July 2, 2013 -- "Steely" Determination!!!

We had our sweet little nephews staying with us.  So we took the kids to the local splash park and playground. It was very sweet to watch Gabi push Hope around in the jogger stroller that was given to us by the Woolsey family, and see Hope enjoy a bit of splash park fun. Her temperature regulation is still off as even in the 30+ degree weather (Celsius), she was freezing after just a couple minutes.  So she would come back to her daddy and I, get covered with a towel and warm up. . .

A Day at the Farm July 1, 2013

We went to my parent's farm to celebrate my mom's birthday.  Hope and Gabs were super excited to be able to ride the horse and snuggle the dogs there!  They have always loved animals!!!  Here are some pictures and a video from the day. . .

Snuggles with Daddy!!!

School's Out!!! June 21, 2013

This is an old post but I thought I'd still share it. . . 

School finished up towards the end of June.  Bearspaw Christian School held their annual elementary awards night, which we took both our girlies too.  It was a sweet night to thank our dear teachers that have poured into our children over these past months.  Here are a couple pictures and a video from that night. . .

Hope's Spelling Test

Hope and Gabi love to play school!  They always have!  So it's very fun to see them starting to be able to do that somewhat again with Hope's continued recovery by God's grace!

We have shared that Hope's memory has really started to return. Here in this video taken early June, she applies some memory but also shows the comprehension and new learning required to start spelling words again!  Isn't God's power and mercy so very great!!!  June marked some exciting advances in Hope's ability to start doing academic work at school. And although school is now out, we are hopeful and eager for what The Lord will continue to do in Hope this fall when school starts again and a plan to start some academic goals begins!

Hope you enjoy seeing answered prayers in this video. . . prayers for Hope and Gabi to continue to find more ways to interact and prayers for Hope's continued recovery!  All praise to the One who is able!!!  God is great and greatly to be praised!!! 

You are loved!!!

Video Link is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Henil7efrJA

Hope Loses a Tooth

"My mind was left behind!"  A Hope-ism for how to deal with pain!

To view Hope's comical commentary on losing a tooth, click on the following link. . . 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFav69xqeuI

Tea Party Fun

One of the things that Hope has recently remembered is the library area that is on the upper floor.  A couple weeks ago, she started asking for us to carry her up to the "pink rug!"  She always loved that area.  Last Monday, Gabi set up a tea party for them up there, to her big sister's delight!  It is hard for Hope to stay upright for long, sitting like that, due to the constant challenge of her scoliosis.  But here are a couple pictures of the girls thoroughly enjoying their little tea party together, before Hope fell over for the fifth time and so daddy took her back downstairs to her more comfortable recliner chair.  : )  I love that they still enjoy tea parties!!!

Hope-ism. . . June 18, 2013

We are daily blessed with the sweet and/or funny things that Hope entertains us by saying.  We are also often amazed at the depth of her understanding, especially when it comes to the things of The Lord.  Here is a conversation that Hope and I had today while driving on our way to school. . .

Hope Update--June 17, 2013

Hello dear praying friends and family!  It has been a bit since I've put on an update.  Although life stays very full, things move very slowly with Hope and so I often feel I don't have much new to tell you.  But after a couple weeks have gone by, or for sure after a month, we see the culmination of those little things into bigger areas of change, which is very encouraging for sure.  I'd love to share some of those things with you.  We've also had a couple discouraging days where Hope has had some setbacks. . . these are always hard to take in and hard to watch our girlie continue to experience the roller coaster of ups and downs throughout this long recovery journey, especially as she is increasingly aware of these setbacks.  To be honest, each setback feels like a punch in the stomach and makes you realize how little we are able to control and how utterly weak we are on our own strength.  It reminds us how much we yearn for the return of our Saviour and the joy and release of Heaven!  The stinging pain of these setbacks are not a place we enjoy being, for sure, but our gracious God uses these times to continue to grow our faith and trust in Him, and especially our dependence on Him to continue persevering for His glory and by His grace!  John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  And 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, "Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."  Praise God for the most awesome hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ!!!

So, a few updates to share:

Hope continues to make small bits of progress that over time sure adds up and we are so very thankful for God's obvious faithful hand of healing over her. Boy it stretches our patience some days, but He is always accomplishing His good and perfect plan and we need to stay content and thankful!

Learning Heart Lessons

Learning Lessons

I have another Hope-ism that turned into a good heart lesson for me and I would love to share it with you for a couple reasons. . . first because I love to see God's truths go forth and I pray that it will encourage you as The Lord continues His faithful work in our lives, and secondly, because I love to give you a real picture of the weak and sinful self that I struggle with all for the purpose of showing how great our awesome God is to save, love and continue to sanctify a wretch like me!

Let me start with the story. . .

