Good Friday

Good Friday is a time that many Christians will purposefully spend time reflecting on what Christ has done for us on the cross. Some will watch The Passion of Christ; others will attend Passion plays at their church or participate in one. Still others may have ritualistic type things they do in the quiet of their home to reflect and remember what Jesus sacrificially did for us on the cross nearly 2,000 years ago. We have laser treatment appointments!

For the last two if not three years, Judah has had a laser treatment scheduled for Good Friday. If I didn't believe in the Sovereign Hand of God working all things together for my good, I would feel like I and my family are the target of a cosmic joke. And, while my faith certainly does waver, I do, nevertheless believe and by God's grace, stand firm in the truth that even this small detail is not coincidental.

I guess in a way, it's become our family's way of commemorating Good Friday (or God's way of having our family remember it). I do not schedule this way on purpose, by the way; it just happens. Crazy, isn't it?!

The timing actually provides quite an amazing opportunity to grow in appreciation for what my God, the Father, did on that first "Good Friday". He willingly SENT His Son to die on a cross to receive His wrath in order to pay for my sins. Isaiah 53:10 says it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. I consider that when I willingly subject my son to pain and suffering during his laser treatment, and for really noone else's good but his own. I consider that and am led to worship the God, my God, who is so different than me...so incomprehensibly loving.

Then, I consider the Holy Son of God, Jesus, who on that first Good Friday, willingly WENT to the cross to suffer and die, to know abandonment by His Father and to take the full cup of God's wrath that my sin deserves. And, I consider how He did this: Isaiah says, He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. And, then there is Judah who screams bloody murder to take on relatively mild suffering again for noone else's benefit but his own. And, again, I stand amazed by how different Christ is from us and what a glorious, amazing thing it is that Jesus died on the cross for my sins.

I will likely be tempted tomorrow to feel sorry for myself at some point or to think Judah and our family got a raw deal. But, the truth is Jesus is the only One who ever got the raw deal. He was perfectly righteous, had never sinned, had never known anything but perfect fellowship with His Father. But, as Philippians says, Christ Jesus...made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Thank you, Jesus, for humbling yourself by dying on the cross for my sin. Thank you for choosing to carry through with your Father's plan to redeem my life from the pit, even though it meant that You'd endure the most horrific pain and injustice known to mankind. In light of that, help me to have a grateful heart tomorrow when I drop off my kids one more time at a babysitter's and travel down I-95 one more time to see Dr. Cohen and nurse, George. Help me to communicate to my sons in a way they can understand that even in the midst of our circumstances, You have been and are being kind to us by not giving us what we deserve. Help us to carry the light that you have graciously shown into our dark hearts into Hopkins tomorrow, into that laser room that we typically dread. Help us to see that place as the platform You've given to us to shine Your light and radiate Your truth.

A New Business for Me...

Hi Friends!

I'm writing to let you know that I am starting up my own business through The Pampered Chef!
From one of the first Pampered Chef shows I attended at Lydia England's house, I thought that this would be something I'd like to do someday.

I was immediately impressed with the practical nature and quality of Pampered Chef products, and I loved the concept of "shopping" while in the comfort of someone's home, enjoying good friends and good food that I didn't have to prepare myself! :)

If you are unfamiliar with Pampered Chef, you can check out their website to view all their products here: http://www.pamperedchef.com/.
Even if you are familiar with Pampered Chef, you might enjoy seeing some of their newer products at the website. So, check it out!

If anyone is interested in hosting a show or learning more about The Pampered Chef business, I would love to serve you. For anyone who books a show with me in the first 30 days of my business will receive a free gift of your choice:
Lemon & Rosemary Hand Soap http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=7923&categoryCode=KW OR
a Cranberry Hot Pad/Trivet http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=16606&categoryCode=KW
That would mean booking a show with me before April 17th.

If you aren't interested in hosting a cooking show in your home, but still would like to take advantage of all the host benefits that come along with hosting a Pampered Chef show along with the free gift I'm offering, you can opt to do a catalog show whereby you simply hand out catalogs and collect orders from friends and family who are interested. (This would be a great way for some of my long-distance friends and family to be a part of the action!)

Feel free to give others my name and contact information. Keep this in mind especially for brides-to-be or newlyweds. The Pampered Chef even hosts wedding showers which is a great way to introduce someone to The Pampered Chef and stock their cabinets with quality cookware/kitchenware from the get-go.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Found a Penny

Found a penny,
Found a penny,
Found a penny just now
Just now, we found the penny
Found the penny just now

We're so happy
We're so happy
We're so happy just now
Just now, we're so happy
to not have to look through poop again!

This Week's Update

Sorry to keep ya'll hanging. (Yeah, I'm sure you lost sleep over it!) ;)

NO Penny yet.
I have to say hands down that searching through poop has been the worst parental duty yet for me.
_________________________

Judah did amazingly at his EUA on Monday. Truly, it was probably the best one yet. What makes something like this "the best one yet"? Judah didn't cry too much throughout the process of getting him into his OR clothes, waiting for the procedure, talking w/ the anesthesiologists and receiving all the pre-op check over's. The outcome of the evaluation was positive, and wake up from anesthesia was the quickest and smoothest yet with no vomiting and really little disorientation if any. We were wheeled out of recovery and down to post-op. in record time.

It always helps to have our dear friend, De, with us. She makes any chore not seem so chore-like. She brought along her digital camera and took pictures of each step of the process for Judah to share with his brother and others who don't get to go along. I thought that was super sweet and thoughtful of her. And, I'm thinking about trying to put it into a booklet of some sort to send to the Sturge-Weber Foundation for them to possibly publish and make available to parents to share with their son or daughter to help prepare them for what is a very common experience for SWS kids, that being trips to the OR and/or being put under anesthesia for evaluation.

De may go along with us to a laser treatment and try to do the same thing as that is also a very common experience for SWS kids. Perhaps having a little booklet of pictures of a real person going through the procedure may help some children not anticipate it with such fear. I personally think my little guy is the perfect model, and he's getting to the place where, even though he doesn't prefer to go through what he does, he'll actually smile throughout the ordeal if asked.

In fact, when I took Judah into the OR this time, I thought I would formally introduce him to the doctor. Typically, he doesn't see this doctor because he's 'out' by the time the doctor sees him. And, since Judah asked on our way down to Hopkins this time what doctor he was going to see, I thought I would make a point of actually introducing him to Dr. Jampel. As soon as we step foot into the OR, Judah starts to cry (always....he knows what's going on at this point). But I introduced him to Dr. Jampel and asked if he could shake his hand. Through tears, Judah stuck out his hand to politely greet his doctor. What grace! I love my little, brave, amazing boy.

So, thank you for your prayers. We always need them and always feel them throughout these ordeals that are just "normal life" for us. Just because it's normal, though, doesn't mean it's easy by any means. And, we certainly appreciate your ongoing support to us through your prayers. Thank you so much. I don't know how we'd live our life apart from knowing God and having the support of His people.
_______________________

I'll end on a 'funny'...
I try to take the kids to the library on Friday's for a half hour story time. The boys resist participating with some of the finger plays and other interactive parts of story time. So, for a while I've been trying to encourage them before hand to be ready to participate with the librarian and other children. Today, Judah beat me to the punch with instruction. As we were getting ready to walk out the door, Judah said, "Mom, do you want us to "recitipate" today at story time? ;)

EUA on Monday

Judah will have an EUA (evaluation under anesthesia) Monday morning to check his eyes. These are regular checks, and the past couple have gone well...meaning, no surgery needed. We don't want to take that for granted, however, and ask that you would please pray that the evaluation would show Judah's eyes to be in good condition. Thanks.

And, please additionally pray for our other two, Tucker and Bella, who will be left with our caregroup leader's wife, Kathleen, an example in service as she has 5 of her own, 2 of which she homeschools during the day! Tucker has not been doing well being left with others lately. I will have to wake them up rather early to have them over to Kathleen's by 6 a.m. Please pray that will go better than I'm anticipating it to, especially for Kathleen's sake.

Thanks!

