep just doing what we normally do until the Dr. says switch it up or just put the site in other places if Averys letting us do it?? Do you guys switch it up with your kids? Where do they say it hurts less on them? Like i said, Avery is tall and skinny so i feel bad putting the site in other places but he eventually needs to get used to that right?? I would love to get some advice on this so please let me know your thoughts and what you guys do. Thanks so much!!

How many carbs are in that ya think??

2009-12-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

I found myself saying that in my head and to everyone else on Christmas eve. Whats the worst thing about yummy Christmas food that other people bring?? That other people made it. Most people don't think about how many carbs are in a serving of whatever dish they are making.. I do. I cant expect everyone to cater to Avery's needs 100% of the time so it was it pretty annoying having to "carb guess" my way through most of the meal. He stayed in the high 100's most of the night so I did a pretty good job. The frog eyed salad was what killed me though! Avery loved that stuff. I make it myself but I haven't in quite a while so I had NO idea what the amount of carbs were in that little dish.. It worked out.

Our first Christmas with Diabetes wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be. Santa left Avery some treats in his stocking and he's been very good about only eating them after lunch or dinner. No fits. No tantrums. Yay! Hes only 3 1/2, but I really think he is starting to understand more and more every day that there are just some things his little body cant have right when he wants it. He knows he needs to be checked and he has been so good about waiting patiently when hes high before he can start chowing down. He still amazes me every day with the way he has been taking all of this. Avery.. You are my hero! He is a great example to me and his dad and of course his little brother Landon. I hope I'm teaching my boys half as much as they teach me every day.

The other day Avery asked me for a sugar free doughnut :) I wish buddy!! He tries to be sneaky like that all the time "but mom, this has no carbs!" (as hes holding a bag of skittles) Cute little stinker. Like I've said before, we are taking it day by day and that's all any of us can do. I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Ill post some pictures soon.

I'm so sikey!!

2009-12-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

This is phrase heard all too often at the Cooper house. Avery knows how to say excited just fine but instead he says "sikey". With all of the Christmas decorating and talk of Santa he has been plenty sikey! Who says holidays aren't as much fun when your older?? Pffffff I think its more fun! Nothing is more fun to me then seeing the look on Averys face when I tell him the story of Santa and his reindeer. His eyes get HuGe and he has about a zillion questions. I remember last year having fun getting all his presents and treats in order and being really excited too, but this year is just that much better because he really gets the whole santa thing. Our Christmas traditions will be more and more fun the older they get!

This year we are starting a new tradition that I hope will become our most treasured one. My cousin let me in on this little Christmas tradition that her husbands family does every year and I think its wonderful! Its easy to get caught up in the "commercial" part of Christmas. Santa, cookies, reindeer, PrEsEnTs! Dont get me wrong.. we ALL do it and it is Oh So FuN! But we also all know that Christmas is not just about that. Its about the precious birth of our Savior and the wonderful story of Mary and Joseph in the manjor. So to remind my family of that, before we dig into our stockings and rip open our presents we are going to set up the Nativity scene in front of the tree and talk about the birth of our Savior and what Christmas is truly all about. I hope its a tradition and a memory that my children will grow to love and pass on to their own children one day. Thanks Barry and Rochelle!

So needless to say we are all waiting for Santa and all the fun that comes with this wonderful time of year. Norwegian cookies, lights at temple square, shopping with my mom and sister, Griswolds Christmas vacation, pictures with santa, Christmas cards and all the other fun stuff this time of year brings. Yes... the Coopers are So SiKeY!!

I also have been meaning to post these pictures for SO long. At the end of the summer I was lucky enough to have my friend Kara in town for a day on her way home from Idaho and she was able to take some family pictures. They turned out great and i'm sorry Kara that it took me so long to post some. Merry Christmas everybody!

The start of the HoLiDaY SeAsOn!

