We have a new electronic device in our house...

It's not a very welcome one,

but it will be helpful in the health of my sweet Chuck.

It's a Glucometer!

Yup, Chuck was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes!

The story... (mind you I know the symptoms of a diabetic)

Chuck and I went shopping on Monday to get some fabulous deals and in each store Chuck had to go to the bathroom. Then when we got home we decided to take the kids to see Narnia, so we went to Taco Bell for dinner (where Chuck used the men's room again) and then to Walmart, and then to the movies where he went to the bathroom again, and then twice during the movie and right after again. After that I texted my mom to see if she was home so we could test his blood sugar. I was kinda worried about him. When we got to my mom's we tested his blood sugar right away. It read "HI." I asked my mom what that meant, she told me it was probably over 300. OK, that's high. We tested mine to make sure it was working. Mine was 113, good to go. Tested Chuck's again, still "HI." So we went home with my moms meter so we could check later. When we got home I looked up the booklet for the meter my mom had let us borrow and the "HI" meant his blood sugar was over 600!!! It should be under 120! Houston we have a problem. I was looking at the symptoms some people show when they diagnosed with diabetes, like polyuria, blurred vision, extreme fatigue (and a few others). Before I would let him sleep I wanted to check his blood again, so we checked it at 10:45pm (2 hours after eating) and it was down to 508. Ok, not over 600 anymore. That's good. So we went to bed and in the morning before eating we tested again. This time it was 307. Ok, we definitely need to get him into the doctor. He told me he would be fine and he could just wait until his annual physical in January. I told him NO WAY!!! Then his level was 405 about 1.5 hours after breakfast and 333 before lunch and 371 two hours after lunch. And then it was off to the doctor.

The doctor told us he knew it was not the type of diabetes that could be treated with meds. He was going to have to use insulin. Chuck is not overweight (well, he has 10-15 lbs to his "ideal weight"), he is active (hello, 1/2 marathon runner) and he has a strong family history of diabetes. The difference between the two diabetes is that...

-Type 1 (Chuck's type) occurs when the body's immune system (which normally fights harmful bacteria and viruses) mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing (islet) cells in the pancreas

-Type 2 occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or the pancreas stops producing enough insulin. Weight and inactivity are important factors.

So Chuck got instructions, insulin and his own Glucometer and off we went. It is still very overwhelming for him and I know it will take some time to adjust and learn. He got his sugar levels back to normal earlier today, but they went up a bit this evening again. But with patience and some work it will all even out and he will be back to normal... although through all of this he hasn't felt sick or even any different... but we are hoping for more energy soon.

Disneyland With Grandma!!!

On Sunday, Dec 19th, we loaded the kids up in the suburban and "went for a drive", or so we told them. We gave them the movie "Despicable Me" to keep them occupied, in other words so they wouldn't bug us about where we were going.

When we were getting close to Quartzsite, AZ, Maddy figured out the surprise! She had already said home was "that way" (pointing behind her) and then said that Disneyland is "this way" (pointing the way we were driving). So we told them that yes we were going, but this trip was all about g-ma Nichols, not them (we reminded them we just went the weekend before and that was their opportunity to do what they wanted to do), so they couldn't ask for anything or even suggest the rides they wanted to ride. Little did we know they would be the best we have ever seen them in all our trips to D-land!

When we arrived at the motel where the grandparents were staying we got out and were waiting outside the rooms they were in. All of a sudden I saw my mom come around the corner! I tried to get the kids to hide, but they didn't move fast enough, so my mom saw us! She was so surprised. She wondered why we didn't tell her when she had room reservations we could've used. I said, "Then it wouldn't have been a surprise!" She let us into Grandma Nichols room and she had dozed off, so we woke her up and she was so excited! The reaction she had was worth the whole trip there! I was so happy we could surprise her! So we visited with them for a bit and headed for our own room at a different motel.

