Moments with Micah

Pirate Face

2010-04-26T21:24:00.000-05:00

We went to Chick-fil-A for dinner with the Vicks, Amber and Jason. Micah and Evan got their faces painted by a silly clown, who also made them swords. What's a pirate's favorite letter? Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Easter 2010

2010-04-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

Our weekend of Easter events started with the Easter Bonnet Parade at Micah's school on Thursday. He loved his silly Easter bonnet.

On Friday we attended the Easter Celebration as a family with our friends the Vicks. It included an egg hunt, inflatables for jumping, a petting zoo, spin art and sand art. The day was beautiful.

On Easter Sunday we took pictures in our yard. Our little buddy Thomas joined us, too. And later with our house church friends we had our own Easter egg hunt.

March 2010

2010-04-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

March = warmer weather, time at the park with dear friends, Tabitha and Arianna, painting, and a new sandbox from Oma and Opa.

Cultural Events

2010-03-29T21:04:00.000-05:00

In the last month, Micah has been to four cultural events - big firsts for him. He went with our friends the Pockruses and Katherine Vick to a ballet of Peter Pan. I was so surprised at how he asked so many questions about the sets and lighting. He tried hard to understand how the computers in the back could make the lights in the ceiling shine on the stage at just the right time and location. And the wires that the kids flew around on were also especially intriguing. We went to Ringling Brothers Three Ring Circus with our friends the Vicks. Micah liked the human cannons. He also talked about how things worked after this show, asking a lot of questions. We went to a family opera day (with the Vick and Pockrus families) and saw The Ugly Duckling. They also had an area to dress up in costumes and an instrument petting zoo. We got to take a tour through the costume shop. Micah blew in a trumpet and surprised himself and the volunteer that he could make noise with it! He also saw a play, The Wind in the Willows with Oma. There were quite a few funny parts that he tried to retell and then explain to me. I'm so grateful we have so many amazing opportunities with our kids to do these things and that Micah is engaged enough to sit a watch.

Tub Time

2010-03-27T21:16:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it is just plain fun to get in the tub with two little sisters.

February 2010

2010-02-28T20:48:00.000-05:00

February = dogpiling Daddy with a blue tongue from a lolly pop, reading stories, giving Hosanna the beloved Piglet and Lizzy to sleep with, and getting ready for the Valentine's party at school (rice crispie treats and homemade cards).

January 2010

2010-01-31T20:36:00.001-05:00

January = playing in a little Georgia snow and fighting with a styrofoam sword and axe (It's a good way to get out our pent up aggression when stuck inside because it's winter. Thanks Target $1 bin!)

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T20:08:00.001-05:00

We iced Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve and took them to our Christmas events.

Micah was so excited about Transformers this Christmas!

Cousin Charlotte was at Oma & Opa's on Christmas day; she's always so much fun!

Time with his cousins and the sports equipment (soccer/hockey goal, ball, puck, sticks) were the highlights at Nana & Pop's on the 26th.

December 2009

2009-12-23T19:39:00.001-05:00

December = being sneaky and taking pictures without Mommy knowing - lots of pictures, decorating our house for Christmas, a sibling photo shoot, licking brownie batter off of rubber spatulas, making Christmas cookies with cookie cutters, making pretzel snowmen for our friends at preschool and Micah's first Christmas production at school.

Special Friends

2009-12-13T19:47:00.001-05:00

One of Micah's best friends is Evan Vick. Our lives seem to be returning to normal (after Hosanna's arrival). We ventured out to the Mall of Georgia to play on the indoor playground and eat a picnic lunch with our dear friends the Vicks. Two mommies were outnumbered by six kids under six years old.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-01T19:24:00.001-05:00

Because Oma and Opa got the flu, we ended up having a Thanksgiving meal at our house. A bunch of folks joined us (this happens often). Micah spent quite a long time taking pictures, most of which are of one of his K'nex right in front of the lense. Then it looks like a light saber. He experimented with different colors, too. Micah's creativity amazes us!

2009-11-10T19:14:00.000-05:00

Micah was the ring bearer in Mema Alice's wedding. He enjoyed wearing his snazzy suit and shoes. On the day of the wedding, he was a little scared about walking down that long aisle. Nana bribed him with a trip to Walmart to pick out a new toy. About 3/4 of the way to the front, he froze and looked around. Thankfully he caught his mommy's eye and kept on walking. He did his part well, but the reception was definitely more fun. The bride and groom released live butterflies and the dancing (complete with sombreros) made it all worth while. Micah was also suffering from a really bad cold this day, complete with lots of sneezing during the ceremony. It's probably even loud and dramatic enough to be heard on the wedding video.

Let the education begin...

2009-11-05T21:34:00.003-05:00

Micah has begun Hosanna's education about superheros. He decided he should start early with her and Spiderman was the topic of this lesson.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T19:06:00.002-05:00

The day began with a trip to the aquarium with Elisha, Tanti and Uncle Eric. It's reported that there were lots of Batmans at the aquarium. After dinner our whole family went to a fall festival at Nana and Pop's church; cousins McKenna, Jeremiah and Kyla were there, too. Then we all went to Discover Mills Mall for treats, a carousel ride and a little trick-or-treating. What an eventful Halloween!