2009-11-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

It seems like after Halloween everything just goes by way too fast. Since Avery was diagnosed I have been stressing out about all of the holidays. I know its stupid! As soon as one passes i think "Hmm that wasn't too bad" Halloween was the day i was worried about the most. All the kids coming to grandmas right after trick-or-treating and digging into all the candy.. It went pretty well though. All the kids were being really sweet and they all waited to eat their treats until Avery was checked and was OK to join in on all the fun! Avery got sick over Thanksgiving so it was kind of a bitter sweet thing for me. Bitter because its NO FUN having a sick kid, especially with diabetes because it just throws everything with him off for a few days. But sweet because he didn't feel like eating anything but fruit and cereal so i didn't have to worry about any of the carbs in whatever thanksgiving food other family members brought! So that went pretty smooth as well. So now we just wait for Christmas :) Treats in the stocking will have to wait to be devoured at an appropriate time rather then whenever he wants. (which is how it usually is on a day like Christmas!) So i think i stress out and worry about things with him a little too much. He surprises me every time because he takes it so well and its really no big deal. He's 3 so sometimes its hard to say "yes you can have that candy, you just have to wait a little bit first" Most of the time he's OK with that but like I said hes 3 and sometimes he just doesn't want to hear that answer! I'm sure Christmas will come and go and ill say my usual "hmmm that wasn't too bad"

My birthday was the day before thanksgiving so it made things a little busy this week. On My Bday things didn't really start off all that fun because i guess nothing went according to Kendal's plan. My present was supposed to get there on on Wed. and it didn't, flowers were supposed to be delivered that never showed up, breakfast in bed got burnt because he was dealing with the kids. Its the thought that counts right?? So needless to say Kendal was in a bad mood ALL DAY and it didn't even feel like a birthday until we went to dinner. It was so yummy and then i came home to flowers and candy in my room. The crappy day was made up for! Thanksgiving was at my moms on Thurs. and then at Kendal's moms on Friday. Avery had a blast playing with the kids and he was feeling much better on Friday. Every year the Cooper kids put on a play and this year Avery was old enough to be invited. Hes still pretty little and doesn't take direction very well :) So it pretty much consisted of him standing center stage with a stick in his hand bowing whenever anyone clapped. So funny!

After that we went back to my parents house for a bit and Kendal had been waiting all day to give me my present that finally arrived on Friday morning. It was a great surprise and i LoVeD it!! Now its time to start decorating for Christmas and I'm so excited! Avery keeps asking where our tree is so that's probably the first thing ill put up.

Just one more thing... For all you wonderful ladies who have asked if its OK for you to add me to your blog list, please do! You don't even need to ask :) I would love for you to check in on us whenever you'd like and i hope i can do the same with you. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I also posted some random fun pics that i should have put on here a long time ago.

31

2009-11-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

31...What a horrible number. I tend to hate any number under 70 or over 250. For all of you Type 1 mommies, you know what I'm talking about. Avery hit 31 tonight.. the lowest he's been since we found out he had diabetes. It was scary for so many reasons but the the worst thing about it was that it happened so fast! He was running around and playing and then literally no more then 20 seconds later he was on his hands and knees and then down on his belly. I looked over at him thinking he might just be playing. He looked up at me and gave me the saddest little face. I hurried and checked him and then his eyes started rolling back into his head. My dad scooped him up and ran him to the kitchen. He was coherent and was able to drink some juice. Within about a minute he was back to normal.

Some days you get a little too used to the schedule you have with a diabetic child and then something like this happens and its like that 1st week of their diagnoses is starting all over again. I take advantage of the good days. I shouldn't. But at the same time while i hate it when these scary moments happen, its nice when its over because I know we can get through it. Avery was OK, i was OK, everything ended up being OK. Hes had diabetes for 6 months now and its still very, very new. I'm pretty sure it will still be very new for a long, long time. So until the day comes (and we all know it will) when they find a cure, we'll take the good days and be grateful and the bad days and be grateful. As hard as diabetes can be on my little man and our family, i know that things could be worse. Today was a bad day.. but its so small compared to our good ones! I know things will get better. I know things will get easier. Diabetes is journey that I never thought we would be on, but we're here and we're in it for life! I know Avery can do it and I hope i can do it ;) Its amazing to see all these other kids, families and mommies going through the same thing. We can all get through the hard days!! Thank you for all the wonderful comments! I hope i can get to know each and every one of you..

