My babies!

My babies!
Catch up on our families daily adventures, learn more about our dreams and experience life with diabetes through our eyes! Grab a cup of something warm and read on to learn more about my Random Thoughts....

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Special Reading Spot Photo Contest!

Kaci and Bailey's school is having a "Special Reading Spot Photo Contest" this summer.
Contest rules are:

  • Students must be visibly reading a book in the photo.
  • The school-wide contest runs from NOW until Friday, September 7, 2012 at 3:00 PM.
  • Participating students must email the photo to Mrs. Uselman
  • Participation forms are available on e-backpack.  Additional copies will be available in the library in August when school starts back.
  •  Entries will be voted on by a panel of judges made up of Teravista staff.  The 10 most creative photos will be enlarged for display in the library for one year, aired on the morning Broadcast news, and posted on the library blog. 
  • All participants’ entries will be printed in color and displayed on the Library bulletin board 
Photo Tips:
  • We’re looking for creative pictures.  It can be at a national landmark or in your own backyard.
  • We’re looking for pictures where the setting matches the book.  Read a book about flowers in a garden, for instance.
  • Please take your photo in the highest resolution possible on your camera.  Cameras on your phone are not going to have a high enough resolution and we will not be able to enlarge those photos.  

So fun! We have to take a stab at it....Hope our photos were creative enough to win a spot on the BIG canvases in the library for the 2012-2013 school year!


 Here is a picture of Kaci and Bailey reading a book with a historical tour guide in the downtown streets of Boston. I just love Bailey's Texas Longhorns shirt and Boston RedSox hat!


....And here is a picture of Kaci taking a moment out of her Sea World day to read a book with Shamu! 
We will let you know when the school year starts if we have any winners on our hands!

"Don't take life too seriously..."

After a fun-filled 2 days at Great Wolf Lodge...I took this picture of Kaci in the car with my phone. Gotta' love the mustache (WOW! She is growing up so fast these days!LOL!) 

I love the quote on her shirt, "Don't take life too seriously...you'll never get out alive!" It is the perfect picture for today July 28, 2012.

Today is Kaci's 3 year Diaversary. 

I am so proud of her. She just gets prettier, braver and smarter every year! She has taught me so much about life and love and continues to each and everyday. 

When I grow up....I want to be just like her! I love you, Kaci!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

"Where hope would otherwise become hopelessness, it becomes faith. "

 October is one of my favorite months....for many reasons.....I love the cooler weather. (sometimes that happens here in Texas) I love all the beautiful fall flower arrangements in the stores. I love Halloween and all the yummy candy and cute costumes. I love carving pumpkins, making pumpkin bread and baking the seeds. I love getting ready for the holidays that are right around the corner...and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the “JDRF Say Boo To Diabetes Walk!” This year will mark our 4th annual!

 My daughter, Kaci , was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on July 28, 2009. She was just 7 years old. It was devastating. I won’t bore you with all the sad details....If you have a loved one (especially a child) with Type 1 Diabetes – chances are- you can just remember back to your loved ones day of diagnoses and pretty much channel any emotion I felt that day. Anger, Sadness, Fear, Guilt, Regret, Horror, Shock....well, you get the picture! Kids are amazing- at least my Kaci is! She accepted her diagnosis much quicker than I did. There are still days when I just can’t believe checking blood sugars, taking shots and testing ketones is our “new normal” But there are many quotes that often help me make it through the “highs” and the “lows” (pun intended) of diabetes:

“It is what it is”

“You can’t change yesterday, but you can ruin today worrying about tomorrow.”

Making the decision to have a child -it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.”

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”

I love my children with every part of my being. I love them with all of my heart. I love them with all of my soul. There is nothing that I would not do to help make them more successful in life. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to help find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

So each year- about this time...we put on our volunteer hats and we begin to fundraise for the JDRF Austin Chapter in hopes of raising even more money than we did in the previous years to help find a CURE for Diabetes! Each year it gets harder- but each year we are determined to raise more.

The first year of fundraising seemed the easiest. Kaci was 7 and adorable. She was going into the 2nd grade and starting at a new school. She was walking around with a band aid on every finger that she poked to test her blood sugar. For the record, that meant she usually had 8 band aids on. The only finger she would not let us test on- and still won’t today- is her pinkie! She was walking around with band aids on every spot of her arm, leg, stomach or bottom where she had been given one of her 6 daily injections. It was “new” to so many of our friends and family members. She was young and fragile- I was a raving lunatic that cried at the drop of a hat~ It was easy to raise money year one.