Micah meets Hosanna

2009-10-15T21:20:00.000-05:00

Micah met Hosanna for the first time on Tuesday. She was born on Sunday, the 11th. Micah was so disappointed that he wasn't allowed to visit at the hospital (due to the Swine Flu). He remembers visiting us in the hospital when Elisha was born. He was looking forward to playing with the hospital bed...bummer! He has been so sweet to Hosanna, hugging, kissing and talking to her.

Above: This is moments after he saw Hosanna for the first time.

New Bunkbed

2009-10-06T21:49:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of September, Heather and Eric moved out and our new house mate, Amber moved in. Micah and Elisha moved into a bigger bedroom. Since this move, we've been talking about getting Micah and Elisha a bunk bed. Britt, Micah and I put it together this past weekend. He gets to sleep on the top bunk, big 4 year old boy that he is.

Micah's school party

2009-09-20T21:04:00.001-05:00

Daddy, Nana and I got to visit Micah's class at school and bring cake to share with his classmates. He made a specific request for a cake with Lightning McQueen and Doc driving on a road.

Micah's birthday party with friends

2009-09-12T20:53:00.000-05:00

For his birthday Micah chose to take Ethan and Evan to Chuck E. Cheese. Pizza, cupcakes, presents, video games, rings that flash and time with friends - what more could a 4 year old want?!?our new housemate Amber, Ethan and his daddy Adam

the little guy in the middle is Evan

Micah's family birthday party

2009-09-12T20:42:00.001-05:00

Oma couldn't be with us, but she made Micah some capes - they were a big hit!

Micah and Nana looked through baking books until they found what Micah wanted for his birthday cake. He called it "special food cake". It was a lemon cake with berries and whipped cream. He loved it!

First Day of School 2009

2009-09-05T13:39:00.000-05:00

Micah is attending preschool 2 days a week again this year. He was very excited about his first day and has loved it every day since. He picked out the Spiderman lunch bag and the sports buttons for his school bag. He helps drop Elisha off at her class and often initiates holding her hand all the way.

Baseball Game #3

2009-08-25T13:32:00.000-05:00

Baseball game #1 was a complete disaster. Micah was 2 and totally freaked out upon entering the stadium. It was too big, too loud, too many people, etc... Baseball game #2 was just with Daddy and there is unfortunately no documentation. Baseball game #3 was a home run. Britt's company picnic was at a Gwinnett Braves game. We went as a family and ate hotdogs, chips, cookies, soda and watched the game. Micah understood a lot of what was happening and asked all sorts of questions. We made it to about the 6th inning and headed home happy.

It's not easy taking pictures of oneself - at least not for me.

Bowling

2009-08-25T13:18:00.000-05:00

All of our house residents went on an outing - bowling! It was so much fun watching Micah strategize about how to knock down the pins with his ball. He also enjoyed the funny shoes, Sprite and popcorn.

Family Cabin Time

2009-08-15T13:10:00.000-05:00

The highlights of the cabin this year for Micah were the Thomas exhibit and time with his "best buddy" and cousin Jeremiah.

Sara Kate

2009-08-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

Sara Kate came to play. They played house and Elisha cooperated, playing the baby.

Climber, Helper, Superman

2009-08-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

Micah has discovered the joy of climbing trees; I remember vividly how much fun I had doing this as a kid.
He's also been wanting to be a helper, especially in the kitchen. It's amazing how much he is able to do if I just take the time to teach him once and am willing to supervise a little.
I inherited a bedroom suit from my grandmother. The mirror to the vanity was propped against the wall close to the fan. Micah figured out that he could stand in front of the fan and watch his Superman cape flap around in the big mirror. Pretty smart little superhero!

A Fun Week

2009-07-03T21:27:00.003-05:00

How did he get so big?!?
eating popsicles outside on the swing setplaying in the freshly cleaned sandbox with Heather and Eric (We found a frog, a toad and a snake in the sandbox while cleaning it out.)

rediscoving his Superman halloween costume from last year

pretending he's Clark Kent (costume under a sweater and long pants - thank God for AC)
This was completely his idea and he dug out and put on all the clothes himself.

making and eating cookies - he's becoming very helpful

Pensacola/Mobile Trip (May 2009)

2009-06-15T20:38:00.001-05:00

We took a trip to Pensacola to visit Aunt Di. We spent one day at the beach (Micah preferred to be in the water) and one day at the Naval Air Museum. Both were big hits for Micah!

He and Elisha also enjoyed climbing in Aunt Di's dogs' crates and pretending they were dogs.

He got to fly a flight simulator and we could hardly tear him away when he was through.

Then we drove to Mobile to visit with Great Granny and Grandpa Schneider.

May 2009

2009-05-31T20:25:00.001-05:00

Micah looked very handsome for Tanti (my sister, Andrea) and Uncle Eric's wedding on May 1st, but was not very cooperative when it came time for photos.

Micah took this starfish that he made at preschool to our creative night and shared it, a bit shyly.