Missing Penny

There's a penny missing in our home.
It's in my son's stomach!!
Yes, one of my 3.5 yr. old sons swallowed a penny today!
Nevermind he's been told the story about his grandfather who swallowed a quarter and had to have it surgically removed. Nevermind the countless times I've instructed them that we only put food and drink into our mouths.
Thankfully, it seemed to have gone down his throat without being lodged there for too long. It did give him a scare (me, too!), but it was quickly down the hatch and into his stomach.
I immediately called our pediatrician who informed me that he should be alright and that I get the pleasant duty of poopie inspection for the next 24-48 hours. Lovely! I'm noticing a poop theme lately in my life.

We were told that he shouldn't have trouble or pain passing it, but to call if he starts to complain of any stomach pain. Please pray (and I can hardly believe I'm asking you to pray this, but if you're a mom, you'll understand)...that my son will pass this penny safely and quickly and never swallow any coinage again!

A Must Read...

We are on our way to recovery, slow but sure. I've been able to care for my kids this week, keep some standing appointments and even make two trips to the "Y". It'll be really exciting if we actually make it to church this Sunday (would be the first in a month). Thanks for your prayers.

I am a regular reader of the Girltalk blog, written by Carolyn Mahaney and her three girls. It is a worthwhile read anytime, but I've been particularly encouraged and benefitting from their most recent series which they are entitling, "PMS Prep". I think it's been choc-full of practical, God glorifying wisdom for us women who oftimes are not only in a battle with our sinful hearts but our raging hormones as well. I would highly recommend reading through the past two weeks of their posts. They are short posts, so I don't think it'll take you too long. They are under the category, "PMS Prep" in the left sidebar, or you can simply scroll down to the post, dated for Feb. 12th and begin reading from there. Here's the link:
http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/

Happy weekend reading!!

Another One Bites the Dust...

...that would be me, down for the count...hopefully a short count. Woke up this morning achy and with head cold symptoms, some chills, no fever thankfully. My in laws were kind enough to come over and watch the kids while Lawrence was at work, and my hubby has assumed my duties since he's been home this evening. I figure I've got tomorrow to rest up and then I'm back "on duty". Would appreciate your prayers for a quick recovery from whatever is knocking me out.

A Day in the Life....

Just to keep things interesting here (because you know I get bored here sometimes! HA!)...Judah had a random poopie accident in his pants. ??? Lovely...guess it had been too long since I had cleaned one of those up (uh..yesterday, Bella had an explosion that went undetected until I yanked off her pants and poop went flying everywhere. Wish I was exagerating).

The "Why" Behind Almengor Birthday Parties

As is indicative of Lawrence and my personality and not some moral mandate, nearly everything we do has been thought out, analyzed and has some more significant purpose than just "that's what we wanted to do." Birthday parties for our kids are no exception. This way of living life is not something I necessarily prescribe; it can be quite exhausting. Nevertheless, it's our way of life here in the Almengor home. So, I thought I would give a bit of explanation behind the seemingly "over the top" birthday party for my daughter recently.

When our 3.5 yr. old twin boys were about to turn one, the discussion of what to do about birthdays in our family arose. We had a tumultuous first year with our babies with many and varied health issues between my sons and myself. We relied on the support of many, many people to get through that first year with our boys. When their first birthday was approaching, it was a "no brainer" to me that we were going to have a big bash and invite many who significantly helped us through that first year. For me especially, it was no doubt a celebration not only of their lives, but also and primarily a celebration of God's amazing and sustaining grace to our family. In my mind, it was nothing short of a miracle that we all survived that first year. So, we celebrated in what I thought was a big way for 1 year olds.

Well, then the boys 2nd birthday was upon us and we needed to decide what our "M.O." was going to be in regards to how we did kids' birthdays in our family. I grew up only celebrating with immediate, sometimes extended family members for birthdays unless it was a 'special' birthday, like 10, 13 or 16. Those special birthdays we could invite friends as well. This is very much what I had in mind for our own kids. I was also influenced by a dear, older and wiser friend of mine, Sandy Browne, who had 6 children and a very specific plan for how to celebrate their birthdays. She expressly didn't want to have big birthday parties for a practical reason; she didn't want inundated with gifts. With 6 kids growing up at the time in a townhome, this was a very practical move on her part.

As one who avoids clutter to an extreme at times, I certainly appreciated Sandy's thinking and wanted to do likewise. However, my husband had something else in mind (as is so typical of our relationship). And, since he's the head of our home, he won! :) He wanted a birthday party every year for our kids with all their friends and family surrounding them, celebrating with them. The compromise was that I would expressly ask people not to bring gifts.

What might seem "over the top" to some regarding our kids' parties really has purpose behind it. One reason is that for whatever reason, parties is probably the one area of life where my creativity shines. I don't generally consider myself creative in the broad sense, but for whatever reason, my creativity emerges for party planning. I always pray about a theme, and once God gives me a theme, He often supplies a plethora of ideas to go with it. (The internet and the input of other creative friends helps significantly, too...I certainly am not going to take all the credit or even most!)

Another reason our parties might appear "over the top" is because Lawrence and I really want to bless our friends who have blessed us beyond measure or the ability to ever repay. Going to some length to make it enjoyable and a memory for their entire family is a part of our way to say, "thanks and we love you for loving us like you do". Here again, we have been influenced by some dear friends who we see go to great lengths when they extend hospitality, the Neumanns and Placks to be specific. There are others, but these two couples especially make people feel loved and cared for and special by the way they lavishly extend hospitality. We may not be able to do quite what they do with some of our financial limitations, but we do what we can and always with the aim of communicating to our friends, "you're worth the trouble".

Finally, we want our kids to know how much we love them and how much trouble we're willing to go to in order to create fun, memorable birthdays for them. We certainly cannot go to such trouble everyday, but we feel their birthdays are a great occasion to show them how much they're valued in very tangible ways.

Again, we certainly don't view the way we do our kids' birthdays as the only way to do them. Every year, I wrestle with whether or not I should go to such length. I am no different from most and struggle with mixed motives to impress rather than simply bless our friends. I struggle to show love and care to my kids in the days/weeks leading up the party as I seek to prepare for it. And, every year I evaluate with my husband whether I've grown in handling the stress of it all, and whether we should continue to do things the way "we've always done them". After this first birthday party for Bella, I think we're in agreement that we will not do this next year for her. Instead, we are going to celebrate all the kids' birthdays in the summer when my husband's work schedule is a bit more flexible and the weather allows for outside parties. :)

We are not trying to "keep up with the Jones's" (pardon the pun, Danielle...I could never keep up with you anyway!). We are simply seeking to express our love and care for our kids and our friends and demonstrate how grand our appreciation is to God who ultimately gave us the gift of children and sustains them from year to year. We see that alone as something worth celebrating!

Pictures of Bella's First Birthday Party

To peak your interest in checking out the entire album, here are just a few shots from Bella's party:



The theme: celebrating our winter "ONE"der baby!


Everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to Bella!


Bella eating her birthday cookie, lovingly made by her Tia Kate.


To see the entire album, check this out: http://picasaweb.google.com/lnalmengor/BellaSFirstBirthdayParty

Definition of Boys:

I saw this definition of boys from a wall stenciling company and loved it.

Boys: Noise with dirt on it.
Here's the visual (and what we were busy doing today!)

Does my Tucker look like a bruiser in this picture of what?

Job Offer...

My hubby emailed this to me today from work. I thought I'd post it here for your amusement and encouragement today:

POSITION:Wanted
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma, Mami, Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop, Papi

JOB DESCRIPTION :Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilitiesalso include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, withoutcomplaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that thosein your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

** AND A FOOTNOTE 'THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!
_________________________________________________
This was my hubby's addition:

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

Handling of biohazardous waste in the form of poopie diapers after every bottle and feeding, administration of rectal temperature readings, cleaning up spills from the pottie seat in the minivan (or yacht-on-wheels) after braking too hard because you forgot there was a payload in there, and removal of vomit from your date-night outfit 30 minutes before your dinner reservations.

Must be bilingual being able to speak toddler babble and introducing it into adult conversations: “Honey (spouse), I’ll be right back. I have to go poopie upstairs.”
___________________________________________________
What would your additional responsibilities include?

