There's a new lumberjack in town

We spent our long Labor Day weekend doing just that...laboring!  In order to save, what now seems like a measly, $300, we rented a boom truck and did the scary work of getting the tree to the ground on our own.  Jason did the scary high stuff while we watched in anxiousness and some amazement as branches fell.  The pics don't do justice, but here's the progression of the day...

What you don't necessarily see is the mess that involved each stage of trimming.  Jason could only get so far and then had to move the truck to a different spot, but we had to clean up all the wood and branches before he could do that.  The truck and trailer on the road shows how full it got (and there was another truck and trailer) and we also had a pile of wood in the driveway for pieces that were big enough for firewood.

 AJ wanted to run the chainsaw too, so after some advice, we let him go & he really enjoyed it!  There were moments when both him & Jason were sawing and it sounded like one of those lumberjack competitions.  I don't think the neighbors got much napping in over the weekend!

This last part had us just as nervous because we just didn't know how rotten this tree was and we didn't want it to fall on Jason as he was cutting.  It all worked out well & when this bad boy fell, it felt like a small earthquake.  Faith said she felt it in the house through the chair she was sitting in.  I was in the neighbor's driveway, and I could feel it there also.

The darker part of the tree is the rotten part and you can see it effected over half of it, so it was a big hazard to have around and needed to come down.  I took a hammer claw to it & it broke apart like a sponge!  Jason whittled away at it the next day and said it was rotten all the way into the ground.  We will have a contractor come over with a stump grinder to mulch up the rest, but until then, Bella likes having another obstacle to climb and jump off of. 

If any of you are thinking that tree removal is in Jason's future, I would bet that he would graciously decline and leave the scary work to the professionals.  We were just trying to save $300.

Bella's vocab

Being the youngest of 6 has it's advantages and disadvantages.  I personally would not know, but as our family grew from 2 to 6 kids, I notice with each one that there are challenges they deal with that the older ones did not, one being having a huge vocabulary when you have a family that understands your needs as well as older siblings that tend to talk for you.

I honestly didn't have much concern, but doctor appointments tend to increase your awareness and concerns that you aren't doing enough.  I honestly don't get overly concerned when 2 year olds can't carry on a conversation in perfect english.  I think her babble is adorable because with 5 older kids, I know that soon enough she will be talking back and telling me how uncool I am.  So for now, I enjoy having one child that enjoys every moment with me (except when it's time to come inside) and the challenge of figuring out what in the heck she is talking about.

Needless to say, the doctor recommended speech therapy where we go once a week so I can watch someone play with my child to get her to say more words.  They have found out that she is a great communicator and is good at changing the subject, all without using many words.  I don't know if either of us has learned much more in the past 6 weeks, but she is talking more, and I don't know if one can credit speech therapy or just the fact that she's nearing 3 years old.  Here are some of her new words and phrases:
"No, mine!"
"I toot!"
"I teed!" (peed)
"I want go outside"
"I want nom nom." (that's food, especially the yummy kind)
"I want more nom nom." (usually regarding chocolate)

I think that basically covers every need, other than sleep, which she is good at communicating by either naughty destructive behavior, crawling in my lap, or grabbing me by the hand to go "night night".  Regardless, we'll keep working on speech therapy while quietly enjoying how adorable it is when she talks fast like this, "yabba gebba debba ppffbb!" (that last part is a farting noise...I don't know how to spell it.)  And how could you not enjoy everything that comes with this face!

"God will provide"

Last week the kids started school and at the St. Ed's School Open House, the principal shared with us her concerns for needing (in a short time frame) a kindergarten teacher, an administrative assistant (to replace the one who was with us for nearly 20 years, and preschool teacher for a new program to start in the fall.  Each time she would share her concern with Father Craig, he would say, "God will provide" and as the time grew closer to the start date of school, she naturally would go to him in concern and he would repeat, "God will provide".  She learned a great deal of trust, and needless to say, God did provide without a moment to spare with the preschool teacher lining up on the day of the open house. 

