Sy Lights Up The Studio!

I know I have been extremely annoying about getting you any details about the show. What fun is it if I don't keep you in suspense, right? Well, let's just say that there was some "paperwork" that says that I can't discuss much about it before it airs (we are still waiting for the air date, btw). In the meantime, we'll give a few obscure details about our day and all the things happening around us...

Before you read any further, just know that our family is continuing to seek God first on all of this. Even on the day of the shoot, it was easy to get swept up in nerves, excitement, etc. and miss what is REALLY happening. If you go back and read from when this blog started, you can see the amazing story that God is already weaving into this little boy's life. Heather and I have fought hard to not just sit back and let life happen or get sucked in to complacency. We want all the aspects of our lives to reflect the real reason behind them (though we are not always successful, we try). You cannot look over Sy's journey and say that it's only about a boy with a incurable disease. God has given him an incredible platform and we want to be good stewards of his story and use it to help others. We are just waiting and trying to make ourselves available for whatever God has next or for the next person who needs to be reached... We have walked in this valley in hopes that others can be spared and ultimately to encourage them with the hope of healing... Patience is not always our strong suit, but then it only takes thinking about Sy and the amount of patience required to live with his struggle, EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Anyway...now for a few details!

Our family got to hang in the green room as we waited for our time to go on the set. We finally got to meet some of the great people we had been speaking with on the phone for weeks. They were really fun to work with and took care of us in so many ways. They even had someone to entertain and babysit the kiddies as we were in and out. Here is Sy with his remarkable Dixie cup castle. Isn't he handsome?

Sy's sis, Essi, had a great attitude the whole time as her little brother got a lot of attention. We will say her beauty got the attention of several TV folks! She is another one who is ready to be used by God!

As Heather got dolled up, these were the shoes that were chosen for her to wear. If you know Heather, you probably know how she felt about wearing these... She also had to lose the jeans and slip on some black dress pants. And change her shirt and add a blazer... She jokes that she looked like she was ready to anchor the 6:00 evening news!

Since I was so sharply dressed when I arrived (in the only nice Target shirt that I own), the only thing they changed on me were my shoes. I swear I was ready for the ski jump in these things. Every time I turned a corner, I would knock people down. Since they wouldn't be seen much, I didn't throw a fit.

So, here's the final product before we hit the big lights!

Soon after this we were whisked away for the shoot. The shoot went great and I managed to avoid throwing up on the hosts (bonus!). Now that it's over, we can just leave it in His hands to do what He likes. Please pray that whether things are good or bad, we would continue to keep our focus on the right thing.

Like I said before, we can't share many photos and details now, but we promise to get the details about the air date as soon as we know. In the meantime, we will share a photo of a really nice guy that we met while we were in NYC. Scroll down...

A Big Walking Tour for Little Feet!

Ok, ok, ok...so I'm a little behind on updating y'all. WiFi is crazy expensive in NYC. Also, with all the navigating I was doing on my phone, I was actually running out of data on our plan. So let's get started!

On Wednesday, we started our freezing rainy day at the 9/11 Memorial. Absolutely amazing! It was such an honor to be there and see it in its early stages of development. The kids asked a lot of great questions.

Our next steps were visiting the super historic St. Paul's Chapel (near the Freedom Tower) that was used as an emergency worker rest spot during 9/11.

Our hotel was near Madison Square Garden, so we got to see the waves of people that continued to pour out of that place.

We took a quick tour of 30 Rock and tried to sneak Heather into a show, but we missed the cutoff. Bummer!

On our way uptown, we stopped off at St. Patrick's Cathedral. With the amount of beauty in the structure, it's kinda sad that we've lost this form of worship in most of our churches today.

Heather's sister came to NYC to see the Anderson Live show, so we were later off to meet them at FAO Schwartz. The kids were okay with that meeting spot!

Since Sy is such a big fan of Apple (the food, silly), we had to take one cool elevator ride and snap a quick photo of his lighted up treat!

More posts to come! We love y'all!

Our First Bite Of The Big Apple...

Ok, so day number one has been a success! We have packed many things in one day! Here are a few highlights:

Although my navigating skills were a little off and we ended up heading in the wrong direction a few times, we still got to enjoy our first NY subway ride.

We had a great opportunity to see much of the city because we spent most of the day on foot. Both the kiddos were real champs about walking several miles today.

We were able to secure Sy's fresh made juices and we were relieved to know that he wouldn't miss a beat.

A cruise through Times Square gave us a chance to snag a New Yorker for a quick and memorable pic!

This city a also a great place to run into celebs! Look who we bumped in to! (I never knew he wore patented leather shoes with his armor.)

We had to ship many of Sy's food prep supplies up from Florida, but we also had to get our hands on all the produce. We happened to find this sweet little corner organic market that beat the pants off any place at home. Believe it or not, the prices were even better!