It's getting hot in Atlanta and Britt bought the kids a Slip-N-Slide.

We did a science experiment, adding dye to water to watch the flowers change colors. Micah was very intrigued.

Micah's Preschool

2009-05-20T20:34:00.001-05:00

masterpieces!

We took this picture of ourselves - can you tell?

April 2009

2009-04-30T20:23:00.001-05:00

Blowing bubbles in soapy water on the kitchen floor makes for great entertainment!

Friends of ours from Korea asked if some friends of theirs could stay with us one night on their way through town. Micah became fast friends with their little girl Amy, who spoke very little English. You would've thought they had known each other all their lives and spoke the same language. It was fun to watch them together.

Easter 2009

2009-04-15T22:00:00.002-05:00

We didn't do a good job of taking pictures. Micah did an egg hunt with his Mooney cousins at the park and got treats from Nana and Pop, including a mini kite and an Easter basket from Oma and Opa with a Cars pillow case that Oma made. The treats in the picture came in the mail from Great Grandmom Bagosy.

Here's another great attempt at writing his name. This time the M is upside down, but he got the lowercase h.

Micah had a preschool assignment to make a hat for the Easter bonnet parade. We had so much fun both picking out and assembling this masterpiece. He thought it was very silly and got a lot of laughs at school - little ham!

Zoo Atlanta

2009-04-10T22:01:00.001-05:00

During Britt's spring break from school, we went to the zoo with all our house mates: Eric, Heather, Saji and Jason.

These primates were especially active and we watched them for a long time.
I'm not sure why, but Micah decided he's camera shy...

March 2009

2009-03-31T21:56:00.001-05:00

Daddy and Micah sharing ice cream on Uncle Eric's birthday.

sharing a popsicle with Elisha

Happy St. Patrick's Day (Micah is 3 1/2 now)!

lovin' on little Norah - Micah loves when she comes to spend the day with us

Micah never played in this cabinet until Elisha discovered it. Now they both get in there and giggle. And they drag out all the pots and pans and turn them into a drum set.

a little bit of snow in Atlanta

Micah and Jason (our house mate) painting with watercolorsMicah snuggled up with Norah and me on the couch and we all fell asleep.

Children's Museum (March 2009)

2009-03-10T21:53:00.001-05:00

The Children's Museum of Atlanta offers one Tuesday afternoon a month for free (Thanks, Target). So I headed down there with my two and my niece and met my two girlfriends there. Three mommies and 8 kidlets under 5. We had so much fun! It's so nice to watch the kids explore, climb and play without having to be concerned about them getting into something that isn't meant for them - it's all designed just for them. So, when are they going to open a Mommies' Museum?

February 2009

2009-02-28T21:49:00.003-05:00

Since we have a weekly church meeting in our home during which we all eat together, we end up with lots of leftover food that folks think we might be able to use. This cake was left over from a wedding. We were given the majority of a sheet of it. The wedding was Saturday night and we served it at our house on Sunday night. In an effort to use up the cake, Micah and I decided to build a trifle. He got to cut the cake into pieces, break up cookies, spray canned whipped cream...all things I don't normally allow him to do by himself. He thoroughly enjoyed this project!
For Valentine's treats for Micah's preschool class, we made these candy trains. I thought he would fizzle out long before we were done, but he stayed engaged through the whole process - from picking out the candy at the store until the last card and train were tied together. He was so proud walking into school the next day!

He's pretending he's a turtle - or did until he started to feel a little stuck under that stool!
Micah's been very interested in writing his own name. Here's one of his first good attempts. Look closely - you can see the M-i-backwards c-a-H. Pretty good for 3 1/2.

January 2009

2009-02-15T21:41:00.004-05:00

time with Aunt Di, monkeys in a barrel at a German restaurant, watching TV with Daddy (cell phone by his side like Mommy), helping Mommy open presents and being Spiderman

Another Trip to PA Feb 2009

2009-02-10T21:43:00.003-05:00

In February we returned to PA to be with my mom's family - this time for my Grandfather's funeral. Micah got to play with my cousins. They were so sweet with him.

He had fun bowling (funny story below) at my Grammie's nursing home
and playing in the snow with Elisha, Oma and Opa.

We had a memorial service for my Granddad at my Grammie's nursing home. This was after the service at the funeral home and the one at the graveside. During the service, Micah got restless and Opa took him for a walk. They went by the room with the bowling table (see above). Micah asked Opa if he could go bowling and Opa told him that they would need to ask Grammie later. After they finished their walk, they returned to the memorial service, which was wrapping up, but not quite over. When they walked in, Micah walked toward the front. Opa thought he was headed to sit with Oma. Instead he walked right up to Grammie and asked, "Will you go bowling with me?" She didn't hear him, so the lady next to him repeated rather loudly, "He wants to know if you will go bowling with him." Grammie's face lit up and she smiled bigger than I have seen her smile in quite some time. Everyone laughed. It was the perfect, innocent comedic relief we all needed. And later Micah did indeed get to go bowling.

