Walk tomorrow

Tomorrow is the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes here in Fresno. We are looking forward to a beautiful morning without too much heat which is very nice :) Please, if you haven't donated and feel led to, click on our link above and support Jackson. Donations are down and I am trying not to be discouraged, but it is hard. We have such a passion for finding a cure for our baby! Thanks to everyone who has already donated for this year's walk. We are so blessed by the kindnesses of our friends and family

xo, Jen

keeping track

This weekend I am documenting what a weekend looks like in our life right now. I saw this idea over at Ali Edwards' blog yesterday and decided it would be a perfect way to show what our life is like right now in the apartment and to remember that no matter where we live, life is going on... a good thought for me as our life seems turned completely upside down. I am using this space to jot down things we did so far...
Friday Night
-spaghetti supper cooked in our apartment kitchen - yay for not having to eat out until we leave!
-Grizzlies Game with all the boys, dip n dots and garlic fries along with a yummy frozen margarita for mommy
-a little treat from the convienent store after the boys crashed into bed
-Started laundry

Saturday
-Still working on laundry
-straightened the apt, cleaned bathrooms and vacuumed
- Kenny off to Tae Kwon Do in the morning - not without a bit of arguing on his part
-McD's biscuit and diet coke for breakfast - sorry, can't help myself
-checking on facebook, message boards, and blogs while the boys went to pick Kenny up
-reading my newest Sookie Stackhouse book, finished it today too
-worked on teacher's gifts
-played with my 7 Gypsies photo carousel cards - love the little nature of this project and that it is totally doable here in the apt.
-Kaden took a bit of a nap afternoon being up most of last night - ugh!
-Ken played golf this afternoon, way too hot if you ask me (high today was...)
-took the boys down to the apt complex pool, very fun part of living here
-new Nerf game for the wii and playstation games too - gotta have lots to do when it's too hot to go outside other than to the pool
-Pizza for supper around the coffee table
-off to the Gap for shorts and tee's - feeling like summer has officially arrived even though school isn't out for a little bit longer
- Baskin Robbins for a cool treat - got an oldie but goodie, mint chocolate chip in a cone
-Ken playing wii while I type on the blog - hee hee!

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!
xo, Jen

2009 Walk to Cure Diabetes

Hi friends! We are gearing up for this year's walk, our last in Fresno. (sniff, sniff) However, as this year's Walk Chair, I am excited for the direction the Fresno Walk is heading and I want to succeed in making this year's walk the best ever!!! We are teaming up with the Fresno Grizzlies to "Strike Out Diabetes" which is fitting for this baseball playing and loving family. As we do every year, Ken and I wrote a letter to share with our friends and family about our life with a child who has type 1 Diabetes. My challenge and hope is that everyone who reads this letter will click on the link and donate at least $10.00. It seems like we are pulled in every direction financially these days, but I truly believe that we all have a spare bill here and there. Ken and I save our change and random bills all year long just so that we can give a little to everyone we know is in need and the cool thing is, we never run out! God has always provided for us and for each friend, family member, and organization who is in need. Please prayerfully consider if there is anything you can do this year, Jackson NEEDS a cure. Period.

Note: Amy knows how to put a Mr. Linky at the top of the blog to click directly to our fundraising page and I will ask her to do that shortly. :)

Ok, off my little soapbox now, which I think is ok, seeing as this blog belongs half to me, LOL! Here is our letter, written from the hurting heart of this mama for her child.

