Christmas 2011

Christmas morning was very exciting as usual as the kids ran down the stairs to see what Santa had left for them. They were all thrilled with the presents they received. We had church at 9:30, so we decided to wait until after church to open the rest of the presents, because we didn't want to be rushed. We had cinnamon rolls and milk for breakfast and then went to church. I loved going to church on Christmas. Our meeting was full of wonderful Christmas music, scriptures and thoughts. It was nice to have that time amid the presents and gifts to reflect on Jesus Christ--the only reason for the season.

After church, we enjoyed opening the rest of the presents. The kids were all spoiled as usual from the grandparents and so were Jason and I.

Parker loved his Spider-man scooter and helmet!

Connor thought his mp3 player and stuffed Sonic the hedgehog were awesome!

Kelsey was so happy to receive the electronics kit upgrade that she had asked for.

Jen was surprised to receive a Kindle from Jason.

Jason was excited to receive a Roku2 from Jen.

Aunt Mindy, Uncle Chris, and Molly made us all some fleece hats. Here we are posing in them. Pretty funny!

Speaking of funny, Connor REALLY wanted a Star Wars Electronic Spinning Light Saber for Christmas. He talked about it for weeks and it was at the top of his Santa list. He checked out every present under the tree as they were added and he was convinced that the Light Saber was not among them because none of the presents were the right size or shape, according to him. Well, we played a joke on Connor. The Light Saber was wrapped and left by Grandma and Grandpa Wardle in the beginning of December. We turned it around so the tag wasn't showing and placed it the corner against the wall under the tree. We made sure it was the last present left to be opened. By then, after receiving so many other presents, Connor had forgotten about the Light Saber he wanted so badly. Here he is opening it...

Later in the afternoon, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of homemade Manicotti, garlic bread and salad. It was a quiet and relaxing Christmas Day that we thoroughly enjoyed spending together.

Christmas Eve Traditions

We always look forward to Christmas Eve dinner and this year was no exception--it was so yummy! We had our traditional glazed ham, au gratin potatoes, rolls and candy cane pie for dessert. After dinner we continued with the rest of our Christmas Eve traditions...

One of my most favorite memories from when I was a child, was dressing up as characters from the Christmas story on Christmas Eve. I was usually Mary and one of my brothers was Joseph. I would choose one of my baby dolls to represent baby Jesus, and then we would read the story of Jesus' birth from The Bible. My own kids have also enjoyed doing this on Christmas Eve. Here is Kelsey as Mary, Connor as Joseph and Parker as a shepherd. 

We also do "Advent" every Sunday in December and on Christmas Eve. We read scriptures from The Bible and The Book of Mormon, as a way to prepare our hearts and spirits for Christmas. We sing songs in between the scriptures and have treats and hot chocolate at the end of each Advent. This is a wonderful tradition from Jason's family that we love to do each year. 

After Advent on Christmas Eve, the kids are given one special present, marked "Eve" that they get to open. Traditionally, the present is new pajamas. This year, I made their pajama pants out of fleece and then appliquéd a shape out of the fleece on a matching t-shirt. They turned out really cute. Parker was especially excited to get Spider-man pajamas and matching slippers--here he is in his Spider-man pose...

Here they are all together in their new pajamas, ready for bed (probably not ready to sleep though...), and very excited for Santa to come! We read "The Night Before Christmas" together and then they were sent to bed.

Gingerbread Houses

Well, graham cracker houses, really, but still fun to decorate! Decorating the graham cracker houses is always a fun activity to do during winter break. The kids all enjoyed decorating their individual houses and eating a lot of candy!!!

Parker

Connor

Kelsey

Gingerbread Village

We love it when...

...Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit! Grandma and Grandpa Wardle came to see us at the end of November. It had been a year since we had been together, so it was nice to spend a few days with them. We spent time playing games, watching movies, shopping and playing outside. Jason and I took advantage of the free babysitting while they were here and went on a date :) They also took us to see "The Muppets" which we all loved. They even left several Christmas presents under our tree before they went back home!

Thanks for coming to visit, Grandma and Grandpa. We love you!

Christmas Letter 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello from North Carolina! We hope you are all happy and doing well as we come to the end of another year. Here's what we've been up to:

Parker turned 4 in April. He is getting so big and strong and can hardly wait to start Kindergarten in the fall. He is a big fan of Spider-Man and he loves to show us all his Spider-Man moves. He is enjoying preschool at home with Mom, learning his letters and numbers. His pulmonary Hypertension remains stable, and it sure doesn't slow him down much! It is hard to believe that it has been nearly 4 years since he was diagnosed. We are incredibly grateful that he is doing so well and hope he continues to thrive.