Holiday Travel

2009-01-02T21:00:00.001-05:00

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T20:21:00.001-05:00

KFC

2008-12-23T23:07:00.002-05:00

We were driving the other day and I heard funny sounds coming from the back seat. I asked Micah what he was doing. He told me he was trying to sound out that word. I asked what word it was - what the letters were. He replied KFC. The sounds were appropriate for sounding out KFC. We then had a conversation about acronyms.
And why has he decided to try to be Spiderman at a time where playing outside isn't very practical due to cold weather? I don't know how to redirect him - there isn't an appropriate place to climb like that in our house and he is so determined...

Gingerbread Man with Mema

2008-12-20T23:02:00.002-05:00

What a special treat! Mema came and helped Micah and Elisha decorate gingerbread people before house church last night. Micah loved every minute of the attention from Mema and the creative process. He quickly cleaned his plate at dinner and then asked, "May I eat my gingerbread man now?" He proceeded to eat all the candy off the top and then the poor man's fingers and toes. It is always fun to watch my children spending time making memories with dear friends, like Mema.

The Children's Museum

2008-12-09T22:14:00.001-05:00

Our good friends the Pockrus' invited us and the Vicks to join them for a day at the Children's Museum (free on the second Tuesday of the month - sponsored by Target). We played and played until we wore ourselves out. Then we walked through Olympic Park to the CNN building for dinner (see the last picture). The weather was balmy for December and there were Christmas lights everywhere to light our way. After dinner, Micah was tired, but walked the city block back to the museum and then another city block to our car. After he finished eating his dinner in the car, hungry again after all that walking, he said, "Mommy, I'm ready to go to sleep now. May I have my piglet, please?" I handed him Piglet and he promptly fell asleep. We had such a great day riding, climbing, building, splashing, discovering and walking.

Micah and Elisha

2008-12-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

Micah and Elisha are really sweet to one another almost all the time. It's been the prayer of my heart that they would be very close. They snuggle and kiss and miss one another when they're apart. They keep each other awake at night talking and often wake each other up in the morning. They like to sit together to watch TV, even squeezing together in the laundry basket. I was hoping to get a good picture that I could use as a Christmas picture, but was not very successful - at least not at getting the kind of picture I had hoped . . . but they had fun . . . mostly.

Letters and Words

2008-12-03T21:59:00.000-05:00

Micah continues to love letters and now that he knows the sounds that almost all the letters make, he's working on figuring out how to put them together to make words. Daddy is great at helping him build words. They spelled out words and changed the first letters to make up new nonsense words and Micah belly laughed about it over and over again. It's so fun to watch him exploring and learning like this!

Stockings

2008-12-02T21:48:00.000-05:00

While I was busy doing some other decorating, Micah found our stockings and put them where he thought they rightfully belonged - not a bad assumption.

2008-11-27T23:17:00.000-05:00

Andrea played outside with Micah and Elisha outside on Thanksgiving day! They had fun running around in the leaves. We didn't do a good job of documenting our Thanksgiving activities: Melissa & Charleston's house Thanksgiving morning for birthday banana pancakes, Oma and Opa's house with Aunt Andrea for Thanksgiving dinner, and Thanksgiving dinner number two at Nana and Pop's on Friday.

Micah meets Norah

2008-11-24T21:23:00.001-05:00

Micah got to meet his baby cousin Norah and really enjoyed seeing and holding her. He had to wait until she was a whole week old because we'd been sick at our house. Look how good he is with her and how happy he is. And doesn't Aunt Gina look great?

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

2008-11-14T23:55:00.001-05:00

Look, we made a coconut tree for our fridge, just like the one in the book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The Leapfrog letters work great to reenact the story!

A Few Stories

2008-11-10T21:23:00.003-05:00

On Friday we hung out with some good friends and the kids helped Charlotte (the mommy) replant some fall mums. Later that day, Micah made me a flower and put it on my bedside table. It was his sippy cup in his snack bowl. He also commented, "And you can drink it, too." Brilliant!

Last night Micah climbed in Elisha's crib and his foot got stuck between the slats. He was screaming and Elisha was crying out "Ouwa! Ouwa!" This is what she says when she gets hurt. I got Micah unstuck and held him. I picked Elisha up, too. She loved all over Micah, hugging, stroking and patting him. Then she proceeded to poke him in the chest with her little pointer finger and fuss at him very seriously, as if to say, "You know you aren't supposed to be in my crib. I told you we'd get in trouble." Micah got told by his sister for the first time when she was just 10 months old. I wonder if things will continue like this...
Micah has been interested lately in what road we are driving on and which way we'll be turning next. So, our conversation in the car often revolves around where we are going and how we'll get there. On the way to school last week:
Micah: "Mommy, this is Tab Roberts Road, right?"
Me: "Yes, buddy, it is."
Micah: "I know that because it is so curvy."
Me, astounded: "Yes, you're right. You have such a great memory."
I had a conference with his teacher at school last week, too. She had a lot of positive feedback and a few areas, in which Micah needs some work (changing activities, gooey stuff on his hands, not being possessive about toys, cutting and drawing shapes). One thing she said that was really odd to me, was that he doesn't often speak to her in complete sentences. He also won't tell her his whole name. He does both of those things consistently at home, elsewhere and to the teacher's aide, just not to his teacher. Odd...

