Faith's Mom's Blog

I know I have said this many times before, but I can't reiterate how thankful we are for the Inspire homeschooling group that Faith joined. Not only has she made some wonderful friends, but her social skills have also improved, she has more confidence, and she has learned a lot in science and history. Besides all of that, she has gotten to take part in their annual Christmas program, which she absolutely loves. Last year, she played the part of an angel and had a few lines to say. This year, she played the one and only bright shining star. Not only did she get a narration part, for which she had to memorize and say an entire paragraph worth of words, but she got to say the best line of the play, "SO MANY STARS!" This year's program, Starry Night, Noisy Night , told the birth of Jesus from the perspective of the animals that were present in the stable that night. There were sheep, chickens, cows, and of course a donkey. There were also shepherds, wise men, and ange...

In the past when Faith and I have done her annual Thankful List, I would write down the items as she told them to me. This year, I thought it would be fun for Faith to be sitting right next to me so I could show her how to do a blog post. So here we are again giving thanks to the Lord for His abundant blessings, which is the whole point of Thanksgiving!  One reason I like this tradition so well is because since Faith has a feeding tube, it's hard for her to get excited about turkey and all the other food that accompanies this special day. This year, Faith says she is especially THANKFUL for the following people and things in her life: Good Friends  Faith has made some wonderful friends at a faith-based homeschooling group she attends once a week called Inspire.  This year, she invited the girls from her class to the park for her birthday. (It was near miraculous that we had a 60-degree day with no wind at the end of October!) She had such a wonderful time. As her...

Summer. It sure doesn't last long in North Dakota. And since Faith started school earlier this week, I figured it was a great day to reminisce about the summer we had.  In June we took a trip to Fargo and somehow ended up at Tim Horton's in Grand Forks. Faith and I figured it was a great way to celebrate Father's Day a little bit early! While my brother and his wife were away for a couple of weeks, we went out to their place to check on their dogs for them. Faith loved her new role as dog sitter. She especially enjoyed reading Clifford the Big Red Dog books to them. Besides dog sitting, Faith also enjoyed house sitting her grandparents' house while they were on vacation. Unfortunately, Faith wasn't feeling the best over the 4th of July, so we didn't make it to the parade this year, or any other fun festivities. She did get to see the fireworks from our parking lot, though. Later in the week, we made it up to Grandma and Grandpa's so she could see...

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! 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 pro...

On Facebook this month, I did a #30DaysOfThankfulness and posted each day what I am thankful for. I wanted to compile my complete list in one spot - so here it is! Day 1 : I really am thankful that God took me, someone with a past of swearing, alcohol abuse, rebellion, and other types of sinful behavior, and made me into a new creation, which can only truly be done through JESUS! Day 2 : Thankful that even on more challenging days, there is always something to be thankful for, and today I'm thankful for chocolate! Day 3 : The first snowfall of the year always reminds me of this Bible verse. I'm thankful that all the promises in His word will one day come to pass. Day 4 : I watched a movie yesterday called The Last Face (it's a tough movie about the civil war that took place in Liberia). I found myself feeling more thankful than ever that we live where we do and that all of our basic needs get met each and every day.  Not only does my family have a ...