Tuesdays with Marion

When Lisa is in town we find that we are more active. She keeps us actively engaged.

Ada's Eye

Ada's congenitally malformed eye caused her to be predisposed to a detached retina. Unfortunately, it was detached for some time before we discovered the condition, thus the retina sustained significant, irreparable damage. The retina was too damaged to likely ever provide vision, however a retinal surgery was ultimately performed to try to keep the eye from dying. The eye is now filled with a semi-opaque silicone oil to hold the retina in place with the hope that it will re-attach. But the oil has a side effect in that it has caused the formation of a cataract. Further, the entry wound that was made to allow placement of the oil caused a complication in that a flap of skin folded in on itself and filled with serous fluid. This made a blister on the surface of the eye that was about the size of a cashew nut. She just had another surgery. This time to remove the blister and to adjust the muscles of the eye so that it will track with the seeing eye. The surgery went great!

Mabel Takes a Stand

7 days ago she turned 7 months and can now stand for about 7 seconds at a time.

Family Vacation

Mabel at 3 months

Our sweet baby is already over 3 months old. She is so much fun, and she always has a smile. Her favorite activities include: taking a bath, getting her diaper changed, play time with her dad, and watching her siblings play with each other.

Home Teaching

A Home Teaching lesson to remember. One of our home teachers is an outdoor lover, and has frequently talked about how to build a fire without matches. He thought it would be fun to show us how he does this, so he brought his equipment to our house one Sunday to demonstrate this for us. He said his fastest time is about 45 seconds. I guess he was a little rusty. We sat on the porch in the cold and watched while he tried to start a fire. I must say, I have rarely seen someone with so much determination. After an hour and 22 minutes he was successful. Notice the blood and sweat on the concrete.

The Meaning of Easter

This morning we were discussing the meaning of Easter while we were eating breakfast. One of our daughters had asked, "Why an Easter Bunny?" I explained that bunnies are known for having many babies and having them often and so they symbolize new life. Chickens are always laying eggs and so they are a symbol of new life and thus chickens are also an Easter icon. I reminded the children that Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus and that resurrection is new life. To verify that the message was clear I thought to employ the Socratic method and inquired, "Easter means new....._______?" Ada eager to show her understanding emphatically finished: "CLOTHES!"