New year.. New blog!!

2009-11-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

Since the new year is approaching fast, I have decided that its a New year so I'm starting a NEW BLOG! As most of you may know My oldest son Avery was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in May and I have decided to use this blog to the best of my ability. To learn.. to educate.. to comfort and to give myself and whoever else needs it a chance to VENT about this disease and living with or taking care of a loved one with Type 1 diabetes. I have come to have a new respect and a new amount of complete amazement every day when i look at Avery. He has dealt with this whole situation a lot better then I have! He doesn't let it bother him and he is still the same old kid he was prior to all of this.

He teaches me so much every day and I owe it to him to help and educate others about this disease. I have had to come to terms with the fact that his life as well as mine will never be the same again. Until they find a cure (AND THEY WILL) this will be something that we will have to battle with everyday. With his courage and strength, he gives me what i need every day to do what i need to do to take care of him and make this as easy on him as i can. Kendal has been amazing and i cant imagine a better person to have by my side while we take care of our family and try our hardest to give Avery a normal, happy, healthy successful life!

I will be posting links and information as often as i can to help anyone who is interested. Walk to cure is a wonderful way to show your support and i will keep everyone posted on what they can do to help. Team Avery will be joining the next walk and i would love for all my friends and family to be by our side!! My blog will be making some fun and important changes gradually so i hope you stop by often to check it all out.

On a different note.. Landon is getting huge and I'm excited to post some new pics of what our family has been up too!

Its about time!

2009-06-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

I honesty have sat down about a dozen times to post this and I just cant ever finish it.. Well here it is. It has been pretty eventful in the Cooper house over the last few months to say the least!

First off Landon was born Feb. 27th at 12:38 PM and is just as cute as can be! He weighed 6 lbs 13 oun. and was 19 in long (huge difference from Avery) He has been such a great baby (except when he's in his car seat) and we just love having this new little member of our family.

Secondly.. We found out on May 19th that Avery has diabetes :( Just when I was getting used to a new baby AND a toddler running around we get hit with this. I have had text message after text message and phone call after phone call from family friends wanting to say they were sorry and find out what all happened and since I know that a ton of people check my blog that don't have one of their own just to see what we have been up too, I thought i would let everyone know on here how it all came about instead of telling the story 100 times..

For the past few moths Avery had been DRINKING and PEEING WAY MORE then any 2 year old ever should! I kinda knew the warning signs of diabetes because 2 of my aunts have it so i was pretty concerned. What made me officially take him into his Dr. was that one afternoon i put Avery down for his nap like i always do and he normally sleeps for about 2 to 3 hours. This time he woke up after only about an hour and his pull up was as heavy as if i hadn't changed him in 2 full nights! A couple days later we went in. They tested his urine and took his blood. Within minutes we got the news that it was Type 1 diabetes. It was a pretty hard hit. Sitting there looking at my sweet happy little boy who had no idea what was going on was so hard! I pulled it together and my Dr. sent us to Primary Children's Hospital that night. We were there from Tues. until Friday. They were monitoring Avery boy and teaching us all they could in 4 days.. Oh hell it was A LOT to take in!

Avery was SO amazing during the whole thing :) To this day he has yet to cry about a shot or a finger poke to test his blood. He is so brave and is dealing with this better then most adults do I'm told. The nurses couldn't believe how happy and just perfectly fine he was the whole time at the hospital. I'm a wreck of course! We have to give him a shot 3 or more times a day and test his blood about 10 t0 12 times a day. It has been a HUGE change of lifestyle but we are dealing with everything 1 day at a time. Avery is acting like nothing is different and that is a huge help to Kendal and I. In about a month Avery is getting on the pump so we will only have to poke him 1 time every 3 days rather then 3 or more times a day. We are so excited and cant wait to get it!

Also, Avery just had his 3rd B-day and it was just what we needed to boost our spirits up! We had cake and ice cream at the park and then headed over to the fire station in Pleasant Grove for a tour. (Avery is obsessed right now with fire trucks) My brothers good friend is the police chief there so he made it really fun. Thank you to everyone that came and made his day so special! Ive put up some pics so you can see what we have all been up too lately.

