Fruit Snacks

I have heard Mamas in the past jokingly refer to fruit snacks "saving their kids lives" as the hangry sets in and all you have is a little patch of fruit flavored sugar. It saves Mamas from killing their kids and, apparently, their kids from starvation. I always laughed at this, partly because I could relate, partly because it's just so ridiculous.

But just a few nights ago, I can honestly say that a fruit snack aided in saving my son's life.

A week ago, we sent up to Primary Children's Medical Center where Henry had his Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) put on for the first time. It was a traumatic 5 minutes, as Derek held him tight while he cried and screamed that he didn't want it. I hated being the one to stick that little thing on him as he cried, clinging to his blanket. But I knew it would be good. I knew it would help us. I knew it would be something we were grateful for.

That night, we put Henry to bed as we usually would. His CGM and his blood meter both read in the 100s, his safe zone. Kisses, hugs, "sweet dreams" and off went the lights. About two hours later, the alarms started going off. We checked the CGM transmitter, and sure enough, he was dropping a little low. We decided to watch it and see what happened, as he usually comes back up just fine. We watched as our little man's blood sugar dropped faster than we could believe, from 80 to 61. I grabbed some apple juice, took it to him, and he had a few sips. Usually, that's enough to bring him up and we all go back to bed.

But those alarms kept jarring me awake. Now he was at 42, with two arrows pointing down: he was continuing to drop 3 points a minute.

I went for the juice and and that blessed fruit snack, while Derek pulled Henry out of bed and into our room. We coaxed that poor boy into a few more sips of apple juice, but he just kept pursing his lips, leaning his head against his Daddy's chest, and trying to go back to sleep.

But the alarms kept going off. We were below the chart on his monitor at this point, and I was trying not to panic.

I used my firm, loud voice: "Henry. This is an emergency. You HAVE to eat this fruit snack. Right now, or we have to go to the hospital." He took one piece from me and slowly put it in his mouth. It was agony, watching him chew. "Ok, Brute, one more. You got it." Ever so slowly, those little pieces passed by his lips.

At one point, Henry reached into my hand, grabbed air, and put that in his mouth. I am not kidding you, he started chewing the air. Derek and I laughed and popped a real one into his mouth. Finally, Henry took the last little shape of an orange chewed it and said, "Am I all done now?"

Derek kissed his head, cradled him in his arms, and put him back in bed. The next twenty minutes, I lay in bed with the transmitter in my hand, checking every 90 seconds to see if he was finally coming up. It took a while, but when those arrows switched to up, the numbers progressing towards one hundred, I was finally able to sleep.


I wish I could say this is a rare occurrence,  but it isn't. With Type 1 Diabetes, we are on a constant roller coaster of lows and highs, fruit snacks and shots of insulin. I am on constant alert, exhausted as I try to keep up with what Henry has eaten, his stress levels, and when I last checked him or gave him insulin. But I am grateful for the tools we have to help us deal with this disease. This life threatening illness. Not just our doctors, nurses, and hospitals (who are wonderful), or even the tiny little insulin needles or even his new CGM. I am grateful for things like fruit snacks and apple juice. That save my son from his blood sugar dropping so low we couldn't wake him up.

One day, I look forward to the cure for Type 1. I know it's coming and I know we will rejoice with our whole souls on that day. On the day when, once again, I can laugh along with my friends as we jokingly refer to fruit snacks as "life savers."

To Donate towards our JDRF Walk, where we are raising money for a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, please click the link below. Every dollar helps. 

JDRF Walk

Thoughts about Johnny

Johnny is two today. I think every birthday with all of my children will come as a shock, because once again I find myself trying to figure out where the last year went. But now that June 4 is here again, I keep thinking about how grateful I am for my John Man.

Johnny is so loving and giving. I tell people all the time about how sweet he is. He loves to cuddle, give hugs, and lay his head on my shoulder. He is so smart and as he talks more and more I am amazed at the sweet and kind things he says. He brings things to people because he knows it will make them happy. Just today in sacrament meeting, he got a fruit snack and then immediately insisted on getting one for Henry. He likes to bring me my shoes or my purse and is always ready to jump up and help others. If, perchance, I get hurt and say "Ouch!" or "Oh man, that hurts!" Johnny looks right to me "Mama, Mama?" and lays his head against me until I tell him I am ok.

