Faith's Mom's Blog

Despite the fact summer officially began only a few days ago, for us, it feels like it actually began in May. Since we've begun to have such wonderful weather, Faith has been wanting to get out and about, which has been fun for the whole family. In early May, the three of us ventured to the river where the boats, dandelions, and motorcyclists were out in full force. Enjoying the great outdoors! The banks of the Missouri River - one of Faith's favorite places! Besides going to the river, the library, and elsewhere, Faith has also enjoyed spending some quality family time at her Grandma and Grandpa's. On Mother's Day we enjoyed our first official barbecue of the year. Faith enjoyed getting to know my sister's dog, Snickerdoodle, aka Snickers, a little better. He is such a good dog and quiet too, which is why Faith likes him! Happy Mother's Day to me! My sister Dawn and I along with our mom! Faith's new favorite dog is Snickers! Towa...

At the end of March, I found myself heading east on I-94 with my parents, leaving my husband and daughter behind. An hour into our trip, my husband called because Faith wanted to talk to me. In near tears, she asked if I was going to be home soon. Oh my breaking heart. The last time I had been away from her for more than a day was probably about 9 years ago. The reason for my departure had started back in January when I began fasting along with our church. In my journal on that first day, I had written that I wanted God to reveal any internal problems or heart issues I needed to deal with. I was speaking of spiritual issues, but in His goodness, He also revealed some physical problems that needed taken care of. During the fast I became extremely fatigued and didn't feel well at all. I began having chills and my husband encouraged me to start eating solid foods. I began eating soup, oatmeal, and other easy-to-digest foods, but none of it made me feel any better. Eventua...

In my immediate family, my birthday in early February used to kick off the birthday season which would last through May. That's seven birthdays we celebrated in just a four-month time span! By the time we got to my mom's birthday, she was so tired of eating cake that she often opted not to have one.  Now that we have a larger family with in-laws, nieces, nephews, and significant others, there are many more birthdays to celebrate, all throughout the year. For those of us who live here in Bismarck, we have a great time getting together (usually at Mom and Dad's) to celebrate.  It's kind of funny because after we get done celebrating a birthday, Faith will ask, "Who's birthday is next, Mom?" Unfortunately, this year on my birthday, I wasn't feeling the best, but it was still fun to get together with family. One of the reasons I still wanted to go ahead with the party was because Faith had been looking so forward to it. I'll be the first to admit...

It's hard to believe but the holidays have come and gone and once again we're saying hello to another new year. Honestly, I'm NOT going to miss 2016! I know I'm not alone when I say the previous year was quite a challenging one. I'm hopeful that this year will be much better! During Thanksgiving, we had a family get together at my mom and dad's. My sister and her family were able to come up from Nebraska for the festivities. Neither of my brothers were able to make it, but for good reason, as they were both able to return work on the oil rigs.  Faith celebrating Thanksgiving with her cousins Me, Tesa, Dawn - sisters! Thanksgiving is a great reminder that even in the midst of tough times, there is always something to be thankful for. I continue to give thanks my parents and most of my family lives nearby and that I have enjoyed being in good health. I am also thankful we were finally able to hire respite care, and that we found the perfect pe...