The boys were doing some practice handwriting for school this morning, and Bella was providing much distraction. I encouraged the boys to try to block out all the distractions around them and focus only on their handwriting. To provide further motivation, I told the boys that one day they might have a job where they are required to concentrate really hard on their task while others around them might be doing other tasks that could be distracting to them. They would need self control to block out those distractions to do a good job at their own task.
The boys sat for but a moment trying to process this bit of information and then Tucker curiously asks, "So, Bella will be at work with us?"
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Happy 8 Years!
Happy 8 years to my lover
best friend
the one who has been the face of Christ to me more than any other,
the greatest gift God's ever given to me.
Thanks for asking for my hand 8+ years ago high up on the mountaintop
for not just staying with me when I've dragged you through some deep, dark valleys--
but loving me in and through them.
We've had some unexpected, amazing summit views
as well as stony, narrow, dark valleys to walk through.
Fewer for us have been the plateaus where we've just had to plod on,
but I've been grateful for those times, too--
when you've simply held my hand and enjoyed the trek.
I pray for many more years of journeying home with you by my side.
I love you and am grateful to God for you more than my words can express.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
My "sweet" girl
Got this dress from a local thrift store and LOVE it for Bella. If I could find it or sew, I'd have a matching one and be corny like that.
I'm sure I wouldn't look quite as adorable in it as she does, though!
As cute as she is, she is that much mischievous. Here's what she got busy doing one night recently when LA and I were watching our favorite show, "The Amazing Race".
The bathroom was not spared.
Nor was her bedroom
This is how we found her...fast asleep. Notice the deodorant in the bed with her. That would have come from our bathroom! She has a thing about my hubby's deodorant. She asks to smell it nearly everyday.
Rather angelic, isn't she? Looking at least!
I'm sure I wouldn't look quite as adorable in it as she does, though!
As cute as she is, she is that much mischievous. Here's what she got busy doing one night recently when LA and I were watching our favorite show, "The Amazing Race".
The bathroom was not spared.
Nor was her bedroom
This is how we found her...fast asleep. Notice the deodorant in the bed with her. That would have come from our bathroom! She has a thing about my hubby's deodorant. She asks to smell it nearly everyday.
Rather angelic, isn't she? Looking at least!
Thursday, March 04, 2010
The underground church
The boys have been learning about different countries around the world at school.
Recently, China was the country of the week. As we talked about various aspects of Chinese culture, I explained to them that Christians in China cannot always worship God openly and in the same way we get to worship God here in the United States. I explained that many Chinese Christians have to meet secretly to worship God together, pray and read God's Word. I told them that this kind of secret meeting is sometimes referred to as the "underground church".
A couple days after this conversation, Judah was talking to Lawrence about this. He said, "Papi, did you know Chinese Christians have church in the dirt?"
Recently, China was the country of the week. As we talked about various aspects of Chinese culture, I explained to them that Christians in China cannot always worship God openly and in the same way we get to worship God here in the United States. I explained that many Chinese Christians have to meet secretly to worship God together, pray and read God's Word. I told them that this kind of secret meeting is sometimes referred to as the "underground church".
A couple days after this conversation, Judah was talking to Lawrence about this. He said, "Papi, did you know Chinese Christians have church in the dirt?"
Monday, March 01, 2010
We've come a long way, baby!
There have been several milestones and memorable moments here at the Almengor homestead (ha..not really, but I'd love it to be) that I haven't taken time to write about. (I know I'm ending my sentence in a preposition...but, it's my blog for my own sake, so I'm going to. Ha. I did it again!)
Let's start with Judah since this is "judahupdate.blogspot.com" after all.
We've been tracking Judah's growth for several years now. I cannot believe it's been several years that we started down this road, but alas time flies when you're having fun (or just too busy to notice).
It'll be 2 years in May that Judah's endocrinologist recommended we start Judah on a daily shot of human growth hormone. It's been nearly 2 years that we've patiently and persistently asked God to sustain Judah's growth so as to either hold off on such a course of treatment or not need it altogether. It's been 2 years that we've gone to Dr. Germain-Lee every 3-4 months for height/weight checks and blood draws. It's been 2 years that we've avoided having to begin the treatment of HGH shots because God has answered our prayers and continues to answer our prayers to sustain Judah's growth.