May 20, 2013 Hope-ism

This past Monday, Trevor was outside trying to start our lawnmower for the first time this year in order to mow the backyard. Hope was also outside in the backyard, sitting in her jogger stroller and enjoying some fresh air.  

The lawnmower would not start.  Trev, thinking perhaps some water had gotten in the line, kept starting it over and over, but it continually would just die a few seconds later.  After about 15 minutes of listening to Trevor try to start the lawn mower, over and over again, Hope said this to her daddy. . .

"Daddy, I've got three words for you!"

Laughing, Trevor asked, "Oh really?  What are they?"

And Hope answered, slowly and spaced out. . . 

"IT'S. . . NOT. . . WORKING!!!"

: )     : )     : )     : )     : )     : )     : )      : )

Smart girl!  We still have a lawn mower that is not working, even after grandpa's visit the next day!!!  : )   Ha ha!!!

A HOUSE FOR HOPE!!

We have created a new page that we will use to keep you up to date on the progress of our new house.  Go to A HOUSE FOR HOPE - UPDATES under the My Story sidebar.

Update on Hope

Hello dear ones!  I am finally getting a chance to send out an update on our Hopey Bear!  First, thank you sooo very much for such a outpouring of prayer and encouragement last week as our family went through one of the tougher weeks we've had for a while.  What a blessing the Lord has made EACH one of you in our lives!!!

Hope is doing much better this week and we are praising the Lord for His grace in this!  Last week was a good reminder of how far God has brought Hope as we continue this journey.  Hope started to eat last Friday and it was a massive relief to our hearts.  She started with eating very small amounts only, but by Monday afternoon, she was eating more average again.  She is definitely feeling better now and is back to surprising us daily with her little progressing achievements!  Her speech is right back on track.  Her memory is continuing to growingly impress us as she recalls details, stories and people from the past, as well as memorizes verses and even remembers things I forget!  I'm back to asking her to remind me to do things. . . it's GREAT!!!  Trevor did a little game of "Guess the Movie" from listening to songs from various kid's animated movies.  Hope and Gabs were neck and neck in the game, and we were amazed to see what she is starting to remember!

Hope finished her last day of outpatient therapy at the Children's Hospital this week.  It was a sad goodbye to some very special therapists, Logan and Fiona, that have poured their hearts into working with our Hopey.  Fiona has been the longest therapy relationship that Hope has had, and was the first therapist's name that Hope learned to say!  We love those dear girls and praise God for how He has used them in Hope's life.  Please keep each of them in prayer as they are both making transitions in their jobs as well.

Hope was able to attend the Grade 4-6 Activity Day at Cardel Place with her school this week!  It was a great adventure for her dad and I to assist her with rock climbing and finally getting back into the pool again.  Hope has had a fear of pools since last year.  Both activities were preceded with many tears and refusal to participate, but thanking the Lord for the intuition that He gives parents about their children. . . we got her to just "try it" and before you knew it, she was LOVING it and didn't want to stop!!!  I'll attach two photos. . . one of her rock climbing (harness and all!) and one of her in the pool with daddy!  She had a blast and was able to conquer some fear that only holds her back.  We thank the Lord for helping her to be brave and see what she can still do and look forward to having more options of activities for Hope to be able to particpate in!  Family pool time will be a great joy to little sister, Gabs, too!  : )

Another praise and new joy for Hope was the jogging stroller that was given to us by the Woolsey family.  We have been using it this week with the nicer weather and Hope is loving the opportunity to be outside again!  We went for an almost 2 hour walk together this week. . . she loved it!  And we have also put her in the back yard in the stroller with Gabs to have some play time outside!  Gabs is great with her and today they spent almost 6 hours outside playing. . . catching ladybugs, building forts, eating snacks, etc..  Hope was even bossing some of the neighbor kids to get down off the fence before they got hurt or broke it!  It was pretty humorous!!!  : )

Prayer Requests

Here are some of the things that you can be keeping in prayer as you continue to think of us:

*Please continue to pray for Hope's eyesight to be restored.  There is no change in this and we just humbly continue to bring this request before our able God, waiting on Him and trusting in Him no matter what He deems best for Hope's life!

*Please pray for all the new therapists that will be starting to treat Hope at Bearspaw Christian School.  Building rapport and relationship with these therapists is important for both Hope and our family as we continue forward.  Please also keep us in prayer, as a vast majority of her "therapy" is done at home in what we do with her.  Logan and Fiona have been great resources for us and we apply all that we learn from them in the things we do with Hope at home, both in play as well as in intentional "therapy" time with daddio!  We are also looking at getting some equipment to help Hope continue to progress as the Lord continues to heal her.  One is a walker that will be trialed next week. . . please pray that this walker will have the right attachments to suit Hope's needs as it is the only one covered by the AADL funding program.  If it doesn't work, we may need to look at purchasing one which would be a few thousand dollars.  We are also waiting on a standing frame which would allow Hope to be stood upright at home.