Her story of learning a new level of trust struck familiar feelings with me and our journey the past few months.  My last post had us wondering what Jason was going to do for work and we too were in the "God will provide" boat of being able to do not much more than trust in His will in our lives.  When school ended in June, we were still not sure what to do.  We had a couple of options, but wasn't quite sure how things were going to turn out.  Eventually it came down to 2 choices of: a job that he was hoping for with long workdays and weekends and less pay, or a job that he wasn't thrilled about with no nights or weekends and double the pay.  If you know Jason and his work history, you will probably guess which way he leaned, and in the end, it worked out to his desire anyways, but not without a great deal of trust.

As the end of June approached, so did the end of his current contract and after a 2nd job interview, we were awaiting an answer.  Of course, summer schedules at schools and colleges tend to slow down and people naturally go on vacations, so you have to wait until the right people are back to work before you can move forward.  As we hit that last week of June, we thought, "what if this doesn't work out?", "what are we going to do for work after this week?" and the wheels were turning even faster as we worried about how we were going to make the finances work.  Mind you that my paychecks were also going to stop at then end of the month until the new school year started, so we were looking at zero income and with only a month's worth left of savings.  "Jesus, I trust in you" and the familiar, "God will provide" were the phrases that would come to mind and as stressful as it could have been, I honestly was the most trusting as I have ever been, because I knew there really was nothing I could do about it.

I am happy to say that a few days before his last day, he received word that he got the job as an Assistant Activities Director at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) and is in charge of events & ticketing.  He finished his old job on a Friday and started his new job that Monday.  He is enjoying his new environment and is now in the first official week of a full campus and all that entails.  He has had his share of challenges, but is facing them with determination and hard-work ethics.  We are getting a taste of what his new schedule is, but know that he is where God wants him to be.  Although last year was a tough one, we are thankful for the opportunities God gave us and can see His grace working through them. 

Some days are mentally, physically and financially more straining than others, but I keep turning to those phrases that got us to where we are now and know that we may not have all that we want, but we have all that we need and that we just need to patient and hopeful that it will get easier down the road.  If it doesn't, then we still know that God is with us and He will give us as much grace as we are open to to make it work.  Thank you to our prayer warriors for keeping us lifted and for doing more for us than we deserve.  I know I am not great at keeping in touch or making conversation, but know that in my heart and mind I am always grateful, always humbled and always thinking of those who give so much to us and deserve so much more than what I often offer.  In my defense, here are 6 reasons of what I consume most of my days with...and I am totally fine with that!

First day of school

A.J. (11th), Faith (8th), Laney (10th) at Minneota school

Ian (5th), Bella (almost 3!), Noah (1st) at St. Edward School

Proverbs 3:5-6

We have come to another transition in our lives and this time we are putting total trust in the Lord's plan.  Jason has decided to resign from his position as Activities Director and will be closing the book on that chapter of his career.  After much discernment, he came to the decision that it's not where he wants to be anymore.  It's been a difficult few years, and I think we both thought that it was going to be much better once we got back into Minneota, but that was not the case and this year has solidified his decision. 

For the first time since we've been together, he has no idea what is in store for him for a job.  All he knows is that he needs to be done & has put total trust and reliance that the Lord will lead him in what His plans are for him.  I'd have to say that as terrified as I should be that our main income earner for our family of 8 has no idea what he's going to do after June 30th, I am at peace with his decision and have faith that this will all work out ok. 

So for now, we continue to pray for God's guidance, and the wisdom to know what it is that He wants us to do, and until then all we can do is, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

T1D

Two weeks ago, I didn't know what the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, but now I am the educated mother of a Type 1 diabetic child.

A week before that, AJ came down with what we thought was a stomach bug, that had him lying in bed with a stomach ache, occasional vomiting and overall tiredness.  We had some snow days during that week, so he was able to stay home without missing much school.  He went back to school one day and played a basketball, but Jason mentioned that he just wasn't playing how he normally does and just looked worn down.  He got sick again that night and stayed home from school the next day.  The weekend was better and his appetite was back and he drank like he was recovering from being sick.

When Monday rolled around, he still wasn't looking the best and just seemed overall weak and tired.  At that point, I figured that it might be time to take him into the doctor just to have him looked over.  By the looks of his lips, he seemed dehydrated, so I asked him if he was drinking enough.  He said, "Mom, I'm drinking all the time, and I'm peeing all the time!"  I then asked him if his urine was dark yellow (as it would be if he was dehydrated) and he said, "No, it's pale.  Practically clear."  At that point, my medical training as a vet tech kicked in and I realized that something wasn't adding up.  I told him I would take him in the next day.

