von Niederhausern Family

On Sunday, January 18th, our precious baby, William Hawkes von Niederhausern, took us by surprise and decided to enter the world three weeks early. The labor was very peaceful and the birth was shockingly fast. He weighed 5 1/2 lbs. and was 17 1/2 inches short. After losing some newborn weight he now comes in at a whopping 4 lbs. 13 oz. He is just a tiny guy but is a strong-willed warrior, just like his name implies. He did everything right at the hospital so that we could come home after only 24 hours. He is such a delight to have in our family. Ava and Lauren adore him and are adjusting well…and asking a lot of questions about newborns. Lauren wanted to name him Joseph and in the hospital when we told her his name would be William she said “I will call him Joseph if I want to.” I am so happy to be able to breath easier and see my toes…and I am hopeful the walking zombie phase will end soon!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the vons! What a crazy and wonderful year it has been for us. Each year we think life will slow down, but we are realizing it probably never really does! We have loved keeping in touch and reconnecting with so many people this year. We love you all and feel so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing and generous people. Here is a brief summary of our happenings in 2008:

Steve graduated with his master’s degree a year ago and got a job with Shelf Reliance. We packed our bags and headed to Provo for a very brief stint (four months to be exact). We then moved back to Logan where Steve got a great job back at Utah State University with The Shingo Prize in the Huntsman School of Business. He directs their marketing and communication efforts and feels like he has found his dream job.

Rachel is expecting a baby boy in February and did her first sprint triathlon in July. Moving two times, keeping up with the girls, managing the rental and development properties, organizing a non-profit, and being pregnant have filled her year completely to the brim!

Ava is four and has loved taking dance, violin, swimming lessons, and learning how to read. She is growing up so fast and enjoys to draw, sing, and do art projects. Ava is our sweetheart and peacemaker.

Lauren is two going on 30. The other night Ava wanted her to pretend like she was a lamb in the nativity scene. Lauren said “I am not a lamb, I am a woman.” And that sums up Lauren. She loves to dance, play with barbies, babies, wear skirts, put on lip-gloss, read books, and do everything herself.

And how could we forget the annual von video tradition. To compliment last year’s duet jingle and the Christmas video jingle from ’06, the girls wanted to do something special. This year Ava worked on releasing her first Christmas single, while Lauren cut the rug with a Christmas jive.

We express our gratitude for the abundance of life that we are blessed with. Thank you for your friendship and support. May the year ahead be filled with happiness and peace for you and your family.