Ill try my hardest to be better about posting more blogs.. (promise Bridget)
I'm sure some of you might have questions or maybe just want to hear a little more about what happened.. if you do please feel free to call me. Things have settled down a bit and its good to talk to friends and family xoxo

A little bit of everything..

2009-01-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't posted a blog in SO long there will be a little of everything on here. First of all the pregnancy is going great! I'm 32 weeks now and I'm already more then ready to have him here. I haven't been too uncomfortable but when you have a toddler running around being this big is not an easy thing. For those of you who don't know, I had to have Avery emergency c-section and my Doctor recommends just having another one so there are no complications. I was a little bummed at first but it will be nice to have everything all planned out. So if all goes as planned he will be arriving the morning of Feb. 28. I am so excited and so ready!

Avery has been doing great also.. He has been sick all week so that's no fun but other then that he is doing so well. He is talking more and more everyday, he knows almost all of his letters and colors and we are working on shapes and things too. Potty training has been a handful but I'm hoping he will catch on before the baby gets here! 2 kids in diapers?? No thanks. And as for Kendal he is as busy as ever. He starts school again tomorrow and work is same old same old. He likes school but of course its hard for him to be away all the time. Its nice to finally have him in school again though even though we miss him around here when he's so busy!

Well.. here are a few pictures starting back in the summer time that i kept meaning to post but i never got around to it. Some Bear Lake pics, Halloween pics and so on and so on..

I know that these are a little out of order.. The first one is of him sailing with his grandpa in Bear Lake, then of course some fall and Halloween pics. My favorites are the ones of Kendal and Avery playing swords! Its so fun to watch them play that. My friend Shelley and Noah came to Utah for a few days and there are a couple of the boys playing, we all had so much fun! Utah has been dumped on with snow and Avery had so much fun helping daddy set up Christmas lights and shovel the snow. I will post some Christmas pics soon. Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and and a happy New Year! Ill try not to be as long between post next time, and ill get some belly pics up soon too :)

PS People have been asking if we have names picked out yet and the answer is NO! Boy names are so hard.. We have a few in the running but none that we love, so if you have any boy name suggestions I would LOVE to hear them.

2008-10-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Its a BOY!!!

Yep.. Avery is going to have a little brother! We found out last Friday and couldn't be happier about it. Kendal had NO question in his mind that it was a girl, but he was still very happy to hear the news. Ill be 19 weeks on sat. and my belly is getting bigger every day. I'm in my maternity jeans now and cant wait for the weather to get just a little colder so i can wear some of my sweaters. I never like it when winter starts to approach but I'm so excited this time around!

Avery loves to kiss my belly and jabber to the baby. He still doesn't really know whats going on but its cute to know that he knows that's somethings going on in moms belly. I was laying on the couch the other night with my fit up rubbing my bare belly and Avery toddles over and starts rubbing my belly. I told him that the baby would be out soon and then they could play. He got the cutest little look on his face looked down at my belly and with his little hand started gesturing to come out and said "mon baby, mon" I laughed so hard for a bit and then had to tell him that it would be just a little longer. Avery is getting so big and i know he will love being a big brother.

Kendal is staying busy with work and school. It gets hard some days but we are pushing through it and he is doing so well! I have tons of pictures to post so as soon as Kendal gets home ill sit down and do it. (my camera is in his car) I just wanted to write this quick little post and give everyone the good news!

Broken Phone..

2008-08-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

What a lame post I know. Avery sat on my phone a while ago while it was open and he busted it somehow. I can call out sometimes(that doesnt help too much because i dont have any #'s memorized) but I cant see who is calling me or receive any messages. There are only some of you on my friends and family list that I talk to on the phone but I just thought this would be an easy way to let you know that you cant reach me on my phone. HOPEFULLY Verizon can help me out today but who knows. I hope everyone is great!

I love school shopping!

