it's been a long time...

life has been busy.

here is what we have been up to in no particular order:

lily and wyatt "graduated" preschool.

i went to cedar point.

we enjoyed time in pools and at the beach.

lily learned to ride her bike without training wheels.

 

we took a train ride.

we celebrated mother's day.

we re-landscaped part of the backyard.

lily and wyatt had s'mores for the 1st time.

i learned to roller blade again.

we went to lily and wyatt's first baseball game.

lily and wyatt went camping for the 1st time (with Grandma and Grandpa).

i went to chicago for a "tourist-y" weekend: navy pier, millennium park, cubs game, magnificent mile

lily and wyatt went fishing with grandpa (and cousins).

we ate some ice cream :)

we spent time in grand haven.

lily and wyatt started kindergarten (all day, every day) -- they love it...mom isn't so sure.

i started working 3 days a week.

we made 2 trips to chicago to celebrate with family.

lily went to her 1st birthday party for a friend.

we went to 2 parades.

we met baby symphony.

we met the baby born from the embryos i donated -- what a treasure for my heart!

lily and wyatt went to vacation bible school

October in Pictures

Life has been extremely busy! The kids are loving preschool and AWANA! I am babysitting 2-3 days a week for a 15 month old and her 8 week old brother as well as working one day a week at church. We made a trip to Illinois at the beginning of October, went on a field trip to the critter barn, had a visit from Grammy, and enjoyed "Trunk or Treat" at church!

Chicago -- Ryan Style

Here is a video montage of our weekend in Chicago remembering Ryan on his 2nd Heaven Birthday. The music playing is the theme song from West Wing -- Ryan's favorite tv show.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

some pictures and a check up

Here are some recent pictures, mainly of Lily. They aren't the best pictures ever, but I felt like I hadn't put any up in a while. We were in Illinois for a few days last week to see family and friends and to celebrate Lily and Wyatt's birthday with Ryan's family. It was fun but busy trip.

Papa Steve had balloons and streamers at his house -- it was hours of entertainment!

Chairs they got from Papa Steve...they were watching either Goofy or Chip and Dale (the classic cartoon DVD's from Auntie Amanda and Uncle Nick).

On Friday, we celebrated with Grammy. We went to Woodfield Mall and ate at Rainforest Cafe for the first time -- it was not too traumatic, they just had to get used to the thunder. Lily wanted her picture taken with Grandma and the snake that hangs outside the restaurant.

Lily was happy to come home and see her Papa Les too!

Monday I took the kids in for their 4 year check-up. I am sure most people don't want to know the details of their weight and height, but I like to write it down so that I can remember it. (I wanted to compare this year to last and I didn't write it down. :( ) They both did great at the visit. They were excited to do the vision and hearing tests and get weighed and measured (HUGE improvement for Wyatt who used to scream about getting on the scale). The worst part for all of us was the 4 shots that they each had to get -- they both cried and Mommy almost did too.

Lily Grace:

Height: 37 1/2" (10%)

Weight: 27 lbs. (3%)

Vision: 20/30

Wyatt Ryan:

Height: 41" (70%)

Weight: 36 lbs. (50%)

Vision: 20/30

Christmas in Pictures

Well, Christmas 2009 has come and gone. It was a whirlwind of parties and craziness, but a lot of fun too.

Traditions of Christmas:
ornaments ~ one for each of the kids to represent something about their year and a family ornament
watching some Christmas classics (Charlie Brown & the Grinch) together in our jammies (new this year)
making some sort of birthday cake for Jesus and singing Happy Birthday to him!

Schedule of our Christmas week ~ BUSY!:
Christmas Eve's Eve (Wednesday): made cupcakes and watched Christmas classics
Christmas Eve (Thursday): decorated cupcakes and cookies with friends, opened some presents on Skype with family in Florida, Christmas Eve Service at church
Christmas Day (Friday): Christmas breakfast -- singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, opening presents as a family, celebration with my family, celebration with my Dad's extended family
Saturday: packed up and headed to Illinois (and a winter storm), party with Ryan's extended family, checked into our hotel, party with Papa Steve (Ryan's dad)
Sunday: church (at the church Ryan and I were married in), party with Grammy (Ryan's mom), quick visit with Papa Steve, dinner with friends
Monday: packed up and headed home!

