Easter 2008

A very early Easter this year. They say we will never see this again in this life. When one thinks of Easter we think of Easter egg hunts outside in the yard, sunny skies, trees budding, flowers beginning to break ground, etc etc. This was not to be this year. We must have had 10-12 inches of snow leading up to the Easter weekend. Sunday morning we went to 8 am. services at St. James. The music was great from the choir and the bell ringers. "He is Risen!"

Arrived home about 9:30 am. Started getting ready for the family to come for brunch. Besides the 21 family members we had our son-in-laws father, sister and niece and nephew from Illinois as our guests. Everyone contributed to the meal and it was awesome. Kari made monkey bread that melted in your mouth. Our menu consisted of four different kinds of egg-bakes, fresh fruit, cheesy potatoes, muffins, orange juice, coffee, brownies, chocolate cake, chocolate pie and ofcourse the monkey bread. Our daughter-in-law Cindy had a birthday on Easter so we celebrated her birthday also.
It is so special to have all of our children and grandchildren here together. We are so blessed.

My brother Duane who was here for five weeks going through laser treatment on his feet, left for home last Friday noon after his final appointment and session with Dr. Kelm. Sorry to add that the laser treatment for the neuropathy in Duanes feet did not help. There will be some kind of refund. Duane is going to try accupuncture next.
Tom Burns and daughter Elizabeth were here on Saturday for a visit. Elizabeth is in her Junior year at Mankato State. She will make an excellent teacher when she is done with college. Plans to teach 4th graders.
Until next time,
Blessings on your day!

Remembering Jean McCormick

Jean McCormick, our neighbor and friend, passed away on thursday, March 13th, at Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville. Jean was a special lady with a great faith in God and I know that it had been her faith and trust in God that saw her through some very tough times with her health. She was diagnosed with cancer back in September and given a short time to live. She never gave up and continued to fight the disease. I had the fortune of seeing her on Wednesday afternoon at the hospital. Her son Chris and

sister Patty were with her. She was her bubbly self and told me she would fight "this". A big hug and broad smile, I told her that her smile was worth so much. The best memories of Jean will be of her bubbly disposition and positive attitude. When my niece developed cancer three years ago, Jean was so compassionate and gave me a special cd and blanket that she had prayed on to give to Robin. This was so Jean. Always so concerned for others. She fought a good fight and we will never forget this beautiful person. God called her name! She is now with Him in eternity.

18th Cromosome

Wanted to share some pictures of Little Joe our new grandson. He is now five weeks old. He has 18th cromosome Q which is a small portion of the long arm of the 18th cromosome missing. I will report on this condition as I learn more. Joe was born with a cleft palate that we know of. Cardiologist reports that the heart murmur is not an issue. The Orthopedic Doctor says the feet are not the classic case of club feet. He believes the minor deformity of the feet is caused from the position in the womb. They are looking better every time I see him. Cleft lips and palates are more common in babies with 18q-. The palate is the roof of the mouth. Sometimes the palate does not form correctly during development. This results in an opening in the roof of the mouth. A cleft lip occurs when the tissue that forms the upper lip does not fuse during prenatal development. Cleft lip and palate may lead to dental, hearing, speech, and feeding problems.
In most cases, a team of professionals is involved in the management of cleft lip and palate. This team may include surgeons, speech pathologists, dentists, audiologists, geneticists, and other professionals. To locate a team in your area, contact the Cleft Palate Foundation.
We saw Joe this morning and I got to hold and feed him. This little guy is looking more and more like his big sister Gracie. The Characteristics of 18Q are many and so as time goes on we will no more. Having faith and trust in the Lord is comforting.

Family