During Judah's last endocrine appointment, Dr. Germain-Lee looked at his charts, bloodwork and him and said (and I quote), "He is an anomaly. I do not understand it. He should not be growing like he is."
We give thanks. We do not take it lightly that the God of the Universe, Creator and Sustainer of all things, hears and answers our prayers. We know that God may in time allow Judah's body to fall in line with the laws of nature that HE established and halt Judah's growth. By God's grace, we will accept that with gratitude just as we have gratefully accepted God's supernatural intervention up to this point.
On another health front, I recently took Judah to see his neurologist, Dr. Comi, whom he hadn't seen for nearly 2 years~ Understanding the implications of Sturge Weber Syndrome, one would realize that this fact alone is a lot to celebrate. There aren't too many folks with SWS who willingly go 2 years without seeing their neurologist. BUT, we have had no need. Neurologically, Judah has been doing so well. No signs of seizures/strokes/developmental delays, etc. No problems have erupted with his VP shunt.
When Judah was 13 months old, he had an MRI of his brain which gave no indication of brain involvement in regards to his SWS. To say we were relieved is truly an understatement. Unless you are a parent of a child with SWS or perhaps some other chronic diagnosis, I'm not sure you can fully appreciate the relief that comes with news such as this. Nevertheless, our relief has always been somewhat stifled by our understanding that not enough is known about the progression of SWS for a doctor to confidently write off the possibility of neurological complications to begin in a person somewhere down the road. We've never received that kind of concrete prognosis for Judah...until last month!
Dr. Comi was grateful I brought Judah in to see her. In her vast experience with SWS patients, she has not had another who had no brain involvement AND hydrocephaly (swelling of the brain which required Judah's VP shunt) at the same time. She and other of Judah's doctors found this to be puzzling at best. Mere coincidence that the same child would end up with two different kinds of neurological disorders? Well, we know better, of course. We know that whether Judah's SWS and his hydrocephaly are related or not, God is His Creator and fashioned Judah in such a way that this is not a mystery to Him. Along the way, there have been a number of doctors "puzzled" by our little man. We are so grateful to know the ONE who is never puzzled by any health matter/bodily function going on with Judah or any of our kids for that matter.
So...we saw Dr. Comi, and I asked her about then potential need for another MRI to see if there might have been changes in Judah's neurological status. She felt there was no need for a repeat MRI because in her entire career and vast experience, she has yet seen a patient who had a clear MRI done after 1 yr. of age return later with signs of neurological involvement. WOO HOO. Thank you, Lord. Like Judah's growth, we'll take what comes. We will choose to trust ultimately in God and not solely on statistics and what our doctors prognose. But, we will give thanks for every bit of good news we receive on this journey with Judah.
Now, there is our girlie.
She has had some of her own "big news" in the last several months.
Two weeks before Christmas (her timing not mine), she decided to potty train. I write potty "train" loosely because really, she didn't require much training at all. One day she had "the look" like she needed to go to the bathroom. So, I asked her if she wanted to try to do it on the potty. She wanted to try, and SHE DID IT! We all praised her like she had won the Nobel Peace Prize. It was about 2 days of asking her every 10 minutes if she needed to go to the potty, a handful of accidents later and she was pretty much trained. She hasn't worn a diaper since..even for naps or nighttime sleep which, to me, is rather impressive. The girl just gets it, I guess.
Not long after being potty trained, Bella figured out how to climb out of her crib. SO, again on her time table and not mine, she transitioned to her big girl bed. Again, she surprised me and did rather well with this transition. That said, we did have a bit of an "incident" just last night where she got out of her bed and scattered the contents under the bathroom sink and her closet all over the floor, vaseline and lotion included. (Pictures forthcoming)
The last "big" milestone for my girlie was giving up her "nukies" (pacifiers to everyone else). We have not allowed Bella to have her nuk during her wake time since she was about 2, but I just couldn't bring myself to taking them from her for her sleep time. It was definitely laziness on my part. I just didn't want to deal with a screaming baby at night again. That's what I anticipated would happen when we took her nuks away. BUT, yet again, she surprised us and has been without her nuks since her 3rd birthday without crying once for them.
Bella is difficult on a daily basis (what 2 or 3 year old isn't?). But, with these big transitions, she has proven to be such a big girl. It's where her fierce independent spirit has paid off for us, I guess.
