the heroic details

This morning Anja went in for her third casting.  That means we only have one more casting next week before the big surgery. Life with a child in casts has been surprisingly okay.  I didn't know what to expect, so I had no expectations going into it.  I thought she might be angry about not being able to walk, but if she is then she doesn't let it show.  I thought she might get frustrated needing constant assistance, but she is mostly patient as she waits for help and I haven't heard her complain.  I thought she would be completely immobile, but she actually does manage to scoot around.  Yesterday I thought she was brushing her teeth but when I walked into the bathroom I actually found her sitting up on her little potty chair, she had managed to hoist herself up there.  She possesses pretty amazing strength for being such a little thing. Sometimes when I start acting like a cranky pregnant woman in her third trimester, I just look at Anja and am humbled by how my five-year

My daughter, Anja. has a foot deformity called Congenital Vertical Talus.  It is too severe to be corrected by casting alone so we have bounced the idea of surgery around for a few years.  Her ortho doctor, who is wonderful and I like him very much, never made us feel like the surgery was necessary , but that it was more of a cosmetic type of deal, so we never felt that it was urgent.  However, after repeated visits and x-rays, he finally decided to consult with a more experienced doctor up in Seattle. The x-rays were sent, and the reply was swift: do the surgery!  We were urged to consider surgery on her feet to help preserve her ability to walk.  Although she gets around well enough right now, there is a good chance that could change when she's older.  Doing the surgery now could keep her on her feet and out of a wheelchair for the long-term.  With this new revelation, we decided to go ahead with the surgery.  And we decided to try to do it before baby Isabelle comes, which means

On Saturday, June 21st, the feast day of St. Aloysius, my husband went through the ceremony of Baptism, was confirmed, and received his first Holy Communion.  The sacraments were administered according to the old rite in an FSSP parish.  I had never seen an adult conversion done in the old rite, and it was a little elaborate!  The priest handed us the booklets to follow along and my eyes fell on the word "exorcism."  I asked, "Why do they call it an exorcism?"  And he said, "Because it is." Standing at the entrance of the church, the priest was dressed in a purple cope.  He called my husband by his first name and asked him what he is asking of God's church.  My husband responded, "Faith."  The priest then questioned him further, asking things such as "Do you renounce Satan?" and "Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?"  My husband would respond, "I do renounce him" and "I

I started the Holy Triduum by driving up to Seattle to St. James' Cathedral for the Mass of the Lord's Supper.  I had never been to the cathedral before and was kind of awe-struck by the size, the beauty, and the amazing choir.  Then top it off with the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose and it was just stunning. Immediately after the Mass, I joined a few friends (and about 200 other young adults) in a small pilgrimage with the Archbishop.  We walked a total of six miles to four different churches, stopping at each one to pray for about 20 minutes.  The whole thing took about 4 hours. It was a pretty wonderful experience to spend that much time in prayer, and with so many other people. On Good Friday, I did not attend a service.  But near 3:00pm, the family gathered in the living room to pray the Stations of the Cross together.  I lit fourteen candles which the kids took turns blowing out as we finished meditating on each station.  A