Thursday, November 24, 2016

Faith's Thankful List 2016

Every year I try to get Faith to come up with a thankful list so that we can remember what Thanksgiving Day is all about. But really, though, Faith is pretty good at being mindful of the things she is thankful for throughout the whole year.

Here are some of the things that made her list this year:

Family - She really does love her family, including all four of her grandparents, her aunts, uncles, and cousins. This year, a new baby joined the family - my great niece, Marla. Faith loves seeing her and likes to say she is her "big cousin." Besides seeing all of her mom's side of the family on a regular basis, she also enjoys talking to her auntie Joh to hear all about her pets - Rosie and Ruby. She even gets to hear Ruby purr over the phone. She also likes talking to Rob's parents whom she calls grandfather and grandmother.

Faith at her grandma and grandpa's house with most of her cousins
 Prayers -  She still loves having people pray for her, and some of the people who pray for her have been doing so most of her life. She has a wonderful group from church who pray for and with her on a regular basis, and they have been such a blessing to us. Many people in this group come to our home for visits as well. This year Faith had made a lot of headway in learning to pray for herself, and for others, which we do every night as a family.

TV Shows - Faith still loves watching some of her favorite TV shows. This year we got Amazon Prime so she's been watching a lot of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. She still likes Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and good 'ol Barney. I've been trying to get her to watch some new shows that are more appropriate for her age such as 7th Heaven (which is also on Amazon Prime). She'll watch it, but I really have to coax her to watch the entire thing. And of course we still watch Wheel of Fortune every night! This year, she even had a WOF birthday cake!

Faith's Wheel of Fortune Cake
Learning Spanish - Faith really wanted to learn Spanish this year as part of her homeschooling curriculum. Her auntie Barbara and uncle Todd got her a book and a dictionary so that we could look up all the words. Every day she'll ask something like, "how do you say neighbor in Spanish?" She's good at counting to ten and we're also trying to learn the Spanish alphabet, colors, and other words.

Faith with her auntie Barbara - her inspiration for learning Spanish!
Chiro and PT -  Faith really likes her chiropractor. In the past, it's been hard to get her out of the apartment to get her to go to some of her appointments but she always looks forward to her chiropractic appointments. Part of it is because she feels better afterward but sometimes she wants to go just to visit. She also enjoys going to physical therapy. We found the perfect pediatric physical therapist to work with her, for which I'm also very thankful. 

Other things Faith is thankful for include:
  • Cozy pajamas and slippers
  • Our van
  • Books and stories
  • Cheetos
  • Her home
  • Our friend Janie doing respite care
  • Tim Horton's coffee (she's glad her dad can finally get it in North Dakota!) 
Rob getting Tim Horton's in Fargo!

Faith with her prayer warrior, respite care provider, and friend - Janie!
 May you, too, find something or many things to be thankful for, not only on Thanksgiving, but each and every day. But most of all remember to "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


Saturday, November 5, 2016

Faith Turns 13!

Faith turned 13 on October 25th. We celebrated her milestone birthday a week ago today at my parents house, which has become the official family party place.

It still has sunken in quite yet that I am the mother of a teenager. Despite exhibiting some telltale signs, like hormone overload and emotions running rampant, she is still in many ways my little girl. I'm not sure if that will ever change.

She has had to endure a lot during these past 13 years and every time we are faced with a new challenge, and wonder how we're going to overcome it, it's always her tenacity and warrior-like attitude that completely amazes us.

Though she may be feeling discomfort, she's still able to laugh. Though she might get frustrated by something she can't do, she still has hope. Though she experiences disappointment, she still finds joy. Both Rob and I have learned so much from her, and as we continue to move forward in our journey, I look forward to seeing God's plans for her life continue to unfold.

Here are some photos (and a video) from her 13th birthday party. We are so grateful she had a such good day, and that she was able to relax and enjoy herself while being surrounded by so many loved ones.

Our birthday girl!
Faith visiting with some of her guests!
Faith's auntie Dawn and her cute cousin Marla!
Faith's amazing Wheel of Fortune cake


Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for hosting such a great party!
Faith and Rob with some wonderful friends of the family!
Faith with Auntie Barbara and Uncle Todd!
Faith was super excited her "big" cousins were there along with Haley and baby!
Faith was blessed with many beautiful cards, gifts, and flowers!