So big!

2008-11-04T22:05:00.003-05:00

We started potty training Micah on July 21st. By the beginning of September he was almost entirely accident free. By the end of September we put away the training potty. Now he can not only reach the potty standing up with no problems at all, but he no longer uses a stool to reach the sink to wash his hands. He can even turn the water on and off all by himself on his tippy toes.
On Sunday in the car we had a conversation that went like this:
Micah: Mommy, God is in the sky.
Mommy: Why do you say that?
Micah: Because when we talk about Him we point up.
Then we talked about how God is everywhere and how He doesn't have a body like we do.
There are some days when he just feels like staying in his pajamas . . . all day.

SuperMicah

2008-11-01T20:58:00.002-05:00

Will you play with me?

2008-10-23T15:38:00.002-05:00

Micah has learned how to sweetly ask, "Will you play with me?" Daddy, Eric and Jason have been especially good at playing with Micah as of late. Don't misunderstand, there are a lot of ladies who play with Micah, too - Nana, Oma, Heather, Alice, Stacy, Gina, to name a few. But, it thrills my heart to see him having such positive interaction with the men in our home. It fills up his emotional tank and he soars for hours. Thanks, guys! Thanks, Lord Jesus!

Row Your Boat

2008-09-28T14:15:00.000-05:00

Playing "Row, row, row your boat" is a Mooney family favorite. Micah has played with Nana and Pop for as long as he's lived in the States. We've added our favorite green rocking chair and our beloved Elisha to the game, which ends, of course, with tickling. Micah has recently added falling out of the chair at the end. He thinks this is hilarious. Check out Daddy's action shot!

Daddy's Socks

2008-09-28T14:06:00.000-05:00

What's crazy is that these are his ankle socks. Look how big they are on Micah. Elisha thought it was pretty funny, too.

He's also tried on Daddy's shirts. Each time he's done this, it's been totally self-initiated and he's gotten them on by himself. I should have taken a picture the day he came to me with one of Britt's Superman shirts (long-sleeved) with his cape in hand asking for help to put it on. Pretty clever little guy that Micah!

Birthday Cupcakes at School

2008-09-17T14:44:00.001-05:00

On Micah's birthday he helped decorate cupcakes for school. He used colored tubes of frosting to make cool designs on the cupcakes. The next day, Mommy and Elisha brought them to school at the end of the day. His classmates seemed to have fun celebrating with him.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2008-09-16T21:10:00.004-05:00

What a special day! Nana took Micah out to lunch and to the toy store. He got Bill and Ben (Thomas trains) and a Batman toy in his Happy Meal. Then Oma, Opa and Andrea took Micah, Mommy and Elisha out to dinner at Chick-fil-A. Happy the Clown made Micah a special birthday balloon hat and panted his face like Robin (Batman's side-kick). Daddy joined us at home and we ate cupcakes and opened presents (books, Cranky the Crane, Bob the Builder tools and a backpack). He's so proud to be 3. Just ask him how old he is!

I somehow lost a bunch of photos while trying to download them. There were good pics of Oma and Opa and Micah with Mommy - oh, well! At least we didn't loose them all.

Batman

2008-09-10T13:55:00.002-05:00

It was kids' night at Chick-fil-A last night. Oma and Opa treated us to dinner. Happy the Clown was there. Micah got his face painted like batman; that's what he wanted. When it was his turn, he took his number to the clown, climbed up in the chair, talked with her (a little shyly at first) and then sat very still while they chatted and she painted his face. And he brought home three balloon swords. When he got home he put on his cape and flew around the house. There were tears when I insisted we wash off the face paint before bed. It was smearing and itching. Micah even stopped his Aunt Dodie, the director of his preschool and told her the story before going to class this morning. Da da da da da da . . . Batman!

First Day of School

2008-09-04T15:30:00.003-05:00

Micah is attending preschool again this fall. Wednesday was his first day. Here he is with his power shake and his school bag getting ready to get in the car. On the way to school he tried to convince me to just drop him off at the door, but this mama bear needed to walk him in. Maybe we'll try the drop-off method next week, when I feel a little braver. My baby is growing up so fast. Both yesterday and today he did not want to leave when I got there to pick him up. I guess that's a good sign, right?

A Normal Day

2008-08-19T09:51:00.002-05:00

It's a normal day here at our house. I took a picture of Micah playing with his truck and tractor so that we could put it on his blog together. Here it is...

This Week in Review

2008-08-17T22:39:00.003-05:00

On Monday we went to the Mall of Georgia playground. We haven't been very often this summer and Micah requested we go. Tuesday Aunt Andrea treated us to ice cream cones at the "Tree House McDonald's" and played with Micah on the playground and even crawled up inside with him.

Micah rediscovered his sandbox and swing set in our backyard now that the weather is a little cooler. We've been working on potty training for 4 weeks now and this week 6 out of 7 days were accident free. Praise the Lord! And tonight Micah fell asleep reading again. Britt and I decided that we must not be doing a horrible job as parents if he falls asleep reading the Bible story book. He's such a blessing to me, a challenge sometimes, but always a blessing!