SO, we are a diaper-less home once again. And, we no longer own a crib. No more bibs, baby seats at the table or bottles. Wow. It only took 5.5 years which is relatively a short time in comparison to many others I know. Maybe we'll be doing diapers again down the road. I wouldn't mind. No. There are is no other news, though we are in the process of researching adoption agencies. We'd love your prayers for us in this.
Let's start with Judah since this is "judahupdate.blogspot.com" after all.
We've been tracking Judah's growth for several years now. I cannot believe it's been several years that we started down this road, but alas time flies when you're having fun (or just too busy to notice).
It'll be 2 years in May that Judah's endocrinologist recommended we start Judah on a daily shot of human growth hormone. It's been nearly 2 years that we've patiently and persistently asked God to sustain Judah's growth so as to either hold off on such a course of treatment or not need it altogether. It's been 2 years that we've gone to Dr. Germain-Lee every 3-4 months for height/weight checks and blood draws. It's been 2 years that we've avoided having to begin the treatment of HGH shots because God has answered our prayers and continues to answer our prayers to sustain Judah's growth.
During Judah's last endocrine appointment, Dr. Germain-Lee looked at his charts, bloodwork and him and said (and I quote), "He is an anomaly. I do not understand it. He should not be growing like he is."
We give thanks. We do not take it lightly that the God of the Universe, Creator and Sustainer of all things, hears and answers our prayers. We know that God may in time allow Judah's body to fall in line with the laws of nature that HE established and halt Judah's growth. By God's grace, we will accept that with gratitude just as we have gratefully accepted God's supernatural intervention up to this point.
On another health front, I recently took Judah to see his neurologist, Dr. Comi, whom he hadn't seen for nearly 2 years~ Understanding the implications of Sturge Weber Syndrome, one would realize that this fact alone is a lot to celebrate. There aren't too many folks with SWS who willingly go 2 years without seeing their neurologist. BUT, we have had no need. Neurologically, Judah has been doing so well. No signs of seizures/strokes/developmental delays, etc. No problems have erupted with his VP shunt.
When Judah was 13 months old, he had an MRI of his brain which gave no indication of brain involvement in regards to his SWS. To say we were relieved is truly an understatement. Unless you are a parent of a child with SWS or perhaps some other chronic diagnosis, I'm not sure you can fully appreciate the relief that comes with news such as this. Nevertheless, our relief has always been somewhat stifled by our understanding that not enough is known about the progression of SWS for a doctor to confidently write off the possibility of neurological complications to begin in a person somewhere down the road. We've never received that kind of concrete prognosis for Judah...until last month!
Dr. Comi was grateful I brought Judah in to see her. In her vast experience with SWS patients, she has not had another who had no brain involvement AND hydrocephaly (swelling of the brain which required Judah's VP shunt) at the same time. She and other of Judah's doctors found this to be puzzling at best. Mere coincidence that the same child would end up with two different kinds of neurological disorders? Well, we know better, of course. We know that whether Judah's SWS and his hydrocephaly are related or not, God is His Creator and fashioned Judah in such a way that this is not a mystery to Him. Along the way, there have been a number of doctors "puzzled" by our little man. We are so grateful to know the ONE who is never puzzled by any health matter/bodily function going on with Judah or any of our kids for that matter.
So...we saw Dr. Comi, and I asked her about then potential need for another MRI to see if there might have been changes in Judah's neurological status. She felt there was no need for a repeat MRI because in her entire career and vast experience, she has yet seen a patient who had a clear MRI done after 1 yr. of age return later with signs of neurological involvement. WOO HOO. Thank you, Lord. Like Judah's growth, we'll take what comes. We will choose to trust ultimately in God and not solely on statistics and what our doctors prognose. But, we will give thanks for every bit of good news we receive on this journey with Judah.
Now, there is our girlie.
She has had some of her own "big news" in the last several months.
Two weeks before Christmas (her timing not mine), she decided to potty train. I write potty "train" loosely because really, she didn't require much training at all. One day she had "the look" like she needed to go to the bathroom. So, I asked her if she wanted to try to do it on the potty. She wanted to try, and SHE DID IT! We all praised her like she had won the Nobel Peace Prize. It was about 2 days of asking her every 10 minutes if she needed to go to the potty, a handful of accidents later and she was pretty much trained. She hasn't worn a diaper since..even for naps or nighttime sleep which, to me, is rather impressive. The girl just gets it, I guess.