July 2009 -- In Pictures

We are already half way through July and I really haven't posted any pictures on the blog to show what we have done, mainly because we have been busy!

Month in Review:

I started the month with a visit to Val's for her bridal shower! It was so nice to be able to celebrate with her and to get a 24 hour mini-vacation!

We went to the 4th of July parade that I have gone to since I was child...it is not what it used to be, but Lily and Wyatt enjoyed it.

We had a visit from Auntie Val and Dave. It was the first time Lily and Wyatt have met Dave and I am happy to report that they have "approved"! :)

We traveled to Navy Pier in Chicago to celebrate Grandma-Great's birthday with all of Ryan's family. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was wonderful to surprise Grandma!

We have spent a day at the beach with friend! (no pictures of that...sorry!)

What We've Been Up To

We enjoyed the rest of our trip to Illinois this week...here is what happened after our day in the city on Wednesday.

Wednesday night: we visited with some friends and then we had dinner with Papa Steve at Chili's -- YUM! We then headed back to our hotel, where the kids enjoyed sleeping in the big beds just a little too much.

Wyatt was bouncing around and fell off the bed. Thankfully the only thing he ended up with was a fat lip.

Thursday morning, my mom, the kids and I headed to IKEA. (I have not been there since before the kids were born.) We spent 3 hours there shopping, exploring, and eating. The kids loved it and so did I!

In the afternoon we headed back to the hotel for a rest. The kids needed a nap, so my mom stayed at the hotel with them and I went to my friend, Rachel's house for a visit. I have not seen her in way too long. It was so nice to be able to catch up with her and spend some time with her daughter, Maddie, who I have only met one other time!

After Rachel's house, I picked up my mom and the kids and we went over to Grammy's house for dinner. It was good to be able to spend time with Laurel, Grandma Jean, Aunt Linda, Brittany, and Cameron. Lily loved all over her "baby Cameron!"

Wyatt loved being silly!

Friday morning, we went out to Kandy's house to hang out. The kids (Jackson, Lily, and Wyatt) enjoyed playing together and I enjoyed loving on Addison Hope! :) We took the kids to a school by their house and let them run and play on the playground. It is so fun to see all that they are able to do this year!


The afternoon was again spent taking naps!


For dinner Friday night, we went to the home of a wonderful family, the Dunham's! It was so fun to be able to catch up with all of them (Doug and Patty; Kristen, Kevin, and Seth; and Stefanie and Daniel), as well as spend more time with Papa Steve! Kristen and Kevin just arrived "home" for the summer from Hungary where Kevin is a teacher at school for "missionary" kids. I hadn't seen them in almost 2 years -- I had never met their little boy, Seth! It was also fun to watch all of the kids (Daniel, Seth, Lily and Wyatt) while the big kids (Papa Steve, "Grandpa" Doug, and Kevin) chased them around.

Lily and Wyatt playing in the sand box with Seth.

Daniel (Stefanie's son) and Lily waiting for another ride in the wagon!

Saturday morning we loaded up and headed home in the rain. We had a lot of fun while we were gone, but there is nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed!

Monday we began our adventures in potty training. I have been dreading potty training since before I was ever pregnant. It seemed like such an impossible, messy, overwhelming task. But, Lily and Wyatt have done FABULOUS! I would say that after only 3 days we are at least 95% potty trained (still in diapers at night). They are both able to tell me when they need to go and they are both dry after naps (diapers just in case for a few more days). I am so glad that I waited until they were a little older and did not force the issue back in February/March when I originally started! They have done so well and they are so proud of themselves! Mommy is proud too! :)

Making brownies today just for fun! :)

Day in Pictures -- Chicago

Wrigley Field -- Ryan's Brick

Lincoln Park Zoo with our friends, the Woodard's

We also enjoyed driving on Lake Shore Drive...one of my favorite roads to drive on with Lake Michigan on one side and the parks and Chicago skyline on the other.

