Cooking with Dad!

 My dad had a busy day, started off with some evaluations for therapy.  Pop sat with him after those were finished while I helped grandma with some grocery shopping.  I then left to go get my Ivan and later in the afternoon my grandma came out to drop off some goodies for them all.  She was helping my dad spell out words.  I love watching how people interact with my dad.  Actions speak louder than words!  And some people have just spoken volumes to my heart without ever opening their mouth!  After she did the letters we then got out some dice and had something like a Yahtzee game going on - we would each take turns rolling the dice three times to look at the numbers we got, full house, small straight, similarities and differences!  We didn't write anything on paper but dad seemed to enjoy playing.  He had some jello as a snack which is a great therapy snack, you should try scooping jello out of a little cup and eating it some time....but you can only use one hand.  He got frustrated but he finished it!  After grandma left I told dad he was going to help me in the kitchen.  He helped put the clean dishes away - I put the silverware on the counter and he put it all away.  He put the bread back where it went, he put the tea back in the fridge, I then handed him a clean plate and asked him to put it away - he took it over to where the bread goes and then said, 'no no no' and then I opened the cabinets so he could look in each one and see where it went. Then I asked him if he wanted to help cook dinner and have it ready for when mom came home.  He told me "I can't."  I got out the hamburger and walked him through the steps, let him brown the burger. Waited for the water to boil and had him pour in the noodles.  Showing him the steam and telling him the water was very hot.  He started trying to put some of the dirty dishes away and I showed him where the dishes had to be for him to put them away.  While I was finishing up the dishes he was standing in the kitchen with me and I told him he did a good job helping out to which he replied, "thank you."  My dad is amazing!  

He keeps saying that he has to go to work.  Work for him nowadays is speech therapy and occupational therapy and physical therapy and re learning everything. He gets frustrated but we are all around to hold him up in those moments. 

Gods timing is nothing short of phenomenal.  I was kind of sad today to learn that my dads therapy sessions might not work out for me to take him, just because of the way the times fell.  My husband told me that perhaps that was because God wants me to pursue the physical therapy assistant program.  I didn't really want to hear that but if I waited until I was ready to make a change then it would most likely never happen because I am not a fan of change.  Good thing God loves me enough to not just leave me how I am! Good thing God is all about change!

 Every night when we put the boys to bed, we read the boys a bed time story and then we lay with them for a few minutes before telling them good night and that we are proud of them, etc.  Every night I tell Ivan, "Ok now its time for mommy and daddy to go read their story you get some sleep."  To which he always replies, "Can you stay for just 500 more minutes."  I always say sure and within about 15 seconds he says, "OK that's it."  I get up to leave his bed and cover him up and he says, "OK, I will give you one more minute." So I start counting in my head, "one thousand one, one thousand two, three mississippi, etc."  I count the minute out and when I get up to leave he tells me that it hasn't been a minute yet.  Ok, so he is five and his concept of time is not yet developed but I feel like every night I am reminded about God's timing through this moment with Ivan. God's timing is perfect even if it doesn't feel that way in the moment.

I love my dad! My dad is a fighter! Our family is amazing!