2008-08-13T11:09:00.001-07:00

Even though its not for me I still love school shopping! I went with my sister last night to get school clothes for her girls and the sales were so good I just couldn't pass them up. I got Avery a few little outfits and of course since Kendal starts school a week from today I decided to get him a few things too. I also got him a few other things to make him feel right at home at school. A trapper keeper, #2 pencils, pens, erasers and of course college ruled paper. He laughed so hard when he saw the "army" trapper keeper I got him. I just wanted to get him a cute little something to let him know how proud I am of him for FINALLY going back to school! We are heading to Lava hot springs this weekend so hopefully ill have some fun pictures to post when we get back.

Holy cow where has the summer gone??

2008-08-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

I cant believe its been so long since my last post. SO much has been happening too.. I don't even know where to begin. Well first off last Sat. was Kendal's 29Th b-day! Hes gettin old ;) I let him sleep in and Avery and I made him a yummy breakfast. We mostly just goofed off for the day and then went to a friends house for dinner and cake and ice cream. Kendal requested white cake with strawberry frosting. It looked like a cake a 7 year old girl would have but he loved it! Happy Birthday Kendal, we love you so much!!

Avery has been keeping us very busy! Besides working on the potty thing a little more, he is now in a big boy bed. He loves it! Or so we thought.. He was sleeping great for a couple weeks and now its like he hates being in there. He ends up in bed with is every night and its driving me crazy! So now we are just trying to break him of that little habit. In the midst of just letting him "cry it out" he sometimes falls asleep on the floor by the door. So sad, but so cute too! I squeezed my arm in and was able to snap a pic of him.

We have also made a few trips to Bear lake that i haven't blogged about. My parents have a little place in Paris Idaho and that's only a few minutes from the lake so we have been having some fun there this summer. Here a few pics from our trips...

This summer has been a blast and its going by way to fast! Kendal starts school again on the 20Th. I'm excited for him but sad too because its more time away from us :( Its all worth it though right ?!?! And last but not least... WE"RE PREGNANT!!!!! We found out last month and have just been waiting until our 1st Dr's. app. to tell everyone. Everything looks healthy and great and we are due the beginning of March! I hope everyone is having a great summer! Here a few more cute summer pics of Avery boy.

BOISE!!!

2008-07-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

So after many, many chats about going to visit Shelley in Boise I finally did(last month) and had a blast! We hadn't seen each other in about 4 years(PS we have been friends since 8th grade!) but as soon as I got off the plane it was like we had talked everyday! I was so excited about meeting Noah and Brad. Noah and I hit it off right away :) Brad and I?? Not so much.. I found out he's real name was Donald and so when he first got home that night, I yelled "Hey Donald!" The first time I said it he didnt hear me and then the second time I tried my joke I dont even think he cracked a smile :( No need to worry.. A few hours later we were long lost BFF's and I had just as much fun with him as I did with Shell! If you ever want to break the ice with someone just ask if you can feel their peck! Trust me, works EVERY time ;)

Shelley and Brad are HUGE "coupon people" So I got a lovely little day at the spa free! It was so relaxing.. Shelley is a wonderful cook and we ate way to much the whole trip. I ate a whole bag of double stuffed oreos and loved every minute of it! It was such a great vacation! Noah is the sweetest thing and I loved getting to know his little personality :)

After we played all day long... We would get comfy on the couch and have a "office" marathon! Oh holy crap that show is funny!! I dont know what was more fun, the stuff we did during the day or our bonding time at night??

It was a wonderful vacation and it mad me realize how much I miss my little friend.. I hope one day (even if only for a short time) we can live close again :) Thank you Shelley (and Brad) for such a fun trip!! I loved it and I cant wait to see you guys this month! xoxo

Here are a few more pics of the trip...

So its not letting me post anymore pics! Why does it always do that to me?? Ill try and post more later

One word tag!

2008-06-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Ive never been tagged before so thanks Shell!

