11 is my favorite number, and Guess who just turned 11..??

This guy right here!!

Noah turned 11 years old today, and let me tell you,

it has been a crazy adventure filled year with this kiddo.

Take a little journey with me as I re-cap a few highlights of his last year.

Heart Camp. Meeting new friends that are fellow kids who have, or have a family member who has been diagnosed with CHD. Noah had a great time doing what he does best....being a crazy kid!

Heart Walk. A big group of friends came together to spend he day with us as we celebrated our Heart Hero Noah and raised money for an important cause. I know he is young and may not always know the degree of what it means to have survived what he has, but I can assure you, the love and support that surrounds him is always felt.

Becoming a 5th grader!! He loves his teacher this year, and I can not believe how grown up he is. He is turning into a little man right before our eyes.

Medical scares. I do not have pictures of the choking incident that caused him to stop eating for 3 weeks and lose 11 pounds, or the severe concussion that landed us in the triage room at Primary Children's Emergency Room, but I do have documentation of his last echo cardiogram he had at his annual Cardiologist appointment. During this visit, we discovered he has an irregular heart rhythm, which led to sinking feelings in our stomachs as we had further tests done to decide what level of treatment was next, including the possibility of surgery to have a pacemaker installed.

We decided he looked like Iron Man with his Halter Monitor on, so that has become his new nickname. The test had to be done two times, but it has been determined that it has not yet reached the level of treatment needed that requires surgery, but that is something we will be facing in the future. We will not think about that for now, just feel lucky to have an amazing fighter with us and take life one step at a time.

See....Iron Man!!

Besides being an adventurous kid, he is a wonderful Big Brother,

and a great example for Zane to look up to.

He is very protective and loving with Z Man....well MOST of the time.

We could not love this crazy kid more than we do.

In January, after 2 years of practice, testing and determination,

Noah became a 1st degree black belt.

Look at that board break....Now that is an amazing kid!!

Happy Birthday to you Noah.

We will always remember the lesson of the importance of life you have shown all of us through your 11 amazing years, and we always know how lucky we are to have such and amazing fighter who we could not be more proud of.