Among the Holy Ones

Our dear friend Connor left this earth on Friday to enjoy forever eternal happiness with His Heavenly Father.

Please pray for our friends Brian and Liz, their family and friends for healing and for peace in such a difficult time of loss.

Our community gathered last night in a candlelight vigil to pray and share stories with one another of how Connor has made our lives more rich by his suffering being offered up in humility. It was simply breathtaking to see all the lives this little boy had touched and brought together into one place.

Our theme was "richness" because Connor always knew how rich he truly was in this life. As we prayed over this theme, this passage from Ephesians came to mind:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love
he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,
Therefore, I, too, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all the holy ones,do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.

May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones.

As people shared Connor's light with one another many told humorous, yet unforgettable stories of how Connor always saw the best in people, never wanting anyone to be left out or hurting. He was truly a window into heaven.

The last picture Colin had taken with is farmer friend...


We love you Connor and will miss your affectionate smile, your warm brown eyes, and your Guinness Book of World Record reading.

Thank you for always reminding us (every time we visited you) that God has a plan for us and that we will know someday. It brings us great comfort to know that you are counted among the angels and saints praying for us!

Breaking the Bank---and a Solution

Our kids enzymes have been costing us a fortune. Let's be real here..ALL our CF meds are!

My friend Julie, who did our open house kick-Off fundraiser for CF, introduced to Wildtree and gave me a great way to earn some more money in a very practical way: becoming a rep! It's healthy, all natural and actually VERY GOOD food. And this month it's half the price it normally is!

CONFESSION: I am not a "party" person. I'm not much for things of that sort, never have been and never will be. So this is a big deal for me. What makes me convinced that this product is different is because it is! It's practical. It's something my family will use every day. And it's much better for our bodies!

As a mom, I love Wildtree’s simplicity and convenience. As a caretaker for 3 with special needs, I love the benefit of making extra money. My Wildtree business will help our family support exceeding costs for my children’s CF medications.

All natural cooking products... fast, simple, affordable,
and “wildly” delicious. No food dyes, preservatives, MSG,
trans fats or high fructose corn syrup. The grapeseed oil is the most healthy, amazing oil I have ever cooked with.



Did you know store brand Taco Seasoning has the same material in it that are in those little packets that come in your shoe box that says "do not ingest" on the side??? Gross!

So, while I am selling Wildtree I am helping cut costs of meds that help my kids digest their food better :)

Learn more about this versatile product line at MY WEBSITE

My launch was last night and had a great time sharing a meal with some of my mom friends! If you would like to order and support me you can still order from last night's launch! If you live near me, have it shipped to me (because it'll save you a ton of money). If not, feel free to order and have it shipped direct to your door.

Here's a modest list of my favorite products that I would recommend if it's your first time trying it out:

1. Fettucine Alfredo (just like Olive Garden's...but better for you!)
2. Butter Grape Seed Oil (who doesn't like the taste of BUTTER on, well EVERYTHING!)
3. Carrot Cake (super moist!)
4. Blueberry Pancake Syrup (my kids always ask for this one on their breakfast goodies. It's a delicacy)
5. Scampi Blend (perfect sprinkled on chicken or made as the more traditional pasta dish)

A Little Slice of Reality

I know you'll be tempted to scroll down and get an explanation for this chart done by Cayden. I urge you to ignore such temptations and pause for a moment to think of what on earth was this little six-year old thinking.

Have you made your guess yet?
If not, consider it now.

I've said it time and time before but it's quite impossible to think of a world outside of CF. For our family living with CF is like eating, breathing, sleeping. It's categorized in survival of the fittest mode.

But it's also an unsaid thing. We don't "talk" about it per say. We just do.

As I scurry to put meals on the table, I distribute pills to 3 children. We run out the door with syringes of daily meds. I rise to pouring Ensure and Pediasure in sippy cups. And at the end of our day just as routine as brushing our teeth and saying our bed time prayers we sit in the living room as a family and watch a movie at the loudest volume. Sometimes we don't hear the phone ring. We are doing nebs and therapy.

Are you still wondering if I'll ever cut to the chase already and get on with the picture? Almost there...

My point is that we don't live in a fantasy land where CF does not exist. It is quite the opposite. We could wake up and say to our selves, "Self, why do we do ALL this. It's not like our kids aren't 'healthy'?" For one, we know that is a ridiculous question. And two, they are healthy...because of hours of treatments and pills before eating.

For me, this picture was a little slice of reality. That in the hustle and bustle of daily living our children still notice the tiny nuances CF has created.

Cayden pointed out to me the first number next to each person is their age.

The second number-how many enzymes they take.

My favorite part of the diagram? That Colin is included. He is no different although in reality he is very different from the rest of his siblings. Cayden sees him as an equal, and although they all realize and understand that Colin does not have CF, he sill is a person. And that is how they are growing up. They are no different than the rest. They my have CF, but it's not who they are. It is a blessing to be the mom of such beautiful, caring children. And sometimes we escape our reality and go about our "daily business" without a cough or ill symptom in sight. Other times we are shaken awake to harsh sounds of wet coughs and crys for help in the bathroom for comfort that it's ok. CF has changed them, yes, but we control how they live with it!

Coping with Your Child's CF

Great webcast for new parents featuring Ali and Christina from last year's America's Got Talent.

Newly Diagnosed: Real Life Lessons on Coping with CF

I borrowed this question posted by Mandie Sharp (the wife of a man with CF who blogs at "Run Sickboy Run") that she posted in response to this webcast on her CysticLife site:
How about you? How are your thoughts different now about CF than they were when your child was diagnosed?

What are my thoughts on how my view of CF has changed since learning about CF for the first time? So different. We have been through the diagnosis process 3 times now. It definitely didn't get easier with each new diagnosis but I feel so much better now knowing what I have learned about the Foundation and the incredible hope it has for new patients. I am so grateful for the foundation and the great support system we have found. We feel incredibly blessed.

Happy 4th!

It's Fourth of July weekend! We did some fun things as a family and stayed close to home :)

I finally got around to downloading 218 some pictures from May until this last weekend. So many adorable memories all rolled into one memory disk! But seriously, we are having a blast with this great weather.

Last week we worked on a little art project in the driveway making sidewalk silhouettes of ourselves. They make me giggle every time I see them (since it has yet to rain and wash them away)...






And in my spare time I've been training for 5K runs. It's been a huge accomplishment for me as I am, by no means, a runner. I hate every second of it but I'm very proud of my willpower. It's safe to say that I would have never done it if it wasn't for my training group of ladies to keep me motivated to train day in and day out! We're continuing to train for an 8K in September and a Climb for a Cure for CF in November (1,000 plus stairs straight up...ask me about it if you're interested in doing this with us!!!)