Connor turned 7 in February and is in 2nd grade. He is doing awesome in school, excelling in all areas, especially reading. We are so proud of him. His favorite activities are still playing the Wii and the computer, but he also enjoys drawing, coloring, reading and telling jokes. He has stuck with piano lessons and we think he has a real talent for it. He played soccer in the spring and took swimming lessons in the summer. He is preparing to be baptized in February when he turns 8. He is looking forward to that.

Kelsey turned 11 in September and is in 5th grade--her last year of elementary school! She qualified for the academically gifted program this year and she is doing great as usual. She works very hard and is very dedicated. We are very proud of all the effort she makes in regards to school. She still loves to read--she usually has about 3 or 4 books that she reads at a time and she loves going to the library for more. She played coach pitch baseball again during the summer and she did great. She can really throw that ball! She has continued piano lessons this year and she is making great progress. She is excited to finally be able to play Star Wars music!

Jason continues to teach Sound Design at UNC School of the Arts. This year he was asked to be the Chair of Faculty Council, so that has added a few more duties to his already busy schedule. He is really good at what he does and according to the Dean of his department, he has developed into one of the nationally best in his field! He keeps busy designing shows on the side and he hopes to finish up the grant he has been working on from the National Science Foundation soon. Despite how busy he is, he still takes time to be a great Dad and wonderful husband.

Jen keeps very busy as a stay at home mom. Besides all the normal mom duties, she teaches Kelsey and Connor piano and she does preschool with Parker 3 days a week. She enjoys working on her small business that she started last year making IV backpacks and purses. It is slowly growing and she loves helping out other families that have a child with an IV like Parker.

A few highlights: Last December we were privileged to enjoy a train ride to Florida for a week long dream vacation for Parker's Make-a-Wish trip. It was incredible! In June, Parker had his annual heart catheterization with no problems (yea!) and then we went to Myrtle Beach with Grandma and Grandpa Romney for a few days. Parker got to swim in the ocean for the first time (this took some creativity to cover his IV site and pump, so they wouldn't get wet...). In July, we got to be on TV to help promote the Make-a-Wish foundation. In August, we went to Tweetsie Railroad and Blowing Rock for a mini vacation, and in November, Grandma and Grandpa Wardle came for a visit.

We've had a great year and hope you have too. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year in 2012!

Love,

Jason, Jen, Kelsey, Connor & Parker Romney

It's been a few years...

...13 to be exact, since Jason and I tied the knot! On Monday, December 19th, we celebrated our wedding anniversary, with a bit of a western theme (not on purpose...). First, we ate lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse and then we went to Tanglewood Park and rode horses along the Yadkin River. We joined several other riders, mostly beginners like me (my first time!). We walked along the trail at a leisurely pace most of the time. It was a beautiful day--about 55 degrees and sunny. Perfect for our ride. After getting used to riding, the trail leader let us jog with our horses, which was fun! The trail ride took about an hour. We had a great time--it was definitely a memorable way to celebrate our anniversary.

Jason riding Chesapeake

Jen riding Scout

Merry Christmas!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Our Thankful Tree

This year we decided to put up our Christmas tree a few weeks early and make it a "Thankful Tree". One of my friends, Melissa, shared her idea for a thankful tree last year and again this year. I loved it, and thought it was a fun way to remember all the many things we are thankful for. Last Monday night for FHE we had a lesson about gratitude. We shared the story of the Ten Lepers (or the "Ten Leopards" as one of our kids called it...) found in the New Testament. After Jesus healed the Ten Lepers, only one remembered to thank Jesus for healing them. Jesus then asked, "But, where are the nine?" We talked about the importance of remembering to thank Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for all that we have. We discussed the happiness we feel when we think of all the things we are thankful for and the gratitude we feel in our hearts for the many blessings Heavenly Father and Jesus have given us.

The kids really enjoyed decorating our Thankful Tree with the things they are grateful for. Here are of few of the things we listed:

Testimony

Beautiful World

Job

Jesus Christ

Food and Shelter

Mission

Parker's Hugs

Spider-man

Information

Connor's Jokes

Kind and Loving Parents

Holidays

Kelsey's Smile

My Kitty

Books

Health

We definitely have much to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

Introducing....

The Pump Purse

My home business Part of Me Pump Packs, has had a small "boom" in the past few months. I have been busy making several pump packs for young children from Virginia to California. It is very exciting! One of my customers asked if I could make a messenger-style purse for her little girl. It is something I have thought about before, but never done--I probably would have if Parker was a girl :). I came up with a design and it turned out so well that I decided to offer the purse on my website. The great thing about The Pump Purse is that I can offer it to children and adults. So, I guess I'm expanding! I love how it turned out. Isn't it cute?

