Because I Miss Laurie...

I'd do just about anything for ya, friend. :)

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I had just graduated from IUP, living in the basement of the Dudleys (a super sweet family who used to attend what is now Sovereign Grace Church of Indiana), working as a Therapeutic Staff Support for "behaviorally challenged" kids.

Favorite Snacks
lately: popcorn (94% fat free)...I can eat an entire bag and have only consumed 120 calories and 0.5 g. of fat!!! How awesome is that?!!

To Do List
1. meal plan for the next two weeks and make grocery list
2. Fold lots of laundry
3. re-schedule Judah's tooth extraction
4. Send family recipes to my cousin for a cookbook she's putting together for another cousin
5. file my large pile of EOB's and medical receipts
6. Close my sister's Pampered Chef catalog show and submit by July 31st
7. Email a friend back

Jobs I Have Had
1. Dairy Queen/Stuckey's
2. Way-Har (a family owned icecream store/deli/quickmart type of place)
3. Hostess at Ground Round
4. Therapeutic Staff Support for behaviorally challenged kids
5. Campus Crusade for Christ at Towson University
6. 5th/6th grade teacher at Chesapeake Christian School

Places I Have Lived
Lehighton, PA
Bethel, PA
Indiana, PA
Baltimore, MD
Towson, MD
Abingdon, MD

Bad Habits
eating too much sugar
disrespecting my husband publicly (more like a grievous sin).

5 Random Things People May Not Know
1. I spent 6 weeks in China while in college.
2. I can become morbidly pre-occupied with my husband dying on me at an early age.
3. I was a very picky eater as a child and through college. I now love to try new foods and have come to LOVE asparagus among other once sworn off foods!!
4. I floss my teeth almost every night.
5. I don't want to live an especially long life.

CD I would want if stranded on an island
Come Weary Saints

What I’d Do if I Were a Billionaire
...after paying off my student loan debt and mortgage completely...
1. buy my in-laws a new home in a better neighborhood.
2. provide the rest of the support my brother, Garrett and SIL, Kristen need for their stint to the Ukraine.
3. support many good friends who work full time in missions or church planting
4. host lavish parties to express my affection and appreciation to all my friends and people who serve me and my family so sacrificially.
5. Take more get aways alone with my hubby.
6. Hire a full time maid and "grounds keeper".
7. Adopt babies from China.

FREE Garden Fresh Veggies

I received a plethora of fresh veggies from Mr. Ralph Cook and want to share the wealth.
If you'd like to come by and help yourself to some fresh veggies (beans, snap peas, cucumbers, yellow squash), please do! We'll be leaving the boxes and some bags on our front steps.

An Almengor Update

Fun Family Nights:


We dressed up like cows and got a free combo meal each at Chick Fil-A!! We LOVE our Chick Fil-A.


Our friends, the Grigers, joined us. I thought Heather did a rather good job putting these outfits together last minute for her kiddos, Rudy and Lucy. Isn't that the cutest cow tail? :)

We've also spent some time out at our friends, the Neumann's, who are so generous to allow us to use their pool for some fun, free family nights!! The boys love going to "Miss De's" and especially when they get to jump on the trampoline they have. Glenn and De are among the most generous, kind hearted people we know. We are so grateful for the ways they've invested in our family.

Other happenings:

Lawrence was out of town for 2 weeks traveling for business. We missed him greatly while he was gone but were grateful that he was able to come home on the weekend between his two weeks on the road. One of my main concerns for while Lawrence was gone was that my back would hold up. I'm grateful to say God provided abundantly for our family, and my back was fine the entire time he was gone...even after driving to and from my mom's in PA!! I was amazed and grateful. While at my mom's, I had the privilege of learning how to can green beans.

My mom has had an older Mennonite woman come and clean for her on occasion ever since my parents were married. Her name is Wanda, and she has become a family friend. She often brings home baked goods when she comes to clean or something she picked up for my mom at a yardsale that she knew my mom was looking for. She is a very thoughtful, dear friend of the family, and in typical Wanda fashion, offered to come and help us can green beans. This, only a week after her mother passed away! I counted it quite a privilege to be learning from these two women who have spent their lives serving their families with excellence.

Doctor updates:

Well, we have had a lot of doctor's appointments lately. Judah saw his opthamologist last week, Dr. Abrams. His eyes look good, no signs of swelling on his optic nerve (an indicator of glaucoma) and his vision has remained about the same. The patching we've been doing has not improved his vision in the one eye since the last visit, but she wants us to continue patching to try to prevent decline. So, to my son's dismay, we will continue patching 2 hours a day (hopefully soon with a permanent patch rather than a disposable adhesive).

Judah also had a laser treatment last week on his bum. After showing pictures to Dr. Cohen from Judah's last treatment and having a discussion with him about the "diminishing return" of these treatments, he felt it best to spread Judah's treatments out further. So, gladly I cancelled the next two appointments and will not have to take Judah back until November!!!

Finally, Judah has his tooth extraction scheduled for Monday, July 28th. Unfortunately, he started with a cold yesterday which required some nebulizer treatments late last night. So, he will be on Pulmicort for this next week, and I'm hoping it will not complicate him going under anesthesia. Please pray for quick healing and that there will be no complications with this upcoming surgery.

Happy Birthday, Lawrence!!!

