Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for.

Over the last week we have had a whirlwind of visitors and events.
It has been wonderful to say the least. We have felt so loved on and refreshed as a family.

We had my Mom and Dad here for a few days followed by Greg and Beth after that.

We ate so much good food (Thank you Goddess and the Grocer for preparing our Thanksgiving dinner twice! I am not a good chef, in the least).

Spent so much time laughing and just being recharged by being around our family.
It is hard to live in Chicago, when the majority of our family lives in KC.

We have been so blessed to have Kristen up in Chicago for this season of life. It has been so life giving to us, and hopefully to her as well.

I am so thankful.

I am thankful  for Austin.

He is a wonderful man, full of integrity and selflessness.
Above all, he loves Jesus.

Then, he loves me. And, he does that well.
One way he has really loved me well this year is by encouraging my pursuit of a career.

He has had to sacrifice a lot to allow me to this (like all of my home made food, NOT).
But, it has given our family new life.

He also runs with me.
Austin hates running, but clearly loves me.
He even runs crazy distances with me.

I told him yesterday that we are starting training of our half marathon in March on Tuesday.
He was not thrilled.

But, he pursues me. And knows that spending that time together gives me life.

He loves the girls. Seeing Austin with Kate and Grace is such a joy.
They love their daddy, and he loves them.

Often, when Daddy is at work the girls like to carry around a framed picture of our family that I have on my desk.

They only want to see daddy in that picture. It's the sweetest.

I am so thankful.

I am thankful for Kate and Grace.

I remember the day we found out we were expecting vividly.
I also remember the shock of the day that we were expecting twins.

Kate and Grace have been a wake up call.
Anyone who is a parent knows what I mean.

You don't realize how selfish you are until you have kids.

Then, you have no choice to be selfless.

Kate and Grace bring me joy in so many ways.

Their belly laughs.
Their sassiness.
Their slobbery kisses.

They are such a joy.

I am so thankful.

I am thankful for Jesus.

I am so thankful for the grace that has been extended to me, by God.
That despite how depraved and wicked I am that I am loved and redeemed.

And, that there is nothing I could do to make Him love me any more.

I am thankful that His mercies are new every morning.
And, that He will never leave me.

I am so thankful.

While this year has yet been another year of transition, I am so thankful for the blessings in my life.

3 Things I Learned by Being a Mommy with Type 1 Diabetes

November is Diabetes awareness month. 

Go hug someone who has diabetes. Just go do it, unless they don't like hugs, then don't. 

I would like to clear up some misconceptions. 

And, I would like to also say that if what I'm about to say is a surprise to you, that's okay. 

Let me give you a little background. 

On June 4th, 2008, I felt like crap. It's true, I had been feeling AWFUL for about a week. 

I had to go to the bathroom all the time (like 8 times a night)

I couldn't drink enough water

I couldn't get enough to eat ever

I was just plain exhausted

And, I was super dizzy. 

I put all of these lovely symptoms into WebMD (Don't judge, you all have done it too), and it told me I had vertigo. Obviously. 

Later that day, my wise mommy told me she wanted to go to the Dr. to get it all checked out. 

I didn't want to go, WebMD Told me it would pass. 

But, I went because I learned at a very young age that one is not sassy to Sandy Clements. 

So I went to the Dr, and stepped on the scale and found out I lost 15 pounds in about a week. 

SCORE. 

(This was not the same reaction that the Dr. had.)

We talked about what was going on, and then they did some test... They poked my finger. I over reacted and acted like it was the end of the world, I'm sure. OH NO A NEEDLE. 

The nurse looked at the number on the meter and immediately left the room. 

The Doctor came back in and told me and my mom that I had Diabetes and that I needed to go straight to the hospital to get admitted. 

I then broke down and said (being totally naive), I'm not old or overweight how do I have diabetes. 

He then explained that what I had was Type one diabetes. 

Type one diabetes is different from type two diabetes(which is most common), it simply means that your pancreas has stopped working, and that in order for you to stay alive you have do the job of your pancreas. And, you do this with the needles that you have to constantly poke yourself with . 

