Snowy Days Video

Here are some videos of our snowy day activities.

Snowy Days

We have had a lot of snowy days here and we have tried to be creative with the activities that we do since we are staying home so much. We have been painting, coloring, using window markers (not recommened until older), and building caves. The kids have actually been great, although they are both fighting some sort of stomach bug. Hope you enjoy the pictures and video.

February2008

Progress is Happening

I just received a phone call from the coordinator, Jennifer, from the University of Michigan. She told me that Ryan would not be having his procedure to check for pulmonary hypertension when we go and visit on February 21st, but it is very probable that we will be meeting with the surgeons that morning.

Jennifer did explain that it would be a very hard day mentally. We would be faced with all of the heavy issues facing us with the lung transplant: survival rates, infections, post-transplant, etc. These meetings will be several hours long and take up our whole morning. We would then have our previously scheduled meeting with Dr. Ojo -- basically a check-up. Ryan would then have a chest x-ray and some sort of scan to see if one of his lungs is functioning more than the other. We do have the option of doing this in two different visits, but with the drive we will probably have this all done on the 21st.

Please pray for us as we try to mentally prepare for this trip. We will have to leave Lily and Wyatt with my Mom on Wednesday night as our appointment is at 8:15 in the morning. (We have only left them overnight one other time and it was to attend a much more fun activity.) I am sure that this will add to the stress for myself, and probably Ryan, and it will be a stressful day anyway. Please also be praying that we have good weather for travel as we will be leaving either late the night before or really early that morning.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!

A Day of New Activities

We tried out a couple new activities this morning that I thought I would share with you.

Our first activity was sledding. We have several inches of snow here and the temperature is in the 30's so we thought today would be a good day to venture outside. We went over to my sister, April's, to use the hill next to her house. Wyatt and Lily were crazy people, very impatient, as Mommy and Daddy got some things done around the house so we could go. As soon as we got to Aunt April's, Wyatt was off to Charlie's room to play and wanted nothing to do with getting bundled up and going outside. Everyone else (except Daddy and Uncle Steve) was going outside so he did agree to go too. We got outside and Wyatt wanted nothing to do with sledding. He watched Lily and I go down the hill once and started crying when April tried to give him to me for a ride. (He went back inside to find Daddy and Uncle Steve. :)) Lily seemed indifferent to the sledding, we went down twice just the 2 of us and once with Charlie too. Then we did take a round tube down and for that she giggled but then immediately wanted to go inside. We have no pictures of the sledding because Daddy was inside staying warm and Mommy was too busy riding in the sled too.

Our second activity of the day was painting with watercolor paint. I am trying to expand the activities that Lily and Wyatt can do so I bought some watercolors the other day. As you will see in the video and slideshow (to the right of the post) this was a big hit. Thank goodness watercolor paints are washable! :)

Here is a video of the kids playing before lunch. Lily wanted to wear her hat around the house for fun.

Progress is Slow

I was reminded this morning that there are several of you out there praying for Ryan and wondering how he is doing and what progress is being made in the area of his transplant. To be honest, there is not a whole lot going on. We have not gotten much done since coming back from U of M in December. I am not sure if this is because we have not been persistent enough or because there has been a lack of communication between his doctor here and his doctor at U of M.

Ryan has been continuing with his Pulmonary Rehab every Tuesday and Thursday morning. He has been building up endurance and has been able to increase the amount of time that he stays on the different exercise equipement. Rehab wears him out! His boss has been gracious enough to agree to Ryan working from home all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was a huge burden lifted from his shoulders and he feels that rehab is going better because of that -- praise God!

The oxygen continues to be a blessing for Ryan as well. He has a tank that fits in a bag that he carries over his shoulder whenever he leaves the house. He is able to gone for several hours on one of these tanks. It allows him to go to work for several hours; it also allows us to go to church as a family as well as go to different family functions.

The cold weather has made things a bit more difficult. Ryan is not supposed to go outside if the temperature is below 15 degrees or the windchill is below 0. We all try to make the best of things with the cold weather, but I am ready for spring :)

Prayer requests would be that Ryan is able to get into see a GI doctor before our February 21st visit to U of M. That we would hear from U of M regarding the heart catherization procedure that they wanted to do there (that it will be scheduled for the same day). That the weather would be good for our drive out to U of M in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again to all of you for your care and concern. Thanks also for your prayers! We appreciate you all so much!

Words and Songs

Last night Lily and Wyatt both started saying "please". They have had their own word for please for months (it was "baa"), but last night they actually said please. They say it really cute with an emphasis on the "ea" -- it reminds me of how they say "cheese" for a picture.