Not long after being potty trained, Bella figured out how to climb out of her crib. SO, again on her time table and not mine, she transitioned to her big girl bed. Again, she surprised me and did rather well with this transition. That said, we did have a bit of an "incident" just last night where she got out of her bed and scattered the contents under the bathroom sink and her closet all over the floor, vaseline and lotion included. (Pictures forthcoming)
The last "big" milestone for my girlie was giving up her "nukies" (pacifiers to everyone else). We have not allowed Bella to have her nuk during her wake time since she was about 2, but I just couldn't bring myself to taking them from her for her sleep time. It was definitely laziness on my part. I just didn't want to deal with a screaming baby at night again. That's what I anticipated would happen when we took her nuks away. BUT, yet again, she surprised us and has been without her nuks since her 3rd birthday without crying once for them.
Bella is difficult on a daily basis (what 2 or 3 year old isn't?). But, with these big transitions, she has proven to be such a big girl. It's where her fierce independent spirit has paid off for us, I guess.
SO, we are a diaper-less home once again. And, we no longer own a crib. No more bibs, baby seats at the table or bottles. Wow. It only took 5.5 years which is relatively a short time in comparison to many others I know. Maybe we'll be doing diapers again down the road. I wouldn't mind. No. There are is no other news, though we are in the process of researching adoption agencies. We'd love your prayers for us in this.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Bella's 3rd Birthday
We decided to keep it simple this February with two objectives:
Get sick and then better again.
Celebrate our princess's 3rd birthday.
We're still working on the getting better part of those objectives, but here is a slideshow of the three different parties we had for our girlie. Enjoy!
Get sick and then better again.
Celebrate our princess's 3rd birthday.
We're still working on the getting better part of those objectives, but here is a slideshow of the three different parties we had for our girlie. Enjoy!
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Blizzard of 2010
Here is a pictorial chronicling of our snowed in, home bound day.
I left out the pictures of LA behind his computer screen all day, working from home, and Bella getting her finger smashed in the door when the kids were playing "elevator", and me bathing all the kids early in the day in case our electric went out, and the mock indoor blizzard the kids manufactured by shredding a gazillion pieces of paper and throwing them up into the air, and the two conflicts that my hubby and I got in (and out of, by God's grace) over the course of the day. ;) But, here's a glimpse at the rest of our day...
I left out the pictures of LA behind his computer screen all day, working from home, and Bella getting her finger smashed in the door when the kids were playing "elevator", and me bathing all the kids early in the day in case our electric went out, and the mock indoor blizzard the kids manufactured by shredding a gazillion pieces of paper and throwing them up into the air, and the two conflicts that my hubby and I got in (and out of, by God's grace) over the course of the day. ;) But, here's a glimpse at the rest of our day...
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Everyday Life
We're grateful for everyday life here at the Almengor's. It's a bit nutso most of the time, but I'm trying to enjoy as much of it as I can and give thanks knowing that time is flying by and I won't get these days back with my babies ever again.
How are you enjoying your everyday life?
How are you enjoying your everyday life?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Kindergarten
I had the privilege again to substitute teach for my boys' Kgarten teacher today. Here are a few photos of these 4 precious children with their "thinking caps" on.
And, the mailman today...the cutest mailman I've ever seen!
And, the mailman today...the cutest mailman I've ever seen!
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Almengor funnies
Because I will one day forget their sweet, squeaky voices and all the cute things they say at their ages...
Bella calls egg nog, "milk nog"
The other evening I asked all three of the kids to clean up the living room to which I received the typical complaining and asking me to help them. I told them that I had a different job to do in the kitchen while they did their jobs in the living room. Tucker replied with, "I think Bella thinks her job is to watch."
Today I was seeking to encourage Judah about wearing his eye patch. He hates wearing it, and he's supposed to wear it every day for 2 hours. As I've told him a gazillion times before, he needs to wear the patch to help make his eye grow stronger. Tucker replied, "Does it have fiber in it?"
My funny, wonderful children. I love you!
Bella calls egg nog, "milk nog"
The other evening I asked all three of the kids to clean up the living room to which I received the typical complaining and asking me to help them. I told them that I had a different job to do in the kitchen while they did their jobs in the living room. Tucker replied with, "I think Bella thinks her job is to watch."