The next morning we met up with the grandparents after we got some breakfast and we loaded into the suburban and headed out for a fabulous rainy day at the Magic Kingdom!

On the tram from the parking lot to the theme parks.

Waiting for Soarin' Over California. Grandma Nichols really enjoyed this ride. It's always been my mom's favorite!

Yes, it was rainy, it never stopped all day long. It wasn't rainy first thing, but within a ride or so it had started and never stopped! Notice our plasticware? Thank goodness for ponchos! We were wet enough as it was. Had we not had ponchos... well, let's not go there!

Standing at the base of the Christmas Tree on Main Street in Disneyland.

On Small World! I love the holiday Small World. It's decorated all Christmasy and they play It's a Small World and Jingle Bells throughout the ride!

Waiting for the Monorail... notice the Matterhorn in the background.

Maddy visiting with Grandma before they left that evening! I couldn't pass up the picture... it was so sweet!

Chuck only had the Monday off, so he loaded up the kiddos after we were done for the evening and left me behind to enjoy the rest of the trip with Grandma! That's what I wanted for Christmas and he let my wish come true!

Me and Grandma Nichols!

It's Tough to be a Bug! We are sporting our "bug eyes"!

On Monday they didn't light the castle, but luckily they had the lighting on Tuesday night. Grandma was able to see it and I was happy for that! There were no parades or fireworks, but at least she saw the castle all lit up!

It was a very nice trip. Even though it rained the whole time we were there, we created a lot of memories!

Merry Christmas!!!

Wishing all our family and friends a very Merry Christmas!!!

Our Family

So I decided we needed a picture of our family,

so I had someone take a few snapshots of us,

just to document this year at Thismas...

Chuck's family does Thanksgiving and

Christmas combined together.

So here's our family of 5!
Chuck, 35 KaraLyn 33, Tyler 11, Maddy 9, Macee 5



I'm so glad this man loves me after 13 years of marriage! We were married on Nov 8, 1997!



And this is Chuck's family.
Back row: Darren, Haylie, Levi, Chuck, KaraLyn,
Dad, Katie, Jadyn, Travis, Ron
Middle row: Bryan, Carla, Isaiah, Maddy, Rachel,
Hana, Sarabeth, Mom, Tyler, Traci
Front row: Lucy, Macee, Kelly Ally
Not pictured: Micah (at work) and Wendi's family
(Craig, Wendi, Amanda, Marissa, Teriann, Derek, and Breana)

Silly Maddy

Maddy asked on the way to Thatcher this weekend

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"When's the next village?

I have to go to the bathroom!"

Hummmmm... the next "village"

Maddy, I'm not sure!

So we found the next village for her

Maddy, does Bylas count???

"4 eyes, 4 eyes...

...you need glasses to see-e"

-Cloudy w/ a Chance of Meatballs

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So, another one of my kids has fallen victim to bad eyesight.

Maddy got a note from the nurse saying she needed to get her eyes checked, so we set up an appointment. Well, she definitely needed glasses! Her vision is 20/80*! Worse than Tylers! CRAZY!!! So she picked out her glasses and a week later they came in. I think she looks quite cute in them!

My two blind children!

Tyler and Maddy

*For those who may not understand, 20/80 means what a person with normal eyesight can see at 80 feet away, Maddy can see at 20 feet. Tyler's eyesight is 20/40 in one eye and 20/60 in the other. My eyesight is 20/500...

Shun the Sun 2010

Chuck has been wanting to participate in a half marathon for a long time, so when this event came up Nichelle made sure to let Chuck in on the info. So, Chuck entered the half marathon, Nichelle (my sister) did the 5k and Kathryn (my cousin) also did the 5k!

Nichelle, Chuck and Kathryn

Waiting for the start gun! His reflectors are glowing!!!

The kids played in the Gamer's Arcade (it had 4 Big Screen TV's and 4 gaming systems set up!) It kept us warm in the beginning!

Here's Nichelle!!!

