Pine Derby!

So proud of my baby boy! Here he is bright and early at the Pine Derby for Boy scouts. The first thing we did when we arrived was carry in all of the food that Bailey collected for the "Souper Bowl of Caring". There are over 60 boy scouts and Bailey collected over 1/2 of the food that was turned in. Sadly- that must mean that some of the boys didn't even try- nor did their family make a donation. There is no way Bailey would have skipped out on taking the chance to help others. I have such a beautiful boy that knows what it means to put forth the extra effort to help those in need. I am so proud of him!

Here he is showing off his driver's license. Mr. Randall really put out lots of effort to make the Pine Derby a great success!


Here is my Clint and my "Mini-Clint"

Even Kaci and Grandma came to hang out bright and early at the Derby! Kaci got to set up a booth for her Girl Scout cookies! The 9-10 shift was slow- I guess most people were thinking about breakfast and not cookies! She only sold 2 boxes! BOO!

We were afraid we weren't going to be able to stick around long enough to see Bailey's car race. He had basketball pictures at 10- Thankfully we did!! Here he is cheering on his car!

Pine Derby is always a good time! This year we had to cut it short to make basketball pictures and games for Kaci and Bailey both. Glad we got to participate in part of it.

SkyForce and Fever!

So proud of my 2 basketball stars! Even though the games are filling up our Saturdays - and more often than not- making us get up way too early.....I love watching my babies play!
This morning we had team/ individual pictures! Here is Bailey in his SkyForce uniform. So handsome!

Here is Kaci in her Fever uniform! Ready to play ball!

Girl Scout Cookies Make You Smile~

My Girl Scout is working hard! She has gone out twice now with her wagon (Thanks, Tracy for letting us borrow it!) door to door. Sales are looking good! She has reached the 200 mark and it is only day 4. Let us know if you need some cookies!

Groupie!

I heart Justin Bieber

I know sometimes that I act a little silly about loving Justin Bieber! Well, truth is I do think his music is really groovy. I do have all of his cd's - including the one he released for Christmas. I do have all of then recorded in my "jukebox" in my car and downloaded (thanks to Clint) on my phone. I would love to go to one of his concerts- but fear I would have to go alone. I have no Justin Bieber lovers as friends! However, I wouldn't do anything crazy in order to meet him. I wouldn't shave my head, or stay awake for 2 days! I wouldn't eat live bugs or jump off a tall building~and I know for sure if I meet him- I wouldn't cry or scream or throw my underwear at him. I always think it is so funny to see the "Groupies" that will do anything. In fact- I am not sure I would ever call myself a "groupie" of anyone....

Well.....

Maybe.....

Except....

Okay- stay with me here for just a minute. I'm going somewhere with this....

Each week in my "Inbox" I get an update from the JDRF Austin Chapter about what is going on and what is coming up in the Diabetic Community! (which by the way- is the community we all live in) Well, this week I got an email in my "Inbox" about the upcoming Type 1 NOW Conference that is being held on Saturday, March 31st at The Commons Learning Center. This is the 2nd year it is being held in Austin- and I did not attend last year.

However, when I opened the email and saw that Kerri Sparling is going to be the keynote speaker and the presenter of a BreakOut session- I couldn't wait to get my hands on a ticket! If you have not read Kerri's blog, Six Until Me- http://www.sixuntilme.com/ you have to do it!

She is intelligent, funny, witty and REAL! She is a daughter, a wife, a mother, and a Type 1 Diabetic since the age of 6. She is beautiful. She is everything that I pray and hope that Kaci will turn out to be! - a beautiful woman that knows how to take care of herself and is happy with her life. I want Kaci to find a husband that loves her for who she is and knows how to take care of her at times when she can't take care of herself. I want her to be independent and strong....and if she so chooses....I want Kaci to be able to be a MOTHER! Kerri has her own little baby "Birdy"

So- where in most cases I would not call myself a "Groupie" this is one time where I just might consider it. I can not wait to hear her speak. I can not wait to see her "in person" If it depended on it....I just might eat a live bug, stay awake for 2 days or jump off a tall building! LOL! I can't quite commit myself to saying that I would throw my underwear at her or shave my head.....but I am VERY excited to see her at the conference.

