One of the reasons I look forward to summer is to finally feel the warmth of the sun. Oftentimes spring in North Dakota is a little on the chilly side, and we still have to don our jackets, and sometimes even our boots, depending on how much snow is on the ground. We were blessed this year with a beautiful summer that began in May. We ended up getting lots of rain, so it remained nice and green the entire season.
This summer kicked off with a visit to auntie Dawn's. She had just bought a new house, and Faith couldn't wait to go visit her. Dawn has a really nice back yard, and it ended up being a nice day to just hang out on her back porch!
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| Faith and Dawn hanging out! |
As June rolled around, we made a trip to the zoo, which we hadn't been to in a couple of years. It was nice to walk around in the sunshine, but we noticed the animals weren't really that active. All Faith really wanted to do anyway is take a train ride.
Instead of looking at the animals, though, she kept trying to have conversations with the people sitting in front of us! It was a nice break for me though, so I didn't have to push her around the entire zoo. The guy who drove the train is a retired train engineer, and you could tell he loved his job.
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| On the train! |
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| Our very nice train engineer! |
Later that month, Faith got to attend her very first wedding reception and dance. Faith loved socializing with many members of her church family outside of church! I wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle the reception and the dance, but she wanted to try to do both.
The tricky part was timing her feedings as she didn't want to have one during the reception. She doesn't eat a lot of normal food, so I brought a snack for her to eat while we were having our dinner. Besides her snack, she also had a cupcake. The reception was very unique and there were even games!
When the wedding dance began, she was getting pretty tired, but we stayed for the beginning and even got out on the dance floor. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the "Macarena" though! Instead of joining in, she stood at the sidelines cheering for dancers. A good buddy of hers from church was the DJ, and she was pretty excited to hear him play a few of her favorites, like "
Happy" and "
Celebration."
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| Faith and the bride! |
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| Dancing the night away! (Photo by Crystal Wendlandt Photography) |
We kicked off July by going to the 4th of July Parade in Mandan. It's so nice that we have friends to help us out with parking and to have a place to sit! There had been the threat of rain all morning, but it ended up being perfect weather. Unfortunately, that was the only thing we did all day as Faith was not in the mood to go to the barbecue.
It ended up being a little chilly to go to the Capitol for the fireworks like we had done the year before. I just didn't want to sit there and freeze again! The neighbors across the street from us put on a spectacular show, though and we enjoyed fireworks from the comfort of our apartment!
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| Paradegoers! |
Another outing Faith really enjoyed was going to the
Gateway to Science Center with some friends from church. I had never been to the new building before, and I was quite impressed! Faith had gone there once with her day program. We had lots of fun with the two little girls, especially at the water table and pretending to do the weather forecast!
At the end of the month, my brother and his family were here from South Dakota. Faith was so excited that her Auntie Amber and cousins could come over for a visit!
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| Having fun at the Science Center! |
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| Kenzie, Faith, and Sydnee |
In August, Faith got to spend quality time with her respite care providers as I had to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester to get my pacemaker battery replaced. When I told her the news, she was a little upset that I had to leave Sunday morning. I asked if she wanted Auntie Dawn to take her to church and she said, "YES!"
Thankfully my parents were able to take me to Minnesota. We left on Sunday and came back on Wednesday. Everything went well and I am hoping to get a little longer battery life from this pacemaker as they replaced my Medtronic with a Boston Scientific.
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| Thankful for these 2 for taking me to Rochester! |
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| Auntie Dawn taking Faith to her day program |
Faith got to video chat me each day I was gone, and I was so happy to see how well she was doing. I am truly thankful that I didn't have to worry about her when I was gone as I knew she was receiving the best care ever!
The hardest part for her was getting up at 7:00 a.m. each morning and being at her day program until 4. She normally doesn't get there until 10 or noon on days she has therapy. By the time I got home, she was exhausted!
She has been experiencing some recent changes at her day program. She started out in one room (Rec Leisure) but then was going to another room (Creative Learning) a few afternoons a week. She is currently attending Creative Learning every day. Although it's a bit of an adjustment and she misses her Rec Leisure staff, she is doing really well.
She has also been working hard in therapy all summer learning to drive a power chair. The technology she's using is called
Ability Drive. There is basically a little monitor mounted to the side of the chair and she can either drive the chair by looking at the arrow or by touching it.
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| The chair isn't customized for her, so we find our own ways to support her in it! |
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| Faith driving to each cone to see who is sitting on each one! |
She has been doing therapy 3 days a week and it's been exciting to see the progress she's made! Hopefully one day she can become a little more independent and drive her own chair, just like many of her peers at her day program!
The most exciting thing about this summer is seeing her growth and gaining the ability to take on changes and challenges with less anxiety and a can-do attitude! I'm so proud of her!
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| Fall is right around the corner! |
It is wonderful getting to read all about your lives!🌼 Have a happy fall!!
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