Today, my wonderful hubby turns another year older (we'll just leave it at that). :)

"Understated" is the best word to describe all that my husband naturally finds attractive which makes it quite a wonder that he married me (but that's for another post). It is also the word I'd use to describe my husband in so many ways.

Love, your patience toward me is nothing short of Christ-like. Your long suffering with me, the same. Your devotion to me and our family is way under-rated, and I have especially seen that grow over the last year. Your zeal to live a gospel-centered life and the steadfast way you plod through our sometimes challenging life is exemplary. I am so grateful that it is you who has the most profound influence on my life and walk with God of the many who do.

You are such a gift to me and our family. We love you. We celebrate your life today and thank God for granting you all these years. We pray there are many, many more birthdays to celebrate with you as you just seem to get better with age.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Tooth Update

Judah and I found our way to the University of Maryland Medical Center today to see an oral surgeon. I must admit I have become a Hopkins snob. :) The UofMD Medical Center is amazingly gorgeous...really, if you haven't seen it; you'll just have to take my word for it. And, I hope you never get to see it. :) Nevertheless, Johns Hopkins feels a bit more like home for us. It's weird that in 4 years, I've become preferential regarding hospitals, but 'tis true.

Anyway, we saw the oral surgeon and he wants to have Judah's tooth extracted. Judah was a great patient as usual (after I assured him the doctor did not have a laser). YIKES! How he hates the laser. Judah allowed the doctor to root all around in his mouth, giving him a good look over. I can't tell you what a blessing it is to know my son is going to cooperate with the dr's exam. It relieves so much stress that Judah is typically a very good, endearing patient.

So, we're trying to get this scheduled for August as July was just too full. Pray that Judah will continue to do well with his tooth and that no infection will occur before or after his surgery.

Time To Trust

I've been reading through Genesis lately and recently read about Abraham and Sarah and the long awaited promise of a child being fulfilled in God's time. In her old age, much past the typical window of fertility and child bearing for a woman, Sarah conceived and bore Isaac.

As I meditated on this biblical account, I realized that God is often not in a hurry but instead often provides circumstances in our lives where we are asked to trust Him as time passes by. Problems don't often resolve themselves quite as quickly as we might like them to. Answers aren't given as readily or clearly sometimes in God's time table. Yet, He remains faithful, Sovereign and Good.

We are in this kind of situation with our children's health. We received good news from Judah's endocrinologist earlier this week regarding some follow up bloodwork that Judah had done recently. She said based on what she saw in the labs, she did not feel beginning growth hormone treatments was an urgent need for Judah and that we could have some more time to monitor his growth. So, while we remain uncertain whether or not Judah will ultimately have to go on growth hormone, we have been given time to wait on God, to pray for healing and to trust that God is working all things together for our good.

We are in a similar holding pattern with Bella. She continues with her reflux, though it does seem to be improving. She continues with her stridor (the noisy breathing), both things that typically would have resolved by this point in her life. At her last appointment with the pediatrician, I was sure he was going to send us to a specialist to have her scoped again, but he did not. He said instead that we could have until she turned 2 which buys us quite a bit of time before we might have to take her to a specialist.

Again...time to wait on God, time to pray, time to trust.

The outcomes may remain the same; my children may require intervention. We don't know. But, I'm grateful that God has given us time. I want to learn from Abraham and Sarah and not despise the days that go by where answers remain unclear and promises go unfulfilled. I want to grow in this time of waiting for my children's health issues to become more clear or better yet, resolved. I want to grow in trusting the God who sent His only Son to die for my sins. If He has done this, why will He not also along with Him, graciously give us every good thing?!

A Delightful Weekend

After a long week, God blessed us with a delightful weekend.

It began with the great news that my ever hard working husband received a promotion at work!! Just to brag on him a bit, he worked very hard this past year to meet some goals he and his boss set last year at this time. He met all his goals but one, and is very excited to move into a position that will allow him some more independence and also leadership as he will be asked to oversee engagements and staff more frequently. I am very proud of my man!! He has achieved this in the midst of a very demanding life here at home that seems to grow only more demanding for him as my health/pain issues have increased over the last year and he's had to pick up the slack that I have left behind.




We enjoyed the company of some old college buds of mine on Friday whom we hadn't seen in 2 years. Tommy and Beth Chase along with their girls, Emma and Norah, decided to stop by for a visit on their way back to West Virginia from their vacation to Ocean City, NJ. We were so glad they did. It was wonderful to see my girlfriend and catch up a bit. We always love our time spent with the Chases.





Saturday was a busy, busy day filled with lots of errands, but topped off with a nice dip in the Neumann's pool. The Neumann's are an incredibly generous couple in our church (De often accompanies me to some of Judah's dr's appointments). They so eagerly open their home and pool to many folks, and we were able to take advantage of their generosity this weekend. We met another family out there for dinner, the Jones', a couple in our caregroup who we're enjoying getting to know better.





Finally, on Sunday we publicly dedicated our little girl to the Lord. We were so glad to have our parents join us as well as Lawrence's brother and sister in law. We adore our girl, and could not imagine our lives without this precious gift God's given us. We are so grateful to have Christian parents and siblings as well as a gospel-centered church in which to raise our children. We are so blessed by these means of grace in our lives.

In the midst of all that is difficult and a challenge in our lives right now, God has so graciously been giving me eyes to see how much blessing He is lavishing on us at the same time.

