New Baby

I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to my friend, Kristen and her husband Kevin. They have welcomed their son, Seth Norman Yaiko into the world! He was born 6:17 pm Monday night in Hungary. Kristen and Kevin are serving as teachers at the International Christian School of Budapest. Congrats also to Grandma Patty, Grandpa Doug, Aunt Stefanie, Uncle Josh, and cousin, Daniel!

Seth Norman Yaiko

3.2 kilo = 7lbs 1oz
51 cm = 20 inches
Dark hair!

See pictures of Seth: http://picasaweb.google.com/stefaniejphillips/SethNormanYaiko

Tubbie Time

I thought that I would take some video of the kids during Tubbie Time since they are enjoying it so much. The video is almost 4 minutes long and the program would not allow me to edit after 4 times trying....Sorry. The best part of the video is the last 2 minutes, so fast forward if you don't have a lot of time. I hope that you enjoy!

Blessings Abound

I sit this morning thinking about all the blessings in my life. I keep hearing the song "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin running through my head. I want to share with all of you just some of the things that are blessings in my life. The list could go on and on, but this is what comes to mind:

1. A God who loves me in spite of my sinful nature -- GRACE!
2. Ryan, a wonderful husband who also loves me in spite of my sinful nature :)
3. Lily Grace and Wyatt Ryan -- what would my life be without them?
4. My Mom and Dad who help me so tremendously.
5. All of my family and friends, Michigan and Illinois alike, who love me and support me in this journey called life.
6. A great friend who is a terrific example of faith in all situations.
7. A GREAT church where I am able to worship God and grow in Him.
8. A small group with people who care and challenge me in ways they don't even know.
9. The insurance in MI that covers 100% of the cost of Ryan's CF medical care!!!
10. Ryan's great job and the flexibility they offer with Ryan's health.

There are so many more blessings: a roof over my head, food on my table, a car to drive, my health... I could sit here all day and list the things I am thankful for, but I am a busy mom with two kids who are waking up :)

Thank you, God, for all your blessings in my life!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We want to wish everyone a very, happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your time with your family and friends and hopefully find some time to relax.

Grammy, thanks for the Thanksgiving cards.

We love them and we ask Mommy and Daddy to read them a lot!

Bubble Beards!

Lily and Wyatt have finally decided that tubbie time is a great adventure! Bubbles were the key to our success -- Wyatt gets all excited for his tubbies. Both Lily and Wyatt can hardly stand it as the tub fills up and the bubbles grow bigger and bigger.

Daily Adventures

The kids are still suffering from their colds, but the doctor says they are just colds. They did have a better day today and actually took good naps! They are both starting to talk more. In the following video, you will hear Lily say: thank you, touchdown, and all done. Wyatt says tractor. I also told them to say "cheese" when I took their pictures tonight and they both did with really cheesy grins on their faces....too cute!

(Sorry about the length and quality of the video...it wouldn't let me edit and I didn't want to have to cut out the only video with the kids sort of talking in it.)

Just Another Day?

Yesterday was an interesting day. The kids were a little "off" because Ryan was back at work after a 3 day weekend. I decided that it would be good to stay home all day and just let the kids play. I ended up putting them down for their naps a little early because they were so cranky and acting really tired. Well, they slept for about 30 minutes. There was some crying up in their cribs, but mostly it was playing and laughing. Unfortunately, Wyatt got so excited that he somehow managed to crack part of his front tooth off. I felt really bad for just leaving them up there and hoping they would go back to sleep. Thankfully, it isn't too bad and it doesn't seem to bother him.

Lily had a good day. I had my Dad switch her car seat around. She was still facing backwards because technically kids need to be at least 20 lbs. to face forward. At her 18 month appointment (4 weeks ago), she weighed 19 lbs. I honestly doubt that she is 20 lbs. because she had only gained 1lb. 3 oz. in the 3 months between check-ups. I had her switched because her legs were getting too long to fit; she was starting to push off the back seat. I am not sure if that was dangerous or not, but she was getting really mad! Now she gets mad when I take her out. :) I am happier too, because I can push my seat further back!

