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!



Friday, September 9, 2016

Walking by Faith Not by Sight

Ever since I began this blog (back in 2009), I've always had the faith verse from Hebrews 11:1 on the header. But as of late, I feel the passage from 2 Corinthians 5:7 better reflects our current season of life.

This past year has been one of the more challenging ones we've had in light of caring for our daughter. As she has gotten heavier, I found lifting her has presented opportunities for straining my back. Thankfully, I’ve been able to receive healing through both prayer and the hands of a wonderful friend who is also a massage therapist. At the same time, I know I can no longer lift Faith as I once used to.

Faith hanging out at the eye doctor. She received a good report and still does not need glasses!

 Another huge change is that this past spring, Faith officially became a woman. While this is usually something for girls to celebrate, for us it provided a new set of challenges, including major PMS symptoms. Her sensitivity to loud noises heightens during this time and her already high tone kicks into overdrive, causing her to be very uncomfortable in her chair.

Because of her discomfort, we have spent a lot of time sitting on the couch together and the benefit for me is I have been getting a ton of reading done. A benefit for her is that my body serves as a dynamic seating system so that she’s not stuck in the same position for long periods of time. (Unfortunately, I have to turn down my husband’s suggestions that I submit myself to cloning.) On the upside regarding her cycle, she has been pretty regular so we can prepare for when she's going to be overly emotional and having physical symptoms.

Faith with me and two of her aunties  - look how big she's getting!

At one time Faith did occupational therapy but after a while it was advised Faith get physical therapy instead. Her OT made a recommendation and after being on a waiting list for months due to the fact they had to hire more pediatric physical therapists, we were finally able to get in. The PT has helped somewhat, and along with that, she also continues to see a chiropractor. We are glad to have made the switch to a wonderful lady chiropractor who can help us with some of Faith's hormonal issues.

Besides everything going on with Faith, we have had the most humid summer I can recall in all my years of living in North Dakota. We have had our wall air conditioner running almost nonstop all summer. Faith has a portable air conditioner (thanks to her uncle Todd) in her room that I don't know what we would do without.

Just as I have been feeling the intense heat in the physical realm, I have been feeling it in a spiritual sense as well. There have been days I have felt as though I had reached my limit and hit my breaking point. I have literally felt like I was walking through the fire. As I thought and prayed about it, I realized that it was my own fault. I mean, I had picked the word "RENEW" for my word of the year. How can God make things new without getting rid of the some of the old stuff first?

Many times I have had the thought I am going through the "Refiner's fire." While this was not always a good feeling, it did give me hope that I was going to come out stronger and that it would deepen my trust in God.

Staying nice and cool at Grandma's - Faith and most of her cousins, including the newest addition to our family.

It has certainly been a time of dying to self and I know that although it doesn't feel very good, it will end up being a good thing. It is also somewhat comforting to know that there are many other believers who are going through some very difficult situations. It has been wonderful to lift one another up in prayer.

Recent double rainbow
All of these challenges have caused us to keep our eyes on Jesus more than ever, and to depend on Him for our strength. And as we do, we continue to walk by faith, not by sight and know that whatever has already taken place in the physical realm will one day manifest in the physical.

As for right now I am really looking forward to the next season. I can't wait to feel the cool, refreshing breeze and see the beautiful transition of the leaves that always comes along with autumn.

This video of the song "King of My Heart" has been very encouraging to me during this difficult season. It's a reminder of God's goodness and that He will never let me down!