Through the lens of grace

Yesterday was not easy, but as I replayed the events of the day in my mind this morning, I realized that I had choices to make about how to view it. I could view it through my flesh and see all that was difficult, draining, fearful and/or didn't go my way or I could view it through the lens of God's grace. There was evidence of God's grace all throughout the day:

1. My friend, Cathy, was able to come with us which was a HUGE help in so many ways.

2. Judah is amazing at these visits in the mature and winsome way he interacts with the staff. Yesterday, he was incredibly patient as I spoke with the doctor for close to an hour.

3. God gave me strength to ask the questions I needed to ask despite less than sensitive or gracious responses from the doctor at times.

4. I was reminded afresh just how merciful God has been to Judah and us by sparing us of neurological complications that so many Sturge-Weber kids endure. As we left, we saw Dr. Germain-Lee's next patient who was a SWS patient with apparent neurological involvement and in a wheel chair.

5. Another friend, Danielle, brought flowers and a card later in the day that served as a reminder to consider the One who "clothes the grass of the field" and remember that He will care for Judah and our family even moreso.

Yes, yesterday was not easy. It still remains unclear as to whether or not we should begin treatment for Judah. I believe the doctor is rather convinced that we should, but we haven't reached this conclusion quite yet. So, we continue to cry out to God for wisdom and clarity on this issue.

We will need to have more bloodwork done on Judah to verify some of the levels Dr. Germain-Lee was suspicious about on his pituatary stim. test. She felt they may have been contaminated and therefore wants us to get some additional bloodwork. This will help her determine whether she would recommend starting treatments sooner rather than later.

Pray that as we wait and pursue this bloodwork to help clarify things, that God will be making it clear to us what we should do.

Thanks again for your prayers.

HGH Therapies

This will be the topic of discussion tomorrow among Dr. Germain-Lee (Judah's endocrinologist), myself and a good friend, Cathy Plack, who has so generously agreed to go with me in order to help me catch and synthesize all the pertinent information that will be "downloaded" to me tomorrow regarding human growth hormone (HGH) therapies.

From Judah's tests, it has been shown that he has what Dr. Germain-Lee calls a partial growth hormone deficiency which I know to mean at this point that his body does make some growth hormone, just not enough. I presume I'll understand more after tomorrow's conversation.

My husband asked me how I was doing in regards to tomorrow's appointment earlier on this evening, and my reply was that I'm just not wanting to think about it, own up to its reality, but would rather pretend that it's not something we have to deal with.

However, that's not an option. I can't pretend my son is going to grow just fine because he's not pending a supernatural miracle from God which we certainly believe could happen. Consequently, we are called as Judah's parents to make this decision that feels all too daunting, but we are trusting that God will provide light for our path, that He will go before us and come behind us in this decision of whether or not to begin HGH therapy on Judah and when. We trust that no matter what the outcome, God will have been and continue to be good to Judah and good to us.

It is not easy to be a parent sometimes (Boy, is that an understatement?). I know any parent out there is going to agree 100% with that statement. This is one of those times for us. I don't want to make this decision, but I am going forward knowing I have been given all that I need in Christ for life and godliness, and this includes making this decision for our son.

Please pray for me tomorrow, that I, along with Cathy, will be able to comprehend all the information there is to comprehend and that God will enlighten my mind to ask good questions that would help us make an informed decision.

Pray that I will be able to succintly and accurately relay all the information I receive to Lawrence.

Pray that I would carry the "aroma of Christ" with me as I interact with Dr. Germain-Lee and her staff, that God's peace would be evident as I speak with the doctor and that I would ultimately find my confidence in God and direct my son to place his hope in God alone, too.

Thanks so much for your prayers for our family and for our little man!

Tooth Extraction Forthcoming

Got to cut to the chase for the moment and just let ya'll know that Judah fell off a porch swing last night and broke one of his teeth, chipped another among other scrapes. We saw the dentist today, had an x-ray, and it was determined that Judah needs to have this tooth extracted. YIKES! So, I've been on the phone all afternoon trying to find an oral surgeon who participates with our insurance so we don't lose the house on this one...(really, it's not just this one, but the dental work I've had to have recently along with the entourage of specialists my son and I see ongoing, but I'm likely sinfully fretting at this point about our finances).

Please pray that we can find a surgeon who is both reputable and affordable (whatever that means in healthcare these days).

Please pray my little guy will allow me to swab his mouth with prescription mouthwash that's to help prevent infection and promote healing.

Please pray for me who is (as usual) so over her head with the responsibilities of my everyday life.

A silver lining: Because Judah sucks his thumb and therefore has a significant overbite, he's not being terribly bothered by the broken tooth when he eats (it's his front one) because it doesn't come together with his bottom teeth. So, we're choosing to give thanks for that and trust God's wisdom in these circumstances He's allowed by His loving, good Hand. We trust you, Lord.

Muffins and The Market Tuesday's

My boys know that vegetables are really good for you, but refuse to eat them...like most toddlers, I am guessing. So, I thought I'd try taking them to a local Farmer's Market every Tuesday and let them pick out a vegetable they'd like to try. My plan is to let them help me in preparing it as well with the hopes that the "control" I allow them in picking and preparing the vegetables may peak their interest in actually eating them. It's a last ditch effort (for now) in getting them to try vegetables.

