Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Faith Has Graduated!


I can't believe I am the mother of a graduate! It seems I have waited a long time for this. At the same time, however, it has come very quickly. I still very vividly remember the days of walking her to school from our apartment building to Centennial Elementary. She had some wonderful teachers there but when she was in 4th grade we decided to homeschool her. 

There were definitely a lot of positive things about homeschooling. One was that she didn't tire so easily so she could focus more. The other is that she didn't catch everyone's germs so she was sick less often. Another was that I could give her one-on-one attention. Faith's biggest goal was to learn how to read. It took a long time, and although she can only read simple words and very simple sentences, she exceeded expectations 

One major drawback of homeschooling is that she missed being around other kids. It didn't help that she is an only child. When I found out about Inspire Collective, I thought it would be perfect for Faith! Unfortunately, at the time it started Faith had some medical stuff that we needed to resolve. But finally in October 2017, Faith was doing better and we decided to give it a go. 

There were two girls, who were sisters, that she automatically clicked with. Those two girls remain her best friends. She made other really good friends as well. Many of these girls have invited Faith to their birthday parties and they have come to hers. I love that her disability was never a barrier to making new friends in this group! Besides making great friends, she studied history, science, STEM, music, and arts, she has participated in Christmas programs, field trips, and other special courses. We are so thankful to Nicole Elliott, for founding Inspire and also to Mandi Wilhelm for taking it over. All of the teachers made learning so much fun. Even I learned a lot from them over the years! 

Because Inspire played such a huge role in Faith's homeschooling education, it seemed appropriate to present her diploma there. I must say, that as I gave the presentation, I was overcome with emotion. I felt so grateful that God had provided everything throughout the years to help us in this endeavor. I was so thankful for my "Inspire family" and their love and support. They truly went out of their way to make the day very special day for Faith. Some of her classmates showered her with cards, special gifts, and even the perfect balloon! I was also thankful my parents could come to the event, even though we all made each other cry! As we rolled out the door when it was all over she yelled, "Yay!! I did it, I graduated!" She was so proud of herself! 




Since Faith is already 18 and has graduated, the next step will be attending a day services program for adults with disabilities. She is excited about this opportunity. However, she is also feeling a bit anxious. She knows I am going to have to leave her there. Since she was homeschooled, this is going to be new for her. I have never really just dropped her off somewhere and left her there. She has had respite care look after her while I'm gone, but that is in here home, where she feels safe and secure. Even when we go to therapy twice a week, I am there with her. 

It will definitely be different for both of us. I know, though, that this is the right thing to do and that she will probably end up loving it! I'll probably be the one having a hard time with it! 

I am still going to do a graduation open house for her but it won't be until spring. Maybe by then, we will be done with the cold, snow, and sickness that seems to be hitting everyone we know. For now, I'm going to process the reality that my daughter is all done with school and that she is taking the next big step in her journey! 

Keep scrolling to see pictures each year of school! 

Faith starts Kindergarten


Pumpkin Patch in 1st grade

My sweet second-grade schoolgirl

Pajama Day in 3rd Grade

Faith's desk in 4th Grade

5th Grade at the Library

Big smiles for 6th Grade

7th Grade and no glasses necessary!

8th Grade and first time at the Nutcracker Ballet

9th Grade

History project in 10th grade

11th grade getting some fresh fall air




Faith made it to 12th grade!



Tuesday, October 29, 2019

A Cold But Fun Filled October

As I'm writing this blog post, it is currently 25 degrees outside. With the windchill, it feels more like 12 degrees. That's cold for October. Even in North Dakota! Winter definitely seems like it's here. Earlier this month we had a historic blizzard that dumped 13 inches of snow on Bismarck and over 2 feet of the white stuff in other parts of the state. As a result, the public schools had their first official snow day. I was ready to give Faith the day off from her lessons at home, but she still wanted to do them!
First major snowfall of the year - in October! (Thanks mom for the pic!)
It could have been a snow day for Faith but she still wanted to do school!
It did warm up soon after and all the snow melted but the October blizzard created quite a mess for farmers and ranchers who still had crops in the field and cows in the pasture.

