So proud

 Alex is officially home for the holidays. What an amazing first semester he had! He grew and matured more than I could have imagined. After spending his first 19 years with me by his side every step, he took on his medical care and independence and week by week I saw him learning to stand on his own two feet and figure things out. As I have mentioned before he had one professor that was very difficult to work with and did not want to help or even follow his accommodations, but her powered through and when all was said and done, he finished the semester with a little over a 3.2 GPA. He had 3 A's, a B and a C to finish off. He also had extra "work" and commitments as part of the Honors program and Stone House. He also made it through with a remarkable attendance record which is no small feat with his level of medical issues. I had conversations leading up to his time where other moms had warned me about multiple hospitalizations due to their kiddos not taking great care of their health. This is a testament to Alex's diligence in his care and his commitment to do well in school. He made amazing friends, connected with his professors and enjoyed every minute of his life on campus. He is happy to be home for a few weeks, but excited to start back in January. This semester left no doubt that DBU was the right choice for him. I am so proud of him for going after his dreams and wanting to make something of his life after all he has been through.

Maddy also is finished for the semester and had straight A's. She loves her school, and the schedule and small class environment is the perfect fit for her. She continues to grow in confidence and independence at the barn and has really matured over the past few months. I say this often, but she is the hardest worker I know. She pushes herself in every instance regardless of if things are hard or she feels bad. Besides the barn she also performed in her winter dance performance. I love to watch her push past her fears and perform. She is surrounded in every instance of her life by strong, faithful women who believe in her and push her to be her best. It is such a gift as her mom!

Last, I wanted to update on Mia. Thank you for everyone who has prayed for her. She had a "sore" on her back end that we first noticed on Thanksgiving. Our vet was pretty concerned when he first saw her. We basically had two possibilities: infection or cancer. We did two weeks of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and then had a recheck. The swelling and mass were still there on recheck. We made the decision to proceed with a needle biopsy and were pretty concerned about what the results would be. However, I received a call on Friday that the biopsy showed no cancerous cells. What an answer to prayer. We will do two more weeks of antibiotics and then do another recheck. 

Please continue to pray for her healing.

Ali