So, today was the first day we made it to the Market. I thought it would be fun to include muffins as our Tuesday breakfast as well, making it "Muffins and The Market Tuesday's". I'm an alliterate theme girl. :)

We had a simple apple streusel muffin this morning, a recipe I found in my Betty Crocker cookbook and whipped up rather quickly, joined some friends (the Jones'), and made our way to the Market. Well, there were only 2 venders there today, but the produce and flowers looked gorgeous. I explained to the boys that they got to pick out the vegetable we'd eat for dinner, and instead of the beautiful zuchinni or leafy Romaine, they picked TURNIPS!!! Mind you, there was only ONE box of turnips...one box, and they had to pick it. ;)

I've never eaten nor prepared turnips, but I figured if I'm asking my boys to try new things, I've got to be willing to do the same.

SO, the turnips are boiling as I type this and will be ready for some salt, butter and milk (prepared like mashed potatoes is what the girl suggested). Fingers crossed and prayers prayed, I'll be serving these in just a little bit.

***Later this evening:

MY BOYS ATE TURNIPS!!!! I did, too...didn't prefer them. Judah gagged on the first bite but was willing to take a 2nd bite with a little encouragement! None of us preferred them, but I was so grateful that my boys even took 2 bites that I'm not going to feel badly about dumping $2 worth of turnips down the drain (unless, of course, some local really has a hankering for mashed turnips).

Necessity and Want

I'm growing more experientially familiar with these words, not like some in our world, but moreso than I have maybe known or felt in the past. I was reminded this morning of the verses in Philippians 4:

12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

By God's grace, I am trying to cooperate with the Lord's ways with me and my family in this season of our lives. It feels like a season of constant and oftimes conflicting necessities and wants. Yet, I daily sense the power of the Holy Spirit in my heart and mind, reminding me of His truth and giving me grace to agree with it rather than question and doubt Him as I have so often in the past.

This morning, I read this quote from "Of First Importance", a blog I try to read daily as it points me to the good news of the Gospel through a daily quote:

Poor folks must either borrow or beg the rich, and the only thing that commendeth sinners to Christ is extreme necessity and want. Christ’s love is ready to make and provide a ransom and money for a poor body who hath lost his purse. ‘Ho, ye that have no money, come and buy’ (Isa 55:1). That is the poor man’s market.
- Samuel Rutherford, The Loveliness of Christ (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2007) 13.

I love that what commends me, a sinner, to Christ, is not a clean house, stellar parenting, loyal friendship to others or even my submission as a wife. What commends me to Christ is my extreme necessity and want. I'm "getting in touch with" my extreme necessity and want on so many levels and must say that joy fills my heart knowing that Christ's invites me to the poor man's market, the one place I feel quite at home these days. Indeed I am a poor (wo)man, and grateful Christ invites me to "come, buy and eat".

Summery Chocolate Recipes For You to Enjoy!

My sister in law introduced me to this recipe just a little bit ago. I decided it would be the thing I take to any picnics, family gatherings or parties we're invited to this summer. It may sound a little funny, but it's a great, easy 'salad'.


SNICKERS® APPLE SALAD

3-4 lg. apples (I think Granny Smith is the best for taste and color)
1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip
3 regular size SNICKERS® bars

Dice apples and cut up SNICKERS® bars into small pieces. Fold in Cool Whip.


Also, my friend, Jessica, over at Life as Mom is having a little contest this weekend which involves winning chocolate. All you have to do is post a recipe for one of your favorite chocolate treats and link it to her blog. I am beginning to love blog contests and certainly any one that is giving away free chocolate. I have so many recipes I could post, but I'm going to post these two which are great summer treats as they don't require oven use.

NO Bake Cookies

This is the recipe I know by heart and go to when 1. I'm having a serious chocolate craving and 2. have limited ingredients on hand. I typically always have the ingredients found in this recipe on hand.

Mocha Cooler

This recipe is a great way to enjoy a mocha frappucino-like drink during the hot summer days when the temptation to do a Starbucks (or in my case, Dunkin Donuts) run is present daily, sometimes more than once a day. So, having this mix on hand to pop in the blender will save you $ on gas and on the drink!!

ENJOY.

Our Florida Vacation, April 2008

Mealtime/Bedtime Routines

Throwing out another question for all the mom's (or anyone else who cares to comment) out there. Lawrence and I have discussed and tried MANY things, and we've prayed considerably about the various ways our household functions on a daily basis in the mundane tasks of life. One of the areas where we have met little success is mealtime and bedtime with our children, specifically our boys. :)

Specifically, we have daily battles with our boys to eat. They're picky about what they eat and pokey when they eat. Truly, we have tried nearly everything (or at least what we see as viable options for making them eat and moving them along when they eat). Currently, I make one dinner, will improvise a tad to make the meal more palatable for 3 year olds (almost 4), and now have begun setting a timer at the beginning of dinner time for them to eat in an allotted amount of time. We have begun at 45 minutes. Last night, they finished in under a 1/2 hour. Woo Hoo!!

We've disciplined for not eating and/or for playing at the table. We've bribed with dessert (something I never thought I'd do). We've made them go to bed hungry. We've tried saving their dinner for the next morning. We've tried making them separate meals just so they'd eat anything. (I will not do this with any kind of regularity.) We've tried the 2 bite rule. We've bought food type videos for them to watch with the hopes that they'd get excited about eating. We've eaten with other families whose kids are better eaters. We've allowed them any and every kind of dip they'd like. Ranch dressing is working for one of the boys currently, and I am so grateful. We still impliment many of these things, sometimes all of them on the same night. Needless to say, mealtime is EXHAUSTING. And, sadly, it's not only dinner anymore. It's breakfast, lunch and dinner. I feel like a cattle herder, prodding them along at every meal to finish their meal, even breakfast, which never used to be an issue.