Come to find out, I was in the late stages of DKA (this is a VERY bad thing). I got to take up a residence at the hospital for a week, before I was ready to go home and begin tackling this disease on my own (with the help of my incredibly supportive family, of course). 

Okay, I know great story. 

Things got interesting after Austin and I got married and  found out we were expecting twins. When we moved to Chicago and I told my endo that I had twins, she looked at me and said something to the extent of "Oh, gosh. I'm glad I wasn't your doctor." 

I got extremely lucky with my medical team while I was pregnant. But, it was a challenge. 

So, here are three things I learned by being a mommy with type 1. 

1. Don't be so judgmental. 

Some people can't nurse their babies. These moms still know its the best thing, and as a mom you do want the best for your kids, but for some people it's just not in the cards. If you hear that someone isn't nursing let's all just do one another a favor and assume that there is a reason. Don't be a hater. I gave it a shot, and it simply came down to the fact that it wasn't safe for me to be home alone nursing TWO babies. After I had the girls my blood sugars were all over the place (and still are some days). Austin and I were constantly afraid that I would go low and not be able to take care of the girls. 

There are definitely times that I need this reminder, maybe not about nursing but about another parenting issue. I'll say to Austin, "Can you believe that they are doing (insert any controversial parenting thing, ps everything in parenting is controversial)". I have to remember that I don't know their outside circumstances, and I need to stop being a hater. Nobody likes a hater. 

 

2. I have to put my health first. 

For me to be a good wife to Austin and a good mommy to Kate and Grace, I have to take care of my self first. There was a situation, not long after we moved to Chicago that I was admitted back into the hospital for DKA. It was bad news. My mom flew up from KC, everything seemed to stop. I couldn't take care of myself, and heavens knows I couldn't take care of my family. It was the worst, but it was a wake up call for me. 

3. Sometimes People Don't Understand, and That's Okay. 

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me (or someone so close to me and my disease that it hurts) why I didn't just exercise more (Austin and I just trained for and ran the Chicago marathon) or eat better (I am a soft Vegan, and eat a whole foods diet), I would be a rich rich woman.  

Sometimes, when I'm really stressed my blood sugar will just shoot up. And, being a mom of toddler twins is stressful business. 

I can't always control my blood sugar, but I am thankful for the advances in medical technology and my support system.

I have to realize that some people refuse to take time and learn about the disease, and that's okay. I know there are so many things that I don't know the first anything about. And, it is a constant reminder that i need to be full of patience and grace not only with others, but myself as well. 

If you want to learn more, I encourage you to try the Type One for a Day Challenge here. 

Moving Downtown

Hello.

A while ago (okay, it's probably been a long while) , I told you that I would write a blog about us moving downtown. I haven't taken the time, I think because I knew this was going to be a long post.

So, keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all time. :)

To understand our move downtown , you have to understand where we have been.

When Kate and Grace were 6 weeks we packed up and moved to Chicago. It was a lot, but honestly it was all such a blur...

When we moved to Chicago, we didn't have an apartment lined up, so we lived in a hotel for about a week. The perk of living in a hotel with two itsy bitsy babies was the hotel staff felt bad for us and upgraded our room, the bad part was the rest of it.

That was a very stressful week for our family. We ended up finding a place, and it was almost too good to be true. It was in a "family friendly" Chicago neighborhood, it had a washer and dryer IN UNIT (this is a HUGE deal in Chicago) and a parking space included. Seriously, this was unheard of.

We were so revealed. Finally, we could stop living out of suitcases with two tiny babies.

Here is a photo from our days of living in a hotel :) 

Well, what people say is true. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. 

We found out that our apartment, was really out of the "family friendly" neighborhood by about a half a mile and instead smack dab in the middle of two gang territories. Awesome. 

It was a really challenging year for us. 

I had to make the choice daily that I would not live in fear, especially in my own home. 

We had a number of unfortunate events happen while we lived in that apartment. Some that I would rather just forget. 

We knew we needed to move. We so desired to stay in Chicago, but we really didn't know what that looked like after our first year back. I was pretty traumatized. 

We decided to look in a few different neighborhoods. 

We looked in Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Lakeview and many more. 

