Tag Archives: micah christian

JOURNAL, PARENTING

MICAH’S EPIC TOOTH LAUNCH

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With our boys getting older, we’ve become veterans when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of baby tooth losing…or pulling…or falling out.  To date, Imanuel has lost 8 teeth and Micah has lost 2.  Ty is still dreaming of the day he discovers his first wiggly tooth.  Israel and I both had our share of doing the honors of making that final yank and seeing the joy on the boys’ faces.  This last time, Micah had a very unique situation.  His bottom adult tooth grew in behind his baby tooth so it didn’t push the baby tooth out.  So, when the baby tooth got quite wiggly, we were excited to know that he wouldn’t grow up with layers of teeth like that of a shark.

IMG_5268The day Micah’s tooth was quite shaky and almost ready, Israel was out of town and over the phone, he entrusted Imanuel to do the honors of pulling out Micah’s loose tooth.  I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea, but he did it!  And he did it in his own creative way:

 

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Micah’s Surprise 5

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This year, Israel and I decided to do an experiment with Micah for his 5th birthday. The plan was that we would try to keep the date unknown to the boys and then on the morning of Micah’s birthday, we would shock the daylights out of him with a birthday surprise…and he wouldn’t even know it was his birthday!  It seemed like a hilarious, yet perfect plan. Imanuel, naturally, was the most in tune with the date and so I had to try to throw him off. No writing dates on his school work. It worked out because the End of Season Bash for Team Revolution was the day before Micah’s birthday so it served as a good decoy. I was envisioning the surprise in my mind and it included Micah squealing for joy as if he had just won the lottery! Perhaps the overwhelming happiness would send him into shock and he’d pass out. Something like that.

On the eve of his birthday, after we had put the boys to bed, my brother Justin and I went to the store to pick up stuff for the birthday surprise. My sister sponsored the balloons and an ice cream cake and we got some presents. We had originally planned on doing the surprise in the morning, but plans changed when my little brother had to head back to Ann Arbor that night and Israel was leading the office worship that morning. We decided to do the surprise late that night. So, after shopping, we stopped by Sansu to get my little cousin, Brian, who had finished his shift there and then we headed home. After some preparation, it was game time. We snuck into the boys’ room and got Imanuel and Ty out of the room. They were a little groggy and confused, but we explained that we were going to surprise Micah for his birthday. With all the gifts wrapped and cards signed, we marched up to their bedroom where Micah was sleeping. Brian led the way with my guitar to accompany our singing. Then we followed with the balloons and gifts. Justin took the rear with his iPhone taking video.  Click HERE for the raw video footage.

We opened the bedroom door, turned on the light, and we began to sing “Happy Birthday to you” with as much enthusiasm we could muster. Micah didn’t move much. In fact, he couldn’t manage to open his eyes. Israel picked him up and we were trying to get him to see all of the presents and balloons. I even told him we had a birthday cake! All of the shaking and nudging and tickling didn’t work. He just didn’t want to wake up. He passed out alright. But the problem was that he never woke up in the first place!

Imanuel had to fill me in on what happened when they woke up the next morning. Micah woke up and seeing all of the presents, he thought it was Christmas. (So, I guess there was some sort of “shock and awe” play that happened.) He asked Manu which of the presents were for him. Then Manu told him it was his birthday and Micah was very happy and excited.  He loved the gifts which were “Angry Birds” themed per Justin’s suggestion.  He also loved the special gift from Grandma Karen which she personally brought to our place when she visited on Sunday!  He had absolutely no recollection of what happened the night before.  Maybe when he gets older, he’ll watch the video again and appreciate all of our planning and effort we put into the awesome surprise that never would be. 

His birthday was fun.  The boys took an amped up bubble bath in our jacuzzi and Israel made the boys green eggs and ham which is Micah’s birthday tradition.  In the morning, Manu wrapped up a present and gave it to Micah.  We didn’t know what it was.  It ended up being a sweater that was his but he wanted to pass it down to Micah.  He was very happy about that.  In the evening, we invited the boys’ local uncles and aunties over for dinner and cake.  Thank you all for coming and for the kind gifts.

While the birthday experiment didn’t quite go as planned, it was still lots of fun and Micah did mention that it was his best birthday ever.  So pretty much, we learned an important lesson for all you parents out there: Middle of the night surprises don’t work on kids.


Happy 5th Birthday, Micah-Likes!We love you more than you  know and Jesus loves you the most!