When Life Doesn't Make Sense

I was given news this morning that a 4th grade student from Westminster lost her fight with cancer. Death is always very sad, but when a child dies it seems so difficult to understand. I did not know Taylor or her family, but I knew her teacher and some of her friends. I have read about Taylor almost every day on her Caring Bridge Site and I was so saddened this morning to read her mom's entry. Thankfully, Taylor is no longer suffering but is now rejoicing in the arms of Jesus. Please pray for the Baum family as they deal with the loss of this little girl; pray that this family will be surrounded by the love of Christ.

You can read Taylor's story at the following site:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorbaum

New Things

When we were in Illinois this past weekend we got Ryan's step stool that he had as a child. Lily and Wyatt love having it at home. Lily will push it around so she can see in the bathroom mirror. Today I put it in the kitchen and they stood looking out the window together.

Lily and Wyatt also got Halloween bags from Grandma Patty of fun "toddler" treats. It was full of things that the kids had never tried before: Gerber Graduates fruit snacks, fruit bars, and cereal bars; juice boxes, and teddy grahams. They LOVE the treats! Thanks Grandma Patty.

Head Banging and Christmas

Here are a couple new videos of the kids. I have one more on the camera that will not download and it is my favorite. Hopefully Ryan will be able to figure it out for me later.

For some strange reason, Lily and Wyatt love to hit their heads on different things. Lily especially finds this hilarious -- hope it makes you smile.

Yesterday afternoon I had the television on when the kids came down from their nap. They saw the commercial for the new Hallmark singing Christmas figure (the one on the sled) and they got super excited. Great-grandma Jean gave me the Hallmark Christmas figure two years ago for my birthday and I actually have it at the townhouse (99% of our Christmas stuff is in storage at my grandma's house). I got it out for Lily and Wyatt and they think it is GREAT! They both know how to turn it on and if you watch carefully you will see that Lily is holding hands with the snowman while he sings. It could be a long month and a half until Christmas. :)

Weekend in Illinois

We went to Illinois this weekend to celebrate both Grammy and Grandpa Steve's birthdays. We were super busy, like usual, but we had a great time. Lily and Wyatt are really starting to remember people and warm up more quickly. They both had colds for our trip, but they did great! It was so good to see a lot of friends and family, but there are so many people we don't get to see when we come back to visit. Hopefully we will be able to see more people during our longer Christmas visit!

Lily had fun reading Grammy's birthday cards with her.

Wyatt thought that Grammy was quite funny while reading books!

They both had a great time getting into trouble any way they could at Grammy's house: climbing stairs, opening cupboards, picking up breakables.

Lily and Wyatt love playing out at Grandpa Steve's. They got a special treat this visit -- Grandpa got out his tractor! Lily took 1 1/2 rides and although Wyatt LOVES tractors he would not take a ride (except on Mommy's lap). They were also able to go exploring in Grandpa's BIG yard. They both love to walk through all the leaves on the ground.


Wyatt had to have faux-hawk like Uncle Mark!

Wyatt and Lily were being goofy with the different discoveries of Grammy's cupboards. At one point, Lily was walking around carrying a can of soup under each arm. She was so proud of herself!

U of M

We have received an update on our going to the University of Michigan for Ryan's transplant evaluation. I was delighted to open up the mailbox and see that we had a packet from them. They scheduled us to go in for the appointment next week Thursday, November 8. Unfortunately they did not contact us to see if this would work and it does not. Ryan will be in Kentucky next week Wednesday through Friday (Nov. 7-9) for work. Ahhh! Ryan did call to reschedule and they have us going on Thursday, Dec. 20. They only have evaluation days twice a month and the 2nd one for November would be on Thanksgiving and the first one in December is booked. I am thankful that we now have a date scheduled and that my mind can be somewhat at ease. Please be praying that Ryan is able to start the 6 week exercise program before we go; it is my understanding that he has to complete that before he can be listed.

Getting Rid of Pollution

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: ... to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

I tend to struggle with making quiet time a priority in my life. I know that it is important, but I manage to find so many other things that are more "important". In reality, what is more important that my spiritual health and my relationship with my heavenly Father? What is more important than teaching my kids what it means to have a personal relationship with my savior? The answer is: NOTHING.

The verse above is James 1:27. James is probably my favorite book of the Bible and I have read it several times, yet yesterday was the first time I took notice of this verse. I know the best way to keep myself from being polluted by the world is to spend time with God. I just need to make sure that I am doing it.