Our Winter "ONE"der baby

What a special day it is for the Almengor family. One year ago, our baby girl entered the world. After a long labor and two hours of pushing, she came flying out in one push! The cord was wrapped around her 3 times. She was blue and not crying, but eventually, she pinked up and began to cry. Her breathing was so labored, they laid her on my belly with oxygen blowing at her mouth. I didn't even notice; I was so enamored with her beauty!

At the time, I had no idea what distress my baby girl was in, but soon learned that we would be making trips back and forth to see her in the NICU at Hopkins where she remained for the first week of her life. She just needed a little extra time to grow strong enough and brave enough to enter into our world, that being one with excitable twin brothers with which to contend.

We have thoroughly enjoyed having Bella--getting to know her over the past year. She's certainly a momma's girl but delights in the care and attention of her Papi (daddy), Abuelos, Grandparents and brothers as well. Just about the only thing she might love more than her momma is her nuk. You will rarely see her without one. She loves to dance and sings along with us in her baby babble when we sing. She does not love to nap, however, and some days lately has gone all day without one!

My earliest crawler is still not walking. She's tiny, weighing much less than the boys at a year, but she eats much better than they did/do. We still can't tell the color of her eyes, but I'm hoping they'll turn blue or at least hazel. She loves to read, will sit and page thru any book. She is still struggling with reflux and has a noticeable stridor (noisy breathing)--not sure what will come of that yet.

She's had her fair share of colds but no indication of asthma for which we are very grateful. The boys had already had their first attack by now. So far, she ony has 2 teeth on the bottom, and I wonder if she's having a harder time with teething than the boys did.

She loves to crawl up the stairs and giggles when we come after her. She loves to be tickled, and we love to make her laugh (especially Judah). She's beginning to show she's got her own mind about things--pulling off her bib and taking out her hair bands at will. She also screams and kicks when she doesn't like something...making no one doubt that she's my daughter. :)

We think she's the most beautiful girl around. There are times I am so taken by her beauty and I pray she will be as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. I know she will grow and change so much in this next year. We don't take her life for granted. We are grateful for our little Bella--Happy Birthday baby girl!!

The Special People in Our Lives

Thank you, Jessica, for sending the lovely Valentine's gift package...it arrived at my door tonight. It included a shortbread mix, so I decided to make cookies with the boys while my hubby continues to rest upstairs trying to recover from this miserable flu. The boys were, needless to say, very excited to make cookies. Our conversation ensued as follows:

Me: "Boys, do you want to make some cookies together?"

Boys: "YES!!!!"

Me: "Okay, we're going to make some cookies for some special people in our lives. Is there anybody you'd really like to make cookies for to show them how much you love them?"

Tucker: "Yes....ME!"

Joining Everyone...

It seems everyone is sick right now or has been sick recently. We are joining the masses who are undergoing a variety of yucky sick symptoms. My hubby came home early today with flu like symptoms (the ONLY way I get him home early during busy season!). My kids all have some kind of cold type virus, Tucker and Bella with off and on fevers. It's been a long day (aren't they all for any mom?), and I'm currently debating whether I want to attempt going to bed, afraid that as soon as I lay my head on the pillow, someone will wake up screaming and needing me. I have to say that while I have seen moments where God's grace has been evident on my life to serve my family today, there have been plenty of other moments where I have been less than self sacrificing and/or cheerful about the self sacrifice.

We'd all appreciate your prayers. I know some of you may be reading from your sickbed yourselves. Let me know to pray for you...helps me look up and out of my all too oft, self absorbed world. :)

Two Dinners

One of tonight's conversations with my son, Tucker:

Tucker: "Mommy, I'm still hungry" (after eating his dinner and a brownie)

Me: "Well, then you'll need to eat more dinner (knowing very well he just wanted more brownie)

Tucker: "NO, not two dinners!" :)

Weirdo Here

Funny...I was praying about what to do with my kiddos' naptime today. A few thoughts of what I wanted to do: take a nap, throw in some laundry, make my hubby chocolate chipless cookies (yes, he likes them without the chocolate chips...he's the weird one!), read a book, work on my daughter's birthday party plans, etc. But, then I hopped over to "Ordinary Mother" and knew I had my answer: write a blog post with 7 weird things about myself. Ahh, yes...the divine does speak through Laurie Reyes...(actually, I do believe that to be true, but in this instance I'm being very sarcastic). :0

So, because I cannot disappoint my dear friend, here are 7 (am I limited to 7?) weird things about myself:

1. I LOVE the smell of my boys' breaths when they wake up from their naps.

2. I LOVE watching QVC...seriously, I will say to my hubby at night before we go to bed, "Can I just go downstairs quickly and get my QVC fix?"

3. I love to run and even moreso if hills are involved. In fact, if it was possible, I would have only uphills and no downhills.

4. I have this thing for pain some would say> I was nearly distraught when my midwives were pressuring me to have an epidural in place for the delivery of my twins (which I didn't comply to and ended up with a spinal instead for my emergency c-section with them). If at all possible, I will choose not to be put under anesthesia for a procedure just so I can know what they're doing to me. I've had a novicaine shot into my eye rather than being put under and was so close to asking my midwife what the doctor was doing procedurally during my c-section. **For those of you who have never seen a C-section or had one, they place a sheet at your mid-section so you can't see what they're doing...this killed me during mine because I was so curious. I think the only thing that kept me from asking was when I saw smoke arising from behind the sheet and I thought, "hmmm, maybe I don't want to know." Later, I did ask my midwife and she obliged me by telling me step by step what really happens during a C-section.

5. I must have my bedsheets straightened and tight in order to go to sleep at night. There have been times I have actually woken up my husband because the sheets had gotten all "sloppy" and I couldn't sleep.

6. I have to have the toilet paper coming from the top of the roll. I have actually turned the toilet paper around at other people's houses if it's put on with the paper coming from the bottom of the roll.

7. I would actually get a thrill out of being left home alone to clean all day.

I tag Melanie L. (because I know you have sooo much time on your hands), Lydia E. (even though you don't have a blog..email me your list and I'll post it here if you're okay with that. I'm thinking you'd have a pretty good list), Jessi and Jen Brewer.

Snow Babies

Tucker funnies

There are days I can't write things down fast enough because my boys say the funniest stuff.

The boys really wanted to eat bananas out on the deck the other day, so I bundled them up in 3 layers and sent them outside. I took care of some laundry and when I came back, Tucker was without his banana. I inquired, "Tucker, where's your banana?"
Tucker: "The birds will eat it, mom."

I knew then that he had chucked it over the deck railing.

_______________________________

Yesterday, the boys' Abuela (Lawrence's mom) came to stay with the kids while I had a doctor's appointment and ran some errands. She has a habit of bringing small containers of applesauce with her when she comes to visit. The boys love applesauce and look forward to having their own container of it when she comes. She was getting ready to leave and Tucker said, "Abuela, can you come another day and bring applesauce with you for me?"
I sought to instruct him that it's rude to ask others to bring things for oneself when they come, that Abuela brings the applesauce to bless them, but when they ask for it, it takes the blessing away from Abuela.
Tucker's response to my instruction: "Abuela, can you come another day and bless me?"

I think he missed the point!

______________________________

The squirrels love to skip around on our deck, and the boys are always fascinated by them while they eat their breakfast in the morning. This morning we were watching a squirrel, and it ran quickly away when Tucker approached the window. I asked Tucker, "Where did the squirrel go, Tucker?"
Tucker: "It went to find its nuts."

A Really Good Roast Recipe

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not meat girl. I don't like handling raw meat; I don't know how to cook red meat especially. So, when I find and cook a red meat recipe that actually turns out well, I feel like I need to tell the world: "Hey, Look what I found!" This is for all those out there who are not especially skilled at preparing red meat.

From Cooking Light:
Autumn Cranberry Beef Stew
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (3 pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes (I just threw the entire roast in the pan because, like I said, I hate handling raw meat)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup fat free, less sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 (12 oz) Guinness Stout
1 (10 oz) package frozen pearl onions, thawed (I left these out)
1 (8 oz.) package button mushrooms, quarted (I used sliced)
1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
8 cups egg noodles

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; sprinkle over beef. Heat a Dutch oven over med-high heat. Coat pan wtih cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add chopped onion, broth, bay leaves, and stout; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 (or more) hours until beef is tender, stirring occasionally.

