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