Anyone want to offer any suggestions and throw in hope for good measure?! :)

Another area we have trouble is bedtime. We have a routine down pat (except for cleaning up their toys...that is hit or miss at our house still). It takes us easily a half hour to get the kids down completely for bed, and this is without baths on a good night. When we throw in a bath, it could easily take an hour! Again, it's either the constant re-directing, re-focusing or a whole lot of discipline, sometimes both. Is this just normal life having toddlers, particularly two toddler boys of the same age? (Maybe Laurie or Suzanne could chime in here). Again, we're open for suggestions and hope! :)

I Adore My Daughter

This is a thought that goes through my head so many times a day along with, "Thank you, God, for Bella." She truly is a joy. I am often struck with how quickly my kiddos are growing up, especially our little girl. I wanted to jot a couple things down for my own memory's sake.

She does this strange thing where she'll grab and pinch my elbow when I'm changing her diaper..that is, when she'll lay still.

This morning, I was laying on the floor as I went through the circulars writing out my grocery list. She grabbed one of the circulars, laid down on her belly just like me and started pointing at things on the pages. TOO cute!

She chatters all day long, baby babble...got to get it on tape.

One of the first pretend play things she did was to pick something up and place it at her ear, tilt her head as if she was talking on the phone. My boys did the same thing.

She lights up when she hears her Papi (Lawrence) greet her on the messages he sometimes leaves in the morning on our answering machine.

And, I love her smell. It's not a "bottled" smell because we can't use the fragrance-y shampoos or lotions on our babies. We all have sensitive skin. It's an authentic baby smell and it's all her. I love it. I love walking into her room and taking in the "Bella" smell.

We had her 15 month check up recently. She's a peanut..only 21.5 lbs, about the 30% for weight and 10% for height. We have shorties....with big heads. She was in the 80% for head circumference. She continues to have reflux occasionally even on 2 medications, and one can still hear her stridor pretty easily. Our ped. is willing to give her to 2 before he'll send her for any more tests. We are grateful to have some more time to pray and wait on God.

Free

Dunkin Donuts 16 oz. Iced Coffee, today from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Go here: https://www.dunkindonuts.com/ for participating locations.

25 Things To Know About Little Boys

*This is most funny when read late at night with a glass of wine!

1. A king size water bed holds enough water to fill a 2000 square foot house 4 inches deep.

2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. A 3-year old boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 x 20 foot room.

5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up in the air a few times, before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words 'uh oh', it's already too late.

8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9. A six-year old boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. Certain Legos will pass through the digestive tract of a four-year-old boy.

11. Playdoh and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15. VCR's do not eject 'PB & J' sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a five-minute response time .

21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

Thankfully, my boys haven't tried any of these...YET. The closest we've come is when Tucker decided pennies might taste good and swallowed one. My guys aren't the "dare-devil" type, but they have friends who are and easily egg them on. So, I know my day is coming.

What would #26 be on your list of Things To Know About Little Boys?
*This was not originally written by me. I don't know its original source, however, to give credit.

My New Website

I am very glad to announce that I have a website for my Pampered Chef business. It is:

http://www.pamperedchef.biz/balmengor

Go check it out and pass it along to any of your friends who may be interested in ordering product, hosting a show, joining the business, or have any questions/concerns about Pampered Chef product they currently own. I'm especially interested in serving soon-to-be brides with our wedding registry and/or a Pampered Chef wedding shower.

If you are a soon-to-be bride or know of any soon-to-be brides, please consider setting up a registry with Pampered Chef through my website. I think Pampered Chef offers one of the best wedding registries out there. Not only will you receive personal assistance from me, but you will also be eligible for the benefits a host normally receives when he/she has a cooking show: up to $200 in free product, 4 half price items and 30% off additional product. You will also receive 10% off all Pampered Chef product for up to a year after you register with the Pampered Chef!

This month is "Help Whip Cancer" month. The Pampered Chef designates one month a year to raising awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society. Check out the pink products we're offering for sale this year. One dollar from each pink product bought will be donated to the American Cancer Society. Stop by to see other ways you can participate in this worthwhile cause.

Just a Virus

Funny how the threat of something more serious can make one grateful for a virus. Bella broke out in a definite rash today, confirmed by the pediatrician because it was rather faint and scant on her neck and trunk. It's not the chicken pox. Her fevers have come down to more normal ranges as well. SO, the ped. is pretty convinced it was "just" a virus. The test on her urine was normal which was also a relief.

Thanks for your prayers for our little girl and for us this week in particular. We are heading to PA to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom this weekend. For all the moms who read here, Happy Mother's Day. May you know God's pleasure for any and all the ways you lay down your life for the sake of your children!

It's Funny What We'll Thank God For...

At the Almengor's tonight, it was for pee in a cup and tiny red spots on Bella's trunk and back indicating, we hope, a viral rash of some sort. We thought Bella did better through the night last night. Though up several times throughout the night, crying and obviously cranky, we thought she felt cooler than the previous four nights and thus, didn't take her temperature. I was hopeful that the fevers were gone. But, this morning when I took her temperature, it was 101, a sign that the fevers were still here.