Combine 1/4 c. water and flour in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and cranberry sauce to pan. Cook 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serve with noodles.
*I thought the broth was a bit thin, so took some of it out, mixed it with flour to thicken it up and poured it back into the pot.

My husband's comment after eating it: "This is the best roast I've ever had in my entire life!"
This is quite a compliment from my husband who I would say is rather picky when it comes to his food.

The Laser Treatment that Didn't Happen

Several folks have asked how Judah's laser treatment went on Friday. In short, it didn't. Here's an excerpt from my journal about the situation at Hopkins written the next morning:

Once at Hopkins, we were told authorization was not gotten for this treatment. They tried calling the girl in charge of acquiring that for us, but of course she wasn't answering her phone. It turned out that George, our nurse, tried reaching her, came out and spoke with me to try to work something out. I got on the phone with Lawrence's insurance broker from work, Sharon. LA pulled his PR guy, Keith, in on it, too. What it came down to (as far as I can tell) is that Nicole (from Hopkins) didn't do her job. I gave her the information she needed a week ago and asked her to call me back if she continued having problems with our insurance. She never called me back. So, I assumed she did her job and authorization was received---wrong assumption.

It was very upsetting. Judah had been given Benadryl which I think was semi-sedating him as he was farely patient through it all. But, it was upsetting to me that he had his numbing cream on as long as he did, that we ventured down there, went through the emotional stress of it all, arranged for a sitter, etc.---only to be turned away because someone didn't do her job.

Well, on the phone with Lawrence I gave full vent to my anger, declaring all the ways I was going to "let Nicole have it" for putting us out. I was quickly convicted over the poor example of humility I had been to my son who quietly witnessed my interactions with the staff at Hopkins, my frustration and exasperated tone of voice, my sense of despair when we realized the laser treatment wouldn't happen and finally, my anger.

I knew I would be instructing my son to do otherwise if he was the one facing a similar situation. More importantly I knew I was valuing something of earth over the things God values--that being gracious speech, humility, gentleness. Philippians 4 says, "let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near..." I became convinceted that I wanted what I wanted in that moment more than what God wanted.

Stopping to pray and ask for forgiveness both from God and Judah ushered in grace to begin to view the circumstances a little differently--with more humility, recognizing the possibility that I didn't have the full picture or all the information playing into what happened and even if I had, was I going to demand my rights, make them pay for inconveniencing me so or choose God's priority for me to be light in darkness by remaining calm, peaceable, gentle and humble?

Well since then, I have wrestled with my heart quite a bit not only to know what is wise but also what would glorify God. I don't want to be a doormat about the situation and not hold anyone accountable for what happened. But, I don't want to demand recompense (well, I do but am feeling as though that might not glorify God).

Living in America clouds this issue quite a bit for me. I know I am influenced by my culture that is always aware and pursuing one's rights. Where do I stand on this? God, how do you want me to respond? Where do you want me to stand? Teach me wisdom AND grace. teach me, show me how to be humble and wise--looking out for my family, protecting them and providing for them while remaining dependent on You and humble before others.

Proverbs 12--
v.15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
v. 16 A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
v.20 There is ... joy for those who promote peace.

Later on during the day on Saturday, I started listening to a message by John Piper, a biographical sketch of sorts of the life of Charles Simeon. He entitled his message, "Brothers, We Must Not Mind a Little Suffering." In his introduction, Piper writes,

I need very much this inspiration from another age, because I know that I am, in great measure, a child of my times. And one of the pervasive marks of our times is emotional fragility. I feel it as though it hung in the air we breathe. We are easily hurt. We pout and mope easily. We break easily. Our marriages break easily. Our faith breaks easily. Our happiness breaks easily. And our commitment to the church breaks easily. We are easily disheartened, and it seems we have little capacity for surviving and thriving in the face of criticism and opposition.

When historians list the character traits of the last third of twentieth century America, commitment, constancy, tenacity, endurance, patience, resolve and perseverance will not be on the list. The list will begin with an all-consuming interest in self-esteem. It will be followed by the subheadings of self-assertiveness, and self-enhancement, and self-realization.

We need help here. When you are surrounded by a society of emotionally fragile quitters, and when you see a good bit of this ethos in yourself, you need to spend time with people – whether dead of alive – whose lives prove there is another way to live. Scripture says, "Be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12).

This proved to be instructive and very helpful to me in my wrestling over this situation at Hopkins. I know the inconvenience I faced on Friday was just that...an inconvenience, not a major trial; although I responded that way! I do want to help my children learn as I learn that God does not promise us sunshine and roses all the days of our lives. We will go through life being at least inconvenienced by others, at worst, sinfully wronged by others. I want to teach my children again as I learn myself that God provides HIS way through these situations and it's not the knee jerk reaction to self assert and self protect. It's to "allow my gentleness to be evident to all for the Lord is near." The Lord will assert Himself as my protector and defender and as I step aside, He will receive more glory.

_______________________________________________________

By Saturday night, I had moved on from the situation at Hopkins to take care of more pressing matters in our home: that of the stomach bug! Two of our three kids were throwing up Saturday night, and we are now at home spraying Lysol, doing lots of laundry and praying the rest of us manage somehow to stay healthy!

The Laser Routine

Another laser treatment for Judah is quickly approaching: this Friday! I have yet to arrange for a sitter and am actually debating whether to try to take Tucker with us this time. He has never gone, but I'm wondering if he might be ready to see what his brother goes through as the two of them "play" laser treatment here at home quite often.

Judah is understandably upset when he realizes it's a laser treatment day, and always asks not to be taken, but is a champ the minute it's over and relishes in the fact that he gets a sprinkle donut afterwards!

So, not wanting to take it for granted, I am again asking for your prayers for our little family. It is our "normal" life, but I never want to think I've arrived at the place where I can handle it apart from God's grace as it then becomes quickly clear that I cannot! :)

Our Gladness

Here's a quote I couldn't resist putting on my blog. It is a challenging thought but one worth spending some time meditating on, I think:


“The acid test of biblical God-centeredness — and faithfulness to the gospel — is this: Do you feel more loved because God makes much of you, or because, at the cost of His Son, He enables you to enjoy making much of Him forever? Does your happiness hang on seeing the cross of Christ as a witness to your worth, or as a way to enjoy God’s worth forever? Is God’s glory in Christ the foundation of your gladness?”
- John Piper, God is the Gospel (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2005), 11-12.

Some Pictures from Our Holidays!

They look like angels, don't they?

She IS our little angel!

Notice: I AM getting my hair cut and colored this Saturday. As you can see, it's in desperate need.

My brother, Jay, with his new baby girl, Sadie...both in their favorite pose!

Bella looking out for her new cousin...or is she just stealing her nuk?

Poopy Humor Courtesy of My 3 Year Olds!

One day recently, Judah needed his diaper changed, so he exclaimed to his Papi (daddy), "I have an okie dokie poopy!"
(He was just informed today that his New Year's resolution is to be potty trained!)



Taking a walk with the kids a few days ago, my son, Tucker, came upon some dog poopy that wasn't cleaned up but rather smeared a bit on the sidewalk. Inspecting it, he declared, "It's a la luna poopy" as it was in the shape of a crescent moon. (To appreciate this funny, you must know that the Spanish word for moon is 'luna'.)

Christmas Funnies

Entering the sanctuary at our church to enjoy a Christmas cantata, my son, Tucker exclaimed, "Mommy, I'm so excited to see the pinata!"



I've been trying to sing Christmas carols to the kids throughout the week to familiarize them with the sounds and words of these cherished songs. A friend and her kids were over to play with us and asked the boys what their favorite Christmas carol was. Their reply: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".

I'm thinking they might have repressed the Christmas carols I've sung due to the less than melodious voice I have! :)

Having a Little Elfin' Fun

I know this has been around for a while, but I had to do it. ENJOY!! I know I did. :)


http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1301722128

This elfin' greeting brought to you by OfficeMax®.

Jesus

Jesus:
Name of wondrous love, name all other names above,
Unto which must every knee bow in deep humility.

Jesus:
Name decreed of old to the maiden mother told---
Kneeling in her lowly cell---by the angel Gabriel.

Jesus:
Name of priceless worth to the children of the earth
For the promise that it gave, "Jesus shall his people save."