Dearest friends and family,
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be on a roller coaster that you could never get off of? Forces bearing down on you from every direction, exhilaration at the top of a hill only to find yourself just seconds later plummeting to depths you couldn’t have even imagined. Finally, a break in the action… only to realize the ride is not only just begun, but will never end. In a nutshell, that is what it is like to live in a family where a child has Type 1 Diabetes.
Our son, Jackson has been courageously fighting this disease for more than 4 years now. As we passed that 4-year mark a few weeks ago, we realized that not much has changed in our life. It is an emotional and physical roller coaster of which we will never get off. Jackson wakes up every morning to finger pokes, insulin injections, highs and lows and everything in between. Diabetes goes to school with him where he must learn and grow as a student, all the while dealing with blood sugar issues. He goes to bed each night with the fear of dangerous highs that wreak havoc on his body and even more dangerous night time lows that could catapult him into a coma or even death. We turn around and do it all over again the next day and the day after that and so on… We wish somehow we could get off this ride, to simply take a break. With Diabetes there is no break. He is never going to “outgrow” his diabetes. Every decision we make regarding his care today has lasting implications for his health many years from now.
Jackson looks like any other 6 year-old who loves playing baseball, riding his bike, and learning to read. And yet, he fights the same fight every moment of his life. It would seem like it would get easier for him (and us!) to deal with it and in some ways it has. We have experienced tremendous joy in seeing the support of our friends and family as a result of Jackson’s diabetes. We have been able to educate and reach out to others who are also on this roller coaster ride with us. Jackson has touched teachers, friends, and countless others with his bravery and strength. We are blessed beyond measure to have the responsibility of raising this young man. His sweet face keeps us going in search of a cure for this horrible reality.
We come to you humbly this year to ask you for your support of our son. The past 12 months have been hard for our country and the financial impact has hit many we know personally. We even hesitated to ask for your support this year in the wake of the struggles we have watched over the past few months. However, I stumbled across this quote a few months ago and it really spoke to my heart in terms of raising money for this organization that desperately needs of our funds even in the midst of a global economic crisis. We are so close to so many breakthroughs in our search for the cure for this disease.

It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.
–Mother Teresa

It has always been our hope and desire to let you, our friends and family, have a glimpse into our daily life, not only to raise money, but also to raise awareness of the disease. We want you to know that whether you give $5 or $50 or even $500, we love you and appreciate every donation because we know it comes from your heart.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, JDRF, is the #1 non-profit funder of research aimed at FINDING A CURE for Jackson’s type of Diabetes. That is the reason we participate so fully in JDRF events, namely the Walk to Cure Diabetes. This year on June 6, 2009, Jack’s Pack will join with the Fresno Grizzlies and walk to support this amazing organization for the final time while we live here. If you are interested, here are the ways you can help make a difference for Jackson.
1. If you are local, you can join our family team, known as Jack’s Pack, which consists of family and friends who collect pledges and walk with us. We create a team t-shirt each year for every member of our team, young and old and have a great time celebrating Jackson’s life at the beautiful Woodward Park here in Fresno. Just give us a call and we will get you everything you need. We want this to be our biggest team of walkers yet!!!
2. You can support our family with a tax-deductible contribution in any amount. You can either make a donation online at www.walk.jdrf.org by entering Jack’s Pack and California under Support a Walker or mail donations directly to us. Please indicate in your comments if you would like our address.

Thank you in advance for helping us reach our goal of $8,000 this year. We are blessed by the generosity shown on Jackson’ behalf.

God Bless You!

Jack’s Pack Ken, Jennifer, Kenny, Jackson, and Kaden Allred

breathing new air

into this blog look! Check back soon for all the fixin's!!

xo, Jen & Amy

Whirlwind Memories

This past weekend prompted a completely spur-of-the-moment trip up to San Francisco to see a Giants baseball game. It was on our list of must-do things while we lived in California and as the days here are drawing to a close, we really needed to get it done. Some sweet friends of ours were already going to the game so we followed behind as they gave us a wonderful, albeit superfast tour of the city. A drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, a trip down Lombard street, the game, Fisherman's Wharf and supper at Joe's Cable Car completed our memorable trip to this amazing city! I hope to go back sometime and ride a trolley, but we were so thankful we had a chance to take the boys to enjoy this historic place. Kenny just finished studying California state history so he got a chance to see all the places he has been learning about up there. SO COOL! I will leave you with a few photos of our weekend.

I heard that the Easter Bunny often shops at AT&T Park for basket treasures so we'll see....

xo, Jen

I want those chips!

I've sat down so many times in the last 24 hours to write about these few days in our lives, but I have either been overcome in emotion or too weak in a nasty illness to get anything coherent together. Maybe today with a good night's rest and a healthy spirit I can make some sense of just how far we've come. 4 years ago this week Ken and I were faced with the most difficult diagnosis we could have ever imagined. Our sweet baby Jackson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the tender age of 27 months.

Fear crept in as we watched him try to sleep in the hospital bed those cold March nights. Fear for what his new life would bring to our family. Fear for the pain he would likely endure. Fear for his very life. In our fear, God held our hands as we poked his tiny fingers and gave every shot. With each day we gained strength and perspective. We came to realize the gift we had been given. I no longer fear for his life the way I did and I no longer fear that I won't be able to make it through the day. I am thankful to be out of this tight grip of fear. He endures much pain, Ken and I and the other boys endure much pain. We have a very different family life than most of our friends and I am still tired most days from the constancy of diabetes in our life. I wish we could have a break, even just for one day. It is not to be. And I am ok with it. Fear holds no power over me any longer.