I was very grateful that we didn't have to go anywhere - for school or for work. I am still freelance writing from home. Recently, I began doing some freelance work for a local company called the National Day Calendar. I currently write their articles for the International days that get observed around the world. It's been a fun change of pace and much more exciting than writing about septic systems and other mundane subjects!

Besides homeschooling and freelance writing, Faith finally started Inspire Collective again. It's her most favorite activity in the world. She has made some of her best friends through this faith-based homeschooling group.

Faith's class learning about plant cell walls in science.
Faith's class checking the speed of their LEGO cars

Faith's LEGO car ended up being the 5th fastest out of 12 cars! I was really thinking her dad should have been there for this event, but Faith and I actually did pretty good!

Along with enjoying science and STEM, Faith also likes her history class. They are learning about one of my favorite time periods, which is the mid to late 1800's. I am thankful that she watches Little House on the Prairie, which helps with her comprehension of the subject matter.



This past weekend, we had a momentous occasion in our household as Faith turned 16! We ended up having a party in the lobby of our building with some of her friends and neighbors. Because we had to limit the number of people, my mom came up with the idea of having a 2nd party for just the family, which will be next month.

Despite the fact we already had plenty of people on our guest list, Faith continued to invite people in our building. One day we were sitting in the lobby and a lady who had recently moved in went to check her mail. Faith said hello to her so she came over to where we were sitting. She told us she is a nursing student. (Faith always makes connections with the care-giver types!). 

Faith ended up inviting her to her party. Not only did Faith's new friend show up, she gave Faith a very nice card with money inside. It was so incredibly sweet. Everyone who came to celebrate with Faith was so kind and generous. She received clothes, nail polish, art activity kits, gift cards, and even homemade cookies! We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and neighbors.

 A few of Faith's neighbors even brought their dogs!
One of Faith's favorite families!
Chris and Faith with her beautiful birthday bouquet.
Faith with her friends.  


Faith blowing out her birthday candles.
She did it!!! Happy Sweet 16 Faith!

Sunday, December 31, 2017

A Fun and Festive December


This December has definitely been a fun and festive one for our family! Normally we don't get too crazy over the holidays, but this year we did a few things that we normally don't do. I have probably mentioned that Faith is in a homeschooling group called Inspire Collective. She has been having so much fun hanging out with other kids and becoming friends with some of the girls in her class. Four of these girls are involved in Northern Plains Dance and this year we were invited by one of the moms to come and check out their performance of the Nutcracker.

We had never actually seen the Nutcracker before and the three of us absolutely loved it! The music, the dancing, the acting, and the costumes all made it a really good production. I'm so thankful we were able to experience it. Who knows, it just might be a new tradition for us!

Faith waiting for the Nutcracker to begin
Having a fun time at the ballet!
The next weekend we had to get ready for the Inspire Christmas program. The kids did a rendition of a play called "The Reluctant Innkeeper" and the music teacher was kind enough to add in a part and a few lines just for Faith. She played the angel who said, "Fear not for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto is born this day in Bethlehem, a savior who is Christ the Lord." Faith put a lot of time and energy into memorizing all the songs and not only her lines, but the lines of everyone else as well! One time after practicing at home, she yelled, "I am the greatest actress in the universe!"

In the days leading up to the program, she kept asking me if I was going to be on stage with her and I kept telling her no. Thankfully, one of her friends got to stand right next to her during the production so she was chosen to get Faith on the stage and make sure she was in the right place for her lines. Faith actually seemed very comfortable on stage and didn't seem nervous or anxious at all. She was mostly excited and had a lot of fun.

Faith was glad that her grandma and grandpa, along with her great aunt came to the program. Her grandparents and aunt from Canada were able to watch it online. Her grandmother said she watched it with "happy tears."

Some of the Inspire kids on stage
Faith in her angel costume
Faith was so glad Grandma and Grandpa came to her program!
 During our time at Inspire this year, I have loved watching Faith grow, mature, and become a little bit more independent. She has made some good friends and looks forward to going each and every week, even when she's really tired or not feeling the best.

