Mack Academy Weblog

I'm posting this birth announcement exactly 18 years later...

On Saturday, September 5, 1992 at 5:54 PM. and 5:55 PM. The Lord answered our prayers and brought us two very healthy identical twin girls.
Two years earlier, our Sunday school class did a series on Parenting Perfect Children. That's a pretty presumptuous tittle but the presenters of this class were half a dozen older couples who had already been through the trials of parenting and whose children were a testimony to their accomplishments.

Each Sunday, one couple shared from their perspective the things that had contributed to the well being of their family. One couple who spoke shared how they began to pray for their children before they were born. Not only that, they continued to pray regularly for their children's friends, and even their spouses to be - unknown at the time.

This lesson hit home. I have seen the power of prayer work miracles in my own life and in the lives of others who call upon the Lord. Kathy and I decided that we would begin to pray for a child even though we knew that the time would be far off. During these times in prayer together, we found that we both had a desire to have twins - something that we had each desired since our early days and yet never discussed between us. The Bible says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." PSALM 37:4. Believing this desire to be sincere, we decided to express these desires in our time of prayer.

Keep in mind that there are no twins in either of our families for at least 4-5 generations that we know of. The instances of “twinning” in normal conception are very low. They are hereditary or can be the result of advanced aged (38+) or fertility drugs taken at the time of conception. Neither of these were the case for us.


By the time of our second pre-natal visit to the doctor, Kathy's womb had already grown quite large. We shared with our doctor that we had been praying for twins and that we suspected that Kathy had twins. Our doctor suspected that we had miscalculated the date of conception. An ultrasound examination quickly resolved the issue - identical twins! Identical twins are NOT hereditary but are the result of one fertilized egg that splits during the early weeks. Our babies shared the same sac and a common placenta - which is extremely rare (1 in 30,000 births) and often very dangerous.

By Kathy's 5th month of pregnancy, she was approaching the size of a full term single birth! Our doctors became very concerned about the health of the twins. We began a routine of examinations which would bring us to the hospital once a week and 3 times a week in the last stages of pregnancy. Although the babies were expected to arrive a month short of their calculated due date of Labor Day (no pun intended), the babies held out until Saturday, September 5th.  

Meanwhile Kathy kept growing and growing and growing ... Fortunately, the babies remained in good health and both remained in the head down position thus allowing us to plan for a normal childbirth.

Early Saturday morning, I took Kathy to the hospital. She immediately went into active labor. They brought in all of the equipment and staff and everything stopped. After several procedures and another 10 hours of difficult labor, the decision was made to perform an unscheduled C-section.

Twin births are already classified as high risk pregnancies. With a C-section now things really got hopping. The staff at St. Joseph's Medical Center were terrific. Within minutes, a medical team of 9 people were assembled and ready. Moments later, our two daughters, Baby A :7 lbs. 4 oz. and Baby B: 7 lbs. 2 oz. were born.  Our prayers for healthy twins had been answered!

Their names are:
BABY A: Wendy Anne Mack
BABY B: Amy Elizabeth Mack
Born Saturday, September 5th at 5:54 &  5:55 PM.

Kathy is greatly relieved to no longer be carrying such large babies. The hospital staff was also quite amazed at their healthy size - apparently uncommon in identical twins. Identical they are. I can't yet tell them apart. If I don't return one baby to the same crib from which I took her - forget it, I'm lost!
Kathy and the girls will remain at the hospital for the next few days. Then the real excitement begins.

Kathy and I want to thank you for your friendship, your encouragement, and your support.

Sincerely yours,

Eric (Proud Papa), Kathy, Wendy, and Amy

Eighteen years ago this very day, two precious jewels were added to my life.  The twins were born!  After 14 hours of labor, and finally deciding you were just too tangled up to come out on your own (trying to get out first, Wendy?), a C-section was performed, and two beautiful little ladies came into the world.  

Amy and Wendy, I'll never forget the moment you made me a mom - a role I have and always will cherish.  I don't deserve to have such wonderful daughters like you two, but I'm thrilled that I do!  I've loved every moment of it - pushing you around downtown Burbank in your twin stroller, sitting on the couch at the condo reading to you, and all of the "bonding" moments in Pine Mountain.  You have become incredible godly women, and I am proud of both of you!  Happy Birthday my precious ones!

A story in today's news told of a woman complaining that The Walt Disney Company discriminated against her because they would not let her work while wearing a Muslim head scarf.  

When you choose to work at the Disneyland Resort, you are joining a "Cast"; you play a part, you are never referred to as an employee.   As a cast member, you agree to the costume you will wear, just like an actor on a stage.  If this woman got a job at a theater as an actress, she cannot tell the director that she is going to wear her religious clothing as she plays a part.  I'm a Christian, and I don't think the cast members should wear anything other than what the part calls for - no cross necklaces or earrings, no Stars of David, no yarmulkes, etc.  I want my Disney cast member to blend in with the surroundings - I don't want her to have pierced body parts, bright pink hair, or religious emblems.  

So, Walt Disney Company, I applaud you for doing the right thing.  You've set a beautiful stage, and all of the people who come to be part of the show must follow the script.

Dear Mr. Iger,

The Orange Country register just reported that Disney attendance has dropped 4% for the spring/summer season this year.  That's normally Disneyland's busiest time, isn't it?


Why do you think attendance has dropped?  

Perhaps it is because the average family's expendable income cannot keep up with your constant raising of the price of the park admission.


When Southern California annual passes were $99, our family of six bought them, and drove the 125 miles each way to go to Disneyland almost weekly.  Since we felt we were getting a "deal" we spent money on meals, snacks and souvenirs.  Now, they are $239 each - over twice as much!  There is no way our family can afford that much in passes, gasoline, parking, AND food to go to Disneyland.

Perhaps you should consult the folks over at Knotts Berry Farm.  When they lowered their annual pass prices last year, people flocked to them in droves.

We have now been home schooling 13 years.  While the routine of it gets a bit easier throughout the years, the desire to do and teach your children more continues to grow.  I'd love to go back and do it all over again - there was so much more information to learn!  This morning I read this piece by Janice Southerland.  It is a beautiful reminder to allow God to guide us through our endeavors to teach and raise our children.  

On August 2, my 6th grade curriculum arrived. I am so excited!  I LOVE learning!  I took inventory, making sure everything we ordered had arrived, and then I sorted my books by subject.  I cannot wait until next Monday, so I can start school.  My favorite subjects are health and history.  I'm very proud to announce that last semester, my sister, Emily, made the honor roll.  My goal for this school year is to get straight A's!

For a scholarship, I wrote an essay about the effects of the current recession on the family.  I really enjoyed writing it and thought I'd share it.

While initially, one would expect the current recession to have an adverse effect on the average family, I have found that my family has grown more creative, closer in our relationships, and wiser in our decisions as a result.

I've heard of studies that claim that television and video games “reduce” creativity and I believe that there may be some truth to that.  Several years ago, in order to better manage what we consumed, my parents made the decision to get rid of our cable television.  We still had videos to watch, but the television was on far less frequently than when we had cable.  Suddenly, my sisters and I found ourselves with abundant time on our hands.  We all read more and began to discover interests or talents that we otherwise might not have known we possessed.  Although I did not enjoy the home economics course I took in high school, I realized that once I had the freedom to experiment, I loved cooking and baking.  I also learned how to knit and have enjoyed making sweaters and scarves for family and friends.  We encouraged friends to get rid of their cable subscription and they, too, have found themselves being more creative.
Continue Reading "Recession: A Blessing in Disguise?" »