 

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The First Days of School

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So, I have been pretty indecisive whether or not I wanted to start home schooling with Imanuel.  He showed interest in learning and he has always loved to read, but I wasn’t sure about structuring the learning in more of a school-style format.  Well, it got to the point in our lives where it seemed like the days were just crawling by.  We would go through our daily routine, but particularly with Imanuel, he seemed to be getting bored and constantly itching for something else to do.  When I brought up the idea of starting school, both Imanuel and Micah were ecstatic.  So, last week, on Monday, January 23rd, 2012, we officially began.  They each chose a backpack for their school books and supplies and we were ready to go.  When Ty goes down for his nap, school begins.

I haven’t purchased anything since deciding to start school.  I decided to utilize all of the pre-K/K books, workbooks, stickerbooks, coloring books, and flashcards that we have accumulated over the years.  I dug out all of my teaching supplies that I previously had, as well as a stash that I had been collecting over the past years specifically for teaching my boys.  I came up with a basic learning curriculum to start off with.  We set an alarm for one hour and within that hour, we have a short worship, learning/assignment time, flashcard time, craft time, and then we close with prayer.

After the hour of school, it is snack and story time.  They are listening through The Bible Stories on CD.  That was one of the best investments we have made for them.  After that, they are ready to play.  🙂

I am so proud of how much they have learned so far.  It really is amazing to see how sharp their minds are.  Just a week and a half ago, Manu didn’t know how to read at all.  But today, he has learned to read over 20 sight words.  A couple nights ago, he read his first few board books by sounding out the words.  Micah came into school not knowing how to color.  Seriously.  But he has really improved in staying within the lines.  His proudest accomplishment has been learning to identify both capital and lowercase letters. 

So far, they really seem to be enjoying this time together.  They help each other by encouraging one another.  When one of them does something amazing, they give a “squeegie-like-a-luigi” (which translates to a big bear hug where both end up on the floor).  Micah made that one up.  It’s lots of fun. 

It has been really fun getting back into teaching.  It is so different from teaching my upper elementary/middle school kids.  But it is still a fun challenge and the satisfaction of seeing your students learn remains the same.  I’m thankful that I spent those years as a teacher by profession.  It provides lots of ideas and resources that I can utilize now.  The limited one hour time frame gives me motivation to prepare a solid, fun, and challenging school session from start to finish.  Hopefully as time goes on, I will be able to maintain the same quality of teaching for a longer period of time.  I pray that God will continue to grant me patience and motivation to be the best teacher I can be for them.     

Here are pictures of our first days of school:
(FYI, we do school in our PJs.  🙂

Happy Groundhog Day!!!

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Micah’s Birthday Weekend

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On the morning of Micah’s Birthday, the three boys were so happy and excited.

Thankfully, the balloons were still floating. 🙂

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Micah was very pleased that he did get a birthday card. Daddy read it to him.

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And he couldn’t be more excited for his birthday dinner…a slightly modified version of Green Eggs & Ham. This was all he wanted for his birthday, seriously.

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On Sunday, we had his best friends from church, Kaelan and Nealah, come over for lunch. They had a fun time playing together with all the cars & trucks that they have accumulated over past christmases & birthdays. Most were from Grandma Karen, Auntie Angie & Uncle Ted, and Auntie Jessica. They still love playing with them!

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We couldn’t do anything special since our house is nearly all packed up in boxes. But we were so glad that he had such a wonderful time playing with his brothers and friends. I’ve realized that with little boys (and I’m sure little girls as well), it doesn’t take much to make them happy. In the words of Micah himself, “This was the best birthday party ever!”

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My Protégé

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So, recently, I decided to pass on my jawesome dog training skillz to my 3 year old son, Micah.  He was really interested in learning so I thought I’d give it a try.  Bentley has been very patient and eager to obey thanks to his treat of choice, Goldfish crackers.  I think the both of them have great chemistry and a bright future ahead of them.

This first video gives you an idea of the language barrier the two had to overcome:

This second video shows what a little practice and perseverance can achieve…

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Micah Turns 3!

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The last day Micah was a 2 year old. 


Ty demonstrating his flexibility.

The next morning…

Micah’s birthday sign hand-made by Harabuhgee (…last year)! 

Surprise Breakfast!  Vegan Green Eggs & Ham!  He liked it, he liked it, Sam I Am!

The Birthday Boy himself!  We also checked out a few birthday books from the library that we read together.

New PJs and animal masks!  Imanuel used his $5 to buy Micah a jungle animal toy set, a rubber snake, and a plastic dinosaur – Micah insists it’s an alligator.