Jesus:
Name of wondrous love, human name of God above;
Pleading only this, we flee, helpless, O our God, to Thee.

As quoted in Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin Jr. (Words William W. How, 19th century)

Clementines

This morning, my son was showing me a scratch on his finger. I was looking at it and wondered aloud if it was a splinter. Tucker said, "No, mom, I think it's a scratch."

Me: "How did you get it?"

Tucker: "I was reaching for the lemon limes."

Me: (Not knowing what he was talking about) "Where were you reaching for these?"

Tucker: "Up on the counter."

Me: "Oh..you mean the clementines, sweetie?"

Tucker: "yeah, lemon limes"

Think of All the Good

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

There have been many times while going through a trial that I have felt like a needy burden to others. Lawrence and I have often found ourselves in need of others' help, particularly since the arrival of our children. At times, I can feel like the neediest among my peer group and wrestle with why that is the case. But, today as my friend, Heather, took my boys for a little while from me for oh, the 100th + time, I was able to get a Godward perspective on it instead of my typical self focused perspective.

I thought of the kindness of God that my boys have so many "2nd momma's" and other places that feel so much like home for them. I saw the kindness of God to give my children so many opportunities to see how other godly homes function, how other godly parents treat their children, reinforcing to them the approach we are aiming to take in raising them to know and love God. I saw the kindness of God in giving them friends who are becoming more like brothers and sisters to them because they end up having to spend so much time with them due to all our "trials" that have created those opportunities.

And, then God kindly began to show me just a glimpse of His good purposes in this most recent affliction: my being put out of commission from back pain for nearly a week. My husband has been on full parent duty and then some. I can choose to give into the temptation to feel guilty about making him bear the full load of our responsibilities as parents or I can choose to believe that God is at work in his life, too...perhaps growing him in empathy for the load I bear as a wife and mother. Perhaps, God is helping Lawrence grow in God dependence vs. self sufficiency.

What about all those folks who have cared for my children or made us a meal? I can feel a sense of indebtedness to them, or I can choose to believe that God is working for their good as well, perhaps growing them in generous giving or self sacrifice for the good of another or maybe just giving them an opportunity to store up one more treasure in Heaven by providing for the needs of a needy family!

Lastly, I have been tempted in the midst of our trials to think I have no evangelistic impact because of how much we seem to be inward focused, sometimes out of necessity, due to the various trials He's taken/taking us through. Again, God graciously reminded me that He is more committed to advancing His kingdom than I am. I can trust that He is working out His perfect plan for His redeemed, the ones that are already and the ones that have yet to be so. I may not often be able to engage in lengthy, spiritual conversations with my neighbors because I'm chasing three kids around or invite folks to church that often because it's hit or miss whether we make it ourselves with how often the kids are sick. I may not be able to frequent a local "third place" because of budget constraints, but I know that God is able to use our circumstances for His glory and to advance His kingdom.

He just may be doing it in a more silent way: by the observations others make of how we are handling our trials...they may see the grace my son receives during his laser treatments or the steady flow of foot traffic through our door lately, people bringing meals and taking our children for us. They see my husband making sacrifices in his career advancement for the sake of caring for his wife and family. This runs so counter to our culture, and I pray is a strong witness for the power of the Gospel in our lives. For truly, it is only the power of God's redeeming love in our lives that allows us to have any impact at all.

I know I do not see all the good that God is doing in my life or in others' lives through trials and suffering simply because I am finite and my mind could not possibly comprehend all the good He is about. But, I am learning to be guided by this scripture found in Proverbs 3:5-7a:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes...

If I choose not to be wise in my own eyes, but rather trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding of things, I begin to see all (or at least a part) of the good God might be bringing about through my trials and sufferings.

A Judah Funny

We recently got some hand me downs from ever generous sister, and the boys have been sporting "new" shirts for about a week now. Today, Judah had on one of his new shirts and I was complimenting him on it.

Me: Judah, that's a nice shirt you've got on.

Judah: Thanks.

Me: You know Conner (the boys' cousin) gave that to you.

Judah: Yeah, he's a servant.

:)

Muscle Spasm

These four days of waiting for a doctor to see me have felt like forever. Tonight, I was finally seen by my primary care physician. After her examination and looking over my x-ray and MRI, she concluded that I had (or am having) muscle spasms. Admittedly, I was a bit shocked. "Muscle Spasm" doesn't sound as painful as it was/is. Don't get me wrong; I'm very grateful that it is just a muscle spasm and there is a hopeful outcome for me after a bit of time, TLC and physical therapy. I just thought for the amount of pain I was in and am in still that it surely had to be a slipped disc or a tumor or something BIG like that. Little did I know something like a muscle spasm could cause so much pain.

Our family has been so well served this week with dinners every night, our children being cared for by Lawrence's mom and some great friends, cards, calls and emails of encouragement along with your prayers. Thank you so much.

I have to say that while I never would have asked for this pain or anticipated God using something like this to teach me so much, I am grateful for the last week. I was able to see God at work in my life and in others' lives. God used it as just another part of His refining process, making me more like His Son, imparting more of a Godward focus in my life and speech, giving me the gift of a more God-centered perspective on my suffering and the sufferings of others.

I believe I'll have more to write about regarding what God's done in my heart this week and what He revealed to me about Himself, but it is now time for some physical therapy!!

The Fear Destroyer

Lying in bed all week in pain like I've never known in my life has made me confront fear in a way I never have before. I couldn't run from it or excuse it away. I couldn't come up with my own solution that would make the fear diminish. I had to face it. A friend of mine brought dinner and a very encouraging card one night. (Thanks, Danielle) In it was a quote by John Piper that notes the cure for fear. It was both insightful and helpful. Here it is:

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. Proverbs 14 :26.

In regards to this verse, the solution to fear is fear. The solution to timidity is fear. The solution to uncertainty is fear. The solution to doubt is fear. How can this be?

Part of the answer is that 'fear of the Lord' means fearing to dishonor the Lord. Which means fearing to distrust the Lord. Which means fearing to fear anything that the Lord has promised to help you overcome. In other words, the fear of the Lord is the great fear destroyer."

I saw the Lord grow me in fear of Him over the last five days. He made me come face to face with my inability to sustain anything. I could not care for myself. I could not care for my children. I was utterly dependent upon Him to look out for me, to provide for me, to protect me. I couldn't make doctors see me any faster than they did. I couldn't determine what my eventual diagnosis would be. But by seeing all I could not do, I saw how much God could do, that He is in control of everything, that He sustains everything. This truth is not a new one. My 3 year olds are being told that God is in control of everything, that He is the Creator and Sustainer. But, this truth becomes embraced on a whole new level when one is forced to come to grips with his/her inability to control anything. Any physical ailment that leaves one bed-ridden will quickly drive that point home.

I am grateful to be out of bed, moving about my home today. I am grateful that I will see a physical therapist today who will, God willing, help me feel better over time and teach me how to take care of my back. While it seems that God will grant me health and youthful vigor once again, I don't want to quickly forget the lessons I learned this week about His rule in my life and over all the earth.

"O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?" Deuteronomy 3:24

Crippling Fear

I wish I had some sort of update as to what is going on with my back, but unfortunately for now all I can write is that I'm still in pain...nothing compared to where I was on Sunday night, but still not able to function as I need to in order to take care of my husband & children. While we have once again been so well cared for by our family and friends, I have found it incredibly difficult not to be fit to provide for my husband's or children's needs during this time of recovery. Recovering is what we're all hoping is happening while I spend now the 3rd day in bed.

Last night, I was able to look in the mirror for the first time in 2 days and notice that I'm crooked. I don't really know how else to explain it, but it appears if nothing else, something is mis-aligned in my back or hips. I don't know if it's the cause or effect of my back pain over the last week, and I'm having a difficult time getting a doctor to see me.

After helping my husband get things ready for the kids to spend the day at a friend's house today (Thanks, Kathleen!!), we laid down to go to bed. Only, I was assaulted with all kinds of fearful thoughts to the point that I was convinced I was going to die in my sleep if I didn't get to a hospital. Lawrence and I prayed; he tried to sing worship songs to me, but nothing prevailed to bring me peace. I was trying to tell myself truths like God has my days numbered and if I'm going to die tonight, it won't matter if I made it to the hospital or not (I know most reading this are thinking I'm crazy for thinking such things, but at midnight on the 2nd full day of taking narcotics and laying in bed alone, it sounds very plausible.)