There she goes!



Here comes Kathryn!!!

There she goes!!!

Kathryn and Nichelle after the finished. They finish one right after the other in 32 minutes!!! Way to go girls!!! I'm proud of your accomplishment!

Girls got their faces painted...

... and ate cotton candy!

... and got balloon animals and hats!

Here is my love!!! What a trooper!

Macee and Maddy joined him in this last little stretch!

The finish line!!! He did it in about 2 hours 25 minutes (official times not published yet). I'm so proud of this accomplishment! He is such a strong man!

Report Card Time!!!

(yummy Krispie Kremes!!!)

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Tyler... 6th Grade

Reading "A"

Writing "B"

Math "A"

Science "A"

Social Studies "A"

Received all "4's" in the Skills and Behaviors for Successful Learners

-Made Honor Roll!!!

-Was invited to be in the Einsteins Eagles Math Club... an elite math club where the participants are picked by their AIMS scores from the previous year, and then are further narrowed down by behavior and attitude. He is super excited to be a part of this special club!

-He is a joy to all his teachers... and he gets all their jokes! He must have his grandpa's sense of humor!!!

-A couple funny little tidbits...

1- during reading time, he will cross his legs and put them on the wall, with his tushy up against the wall and just lay there and read along with the book being read aloud.

2- one day while standing in line Tyler took off running, so his teacher just watched him to see what he was doing. he ran to a piece of trash on the ground and picked it up and ran back to the line. what a good little scout I have!

What he wants to be when he grows up: a zoologist/working with animals

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Maddy... 3rd Grade

Reading "4"

Writing "4"

Math "4"

Social Studies "4"

(btw... "4" means "A" in her grade)

-straight "A's" YEA!!! (honor roll material!!!)

-very successful in her academics!

-loves to read! so much she is reminded a lot during school to put her book away and keep on task. while it is probably not so good that she doesn't focus when she needs to, I love that she enjoys reading!

-needs to learn some organizational skills... her desk is awful!

A couple funny tidbits...

1- she is always taking off her shoes in class and is constantly being reminded to put them back on. so she has to wear tenny runners daily now and we will work our way back to allowing her to wear her flip-flops again

2- she likes her pencils sharp... so sharp she is constantly sharpening her pencil. crazy girl... her teacher doesn't want to take it away b/c if she does Maddy will get up and sharpen her pencil at the class one and that one makes noise...

What she wants to be when she grows up: an artist

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Macee... Kindergarten

She doesn't get grades per se... but Macee is growing and developing in Kindergarten this year.

-Her teacher has seen a marked improvement since her first few weeks.

-She would get sad and want her mommy all the time.

-She rarely wanted to go to school in the beginning, but now looks forward everyday to the next day of school.

-She doesn't get as tired anymore, for the first bit of school she would come home and fall asleep at least 2 days a week.

-When going into Kindergarten, she didn't know very much. She didn't have the preschool experience Maddy and Tyler had received and I'm not the mom who teaches that to her kids at home... just didn't really cross my mind. But anyways, she has improved quite a bit since the beginning of school. She knew very few letters going in and now can tell us what they all are (but 2... Y and something else), but I know she will do great!

-She is a caring little girl and is a good friend to all the kids in her class.

-She really loves to be read to! Story time is one of her favorite things at school.

What she wants to be when she grows up: a ballerina

So Sad... A Well-Known Landmark is Down!

I just got this e-mail today and it makes me so sad.

I remember this "dive girl" sign from my early days

Tuesday's weather brought on her demise.

I haven't driven by yet,

but now I have to go see for myself!

Do any of you have memories of her???

I love storms!!!

I'm so glad I decided to go out front and look into the sky, because if I had passed up the opportunity, I would've missed this beautiful/frightening cloud formation! It was very eerie to watch it roll in. It was fast moving! I had never seen anything like it in all the years I have lived here! Notice the bottom of the cloud formation? There are wisps of clouds hanging down. We had "tornado-like" weather. While there were no tornadoes, there were a fair share of microbursts, which to us Phoenix people, is very similar to a tornado.

