Rock N' Roll

Lily cracks Ryan and I up whenever she listens to music. Hope that she (and Wyatt) bring a smile to your face as you watch this.

Ryan

I usually use the blog to update about Lily and Wyatt, but I know there are many people out there who wonder about Ryan too. I just wanted to let you all know that is about to head in to the hospital for his quarterly tune-up. While this is a good thing for him health-wise, it is always difficult emotionally (for all 4 of us).

Ryan will again be going to the hospital in Grand Rapids (Spectrum Downtown) on Friday, Sept. 28. I am glad that he will be close again and not in Chicago, but it is still difficult to have him gone for 2 weeks, and it will be a full two weeks this time (sometimes it is only 10 days). I am sure that the kids and I will make several trips to see him, but it is still not the same as having him home. The kids will miss their playmate (they get so excited when he comes home from work) and I will miss having my husband around (and adult conversation). This is a fact of our life, but it does not get any easier. I am not sure if it is the fact that he is going in at the start of a weekend or what, but it seems much harder this time.

Also, with this hospital stay, the plan (in our minds at least) is that they will be doing some of the preliminary testing for the transplant evaluation. We think that we will be heading to the University of Michigan sometime in the next month to have the evaluation done. Our best guess is that Ryan will be put on the "inactive" transplant list. This is good....it will allow him to easily be transitioned to the "active" list should the need arise, but it also means that he is too healthy to go "active".

Again we thank God for the great insurance that the state of Michigan provides to adults (and kids) with CF. They cover most of our CF related bills that are not covered by our regular insurance. We also thank God for all of you and for your prayers of support.
Thank you, thank you, God!!!

Note: Wyatt was attacking Ryan one of the days that he was home sick last week. Wyatt had also just said "Daddy" for the first time. It was a really good moment!

Be Careful What You Ask For...

Have you ever prayed for God to give you patience and then everything goes wrong? I always feel like that is God saying "I am giving you the patience to handle this situation, how are you going to use it." This morning during my quiet time, I asked God to give me patience and wisdom in my parenting. I received a situation today that allowed me to use it:

The kids were a little cranky (getting molars will do that) so I loaded them up in the car and we were going to go to the library and Michael's. I went to turn the car on and it wouldn't start (I left the interior light on yesterday). Hmm...okay, now what. I checked outside the garage and our landlord, Joe "just happened" to be outside. I asked him for help and he said sure. New problem...I couldn't put the car into neutral to push it out of the garage to jump start it. Okay, Joe is going to go and look for a battery charger or he is willing to go home and get one. He doesn't come up with one. I go inside, trying not to cry because both kids start screaming when I get them out of the car, and my phone rings. It is a friend of mine and she asks how my day is going. I tell her what is going on and she says, "Oh, my dad has one of those. I will put the kids in the car, go to his house and pick it up, and bring it over." She did, it worked, the car starts once again.

I could totally see God in my morning: Joe just happened to be outside (and willing to help), Kate calls right when I am about to cry, Joe is outside again later when I have another question about the charger, and the kids are having fun playing together without too much "fighting". Thank you, Jesus, for your faithfulness in all situations!

Amazing

I find myself amazed by my kids daily. They are continually doing new things. It is so fun to watch and see their little faces as they experience something new. Lily and Wyatt laughing together as they find out a new "trick" is one of the best sounds in the world.

Lily has decided that acting out her favorite book is very fun. She has little actions that she does for certain parts of THE GOING TO BED BOOK by Sandra Boynton. She normally does these actions without prompting whether we are reading her the book or she is looking at it herself (she was a little camera shy in the movie).

Wyatt has discovered that if he works together with Lily, he can move the blanket basket around the house. Last night we were able to catch a little bit of this on camera. I hope that you continue to enjoy watching the kids live.

While Daddy's Away We Will Play

Back by popular demand, Lily and Wyatt Sweeney star in their 2nd Feature Film: While Daddy's Away We Will Play. A bonus feature is a short film by Wyatt entitled: Wyatt Walks. We hope that you all continue to enjoy these brief glimpses into our everyday life.

1st Week of Football!

Sunday was like Christmas for Ryan. It was the first Sunday of football which is just a great day for Ryan. Ryan, Lily, and Wyatt were all decked out in their Bears gear (thank you, Grammy). Unfortunately we were unable to see the Bears game (the Lions played at the same time on the same network) and they lost.

Unedited Life of the Sweeney 4

I was inspired by my friend, Kandy, to try and put a video of our life on the blog. We discovered in trying to tape the kids that they are much more entertained by the camera than by playing for the camera. You will experience some extreme close-ups of the kids, especially Wyatt. The reason for the title should become extremely apparent to you as you watch the video; it is made up of both the good and bad moments of two one year olds. I hope that you enjoy a brief glimpse into our everyday experiences.