I was struggling to discern whether God was imparting some kind of intuition to me to go be seen by a medical doctor right away or if it was an assault from the enemy of my soul trying to keep me from the rest that I desperately need and the peace that God promises to His children who trust in Him. I became so convinced that I was going to die that my husband actually allowed me to call my dear friend, Heather, who also happens to be a Hopkins' nurse. It was nearly midnight when I called, and she was gracious and compassionate nevertheless.

She helped me think a bit more clearly through my symptoms and said that most of what I was experiencing was not acute nor merited emergent care. She graciously suggested that after spending 2 days in bed on narcotics, I was probably a little overly sensitive to any kind of change in my normal bodily functions. She then prayed with me and went back to sleep. I, however, was still in a state of unrest and panic. I pulled out the ring of verses I have from my labor/delivery experience with Bella and began to read all the verses under the "fear/anxiety" category aloud. God also led me to pray aloud, thanking Him for the truths and promises I was reading about in these verses.

I would nod off and wake right back up from evil images that would pop into my mind. I'd begin to read again, pray, nod off, wake up. And, the cycle continued like that for at least an hour or so. Eventually, my exhausted body took over my active mind, and I did fall asleep.

"In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice and my cry to Him reached His ears." Psalm 18:6

ER Visit

Hey folks,

We wanted to request your prayers: Bri developed some acute back pain on Thanksgiving Day which worsened until Sunday when she could barely stand while at the Almengor grandparents for Thanksgiving dinner. I drove her home to nurse Bella and then head to Patient First (not interested in sitting in the ER on a holiday weekend--Chad Young, can I get an amen!). Well after nursing Bella, Bri could not even stand up! So with dragging her into the minivan not an option--I called 911 and the ambulance came and took us to--yes--the ER at Upper Chesapeake. We proceeded to wait in the hallway at UCMC for a half hour on the strecher behind four other ambulance patients--but at least we got in! After us, they rerouted all other ambulances to other hospitals. Seven and-a-half hours and two narcotics and some morphine later, the x-rays showed nothing (good thing!), it wasn't kidney stones (good thing!), but they didn't know what it was (not the best thing). We have an MRI at 2:30 Monday afternoon. My mom is watching the kids since Bri is flat on her back all loopy. Meals are being provided for us (thanks Kathleen!).

Thanks in advance for your prayers!

Lawrence for Briana

Too Much Honey...

We are at Grandma's for Thanksgiving. There are few other places my boys enjoy more. I'm thinking the fact that my mom always has M&M's for the boys might have something to do with that. Tonight after allowing my boys what I felt was a sufficient amount of M&M's, Judah asked if he could have another one.
I replied, "Judah, you've had enough. Remember the Bible says that too much honey will make a man vomit."

Judah: "Mom, I want to be sick."

_________________________________________________________________

Judah is doing rather well post-laser treatment. As is typical, he tug at my heart with various comments before the treatment like, "Can we go home now?" or "I'm ready to go home, Mom" but did not cry until he was put up on the table for the treatment. He was justly rewarded with a chocolate frosted donut afterwards, and mommy helped herself to a donut as well. :)

Asking for Prayer

A bit last minute, but I'm asking for prayer for a laser treatment we have today for Judah. I am splitting up Tucker and Bella between two babysitters, praying that they'll take good naps while I'm at Hopkins with Judah. Also, Judah will have a new area lasered today. We have always done either his face or his trunk/shoulder/upper arm area. Today, we're going to try a different area on his body, and I am anxious about it.

Yesterday, I took Bella for her 9 month check up and assured the boys on the way there that only Bella would be getting shots. I did not expect my pediatrician to offer flu shots for all the kids while we were there. This was providential as I had been trying to figure out when and where to get the flu shots for them otherwise. So, I went with it, crazy lady that I am. Needless to say, the boys were not happy with me. In light of that, putting Judah through a laser treatment today feels cruel on my part.


The boys have been doing a lot of imaginative play lately, which is very fun to witness. One of their roleplays is of a laser treatment. Tucker is always the patient and Judah, the doctor. It's cute on one level, sad on another, probably a bit therapeutic in some way, too. But, Judah says nearly everyday, "Mom, I don't want you to take me for a laser treatment." As much of a trooper as the kid is, he just simply hates laser treatments. I can't say I blame him.

And, I am struggling with a bout of self pity this week, not justifiably (is it ever?), but struggling nonetheless. I am certainly tempted to consider how I am ending my week and feel sorry for myself. If you want to figuratively "smack me in the face" via a corrrective comment, feel free. :) Please don't cater to my self pity, however. That would not be helpful.


So, we'd greatly appreciate your prayers for us today.

Choices

This morning, like every morning, my boys asked me what we were going to have for breakfast. When I replied with, "Pancakes", my one son began to wimper and said, "But I want choices."

Spoken like a true American!

My Little Pumpkins +1

I'm finally able to post some pictures we took of our pumpkin pickin' this year. The boys are way more into the hay ride to the patch than they are in picking just the right pumpkin. They are too bothered by the vines. Here are my 'particular' pumpkins:

The boys' buddy, Rudy, joined us for pumpkin pickin'.

Don't ya think Anne Geddes should get a hold of my girl?!

For Your Listening Pleasure

I hope this link will be especially encouraging to moms of young ones. Often, I miss the message at church on Sunday mornings for various reasons. If you had or have young kids at home, I don't need to explain why. Our church makes messages available online, and there are a whole host of great sites that post their messages online, too, such as John Piper's Desiring God site to name one of my favorites. However, I find that when trying to listen to a message, there is constant interruption. I have to press pause or come back and try to find the spot where I had to stop listening.

So, I've "tuned in" to online radio instead. My husband turned me on to this through a site called, Shoutcast. You can listen to just about any style of music out there. We listen to classical during our dinner time to fool ourselves into thinking we're "those" kind of people...ya know, sophisticated with mannerly children who don't sing silly songs at the table or complain about how much they don't like what you've prepared for them.

During my days lately, I've been tuning into Sovereign Grace Radio, listening to the latest CD put out by father/son duo, Mark and Steve Altrogge, entitled In a Little While. What I appreciate about this CD in particular is that I can catch one of two lines at a time and be instantly encouraged, receive help in renewing my mind and taking my thoughts captive throughout the day. In being able to catch just one or two lines, I find that my thoughts will turn toward the cross and things eternal, and this does my soul good...and in turn, my home and children good as well. SO, tune in. Go to the site linked above and in the right hand corner, underneath the banner you'll see the words, "Sovereign Grace Radio". Click on that and be blessed!

Bible Memorization with Three Year Olds

Our church began a new curriculum two months ago that includes Bible verse memorization for the children. After missing the boat the first month with it, I took up the challenge of teaching my three year olds their memory verse. The nice thing is that you get an entire month to help them learn it. The first and only verse we've memorized so far is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

Today, I told the boys that we would be starting a new verse. Judah replied with, "Is it about cats or dogs?"

Where does he come up with this stuff?

Any Locals Have.....?

I need help putting together the kids' costumes for our church's costume party, Fantasy Kingdom, coming up this Sunday. If you live locally and have any of the following items that you wouldn't mind us borrowing for Sunday, please let me know.

• three pairs of pink gloves (1 pair for an infant and 2 pair for toddlers)
• 2 pink turtle necks (2T-3T)
• empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls

And, if you can guess what we're dressing them up as, I'll give you something! It might not be something you want, but you'll get something! :)

The Tower

My guys are just making me laugh a lot lately... so, hence all the "funnies".
This morning, Tucker was placing all our living room pillows on top of each other. He looked up at me and said, "Babel of Tower". :)

They've been learning about the Tower of Babel in sunday school. I chuckled and graciously said, "That would be the Tower of Babel, Tucker". ;)

"What's Her Name?"

This is the question I hear at least two or three times a day. It could be the woman scanning our groceries at the grocery store, or the lady across the street walking her dogs. It could be the people we see in the picture book we're reading. Today, it was the woman checking out our library books at the drive thru window. As I'm pulling away from the window I hear Judah ask from the back, "Mom, what's her name?"