We had storm after storm roll in yesterday. I missed the first one b/c I was at work, but I was here for the others. It was crazy how fast the storms would blow through, then it was sunny and all of a sudden it was dark and another storm came in! I love crazy weather and this is now at the top of my favorite storms. I'm sad about all the damage that occurred (downed power poles, downed trees, awnings blown away...) but nature in its fullest sure is beautiful!

Below is a video of the rain. Right at the end was a flash of lightening. The kids got scared, so we headed back in!

The picture I begged for

I asked for one simple thing...

A picture of Chuck and Billy in the Canyon.

Chuck didn't do it for me.

I was upset.

I didn't ask for a souvenir from Phantom Ranch

I didn't ask for a rock

All I wanted was a picture...

Well, he redeemed himself...

when he went back in to finish w/ Billy.

Lucky boy...

Rim to Rim 2010

Chuck hiked the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim (North to South) on September 25th. We drove up to the North Rim Friday (the 24th) and stayed the night so the hikers could get an early start the next morning. I was the driver this year and I thoroughly enjoyed the job. My job entailed dropping off the hikers at the trailhead and meet them on the other side (south rim) and drive them home. It made for a very long day, but it was so neat to be there when Chuck came out of the canyon!

Beware... lots of pictures!!! Captions will be below the picture.

We stopped at the bridge by Lee's Ferry and

walked out on it and took some pictures.

Me and my love!

Colorado River is behind us.

The North Rim view

Trying to get a pic of us w/ the Grand Canyon behind us.

Right where the shadow is...

that is where the hikers hike through.

The sun setting at the Canyon... so pretty!

The group. 9 hikers, 1 (very important/needed) driver

heehee... I make my job sound so important!

Here goes the sun

People taking pictures of the sunset

Going...

Going...

Gone!

540 am at the trailhead!

Headed off in the dark!

I decided to go to a view point and see the

canyon just before the sun came up.

It was so pretty there!

The Lodge at the North Rim.

There's the trailhead!

I took this picture as I was driving towards the South Rim.

The South Rim... the one I've always seen!

I think it looks different than the North Rim.

The difference I see is more open canyon on the South Rim.

See the Trees??? That is Indian Gardens.

Chuck called me from there around 1220pm

saying he was on his way up!

Closer view of Indian Gardens and the trail.

I saw little dots hiking down there.

So I pretended one was Chuck!

If you zoom in you can see Chuck on this last stretch of trail.
He has on a red shirt, tan shorts and his Indian Jones hat!
I guess it is switchbacks for quite a long ways at the end...

As I was standing in an archway on the trail

waiting for Chuck, this sign was right in front of me.

I'm terrified of heights... I stood next to the

mountain wall & wouldn't go any farther down...

I was dizzy and anxious

I felt like gravity was pulling me towards the edge

...to fall in the canyon!!!

Now that cleared up in my mind that

I am definitely terrified of heights!

Here he is just coming around the corner!

Still coming!!!

Finishing 1 hr faster than last year!!!

9.5 hours this time around!

That's 24 miles of Grand Canyon!

Down and up...

and he's SMILING?!?

Must be because he sees me!!!

Look at that sweat!!!

His motivation to get to the top!

Mint Chocolate Chip Icecream!

That's my pretzel on his lap

and icecream in his other hand...

I didn't eat lunch!

He is A-MAZING!!!

Billy didn't take his hiking poles

and someone mentioned Billy's legs were cramping,

so Chuck went down to share his poles!

He was worried. What a great man I got!

(or maybe it's just he's CraZy!!!)

My absolute FAVORITE brother...

in the whole entire WORLD!!!

Good job Billy!

All the Hikers... back safe and sound!

A reward for the boys!

Thanks mom for the shirts!

They deserved it!!!