Christmas Videos

Our Christmas was wonderful! I could feel the prayers of so many people who love us. There were a few moments of sadness, but overall it was a time filled with joy. As I enjoy watching Lily and Wyatt play and imagine with their new toys, my heart "aches" for what Ryan is missing. I know that he is in a much better place and is not really missing anything, but I know that he would really have enjoyed this phase of Lily and Wyatt's lives if he were here with us.

Here are a few of the videos that I took of Lily and Wyatt over the course of our Christmas celebrations. I have more video of them opening presents, but I tried to pick just a few of my favorites, the ones that I hope will bring a smile to your face.

Lily and Wyatt with their Daddy blankets on Christmas Eve.

Lily and Wyatt were taught a new "trick" with coasters ... I have no idea where Lily gets her desire to have things lined up and not touching. :)

Lily got a doll house from Papa Steve. She has a terrific imagination and it is so fun to watch her play!

This is a video of Lily dancing to the music that Wyatt's new loader plays. I am not sure if she got her dancing abilities from Ryan or from me, but I think she is in trouble. :)

Christmas In Illinois

Christmas in Illinois...Lily and Wyatt got thoroughly spoiled by Papa Steve, Grammy, Auntie Amanda, Uncle Mark, Uncle Nick, Brittany, and Great-Grandma.

Illinois Visit

Late Thursday afternoon, the kids, my mom and I headed out for a trip to Illinois. (My parents were gracious enough to allow us to take there car -- thank you!) We had a whirlwind visit with lots of stops to see friends and family. We were on the go for the entire 48 hours that we were there. We were able to meet Cameron and celebrate both Grammy's and Papa Steve's birthdays. The visit was short, fun, crazy and exhausting, but it was good to see many of our Illinois friends and family!



I also got to go and help my sister-in-law, Amanda, pick out her wedding dress. Thanks for letting me be a part of that, Amanda! (The dress is gorgeous!!!!)

Weekend Fun

We had a great trip to Illinois this weekend! We were able to spend a lot of time with family which was nice. The kids really remember people now and enjoy playing with everyone! Grammy had new crayons and coloring books for Lily and Wyatt which they loved. Grandpa Steve had new Play-Doh and accessories to play with out at his house...not sure who had more fun with that, kids or adults. The roads were not great on the way home yesterday, but we made it home safely and the kids did okay thanks to my sister's DVD player.

We got home late yesterday afternoon with very little napping in the car. To help get us to bedtime without complete meltdowns we played with tubbie finger paints. The kids were a little unsure at first, but ended up enjoying themselves. :)

New Update

We are currently packing like crazy people to head to Illinois this afternoon for the weekend. I wish weather people would make up their minds! :)

Merry Christmas!

Here is just some of the video that was taken during our Christmas parties. Hope you enjoy.

2nd Christmas

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! Our Christmas was a whirlwind, but it was so much fun. We celebrated with just our family and my family on Friday. On Saturday we left for Illinois to celebrate Christmas with Ryan's family. We spent a lot of time relaxing because Ryan was/is still not feeling well. The kids did great and they seemed to adjust to being away from home quickly. We were able to spend time with both Ryan's mom and Dad, as well as Auntie Amanda, Uncle Nicholas, Uncle Mark and Great-Grandma Jean.

The kids were a little unsure of what was going to be happening with Christmas, but by the end of the visit Wyatt was opening presents that weren't even his. Lily would say "ohh" whenever anyone would open a present -- it was really cute. We tried to teach the kids that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and we even sang Happy Birthday to him and had some Christmas/Birthday cupcakes.

Lily and Wyatt had fun playing with their cousins on Friday night. Lily has gone from having one baby last week Thursday to now having four...she loves them all!

Lily and Wyatt were able to have a couple play dates while we were in Illinois. The picture on the top is with our friend, Stephanie's, little boy, Daniel. The picture on the bottom is with Lily and Wyatt's 2nd cousin, Emily.

We had lots of fun celebrating Christmas with Grammy and everyone. Grammy gave us all Christmas pj's on Christmas Eve and we stayed in them to open our presents. Lily and Wyatt LOVE their Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. They have also been enjoying their snacks that were in their stockings.

We had fun celebrating Christmas with Grandpa Steve too! Lily loves her new slippers, but Wyatt is still a little unsure of his. Wyatt loves to play with the new Alphabet Train that they got from Grandpa!