Me: "I don't know, honey. Maybe when we come next time we can ask her or look at her name tag."

Judah: "Can I give her a name?"
(I usually tell the boys that they may make up a name for the person if there's no way for me to find out or as in the case of random people in a picture book, they don't have an assigned name.)

Me: "Sure Judah, you may give her a name."

Judah: "Can I call her Charlene?"

We know no one named Charlene. There is no video or TV program they watch with a Charlene in it to my knowledge. I have never said the name Charlene....ever. Where he came up with this one, I will never know. But, it made me chuckle at his creativity. Can't wait to hear what he names his children one day!

Strawberry

Thought this might put a smile on some of your faces. Plus, Lawrence told me I had to write this one on my blog, if only for us to remember it.

Recently, we were out with another family at one of our favorite local icecream joints, Broom's Bloom. We let the boys pick their icecream flavor now (yet another sign that they are growing up!), and Judah replied with, "I'll take strawberry...like my birthmark."

Now, I know a few of you are probably tearing up at that, but we chuckled and are grateful that our little man can be so comfortable about it. That's is God's grace on his little life!

You Can Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

Lately, I've been trying to increase our fiber intake as a family. You can read about the many benefits of fiber here. One of my favorite ways I've found to increase fiber in our diet is to incorporate whole wheat flour into some of my favorite baked goods. Recently, I tried a recipe from Quick Cooking but changed it a bit to make it just a tad more healthy. It was FAB, if I say so myself. Here is my version of Homemade Chocolate Cake (some people call this Wacky Cake) for you to try, too.

2 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. sugar (I reduced this from 2 c. of sugar)
1/3 c. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. water
3/4 c. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. vinegar
6 oz. choc. chips (my addition)

In a mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Add the water, oil, vanilla and vinegar; mix well (batter will be thin). Stir in half of the choc. chips. Pour into a greased 13 X 9 X 2 in. baking pan. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top of cake. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

ENJOY!

Through the Night

Judah made it through the night without throwing up. I was up with him only once around 1:30, but nothing out of the ordinary. He woke up and had a big pancake breakfast, which he kept down just fine.

He was pretty much himself today which was very reassuring. Ending his day with the promised sprinkle donut was a good thing for all of us. Cheers all around the house. We'll follow up with the ordering doctor in two weeks and hopefully hear good news.

Judah's MRI (body scan)

Just a quick update tonight before I will hopefully lay my head on the pillow and not wake up until morning...and I don't mean like 1 or 2 or 3 in the morning, not 4 or 5 either. 6:00 would be okay, but I'd prefer a little later than that, too.

(You're gonna be getting the slap happy tired Briana here, by the way.)

Overall, we experienced so much of God's grace. There were several times today that I looked at my son and thanked God for giving him to me. What a gift our Judah is to us. He teaches us so much about God and brings us so much joy seeing God's amazing grace on him.

The fasting thing all day was not easy, but it really could have gone so much worse. The kids and I walked down to our dear friends, the Grigers, for a "J" breakfast: Jello jigglers and juice! Not the breakfast of champions, but what ya gotta do when you've got to otherwise starve a 3 year old all day.

We made it through most of the morning with only a few pleas for lunch. Eventually, Lawrence took just Judah out to run some errands and to a playground so as to take his mind off his hunger and allow me time to get things together for the rest of the day.

We arrived at Hopkins on time at 2:30, our procedure scheduled for 3:00. Lawrence's sister works at the hospital, in fact on the very floor where Judah's procedure was going to take place. When she stopped by to pay a visit, Judah said to her, "I'm going to be brave a little and I'm going to cry a little". Improvement from just last Friday when he was resolved to only cry! That's remarkable growth in a short amount of time, if you ask me.

And, that's precisely what he did. He was supremely brave! He did not cry even when I took him back the hallway and into the procedure room. He just held tightly to me, and tried not to look anyone in the eye. He let me reassure him, though, and I sensed so much of God's grace in that moment, being able to impart courage to my little boy at the very same time God was imparting courage to my own heart.

He began to cry only when I had to place him on the table and put the mask on his face. He struggled quite a bit, longer than any other procedure/surgery I remember in the past. But, eventually, it knocked him out. And, at that point I know what I will hear next, "Mom, why don't you give him a kiss and we'll take it from here." So, that's what I did, on cue, just like I've done so many times before and walked out of the room, entrusting my son to the care of doctors, nurses and ultimately to God.

I had my "little cry" then, and Lawrence and I took Bella to grab something to eat and wait. Two hours later, my little man was being wheeled to recovery, everything having gone smoothly. He woke up quickly in recovery but was very cranky. I always feel badly for the others in the recovery room having to deal with the cranky kid, especially when it's mine. Of course, that's to be expected and somewhat out of his control, but I feel badly nevertheless.

Our seasoned nurse and mom of a 3 year old herself knew to pop in a movie as quickly as possible. Madagascar, provided some relief but what really motivated him to stop crying and start drinking his water was when I mentioned we'd go home as soon as he proved to his nurse that he was ready to go home. By now, he knows what that means.

Consequently, we were released rather quickly and with enough stickers in hand for Judah's entire Sunday school class, we headed to the car a little after 7 p.m. We were doing fine until we strapped Judah into his carseat and he threw up all over. Actually, I was grateful. I knew he had a lot of air trapped in his stomach, and figured throwing up would help get some of the anesthesia out, too. We called just to make sure and were told that indeed throwing up is a rather normal response to anesthesia, that as long as he didn't throw up continuously thru the night, he should be fine. Dehydration is the concern.

We arrived home, and just after I had placed Judah on the couch, he threw up again. It's now 10:15, and he's cleaned up and in bed. We're hoping he won't throw up anymore. Please pray to that end. Also, he was intubated for the procedure and as is typical, is experiencing some hoarseness in his throat. Intubation can be a tricky thing with asthmatics, but it seems Judah fared well enough today. The anesthesiologists were pleased with his response. Nevertheless, we are also praying that his airway will remain clear and 'un'-infected.

As always, thanks for praying and caring for us.

Yesterday, we took Judah to Hopkins for two different doctor's appointments. The first was a pre-op. evaluation for an MRI he'll have done this coming Monday. The doctor heard a heart murmur for which she tried to schedule a last minute ECG but couldn't. Admittedly, I was glad to not have to drag him to another appointment, but later became a bit anxious about it. It's something we'll follow up on at another time, and God willing won't fret about it until then.

The second appointment was a laser treatment for his face. Applying the numbing cream went rather well, but as to be expected, he screamed once we walked into the laser room and didn't stop until we left. Our doctor commented that he did really well to which I said, "I hate to see what 'bad' looks like".

Judah's face is looking pretty rough right now. He blistered in a few spots and has bruises all over as well. Unlike treatments in the past, his face also swelled up a bit. So, we're giving him Motrin and applying vaseline, hoping it heals up quickly.

Please pray for Judah and for us as this Monday, we have to return to Hopkins for an MRI. He'll have anesthesia for it and won't be able to eat all day. His scan time is scheduled from 3-5 p.m.
The MRI is being done from his neck down. His legs will be measured at this time as well to evaluate him for a related syndrome called Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome which effects one's limbs. More on the MRI later, if need be.

All in all, we are feeling our need for God's grace this weekend and into the early part of next week. Of course, we're always in need. We just feel our need more acutely at times. We'd appreciate your prayers for us. Thanks!

I'm Going to Cry

Judah's appointment went okay..it's over. That's always the best part...when it's over. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the worst is right around the corner.
Today was just a CAT Scan. Next Friday is a laser Tx, and the Monday following a full body MRI (a 2 hr. scan that he'll be under for). Poor buddy. I knew he wasn't gearing himself up to be brave when we were getting ready to leave and he said to the Abuelos (that would be his grandparents for all the non-Spanish speaking people reading), "I'm going to the doctor and I'm going to cry." :)

He kept saying it to me on our drive down to Hopkins in between oohing and ahhing over all the construction equipment on I-95. I was grateful for the distraction for him.
I let him walk with me for the first time instead of taking a stroller into the hospital. So, we did the escalator for the first time, too...he screamed for the first one. I talked him through it and by the time we reached the top, he said, "That wasn't easy, mommy" (meaning, that wasn't hard). He was quickly asking to do it again.