Johnny is hilarious, too. Lately, his favorite thing is "me, nut!" or "I am a nut!" He will correct you if you say "your'e so silly!" "no! me nut!" He makes silly faces and pretends to hide just to get a tickle, too.

Johnny loves to dance and stomps his feet in time to music all the time. In the car, he always requests "Baa song, din?" (Baa song again) which is the song from Shaun the Sheep the Movie. He also loves "Beam!" and would listen to Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam a million times in a row. He gets very excited when Henry's favorite songs come on and says "He! He! Song!"

Johnny does have quite the stubborn streak and often refuses to do things. I remind myself that he's named after John Adams and so that must just come with the name, but sometimes it's a bit exasperating. But he stands firm on things that are important to him. Things like having apple juice instead of water or getting to take his "bee bee" (blankie) and "row row" (Pluto stuffed animal) to the breakfast table.

Johnny is a great eater. He loves anything "yum yum" (chocolate or treats), strawberries, chicken nuggets, and BBQ sauce. We can always count on him to eat a lot, and when we doesn't we know he's not feeling well.

Johnny loves dirt, trucks, choo choos, and buses, too. He has a little car he rides around on, and propels himself through the house with incredible accuracy around corners. He would spend all day in the sandbox if I let him, putting sand in the trucks and in the "dock-ets" (pockets) of his pants and shirt. He can spot buses from far away when we're driving, and knows exactly which hill is the one that goes over the trains on University Avenue (something he has known for a long time, quite impressive).

Johnny is a great reader and adores books, especially if they are about trucks and choo choos. He takes 3-5 to bed with him every day, looking at them with his "ite" (flashlight). When Nana or Grandma are around, he grabs books and runs to them, climbing into their laps to read.

Johnny also loves the Temple. Every day he asks to go on a walk to the "bembel" and loves to see the fountain and run among the garden beds. "There-it-is!" he will yell as soon as he can see it, and says "hi bembel!" and "bye bembel!" as we drive past. Any time he is upset or near inconsolable, Henry and I sing the Temple Song to him and he calms down to sing with us.

Johnny loves his family. He gets so excited to see Daddy's truck at the end of every work day and runs down the driveway to meet him. Every morning I hear "Mama where-are-you mama?" from his room and I am greeted with a hug and smile. He wants to go to "Nana house" every day, gets mad at me when I say "Papa is at work," and runs to greet Grandpa and Grandma Bruton every time they come.  But of all people, Johnny loves his "He". He loves following Henry around, misses Henry when he's at school, and often refuses to go to bed at night if Henry is not in there. Johnny wants to be just like him and does his best to imitate his brother at all times. Even asking for finger pokes and insulin shots!

We love our John Wellington so much. He's a little Mama's boy, and I am not sorry for it, because I love all the cuddles he gives me. I know my time with my little baby boy is short, and I am grateful for every minute. He has brought so much joy to our family and is the light of our lives. We are so excited to celebrate with him this evening, with all things "beew" (blue) and trucks.

Happy Birthday, Johnny Man!

St. George Vacay

Derek had a water conference down in St. George for a few days, so we decided to take advantage of that and have a little family vacation. We booked an extra night at the hotel, and spent Saturday-Wednesday (March 19-22) down in the lovely heat of Southern Utah. Even more fun, was that Grandpa was at the same conference, so Grandma came along, too! The boys were so excited.

We headed straight to Zion's National Park on our way down, which was so fun. We hiked up to the Weeping Rock. Henry remembered coming to Zion's with the Schofield's last October, and he kept talking about riding on the bus. We rode it up to the trail head, and then walked across the bridge and up to the incredible "rain" coming from the rocks. Derek and the boys stopped to admire the moss and the lichen along the way, and Johnny was eager to run the whole way. Which was a bit terrifying for me, to be honest. Henry was a bit grumpy on this hike, but when we got back down, we went to the creek and stuck our feet in for a while. That cheered him up quickly!

