KA08

As I attempt to recover from a nasty stomach virus, I thought I'd fill you in on the last several weeks here at the Almengor's.

As many who know me well know, I like to go all out for our children's birthdays. This year was no exception. The boys turned 4 on August 3rd. Can you believe it? When they were 4 months old, I couldn't have imagined we'd make it to 4 years old!!! But, we did. Praise God! What a testimony to HIS faithfulness. Truly nothing short of a miracle that children have survived to 4 under my daily care.

As the boys' birthday was approaching (like back in May already because I'm a planner), I thought I would get their input on how they'd like to celebrate their birthday this year. They both replied with the same answer the several times that I asked them: "go to Grandma's park", which is what they call what the rest of the world knows as "Knoebel's Grove". They call it Grandma's park because we went twice last summer with my family as it is about an hour north of where most of my family resides (3 hours for us).

It is a really wonderful park, very family friendly, seriously minimal costs as far as amusement parks go. I would highly recommend checking out their site if you live even as far as 3 hours away as we do.

Every birthday celebration for our kids so far has included friends, and I wondered how we might maintain that tradition while going to an amusement park 3 hours from home. The brilliant (or some might say crazy) idea got into my head to make use of Knoebel's campgrounds in order to accomodate any friends who might be crazy (I mean, fun) enough to make the trip.

We had two sets of friends who were able and willing to make the trip. We think they still love us. :)

A week prior to what I dubbed "KA08" (Knoebel's Adventure 2008), we decided to take a 'test run' by taking the kids to Port Discovery in the morning and then camp in our dear friends, the Neumann's, back yard later in the day. I was so glad we had a practice run if for no other reason than to get geared up for how exhausting this birthday extravaganza was going to be. Here are some pictures from our day at Port Discovery and camping at the Neumann's:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lnalmengor/PortDiscoveryJul08


As with almost any scheduled trip out of town for our family, the boys' birthday extravangza was not without its drama. The Saturday before we were to leave, Bella started with a fever. By Sunday evening (the night before we left), her temp. had risen to 104.6 (not uncharacteristically high for her). So, on Monday morning at 8 a.m. (the time we had planned to be pulling out of Abingdon), I was sitting in the parking lot of our pediatrician praying they'd be able to see Bella promptly. Our wonderful pediatrician saw her at 8:30 a.m. when it was determined she had "Hand, Foot and Mouth disease", not a pleasant virus to contract.

Bella had sores in the back of her mouth and throat, making it very painful to eat or drink anything. She was not a happy camper, and I was ready to stay home with her while my hubby offered to try to pull off KA08 without me. But, my ever serving mother-in-law once again stepped up and offered to stay with Bella, assuring me she was comfortable with all the meds and pushing fluids. Honestly, Bella couldn't have been better cared for, even by me. I knew Mrs. Almengor would go above and beyond to ensure Bella would be well cared for. So, with confidence in my mother-in-law and in my husband's leadership, I hopped in the car and headed for Pennsylvania, only 2.5 hours behind schedule. Here are some pictures from our time:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lnalmengor/KA081

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.