Cookie Sales start TODAY!!!

Cookie sales start today! Kaci has Thanks A Lots, Lemonades, Shortbread, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel DeLites, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and it will be the last year for ***SHOUT OUTS - light and crisp Belgian style caramelized cookies!

They are $3.50 a box! Thank you for supporting my daughter, our Troop and Girl Scouts of Central Texas!

Poor, Poor Toe!

My poor, poor baby! - and her poor, poor toe! I think this is Kaci's 4th ingrown toenail in the last 2 years. I am soooo over it and I know she is too. This time we decided to see a Podiatrist and get this taken care of once and for all. SO- today we went to see Dr. Shine John. What a super nice man and a great Podiatrist. He has 2 locations- one in Gtown and one in Cedar Park. If you need a Podiatrist- he is the one to see. Although it is a very painful procedure- we went the extra step this time to ensure that it does not come back again. He put the *magic* acid on her toenail and *fingers crossed* it will NEVER come back.

Thanks to Dr. John- Kaci's toe is smiling!

Now to get through the next 7 days of antibiotics and CRAZY blood sugars!

Pack Meeting!

I heart my Boy Scout!

Blue Heel Society

As seen on their blog HOME page it states-

http://blueheelsociety.blogspot.com/

"The Blue Heel Society is an organization dedicated to all people living with, caring for, or interested in diabetes. The Blue Heel Society was formed on November 13th, the eve of World Diabetes Day, 2011 by a dedicated trio of spirited advocates who committed themselves to promoting awareness, pursuing the continued fight for a cure, highlighting obstacles people diagnosed with diabetes are faced with, and promoting advocacy for the diabetes community as a whole.

The Blue Heel Society accomplishes this NOT by raising funds, but by fueling our crusade with the strength, dedication, and passion of our partners.

Our Mission: Advocacy - Awareness - Encouragement - SupportThe mission of The Blue Heel Society is to deliver a clear, united voice via organized assembly within our own affiliation, and also at local and national gatherings, events, conventions, and other venues, helping to dispel myths, offer education and to champion the needs of people affected by diabetes.We choose to stand up, be seen, and be heard in our Blue Heels."

Here are my "Blue Heels"

"The Blue Heel symbolizes the pain & discomfort that cant be seen from the outside, for those living with Diabetes. Just like a fab heel..."

What an aweseme organization! I love reading their blog. I like at the top of the blog how it says :

"Type 1? Type 2? Whatever your "type", you can rock a blue heel"

I am "Type MOM"- and I am going to rock these blue heels! Unfortunately- or maybe fortunately- they are not uncomfortbale. In fact, they are quite the opposite. I love them! I could wear them everyday and never get tired of them. It's a good thing too, because as "Type MOM" I am always on the go!

Go out there and get yourself some blue heels. Be creative! Show support!

Walking 2 Find A Cure! -EVERYDAY!

Look what I found while shopping at HEB today! I was so excited! Bought 5 and then went back later and bought 5 more! I have no idea what I will use them for (perhaps they can replace my green bags soon...they are getting pretty yucky) Or I will give them away- who can't use a nice bag, right? And at the same time I can help to spread the word that we are "Walking 2 Find A Cure" on our own 2 feet....EVERYDAY! The first one we are going to share with someone will be to Kaci's Pen Pal buddy, Kyriana! I hope she enjoys carrying it all over town!

Kaci make all A's! AGAIN!!

Here is my baby girl receiving her awards at the School Assembly! So proud of her. She brought home the All A Honor Roll and Birthday Awards!

I was super sad to have to miss these awards. It was the first time that I have not been able to be there for her. I missed work on Thursday to stay home with her when she was sick- and just didn't think I could call in, or even go in to work late.


Good thing we can always count on PaPa! He made sure that he was there for Kaci so she would have someone in the crowd cheering her on. He took all these great pictures for me too! Makes me feel like I was there.....well, almost! This is Kaci and her teacher, Mr. Shore! What a great man! So glad that Kaci is getting to enjoy the year in his class.

Way to go, Kaci! So proud of you!

Bailey wins Leadership Award!

