Well, here I am, starting a family blog.  Where should I begin?  Well, let me see...

We are a family of five:  My wonderful husband Carl, myself, Lori, our two daughters Kelsie (15) and Kendra (11) and our almost one-year-old black lab, Chloe.   We aren't like any normal family, if there really is such a thing.  We have many challenges that we face daily just to get through our day.  Nine years ago, Kelsie was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes two weeks before her 6th birthday.  It totally changed our lives.  She has to take multiple fingerpricks to test her blood glucose levels (aka "her sugars") and be hooked up to an insulin pump 24/7 just to stay alive.  Add in the regular childhood challenges, and now the challenges of being a teen.  Then add in the fact that she has ADD that is managed with medication, and Dyslexia that challenges her in her learning and that gives you a kid with a lot of determination to succeed in life.  It doesn't stop there, though.  Add in an 11 year-old with the pre-teen moodies.  Oh, and did you realize that the moodies are the least of our worries with her?  Two years ago we realized she had stopped growing.  So following blood work, she was diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism (which explained why she was so pudgy and short) and Celiac Disease. Oh, that is the one where you don't eat wheat, you say?  If only it was that easy.  It is totally eliminating any hint or crumb of anything that could possibly contaminate your food so that you don't get sick.  Woah!  Mix it all together, and what have you got?  Our life.  

Oh, wait.  Of course there are the regular things in life, like the fact that Kelsie is in high school, Kendra started middle school, and between the two of them there is a myriad of activities, appointments, homework and fun times, too.  But despite all the struggles we face every day, we are a family.  NOTHING can take that away from us.  Nothing.