Piano Inspiration for Kara

Back in 2008, I wrote an entry about Kara’s desire to learn to play the piano. She is a very determined girl, and I knew that if she wanted to play the piano, she would figure out a way to do so with her special hands. Unfortunately, some people have been skeptical about that and have [...]

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Miracles Happen

  As I wrote in my last entry, while Kara was in surgery last week, I stayed in her hospital room to wait.  While there, I noticed the little bear that our church gave to Kara sitting on her bed with her glasses.  The message on the bear’s tummy said “Miracles Happen.”  I sat there [...]

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My Story, Part 4: Huang Min Cui

Please note:  Most of the information in this entry is accurate, but because Huang Min Cui’s history  is sketchy at best, some of the details (especially of the birth family) are speculative–how I like to think of them. My story takes a break for this entry to make way for the amazing story of a [...]

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Left Hand Out of Commission :(

Lovely, isn’t it?!  Yesterday  I fell on my way into church and landed right on my hand.   I knew right away that I had injured my middle two fingers–and I was scheduled to play the piano for the morning service!  Believe it or not, I made it through that with a lot of cover from [...]

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A Beka Academy Week 11 Update

  Yes, this is a Thanksgiving paper!  We are enough ahead of schedule, that we are pretty close to Thanksgiving in our schoolwork. This week I am going to write about something that I really don’t notice much, but that does come up from time-to-time:  Kara’s hands.  Kara had multiple birth defects, some of which [...]

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Kara’s Piano Lessons

Ever since Kara has been in the Prairie Family, she has always shown a lot of interest in music–particularly in playing the piano.  At first I must admit that I wasn’t sure that she could learn to play the piano because of her hands that were born with syndactyly.  All of her fingers were fused [...]

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To a Special Birth Mother

    I woke up this morning thinking about you.  I wondered who you are, where you live, what your life is like.  I wondered if you think about the day that you gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and the struggles that you faced trying to raise her.  I know that you wanted [...]

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Camp Fire USA: Trail to Family and Community

We began a new project in Camp Fire USA last night.  It is called People Power, and it is a part of the Trail to Family and Community.  “Follow the Signs” is the lesson that we completed.  We discussed signs around the community and the functions that they serve.  The kids each made their own [...]

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So, what phase is it now?????

Well……I can say that the Change-It-Everyday Phase is over, and the good news is that THERE ARE NO MORE PHASES!!!    (Yes, we are very happy!)  Dr. Benson was very pleased with how Kara’s toes were looking, and said that she no longer needed the extensive bandaging.  There is still a small area that needs [...]

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Last Day of the Change-It-Everyday Phase????

I have appreciated so many people asking how Kara’s foot is doing.  I really haven’t had a very specific answer for that question because it’s kind of hard to tell.  So, I have basically just been saying that we’ll know more when we go back to the doctor on January 8–which is tomorrow!  Kara’s toes [...]

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