We just couldn't find a place that we really felt like we could call home. 

Every time we went downtown, Austin and I would both say that we wished we lived downtown. 

Not only would it give us a lot more time together, due to the fact Austin's commute would be about 1/4 of the time, but it would also give us security that we were so desperate for our first year back in Chicago. 

We really wanted time to find a since of normal. 

There had been so much change in our lives, and we so desperately needed normal.

We looked and looked downtown. Nothing was really fitting. 

Then, we found a place right in between Michigan Ave and the Lake. 

Again, we thought that it was just too good to be true. 

We were so hesitant. 

We decided to proceed with it and just be watching for red lights. 

We didn't see any.

And, it finally happened. We were able to move downtown.

Here is the little tiny sliver of the lake you can see from our window. 

When we moved downtown, we decided to sell our car. This was such nerve racking move for us. 

We had two one year olds at this time. What were we doing selling our car. 

I have to say, it was one of the best moves we made as a family. 

It simplified our lives in a way, you can only understand if you live in the city. 

We didn't have to worry about tickets, or being towed to the edge of hell (which happens to be on lower lower lower Wacker Drive in the city tow lot.) There was so much freedom in the simplicity of just walking for us.  

Our true desire in living in Chicago has always been not to just be tourists in the city, but residents who are concerned about our neighbors and the issues of the city. And, I think Austin and I have both come to a realization in our move, that it doesn't matter where in the city you live, there are people hurting and their is injustice taking place. People just need you to stop and ask how their day is going. 

One of my very favorite things about our building is the other people who live here. I would say over half of our building is about 75 and have lived in the building for most of their adult life. They have raised their families in this building. This building is a significant part of their life, and their is nothing that brings them as much joy as seeing Grace and Kate in the building. I have had many people tell me, seeing them is the highlight of their day. It reminds them of the time that they spent here as a young family. It is such a cool thing to bring the joy of that memory to the people in our building. 

You should see all the kisses that the girls blow and kisses that are blown back to them. 

They are basically the rock stars of the building. It's adorable, and they don't mind it one bit. 

We love our city, our neighborhood and our building. We are so thankful that we are able to live where we do and have the opportunity to engage with the people around us! 

Sissssssy

I like to blog in spurts. Clearly.

Actually, I really do like to blog in general, but I just sometimes forget.

Kate and Grace love each other, a lot.

I was really blessed to grow up with a great brother and sister.

Side story about my brother...

 Growing up, my mom always told us that she didn't need to know what was going on unless it was immoral, could cause us physical harm in someway or life threatening. I told on Brian a lot. Like the time he sprayed axe (the obnoxious cologne that middle school boys decide to cover themselves in) in the house and then lit it on fire. He was mad at me, but i felt like my life was in danger. I'm pretty sure he got in trouble for that.

Anyways,

A few months ago my Sister moved to Chicago. Check out her blog here. It has been wonderful, I love my sister so very much. I also love that Grace and Kate get to spend so much time with her. I find that the hardest part of being in Chicago is being away from my family.

I know my sweet girls have a special bond. One of their first words was "sissssssy!" If you ask them where their sissy is they grab hands and try to get close to each other. If they have a hard time finding sissy, things get sad. I mean,how would it not. This is the person that they have really never been separated from.

Most days it's a struggle for them to take a nap or go to bed. How would you handle having your best friend over for a sleep over every single night. They just giggle and giggle and talk and talk. They are hysterical.

Well, it's hysterical after they take a nap or go to sleep. But, they just love each other so.

Seeing them with each other really makes me question how anyone gets through life without a twin.
In elementary school I had a serious obsession with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, I wanted to be a twin. Life as a twin just looked awesome. Now, being a mom of twins, I have to say I'm pretty sure it is as awesome as it was in my head as an elementary school girl.

I mean, how are you supposed to constantly feed yourself. You need a twin to feed you when you get tired.

When you are lonely, you need a twin to snuggle with.

Or, when your paci falls out, you need a twin to put it back in.

How about a back scratch. You have a twin for that.

I just an not sure how we have all managed to survive.. But somehow we did.

I am so thankful for the special relationship my sweet girls share and the love they have for each other!