The Joy of Twins

I get asked all the time if it is hard having twins. My usual response is no, besides I don't know any different. Most of the time Lily and Wyatt are very good kids. They are starting to get into more trouble and are having more difficulty sharing toys, but overall they are GREAT!!! God has blessed Ryan and I beyond measure with our children. There are not many days where the frustration of two toddlers is greater than the pleasure. Wyatt and Lily really are the best of friends. They play together, laugh together, and get into trouble together. Sometimes Lily is the leader and other times Wyatt leads.

They have recently started giving kisses. Wyatt gives big, slobbery, open-mouth kisses and Lily gives dainty, little peck kisses (or she turns her face so you can kiss her cheek). In the pictures above, they are trying to give each other kisses. They were never able to because each time they got close enough they started laughing. It was so precious!

Home, Sweet, Mushroom Free Home

I just wanted to let everyone know that we moved back home last night. The landlord did all the work here on Monday and then had the carpets cleaned. We had to wait for the carpet to dry, but we were able to sleep in our own house last night -- yeah! Thank you everyone for your prayers, they were really appreciated.

Life Goes On

Well, life is continuing in a state of "normal". We are trying to keep our routine as normal as possible for the kids at my parents, but they are a little "off". They have found fun and interesting places to play. Under the desk in the dining room is a favorite. There is a lot more room here for them to explore and get into things they aren't supposed to.

Saturday we went up north to Brower Park Campground. My sister, April, and her family were camping there, along with two of my aunts and one cousin. Wyatt LOVES playing in sand (and eating it). He sat in the sand pit for about 2 hours! We may have to invest in a sandbox in the future. Lily liked the sand but not nearly as much as Wyatt -- she doesn't like to be dirty! :) It was a fun day and it took our mind off the house for awhile.

I met with both the property manager (Joe) and the owner (Jack) of our townhouse this morning. They pulled back the carpet while I was there and things did not look as bad as I originally thought they were going to be. Joe will be working over the next few days to get rid of the bad stuff and make the house livable again. He has to rip out the tack strips and put new padding down. He will be cleaning both the sub floor and the carpet before we move back in. They are also planning on putting in a drain in the back yard so this does not happen again. They have been really nice and have agreed to do/fix everything that Ryan and I have asked. Thank you, Jesus!

Curve Balls in the game of LIFE

Sometimes life throws a curve ball or two. It was only 6 months ago that we moved out of my parents house and into our own "house". We knew that our townhouse wasn't the greatest, but we have done our best to make it a home for our family; a place where Lily and Wyatt would be safe and have fun playing. We have had our ups and downs there. Yesterday was a MAJOR down. I was at the computer, Ryan was in the shower, and the kids were playing on the living room floor (as they do almost all the time they are awake). I noticed something weird looking by the slider door right by the kids toys. It was a MUSHROOM!!!! I do not mean outside the door, I mean inside! Yes, that is right -- there are mushrooms growing up through our carpet inside our house! I put the kids up in their room and went to check it out more closely. The biggest mushroom was 1 1/2 inches tall and there were two others starting to peek out. I went up and told Ryan, called the landlord (who is out of town for the weekend) and then called my mom. My parents told us to pack some stuff, they were coming to get us -- we were not staying there any longer until this gets figured out. Staying was not really an option considering Ryan's health -- mold, fungus, etc. don't really fit well with CF. We packed some essentils and moved back into my parents house. My mom and I went back last night and the big mushroom had grown to almost 4 inches (in only 8 + hours). It seems weird to ask you to pray about a mushroom, but this is not a condition suitable to live in. I am waiting to hear back from the landlord, but right now we are just thankful to God that my parents are willing to have us back. :)

More Silly Kids

This picture of Lily isn't the best, but I wanted to
share a funny habit that Lily has. After EVERY meal when I get Lily out of her booster seat she walks over to this corner and just stands there. I am not sure why she does this, but I find it very endearing. She only stands there for about 30 seconds and then takes off to explore. Maybe she is waiting for Wyatt to get out of his seat, because he sits right across from there and she usually gets out first.



Wyatt LOVES cheerios. He is inspecting this green one to make sure that it is edible. :) Kids, you just gotta love them.

The kids also love reading. They love to look at the pictures and point things out to us. Some days sharing books is okay, so days it is not. They especially love books with people or animals. Wyatt's favorite book is THE BEGINNER'S BIBLE...he doesn't listen too well to the stories yet, but he is fascinated by the pictures!