This is a horrible picture - (but the only one I have) of Bailey at his School Awards Assembly! I am so proud of him today and EVERYDAY! He was chosen to receive the Leadership Award for his class which allowed him to present (on stage...with a microphone) the awards to all of his classmates. What a great honor. He wanted me to film it with the movie camera- so I had to snap a picture with the still camera quick so I didn't miss anything. I think I had it on the wrong setting!! Oh well! Either way- I am SUPER proud of him. He also received his Reading & Writing Award, Math 2, and Star Student!!

Sweet Cookie Dreams!

As Kaci drifted off to sleep tonight.....

Thanks A Lots, Lemonades, Shortbread, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel DeLites, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Shout Outs ....

danced in her head.

They are $3.50 a box! Thank you for supporting our Troop and Girl Scouts of Central Texas!

Go Sky Force!

And on today's blog I would like to introduce to you the other basketball star in our family....

Bailey Borchgardt!

Bailey will be playing on a Co-Ed team called Sky Force! He will have practice for one hour every Thursday night and games will be held each Saturday! I can't wait to see him play.

He had a great practice tonight and got to meet his super nice Coach, Mr. Luis!

Here is he practicing his dribbling skills....

...and here is shooting skills! Way to go, Bailey!

The Thunder

Kaci had her first basketball practice tonight. She was a little nervous about meeting all the girls on the team. However, I think she was pleasantly surprised to find a really nice group of girls on her team. There are 9 of them all together and they had a great time at practice.


I can't wait to go to her first game on the 14th. Going to be lots of fun to watch!
Go, Thunder!

Oops! We did it AGAIN!

I must admit it. It feels a little Grinchy!
Well, maybe it feels a lot Grinchy!
I just can't stand the trees being decorated on the sides of the road all over Austin. -- and I really can't stand it when the trees are decorated with trashy tinsel and ornaments at the entrance to my neighborhood. UGH! So...oops we did it again! This past Saturday- Kaci and I undecorated all the trees on the main street of our neighborhood.

See last year's post.

http://andrea-randomthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/12/every-who-down-in-whoville-liked.html

At least we waited until after Christmas was over!

"Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville - did not."

Who gets it??

Lately I am feeling so exhausted...to the point of feeling sick. I was up last night unable to sleep, since I had changed Kaci's dinner ratio from 7 to 6 1/2. I checked her before bed and she was 153. A perfect number for her to go to sleep at and it had been 3 hours since her shot. But- I knew better. At about 12:30 she came out of her room to meet me on the couch feeling low.

Prick.
Squeeze.
BEEEP!
She was 68.

So, a juice box and 2 peanut butter pretzels later we waited 15 minutes and tried again.

Prick.
Squeeze.
BEEEEEP!
112

Laid down to worry that she would drop again and she came to get me about 2- she had had a bad dream. So I squeezed in bed with her and held on the edge for dear life! Woke up myself at 5 with an awful stomach ache and never went back to sleep. Got the kids up at 6:30 for first day back to school since the winter break.

Prick.
Squeeze.
BEEEEEEP!
218!

I worried all night after the first low that she would go low again....and then she wakes up on the MOON! UGH~

Now I am home and it is quiet and I hate Diabetes! I feel like it takes so much out of me and sometimes I think I let it.

But this diabetes seems to have me in constant panic and worry mode. Sometimes it is worse than others. I have good days and months and then I have bad days and months. The worry that I feel when I lay down at night is ALWAYS there and then when she comes to me with a low.....it just haunts me all night. I feel like it takes so much out of me....the worry....and the figuring....and the counting....and I am soooo sick of the shots. So sick of pricking her finger. So tired of even having to watch her do it. It hurts me....hard to explain.

I feel like I am crumbling. Then I feel guilty- for it is not me that has to take all the shots and pricks. It is Kaci and I rarely hear her complain.Just so tired of shots and pricks ....tired of doing them...tired of watching her do them.

Tired of counting and adding and dividing and subtracting!!!

I promised the kids I would take them for a treat after school today- but the guilt kicks in because it doesn't much feel like a treat when she has to have a shot for it. ACK!

Sometimes I feel like so many people don't get it! You don't just take a shot and not worry until next meal...it is constant. It is never ending.