He went to school with the plan that I would get him after his last class.  He texted me soon into the day and asked if we could go earlier, so I had Jason's dad come a little earlier to watch Bella and I packed up the 6 month-old that I babysit twice a week and brought AJ to Urgent Care. 

After a brief exam from the doctor, he ordered lab work and we spent the next hour waiting for the results.  Luckily, there was a friend from our town there that was more than thrilled to help me entertain baby Maverick. 

When we were finally called back into the room, I didn't even sit down before the doctor told me the news, "He's diabetic.  His blood glucose is over 800."  (Normally, the blood sugar level is between 80-120, so needless to say, that's why he wasn't feeling well.)  The doctor then went on to tell me that he will need to be admitted to the hospital and they were starting an IV right then and there.  The severity hit us both.  The doctor left the room (one of several times) and I scrambled to figure out what I was going to do with baby.  It was now just around the time that school was getting out.  I called Jason and he was surprised needless to say.  I texted Maverick's mom, but she is a teacher, so I really doubted she would be able to respond. 

The doctor then came back into the room and told me that our hospital did not have the resources to take a pediatric T1D patient and that we would need to go to Sioux Falls and that an ambulance would arrive in 10-15 minutes to pick him up.  At this point, I knew I needed to go with him and didn't even think of driving for 2 reasons, 1) I wanted to be with him in this situation, and 2) the weather was getting pretty bad with snow.  AJ was now getting his IV in and had tears in his eyes.  I decided to call Melinda at the school and I lost it as well.  As I blubbered what was going on, she responded, "I'll come pick Maverick up.  Don't worry about it."  I was so concerned about how I was going to make this work...be in the ambulance that was arriving soon, but be there when Maverick's mom would arrive, which would take 15-20 minutes in ideal conditions, which that day was not.  The nurses came to the rescue and offered to watch him until him mom got there, and in that moment, I had to say yes to a difficult situation, but what I needed to do to be with AJ.

I grabbed everything that I thought we would need or that would be useful during an unknown length of time in a hospital and prepared both the nurses and myself for the next few minutes of getting ready for the next step.

Needless to say, our ride to SF in an ambulance was not fast.  The weather had taken a turn for the worst and we spent the next hour following 35mph traffic on a snow-covered road.  Once we got farther south, the roads got better and we were able to go the speed limit.  We joked about a few things...like that AJ was getting jipped by not being in a speeding-lights-and-sirens-blaring ambulance ride, but after I thought about it, it was better that we weren't because that meant bad circumstances.  We also got a laugh that he filled the jug to the brim that they gave him to pee in.  The EMT was impressed & said he hadn't seen that before.  LOL!

We arrived at the Children's Hospital just before supper and settled in for a few days of monitoring and diabetes education.  Luckily for him, school was cancelled 2 days that week and one was a digital learning day.  I think he only missed 1/2 a day even though we were there Tuesday to Friday.  I had to line up a ride to the local drug store to find some things that one would pack when staying away from home for several days.  Luckily, they had some t-shirts and leggings on sale and I was able to find everything I needed, (socks and underwear even!) to make my stay a little more comfortable.  His room was right across the hall from a room that had all kinds of food and snacks so I was able to eat without spending a fortune.  (I did treat myself on the last night to a meal from the cafeteria, which was wonderful, but expensive.)  We could have went home Thursday, but the storm kept us buckled down for an extra day, but it was nice to have the extra time to adjust to our new normal for him...finger pricks, glucose checks, carb counting, insulin shot, repeat. 

If that wasn't enough, Jason had his hands full with his work and a free throw scandal heard around the nation.  Not to mention trying to learn how e-learning days work and how hard it is to keep up with 5 kids with meals and cleaning while working a full-time job.  Thankfully he had family around to help when he needed it.  I was in the final planning of our Area Faith Community's Confirmation Mass, which involved 35 kids from 5 parishes.  It doesn't sound like much, but it really takes a lot of work to plan out everything that goes along with that!  Needless to say, I didn't get much done that week and the next week made up for it!