We needed a way to get all this produce home without lugging it for miles, so we were able to hop in for our first NY taxi ride. I did my best to be annoyingly chatty with the driver, but he wasn't much of a conversationalist.

And lastly...

How could we call it a day without staying up late to throw together a fresh batch of soup, mill it, and clean up everything in a mini kitchen?

Thanks NYC! We are looking forward to our next day tomorrow...

Things Are Suddenly Moving At Light Speed!

So, today marks the beginning of an exciting week! We are still coming off the high of the Snowflake 5K and we now are looking forward to hosting some cool folks in our home today. A camera crew and reporter from a popular, national talk show will be coming to spend the entire day with us to get a glimpse of our family's routine and Sy's God-authored story. As some of you know, there will be plenty of energy from this household for these folks to capture. We just hope that these peeps like the smell of veggies simmering, the aroma of fresh carrot juice, and seeing every Lego creation in our home!

Today will be a big day and we hope to clearly portray the way that God has blessed us with the immense challenges and miraculous times of provision through family, friends, and even those we don't even know. Anyone can easily see the incredible power of love and support poured on our household as we struggle through healing our son.

After this experience, we will step onto a plane early next week and find ourselves in the midst of the Big Apple for his national TV debut. (Is America really ready for such a handsome and lion-hearted boy?) With the help of our hosts and countless logistics, we have made arrangements so that Sy's therapy will hopefully be seamless and without interruption. We will keep y'all up to date as we encounter these unique and fun changes. (We promise lots of pictures to come!)

I'm not exactly how much we can share in the digital world yet, but we promise to provide whatever details we can when we can... Stay tuned for more!

One last thing before we embark on this journey... Please pray for us and that the true reason behind our family's adventures shine through Sy's smile, Heather's smokin' hot looks, and my buffoonery. For all of you who know us, you know that all of this could not be happening on our own efforts. We ask for the right words to express the events and emotions that have emerged over the years. We love all of you and know that our bottom line is to bless those who can benefit from our experience and our desire to reach out to those in need.

And away we go...

This Race Is "Snow" Joke! (Insert Groan Here)

We just wanted to take a moment to let you all know how important this upcoming race is to Sy and our family. It appears that all the registered racers have blown the doors off the original estimates! Everyone is ready to have an all out party this weekend!

Although we will not be able to quantify the amount of fun that everyone will have (playing in real snow, sliding on a huge inflatable slide, eating baked goodies, hanging with firefighters, etc.), we can quantify how much your participation means to Sy's therapy...

For every one 5K runner plus one Fun Runner, we will be able to purchase one of Sy's 25 pound bags of carrots or two bags of his yummy apples. If we didn't have you, Sy would still be on his yucky nutritional formula and possibly unable to eat by mouth. If we didn't have any of you volunteers this weekend, we would not be able to even have this event! We hope to thank everyone in person who has played a part, but there are so many of you!

This blog will never do it justice, but we SINCERELY THANK YOU ALL from the bottom of our hearts! Even before the starting gun goes off, this race has been a huge success. Thank you for being the volunteering hands and running feet of love! We are completely overwhelmed by it!

Wowed Yet Again!

We just had an amazing gal at The Gerson Institute bless our family by posting an article on their website about Sy. He is well on his way to getting his own star on Hollywood Boulevard! (Kidding!) This is the same person who is traveling all the way from California to participate in the road race to help support our family. It is so mind blowing how this group of folks on the other side of the country is rallying for our little boy's health and wellness.

You can read her great article here.

If you want more details on Sy's Snowflake 5K and Fun Run, go here.

Go Gerson!

Silent Awakening

As I (Heather) lay awake at 3:48 a.m., my house is absolutely silent except for the ticking of an old clock. It is so loud that it's almost a distraction. I never even realized that this clock made sound before and now all I hear is the consistent beating--tick, tock, tick, tock. The pulses have a calming and consistent rhythm to them--much like that of a heartbeat. With each passing "beat," my heart overflows and seeps gratitude for 2012. As I start with January and reminisce through each passing month, there were so many wonderful memories and amazing blessings. Through some trying circumstances, it was in many ways one of our greatest years. We witnessed actual miracles--including the wild birth of our son, Asher, and the beginning of healing for Sy on top of countless others. Looking back, we saw Jesus' hand over our lives daily with the steadiness and flow of an old clock ticking--always there but often missed through the hustle and bustle of our days. So as I sit here and listen to that soothing cadence, I am so thankful--  with every second that passes--for each memory, each relationship, and each blessing. Wow!

In 2013, I hope to have a better rhythm to my life and to take more time out to listen to that ticking of my heart--always there but often overlooked, yet so vital to my very existence. May it always remind me of my blessings. Thank you to each of you who journeys with us. We are so grateful!