*Hope continues to have little seizures or almost seizures.  Her anti-seizure medication has been increased twice over the past couple weeks.  We will just continue to watch and monitor her for now.  She is starting to let us know when one is about to happen, and she has responded well with keeping calm and asking to go to a quiter cooler place to avoid going into a full seizure.  She is also able to communicate better how she is feeling during her seizures.  We are still waiting to hear back from all the blood work and tests that were done last week.

*Hope's intratheccal Baclofen pump was turned down last week.  It is getting closer and closer to the lowest possible dose or rate that can be infused.  We are praising the Lord for this miracle!  We'll see the neurosurgeon in July and are sure looking forward to showing him the amazing things that God is doing in healing Hope's broken body.  Please keep this process in prayer, as it is driven by Trev and I now. . . making the decisions when to decrease the pump.  And please pray that Hope will continue to have no issues with dystonia (too much tone or tightness in her muscles).  She still has some but nothing that is harmful, painful, or limits her functions.  Please pray that her motor control of her muscles would continue to improve, as well as the severe scoliosis in her back.

*Please keep Gabi in prayer to continue to grow in her ability to connect with her sister, and especially to practice other-centeredness in her play and interaction with her.  With all the beautiful weather, it is hard for Gabs to not want to just go outside and play and do the things that she is able to do, but Hope is now not.  It is so hard on Hope, who is very aware of the fact that Gabs is outside playing and doing things she cannot.  Hope will often say things like, "Gabs don't go outside or you'll break my heart!"  We are trying hard to find some balance in allowing Gabi to still be the healthy little girl that God has made her, but also considering the heartache of her big sister who remembers the past and knows what she now can no longer do.  So we are trying to make times for them to be outside together, time for Gabs to go out and do some of her past normal activities like riding a bike while someone else is entertaining Hope, and time where Gabi can practice other-centeredness and stay inside to be with her big sister and engage with her.

*For Trev and I, we would so appreciate your prayers for wisdom (always!), strength (daily!), and the Lord's leading in how we use our time.  There is always more things to be done than time available to do it and so we need His guidance in using our time wisely and for the purposes that God would have, always being flexible to what He may allow to change our plans. . . this happens quite often.

I think that's it for now.  As always, we are so thankful for your heart to lift our Hopey and our family up to the Lord in prayer.  What a compassionate God we serve that desires us to bring all our cares to Him, as He continues His faithful work in our lives.  His yoke is truly easy. . . not because life or circumstances are easy or because our strength never wanes. . . but rather because He is faithful and loving as we put our trust in Him and live lives dependent on Him.  Our God never EVER fails!!!  In a world where everything fails at some point or another, that is an AMAZING TRUTH!!!  May God hear our grateful hearts pour out praise to His worthy name today and forever more!!!  You are so very loved, dear ones!!!

Home from the Hospital

We finally got out of the hospital this afternoon! And it is very good to be back home for the whole family! It was hard being apart like that, on each one of us, even Trev and Gabs at home (a reminder of the painful past). Hopey did not sleep very well last night. She is not well today again. She still has not eaten (it's been two days now of eating nothing). She is having temperature regulation problems and is very warm to touch with red flushed cheeks . . . all the while she is complaining of "freezing!" She does not show a temp though, but acting like a fever. She had some seizure type activity again last evening.

Hope's Songs - "Have Patience"

Hope singing Have Patience. . . a little song from her childhood that she still remembers very well! It is a powerful testimony of God's grace in returning both her ability to talk and sing, as well as her memory of past songs!!!

We hope you enjoy the sweet gift and love of music that God has given our sweet Hopey! She played piano and guitar before this brain injury and sang almost non-stop! So this precious "music" to our ears!!! And this is one of many songs that Hope is singing again! Praise the Lord!!! : )

A Van for Hope

Hello dear prayer warriors! Thought I would also share with you 5 little mini videos that are from last May 2012. We filmed these little clips before and after Hope's first ride in the new wheelchair accessible van. They were taken the weekend before Hope was discharged from a 5 month hospital stay! They are the best way that we can show Hope's thanks to each of you who played a part in her receiving a wheelchair accessible van. . . both through donations, as well as most importantly through the power of prayer! It is precious to see the limited ability she had to communicate back then and yet her excitement over the van and how God was providing for her through the love and generosity of so many people. It is also a great reminder of how far God has brought our sweet Hope. . . she could barely get sound out of her mouth back then, and now she is able to talk to us. . . our God is both merciful and powerful!!! We hope you enjoy these precious little videos, knowing as you watch them, that YOU are very loved!!!