Regardless, we survived, AJ is healthy as he can be, and he is adjusting to his new normal.  We are grateful that it didn't get to the point that he was so sick he was in the ICU or even with long-term side effects.  We are thankful that it's a disease that we can manage.  Some days it hits me that he is living with a disease that if managed poorly could be life-threatening.  I am still fearful during some games that his sugar level will get low and that he will have a reaction, but I have to trust that he knows his body and that he will manage it so he doesn't do any damage to himself.  I am thankful that he can eat most things, and glad there are things that he used to eat that now he shouldn't.  Sometimes I get drained by having to analyze everything about the meals I make, but know that this will be the new normal for the rest of his life.  And some days, that hits me hard, that it's something that for right now, has no cure.  I know things could be so much worse, and that there are kids and families who are battling with way bigger illnesses that they are unsure what the outcome will be.  We know that we are blessed to have AJ back to his "normal" routine and that he's happy to be playing sports again.  (He had his best game of 19 points just last Friday!)

For now, we do our best to coach him along without making him feel different.  We try to eat things that we know he can enjoy as well (which is good for us all.)  We embrace the technology that has come so far and look forward to the future that will make it even easier to manage, and we take each day one at a time, grateful for the opportunity to look ahead rather than look back.

Here is a website for more information.  https://www.jdrf.org

This one's for Grandpa Myhre

We were recently at a varsity boys basketball game and there was a larger player from RTR that was making things difficult for one of our tough players under the basket.

Me:  Boy, he's giving Logan a run for his money!
Ian:  What?!  They get money for this?

Back in the Blue and Gold!

With volleyball and football season already under our belts,

I wanted to put some new pictures up.

Faith jumped right back into it with her class. 

She really enjoys 7th grade sports...they practice everyday & she loves improving her game!

AJ had a great year in football, and as a sophomore, saw lots of playing time with JV and Varsity.

He was awarded "JV Most Valuable Teammate".  It was very unexpected and we are very proud of how far he's come.

Basketball season is now underway & we have 3 kids in 4 different levels.

AJ is playing mostly C squad and a little JV.

His game has improved immensely since last season.

Staying true to his tradition, Jason is coaching the 4th grade basketball team now that Ian is on it.

It is fun to see him out on the court again & spending time with the kids.

It's been a little more challenging as an Activities Director though.

At the home tournament, he was AD, coach and referee.

November news

I know it's not November, but when I get a chance to post, I figure it's more interesting if I break it up a little.  

Grandma Johnson came to visit for Thanksgiving & they kids got to enjoy their time with her.  It always goes way too fast!  She lives in Washington, so we usually only get to see her about once a year, but she picks right up where she left off with them.  Especially the little ones, but even the big kids "allowed" her to come to have lunch with them at the school.

Ian is in the process of correcting his under bite, which was causing him to wear away his teeth abnormally.  We are thankful that we were able to get him the treatment he needed.  He started with an expander, which was fitted on his teeth at the roof of his mouth and literally did just that...expanded his upper jaw.  This is done at this age before the jaw fuses, at which point surgery is the only option later in life.  He did well and after that came out, he got 6 braces on the top to straighten his teeth.  He will only need to wear these about a year, and we hope that he won't have to have further work done, but there is a possibility that he may outgrow the treatment and regain his strong, hereditary under bite.  We'll see how it goes, but for now, we know we are doing all we can to try to prevent any further problems down the road.

It was later...

I promised pictures of the house, hoping to be sooner than later,

 but obviously since it's been 4 months, it's definitely LATER!  

Our new house has us in the perfect location for us, right across the street from the school.  It has the layout we have been looking for and a yard that provides plenty of space for running around.

                   
                            First day of school!                                             SuzyCat settled in just fine as well.                               

When Jason's family gets together...

                    ...we need 2 tables!  

 The kids have loved having time to spend with their cousins again!

Family was the deciding factor when it came down to moving from Montgomery.

We miss our friends we made there, but are loving the memories being made 

with all the kids together again.  They have been best friends since they were born!

Grandkids at the annual Myhre lake cabin vacation