Today I was seeking to encourage Judah about wearing his eye patch. He hates wearing it, and he's supposed to wear it every day for 2 hours. As I've told him a gazillion times before, he needs to wear the patch to help make his eye grow stronger. Tucker replied, "Does it have fiber in it?"
My funny, wonderful children. I love you!
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Needles, needles everywhere
If there ever was a case for an artificial Christmas tree, this video would be it.
That said, we love our real Christmas trees here at the Almengor's and don't plan on going artificial anytime soon. Tucker's suggestion was to buy our tree on Christmas Eve and take it down on Christmas day. "That way, it won't die, mom." I guess it would help if we watered it every once in a while. It's nothing short of a miracle that children survive under my care!
That said, we love our real Christmas trees here at the Almengor's and don't plan on going artificial anytime soon. Tucker's suggestion was to buy our tree on Christmas Eve and take it down on Christmas day. "That way, it won't die, mom." I guess it would help if we watered it every once in a while. It's nothing short of a miracle that children survive under my care!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Contentment
Here is a picture of contentment to me. We don't own any sleds, so the boys made due with a rubbermaid bin! :) It's not that we're never intending to buy sleds for our kiddos; it's just we never had to because our gracious friends, the Grigers, who used to live at the bottom of our court always had enough to share. So, because Maryland gets about one good sledding kind of snow storm a year, we never made the investment in sleds. Now that our buddies have moved to a different home (oh so far away in Bel Air), I guess we'll be purchasing sleds. In the meantime, my boys found a way to make due with a rubbermaid container and a willing, hero of a Papi. (*pay no attention to my girlie in the background declaring that she helped herself in the bathroom.)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Blizzard 2009
So, it takes 20 minutes to get suited up, and 10 minutes after they're outside, they want to come in. Knowing this, I took video footage of the boys as soon as they stepped foot outside (when it was still fun). Now, they're out there begging to come in, and mean mommy that I am gave them a 20 minute minimum to stay out there. They're fine; they just need convinced to have fun every once in a while.
According the our county executive, we're at 8-12 inches already and will probably have another foot before the storm is over! *note to my family in PA: you may NEVER make fun of MD snow storms again. :)
According the our county executive, we're at 8-12 inches already and will probably have another foot before the storm is over! *note to my family in PA: you may NEVER make fun of MD snow storms again. :)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Christmas candy with the Grigers
Thanks to my business with the Pampered Chef, I have a Christmas tradition of making Christmas candy wreaths with my kiddos. I found this idea from a fellow PC saleswoman and loved it. I used it at my parties last year, and it was so easy that I did it with my kids. You simply dip mini pretzels in melted chocolate and arrange in the shape of a wreath. Sprinkle with festive colored/shaped sprinkles and voila! We have branched out and made other shapes, too, like candy canes, christmas trees, etc. It's quite easy and fun, especially with friends. We had our friends, the Grigers, over today to enjoy this Christmas tradition with us.
Bella the ballerina
I promise I'll have videos of the boys up soon. My girlie is just too cute to not grab the camera and start shooting. Here she is "dancing" to a household favorite, the "Wiggles". Warning: you're likely to get dizzy sick watching this.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Bella in boots
From the time she was a baby, Bella has LOVED shoes and any female accessory for that matter...purses, earrings, bracelets, rings, etc. She will take anyone's shoes and walk in them. She's quite skilled, too, at walking in any size, any shape of shoe. I would even say the girl walks better in heels than I do. Take a look at this video of my girlie strutting her stuff in my boots!
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Christmas Decorations 2009
You will not watch this video and think you just stepped onto a magazine's photo shoot. :) For that, check out Beth's or Danielle's blog.
I have rather ecclectic tastes, and I wouldn't say that decorating is among my strong suits. But, I like doing it, and I especially enjoy decorating with natural elements. This drives my hubby crazy as our home turns into a virtual wildlife center, creepy crawlies included. Anyway, enjoy this 3 minute video (roughly) of a walk through the main level of my home.
I have rather ecclectic tastes, and I wouldn't say that decorating is among my strong suits. But, I like doing it, and I especially enjoy decorating with natural elements. This drives my hubby crazy as our home turns into a virtual wildlife center, creepy crawlies included. Anyway, enjoy this 3 minute video (roughly) of a walk through the main level of my home.
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