He was great in the waiting room and walking down the hallway with the doctor. We got into the room and when I looked at him, he just had the poutiest little face that said, "I'm about to cry. If anyone makes a move in my direction, I'm going to let 'er rip." And, he did....and didn't stop until I picked him up off the table at which time he immediately stopped and said, "We're all done, mommy" in the most pleasant tone of voice ever. Ironically, he picked the sticker that said, "I was good. I sat very still". HA!! We'll let him live in his delusion. Don't we all want to live there after all? :)

He got a sprinkle donut afterwards from the cafeteria, and we were able to have lunch with Judah's Tia Yvette (that would be his aunt). Overall, I was very grateful and aware of God's grace. He's an amazing little guy. There are few other things that consistently show me the face of Christ and the power of God's grace like all the medical stuff we go through together. I would never ask for it and I would give it all up for a "normal" situation in a minute, but I'm grateful that I know God and that we get to teach Judah about God through the lot that he's been given.

Oh..one other thing that is just too cute to not mention. We were in the bathroom at the hospital today and Judah held up his thumb and said, "Mommy, my thumb is purple."
Me: "Well, it's more red than purple."
Judah: "I have a birthmark on my thumb."
Me: "That's right, Judah. Who gave you that birthmark?"
Judah: "God"
Me: "That's right. Why did He give you a birthmark?"
Judah: "Because He loves me. "

My prayer is that it remains as simple as that for him...at least for a little while.

CAT Scan

It feels like it's been a while since we've had a doctor's appointment for Judah. But, in the next several weeks, we'll be making up for that! ;)

Friday, I am taking Judah to have a head CAT Scan done as a follow up from his brain surgery, May '06. Remember that? It feels like a lifetime ago. It's a routine follow up test to see if the shunt is working properly. NO anesthesia needed, for which I am very glad. It's typically a rather quick test, but convincing a three year old to lay still and cooperate may be a bit of a challenge.

We'd appreciate your prayers. Thanks.

Potty Training Update

I know the whole world really wants to know where the Almengor's stand with potty training. That's why I had to make time to write this post. It dawned on me after returning from a neighbor's house last night that really, the rest of the world doesn't need to know that my little boy has 'big boy pants' on and poopied in the toilet. But, somehow caring for three little kiddos all day long, everyday has sent me into a warped world where I forget that not everyone is as consumed with pee, poopie and puke all day long as I am.

Nevertheless, I am very happy to announce (because I know you're all on the edge of your seats wondering) that Tucker has been in big boy underpants for TWO days in a row now!! Not without accidents, but more in the toilet than on the floor. His batting average (for the few sports minded moms out there) is above 500! For the rest of you, that means that he's gone in the toilet more than 50% of the time versus the floor. And, so you don't think I'm condescending to you by explaining the batting average, I had to clarify that with my hubby. :)

I decided to hold off on training Judah as he decidedly told me he would not pee or poopie in the toilet, and the few times I got him on the potty he couldn't figure out how it worked. However, I think since I began witholding the M & M's from him after Tucker went potty, he has a bit more incentive to begin figuring it out.

Because I know you are so interested, I'll keep you posted on the developments of the latest and greatest in the Almengor household!

Re-defining success

Today was what I call a "humdinger" of a day! I am currently sitting at Panera typing on my hubby's work computer, trying to remind myself to eat my soup like a civilized human being as there are adults around me, watching me, probably wondering why I'm scarfing it down at the pace of a marathon runner (that's what I have to do at home if I'm going to get anything in me). Thanks to my wonderful husband for allowing me a few hours to get out of the house, re-group mentally and refresh emotionally and spiritually.

I did not jump into potty training full force today. Diapers are still being worn and may be for quite some time. Who knows? I liked Beth's comment about not having to worry about dating issues if we never decide to potty train! :) And, like Gretchen (Gigi) said, they'll figure it out eventually, right?!

Back to my humdinger day.
Given our computer is no longer in commission, I had to write my "to-do's" on paper today. Unlike days gone by, my list was only about 4 bullets long. I didn't think I was being all that ambitious. I had committed to making a meal for a friend who recently had a baby, and I had corn on the cob that needed cooked, de-cobbed and frozen (it was less than 2 dozen... not like 100 ears which people who are serious about freezing vegetables for the winter do).

The other things on my list I considered optional....like finishing, or even starting for that matter, about 7 loads of laundry, making something with the 6 peaches that are ripe and quickly going to rot on my counter, and taking the indoor trash to the outdoor trash can in the back yard. I didn't think that was aspiring to much. And, I thought I'd try to include the boys in on my cooking ventures as they typically are very enthusiastic about that. Yes, it would take longer to get it done, but it would be quality time spent with them and more importantly, it would keep them under my direct supervision and out of trouble while I worked. :)

Things didn't quite get off to a speedy beginning. By 11:30, I pretty much had nothing done. AT least it felt like nothing even though I had been literally spinning all morning trying to meet the needs of my children. By lunch, I was exasperated with my children and a bit fearful that I wouldn't finish the meal I had promised to my friend. At one point, I was trying to clean up the crumbs on the floor when my son jumped on my back. I yelled at him and felt immediate conviction that I had at that point grieved the Holy Spirit and sinned against my son. He was in need of discipline, but more importantly, I was in need of forgiveness and God's grace.

I took my son to discipline him but first asked for his forgiveness. Together, we prayed and asked for God's grace. This doesn't look quite as polished as it reads here when actually doing it with a three year old. But, it's not about appearances, is it? :)

God graciously reminded me of His truth, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And, I sensed His Spirit say something to me that I've heard sooo many times from Him before, "I know what you need. Trust me." I got up from the floor (literally and figuratively) with fresh faith that He would enable me to do what I had committed myself to for that day.

Later in the afternoon, I had the blessing of talking with my dear and faithful friend, Laurie, who shared with me what a friend once shared with her about success. We must re-define our definition of success. It's not about what our house looks like at the end of the day or even what we look like at the end of the day (believe me, today it's not so pretty!). It's about having a greater appreciation for the gospel. It's about being more grateful for grace.

I'm definitely ending the day with a greater appreciation for the Gospel. Christ, the perfect Son of God, died so that I could have forgiveness for yelling at my son, so that I could together with my son talk to God, inviting His help for a situation that is absolutely impossible to manage without Him.

I'm ending the day more grateful for grace, the undeserved gift from God. In my 'brutishness', He still lavished kindness and blessing on my life by allowing my boys to take an uncommonly long nap, freeing me up to get the dinner together for my friend.

So, my house is a wreck. There are probably 4 loads of wrinkled laundry waiting to be folded on my bed at home. There is a sink so full of dishes that I can't see through my pass thru window and there are peaches rotting on my counter because I couldn't get to them today. But, I will go to bed knowing I had a successful day, at least in the eyes of my Savior. And, I will wake tomorrow and pray that you will awake, look at the day ahead and know it will be a success if we come to the end of it once again more grateful for grace.

Computers and Potties

They are sort of related in our world as of late.
You see, our computer went to the potty..it's toast...won't turn on...FINISHED!
My boys are three years old, and they have yet to learn what our three year old computer did rather successfully: to "go to the potty". Which brings me to this post.
1. I will not be online much until we figure out how to make that money tree in the backyard grow in order to buy a new laptop. :) Anyone have suggestions of a good laptop that might last us more than three years?

2. I MAY make an "official" attempt at potty training this week. It's probably not a good thing that I'm still undecided. I thought I was decided. We went out Saturday and had the boys pick out underwear and bought the treasured potty candy. But, then today (the day I'm supposed to start) I woke up and thought, "Do I really want to do this?" I've got an extra meal to make for someone today, caregroup tomorrow, a dinner out with my sister in law on Thursday. Is this really the week to begin training? Of course, next week will come and I'm sure there will be plenty of excuses then, too. To start or not to start, that is the question. The little men are not out of their beds yet, so I'll spend some time in God's Word and pray about it (hopefully before they wake up), and see if I can make a humble yet decided effort at the potty training thing today. I would appreciate anyone's prayers.