First Photographs

2008-08-03T20:36:00.004-05:00

I left the camera in the living room while making dinner one night. Micah took a few pictures. They're quite artistic. This one is called "Daddy's Notebook and Guitar Pick".

"The Corner of my Train Table"
"Me"

Our Garden - update

2008-08-03T20:19:00.003-05:00

Our tomatoes are growing great. Something happened to the squash, cucumber and zucchini plants while we were at the cabin. Maybe too much water? The verdict is still out on the watermelon.Look, red tomatoes! It's really too bad Micah doesn't like them. He even tried again after picking them - - yuck!

Thomas the Tank Engine

2008-08-03T19:58:00.003-05:00

During our Mooney family cabin vacation, we spent a day doing Thomas stuff with the kids complete with a train ride and lots of Thomas toys to play with. He got to go with Daddy, Nana, Aunt Shane, Uncle Derek, Aunt Amy, McKenna, Jeremiah and Kyla.

Can you tell from these pictures that he was recovering from Strep throat?

A Good Book

2008-07-25T06:37:00.003-05:00

Sometimes when you snuggle up with a good book, you just happen to drift of to sleep. This is how we found Micah during nap time last weekend. He is fast asleep.

Texas

2008-07-24T15:31:00.005-05:00

At the beginning of July, Micah, Elisha, Oma and Mommy drove to Plano, TX to visit with Uncle Matt, Auntie Kim and baby Charlotte (born 3/11/08). During our 17 hour car ride, Micah slept a total of 20 minutes. He was very good the whole trip, just very excited. Opa flew out to join us.
One day Micah got to get away from them babies and play on the playground with Mommy and Uncle Matt.

It turns out baby Charlotte has lots of hand-me-down toys. She shared them very kindly.

Oma and Mommy wanted some cousin pictures while we were all together. It didn't turn out to be such an easy task.
Micah was a good sport, though.
We decided not to make the trip home all in one day. We stopped at a very nice hotel. Oma picked out one with a pool. After swimming, Micah got to watch a Thomas DVD in bed with his snack. What a treat! He took better naps in the car on the way home.

Thanks Uncle Matt, Auntie Kim, baby Charlotte, Oma and Opa for a great trip to Texas!

Thank You God for...

2008-07-06T21:27:00.002-05:00

At night before bed, Micah and I say prayers. I start by saying "Thank you God for..." and Micah finishes the sentence. Then I pray for him and tuck him in. This was our prayer time last night:
me: Thank you God for...
Micah: Mommy, Elisha, baby Charlotte, my penis, Daddy who starts with D...
Mommy, what letter does rocket start with?
me: Rocket starts with R.
Micah: and for rockets that start with R. Amen.

I quickly finished praying, left the room, closed the door and bust up laughing. I guess he already knows just how important it is that he is a boy and he has a penis. I will never understand! :)

Father's Day

2008-06-15T14:40:00.000-05:00

Our Garden - Day 10

2008-06-11T15:41:00.001-05:00

Micah still loves to check on his plants and "give them a drink". They are growing like weeds - - so is he!

Our Garden - Day 6

2008-06-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

We planted our garden on Monday evening and Saturday morning we had little seedlings! Micah went out in his PJs to water them and say hello.

Our Stone Mountain Picnic

2008-06-06T14:48:00.000-05:00

Our Stone Mountain Train Adventure

2008-06-06T14:43:00.001-05:00

Micah wasn't so sure this train ride was his idea of fun.

Cheese?!?

Our Garden - Day 1

2008-06-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

Micah and I planted a little container garden on our back patio. We planted tomato plants and seeds for cucumbers, yellow squash, watermelon and zucchini. I'm excited to see how Micah responds to his first little adventure in caring for something other than himself and his toys and to see if we can actually grow some veggies and melon. Stay tuned...

In the Grass

2008-05-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

We went to a picnic at the park. Aunt Gina helped Micah throw rocks into the lake. He skinned his elbow and his knee at the playground. It didn't seem to bother him much, as he just loves being outside.

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T21:24:00.003-05:00

Here they are! Micah and Elisha got all dressed up for Easter. I know I'm biased, but aren't they adorable?

The Flemings Visit

2008-03-23T20:41:00.001-05:00

Easter weekend our friends the Flemings came through town on their way from DC to Texas. Kenny and Nicole are our good friends from our time in Korea. Their daughter Faith is precious! They were here in late December. This time I remembered to take some pictures. We got a big crew to meet for dinner at Olive Garden.Micah's buds Katherine and Evan were there.

Our friend Saji waits tables there.

Isn't Faith a cutie?

I'm not sure if Faith is having more fun playing with Elisha or if Micah is having more fun watching! Children are such a blessing! We laughed a lot together and had a wonderful visit! Thanks for coming over, Kenny, Nichole and Faith! We hope to see you again the next time you're driving through.

Cadbury Egg

2008-03-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

Ms. Mary, one of Britt's fellow teachers, found out that Britt loves Cadbury eggs. She got some for Britt and he shared one with Micah this day that we visited him at work. Experience with us, Micah's first Cadbury egg (otherwise known as a ton of sugar in a little package).

