The Almengor’s Year in Review

Many firsts this last year
Some not preferred, some we cheered!

First food, first steps and the boys first swim
Judah’s first laser treatment, his skin to dim.

The boys were dedicated to the Lord
To grow up under the instruction of God’s Word.

Lawrence started a new job, and Briana began blogging
The events of our lives, she is faithfully logging.

The boys’ 1st birthday, 3 parties in all
Except for a trip to the ER, we all had a ball!

Two trips to the ER, both for Judah
An unexpected health concern, the stress of asthma.

Many trips to Pennsylvania to see family and friends
And also a Sturge-Weber conference we were able to attend!

Bri’s brother gets marries and Lawrence’s brother proposes
To the woman of his dreams, through balloons and roses.

Lawrence and Bri got two weekends away
On one trip, our car broke down and boy did we pay!

Judah’s beautiful brain the MRI displayed
“No evidence of brain involvement,” his neurologist relayed.

A new caregroup at church was entrusted to our care
In this next year, many memories we’re hoping to share.

Another year of challenges, another year of joy,
Another year to see on our behalf God’s faithful hand deployed!

Wishing you a (late) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
The Almengor’s

ABC's

I wanted to write this down before my little men are grown men and know way more than their ABC's. This morning I sat on the floor and began to sing the ABC's to the boys (almost a daily occurence). Judah got up from my lap and went over to a pile of books on the floor in the corner. He picked up the Winnie the Pooh ABC book and brought it to me. I was amazed at the connection he made. I'm sure you're amazed, too. My little men are brilliant!

Christmas Traditions

This will be Lawrence and my fourth Christmas as a married couple and second Christmas as parents, and I can't say that I've been good at or inspired to begin many new traditions of our own. I recently began reading a book, Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper and have been freshly challenged and inspired to consider how I might build our family's traditions around God.

She tells of her experience as a new mother, realizing that for everything she and her husband did, she would have a little one asking, "why". She writes, "Why?" I realized that was a question I was going to have to answer from now on, not just for Christmas traditions that particular year, but for all years and every day. At that moment I knew that "just because" was no answer. Nor was "because that's the way Grandmother or Granddaddy do it" or "because it's pretty" or "because it's convenient" or "because that's what everybody does."

So in an attempt to make our traditions meaningful in the Almengor household, particularly at Christmas, I'm soliciting for input from others, for I have nearly no good ideas on my own. If there is anyone still reading blogs at this time of year, let me hear from you. What traditions have you incorporated in your home that help your family remember God, think upon God, center their thoughts and festivities around God?