From Sidekick to Kindergartner!

My almost constant companion and sidekick for the last 5 years started Kindergarten today...sniff, sniff :( Connor has been SO excited to start Kindergarten and ride the bus--he has been asking me "Is it Friday yet?" for the last 2 weeks! Last night we read the book "The Night Before Kindergarten" and at the end it talks about how all the parents were crying. So I told Connor I might cry too. He seemed puzzled about that so I explained how much I was going to miss having him here with me all day. I'm not sure Connor had put starting Kindergarten and being away from Mom all day together, because he suddenly got very sad and he hugged me for about 5 minutes and said that he was going to miss me too. I told him everything would be great, though, because he was going to Kindergarten--it would be so cool and so much fun that he would forget all about me. As he climbed into bed, he was still frowning, so I asked him if he was sad and he threw himself into my shoulder and said "YES!!!" and started to cry, but just for a few seconds, because I reminded him once again how great school would be. He woke up this morning and was dressed and ready to go in record time. Then he said to me, "When I was in my bed last night, I was worried about you." (How cute is that?) I assured him that I would be just fine, even if I cried a little bit.  We are so proud and excited for him and we know that he is going to love Kindergarten.

Help Cure PH!

The 2009 NC Cure Pulmonary Hypertension Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2009. This year Parker has been asked to be the special honoree. All donations will be given in his name. We are very excited to be part of this great effort to raise awareness and needed research funds to help find a cure for PH. The goal for this year is $20,000. If you are interested in making a donation in Parker's name you can donate online at:

www.firstgiving.com/2009NCphGolf

To donate by mail, send a check payable to "Pulmonary Hypertension Association" with a note on the memo line "2009 NC Cure PH Golf" to:

Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA)

801 Roeder Road, Suite 400

Silver Spring, MD 20910

All proceeds from this event will be allocated by PHA to benefit efforts to find a cure for pulmonary hypertension. We appreciate all of your great support and love.

Together, we CAN find a cure!

Third Grader Today!

Kelsey started 3rd grade today! Seriously, where does the time go? It is hard to believe she will be learning multiplication, division, and cursive handwriting this year--it seems like not very long ago we were working on counting to 100! Kelsey and Connor (we will post about his first day on Friday) are going to a brand new school this year. It is called Kimmel Farm Elementary. It is a big, two-level school with all the latest and greatest technology. There will only be a little over 500 students there this year (Kelsey's other elementary had 955 students!). We are excited to be part of a new school and we are glad that it is a bit closer to us. It starts earlier, but that means it ends earlier too, which will give us more time in the afternoons. Kelsey loves school and has been looking forward to starting 3rd grade almost the whole summer. We know she will do great!!!

My sweet kids

Yesterday I took the kids to the park for a picnic one last time before school starts next week. We had a great time eating and playing together. Kelsey will be starting 3rd grade and Connor will be starting Kindergarten, so that will leave Parker and me home together all day. They are growing up so fast. Although my life seems crazy and complicated much of the time, I am so grateful for each of my children and the great opportunity I have to be part of their lives and watch them grow and learn new things. This picture reminds me just how sweet they each are and how much I love them all!!!

Summer T-Ball

Kelsey and Connor were both able to play T-ball this summer (their first time) and they both had a great time learning the basics of baseball like how to throw and catch the ball, where the bases are and running around them, and how to hit the ball. We missed a few of the games while we were in Utah, but they still got to play 3 games and they each received a trophy!

Utah Trip 2009

It seems like vacations are much too short and go by way too quickly, at least that's how we felt about our recent trip to Utah to visit our families. The preparations in regards to Parker's care were daunting and we almost gave up a few times, but we finally worked everything out and we were all able to go--something we honestly didn't think would be possible for Parker. We are so grateful it all fell into place and we were able to enjoy some time away from our normal life and visit with our families, some of whom we haven't seen for over 3 years!

We stayed the first half of our trip with Grandma and Grandpa Romney. While we were with them we were able to attend the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, which was a very neat experience--it is a beautiful temple. Later that day, we rode Trax downtown and walked around Temple Square a little bit and then had dinner with all of Jason's sisters, their spouses, Nanny, and Grandma and Grandpa Romney--the WHOLE family together for a little more than an hour! On Thursday morning, we went to the Children's Museum at the Gateway which the kids loved and then that night we were able to see Nanny play her harmonica. On Friday, we spent the day at Amy and Joe's house where we played the Wii, went to Cabbella's, and had a BBQ. On Saturday, we spent the day at Mindy and Chris' house in bountiful. We ate more delicious food and then Kelsey and Connor went swimming with Carrie, Mindy, and Chris. Jason spent the majority of his time fixing the televisions and sound systems at each house we went to. The kids loved playing with Lizzy and Xander (dogs), and I loved being able to take a break from most of my regular responsibilities!!!

We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Wardle for the second half of our trip. While we were with them we went to the Living Planet Aquarium. It was very cool--the octopus, jelly fish and sharks were our favorite things to watch. On Tuesday we met Brad's family at the bowling alley. Kelsey got the highest score of the kids. Then we all went swimming at the pool in Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood. Kelsey, Connor, and Parker really enjoyed spending time with some of their cousins. Later that night, Jason and I got to go on a date (the first in several months...) to see Harry Potter. On Wednesday night we had a family party. It was wonderful to see and visit with everyone! On Thursday Grandma and Grandpa took Kelsey and Connor fishing (they didn't catch anything) and then we went swimming again. After that, Jason and I were able to go to the temple, a rare opportunity for us. That night (our last evening in Utah) we had dinner with both of our parents. On Friday, after packing up to go home, we went to lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Wardle, Grandma Romney, Nanny, and Aunt Wendy. Once again, Jason spent most of his time fixing Grandpa's television and sound system--I think he actually enjoyed doing all that technical stuff. The kids loved running around and playing with their cousins, and we all enjoyed playing "Corn Hole" in Grandma and Grandpa's basement, a game they learned and brought back from Ohio.

Parker amazed us all--he tolerated the trip just fine and only needed oxygen a little bit during the day and on the airplane. Although it was A LOT of work to organize everything to meet his medical needs, it was worth it. 

Above all, our favorite part of our trip was spending so much time with our families! It is so hard to live so far away--spending this time with all of them was wonderful. We love you all so much and miss you already! We are so grateful we were able to visit and sincerely hope it's not another 4 years before we head back again...