After that, we rode the bus all the way up through the canyon and then headed to the hotel. We didn't get in until late, and we all collapsed into bed.

Sunday, we took our time getting ready, then headed to the St. George Temple grounds before church. It was a perfect and gorgeous day! The boys loved running around the flowers, and Johnny chased a butterfly for a while. The temple grounds were so peaceful and quiet--one of my favorite places in St. George. We met up with Grandpa and Grandma for Sacrament meeting right after. Poor Johnny was running up to meet them and biffed it on the sidewalk--a really bad one. His nose was bleeding, he scratched his legs and his face. Poor boy. But he was tough, and after a good cry cuddled with Mommy throughout Sacrament meeting.

After church we headed back to the temple for a while. We went in the visitor's center, and learned about how they built the temple. Henry was excited about all the videos in there and about the pictures that show what it looks like inside.

We had lunch at the park, and then back to the hotel to change. We decided to take a chance on Johnny getting a nap in the car (which he did) and head into Zion's. We drove all the way up to the tunnels, and Henry was awake and chatting the whole time. But we entered the tunnel, and I kept talking to him, but he didn't respond. Which isn't completely unusual. But I said "Oh Henry, did the dark tunnel make you fall asleep?" Sure enough, at the next big window, I looked back and saw him fast asleep! Poor little boys! We drove for quite a bit after that, letting them sleep and enjoying the AMAZING views of rock and trees outside our windows.

We picked a place to stop when Johnny woke up and it was the perfect place! We found a little creek running through some beautiful sand. We took off shoes and played in the water, climbed up the rocks, and collected some pretty stones. Henry especially loved climbing up the rocks. We really could have stayed there all day, it was a perfect spot to play in.

But we wanted to take the hike up to the entrance to the narrows, so we hurried in and did that. That walk was all paved trail, so we took the buggy and hurried on ahead of Grandpa and Grandma. It was a nice little walk, but I hope to go back when the boys are bigger and we go hike all the way in to the Narrows. Not in the spring though--the Virgin River was SO full and fast!

After we had a little dinner, we headed back to the hotel and took the boys swimming. We played in the pool and the two hot tubs before crashing again for the night.

Monday Derek and Grandpa had to head to the conference, so Cindy and I took the boys into town. We went to the Children's Museum which was AMAZING. The boys loved it! There favorite room was probably the little grocery store, where they picked out foods and pretended to buy it. But they also loved the room with an airplane and a car to fix, the post office, the room with instruments, and a cool room where they pretended to be DJs and put on music. They were both thrilled to learn that their favorite song "Try Everything" was one of the choices!

We had lunch in the park and played in the splash pad right next door before we headed home for naps. Surprisingly, the boys and I all cozied up on my bed and slept together. It was so nice! I wish we could do that every day. But we had had a very busy day, so everyone was exhausted.

Monday night, for Family Home Evening, we headed into Snow Canyon to hike around on the rocks and play in the Sand Dunes. The boys LOVED the sand. We picked a good spot, pulled out some sand toys, and went to town for a over an hour. There was a spigot nearby, so we filled buckets with water and made mud and castles, enjoyed the soft sand, and the beautiful sunset.

When we gave them baths that night, the tub was covered in red sand. So was our car, to be fair! But we had such a great time.

Tuesday, we took it a bit easier and went up to the Red Cliffs Desert Gardens. The boys, Grandma, and I walked around for quite a while before we had lunch there. But everyone was pretty tired. We went and visited Daddy at the conference during his lunch break (where Grandma found some rocks to buy the boys at a gift shop) and then headed back for nap time.

That night, we went out to Glitter Mountain, a gypsum mine I had read about online. Turns out, it was similar mine to where the pioneers had mined gypsum to crush up for the facade of the Temple! It was so fun. The boys, especially Henry, loved running around filling their buckets up with the shiny rocks. We wished we had brought more tools--and we will next time--but we still gathered some beautiful rocks to bring home.

