Pre-teen milestone

Well, for Christmas Lily received the gift she so desperately wanted but didn't think she would receive.  Thanks to our friend Chris Henry and her Daddy, we decided it was time for her to get her own cell phone.  She was super surprised and super excited!

The look of surprise!

We adore Lily's teacher

Lily has been blessed with some amazing teachers over the years.  Ms. Mosquera (aka Ms. Hill) has been no exception!  Today she sent Lily this card in the "real mail" addressed to her personally.   My favorite lines are "Lily, I feel so lucky to be your teacher.  I love watching you each day, gracefully going about your day, respecting everyone and everyone around you. I've learned a lot by watching you!  I know you will continue to soar over the years.  I can't wait to see what you become and how you give to the world!"

Needless to say, this Mama is speechless!

Sassy and Smart

I have a new nickname for Lily Bean...."Octopus"  The reason for this nickname is that this child has no sense of personal space when it comes to her mama.  She is all over me all the time.  I am sitting on the couch with lots of space for her to sit, but she must sit right on top of me always!  Lily has been a little sassy and spicy lately.  We have to remind ourselves to take a deep breath and pray that "this too shall pass"  I guess it's a good thing she is asserting her independence, but man, sometimes.....

Lily is really a bright young lady.  She is a good problem solver and knows all kinds of do-it-yourself hacks!  For example, we were setting up the Christmas tree yesterday and I couldn't get the angel on the tree because of the new lighting we purchased.  I tried one strategy but it didn't work.  Lily took one look at the angel and made a suggestion for how we could solve the problem and wa-la problem solved.  The other day I was trying to sew using the sewing machine and she totally schooled me!  She also appears to be quite responsible at school for her schoolwork.  We are really blessed!

Yesterday after Olav and I set up the tree and I put on the lights, Lily went on to decorate the entire tree herself.  She did an amazing job as shown below!

Proud Moments

I was so proud of Lily today! About 2 weeks ago she swam her first swim meet for her new swim team YMCA. She had a really good meet!

She came in 2nd place overall for Girls 11-12 100 M Freestyle and she won the Princess Patch for her character.

The email from the coach said this:

This meets Princess is awarded to Lily Gjerde for believing in herself. Lily tried her first 200 IM. Lily listened to her coach and did a legal back turn which they had been working on the day before the Virtual Meet. Even though she DQ’d we are proud of how hard she tried.


While I was ecstatic about her achievements, she was most proud of her classmates commenting that she was the best singer in their group! I don't know why she doesn't sign up to do chorus at school!

Trick or Treat and A heart for the homeless

This girl never ever takes a bad photograph.  Here are just a few snap shots from Halloween 2017.  She was a kitty cat.

In other news, Lily has really developed a heart for the homeless she sees on the local street corners in Frederick.  She has kept asking me what we can do.  So she has inspired us to make some Blessing bags that include some basics to hand out.  Gosh, I love this girl's heart!

First day of 6th grade!

Wow, my beautiful girl is growing up!  Today was her first day of 6th grade.  She reported it was a "great day".  Praying for a fantastic year!!!!

6th grader in the house!

Contact Lenses and camping

Learning to put in new contacts

So it's no secret Lily has despised her glasses.  Getting her to wear them has been a constant battle.  We found an ophthalmologist who would fit her for contact lenses.  She has done great!  She had absolutely no problem taking them in and out and has been so proud of herself!  Plus she actually likes to wear them.  I don't think she realized how much she really couldn't see without her glasses!

Also, we just came back from one of our annual camping trips with the Guatemalan Cuties crew.  It's so hard to believe how much they have grown and changed!

Guate tweens age 11

Guate tots ages 4

Lily continues to amaze me with her maturity.  She really does have a good head on her shoulders!  Tomorrow is the first day of 6th grade!  I am so thankful that she gets to stay in the same school!  I pray that she has an amazing year, makes some new friends, and that her faith becomes more and more personal for her!