I pray daily for diabetes to be completely removed from his body and I know God hears my prayers. For whatever His reasons are, Jackson has diabetes and right now it's the way God wants it to be. And I am ok with it too. I am reminded of Romans 8 on a daily basis. There are so many great nuggets of God's truth found there from dealing with our fear and for knowing that God does not see Jackson's diabetes as BAD. That is a human label. Only He knows what wonder can come from this disease and HE is working it in our lives and the lives of the people we encounter.

I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me yesterday in such a unique and made just for Jennifer way. Isn't it so cool how He works???? I haven't been feeling well, but I had planned out supper anyway. When I woke from a nap yesterday afternoon, I had a very distinct craving for Subway. I rarely crave food in this way, but I didn't really think much of it. So I called Ken and told him I thought he should pick up Subway sandwiches for supper after he dropped Kenny off at practice. All I could think about was those sandwiches... As we sat down to eat, I started to laugh and cry all at the same time. When Jackson was in the hospital he wasn't talking at all, but after the 2nd day he sat up when Ken and I were eating Subway some dear friends brought in for us and said as clear as day, "I want those chips!" (I rather unwillingly gave up my bag of Doritos...) I will never forget the joy I felt and still feel to this day that he was being healed and made well by our Father in heaven through a tiny vial of clear fluid. My tiny baby was going to be ok. And he is still ok - THRIVING even! I was thankful that the Holy Spirit spoke to me in terms I can understand. There was no question on how the Lord wanted me to view this week. Not to remember the pain and fear, but to remember the joy I felt in his return to wholeness, diabetes and all. And I am ok with it.

A Texas Spring Break Round-up

Since we flew to Canada for Mathew's wedding in February, we did not make our annual Spring break trek to Nova Scotia this year. Though Rachel was not happy about that - we had a lot of fun hanging out here in Midland.

Rachel and I went to see Coraline in 3D at the movie theater. It was a good movie, but it was a bit creepy and it scared her in parts - but she says she liked it. (on a 'not the best parenting choice' side - I did not know it was a Tim Burton movie, or I might have convinced her to see another movie)

The annual tradition of planting a vegetable garden will be continued this year! Rachel and Daddy went to get peas, corn, carrots, beans (yellow and green), cantaloupe and a tomato plant. They spent one afternoon preparing the garden spots and pots - and then planted everything. This is the 1st year for cantaloupe so that should be interesting. They were both happy about the tomato plant for me - I will be so into those fresh tomatoes!!

We took Daddy to the Olive Garden for lunch one day - Rachel's most favourite place to go eat. And apparently most of Midland feels the same way because it is usually too busy to get into eat in less that a 45 minute wait. Thankfully it was not busy because of Spring Break! Speaking of food, one place we went was very exciting for Rachel was our dinner at Mr Gatti's. There was a Schlumberger Spouses Association family gathering one night. Since this is one of Rachel's favourite places to go eat and play games, we all went. The dinner was not bad - I tried mac&cheese pizza - not a combo I would attempt to make myself! Rachel was out of her mind because she is finally tall enough to go on the bumper cars.

We got crafty together. We made this potty girl chalk board. Jennifer had mentioned seeing this stuff at Michael's so we went to check it out. We bought the hot pink chalk board paint and the yarn and this is what we came up with. Since Rachel LOVES to paint, she was happy we put 3 coats of paint on our girl.

We celebrated St Patrick's day - green clothing and lots of green food!!

Daddy took Rachel golfing one afternoon. They played the front 9 at the golf course and Rachel beat Daddy's score. He said she did very well, but that they really needed to work on her putting. She would hit off the T and then take her ball to where his landed and play from there. When I asked her about her game she told me that the golf cart was the best part - even if she did not get to drive. That's my girl - gotta love the golf cart!

By far the coolest thing we got to do over the break was at Monahans Sandhill's State Park here in Texas. We took the 50-ish mile drive, rented our sledding discs and spent part of the afternoon sledding down the sand dunes. Rachel thought it was fabulous! The sand was so soft and pretty - I could have played in it all day! So there you have it - a week full of fun family time. Rachel is excited that school starts on Monday - she misses her teacher and her classmates. The week seemed to fly by, but I guess that happens when you are having fun!

xo Amy