Wednesday was our day to go home, but not till about 1pm. Grandma and I tried to go to Jacob Hamblin's homestead (now a bit of a museum) but the boys were not into it. But we found an amazing park for lunch! I wished we had known about it sooner. They had a blast running around on the playground, and they had a train! Yes--a train run by volunteers. It was only $1 to have a ride, and Johnny was in heaven.

On our way home to Provo, we stopped and drove up through Kolob Canyon, where Henry received his Jr. Ranger Badge for Zion's National Park. He did such a great job picking up garbage and doing the activities while we were in Zion's those two days. And he was SO proud wearing that badge! Just like his Bryce Canyon Badge.

We had such a great time, but we were ready to head home. Everyone was wiped. But we made some great memories!

The Boys Lately

I'm way behind on this, which is sad. So I'm just going to not worry about it, and talk about the boys right now. Not what I've missed.


Henry
* Loves to build things. Lately, it's with the Duplos and the Magneforms. But he loves to use his imagination and build houses, roads, boats, playgrounds, and castles.

* New phrases that are funny:
-"I hardly had so much food!" (He uses "hardly" totally wrong, but it's hilarious)
-"Space Sticks!" a quote from Micky Mouse Clubhouse.
- Basically--he uses that word all the time
- "All of the days"
- "Voices off"--something he has learned from his Sunbeam Teachers.

* Guards his Daddy and Henry time very jealously. He loves to play Snap Circuits with Derek during this time.

* Still loves singing and music. Try Everything from Zootopia still and the Moana Soundtrack are his favorites.

* Can buckle himself up in the car, and even tighten his seat belt just right. 

* His foods of choice lately are tortillas and Cheddar Cheese, which he likes to grate himself. He still loves French Fries, chips, and Marshmallow Mateys.

* loves holding hands with Mama. He always tells me that it helps him feel safe in the parking lot, and that he "loves it really a lot"

* Still plays cords, but not as much. He likes to connect a whole string of them and plug them in, but then they usually get left alone.

* Rocks. He got some pretty rocks from Bryce Canyon and likes to play with them often.

* He and Johnny both love to run and jump onto the love sack.

* love Sunbeams! He always comes home and tells me how much fun he has.

* Gave his first talk in Primary his second week of Sunbeams! He said maybe 5 words, but he did really well all things considered.

* Likes to help take Johnny to nursery

* still a very picky eater, but here and there he will try something new.




John
* started nursery! We always leave him crying, but his teachers tell us they can distract him pretty quickly. He's stayed the whole two hours by himself 3 weeks in a row now

* Dancing! He loves to dance. It's mostly stomping his feet and turning around, but it's the cutest.

* all about trucks and trains. He especially loves "choo choos"

* Loves to play Little People with Mommy. His favorite is Pluto, who he makes panting noises for. 

* He loves to stand up on the stool and help with anything in the kitchen. Like Henry, he loves to play in the water at the sink with kitchen tools.

* brushing his teeth! He loves it and wants to do it all the time.

* Taking baths/showers. He would stay in the bath all day if I let him. He likes to get the bucket of toys from the closet by himself and dump it in the bath.

* Getting better about diaper changes--he usually will hold still. Often we have to chase him down to get him there, but he does great. He also goes to get his own diaper and wipes, and loves to be a big boy and throw the wet one away.

* He's started throwing things or slamming the table/couch when he's upset. We're working on that, and he is very ashamed when he gets scolded. He will say "sorry sorry" when he's in trouble or he's embarrassed.

* He's started praying now. He repeats please and thank you, and usually the last word of what you say. It's darling. He also says "Jesus Amen"

* He loves to run and face plant onto the Love Sac, and always says "boom!" when he does so. 

* He will pat the couch or floor next to him and say "Mama!" often when he wants me to sit and be with him, which he loves.

* His favorite thing is when Nana or Grandma are here, he will bring them books and throw himself into their laps to get them to read to him. He still LOVES to read and often follows people around with a book until they stop and read it to him. Favorite books lately are: First 100 Trucks, Touch and Feel Kittens, London Pop-Up Book, and Dinosaur Roar. 