The pediatrician checked in with us today, though, and said even though she had a fever, it's lower than it's been and that's a good sign. He said the viruses he's been seeing have had fevers that trail off toward the end rather than stop all of a sudden. And, the faint rash on Bella's body is a good sign as well of a virus.

We also managed to get a urine sample from Bella tonight, so we can have that tested for a bladder infection if it's still unclear as to whether or not she has a virus. The girl has tonight to show us it's just a virus by getting through the night and waking tomorrow a.m. without fevers. If she does, I think our ped. will conclude it was just a virus and not take a blood sample. Otherwise, she'll have to get some bloodwork done tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers. It's crazy how consuming children's illnesses can be of one's energy and focus. But, we have felt God's grace helping us to trust Him with the unknowns of our little girl's health and to live our life while waiting on His timing to make things clear.

Bella

Bella continues to have fevers...last night's highest was 104.1. We're managing the fevers with over the counter Motrin and Tylenol. The dr. is going to have me try to get a urine sample here at home using a bag or cup even though it's not the most ideal way of doing it. Also, he wants to give it until Friday to see if the fevers break and/or a rash breaks out which would indicate to him a viral issue which is what he's been seeing a lot of. He said if the fever doesn't break by Friday that we'll likely go ahead with some bloodwork. Or, if she continues to get these fevers through the summer, when viruses aren't as prevalent, he'll want to do a blood workup then, too.

So, we pray and wait. It's in these kinds of circumstances that I take great comfort in Psalm 139

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

The Renal Ultrasound...

...showed nothing remarkable. A good thing, I guess. We're left with a cranky baby whose temperature rises over the course of the day. She didn't seem warm to me today, so I didn't take her temperature but ended up giving her tylenol around 3 anyway because she was so cranky. Tonight, however, before her bath, we checked and her temperature was up to 102.5. So, in went the Motrin.

This episode is different than the others in that she's not been a happy baby, and her fever has risen significantly higher. Last night when we checked her, the temp. had risen to 105.2! We bathed her, gave her some Motrin, and thankfully the temp. came down 2 degrees within a half hour! But, that gave her the "shakes", and we didn't sleep so much last night.

I'll wait to hear from our ped. to see what the next step is. I'm guessing they're going to try to get an actual urine sample to rule out definitively a bladder infection. If that doesn't show anything, I'm thinking they're going to take a blood count to see if that indicates anything.

Please pray for my baby girl. Any parent knows it's no fun to have a miserable, sick baby. And, please pray for the doctors to have wisdom to know how to proceed. Thanks!

Blown Veins, High Fevers and My Gentle Shepherd

Today, Judah had some testing done to see if he has a growth hormone deficiency. It involved receiving an initial IV through which he received medication and was to have blood drawn about 6 times over the course of 2.5 hrs.

When it came time for the IV to be placed, I decided it was best to be straigthforward about what was going to be done and why. I figure for a little boy who has and will continue to be a "frequent flyer" at doctor's offices and hospitals, it is no use trying to fool him. So, in language a near 4 year old can appreciate, I let him know what veins were, that they carry blood and that the nurse needed to get some of his blood in order to see what it looked like. I think this helped him not be so squeemish and fearful about seeing red stuff come out of his arm.

The nurse applied numbing cream to 2 spots where she thought she could get a good stick. She tried the hand; Judah screamed like nobody's business. No matter how much I've watched my little man go through, I still want to cry my eyes out, grab him and run right out of the room whenever we have to go through the "next thing." I prayed and God supplied grace to cheer him on. The nurse was able to get the IV in, but his vein quickly blew, and she had to go up to his arm. She let us know at that point that the Sturge Weber kids, for unknown reasons, tend to have weaker veins. My faithless heart immediately thought, "Great! This is going to be a long, horrible day," instead of saying, "Oh, Thank you, God, for giving us this opportunity to pray and see you come through on our behalf." ;)

We did pray, though, and the second stick, Judah amazingly did not cry! Can you believe that?! He watched the nurse stick him and said, "It doesn't hurt." We were all elated! When he saw his blood, he made some kind of comment about Jesus spilling blood and dying on the cross for our sins. Our nurse chimed right in with, "But He didn't stay dead, did He? He's up in Heaven and we'll get to see him again, right?"

Oh, Lord, why are you so kind to us?

Judah's veins blew two more times before it was all over. He cried on the last stick because the numbing cream wasn't on so well in that spot. But, he was so brave and resilient through it all. He sat on Lawrence's lap for more than 3 hours watching movies, having the life literally sucked out of him, having had nothing to eat and only sips of water until 1:00 this afternoon. Once again, my little guy won my respect like few others by his display of grace while undergoing such trying circumstances.

And, as is becoming our tradition, he proudly let all the nurses know that he would be getting Dunkin Donuts after he finished with his test. Not only that, but a very cool "Certificate of Bravery" now hangs on our fridge from his nurse, Catie (and a few other great prizes they had stashed in their prize closet)...**Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital has the BEST prize closet I've ever seen! :)

We arrived home close to 3 pm and not long after that, Bella woke up from her nap. When we checked Bella last night before we went to bed, she had a high fever, over 103. This is the 4th occurence of her starting a high fever in the middle of the night. We've talked with our pediatrician about it in the past and there's never been any alarm because she acts normal when she has them. She eats fine, plays happily, and apart from her body feeling very hot, she shows no other signs of distress. So, we've given her Tylenol and Motrin around the clock until her fever finally breaks. Sometimes, it's a day; sometimes 3 or 4 days. Today, after her nap, she woke with a 104.4 temp., the highest it's ever gone, and unlike in the past, it was affecting her breathing, her mood and energy.