I forgot to mention in an earlier post about words that Lily's favorite is "no". If you ask her anything that is usually her response. At this point it doesn't seem like she is saying it to be naughty, but more because she really likes the word. Most people when they hear it start laughing because she says it is such a unique way. Maybe she will allow me to get a video of it sometime...I am sure it will be one of those cute toddler things that will go away before I am ready. Her other favorite word is "baby". I can't remember if I said that before or not, but she loves her babies and she loves to say baby.

Lily and Wyatt both love when we sing songs together. They love the Alphabet song, Jesus Loves Me, and This Little Light of Mine. If I start singing a song and it is not the one they want, they will let me know. If Wyatt wants This Little Light of Mine he will get me to stop singing and then show me his "light"...it is so precious.

The Artful Parent

I am really excited right now. I don't know if many of you look at the different links that you can get to through my site, but if you are a mom (or dad) of a toddler, I recommend that you look at The Artful Parent link. It is in my Stuff for Parents section. It has a list of top toddler art supplies, but some of her other posts are rather intriguing. I am interested in trying the salty watercolors with Lily and Wyatt, but that will definitely need to be on a day where I have a lot of patience. I am not artistic by any stretch of the imagination, but I would love for Lily and Wyatt to have a creative side!

Bristle Blocks

Lily and Wyatt are having so much fun right now playing with their bristle blocks that they got from Great-Grandma Jean and Grandpa Tom for Christmas. They have just been playing quietly for about 30 minutes building on their own. It amazes me the things that they can come up with. They love to play bristle blocks with Ryan too -- he builds them all sorts of crazy creations! Their favorite is when he builds them a "Fred".

I love having toddlers! I love having twins!

I am blessed beyond measure!

New Shades

I have always thought about getting Lily and Wyatt sunglasses but didn't know if they would wear them. However, in the car on the way to the store today Wyatt was getting quite upset that the sun was in his eyes. I was determined to find some sunglasses that they would be able to wear in the car at least. I found Wyatt some Lightening McQueen glasses (from the movie Cars) and I found some fish glasses for Lily. They both think that they are pretty hot stuff when they have their glasses on. Lily walks around and just laughs a wicked little laugh.

Note: Wyatt was vacuuming and again wearing his Potato Head glasses around the house :)

Snow and a Garage Door (Glasses too)

It has been several days since I have been able to park in the garage. The spring on the garage door broke back on January 11 and it was finally fixed today (1/23). I am so excited...now I only have to dig out one car instead of two.

By the way, I hate snow and cold. We have received a lot of snow since last week Friday (above is a picture of the deck that shows all we have gotten). We are supposed to get another 6-12" by lunch time tomorrow...ughhh.

On a funny note, Wyatt has taken a serious liking to Mr. Potato Head's glasses. He will walk around for HOURS with them on his face. They don't fit and in fact they squeeze his little cheeks, but don't think about taking them away. He cries when I take them away on our way up to his room for nap time. The most simple things bring kids pleasure.

One last thing, please be in prayer for Ryan and I as we try and make some decisions for our family. We are looking into where we will go from here...should we buy a house or a condo? should we keep renting? Our lease is not up until August, but we are just looking at our options.

COOKIES!

I decided that I wanted to make some cookies today since Grammy and Auntie Amanda will be coming to visit tomorrow. I usually bake/cook when the kids are napping, but I thought it would be fun to have them help. The both "measured" things into the bowl, helped with the mixer, and stirred in the chocolate chips. It was so fun! They are at a great age right now.

More Tubbie Time Fun!

The kids were having a lot of fun in their baths tonight. They were making us laugh and I hope that they make you laugh too.

Help a Good Cause

I am posting a link to a video about Autism. Autism is such a scary thing to me as a mom of two young kids. I have worked with Autistic students and they have so many difficulties to overcome. Please view the video at the link below. Each time the video is watched money is donated to Autism Speaks. Please help fight this scary disease where the cause is unknown.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214>

Random Thoughts and Updates

I will be so glad when tomorrow is over. I still don't know who the right person to vote for will be, but after tomorrow it will no longer matter. Politics has become the main conversation in our house whether it is just Ryan and I or with different members of my family. Everyone has different opinions and views which is good, but I am ready for a new subject. (Although, knowing Ryan, it won't be over even after tomorrow...November is probably a better bet.)

Lily and Wyatt are continuing to do well. It has been so nice over the past few weeks with them not having colds (after almost 3 months of runny noses). They are both struggling to take good naps, but that just means they go to bed a little earlier and that has been quite nice for Ryan and I. Wyatt seems to have conquered his fear of nursery and has stayed in for the whole service the past 3 weeks. He also stayed with the babysitters last week Tuesday during Pointe Group -- YEAH!