* John's favorite part of the day is when Daddy gets home. He stands on the radiator by the front window and bangs on it yelling "Dada!" for ten minutes until Derek gets home. When Derek starts walking up, he jumps down and runs around the ottoman yelling Dada. When Derek comes in and kneels down, he barrels him over with a big hug. Then immediately wants Derek to take his coat off. Than another hug.

* So many new words:
-Thank you
-please
-maw (meow)
-Jesus
- Amen
- What's that
- choo choo sounds
- book
- bop (binky)
- Mickey
- His no and yes sound so much the same: "nyah" and "nah" it's very confusing
- up and down
- Sauce
- Go (which he says as soon as you say "ready?")
-sorry sorry
-blue. (everything is blue!)
-Mine--still lots of mine around here.

Bryce Canyon in Winter

Several weeks ago, we made a reservation at Ruby's Inn by Bryce Canyon for this first week of January. Of course, as per usual, our Christmas vacation was full of sick people--we almost didn't go. But oh, am I glad we did!

While we didn't get to do the hiking we did while at Bryce in September, it was breathtaking in the snow! It might just be my favorite season there. The contrast between the red rock and the white snow was to die for.

Our first evening, we went up to the rim and looked out over the amphitheater and admired the beauty of the snow. The boys enjoyed walking through the snow (which was a bit terrifying, beings so close to such a cliff!) and leaning over the fence to enjoy the scenery.

Then we went back to Ruby's and made pancakes for dinner! We set up our griddle and Derek made some delicious dinner. The boys loved sitting at the table and watching a show while we ate.

After dinner, we headed to the pool. The actual pool was a bit cold, but the boys discovered the joy of hot tubs. We have to be careful with hot tubs, not just because they are so young, but also because Henry's blood sugar can drop very quickly. But it was so nice to get so warm! The pool and spa were in a different building, so we chose to drive over. The drive home in our wet bathing suits was an adventure. We just let the boys sit on our laps (I know, call the police on us, sure) since we just drove across the parking lot. We snuck around the back of the buildings, just in case. :)

Getting to bed was an adventure, as always when we share a room. We stayed up watching t.v. until about 9, then Derek and I decided it wasn't too early for us to go to bed. The boys went to sleep fairly quickly after that, thank goodness.

The next day, we bundled up and headed out to go sledding! We went down to Red Canyon, where there were some great hills for sledding. Unfortunately, poor little Johnny got hut within seconds of leaving the car. I got him all bundled up and stood him up on the ground, but apparently he thought I was still holding him. In slow motion, he tipped forward and face planted right on the ice. Poor guy! Tears and a bit of blood, and he wanted to just sit in his sled next to me the whole time. But we did get some fun runs down a hill! Henry especially loved that. Then Derek and I took turns pulling the boys along a snowy path at the base of the hill.

After lunch at Ruby's Inn, we decided to drive up along the scenic route through the park. This was amazing! The drive was a bit scary, as it was very foggy and lots of snow. They plowed the roads really well, however, so we got to go all the way to Rainbow Point. Our favorite spot was definitely Natural Bridge. Derek took Henry over to the look out and Henry said "What the?!" It was so funny. The Bridge was beautiful and coated with snow.

That evening, we did pancakes for dinner again (saving money, you know) and then headed to the hot tub one more time (just as sneakily, of course). After rinsing off the chlorine in the tub, we all piled on to one bed and watched Family Feud for a while before crashing.

We only made one stop in the park the next day: to pick up Henry's Jr. Ranger badge! We completed so many of the activities, including picking up trash, identifying animals, drawing a hoodoo, and Henry even learned what hoodoo means in Paiute (scary or afraid). He was so excited to get his badge--and very proud! He's worn it a lot since.

Our drive home was very scary, to say the least. We decided to leave earlier than we had planned when we heard about the weather--good thing! We drove the last half in a crazy blizzard. Lots of prayers were said, and we were sure grateful the boys slept through a lot of the drive.

Despite the weather, we all really enjoyed our winter visit to Bryce Canyon. I definitely recommend it! I would love to get snowshoes and go hiking, but that just wasn't feasible with our little guys. Some day.