1. Where is your cell phone?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Couch
2. Your significant other? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wonderful
3. Your hair color? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black
4. Your mother? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .Amazing
5. Your father? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Workaholic
6. Your favorite thing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Avery
7. Your dream last night? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lost?
8. Your favorite drink? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dietpepsi (ha! made it one word)
9. Your dream/goal? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Happening
10. The room you're in? . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . Office
11. Your hobby? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cooking
12. Your fear? . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Death
13. Where do you want to be in six years? . . . . . . Steady
14. Where were you last night? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Home
15. What you're not? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shy
16. Muffins? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . Blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Travel
18. Where you grew up? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Utah
19. The last thing you did? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ate
20. What are you wearing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeans
21. Your tv? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sony
22. Your pets? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .None
23. Your computer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Problems
24. Your life? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Grateful
25. Your mood? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Relaxed
26. Missing someone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Always
27. Your car? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Honda
28. Something your not wearing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shoes
29. Favorite store? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Changes
30. Your summer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paris (idaho that is)
31. Like someone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kendal
32. Your favorite color? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black
33. When was the last time you laughed?. . . . . . . .Today
34. Last time you cried? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Today
35. Who will do this? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Question?

I TAG Bridget, Candice, Carolyn and Camille!

Backyardigans B-day Party!

2008-06-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Avery's 2 favorite things are cars and backyardigans. So I took him to the party supply store and I let him pick out what kind of party he wanted. First he was checking out the cars stuff and liked what he saw so we put all the stuff in the cart. But then we went to the backyardigans section and he flipped out! (the backyardigans stuff was cuter if i do say so myself) So we put all the cars stuff back and got the backyardigans party stuff instead. Kendal and i had so much fun baking the cake! Here are a few pictures of our little Pablo masterpiece.. Yes I know Kendal is BY FAR the artist in our family but i helped too :)

The party was a success and Avery had so much fun! Some of his cousins came to play and his little girlfriend Paige and they all had so much fun playing with each other. Watching him at the party I just couldn't help but get kind of excited for the future B-day parties to come. What will he be like when he's older i wonder? Will he want girls at his party? Will I even be aloud to be in the same room with all of his friends at his older parties? Or will I be shunned to my room only aloud to come out when its time to clean up?! Lets hope I have many, many more years until he is embarrassed of his mommy! Well at least for now i can still do everything for him and planning his little party was a blast and I hope everyone that came had fun too!!

After the pizza and presents we all went across the street for some cake and ice cream and to hit the Pablo pinata! Come to find out those stupid pinatas are hard to break open. After letting all the kids have a few turns each, we had to hand the stick over to Justin so he could finish the job! Lets just say Justin took care of Pablo..

After poor little Pablo was slaughtered :( We sang happy birthday to Avery boy and had some cake and ice cream. It was a fun day and a great birthday for Avery!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVERY!!!

2008-06-05T11:44:00.001-07:00

I cant believe my little man is two! It seems like just yesterday we were taking him home from the hospital. I feel like just last week he was learning to sit up on his own and giving us those first big smiles!

And now he is 2 and oh so big! I love every minute of my life being his mommy. I am so blessed to have him in my life each and every day. He has only been on this earth 2 short precious years and he has already changed my life so much! Kendal and I cant wait for each new day to spend with him, to watch him learn and grow.

Happy Birthday Avery we are already so proud of you!! We love you so much and are so grateful for you! I love that he's growing up but at the same time I hate it so much. I want him to be my little baby forever!

Family Pictures..

2008-06-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

Because Avery was turning 2, it was the perfect time to get some professional pictures taken of him since it had been a while and we hadn't taken family pics for a long time either. I thought because we were taking the pictures outside that Avery would be such a good boy. Wrong! He just wanted to play the whole time and wanted NOTHING to do with getting his picture taken. Our photographer Amy was so patient and she did a great job! Here are a few that I took from her blog. I cant wait to get the rest in a week or so :) Even though it was hard to get Avery to sit still she got some really cute pics! That's what being a good photographer is all about right?! Avery looks so big in these pictures and I cant believe he is turning 2 in two short days! I cant boob about him turning 2 just yet.. You'll have to read his birthday blog on Thursday for that. (and to see more pictures of just Avery boy) Thanks again Amy!