Silly Kids

Here are some of the latest pictures of the kids. They do so many funny things right now. Lily comes to find me every night while I am heating up the milk cups. I told her one night that she needed to sit down, so she sat down in the rug and that is where she stayed to drink her milk. She didn't care that she was the only one in the kitchen, she was just happy to be drinking her milk.

The pictures with the blanket are from the days when we had cooler temperatures. I had a blanket out and the kids thought it was great. They wanted to be all wrapped up in them! They love it when I hide under the blankets and they have to come find me. They usually end up "hiding" themselves with me.

Please Pray

Please be in prayer for my friend, Valerie, and her family. I received a phone call last night letting me know that her dad passed away yesterday in a helicopter accident. I have not talked with Val herself yet, so that is all I know for now. Val comes from a close-knit family who love the Lord. Please pray for God's comfort to surround them today and in the days to come.

Valerie, I love you so much!

It's Official

Even though Wyatt took his first steps on Tuesday night, he began walking across the room by himself tonight. He can only go about half-way across by himself, but he is doing really well.

I Don't Feel So Good

Lily hasn't been feeling to well over the past few days. She has been running a fever, sometimes low and other times high. I thought that she was on an upswing yesterday, but the fever is back today. Please be praying that she feels better and that the fever is completely gone tonight or tomorrow morning. She is not very crabby, just a little more dramatic than usual. She is also really cuddly, which is not all bad.

YEAH!!!

Tonight was the big night. Wyatt took his first steps. He was very proud of himself as he walked between Ryan and me several times! Wyatt just kept laughing and smiling the whole time. Yeah! We are so proud of him. Lily was really funny about the whole thing...she kept watching like "what is the big deal? I have been doing this for weeks."

And So It Begins...

FOOTBALL. The beloved sport of my husband, Ryan, is almost upon us. This is the time of year that so many men (and women) look forward to all year. I actually think that Ryan anticipates this almost as much as he does Christmas. This upcoming weekend, Ryan will make the trek to Illinois to participate in his Annual Fantasy Football Draft with friends. While the football season doesn't officially begin until September, Ryan and many other members of his league begin planning their draft strategies in July.




I am sure there is a great reason to enjoy watching people try and crush each other while running a little ball down the field, but I have yet to discover it. I do not know the important plays, players or positions. I do however know that it is important to choose a team who will cause you great emotional distress when they do not make those all important plays or while those all important players get tackled by members of someone else's favorite team. It still baffles me the amount of emotion that can be shown during a 3 hour time period! Needless to say, Ryan's favorite team is the Chicago Bears. Thanks to cousin Emily, Lily will be donning the Bears colors this fall in an attempt to support her Daddy. I am sure that both Lily and Wyatt will have a greater understand of football than I ever will. GO, BEARS, GO!

Note: These pictures show Lily displaying some of the emotions that all Bears Fans will probably display at some point this season from cheering them on during a Punt Return to great despair during a fumble and interception by the opposing team.

Prayer Request

We are asking that you would join us in prayer today and in the days ahead. Aunt Linda (Ryan's side) was diagnosed with Breast Cancer a few weeks ago. She is supposed to begin treatments tomorrow, but before she did that the doctors wanted to do some more tests to make sure that the cancer had not spread. We found out yesterday that there are some suspicious spots in two other locations. This was obviously devastating to hear. They are doing biopsies on all those area soon to see if they are cancerous. Please be praying for Aunt Linda today and in the days ahead. Pray for strength, wisdom, and God's peace. Please pray also for her family: her husband (Rick), her kids (Cody, 9th Grade; Cassidy, 7th Grade) and her two step-kids (Emily and Sam). Please also be praying for her "extended" family. Ryan's family is very close and this is difficult for everyone. Thanks.

Finish the Fight, Aunt Linda. We love you!

Just A Normal Day

It has been really hot here (and every where else), so we have been hanging out at home a lot. The kids enjoy being out and about, but they have done really well playing at home. We got out our animal train and they have been investigating the different animals (it has been awhile since we have played with it). We have also been working with our First Word flashcards -- Wyatt's favorite is the "Jelly" card. It is sticky and he thinks that is great!

Lily is currently getting a ton of teeth (I think about 5). She isn't too crabby, just extra cuddly and drooling a lot. Wyatt is gaining confidence everyday with his walking. He cruises everywhere and is quite proud of himself. He also stayed in nursery for the entire service on Sunday -- YEAH!

Ryan is staying very busy at work. So far the hot temperatures have not bothered him too much. He is looking forward to Fantasy Football beginning -- the draft is next weekend. I am staying busy with the kids. I am also very excited to be getting more involved at church! We really love our new church and we are constantly meeting more people and finding more ways to get involved.