Our own March Madness...

Following my last post, some crazy stuff came up...my computer locked up and would only open up in safe mode, so I had to back it all up and Dennis wiped it back to start. It took a few days to get back up and running and even longer to make it feel like my trusty old computer again.

Then, we had Spring break...yes, we already had spring break. Never mind that spring just started...ha ha. I guess when it's warm year round they can schedule breaks whenever... I took the kids to the beach a couple of times, although this day at Bellows Beach was so windy and chilly that I had to buy this cute swim shirt at the shoppette. Sabrina was at Girls' Camp at the beach. She had a great time and bonded with some of the younger girls. Yes, that's my goofy girl in the background with the crooked hat.

We have also been spending a lot of time at Tripler with the patient educator getting the training we didn't receive in Germany. In a couple of weeks we are expecting Dr. Chase from the Barbara Davis Center in Denver for a conference. We get a one-on-one with him to assess where's Sabrina's at and make improvements. I'm really happy we are getting so much care here, but it's time consuming and exhausting.

Also before Spring Break we were called into a meeting at the school for Sabrina's English teacher. It didn't start out too positively, but ended up agreeing to re-assess her with a different test. She didn't finish all the questions, but what she did finish she did really well, so now they are looking at the time it takes her to process things. They have agreed to make adjustments to how they grade her, breaking things down and giving her more time for things. All of a sudden, this english teacher is Sabrina's best friend. Odd how judgements will affect the effort they (teachers) put in...I'm hopeful, though that it really helps pick up her grades this final quarter and eases the workload, because as much work and frustration as it is for her, added worry makes it is moreso for us...

Hayden earned his Arrow of Light, the highest cub scout badge, this week at the Blue & Gold Banquet. He will move up to boy scouts when he turns 11 next month. We're so happy with the work he's done to get here.

Today, I spent the morning at the beach with 2 girlfriends playing "hooky" from being a SAHM while the kids were in school. It was relaxing to sit there and "talk story" as they say here in Hawaii. Plus, no lugging boogie boards and sand toys...bonus!

I'm going to sign McKenna up for soccer next month. She has been asking for 6 months now, and they have the base soccer starts in June. The AYSO doesn't start until August, and I'll put Hayden and Sabrina in that one...it is really well run, and with them being older, I think they need that. Plus, having them all 3 have games on a Saturday could pose a problem with only 2 parents...conceivably 3 locations. McKenna will be finishing around the time they are starting, so it works out well.

So, now the kids are back in school, back to routine, and I'm trying out new things...I'm trying a hiking group next week and plan to work in some kayaking sometime in April. What fun Hawaii can be!

Pumps and prayers...

Sabrina has had to deal with a life-altering illness, Type 1 Diabetes, for just over a year now. I can't say enough how proud I am of her for how she handles it, most of the time. She went from being terrified at immunization time to giving herself her own injections of insulin 4-5 times a day within a matter of weeks. Then, in December, she was changed over to the on-site insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor. This is what has become a major part of her life and ours. All of the equipment and site injections every 3 or so days.
It's something that has spilled over into so many areas and brought so many learning experiences. I think it's made her stronger, and I've been trying to help her understand that it is something she can control...not let it control her. Even McKenna mimics her. She wants to be like big sis...with her own "pump"...
But, last night also came a teaching moment that I tried to take advantage of today. Sabrina was changing her site on her pump, and having a hard time...it was late...she was tired. And, I don't blame her not wanting to stick a 1/2 inch needle straight into her stomach every 3 days. So, after it was done, she came to me crying that Heavenly Father didn't answer her prayer to help her find a good spot that wouldn't hurt. I tried to explain that He loves her, and it is going to hurt anyway...it didn't mean He wasn't answering her prayers.

Then, today in the combined adult meeting at church, the speaker talked exclusively about prayer, about desire, about listening for answers, about doing the right things that will put you in a position to get answers. So, I started thinking again about Sabrina last night.

She definitely had the desire...she even had faith He would help her. So, what I wanted to explain to her (and I brought Hayden in too) was something I still struggle with...giving into His will...not that it's His will that she be in pain. But, that she needs to use her prayers to ask for her own growth and strength to handle these challenges. That we can want something so badly, but it just isn't in the cards, or isn't something we can change...so ask for something we can...like to endure.

I hope that as she gets older she can grow closer to her Heavenly Father and learn to view prayer as shared communication with Him. Not just outlining what we're grateful for, or asking for what we need, but really talking to Him and feeling Him. It's what I hope for-for all of them, and myself as well.