Neither Lily or Wyatt are talking too much yet. They still say please and thank you (in their own way). They also say: hi, bye, baby, ut-oh, and ouch. Lily also says: amen, bubbles, and treats. They attempt to say other words and they "talk" all the time. I don't know if they understand each other, but they laugh together a lot!

Ryan is slowly making improvement. He tried going without oxygen the other day for a while and did quite well. He is attempting to work longer hours by conserving some of his oxygen when he is working at his desk. He has now had his second pulmonary rehab appointment. It was much more physical than the first appointment and he was noticeably sore later in the day. I am excited for him to see some results from the rehab and hopefully build up some strength and energy. He is scheduled to begin teaching a Good $ense Budget Class at our church on February 6. It will be a 5 week class and he is very excited to be able to help out in that way!

Who to Vote for?

I found this quiz through someone else's blog. It was quite interesting to me to see where my political views fell compared to the different presidential candidates. To me, it is quite overwhelming to know where each of the candidates stands on all the major political issues, I just don't have the time to do the research. It was nice to have someone else "tell" me who shares my views. Take the quiz yourself and see who best matches your political views.

**I don't necessarily know that I will vote according to who this quiz says I am most alike...there were no real questions about my personal beliefs**

KRISTIN'S RESULTS
79% Rudy Giuliani
78% John McCain
75% Mitt Romney
67% Fred Thompson
66% Tom Tancredo
65% Mike Huckabee
52% Hillary Clinton
50% Barack Obama
47% John Edwards
47% Chris Dodd
45% Joe Biden
40% Ron Paul
37% Bill Richardson
28% Dennis Kucinich
28% Mike Gravel


RYAN'S RESULTS
94% Mitt Romney
86% Fred Thompson
81% Tom Tancredo
76% John McCain
70% Mike Huckabee
65% Ron Paul
63% Rudy Giuliani
41% Bill Richardson
31% Barack Obama
31% Hillary Clinton
30% John Edwards
30% Chris Dodd
23% Joe Biden
20% Mike Gravel
14% Dennis Kucinich

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Remember that the Michigan primary is next week Tuesday, January 15 and that the Illinois primary is on Super Tuesday, February 5.

New Update

I have received a few emails regarding Ryan's health and I just wanted to let you all know the latest.

Ryan has been going into work for "1/2" days since last week Wednesdays. He got a portable oxygen conserver that he is able to carry with him; this allows him to continue using oxygen while at work. He is glad to be back and work and is ready to be able to go back at a more full time level. He does a lot of work from home too, which is great for him. We are not sure exactly how long the "part-time" work will continue, but we are extremely thankful that God has provided a job for Ryan where his employers are so flexible.

He also began his exercise program today. It was a 2 hour evaluation of strength, conditioning, lifestyle, etc. They also had him do a 6-minute walk to give them an idea of what his heart rate and oxygen level will do with some exercise. He will continue going to this facility every Tuesday and Thursday for the next 8 weeks. They will help him with exercises to improve his posture (a side effect of a lung disease) and rib cage flexibility. He will also work with someone else on different cardio exercises. We are working on getting an exercise bike here at home so that he can do all he needs to here at home after the 8 weeks.

The kids and I are doing well; we are adjusting to this new part-time schedule. I am watching a friend's kids 3 days a week. Lily and Wyatt love having Ethan and Molly over to play and I think it is good for them to have some interaction with older kids.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and prayers!

HELP!!!

Okay, I need the advice and wisdom of other moms (or dads). Lily has been waking up about 45 minutes into her nap for WEEKS! She wakes up screaming and most days I cannot get her to go back to sleep. She acts tired and yawns as she cries, but she just won't sleep. I have tried changing nap time. I have tried changing the time that she eats lunch. I have tried letting her cry it out (with Wyatt in the room). I have tried rocking her back to sleep. Nothing seems to work and I am frustrated. I am frustrated for Lily because I know that she needs more sleep (although she is usually happy even when tired). I am frustrated for myself because I cherish the quiet time I get during naps. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Hats!

Lily and Wyatt enjoy wearing their different hats and hoods around the house. They were being silly last night with their hats and I took some pictures. I love the first one of each of the kids.

HATS!

New Year...New Experiences Video

New Year...New Experiences

Happy New Year! We started out the new year with a new experience for the kids. We took them outside to play in the snow for the first time. They were so cute all bundled up -- I found some snow pants for Lily, but could not find any for Wyatt. They were excited and they both loved it. Wyatt seemed more excited outside, but Lily cried when we had to come in. Enjoy the pictures!

Winter Wonderland