Holiday Letter from the Litekys!

"And the stockings were hung by the fireplace insert with care, in hopes that an insulin pump soon would be there..."




Merry Christamas and Happy New Year!

Those of you who know me well, can appreciate that NOT sending out cards this year rankles me. (There is nothing that gets me going like stationary with glitter on it!) But, this year- there was just not time, so I shall save my eco-friendly, hopeful, and sparkly cards for next year, and give you all a "Holiday Update" here on the blog!


Let's be real here- 2008 was not, um, our favorite year.
One of the reasons I didn't do cards, was that I just couldn't write the dang letter. What to say? It was either the "Life lessons we learned while being dragged along under the speeding bus of life", or the "Cry with us" letter, or worse. Probably the real letter lies somewhere in the middle.

Most of you know the challenges we faced, and they were all biggies.
We had death (Jer's dad, and our dog)
we had dismemberment (Jen's dog bitten hand will never be the same, then she broke her toe)we had angst (Max had a tough time the last quarter of school)
we had disorder (Logan's pancreas staged a partial revolt against life, and brought Type 1 Diabetes into our world).

And though, dear reader, it seems our little family was beset by a cloud of "oogieness" that just wouldn't go away- we did prevail. We cried, we learned, we grew, and yes -some of us still reserve the right to take an anxiety tablet once every few weeks when things get overwhelming. BUT, at the end of the year, somehow, the clouds parted and things started looking up. Here is some of the NICE stuff that happened, that maybe you DIDN'T know about, so relax, and enjoy.


We got a kitten this year, her name is Stella, and she is my new lil soulmate. She always is handy when we need some super soft kitty time. She sleeps in our bed, much to Jer's dismay, but I catch him snuggling with her quite a bit.

Logan got off the shots, and onto an insulin pump right before Christmas.. and can I tell you what a difference it makes? We change the pump once every 3 days (and now use numbing cream, so he can't even feel it). When we want to give him insulin, we just stand near him with a remote control device and punch in the numbers of carbs he ate. The pump does all the calculating, ratios, etc... this is life changing for us. It takes away the needles for one thing, and more importantly, the feeling that Logan is a "patient" in any way. I LOVE the Omnipod. Thank you SANTA!!

We went on two of the best vacations we've ever had this year, camping on the lake on Orcas. and our family trip to Canada. Even though things were tough in Canada, (being right after Logan's diagnosis), we were genuinely awestruck with the beauty of the Sunshine Coast. Thank goodness that tough transition for our family was spent in one of the most gorgeous places around these parts. So even when I think back on how hard it was, I get the bonus of all the fun memories we made on our trip, too.

Max graduated from High School, and had the most amazing party at our house, complete with 30 min slideshow of his life, provided by his Dad, Jason. I cried, laughed, and joined in a huge group of people who love Max, as we celebrated his coming of age. (He immediately went and got a tattoo). Also, Max moved out (!) To a house in Edmonds with a group of people he met at work (Pottery Barn) and some new friends. His second job is at the Downtown Seattle Borders,and he is just paying off the new engine he put into his vintage Volvo. I wish I had a pic of the car, it's just a match made in heaven for this kid.

Jer and I have reached a new level of love, mostly because I keep kicking his butt at Othello, and I just relish that feeling! No, really- when the chips are down, there is now no doubt that he and I are forever. I am grateful to.... whatever needs me to be grateful to it, for the gift of my husband.

When the snows hit, we managed to have a lot of fun with it. Here is our Graybug, all dressed up in his Lion costume, in the snow. * Please note cute tail sticking out of the back of his coat.

Here is a pic of the twins with Santa, at the Christmas tree farm.I told them to "go put on something really special, we are going to find our Christmas tree!" And this is how they emerged, full of happiness, from their room. "These are the fanciest clothes we have in the dress up bin," Logan explained, "I KNOW Santa will be so happy!"

Logan is in blue, communicating with his angel, apparently, and Gray is the dubious Snow White, with coordinating purse. You can't make this stuff up, it just happens, people.




This is the "Shadow Puppet Theater" that Jer and I made for the kids for Xmas morning.. Jer made shadow puppets, and I made the backdrop.

We "dog-sat" the Parsek's dog for a few weeks, and Gray is in love with Nick.















So, as you can see- we made it.. and we have high hopes for our 2009! I would like to add a few quotes from the kids, that seem to sum up how wonderful life is, even when it is difficult.

"It's not about jewelry. It's about being COOL. It's style." - Logan (about a "jumping off the couch" contest).

"If I get lost, I follow the light. AND, I follow the drinking cord!" - Gray (about playing outside in the snow at night. He meant drinking GOURD.. thank you Reading Rainbow!)

"At least I WANT what I need!!!" - Logan (trying to come up with the ultimate dis, during a verbal war with Gray. I used this for DAYS afterwards.)

"MOMMY!! Guess why we call it 'frozen pee snow'??" -Gray (after coming in from an hour of playing in the snow...................

So, all is well- things are moving along in the way they need to, and we are just trying to get the most out of each great moment, and they are plenty. We are grateful for our kids, for modern medicine, for the scientists, engineers, designers, and researchers who help make Logan's Diabetes take a backseat to him being a child. We are grateful for friends, family, and the chance to make this upcoming year one of hope and change.

LOVE TO ALL!

Jen, Jer, Gray, Logan, Max, and Stella!