Yay Avery pooped!!!

2008-06-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

But not in the potty...

We kind of had a late night last night at my brothers and Avery didn't get his normal bath time routine because he fell asleep in the car. So today before church Kendal took him into the shower with him and gave him a quick rinse down. Avery ran out when he was done and came to the side of our bed where he knew he had stashed one of his little cars. In that one minute of not having his diaper on, Avery took FULL advantage and left us a little present on the carpet! It was the funniest thing to see the look on his face! He bent over and studied his little poopy like it was this crazy creature that magically slipped out of his body.

All in all was a cute/funny experience and it was a great opportunity to go over the "poopy only in the potty" thing. Im not pushing him into potting training because I don't think he fully understands everything yet so we are just taking it nice and slow. I did take a picture of his funny little present but I don't dare post a poopy pic on my blog. Is that gross? Is it funny? Is it weird that mommy took a pic of the poop?? I just don't know :) I have some fun pictures of Avery and our new flowers so I will post them as soon as I find my camera charger..

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2008-05-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my mom's 56th b-day! Yes thats right I said 56! She doesn't look a day over 40 does she?? I just wanted to take a minute to say what a wonderful mother I have. She is my best friend and I would just be lost without her! I have always, always, always been a mama's girl and that will never change. Avery just loves his grandma too and I don't know what he would do without her either. I hope and pray that Avery and I will have the kind of relationship that my mom and I have. And if thats too much to ask because he is a boy then I hope to have it with my daughter some day. She is such a strong woman and I look up to her and respect her for all she has done in her life. She has strengthened my testimony more then she will ever know and I love her even more for that. I am so lucky to have such an amazing woman in my life, and best of all I get to call her my mother. I love you so much mom!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

Averys litte love...

2008-05-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to add a quick little post about Avery's little love :) This is Paige. Oh how much Avery loves Paige!! Bridget and I and Kendal and Justin are together all the time so its just natural that these two are as close as they are. Avery loves to give Paigey little loves and you should see her face every time she walks in the door and sees Avery. Its the cutest thing ever, we love it! We always joke that they will be each others first date, kiss, etc. You never know what will happen but they sure do love each other now! These are just a couple quick pics of them watching their favorite show together, BACKYARDIGANS!! Look at their cute little faces, they love their shows :)

Big Boy potty!!!

2008-05-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well its official!! Avery has started his potty training! He loves his potty.. Not to pee in it though. He just just loves to push it around like a car. We are helping him understand that its not a toy. He helped daddy put it together and he thought that was pretty fun! But now its time to potty in it...

As you can see the look on his face, he has NO idea whats going on! I kept telling him if he went potty I would give him a treat or buy him a little car. You know, a little reward? He wanted to hear nothing about a treat or a toy! He loves sitting on it with his diaper ON but OFF is a no no for Avery :) He has pull ups and we will keep trying everyday until he loves his potty! I love that he is getting so big but it breaks my heart too. I just want him to stay my little baby forever. He's getting a big boy bed for his B-day too, so we'll see how that goes! If anybody has potty training tips please let me know! I'm all ears..

Its been a while...

2008-04-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well.. Its been a while since I have even checked my page so there is a lot more to add! Avery is getting bigger and bigger and cuter and cuter everyday! He loves to help me do EVERYTHING around the house and he is a total mommy's boy. We had a blast over Easter, every holiday just gets more and more fun the older he gets. He is spitting out new words everyday and I just can't believe the stuff that comes out of his mouth sometimes! Mommy and daddy need to start paying attention now to what they say when he's around :) Anyway, since its been awhile I have a bunch of new pics so enjoy! I will try my hardest to update weekly..

My little man...

2007-12-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

For my very, very first blog entry I wanted to introduce my little man! Avery was born June 5Th 2006 and completely runs our lives now! I became a stay at home last February and I am loving every minute of it! He keeps me on my toes every day and I learn so much from his sweet little spirit... Kendal and I could not be happier with where are lives are and where things are heading! I'm very new to this whole blog thing but I will try to keep things updated weekly for family and friends. Have a Merry Christmas!!!