Micah’s birthday cake made by Grandma Helen!  It was our favorite cake ever!

Blowing out 3 candles!

Wonderful church family who came over for dinner:
Uncle Daniel, Grandma Helen, Great-Grandma Margie, Grandpa Mark, & Grandma Karen

Micah was so happy that day.    Thank you, everyone, for the calls, emails, gifts, cards, and for just thinking about him.  It means so much to us and our family!   

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Boys’ First Trip to the Dentist

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A few weeks back on October 28, the two older boys went to see the dentist for the first time. Actually, Manu had a scheduled appointment, and they said they would leave a chair open in case Micah felt up to it too. A week prior, I had one of my biannual cleanings and I decided to bring Imanuel along so he could observe. The last few times I had gone to the dentist, he had begged for me to take him too, but this last time, I felt, was the time. He sat very quietly and patiently as he watched Marcia scrap and grind away all of my tartar and plaque build-up. It was intriguing for him to see Marcia water down my mouth with the water syringe and then watch “Mr. Thirsty” in action as he suctioned it all out. He couldn’t wait for his time!

So, I brought both boys to the appointment. It wouldn’t be for a cleaning, though. It was just to take x-rays and for the dentist to count and assess their teeth. According to the hygienist, both boys did a great job and the x-rays turned out very well. In other words, Micah shocked all of us by actually sitting very still! The dentist had a difficult time believing Micah was still 2. It was a proud moment. The boys’ teeth looked good. Manu’s jaw is a bit misaligned, but the dentist said we’d wait until his adult teeth come in to begin any correction. The best part for the boys was getting to pick out a prize from the Treasure Chest that is down the hall in the corner. They both chose matching “I <3 to Brush” bouncy balls.

Last week, we scheduled the boys’ first cleaning, but this time, we waited in the waiting room. We, meaning, the rest of the family. Israel and Ty decided to come too since it was Daddy’s day off. Manu went in first and 20 minutes later when he came back out with shiny teeth, a brand new toothbrush and a tiny plastic magnifying glass, Micah couldn’t wait for his turn! He grabbed Marcia’s hand and marched through that door. I saw Marcia and the desk lady glance at each other with big grins. Micah came back about 20 minutes later as well with sparkly teeth, a new toothbrush, and of course, a tiny plastic magnifying glass from the Treasure Chest. Marcia said both of them did very well. When I asked the boys how they did, Manu reported that he “obeyed everything she said AND remembered to say ‘thank you’ at the end”. Micah said that he opened his mouth really wide for her and listened to her. He admitted that forgot to say thank you, but he did ask for lots of water to drink. He said he asked her “for another cup and another cup and another cup!” and then he cracked himself up. I was sure to let him know not to do that next time.

Here are some pics from that first visit to Dr. Richard’s office:


Dr. Richards liked Micah’s outfit. 🙂


He and his wife both went there.


The boys and their dentist, Dr. Richards. He is seriously so nice. Must be a UM thing.


Happy boys who love the dentist!

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Milestones & Memories

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First of all, I can’t believe my baby is 6 months old.  Second of all, I can’t believe Micah is totally potty-trained (even at night).  And third of all, I can’t believe the triathlon is in 2 weeks.  

Ty is such an amazing baby.  ‘Tis true that the Lord only gives us what we can handle…and He knew that I’d only be able to handle 3 kids as long as one of them was virtually stress-free.  (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself.)  I believe he weighs about 23 lbs or more and he is very long.  Last time I weighed him was a few weeks ago.  He has become an avid left-thumb sucker this past month and he has also grown his bottom two teeth.  He has learned to roll over from tummy to back but has yet to maneuver himself from back to tummy.  And just yesterday, we moved him into his big brothers’ room so the three of them all share their bedroom.  They love it (-at least the two older boys).  🙂  

Micah has become fully potty-trained after about 3 weeks.  The incredible thing is that since then, he hasn’t wet all night either.  (Imanuel still requires a pull-up at night…but he is quite determined now to quit wetting the bed!)  It is amazing the amount of pee he puts out every morning.  He sounds like a man.  But I am proud of his progress.  Believe it or not, I used tips from watching the free DVD put out by “Big Kid Central” (from the Huggies/Pull-Ups Brand).          

Imanuel has been in learning mode and loves anything that involves books/reading, triathlons (-his daddy promised to train him for his first triathlon when he turns 7), and bells.  We started a little bell choir with our home school group and during our first performance at a nursing home, Imanuel played his bell notes flawlessly.  It shocked me…but it shocked me more to realize that he is 4 and he will be starting school soon!  We’re also going to enroll him in swimming lessons sometime soon (part of the triathlon training).