Easter Fun

2008-03-23T12:13:00.000-05:00

Micah helped fill Easter eggs for the egg hunt at his school. It was hard to convince him to put the candy in the eggs, but we had a lot of fun.

Easter morning Micah opened his gifts with Daddy.

Easter evening we went to house church. The kids had an Easter egg hunt and a special time talking about the resurrection with Resurrection Eggs and Miss Nichole.

First Date and Egg Hunt

2008-03-21T20:31:00.002-05:00

Thursday, March 20th Micah and I had our first date since Elisha's birth. We used to spend a lot of time together, just the two of us. That certainly changed when we welcomed little Elisha to the earth. I surprised him by dropping only Elisha off with Oma and we headed to Monkey Joe's. It's an indoor inflatable playground. We climbed and jumped until we were both quite exhausted. Then we ate lunch at Whole Foods, a grocery/health food store with a salad/dessert/hot bar. He got to choose his lunch and dessert. He got to sit at the table with me (no hi-chair or booster seat or bib) like a big boy. He beamed the whole morning and we had so much fun!

Friday, March 21st, Micah and I met Tabitha and Nichole at FBCD for an Easter egg hunt. He did a much better job this year hunting for eggs. He understood the concept and did a great job picking up eggs. He got excited about what was inside - marked improvement over last year. (See the blog) There was a petting zoo, a craft, a sing-a-long and we took a picnic lunch. I can't believe both Nichole and I forgot our cameras.

Trip to Stone Mountain

2008-03-15T11:42:00.004-05:00

Micah went with Oma and Opa to Stone Mountain. They rode the train and the cable car up to the top of the mountain. What a fabulous day.

Trains and Capes

2008-02-28T21:30:00.002-05:00

Superfriends

2008-02-20T22:50:00.002-05:00

Britt has recently introduced Micah to old episodes of Flash Gordan and The Superfriends. Here we are with our capes on in the spaceship flying around. Micah spilled an unfolded laundry basket of towels onto the floor, spread out a space in the middle in which to sit and called it his spaceship. He brought me blankets for us to wear as capes and we flew around the room with our capes billowing in the breeze behind us. Not long after this, he discovered the hooded towels in the pile (a bunny and a penguin). They became our new superhero characters - Super Bunny and Super Penguin. Unfortunately the camera's battery died. That was even more entertaining! I had to trick him into saving Piglet in his room to get him to go to bed. He was having so much fun! I even told him a story about Super Bunny and Super Penguin saving the day before we turned out the light. What a fun way to create a special memory. Who knew how much fun a clean, unfolded load of towels could be!?!

Kitchen Train Tracks

2008-02-20T22:46:00.002-05:00

Micah recently discovered that there are tile lines on our kitchen linoleum. He thinks they make great train tracks for his Thomas engine. Thomas can now drive on tracks all over the kitchen, which is a great way for Micah to entertain himself close to Elisha and I, while I'm cooking. Choo-choo!

Step Aerobics

2008-02-20T22:42:00.002-05:00

Our house-mate Heather does step aerobics. Micah likes to watch and then do a little workout himself. He also does a pretty good imitation of Britt doing Tae-bo (kick boxing aerobics).

The Snowman!

2008-02-20T22:36:00.002-05:00

On January 19th, it snowed at our house just enough for Micah and Eric to make a really cool smowman together in our front yard.

The next day he and I got to go play outside together before the snow melted. I gave him his first lesson in making snow angels and we listened to the snow crunch under our feet. By that afternoon almost all of the snow had melted, but the snowman lasted in our yard for almost 2 weeks!

Still in love

2008-01-05T21:46:00.001-05:00

Even after almost 3 weeks, Micah is still in love with his baby sister, Elisha. He wants to be with her and help take care of her. He still tries to get her to play with him by sweetly asking, "Elisha, wanna come play trains with me?" He even calls her "sweet darling". It's so fun to watch them together.

Christmas Joy

2007-12-25T21:19:00.000-05:00

2007-12-16T15:02:00.000-05:00

Today is baby sister, Elisha's due date. To check out her blog, scroll down and click on her link, "Elisha", on the left sidebar. We hope to post pictures of her there very soon...

The Beach Revisited

2007-12-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Our friend Stacy Trammel Walker took some amazing pictures of us at the beach in September. Take a look...

Train Museum

2007-12-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

At the end of November, Micah and I went with Oma's class to the train museum right here in Duluth, GA. I had no idea it existed. Micah had a blast. I think his favorite part was actually riding the train. The conductor took us out on the tracks forward and backwards and blew the whistle. In the museum, we got to look inside several old trains and Micah got to take a turn ringing the bell. It was another memorable adventure with Oma!

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T21:28:00.002-05:00

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, we shared dinner with the Mooneys. Shane and Jason were in town from Germany on business and the whole family could be together - what a blessing!
On Thanksgiving Day, we got together with Oma, Opa and Aunt Andrea. Oma and Opa fixed us a wonderful meal and we enjoyed one another's company for a while. I am so grateful to be close to both sides of our family for the holidays again this year!
At Oma and Opa's house, Micah likes to color with colored pencils.
Micah got his first turkey-carving lesson this year from Opa. Micah pointed out the turkey's feet and elbows. He looked for the face, but couldn't find it.