I hate it when people say they understand.....unless they have it themselves....truly love someone with diabetes....someone very close to them, in their family or...their child....I just don't think they do.

I think the ones who have no experience with it ...the ones who say they don't know how I feel, but they would do anything to change it.... I think they are the ones who understand! They get that it is so difficult to deal -with that unless you are dealing with it...YOU DON'T GET IT!

Unless you lay in bed at night worried that your daughter/son's sugar will go low in the night while you lay asleep in your room. Unless you make your child's finger bleed 6-8 times a day. Unless you give your child 5-6 shots a day....unless you visit the endocrinologists office every 3 months, have blood work drawn every 6 months....count every crumb that they put in their mouth...

You don't get it!

A "cookie" a day keeps the doctor away!

So- just when you have made that New Year's Resolution to lose weight...it is that time AGAIN!
HA! We will start selling cookies on January 18th. Let us know if we can set any aside for you.

Thanks A Lots, Lemonades, Shortbread, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel DeLites, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and this is the last year ever for***SHOUT OUTS - light and crisp Belgian style caramelized cookies!(taste like gingerbread cookies to me!)

They are $3.50 a box!

Thank you for supporting our Troop and Girl Scouts of Central Texas!

Andrea & Kaci
Troop 2549

End of winter break!

Gotta' enjoy the last day of winter break! What better way than Chuck E. Cheese?!


Fun and games! Yummy pizza! Bailey made these cool trading cards. Such a cutie!

Here's Kaci counting her tickets. Way to go, Girl!

Bailey scored some tickets playing games and some from when Chuck E. made it rain tickets on everyone. It has been a great winter break. I am sorry to see it go.

P.S. Bailey is considering having his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. No commitments now. He is keeping his options open.

2011- A Year In Review!

As we ring in the New Year 2012!-Here is a look back at 2011!

JANUARY

-Bailey came in TOP 5 in the Boyscout Pine Derby races!

-Kaci sold 484 Girl Scout cookies!

FEBRUARY

- We celebrated Bailey and Clint's birthdays. Bailey turned 7!

-Kaci and Bailey's school participated in the JDRF School Walk and raised $7,609.53

MARCH

-Mom and Dad celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on March 6th

- Clint and Kaci attended the Girl Scouts Father Daughter Dance- A NIGHT in Paris

APRIL

-Kaci received her First Holy Communion

- We started Good Day Wednesdays ( a treat after school every Wednesday to help us make it to the end of the school year

MAY

-Said goodbye to the BEST school nurse EVER!
-Kaci entered the JDRF Ford Motor Company Race Car Design Contest

JUNE

-We visited Auntie and Bubba in Alto- and released our pet turtle, Crush to live on their farm

-Took a 4 day vacation to the Sea Shore Delight with Grandma Dee and PaPa

- Kaci and Bailey joined a summer bowling league- Kids attended Camp Bluebonnet- until I got the flu

JULY

-We lost Reagan to cancer on 7/22

-Took a trip to the beach, just the 4 of us!

-Kaci stuffed 5,000 folders for JDRF Kids School Walks!

AUGUST

-Kiddos started back to school. Kaci is in the 4th grade and Bailey is in the 2nd.

-Clint and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary!

-Kaci painted two beautiful canvases to be auctioned off at the JDRF Hope Ball

SEPTEMBER

-Kaci moved up to a Junior Girl Scout from a Brownie. We delivered a meal to the Firemen

-Bailey joined the Scrappers baseball team

OCTOBER
- Participated in our 3rd Annual "Say Boo To Diabetes Walk"

- Raised $3,332.22 for JDRF

-Kaci and Bailey went trick or treating as Oscar the Grouch and Ash from Pokeman!

NOVEMBER

- Took a 7 day trip to Disney World

-Kaci hit the double digits and turned 10!

-Celebrated World Diabetes Day on November 14th

-Participated in the World Diabetes Day Postcard Exchange!

DECEMBER

-Finished up our Disney World trip!

- Decorated the tree and the house

- Lit our Advent wreath each night
- Made gingerbread houses, drank cocoa and looked at lights

-Woke up on Christmas morning to the Best Christmas EVER!