More September Happenings

A few more honorable mentions for September.  Eliza finally potty trained (HALLELUJAH!!!)
We figured out how to do rag curlers on the girls.
We finally got a bunch of much needed rain after a very hot and dry summer.
We spent some great times out at Grandma and Grandpa's doing lots of fun things... especially over labor day weekend with Uncle Justin, Aunt Carrie, Stella, Jackson, Rachel, Grady, and Delila.

Xander likes to go to the highschool tennis courts



Christopher caught a snake



The kids all got a little looney as it got later



Eliza rode Polka

JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes 2012

Our very favorite part of September is the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes every year.  This is Darci's favorite day... tied right along with Christmas.  This year was no exception.  There was so much fun to be had.

The Armstrong girls make this look GOOD!



Our beautiful family.



Darci doing the "Boot Scootin' Boogie" during walk warm-ups

Darci's Kindergarten Teacher, Mrs. Caldwell



We love finding Darci's sign along the 3 mile walk



Our team lining up to walk.  GO Pancreas Posse!!

Jenny, Kayla, and Quinn "Cowboy Up"

A couple of our Cow BOYS!

HULA HOOPS!

MORE HULA HOOPS!!

TICKETS

and PRIZES

Eliza says "HANDS UP!"

Colored hair??

Bret caught this shot as the DJ announced it was time to gather everything up and go home.  She says ANOTHER year until the next walk is a LOOOONG TIME!

September 2012

September has always been a favorite time of year for me.  I love the changing of the temperatures and the leaves, but it's not too cold yet.  Even though I'm not a football fan I love the festiveness (is that a word) surrounding football season.  Best of all the kids are back in school.  Now, I promise, I'm not one of these parents that thinks summer vacation is horrible with the kids home, but it's just a fact that kids, my kids at least, are happier with the activities of school to occupy their day.
So, technically school started end of August, but we'll include it in our September post since I am way behind... again.

Christopher and Xander started Aug 21st.  Christopher started 5th grade and he is so excited, because he has Mrs. Kitchen.  Mrs. Kitchen was his teacher last year and his favorite teacher ever.  He has always liked school, but this has been his best year adjusting to a new year because he's not adjusting to a new teacher.

Xander started 2nd grade and was very nervous about what teacher he would get.  His teacher is Mrs Krause and Xander claims she is the nicest teacher ever.  He has been adjusting well and love the homework he gets to do online on the computer.

The big part of the new school year is Darci starting Kindergarten.  We met with the school nurse, Principle Johnson, and her new teacher, Mrs.Caldwell, a few weeks before starting school.  We hammered out her diabetes care plan and helped her feel a little more confident about starting school.  She is absolutely excelling in school.  She loves it and is happy almost all of the time.  She has made many friends and her teacher loves her.

 

Pingel's March and April Birthdays Celebration

On March 25 we all gathered at the Pingel Ranch (my parent's home) to celebrate a number of birthdays while Scott and Lindsey were in town from Oregon.  We were celebrating for Shendi 3/12, ME 3/23, Ginny 3/27, Bret 3/30, Eliza 3/31, Max 4/5, and Lindsey 4/26.  But MOSTLY we were celebrating little Ginny because it was her 1st birthday and we all just ADORE her.  She is such a sweet little peanut.

Darci, Ginny, and Eliza

Ginny just loved this pointer Christopher had

Grandpa flying kites with Christopher, Easton, and Xander

Eliza and Max chillin'

Easton and Xander making adventures on the trailer

Blakelynn, Lucas, and Darci joining in the adventure

Christopher was a good sport and pulled everyone around in the wagon

ALMOST the entire group... Luca, Darci, Christopher, Blakelynn, Xander, Max, Matthew, and Eliza

Eliza's World

Poor Eliza... sometimes she just can't catch a break.  Maybe that should say she catches TOO MANY breaks.
Back in January (when I was still a blog slacker) she had a hairline fracture on the top of her right foot due to a run-in with a very full (read VERY LARGE AND HEAVY) Costco cart.  She spent 3 weeks in a walking boot.

Then on March 22, while we were playing at the park she had a little fall.  I mean, really, this fall was so minor I just couldn't believe she got hurt so badly.  It was not a high height and she landed on her feet.  She just happened to land completely wrong on her feet.  She had two buckle fractures, one on each side of her ankle on her right foot.  Yes, the same foot that was in a boot.  It was actually a little bit scary because when it became obvious that she wasn't just being dramatic was when she started shivering and going into shock.  At the Urgent Care office he foot was SO SWOLLEN that they decided not to cast it for a week.

She spent a week in a splint.  She couldn't walk on it or get it wet.  That was a rough week for both of us.

Finally on March 30 (Bret's Birthday) she got her cast :)  She got to pick the color and she really loved the orthopedists assistant, Jimmy.

Eliza LOOOVES green and was thrilled that they even had her favorite shade of green to cast it with.  From this point they said she would be in it for 4 weeks and she was a allowed to walk in it and it was waterproof so she could still take baths.  She milked this injury for the next couple of days and wanted to be held.  FUNNY ELIZA-ISM THAT I NEED TO RECORD... when she wants you to hold her or carry her she says, "I hold you?"

March 31st was sunny and pleasant and we celebrated Eliza's 3rd Birthday.  Oh how I love this funny little girl.  She makes me CRAZY with her stubborn-ness and, but she is so cute and absolutely hilarious.  I can't believe she's 3 already.  Watching your children get older is SO bittersweet.