I'm not sure if it was the pumpkin pie, the whipped topping, the squirting thereof or a combination of all three, but dessert was an exciting affair.

Big Boy Bed

2007-11-23T21:20:00.001-05:00

Micah is now, as of November 13th, sleeping in a toddler bed. We bought it second hand and Pop fixed some of the slats in the bottom. Then Nana made Micah a special airplane quilt to go on it. We'd been talking about it for a few weeks and Micah even got to sleep in a bed at Oma and Opa's as a trial run. The big boy bed at home was a complete success. The first few days he even ran to it in delight and crawled under the covers with his shoes still on before I could get into his room. Now we just have to convince him that his baby sister really does have rights to the crib.

Aunt Mary and Markers

2007-11-23T21:06:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of November, our good family friend Aunt Mary came for a visit. Micah got to stay at Oma and Opa's house all weekend while Mary stayed with them, too. They had so much fun. Mary is such an encourager!

Micah also was introduced to markers for the first time early in November. He loves to sit and color for a long time these days (sometimes close to an hour!). He is very diligent about always putting the caps back on the markers. Sometimes I'm not sure which he enjoys more, coloring or taking the caps off and putting them back on and listening for the snapping noise it makes.
As Micah enters further into the toddler stage, where exploration of his world and helping others often requires being messy, the Lord is teaching me more and more about how messy my relationship is with Him. He allows me to try things all the time that I mess up. He just gently corrects me and shows me the right way one more time, until I get it right. It's a challenge to always respond that way with Micah. The Lord is so patient and long suffering with us, isn't He?
How could I get frustrated about marker all over him with a smile that cute and all the caps back on?!?

Jack-o-lantern and Train Engineer

2007-11-01T15:16:00.000-05:00

Two Stories

2007-10-23T13:26:00.001-05:00

Micah was eating nut butter crackers in the car the other day. He was squishing the crackers together to get the nut butter to come out the sides and then using his finger to eat just the nut butter. I was in the front seat trying to convince him to just take bites of the cracker sandwich. His argument to me was, "But Mommy, it's tasty." I was speechless and there ended the discussion.

Micah was simultaneously playing and having apple slices for snack. When I thought he was finished, I helped myself to one of his apple slices. The conversation that followed went something like this:
Mommy, please don't eat my apples.
I'm sorry, honey, I though you were finished.
(Micah pauses thoughtfully) Old people need apples.
Is Mommy an old person?
Yes.
Is Daddy an old person?
Yes.
(From upstairs Heather hollers) Is Heather an old person?
No. (Micah giggles.)
Micah, when you say old person do you mean an adult.
Yes, adult old enough to drive car by self (referring to a previous conversation about how he wasn't old enough to drive our car).
Oh, so you think adults need to eat apples.
Yes, my Daddy loves apples and Micah, too.

So, if you are feeling a bit old, just eat an apple. Old people need apples, you see.

The Beach

2007-09-23T20:49:00.001-05:00

Not only did Micah love eating breakfast on the balcony our first morning here at Panama City Beach, God also blessed us with a beautiful rainbow! Micah could clearly see it, too. Don't we have an amazing view?

Duck Towel

2007-09-20T14:35:00.002-05:00

Micah's 2nd Birthday

2007-09-20T14:28:00.000-05:00

From 8:45 (right after breakfast) until 11:15, Micah played with his new train. He requested and wore the birthday hat much of the time. Because he was too busy playing at his party, he ate choo-choo-train cake after both breakfast (Dad is great! Feeds me choo-choo cake!) and lunch. If you ask him how old he is, he often says "two weeks" and then laughs because he knows the correct answer and is making a joke!

Micah's Train Party

2007-09-20T14:11:00.001-05:00

To: Nana, Pop, Aunt Amy, Uncle Derek, McKenna, Jeremiah, Kyla, Aunt Gina, Uncle Ben, Great Uncle Dave, Aunt Andrea, Oma, Opa, Aunt Diana, Ms. Mary Watkins, Heather, Eric, Miss Charlotte, Evan, Katherine, Mr. Vince, Ms. Suzy, Shawnee, Evan, Adam, Ms. Lisa, Beth, Mema and Ms. Stacy
Thanks so much for making Micah's 2nd birthday so wonderful! Your presence and presents blessed all of us!

New Housemates

2007-09-20T14:02:00.000-05:00

As previously mentioned on this blog, Micah has a new house and new house mates - Heather and Eric. We all moved into a house together on September 1st to follow the Lord's leading in our lives to be more intentional about community. Micah seems to have transitioned well!

Shoes and Blueberry Shakes

2007-09-13T15:13:00.000-05:00

We moved into our new house on September 1st. Since then, we've made a few new discoveries: how much fun it is to wear Daddy's and Mommy's shoes and how delicious blueberry shakes are.
Whenever Micah finds this hat and Britt's running shoes, he puts them on and announces, "Going running. See ya later." just like his daddy.