Kris and Shannon's wedding

May sure has been a busy month for us. Kris and Shannon's wedding was at North Topsail Beach on the 23rd and many people stayed on for most of the week. Lisa, Jack and I stayed until Saturday.

It was the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen. Most everything went off without a hitch. The wedding was on the beach and we had perfect weather all week. The only rain came when we were pulling out of the driveway to come home.

Kris and Shannon had rented two huge houses, about 10 houses apart, each with its own elevator. We could not have survived the week without those elevators.

The newlyweds are now in Rome and leave for a 14 day Mediterranean cruise. Kris starts his residency at Johns Hopkins later this month.

Enjoy the pictures.

Shannon and her mother, Karen

The groom and his parents

Shannon's brother Zach and Jack

Rehearsal on the beach

The Swiger men just before the wedding ceremony

Nat and Jake...you guys are next!

A very proud momma with her two older boys

A picture perfect wedding

Lonnie, Jack and Aunt Jo

Mary and Andy, the groom's grandparents

Carolyn, Jessica, Kurt and Daniel (sorry Meghan)

The happy couple at the reception

Jack was awesome on the dance floor

On their way

A view of the beach where the wedding was held

Introducing Dr. Kristopher J. Swiger

Hard to believe but we have a doctor in the family. Kris graduated from UNC School of Medicine on May 7th in Chapel Hill. Kris will start his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in June.

Kris and Shannon have moved to Baltimore and will return this week to prepare for their wedding on May 23rd.

It's difficult to express how proud we are of Kris and what he has accomplished. Ever since he entered UNC as an undergrad he has excelled beyond anyone's imagination. And now, he will be a resident at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the world. He will be there 3 years then who knows what after that!

Congratulations again to Kris on a job well done.

And thanks in advance for the free medical advice.

Easter in Virginia

We had a wonderful trip to Virginia for Easter. Our older boys were there, minus fiances unfortunately. Mom and Dad's property was in full bloom and was just spectacular.

And the Easter bunny found us too.

This is big month for us as Kris graduates from UNC medical school on May 7th. He and Shannon then move to Baltimore and return for their wedding at Topsail Beach on May 23rd. Kris starts his residency at Johns Hopskins on June 20th.

Enjoy the pictures....

Jake enjoying his mimosa as Jack discovers what EB left.

Mom, Dad and Kris

Been so long

It's been so long since I last blogged that I am so embarrassed. But, there has not been a lot to report either. Jack is doing well in school. We've had some behavior issues to deal with and an adjustment in medication seems to have made that better. We believe the behavior stems from the brain injury. Research on the internet and talking with experts seems to confirm that.

Other than that, there hasn't been much going on. We are preparing for two weddings this year. Our older boys, Kris and Jake, will be getting married. We love our new daughters-in-law and I know Lisa will be happy to have a few more souls on her side....other than the female dogs of course. What can I say? It's a boy family.

Hopefully it won't be so long for the next post. Someone has a milestone birthday next month so maybe there will be pictures for that event.

Thanksgiving in the NC mountains

We had a great trip to the mountains in McDowell County, NC for Thanksgiving. All the kids came and it was a very restful and relaxing weekend. It was nice to get away for a while.

Enjoy the pictures......

Halloween

Jack had a great time at Halloween. We trudged over much of the neighborhood taking in as much candy as they could dish out. Halloween has always been so much fun with our neighbors as the adults use it as a means to socialize. Jack dressed as Woody from Toy Story. He kept saying "There's a snake in my boot" all night long.

Jack continues to improve both from an emotional and physical standpoint. We are really pushing the walking and I think he is starting to accept this as his primary means of getting around. He was playing on his computer the other day, which by the way, on which he is requiring less and less guidance, and he decided to get off the chair and head in the living room to watch tv. He did this all without talking about it or asking for help or anything. He is starting to discover his independence and it is a cool thing to see.

I posted some pictures of Halloween below.

Jack's progress

Wow. Can't believe it's been over a month since the last update. I will definitely try to do better in the future.

The good news is that Jack has been improving the last few weeks in terms of emotional stability as well as his mobility. He is much less fussy than he was after the surgery and he doesn't wake up crying any more. He also is gaining strength in his legs. Lisa and I kind of layed down the law that he wasn't going to be allowed to scoot around anymore. We are making him walk everywhere including upstairs.

He actually was due to participate in a race today at the school but it was cancelled due to the weather. He has been using a walker at school (instead of the motorized wheelchair) and really moves quite quickly in it. It is great exercise for his legs.

We go back to see the Duke doctors in a couple weeks.

The next big task: potty training him. We have attempted this several times with little success so if anyone has any ideas, don't keep them to yourself.

Bye for now.