We kept the day simple because it was also the semi-annual LDS General Conference.  She wanted lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and to watch movies she loved all day.

3 Year "Diaversary"

Before starting this post you'll want to pause the regular blog music :)

March 3, 2009 is a date that we will never forget.  That was the day that Darci was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.  This was one of those events that was life changing for many.  We are encouraged to celebrate this day and do everything we can to make Darci feel special.  It's a day to celebrate her strength and her bravery through tough trials.
It also helps adjust my attitude to put a positive spin on it.  If I didn't, well, let's just say I would definately wallow in what was one of the hardest days of my entire life.
Darci and I can really butt heads, but I think it's because she and I are SO MUCH alike.   But she teaches me daily, she's my hero, and I love her so much.
When I first heard the song Firework by Katy Perry I was so struck with how much it fit Darci.  Ever since she was little we have called her our little firework or firecracker.  The words are so inspiring as to all that Darci can become.

Darci- We love you so very much.  Your spirit and determination inspire us daily.  You are amazing and we are so proud of you.

Ready, Set, GO!!

Today we had our Animas Insulin Pump training class.  Darci had been pretty excited the last couple of days, but as soon as we met Jessica, our educator, she got real nervous.  The class really went pretty quickly, but what a whirlwind of information!!!  Darci was feeling ok about the insertion of her infusion set, but by lunchtime she was asking if it was time to take the pump off.  We tried to explain to her that she will wear it all the time now.  We will only remove it for her to shower and swim.  And we don't even have to do that because it's water-proof.  The rest of today she has been feeling pretty emotionally overwhelmed.  She did admit to liking the ease of dosing her meals.



This is right before we left for the class.  We made her several undshirts with a pocket for her pump.




Here she is all connected with her tubing delivering her insulin. 


For those that don't know... an insulin pump is a tiny machine that measures a gives Darci's insulin via small plastic tubing that goes into a canula inserted into her body fat.  That means she now gets small continuous amounts of insulin all throughout a 24 hour period (much like a pancreas would do), and we can deliver her insulin without giving her 4-6 shots/day.  Another bonus of the pump is we can give more exact amounts in tighter increments.  This is going to give her a higher quality of life and make life with diabetes so much better.

She was starting to feel a little emotional and unsure here.

On the Road to Being a Pumper.

We are very excited to have recieved Darci's insulin pump!!!  This is a big deal for her and our family.  It has been a long road leading up to this.  Even with our insurance it was a pricey piece of equipment and we were finally in a position to spend that money.  This is going to make some things so much better for Darci.  Instead of 4-6 shots a day we're looking at one infusion set change every 3 days.  She will have more flexibility for grazing and snacks.  It will be a better balancing act for her sugars.  We knew that before she started school we had to start the pump.
It's a little thing, about the size of a cell phone or iPod, but (according to all the info) it's tough.  She'll wear it in a belted pouch or pocketed undershirt most of the time.
Now we just need some education.  This thing and using it is mostly like a foreign language.  Once we get our classes Darci will officially be a pumper :)

One of the neat things about the pump we've selected (the pump is that pink thing on the left) is that the glucose meter (silver on the right) is a remote for it.  We can program her insulin and have to pump deliver it right from the meter.  It'll even help us figure out her dose based on the carbs she'll be consuming.  Neat, huh?

Back By Popular Demand

I don't see the appeal, but I have had several friends mention that they miss me blogging.  I kind of stopped when life got a  little hectic and it seemed like no one really read the blog.  I have to admit, though, that I miss having a place to record our comings and goings and having it act as sort of a journal of sorts.

So now I need to decide if I catch everything up or just start where we are.  Maybe I'll intersperse stuff in as needed.  We'll see.

Currently in our life we are getting ready to register Darci for Kindergarten.  Wait... WHAT!?!?  No, seriously, where did the last 5 years go?  Just thinking about filling out all the usual paperwork brings tears to my eyes, but add in that there is more for her to go to school and I have to let her go be in the care of other 5 days a week... well, lets just say that I have had to do some deep, slow breathing and tell myself to not hyperventilate.  I always said I wouldn't be THAT mother, but now faced with sending my daughter (they're supposed to be more fragile than boys) and diabetic to school I've turned into THAT mother.
Not that Darci is concerned at all.  Of all my kids, so far, she is the most ready to happily wave good-bye and enter those doors.  She is currently in preschool M,W,F and it's just not enough for her.  She is like a sponge soaking up any info she can aquire.  She loves to paint and draw and color and recently she wants to add words and write.
Christopher is in 4th grade now and for the first time every math isn't perfectly easy.  I mean, don't get me wrong, he's still acing it, but he actually has to put forth a little study and effort.  There have been a few tears, but he pulls through.  We are really trying to tell him it's ok to make mistakes and not be perfect.  Sometimes we need to struggle through the learning process to appreciate it more. 
Xander is in 1st grade and excelling academically.  He's getting better at coping with some of his issues and his teacher is really good at letting him have his moments, but moving on from them, too.
Eliza is almost 3 and such a stubborn little thing.  But she is just SO FUNNY!!!  The moments you want to be mad at her she'll do something so hilarious you just can't be mad.
Bret is still working at the West Jordan Library.  This could change in the near future as they are building a new West Jordan Library and it will be the new main branch for the system and he's not sure if they'll keep all the current staff where they are.  We'd love a transfer to a branch closer to home :)

Well, I'll try and update more often and keep everyone abreast of the happenings in our family.  LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!