So, not 2 hours after we had arrived home from the hospital, I was taking Bella to our pediatrician. The ped. thought it might be a bladder infection, and the only way to test for that on a baby is to have a catheter get a urine sample. I frowned with displeasure, but knew we had to do it. The ped. tried several times and wasn't able to draw a sample. So, we now must arrange for a kidney ultrasound.

The circumstances of our day would test anyone, I'm sure. But, all throughout the day, I sensed God's gentle Spirit shepherding me through it. When Judah's veins blew, I did eventually hear that still voice remind me that it was indeed an opportunity to pray and watch God come through. There were many times throughout the day that God directed my focus toward things I could choose to be grateful for such as my husband's presence and help today (that is often not the case), or the fact that our nurses were so patient and persevering with Judah, that Judah was so unbelievably brave and persevering himself, that we had videos to enjoy while we waited, etc. Then, when it became apparent that I was going to have to take Bella to the ped., again I sensed God's Spirit right there with me, shepherding my heart that is so prone to self pity and despair. Instead, He reminded me that THIS was the way HE chose for me to bring glory to Him today, and that HE'D provide grace for me to do it with a grateful heart rather than a fearful or despairing heart.

Again, when the catheter didn't draw a urine sample, God reminded me that His wisdom is profound and much greater than my own. He gave me grace to quietly, in my spirit, agree with the truth that for some reason I didn't see in that moment or may never see, it was better for that catheter not to work than for it to work.

I know folks were praying for us. There was evidence of God's grace all throughout our day. Thank you! Please continue to pray for our family. I can tend to fear tomorrow...not just the circumstances tomorrow may bring, but also that my heart will fail me, that the grace I saw today to choose to believe God's truth and walk in His Spirit will elude me tomorrow. But, there again, I know that, "though my heart and flesh may fail; God is the strength of my heart." I know that, "nothing can separate me from the love of God," not even my wandering heart, prone to faithlessness and despair. I know that even "if my hold should fail, HIS wondrous love will never let me go."

Come Monday

This upcoming Monday, May 5th, Judah will undergo some more testing for growth hormone deficiency. This has been suspected for more than a year, and Judah's endocrinologist felt we needed to definitively determine whether or not the deficiency exists for Judah.

We are to be at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital at 8:30 a.m. where Judah will receive an IV with blood drawn initially and then every 1/2 hour for 3 hours. Not really looking forward to this, but thankfully, my hubby is accompanying me on this one and will help me and the nurses entertain Judah (or hold him down..whichever we need to do). At this point, there's no fooling Judah with these types of things. It's not like we can stick in his favorite video, give him his favorite book or a new toy to play with and sneak one past him. The IV stick is not going to be fun, barring a miracle of God which I do believe He still grants. Consequently, we would again greatly appreciate your prayers.

Please pray not only for the test itself but for the results, that they would be favorable and clearly indicate Judah does NOT have growth hormone deficiency. If he does have it, we will then need to evaluate when/if to begin growth hormone therapy.

"Rest" Time Ideas

Need some input from my blog readers, especially any with twins or sibs who share a room.
My boys are approaching 4 (wow!) and are definitely outgrowing their afternoon nap much to my sadness. However, I still want them to have a quiet time where they can "rest" and I can get some things done without them underfoot. So, I'm polling all you out there to see what brilliant ideas you can give me as well as reasonable expectations I should have for this transition.

My thought is to have them in quiet time for up to 2 hours.
I'm not sure whether to keep them in the same room, separate them, allow them to just read, play with whatever they want to play with in one room of the house, have a snack, not have a snack???? For now, they stay in their bedroom with the lights off, sometimes the curtains open for light to read a book. The sound machine goes on, but I'm not sure why anymore b/c it certainly doesn't help them sleep anymore and it doesn't block out the noise they make. Bella's room is right next to theirs, so I don't want them to be allowed to make as much noise as they want to. Sometimes they do really well in the same room. They'll crawl up in the same bed and read books at opposite ends of the bed. Other times, like a few days ago, they don't do so well.

After hearing a lot of noise, giggling and banging coming from their room, I decided to finally go check it out. When I tried to peek into their room, I couldn't get their door open! They had pretty much destroyed their room...taken their stacked crates apart with all the books, diapers, and shoes that were in them strewn around their room. They had pulled out all their bins of clothes and thrown clothes all over the room, including a pair of underwear that was hanging from the top of their closet doors. I was just glad that the curtains were still up and the fitted sheet hadn't somehow been pulled up. No holes in walls or doors off hinges, so I considered myself lucky. :)

Chime in with a comment and let the advice giving begin.

Some Funnies from My Little Guys

I was talking to Judah in particular this morning about "overlooking an offense" to try to give him another way out of temptation when his brother wrongs him by taking his toys usually.
So, just now Judah told Tucker that he could keep the trains he took from Judah, and I commended him by letting him know that he was overlooking an offense and it was to his glory (as it says in Proverbs 19:11). Big smiles abounded!

Well, then Tucker gave Judah trains back and Judah looked up at me and said, "Yeah, mom, Tucker looked over the fence." :)

Lovin' the Lilacs

Just thought I would post a quick one to let any random reader of my blog know that I'm still here... just have had to make other things a priority. That, AND my family had an amazing opportunity to enjoy a Florida vacation last week!! I hope to post pictures and share some stories from our time soon.