The Park

There are few places that Grace and Kate love as much as the park.

Living in downtown Chicago, we don't have a yard, so when we are ready to go outside to play the park is where it's at.

I feel like every time we go to the park, I see the girls grow. They get bigger and braver every time. The girls are definitely no longer babies, but it still breaks my mommy heart (and makes it happy at the same time) to see them showing the park who's boss!

Tonight, it was a perfect Chicago night in my mind. You know, the type of night that Chicago fall is made of. The type of night that all the tourists come to Chicago, and we had the park all to ourselves! It was too good to be true!

So tonight, I just wanted to share with you some of our sweet family time.

Family time is the best :)

Here is a video of the girls sliding together :)

This gives you an idea of how big they are getting

Here is miss Kate

Here is Sweet Grace

Now, if that isn't video overload...

At the same time, we think they are the cutest things ever and can't get enough of them! We love this age!

The Meanest Parents EVER.

Austin and I often joke that we are the meanest parents ever. 

It's a hard job, but someone has to do it. 

Tonight, Austin and I took away the girls bottles for good. It's okay, go ahead and judge us. 

I know, the girls are 18 months old. I know they don't need bottles to go to sleep. And, I know we have waited too long to do this.

Truth be told, we are just exhausted.

That's why we have waited until now. I am always so (truly) happy for parents who have babies that sleep good. Really, I am. But, Kate and Grace don't sleep well at all. They never have. Most nights i feel like they never will. But, I know these long sleepless nights will only be a memory when they are teenagers (HA. YEAH RIGHT, we will never let them sleep in ever just as revenge. Just kidding :) ) We just tend to think that they like to be around us, that is why they get up multiple times a night. 

That being said, bottles are easy at 1:00 in the morning, and 3:00 and 4:30 and 5:45, well you get the picture. 

The other part of taking away the bottles is that the girls have figured out how to unscrew the bottle cap and pour the entire contents of their bottle onto their cribs. I think we may have some future engineers on our hangs. 

If you can unscrew the bottle cap, you don't need a bottle. 

So tonight, we were reminded about how mean we really were. For our next mean feat, we will take away paci's. 

Don't worry, we are only doing one mean thing at a time :) 

We would love to hear any tips on taking away bottles/ paci's/ ect. 

Camp Week

One of the signature trade marks of being a youth pastor is summer camp.

This week was our SR. High Camp in Holland, MI. Last year, when the girls were only 4 months old, we decided that it would be a great idea to go. Little did we know, there was no air conditioning and it was no place for two 4 month old babies and their crazy mama.

Actually, it wasn't that bad. Yes, it was hot but everyone there was so incredibly accommodating and sweet to us. I think part of it was they could see I was clearly  not in my right mind.

This year the girls and I decided to stay home. Since we moved, I feel a lot safer (Okay, that's an understatement), and I can actually be at peace in our home.

I was also so blessed to have my mom and sister come up to help. One of the most exciting parts of them being here is that we firmed up the fact that MY SISTER IS MOVING TO CHICAGO!!! Not only that be she is moving .4 miles away from us (I googled it)!

The girls had so much fun with my mom and sister. After my mom left, the girls got my phone and asked for Memaw. They were ready to see her again. I am so thankful for such a loving and supportive family.

While Austin was gone Kate got FOUR new teeth. She was pretty miserable all week. She only had 4 teeth before he left, so she literally doubled her amount of teeth. As you can imagine, it was pretty sad.

Fortunately, Grace didn't get any new teeth while Austin was gone. I think she is probably waiting until he gets home so we can share the crabbiness.

We were really thankful that we had the technology to see and talk to Austin while he was gone this last week. The girls made it clear they were mad at him for being gone, but I think the moment they see him it will all be a thing of the past.

Last night it was just K, G, and me. We had such a nice time just playing and hanging out together. We went to Panera and did a little shopping. The way people react to them constantly cracks me up. And they don't really react back, unless you have a puppy. Then, you have two instant best friends. No joke.

And, in totally unrelated news (because that's how my brain works..) watch this video of a doctor who sings to the babies he deliver and smile!