Kindergarten!!!

Is this really happening? Trinity is in Kindergarten? Where does time go?

Trinity started Kindergarten yesterday and LOVED IT!! She's only doing half-day kindergarten to start out with and eventually we will transition into full-day. I'm so proud of her, she got on the bus all by herself and didn't shed one tear. Mom on the other hand had a hard time saying goodbye, but I saved the emotions for after she left. She came home exhausted and ready for a nap, she actually requested a nap! She told me her favorite part of the day was seeing Aubree on the playground and watching her swing! I love that she has such a great relationship with her big sister. God has richly blessed me with some amazing kids!!

As Shannon and I were putting Trinity to bed last night, we both sat in awe at where time has gone. I never thought 5 years ago we would be putting Trinity on a school bus all by herself and going to kindergarten! God hears our prayers and answers in His timing, not ours. That is something I have learned many times over the years. Thankful that God has equipped Trinity and blessed her with amazing teachers and a school to attend. About a year ago you could hardly understand Trinity's speech, but today most people that interact with her can carry on a full conversation and understand what she is saying! School is good for Trinity and gives her a chance to have some social time with other kids. We are very thankful!

Summer 2013

We have had a great summer this year!! I wanted to share a few highlights from Trinity's summer with you. I have to apologize, I post so much on Facebook that I forget that we have people that follow on the blog and they don't have Facebook. So some of you never get to see pictures that I post or the updates from surgeries. I promise I'm going to do a much better job of posting on here now that I have a reliable computer to use!!

Since I'm not smart when it comes to blogging and I can't figure out how to caption the pictures, I'm going to have to tell you down here!

1. Trinity was a special guest at the memorial for Will. We had the privilege of seeing Will's new gravestone and it is so beautiful!! She really misses her special friend, but we talk often about the day she will get to see him again in Heaven!!

2. We spent as much time as we could, before Trinity's surgery, at the beach!! Trinity loves playing in the sand and seeing how far she can scoot out in the water!

3. Daddy got a new boat and Trinity loves to fishing on it!! Daddy even bought her a new fishing pole that is lightweight.

4. Daddy even lets her drive sometimes!!

5. Trew and Trinity enjoying some fishing time with the family!!

6. We got to go to the State Fair in Iowa. The kids had so much fun camping in Papa and Nana's camper!!

7. Trinity was a champ again during this last surgery!! God has blessed us with such a strong little girl. She was discharged the same day of surgery and recovered like a champ.

Hope all of you enjoyed your summer as much as we did!!

Surgery July 31

We seen Dr. Walker on Thursday and discussed the upcoming surgery. After seeing x-rays he has decided to replace the lower half of the growing rod to make it longer. He will reconnect the rod to the pelvic bone and add a clamp to help keep it in place. Trinity will more than likely be in the hospital for at the least one night. Her curve was 66 degrees on Thursday. This has gone up about 10 degrees since she got the rod in October of 2011. Nothing to be overly concerned with. He would like to get as much as we can out of the growing rod until we have to resort to something else.

Please pray that all goes well on the 31st and for Dr. Walker and the nurses that will be taking care of her. We appreciate all your prayers and support!

It's Been a Long Time!!

Wow, 6 months since our last post!! Fortunately nothing concerning has been going on with Trinity. She has her next spinal rod surgery scheduled for July 31st. We will meet with Dr. Walker on July 18th to determine the plan, whether he will do an extension in the rod or remove the lower part of the rod and replace it with a longer one. Please pray for God's guidance in his decision. She should only be in the hospital for 1-2 days if all goes well.

On another note, in May we met with her school for this fall. Can you believe she will be in kindergarten??? I can't!! God has blessed us with an amazing school district. They have worked out everything for her to start this fall: like providing lower tables, making sure the smartboard is lower, soap dispensers are at her reach, and the list goes on and on. I'm very impressed and at ease with this transition. Plus her sister will be there and riding the bus with her and that makes Trinity very excited! We also are going to look into dance too. She's very excited for that. She tells us all the time she wants to dance and sing, and I have no doubt in my mind that she will excel at both!

Happy 2013!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!
We had a great Christmas and New Year!! On December 18th Trinity had a lengthening done on her rod. Everything went great and she even got to come home that day, what a champ!!! She recovered and three days later we headed to Iowa for Christmas. The kids had a great time with all their cousins. Trinity also got her haircut, 12 inches! She has been asking us to cut her hair and donate it to Locks of Love. My sister is a hairstylist and we couldn't have thought of a better time to do it. She looks so much older and so cute! We are very proud of our kids and their generosity!
Last week Trinity got to play in the snow, with her siblings, in her new chair. We had a lot of fun.

We are looking forward to this New Year and all that God has for us! Can you believe Trinity will be 5 in about a month?!?!

Cure Pity!!

Something Shannon and I decided quite a while back was that we did not want people to have pity for Trinity. God made Trinity to be a very special little girl and despite her physical disabilities she's still just a little 4 year old enjoying everyday life! Trinity is disciplined just like her siblings and to some people this comes as a shock to them, "Why?" I'm not real sure. Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare (where Trinity has all her care) is asking people to sign the pledge to "Cure Pity". This is to make people aware that kids and adults with disabilities DO NOT want pity! They want to be treated like you and me. Try to avoid staring at them or making comments that reflect pity. Educate your children, because they will have a time in their life when they will encounter someone with disabilities. This past weekend my sister-in-law shared with me how thankful she is that Trinity is in her kids lives. They don't see Trinity for her disability, but instead for her personality! If you would like to sign the pledge please go to: curepity.org

We are blessed to live in such an amazing school district! Trinity has some awesome teachers that work so hard with her. This week we had a progress review meeting for her and she's doing so well, especially in speech! We are so thankful for all their hard work with her!

This month represents the month 5 years ago we found out about Trinity's diagnosis when she was in my womb. I never thought we would be where we are at today, but I'm so thankful for every hardship and joy we have faced! It has helped our family become stronger and has showed me that my deepest desire is for My Lord, Jesus Christ!

Tracks 4 Trinity

Last Friday a benefit was held for Trinity. The benefit was to help us purchase a Action Trackchair. We not only met our goal but exceeded it!!! It was a very humbling experience for our family. Support came from every direction and a lot of people we had never met before. A lot of hard work was put into this and we are forever grateful to all the people that worked hard to make this a HUGE success!! The chair has been ordered and she should get it in about 6-7 weeks. We are super excited for all the new activities Trinity will be able to do with this chair. I encourage you to check out their website. You may know somebody that could benefit from one of these chairs. www.actiontrackchair.com