After the program, Faith started a 3-week break from Inspire, which she was pretty sad about. She can't wait to get back to it. I for one am glad for the break however, especially in light of the below zero temperatures and all the windchill warnings that have been in effect. It's a good thing we have had some visitors that have helped to pass the time. One of her favorite visitors was the newest addition to our family!

Faith meeting her newest cousin, Malachi Daniel

Rob and Marla hanging out - she thought our remote was a phone!
Thankfully, it wasn't so cold on Christmas Eve, which is when we went to Grandma and Grandpa's. Three out of four of my siblings were there, along with most of Faith's cousins, and her three baby cousins. We didn't stay long but it was nice to see everyone, even if just for a little bit and to get some fun photos.

When we got home, Faith was excited to play with one of her Christmas gifts - the latest and greatest version of Wheel of Fortune on the PS4.
Parents and siblings, including Todd

The 3 of us at Grandma and Grandpa's on Christmas Eve
Faith with her little cousins
My niece Justine and great niece GracieLynn
Christmas Day was extremely cold so we stayed in and opened presents and had a nice dinner, which included a turkey breast, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans w/ feta and walnuts, and stuffing. We also had a nice conversation with our family in Canada.

Having fun with Faith

It just wouldn't be Christmas without a new Tim Horton's mug from Canada!

Last week, I got the chance to hang out with my sisters when we went out for lunch, and even though it was freezing cold outside, we braved the weather to make it to my niece's baby shower. It was a fun time of games, food, and lots of gifts for my great nephew who will be born any day now!


Sister time!
My sister and niece at the baby shower
Faith, Rob, and Malachi
Tonight as I type type this, it is New Year's Eve and once again we are experiencing frigid temperatures. Right now it is -16 degrees with a windchill of -31. Rob braved the temperatures to pick up Applebee's for our dinner and for the rest of the night we're going to be watching our new favorite TV show, Heartland along with Spider-man Homecoming.

It has certainly been a fun and festive December! We pray that everyone has a warm and safe New Year's as we say goodbye to one year and transition into the next.

Happy 2018!

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Faith's Fourteenth Birthday

Last year I had a tough time getting used to the idea that my daughter had somehow turned into a teenager. This year, I'm having a hard time believing that my daughter is 14 years old. 14!

How in the world did that happen?

Admittedly, her birthday started a little rough with Faith waking up saying she didn't want to celebrate. I chalked it up to her being really tired due to her long day on Tuesday which had begun at 7:30 a.m. If you know Faith, you know that is really early for her.

Somehow in the midst of her crankiness, we managed to get her up and into her chair for her first feeding of the day without the occurrence of any major battles.

When Faith heard her auntie Joh singing Happy Birthday to her while leaving a message, her mood shifted to being happy and joyful. We called Joh back, who had taken time during her lunch break to make the birthday call. We also talked to her grandparents in Canada, which helped as well. After the phone calls, she decided she did want to celebrate her birthday after all, which included going ahead with her party (Thank goodness!).

Knowing Faith would probably be tired (she has a big day on Tuesday which involves a homeschooling group), we decided to have a smaller party with her grandparents and some people who live in our building that we have befriended. Since a few of the people have disabilities and don't drive, we figured the community room in our downstairs lobby would work well.


 


Faith did well for most of her party but began running out of steam toward the end. After we cleaned up, we asked her if she wanted to go to church. New Life had been having a special speaker all week and Wednesday evening was the last service.
 
She totally surprised us by saying she wanted to go! So off we went to continue her birthday celebration. She even wore her "Birthday Girl" ribbon that had been pinned to her shirt for her party, so several people from church wished her a Happy Birthday - which she loved!

Toward the end of the message, nearly everyone in attendance went to the alter for prayer. After Faith had gotten prayed for, a friend of ours on the worship team asked if she wanted to go up and worship with her. Faith hesitated at first, but when she realized I would go with her, she decided to give it a try. She wasn't too sure what to think at first, but she eventually relaxed.


What a wonderful experience and the perfect ending for
what turned out to be an amazing birthday for a 14-year-old!