But, for now, I'm enjoying the smell of my neighbor's lilacs wafting through my back, deck door along with a gentle breeze and hope that you are enjoying some beautiful weather where you are, too.

Boundary Lines

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5,6

I had to review this verse this morning, first thing, and ask myself if I really believed it. Do my boundary lines fall in pleasant places? I woke up with an acute awareness that my boundary lines are being drawn in to a greater degree than ever before in my life. Being a wife and especially a mom to young children makes my boundary lines seem tight at times. But, add to that some acute back pain and other limiting health issues, and I woke up this morning only able to see how the boundary lines God has chosen for me places limitations on me...like the limitation of not being able to sit at the dinner table with my family, or sit through a church service or in a car for more than 5 minutes without being in what I would call very distracting pain. (I limit excruciating pain to what I experienced last November with my back...nothing has yet come close to that level of pain).

Not much unlike my 3 year olds, I could choose, and often do, to look at all the things oustide my boundary lines, all the ways the boundary lines God has Sovereignly placed in my life limit me. But instead, the Holy Spirit graciously again turns my gaze to behold all that has been given to me WITHIN my boundary lines. I have a delightful inheritance, this passage says. Among so many tangible blessings that I could enumerate, what is most delightful and where I am choosing to set my thoughts upon today is the inheritance Christ has purchased for me by His blood shed on the cross for my sins...an inheritance, that Peter says, can never perish, spoil or fade!

This is NO SMALL THING!! The God of the Universe, Creator of all Things, the One who gives all living things their breath, who sustains my existence, and who is perfectly Holy and justly punishes sin has chosen to show me mercy by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross and take the punishment that my sin justly deserves. This same Jesus rose again to conquer death and defeat the power of sin for all who believe in Him. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see and believe these truths and now I have an inheritance waiting for me in Heaven where I will spend eternity with my God, clothed in Christ's perfect righteousness and my Heavenly body...a body that will never ache, never tire, never wrinkle, never need so much rest. I will be at perfect rest.

These thoughts, while they don't take away my physical pain, quiet my heart and help me to be grateful for all that lies within my boundary lines. These thoughts remind me AGAIN that my boundary lines do indeed fall in pleasant places.

A Question for You...

So, let's just say this happens at your house, too...
You're upstairs and you hear screaming downstairs. You know it's your two children fighting again. One is suspiciously quiet while the other is screaming at the top of his/her lungs. What do you do?

Do you always run down and address it?
Do you discipline both no matter what?
Do you let them figure it out on their own as long as no one is getting hurt?
Or some other bright idea I haven't yet thought of?

What We've Been Up To

It seems like I haven't updated in long time, but it's really only been a little over a week. We have been busy bees at the Almengor's lately. Between Lawrence trying to wrap up his last several 'busy season' assignments and me starting The Pampered Chef, we have had few minutes for rest and relaxation, let alone blogging! :)

But, our little girl has had fevers the last two days and that has caused me to be homebound and moving at a slower pace, for which I am grateful. I hate that my daughter is fighting some kind of weird bug, but I am grateful for how it's forcing me to just sit still in my own home for a little while. Please pray for her if you think of it. Gratefully, there haven't been any other symptoms accompaning the fevers. She's been eating well and playing pleasantly while awake. We've had two sleepless nights with her, trying to manage the fever at night, but that's been the only impact really. That, and being quarantined.
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Judah did very well with this last laser treatment. Our friend, De, came with us again for moral support and to take some pictures. Judah and I both greatly appreciate her company on these trips. She is great for keeping a positive attitude and making what has become typically dreaded afternoons rather pleasant. Once I receive the digital photos from her, I'll post them so you can see just what we do when we go for Judah's laser treatments.
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I've had two Pampered Chef shows so far, both in the same week which probably wasn't the wisest way to start off. But, I seem to have a knack for making things difficult for myself. The shows went well, and the guests for both shows were very gracious to me as I fumbled through the demonstration. Practice makes perfect, and I will have more opportunity for practice with three shows coming up in April!! **(If you want to host a show in May or June, just let me know!)
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Finally, I thought I'd share a few of the things we did in the last month of so via pictures.

About 2 weeks after Bella's first birthday, we had her ears pierced. Before I married Lawrence, I thought it was the cruelest thing to pierce a baby's ears. Then, I learned that it is a customary practice in Latino culture to do this. There was no pressure at all from LA's family, but we both decided we wanted to have it done. Here's my girl waiting with her Papi while mommy picked out the studs.


Here's the girl marking my girlie's ears.


**Warning: Any grandmother or grandmotherly types may want to scroll quickly down past this next picture. And, please don't leave any nasty comments about how cruel we are for having done this to our daughter.




And, ahhh...my bottle and my Papi...there is no better comfort.

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We had the special treat of having my brother, Jay, and SIL, Krista, come to stay with us twice in one month! They are from PA but flew out of BWI to see Krista's sister, Beth, in Colorado. (Got that all straight?) So, they came to stay with us before they flew out and when they flew back into Baltimore. Here, we are enjoying an outing at a local playground:

Bella and Sadie (the newest addition to the Herman clan)


Ainsley and Judah


Mia pushing Tucker on the swing


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And, last but not least, the boys finally got a haircut!!
Here's the before and after.

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.
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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.
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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. :)