Christmas Pictures

Micah is not trying to get in the presents in this picture. He is trying to get Tiki the cat.

Playing "choo-choo" with Papa and Nana

Making music with Caroline, Aunt Laurie, and Aunt Julie

It was all a little too much for Uncle Jack. (My favorite part is not that he is using a ball for a pillow, but that he still has duplo blocks in his hand!)

Checking out Papa's new airplane

Safety first.


Aunt Laurie modeling some presents.

Cousin Caroline

Merry Christmas!

A Moose Named Juice

Christmas came a little early today. We decided to open the presents from my side of the family early, rather than pack them up to take them to Indiana tomorrow. Micah and Carter had a great time with interchangeable cars from my parents. There's one base car, then several other vehicle types that fit over the base. Each vehicle has its own sound effects - kind of a cool idea.

(This picture was taken at Carter's request. Actually, he wanted me to take one of him sitting ON Micah, but we compromised.)

The boys also enjoyed using their "sweepers" to help me tidy up the house.

(Why does Micah have one sock on and one sock off?)

A surprising favorite, however, was a stuffed moose. With the exception of Little George (Curious George's mini-version that Carter lent to Micah and will probably never get back), Micah has shown very little interest in stuffed animals. There must be something special about this moose, though, because Micah gave it a big hug, carried it around, and even took him to bed! The funniest part is that he refuses to say "moose". He calls it his "juice"! He is fully capable of making the /m/ sound (as evidenced by saying "Mommy!" eight hundred times a day), but I guess this particular moose is named "Juice".

(Several hours later, still only one sock.)

Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs

I increased my "cool mom" status by letting Micah have cocoa puffs for snack. (Let's be honest, I was eating them, too.) Little guy doesn't know how good he has it. In my day we had to sneak down to the neighbors' house or con Mom's unsuspecting friends into giving us sugar-filled cereals! Kids these days have it so easy.

Babysitting

Just another wild and crazy Saturday night at the Gurley house!

Nativity

Cousin Caroline's last blog post reminded me of Micah. He has a slightly altered version of what the nativity scene should look like. I'll have to pull out the picture Bible to prove to him that the camels were not, in fact, standing on the cows.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Toddler Dance Party

I bet most of you have never been to a Toddler Dance Party. Let me tell you, you are missing out. Today Sarah (a.k.a librarian extraordinaire, a.k.a Ally's mom) hosted a festive bash at the library. There was great music, snacks, instruments, balloons, bubbles, and scarves. All my pictures are blurry - I guess I need to find the sports/action setting on my camera!

This particular blur is Carter throwing his balloon, which is how he and Micah spent most of the party.

Grandparents

Nana and Grandpapa came for a visit this weekend. I'm not sure who had more fun - Micah or the grandparents!

Off to Work

On the Mend

Scott has made an amazing amount of progress in the past four weeks, specifically in the past 5 days. On Wednesday the surgeon said he could work on bending his knee up to 45 degrees and try to put weight on it when it's straight. Scott worked hard over the holiday and is now "walking" without crutches. With the physical therapist (our friend Brian) this morning, Scott was able to bend his knee 60 degrees. Although he still has a long way to go, it's such a relief for both of us that he can do more things for himself and play more with Micah.
It's amazing to think of how God created our bodies to be able to heal after they've been torn apart. I'm also humbled when I think of all the ways that God has provided for us in the past few weeks. All the problems that were overwhelming to me at the time have been worked out through His provision.

It Nose!

Micah and I were surprised and delighted to see it snowing this morning! Instead of saying "snow", Micah puts the "s" on the end of the word, so it sounds like "nose". Of course, he wanted to go out in it immediately.



We've been having a great time with family. I hope you are all enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend! :)

Hobbies

Currently, two of Micah's favorite pastimes are playing cars and hiding. He likes to collect all the different kinds of vehicles and put them in lines. Woe to you if you mess up his cars!

He is also eerily good at hiding. I'll admit, there's a few times I've had to really look to find him! He stays very still and quiet and won't answer if you call his name. Fortunately, I've learned that the secret is to ask him if he's hiding. He can't resist answering, "Yeah!"

George

One of the often-told stories in my family occurred right before I was born. A family friend asked my brother, age 3, what the new baby should be named. He pondered the question carefully and responded, "George, I think." Thirty years later, "George" is still a popular little guy. Both Carter and Micah love anything to do with Curious George - books, stuffed animals, TV, etc. Here's Micah trying really hard to turn on the TV to watch his precious "George".

Happy Birthday, Poppa!

Giggles

New Do

Leah picked up Micah after work yesterday to give me a little break. She took him to her parents' house to see the animals and have dinner. He had a fabulous time and came back sporting a new hairstyle.

Happy 90th

Micah's great-grandmother turns 90 years old today. Happy Birthday!

Going Out

One of the many wonderful things about our new home is the fenced-in backyard. When one of the boys asks to go outside, it gives me great joy to be able to say "yes!" They love to go in and out of the sunroom, push trucks in the back yard, or drive the car or bike in the garage. They have the freedom to play by themselves, and I have the freedom to finish the dishes! It's a win-win.

Carter cutting down trees

Carter is able to open the doors by himself......Micah has to wait for someone to help him: