1st Grade!

Owen started 1st grade this week.  He is going to a new school this year, our neighborhood school.  We walk there, which Owen loves.  And, I'm close by if he needs me.  He's eager to make new friends and learn new things.

Molly was happy about the first day.  She loves any special occasion.  Wyatt refused to have his picture taken.  But, he LOVED being the biggest boy at home all day.

Join us for the 2012 JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes

This is Owen.  He's 6 years old and about to start 1st grade.  He's one of the coolest, most imaginative, thoughtful and sweet kids we know.  Two years ago, at age 4, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). 

What started out as a few simple questions of his pediatrician, ended with us taking Owen to the hospital with a blood sugar of over 600.  A typical blood sugar, for a person without T1D, is 100.  We took this picture just a few days before his diagnosis.  He was becoming really skinny, pale, and lethargic.  He stayed in the hospital for 2 days, while we learned how to give him insulin shots, test his blood sugar and count his carbs to ensure good blood sugars.

He now gets at least 4 shots a day of insulin, plus frequent blood sugar checks, and wears a Constant Glucose Monitor, which allow us to predict when his blood sugar is going to dip too low or climb too high.  We count every carb that he eats, to accurately determine how much insulin he should receive at each meal.  Going to school, having playdates, playing sports, eating out, and going on vacation are now much more challenging.

Despite all this, Owen has not allowed T1D to stop him from becoming the greatest kid we could ever dream of.

He's a wonderful big brother.

 He finished kindergarten in the spring and...

... learned how to read.

He plays soccer and loves it.  He mostly loves the running part.  We think he'll be a track guy, like his daddy:-)

He loves Star Wars (he's Darth Vader) and Legos.

He has an incredible imagination, always pretending to be some sort of made-up good guy or bad guy, depending on his mood.

This year, we are assembling a team for the 2012 JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes.  Our team will be called "Owen's Entourage."  We whole-heartedly believe in the mission of the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).  Over 85% of monies donated to JDRF are used for research in the prevention, treatment and cure of T1D.  They also have an active branch in many cities, providing outreach to families living with T1D.  Our Colorado Springs branch throws a sugar-free Halloween party every year, which is one of the highlights of the year for Owen, and we have an active family support group which gives Owen a chance to meet other young kids in the area who are living with the disease. 

We would like to extend the opportunity to you, our family and friends, to either join us on the walk, on September 8, 2012 or to donate to our team, "Owen's Entourage".  The walk starts at America the Beautiful Park in Colorado Springs and is a 5K.  Check-in time is 9:00am, on 9/8/12.  If you are interested in joining us, please click here.  Then click on the "Register Now!" link and search for Owen's Entourage.  The walk is really a fun time, with many activities for kiddos before and after the walk, and a catered lunch for all walkers.  So, join us if you'd like!  The more, the merrier!

If you are out-of-state, or just can't make it to the walk, please consider donating to our team.  Normally, I feel uncomfortable in asking people to donate to a cause, but this particular cause is so near-and-dear to our hearts.  Each year, approximately 15,000 children are diagnosed with this disease, and the incidence in children under age 14 is increasing by 3% each year.  Every little bit helps in finding a cure for T1D.  If you would like to make a donation, please click here, and hit the "Donate Now" button and search for "Owen's Entourage".  Josh, Owen, Wyatt and I are all trying to raise money this year, so we would all greatly appreciate any support:-)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story.  Please feel free to join us at the walk, donate to our team, or contact me with any questions at jbhobgood@gmail.com.

Do we have a budding teacher in the family??

End-of-July wrap up!

In these last few days of Josh's summer vacation, we've continued to have fun adventures.  We met my best college buddies, Ann and Kylie, at Monument Lake with their families.  Kylie brought her kayaks and we had a wonderful time playing in the sand and water and taking trips around the lake.  Molly was ADORED kayaking!

 Wyatt invented an amazing disguise:  Luigi-pteranodon-Robin-Daddy (see the necktie??).

 The Closes visited from New Mexico.  We went to the Pueblo Zoo...

...and the City Park rides.  You must click on this picture to see a larger version of Owen and Logan battling people from inside their space ship.  Laila and Wyatt are in the helicopter behind them.

 Molly loved, loved, loved the rides.  How big is Molly????

Logan stayed with us for a sleep-over and we headed to Cheyenne Canyon for a picnic and some stream-wading.  The grown-ups even went disc golfing without the little ones!  It was the perfect visit! 

Grand Lake 2012

We went to Grand Lake, CO this summer for a little 3- night vacation.  The picture below was taken by a park ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park, but our cabin was equally cute:-)

We rented a cabin by Shadow Mountain Reservoir and spent our first afternoon fishing, playing on the beach and exploring the cabin.  Wyatt caught the one-and-only fish of the trip, a brown trout, but was scared to touch it.

 This was the view from our cabin.

 Say cheese....

Our first morning, we took the kids on a 4-mile hike into Rocky Mountain National Park. 

 Molly ran most of the 2 miles in on her own little feet.  She is quite the little trooper.  I think that Wyatt had to be carried more than she did!

She agreed to ride in the pack on the way out.

Our destination was a huge meadow along a beautiful creek.  We ate lunch, threw rocks and Josh fished.

We made it back to the trailhead! 

The next day, we explored some beaver ponds and had a picnic.

Then, we went to the Holzwarth Historic Site (or "snorkel site", as Wyatt calls it), which was a hunting/fishing lodge on the east side of the park from the 1910s - 1970s.  It was a really cool place, with a short tour through the original house on the premises and other cabins/taxidermy shops/etc set up for viewing.  The kids loved trying on the dress-up clothes.

Is this Wyatt Hobgood or a young Wyatt Earp??

There was also an old washboard and wringer set up for the kids to try with socks, a saw-horse decorated like a cow with udders to try milking, a lasso station, and a real saddle. 

Other highlights of the trip included seeing many moose on the side of the road, eating ice cream (2 nights in a row...it was a dream-come-true for the kids), and playing at the park in Grand Lake.  It was a pretty epic adventure for our young family and we had a blast!

North Pole 2012

Last week, we went on our 3rd annual Belteau/Hobgood trip to the North Pole.  It was extremely fun, as always.



Owen finally rode a reindeer on the carousel.  He used to just stick to the sleigh, but he's become much more adventurous this year.

 Wyatt really loved the rides this year, too, and would even scream with joy sometimes.

Molly was a little thrill-seeker.  She rode every ride that she could (she could only ride with adults this year).

 Wyatt and Pop on the skyride. 

 Grammy with the little ones on a super loud ride...all the kids could beep their own buzzing horns.  Wyatt is throwing a bomb at his fellow riders in this picture.

 Happiness....

Trip to Texas

In mid-June, Molly and I, along with my mom, flew to Texas to introduce Molly to my grandparents.  Molly exceeded my expectations in every way!  She did pretty great on the plane, slept fairly well at the motel and, most importantly, took right to my grandparents.

 She let Poppa push her around on his walker. 

 She immediately sat on Grandmomma's lap.  I think they are petting one of my aunt's dogs here.

 Almost all of my cousins and my sister were there, too, which was such a wonderful treat.  I haven't seen my cousins since the year Josh and I were married and I had really been missing them.  One of my cousins has two little kiddos.  Molly absolutely adored playing with them.  Hazel, pictured here, is about 10 months older than Molly and they played so sweetly together in the pool.

Four generations!

Molly was really tired by our last day and was ready to see Josh and the boys.