it's the small things

as a mom, i have heard over and over to savor the each moment, to not let this time pass me by, because before i know it lily and wyatt will be grown.
the days of two crying infants and sleepless nights are a distant memory. 
the days of potty training are far behind us. 
kindergarten and the whole school routine have made me even more aware of how life is passing us by.
it is my goal to slow down, to savor these days with my kids. 
because before i know it, lily and wyatt will be getting their diplomas, heading off to college, starting families of their own...
i want to celebrate the small things in life with lily and wyatt...like a 5 1/2 birthday!

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

How Is It Possible...

...that my sweet little babies have gone from this...

to this?

Wyatt and Lily are heading to kindergarten screening today and they will be 5 in just 12 days!!!

November In Pictures

I can't believe it is already December 9! This month is flying by just as this entire year seems to have done.

November had some firsts for us: Wyatt got strep for the first time and we went to a hockey game for the first time. Thanksgiving was really good this year -- I never know how holidays will go, but Thanksgiving was great!

The kids are continuing to enjoy preschool. They are excited for their Christmas Program next week. Lily is the head angel and Wyatt is one of the shepherds.

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!

August in Pictures

It has been almost a month since I have written anything on the blog. It is definitely not because we have had nothing going on -- we have been BUSY! During August we:

went to swimming lessons.
spent a day at a cottage with a friend.
went to the zoo with friends.
enjoyed a night at the local fair.
attended our church's annual KidZone Blitz.
had a visit from Grammy and Auntie Amanda.
spent time being silly.
created a countdown to preschool.
had a sprinkling system installed.

The greatest joy in my life also happened during August: Lily and Wyatt both asked Jesus to live in their hearts!

July 2010 -- In Pictures

If you are friends with me on Facebook all of these pictures have already been posted.

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

Two Big Kids

It seems like Lily and Wyatt have grown up a lot today. They started off the morning by making their beds all by themselves. Wyatt made his without being asked and then Lily decided that she needed to try too. They are definitely not the most neatly made beds, but I have resisted the urge to fix them because they were so proud to do it all by themselves.



Later in the morning we went to the dentist for their first official visit. I was worried because they started crying at home when I told them they would have to open their mouths like they were saying "ahh". Once we got there all fear disappeared. Lily climbed up into the chair was a model patient the entire time. Wyatt had a little more hesitation, but he did GREAT!

Here are a couple of recent pictures of the kids...they are the only two that I have taken if weeks.

Wyatt was sleeping so sweetly one night, I couldn't resist snapping a quick picture of him. I love watching my children sleep, especially after a day filled with tantrums and disobedience.

Lily loves to draw and to write her name. She did this picture up in her room and then called me up to see her self-portrait.

Life has been crazy recently. Three weeks ago I began working one day at week at our church. I am helping out in the office: printing bulletins, stuffing mailboxes, creating fliers, answering the phones, etc. It is nice to get out of the house one day a week and the kids are well taken care of by my parents. Even though it is only one day, it has taken a little adjusting. I am still babysitting two days a week, so we are quite busy.

This week is also our garage sale (tonight, tomorrow, and Friday). I have been busy organizing and pricing stuff to sell. We are getting rid of a lot of toys that Lily and Wyatt have "outgrown". It feels good to de-clutter, but it is another reminder of how fast they are growing!

Enjoying Spring

Today has been beautiful! The kids went outside at 9:30 this morning and they didn't come in again until 2:00 this afternoon. I thought I would try and capture a few pictures to remind us of this beautiful day!

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

two pictures to capture our weekend

Happy 4th Birthday, Wyatt Ryan and Lily Grace!

Happy Easter!

4 Years of Double Blessings!

Lily Grace Sweeney

April 3, 2006: 4 lbs. 3 0z.

April 3, 2010: ~ 24 lbs.

Favorite colors: pink and purple

Favorite activities: coloring, reading books, playing with you babies, playing outside, laughing with your brother.

Favorite foods and drinks: chocolate milk, juice; you don't love any specific foods, but you will eat most things.

Personality: Lily you are very independent most of the time. You love to laugh and giggle.

Things you learned to do since your last birthday: ride your big girl bike, write your name, recognize your letters and some numbers, memorize your Cubbie verses, get dressed by yourself, go potty, put on your shoes, and draw pictures of people.

Wyatt Ryan Sweeney

April 3, 2006: 4 lbs. 13 oz.

April 3, 2010: ~ 32 lbs.

Favorite colors: blue, orange, and green

Favorite activities: playing outside, laughing with your sister, driving cars, read books, and cuddle with Mommy.

Favorite food and drinks: peanut butter and jelly, tacos, chocolate milk

Personality: You are getting so brave. You are slowly becoming more independent, but you still love to be with Mommy! You love to laugh and be silly, especially with your sister.

Things you learned to do since your last birthday: ride your tricycle, go potty, memorize Cubbie verses, recognize letters and numbers, put on pants and shoes -- sometimes your shirt too.

DIY: Photo Gallery

I have wanted to do some sort of photo gallery in our house with favorite pictures, but I was not sure where to begin. I have a friend who recently did this on a large wall in her living room and she inspired me to try it on the large wall in my dining room.

Here is the before:

Here is the after:

I used cheap black frames and printed black and white photos in 4 x 6, 5 x 7, and 8 x 10. I stuck them to the wall using picture hanging strips (Velcro for the wall). With a lot of patience, measuring, leveling, and some help from a friend, I was able to accomplish the whole project for less that $60.