Since November is Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month, I decided to offer a Periwinkle Pump Purse. Periwinkle is the "color" of PH. In addition, I will be donating 10% of all my orders that include a Periwinkle Pump Purse to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. This is just a small way that I can show support and raise awareness for Pulmonary Hypertension. Check out my website:

www.partofmepumppacks.com

Halloween 2011

The kids had a great Halloween and had fun celebrating all weekend. They even had school off on Friday and on Halloween--BONUS!!! They got WAY too much candy, but they enjoyed every minute of it. This morning Kelsey said she wished Halloween wasn't over. Oh well, only 365 days until next Halloween!

"Spidey" Fingers

Spider-Man

The Incredible Hulk

Mad Scientist

Halloween 2011

Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins!

Yesterday we spent the afternoon carving our Halloween pumpkins.

First we cleaned off the pumpkins and cut the tops off. Then, we scooped out all of the yucky insides.

Scooping the goop is Kelsey's favorite part...

...but definitely NOT Connor's favorite part (If you know Connor at all, he does not like to get dirty). However, this year he did scoop out 2 small spoonfuls (wearing rubber gloves)--a big deal for him!

Parker didn't help much, but he sure was excited about his SpiderMan pumpkin that Dad was going to make.

Finally, it was time to carve the pumpkins. Connor was able to carve most of his pumpkin by himself and he was very happy with how it turned out. The pumpkin Kelsey chose was very thick and hard to carve, but she eventually finished it. I think she wins the prize for the "bumpiest" pumpkin! Jason spent a few hours working on Parker's SpiderMan pumpkin with Parker cheering him on. When Jason showed the finished pumpkin to Parker, he said, "You did it, Dad!!!" He loved it :)

Connor's Jack-O-Lantern

Kelsey's Jack-O-Lantern

Parker's Jack-O-Lantern

When it was dark enough outside, we lighted our pumpkins. They all look great. The SpiderMan pumpkin is AWESOME. Jason did a fabulous job and our little SpiderMan fan couldn't be more excited!

Spider-man

Ever since Parker met Spider-man when we were in Orlando for his Make-A-Wish trip, he's been a huge Spider-man fan. He even shares a name with Spider-man's alter-ego. Here he is in his Spider-man shirt, cardboard mask, and socks performing some of the moves he's learned from the various cartoons, movies, etc. He can only do a few of these dances before we have to force him to take a break because he gets so tired due to his pulmonary hypertension. Still, we're glad he's feeling well enough to get his Spider-man groove on!

11 Years and Counting!

Our Star Wars fan celebrated her 11th birthday today (a day early because we have some fun plans for tomorrow--more on that later...)! She took a treat to school to share with her friends and Parker and I brought her Chick-fil-a for lunch ( a tradition we started when she was in Kindergarten...). She chose to have Papa Murphy's Pizza for dinner (we LOVE that we have one in our city now) and a triple chocolate fudge Star Wars cake and Bunny Tracks ice cream. Yummy!

 

Look at this awesome cake!

Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are holding light sabers that actually light up when you push a button on their backs--Darth Vader's is red and Luke's is green.

Kelsey received some great presents--thank you Grandma and Grandpa Romney, Grandma and Grandpa Wardle, and Nanny!

 She already has a plan for this money...

 She was very excited about more Star Wars Legos!

But the electronics kit was by far her most favorite present. She spent quite a while tonight putting together the first 10 projects (with Dad teaching her the reasons why the projects work the way they do--a fun and educational present...). She said she LOVES it!

We are so grateful that Kelsey is part of our family. She is such a joy in our lives. She is so sweet, compassionate and helpful. We love her beautiful smile and cute giggles (and the hiccups she gets when she laughs too hard--just like her mom used to do, haha!!!) We love her so much.

Happy Birthday, Kelsey!!!! 

First Day of School!

I can hardly believe a new school year is here again! The kids are growing up so fast.

Kelsey started 5th grade today. She kept saying she didn't want to go back to school, but she finally admitted this morning that she was excited. She had a great first day and is looking forward to a fun and challenging year.

 Connor started 2nd grade today. He was very excited about going back to school. He kept saying that he could hardly wait. He also had a great first day and had so much fun that he couldn't think of one thing that was his favorite part of the day (because he liked it ALL)!

Of course, we can't leave Parker out of the pictures! He had a fun day staying home with Mom, but he sure missed Kelsey and Connor. He is looking forward to starting preschool at home with Mom next week. It will be a lot of fun learning all about letters and numbers as he prepares for Kindergarten next year. 

Summer Baseball

Kelsey just finished another season of coach pitch baseball. She was on the yellow team this year. They started practices in May and finished up with 4 games during the past month. Kelsey did great! She is really improving her game and we are very proud of her. 

Yesterday, as the last game of the season, they had the kids play the parents. Jason played with some of the other parents and he actually got a few really good hits! It was fun to watch them both play.

Kelsey also received a medal with her name on it.

Way to go, Kelsey!