Christmas Disney Trip Day 2

Our Day at Disneyland...

We didn't let the fog get in our way!!!

My buddy on Matterhorn... TYLER!!!

Dad and Macee were buddies

and Maddy wanted to go alone... in the front!

At the Reindeer farm back in Thunder Mountain Ranch

With Pluto the Reindeer

Can Macee do it???

Can Maddy do it???

Can Tyler do it???

Nope... guess my kids aren't the ones who get to rule!

Haha!!!

Macee fiddling along with "Billy Hill and the Hillbillies"

(more on them in the next post!)

Outside of Haunted Mansion...

all decorated for Christmas... and Halloween!

As they say, "Where two holidays collide!"

We didn't bring her royal carriage,

so daddy's shoulders had to take over!

So excited to meet Rapunzel! I had to wait for an hour in an "unofficial line" to get in line when they opened the "official line". But we were 3rd in line so I'm ok with that!

Rapunzel was checking out Macee's piggy's!!!

Her hair got lots of attention! Hope Maddy wasn't to sad!

Nope, looks like both girls are super happy!!!

This is Maddy's favorite thing! She loves to be on stage in front of people. She and Macee went on stage at the Thunder Mountain BBQ for a little bit of audience participation. Oh, and the lady singer left Maddy her Ranch! Maddy thought that was great!

The castle all "winter-y". It is so beautiful!

She didn't make it to see the fireworks!

I think we wore her out!

Luckily dad's head is a good pillow!

These two made it!

Thank goodness because I don't think I could've carried them!

Christmas Disney Trip Day 1

For Day 1 of our "Disney trip" in December we decided to surprise the kids and take them to Knott's Berry Farm. We drove over by Knott's Berry and got the kids talking about how fun it would be to go on certain rides (you can see all the big ones from the road) and how fun it would be to go one day. I was driving and trying to find the parking lot and the kids just kept talking and not realizing how strange it was that mom was driving slowly around Knott's Berry Farm. You see, if we stay in Buena Park while going to Disneyland we will drive near Knott's, but this time I was circling the park... you would think my bright kids would figure it out! When I finally found the parking lot Tyler asked me why I was going into it. I asked him why he thought I was, to which he replied, "We're going to Knott's Berry Farm???" Well, needless to say our kids were both surprised and excited!

A tree at the entrance area

Waiting patiently...

we didn't know what time was the best to show up!

The first in line!

We saw "Santa Snoopy" on our way in,

and I being the "mean mom" made everyone stop

and get a picture before heading out to the rides!

While Chuck took Maddy and Tyler to the "BIG rides",

I got to hang with this cute little girl!

We played in the area for little kiddos called Camp Snoopy.

All the rides are made for the littles.

This ride was one of her favorites... Snoopy's Gr8 Sk8!

Huff and Puff... this ride was only for littles.

You sit in a little train car and have to

pump your way around the tracks.

Macee went alone on this and then the other kids

joined her for a second time. I was wimpy and

knew I would get sick if I tried to ride!

The Ferris Wheel...

I was doing OK when I took this picture...

but a minute later I was not!

This ferris wheel made me super sick!!!

Macee loved the fountains...

she threw a coin in here and made a wish!

We caught up with the "olders" and were able to get a few pics of them.

This ride takes you to the top...

...and drops you down!

I called this rollercoaster "wicked"!

On the Mine Ride

Bumper Cars... that's Maddy straight ahead!

Another fountain!

The Christmas Tree

Look at all the rollercoasters intertwined!

Macee asked me in the morning if I would ride this roller coaster with her. I told her I had to see what it did first. You can't have a sick mom first thing! After watching one go round of it I told her she would have to wait for her daddy to ride it with her. Besides being a rollercoaster, you sit in seats that turn like teacups! Not for this faint stomach! It looked like fun though!

Chuck and Macee

Maddy and Tyler

Another little kid ride. Kinda like the big ride that takes you up and drops you down, but minimized for the littles!

I took Macee on this in the morning and was glad to let Tyler take her the next time! Yup, it made me sick-ish... I think there is something wrong with me! But this ride flings you around the turns... Macee LOVED it!!!

Another ride I let Chuck take the kiddos on! Macee is a crazy girl when it comes to thrill rides! She has her hands up and is loving every minute!!!

We were impressed to see a nativity there! Macee loved it!

We met up again at the Stunt Show. I wasn't there to help in the guiding of picking a seat and I noticed we were in the splash zone, dead center in fact! Well, needless to say we got a bit wet (on a cold night), but the show was great! We laughed and had a good time!

Funnel Cake... I decided my moms is better!

And the Tree Lighting Ceremony. We were impressed once again that they had the part of the Christmas Nativity scene from "A Charlie Brown's Christmas" this evening in their production. It was refreshing to see them not shy away from the true meaning of Christmas while also portraying the Santa part of Christmas!

We had a great time doing something we had never done with the kids. I'm glad we were able to surprise them and enjoy this day together! And if you've never been to Knott's Berry Farm... GO! There is fun for all ages! And the price isn't too bad! We got in on a deal for just $15 a person (ages 3 and up).

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...