Happy 1st Birthday, Silas!!

Wow...it's been a loooong time since I've written a post on here! There is so much to catch up on, but I will save that for another post. Last Friday (10/19) Silas turned 1 year old!! He had a lot of fun with friends and family! I found it all to be way more stressful than I thought it would be, but everything went great and fun was had by all! Chaske's whole family came up to ND to celebrate and most of them met Silas for the first time. On Friday we spent the day at home playing. That evening we invited my parents over for some cupcakes and opened a few presents. Saturday morning we took family pictures, Silas' 1 year pictures, went out to eat, went to Papa's Pumpkin Patch, relaxed at the hotel for a bit, went to Bruno's for pizza, cake, ice cream, and presents, then went back to the hotel to go swimming- which is for sure one of Silas' favorite past times :) I am so thankful for the friends and family who celebrated with us, gave us gifts and cards, and just wished Silas a "Happy Birthday". It's amazing how loved our little guy is. So many people truly care about him...I love the small town support from our community, friends, and family. There is so much that has happened since I last posted, however, I need to get to work...so it will have to wait for another day :) Tasha

Faulk Adoption Fundraiser

As many of you know Chaske and I recently adopted a, now 5 month old, baby boy- Silas!! However, in the mean time some things have come up and we've had to hire a lawyer. Due to this we have set up a fundraiser to help pay for expenses. For those of you who know Chaske and I we have tried really hard to not ask for money throughout our adoption process...and we haven't had to...until now. We so appreciate any amount you can afford to give. For every $10 you donate we will enter your name in a drawing to win: ~ 26" Sharp LED TV (approx. retail value- $495) ~ 13" Haier LCD TV ac/dc (approx. retail value- $275) ~ Black Bosch Dishwasher w/ stainless steel interior (approx. retail value- $595) These are some really nice items that were generously donated to us in order to help us raise money to keep Silas in our arms forever!!! Please visit: http://acharityproject.com/f/FaulkAdoptionFundraiser There you will find more information on our situation along with a place to donate. This is a very trusted/secure website that has been used by some of our friends before. It's very simple to donate!! Make sure you enter your name if you wish to be entered for prizes...if you don't want to be entered you can donate as anonymous if you wish. If you aren't comfortable donating online you can mail us a check and we will enter your name into the drawing: 43402 57 Ave NE Driscoll, ND 58532 Thank you, Chaske, Tasha, and Silas James

2011

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Went to a casino for my work's Christmas party...turns out- I haven't been missing much. 2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't take resolutions very serious. My main goal was to adopt a baby...this is also my main goal this year! 3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Lots of friends and some family. 4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes. A man from our community. 5. What countries did you visit? None. And that really disappoints me. We need to start doing mission trips in Africa. 6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? A baby :) 7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Going to pick up, who was to be, our son. Our 2 year anniversary. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Growing more in our faith. Sponsoring a "H"...our sponsor child in Africa!! Love him! 9. What was your biggest failure? Not doing more to serve God and others. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not really. 11. What was the best thing you bought? Keurig 12. Where did most of your money go? Bills, bills, bills...gas, food...everywhere but where it should. 13. What did you get really excited about? Adoption. Spending time with family and friends. Christmas. Camping. Buying the farm (hopefully)! 14. What song will always remind you of 2011? Oh I don't know...something from The Band Perry maybe? 15. Compared to this time last year, are you: – happier or sadder? About the same...maybe happier – thinner or fatter? Probably a few pounds heavier...bleh! – richer or poorer? Richer. 16. What do you wish you’d done more of? Camping. Traveling out West. Church. 17. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying. TV. Facebook. 18. How did you spend Christmas? Our tradition is to always spend Christmas at home. We love it...it's so relaxing and fun to spend it with my parents as well. 19. What was your favorite TV program? Desperate Housewives...as always :) 20. What were your favorite books of the year? Where to start...Kisses from Katie (my favorite!), Twilight (yes, I gave in), New Moon, Mary Higgins Clark books, Chelsea Handler books... 21. What was your favorite music from this year? George Strait is always my favorite...anything country 22. What were your favorite films of the year? I haven't really watched many...none that stand out anyway. 23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Cake, gifts...just relaxed and kept it low key. I turned 26...bleh! 24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Bringing home a baby...do you see a pattern here?!? :) 25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? Same...jeans, boots... 26. What kept you sane? Chaske, my family, our adoption goal as something to look forward to and work towards. 27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. A little bit of faith goes a long way!!!!!!