Dancing Queen

Gwen LOVES her music. The second she hears a beat, she starts dancing. She has been doing a lot of sit down dancing as her leg is still in a cast, but today she was standing and started dancing. Her brother decided it would be funny to make an appearance as well (at the end of the video). Love these kiddos so much!

We had a special visitor today, Carol, Vann's primary NICU nurse came by with some Christmas goodies. She is such a sweet person and we love that Vann knows who she is and what an amazing role she and other staff members played in his life. This time of year I am often reminded of how much we are loved and how much we appreciate and love others. 

Congratulations Jeff!

Today Jeff graduated with his degree in Business Management from Boise State. Although it has taken him longer than he wanted, he has never given up and always stayed on course. We could not be prouder of him. Vann and I went to the ceremony, while Gwennie stayed at home with our friend Jen.  

Here are some pictures from the graduation ceremony! WAY TO GO JEFF!

Happy 4th Birthday Vann!

Happy 4th Birthday Vann! We can't believe it has been 4 years already. Both Jeff and I are so amazed by Vann's continued kindness, soft heart and love of life. He brings nothing but joy to our lives and we are honored to have him as our son!

This morning I got to spend some time in Vann's classroom and watch him do his birthday celebration. He is holding earth and walks around the sun "4" times, for every year he has been here.

At home we opened some presents, had some cake, and he even got to FaceTime with his cousins Henry and Charlie. The 3 of them are hilarious:) 

He had a great day and I will end this blog with one of his birthday comments, "Um, since I am 4, I am just going to grab my backpack and go to school all by myself."

Hall of Hope

The St. Luke's NICU has been working of a very special project to make the LONG, DARK hallway to the NICU a symbol of hope and inspiration. Today they finally unveiled the project and it was beautiful. They had 14 large photos of NICU graduates and a large LCD screen that scrolled through pictures/stories of all the graduates that had submitted and future graduates. We were so happy to be part of this special day and see our big boy Vann up on the wall! It was so fun to see the staff too, they are such wonderful and amazing people.

Dr. Snyder, NICU Medical Director giving a little speech 

Nurse Practitioner, Tammy Allen, she is the reason the Hall of Hope came to fruition 

 Our Vannimal

 Tammy giving a wonderful speech, made everyone tear up

 Vann unveiling one of the photos

 Vann and his photo on the wall, it was gorgeous

 One side of the new Hall of Hope. It is hard to see, but those lights look like little bugs...they are darling.

 

  

                                                           New Hall of Hope sign

 The four of us next to Vann's photo!

She is just a STINKER!

Great Weekend and Happy Halloween!

We had a great weekend as my mom and dad came to visit. Once again, Vann did not let Popi Rod relax as he wanted to play with him the entire time. The bought Vann a new big boy bike for his early birthday and christmas present and let's just say....HE LOVES IT! The last night they were here, Vann enjoyed laying in bed with them. We miss them a lot!

Happy Halloween! Vann got to choose what we were going to dress up as this year and the winner was....AVENGERS.  We had a great time!

He can sing!

I finally got Vann to sing for me...

Best Buddy!

We have been busy over here in Boise. School has started and I am taking 2 classes this semester. I will apply for Nursing school in the Spring and hopefully start Fall of 2013. Both of the kids are doing great. Gwen is 8 months old and talking up a storm. Vann is great...learning lots at school and staying healthy. The St. Luke's NICU is re-doing the entry into the unit and they are going to be featuring photos of NICU graduates along the hallway and scrolling LCD. One of the nurses is also a photographer and is donating her time to take the current photos of the kiddos. I was lucky enough to see one of the shots she got of Vann. This picture is priceless and so powerful...I still can't believe he went through all the things he did. 

It is so neat to watch Jeff and Vann together. Jeff is definitely his idol and he calls his daddy his "best buddy." Gwen is now waving all the time and says, "Hiiii." It is adorable!

Portland Trip

We just got back from visiting my family in Portland. It was a great trip and I wish we were still there. We made it over to the Oregon Coast, which is always nice and peaceful. It would have been perfect, except the winds decided to blow the entire time we were there. Vann and Gwen had a great time playing with everyone. 

Vann, Popi Rod and Me

Vann, Jeff and Popi running away from the water

Tummy time with Gwen and Popi

The Edwards Family

Rock climbing with Popi...Vann's best friend!

Grandma Neesie showed Gwen how to ride the horse

All of us!

Zoo Visit with Lila

My good friend Erin and her family are moving to Minneapolis, so we had one last outing to the zoo before they left. Her daughter Lila is DARLING...and Vann just loves hanging out with her. We are really going to miss them.

Paddle Boarding Adventure

We decided to take Jeff's paddle board out today. This was the first time Vann and I had tried it. Jeff is an ol' pro, but he was a great teacher and I caught on pretty fast. I am hooked! We went to a nice shaded park, Gwen played on her blanket while we each took turns. It was a great family day!

July 20, 2012

Gwen a.k.a Princess G is now 6 months old. She is getting up onto her knees and pushing herself forward, more of a face plant. This little girl just wants to be on the move. She still isn't the best sleeper, but happy the majority of the time, so it is hard to complain. There is one thing that is certain, she LOVES her brother. Vann is amazing with Gwen. It is so neat to watch them together...I hope they will always love each other and take care of one another. 

Vann is doing great as usual. He is still in school in the mornings over the summer as he loves being with his friends. He continues to be am extremely sweet little boy who is just enjoying life!