Israel completed his first triathlon, Hawk-i, on Sunday, June 6, 2010.  We were so proud of him as he finished nearly 20 minutes faster than his trial race a few weeks earlier.  On July 11, our 6th year anniversary, we’ll both be participating in the Belle Isle Triathlon in Detroit.  We’re both going to be on relay teams with Israel doing the swimming portion and I’ll be doing the biking portion.

We drove down to Michigan Camp Meeting 2010 in the Freestyle and Leon.  We’re thankful for Leon because Bentley was able to drive down with us and he’s come to view Leon as a second home.  On the first Sabbath, Israel was ordained into the gospel ministry.  That was a very special experience for our family and a true milestone in Israel’s life.  We’re so thankful for all of our family and friends who attended.  

In just less than 2 weeks, we’ll be heading down again for CAMPUS l.e.a.d.s.  A couple weeks after that, we’ll be at Camp Au Sable for Family Camp with Israel being camp pastor, then U.P. Camp Meeting at Camp Sagola at the end of July.  To top off the summer, we’ll be back downstate at the end of August for Stephanie & Jeff’s wedding!  We’re hoping sometime before then, we’ll be able to sneak in a week of vacation.  Lots of plans but hopefully lots of fun too.

This is also a memorable time for us because taking place right now in Atlanta, GA is the 59th General Conference session.  At the 58th GC session in St. Louis, Israel and I found out that I was pregnant with our first son, Imanuel.  So, within the 58th and 59th sessions, we’ve had our 3 boys.  And we now have a new GC president, Ted Wilson.

We’re so thankful for God’s guidance and leadership in our lives.  He has proven time and time again that He is in control and He has carefully mapped out plans for us and all we need to do is stay faithful and trust Him.  There are so many more updates that I can think of, but it’ll have to wait until another time.  

Here are some memorable pictures and a special video that the boys made to remind us of the importance of daily studying His Word (-they thank their buddy Elisha for teaching them the song!):

 

We are going to miss Ian & his family!

 

The boys & Abuelo.  Ty got to meet him for the first time!

 

Ty wearing the pink PJ set that was passed down from both Manu & Micah.

 

At “Harmuhnee & Harabuhgee’s mall” for lots of playing & yummy treats.

 

Brothers

 

Training partners

 

 

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Ty’s First Haircut

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So, on the evening of Monday, April 26, Ty was given his first haircut.  He didn’t have much hair to begin with since a lot of it started falling out last month, but the remaining strands were getting pretty long.  Lala and Nana were leaving the next morning, so Nana offered to cut Ty’s hair.  He did a pretty good job at sitting still and not fussing.  She didn’t bring her scissors and supplies, so she had to use our ghetto scissors and Israel’s beard trimmer, but the cut turned out so well!  Ty looked so different, but very cute. 

Ty sitting in his comfy barber chair.  

In commemoration of this milestone, all of the other boys (Israel included) supported Ty by also getting their haircut.  It was the boys’ first professional cut!  Nana used to cut Israel’s hair back in California when he was a little boy.  We really appreciate her for giving so many haircuts in such a short amount of time!  Israel got his hair cut after Ty.  The next morning before leaving for the airport, Imanuel got his hair cut.  And believe it or not, Micah got his haircut en route to Marquette airport in our big blue van, Leon! 

Now all of the boys in this house are well-groomed and looking sharp.  


Ty & Nana

The final results!

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“I Wanna Be Like Mic…ah”

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Ty will be 4 weeks tomorrow morning and he has leaped from a “normal” 50th percentile birth weight (7lbs 12ozs) to a staggering 97th percentile (just over 12 lbs).  He has been feeding every 3 hours and at night he usually has one 4-5 hour stretch from ~1am – 6am.  And he only feeds for about 15 minutes.  The only reasoning I can think of is that Ty’s metabolism is super-duper slow…or Micah is sneaking him cookies when I’m not looking.  Either way, he is morphing into a “ball of flesh” as Israel likes to call it.  We’ll see if their doctor will put Ty on the night-time starvation diet like she did for Micah. 

Here are pictures from today of Micah holding Ty.


“Little bro, it’s not always easy being big, but don’t worry.  I love you…and I got your back.”


Daddy and the boys
 

Happy 4th Sabbath, Ty!  And a blessed Sabbath to all of you!