 But as we progress into our 4th year....it has begun to get a little bit harder. Kaci is now 10 and still adorable. She is going into the 5th grade. She is able to test her blood sugar on her own. She is able to calculate her insulin dosage and giver herself her own shot. She often makes it look easy- when diabetes is anything but! She is not DIABETES, but DIABETES is part of her. It is not the neon sign on her back that it once was to other people....even though, it often still blinds me! This year our fundraising walk goal is $5,000.00. How will we ever reach that goal you ask?

Here is a list of our previous year’s fundraising totals-
2009- $1, 575.00
2010- $3,502.84
2011- $3,342,22

Each year we have had to work harder and harder and start earlier and earlier! It is only July and I have already logged on the JDRF site and created our team page. I have registered each member of our family as a team member. We each typed up our personal story of how Kaci’s diagnosis has touched and changed our lives and emailed our story and team page link to all of our friends and family.




 We have posted the Team Page link to our Facebook. We also created postcards that we have mailed to businesses and family members who are not a part of the “computer world”. The postcard explains the purpose of the walk to them and asks for a small donation.



In years past, the kids have sold lemonade in the front yard to help raise money and 2 years ago we even ordered and sold rubber bracelets with our team name. Last year -we came up with a team shirt and sold them at cost to team members and friends who wanted to show their support for our team. This year- we got the shirts at a much better price and are selling them for $5 over the cost- so with every shirt purchase- Kaci’s team is making a $5 profit to go towards research. Who can pass up a cute t-shirt for just $15 bucks!? It is definitely a WIN-WIN!



Another fun way we help raise money is the cute angel piggy bank Kaci has on her dresser in her room. Everyone in the family deposits spare change into Kaci’s piggy bank when they come across it. We do this all year. Then in mid-October, Kaci counts all the spare change and Clint matches the amount we have collected and adds it to her walk page meter. Fun and easy – and quite shocking how “spare change” can add up over a year’s time.

I would love to hold a bake sale this year at my work- or perhaps I can talk Clint into it too! That would be a fun and easy way to round up some donations. Again- a WIN-WIN for all involved!

So- this year we are asking you ....once again.....to help us, help the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation find a CURE for Type 1 Diabetes. No matter if Kaci is 7 or 37- we want Type 1 Diabetes GONE!
If you are able to make a donation (every dollar counts-it doesn’t have to be a HUGE amount) please click on one of the links above.

If you would like to order a t-shirt- please send me the size(s) and we will have it ready for you the 1st of October. They come in all sizes Youth S, M, L, XL and Adult S, M, L, XL, and XXL.


We will never lose HOPE!
Thank you for believing with us!!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Let's Walk to Cure Diabetes!

I have not been a good blogger this summer. I am not sure why. I guess I am having too much fun just enjoying summer! Well, here is one thing I HAD TO SHARE! Kaci's "Say Boo To Diabetes Walk" postcards came in last week! I just love how they turned out.

 October is one of my favorite months- cooler weather, Halloween, all the beautiful fall decorations, fall scented scentsy bars and BOO WALK! If you can join us to walk.....SUPER! If you can donate to our team....AWESOME! If you can pray for a cure...WE LOVE YOU! Thanks for all you do to show us your support! Let's help say, "Boo to Diabetes!" and help be a part of the CURE!
I

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

I heart Clint!

Cousins are those childhood playmates who grow up to be forever friends.

So excited that my Aunt Ginny came down to Austin to visit this weekend. Even more excited that she brought her grandson, Pierson! The kids had so much fun together. I wish I would have taken more pictures- but here are the ones I got. They were all taken on my phone- so not the best quality- but you can still see all the CUTE in them! Here we are at Olive Garden.
Pierson spent the night at our house and we meet back up with Aunt Ginny, Dad and Amber the next morning at Chic Fil A. I understand this is Pierson's favorite restaurant. YUMMY!
Before the headed back to Houston- we hit up the alleys for a little bowling! Good times with good cousins!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Kaci's Krushers!

 Getting an early start this year! Here is Kaci's Team shirt for this year's "Say Boo To Diabetes Walk" held on Sunday, October 28th this year. This will be our 3rd annual walk!

Please let me know if you would like to order one. I will ship it to you!! They are only $15 and $5 of that money goes directly to our TEAM FUNDS! YEAH! (the other $10, obviously covers the cost of the shirt!) Help us spread the word....we will never lose HOPE until the CURE for TYPE 1 DIABETES is FOUND!