Odd Stuff...Its Fun

Sarah and Ethan are the precocious pair. Here you can see they got into the paper cups and tossed them around. Now lets be honest here...who can get mad at these two?

Sarah during her birthday party running around screaming with joy at the fun gift she was given (the ribbon on the gift was her favorite).

We discovered a new Smurf. This is Soldier Smurf working for Smurf Village Home Land Security (SVHLS).

Emma hurt herself in the service of others. Rob was standing up from the couch but fell back to his seat. Emma tried to push him up in the middle of his fall and caught her hand on his cell phone holder. You should have seen what the holder looked like. OUCH!

Emma's Birthday

Emma turned 30 this year. She received 30 gifts of 30 from her mother which the kids had a blast opening. She also went out to dinner with Rob which is a rare occurance these days with double doctoral programs going on in the family and soccer and theater and and and...

Emma admitted that she was a little bummed that there was not more tah dah for her big three ohhh. Rob had been planning a surprise party for weeks. He intentionally down played the whole birthday thing. He even got her best friends involved. Rob invited over a dozen of her closest friends (with the help of April Clayson) and all their children. He secured  a BEAUTIFUL cake, supplies and soda. Each of her friends brought a side dish for the party. Emma had no idea what she was stepping into when she got a text from April telling her she needs to come over and see what April got in the mail that day. Rob told Emma he wanted to go see too. So the whole family went and Emma was elated that she was not forgotten during this special time. Unfortunately with all the planning and cloak and dagger secrets Rob forgot to take pictures.

Sarah's Birthday

We sure had a good time opening gifts for Sarah. Isaac and Ethan were too helpful wondering if she got any transformers. Sadly she did not get anything they would enjoy playing with. 

Of all the wonderful gifts she received she loved the ribbon the most (of course). She wrapped it around herself and ran around the room with the biggest grin you have ever seen.

Shortly after the picture was taken below she grabbed her glow worm and hugged it like a little baby. It may have been the cutest thing we have seen.

Isaac's Birthday

Isaac is 6 years old. In the morning of his birthday we put candles in his pancakes which he specifically asked for. It was really fun having Isaac be so happy that it was his birthday.

Emma started this tradition years ago. Each birthday the child (Isaac in this case) will receive the same number of balloons as the age they are turning. Cosette got 8 this year and Ethan will get 5 in November. Perhaps we should invest in a balloon company. We can't wait till they are all turning 18 or 25 or 30 oh my.

When we asked Isaac what he wanted for his cake he said he wanted PIZZA. So that is what his cake was this year. Pepperoni pizza and all the kids loved it. Emma kept them entertained with Power Ranger themed games which was all the normal party games with a power ranger name. Funny how the kids loved it even more with just a hint of action.

Cosette's 8th birthday. First she wanted a sunflower cake like Grandma had but later she changed her mind and wanted a pond theme. This is what she made with the help of Emma. 

We have discovered that Sarah loves the water. She would play in the bath endlessly if we would let her. Rob was out spraying dead grass as a measure of therapy he uses to disconnect and Sarah ran into the spray. She loved it so much she cried when Rob shut it off. She also LOVES hot-dogs. 

She is her fathers daughter for sure.

Cosette had her first piano recital. She was so excited to go up there. She was the very first to go up and played Yankee Doodle. She did think there would be "almost 1000 people there."

Rob had an end of school year party with his staff. All spouses and children were invited to the ropes course for people with disabilities run my an organization called CWHOG. The course features a swing that is AMAZING. Emma and the kids all took a ride but it was in such high demand that Robert will have to wait for another day to get his thrill, plus he was feeling a little cloudy in the brain from his fall the night before to really want to do it. 

Below is Isaac mid-swing. If you look close you can see Robert grilling burgers and 

hot-dogs in the back on the left.

Below is Ethan being pulled up. The man in charge always asked the kids to tell him when to stop. Ethan was busy staring at the clouds. When he reached the top he looked down and got a little scared then said, "that's high enough."

Below you will find the video of Emma swinging like a mad woman.

Emma and Rob took on a challenge (Emma's bucket list) to run (actually run) a 5k race. WE DID IT. Rob was still not 100% but you know the Wood never say die attitude. He did it only 2 minutes slower than Emma. Can you imagine a man that size running an 11 minute mile for 3.2 miles? WOW way to go Rob and Emma. Emma only trained for a few weeks, never running that distance before, and nailed it. She did say it was hard buy everyone could tell she was a natural.

My life...saved

I (Rob) tend to be a very private person when it comes to my diabetes struggles. For 18 years I could not let anyone know that I was weak, or out of control. I did not want anyone else to suffer my pains and struggles. My journey of survival was a lonely one... until now. I want to share with you my experience waking up tonight on the concrete in my back yard.

Emma saved my life today. I was gaining consciousness as she was there holding my head up pouring apple juice down my throat and forcing me to eat a banana. How did I get there? What happened? At the time I did not know much but I knew my head hurt, my elbow was starting to swell, and I was cold. I phased in and out of consciousness having more juice for what seemed to be an eternity. After I was sure I was okay I tried to sit up only to fall back forced to wait a bit longer. A few minutes later Emma helped me sit up. I could see my swinging bench and hammock stand were in disarray, not where I left them earlier. Emma recounts the events up to the point of me passing out. We were in the spa and we had just gotten out when I went to reset the spa to "sleep mode" (that is the last thing I remember). Emma tells me I backed away from the spa and said "uh oh, get me something quick" then BOOM I went down. I guess I was standing in the grass when I said it but I landed hard on the concrete on the other side of the bench. Next thing I know there is Emma sitting over me calm as a summer morning with a cup of apple juice and a banana. Have you ever woken up to see and actual angel sitting over you? I can say I have. As I sit here typing this out I realize my back is hurt too.

Sadly, this is not the first time this has happened to me in the last 12 MONTHS. One other time it was Cosette who helped me out of such a fix. Apparently she was upset that I took her banana and inhaled it when I gained consciousness last summer. I am not sure if she even realized what happened. I was working in the yard finishing up my new block wall. Emma ran down the road for a few minutes with the boys and Cosette was next door. I don't recall much of what was going on at that exact moment only that I realized that the reality my brain was experiencing was not mine. I was in a different place doing something completely different than what I knew I was actually doing. At that moment I called Emma on the phone. She was on speed dial so it did not take much. I could not lift the phone to my head. I did not have muscle control any longer but I could see she answered it and so I said in my slurred speech "I need you." That is the last thing I remember. She was about a mile down the road and the next thing I know Cosette is standing there with a banana, a minute later Emma comes running through the door and forces some more juice in me (I think). It took time for Emma to get in the van and drive back home so I knew I was out for a while.

 Have you ever wondered what it feels like to believe you are dying? It is short and painless. Passing out because of your diabetes is sudden. There is no time for your life to pass before you or to think that your kids are going to be fatherless. Survival is the only important piece of the experience. Now twice I have come to see my sweet wife calmly taking control, being that angel who knows exactly what to do and how to handle the situation, ever the strong one between us. The aftermath is where I feel sorrow. It is when I cry knowing that my family could have been one short for a while. Emma and I embrace, shed a few more tears, and expressed out devotion to one another. One day I may not be so lucky, but for now I am the luckiest man alive, thank goodness I am alive.

Diabetes SUCKS! It is unpredictable and ever changing day by day. I have some good days, some bad days, some great days and some really horrible days. Today was pretty darn great but ended on a pretty horrible note. My head still hurts, my elbow is still swollen, and my back is stiff. Oh and don't forget my pride, Superman is not perfect after all.