To Sum Up

A lot has happened since our last post, so I'll do my best to summarize the past two months.

Haircuts: Micaiah got his first haircut a couple of weeks before he turned one. We took him to a place in Soldotna. He was kind of scared at first, but left smiling and a lot less shaggy. His hair grows really fast though, so I gave him his second haircut Sunday night. It doesn't look as good as the salon cut, but it's not too bad. He sat really well through the whole process, playing with his little animals and the squirt bottle. Daddy got a trim too.

Aller-geez: Micaiah has had a lot of trouble sleeping for about the last 7 months, and to make a very long story short, we finally decided to take him in for some allergy testing. They did a few different tests here in Homer, and then we took him to Anchorage for more in depth testing. We found out that he is allergic to wheat, corn, barley, rye, chicken, pork, beef, turkey, egg, soy, and garlic. Needless to say, this has made our life and diet much more interesting. It is a bit of a challenge, but he is continuing to grow well and slowly improve his sleep.

BIRTHDAY BOY!: Although turning one really deserves a post all to itself, I am so far behind that it may never happen. Micaiah had a fun birthday opening presents and playing with Bella. He also got to go swimming for the very first time. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it all at first, but seemed to enjoy the pool after a bit. He also got to eat his first cupcake. It was wheat free, egg free, corn free, etc. -so you can imagine just how tasty it was-- but he seemed to love it. I can't believe our baby's one already. Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

Thanksgiving: We celebrated Thanksgiving with our church. It was really nice to have good friends to fellowship with and also nice not to have to cook a huge meal for just the three of us. I unfortunately didn't get to sample any of the feast as I am on the same restricted diet as Micaiah due to his allergies, but it looked and smelled delicious! We have so very much to be thankful for.

All gussied up for Thanksgiving

Christmas: Micaiah got to be in his first Christmas pageant this year as a sheep. He didn't want to wear the little hood part of the costume, and we weren't sure if he would go for it or not, but he did great. He loved being on stage with all the other kids and looked absolutely adorable!
We had a nice quiet Christmas at home. Mike was on call, but only had to put in a few hours at the office doing follow up work. We roasted a duck (as turkey is off limits), and had mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, cider, and apple crisp with homemade ice cream. It was delicious, and a wonderful end to our Christmas weekend.

Our Little Lamb (the one with the bum in the air)

Now: Micaiah is doing really well. He is getting big and growing up way too fast! He is 13 months old now and really into climbing. He really likes it when you do "This Little Piggy..." with his chubby little toes and will ask you to do it over and over. He can sign Please, Thank you, and I love you (which happens to be the same sign as thank you for him,which also looks a lot like blowing kisses, but he uses all three accurately at different times even though he has decided they should all have the same sign). His favorite toy the past few days has been the oven mitt and he has been walking around the house with his arm held straight up above his head as he wears it. He keeps us busy to say the least, but we are loving it--

MAG-nificent!

Although we are incredibly late with this post, we are so excited to welcome the littlest Koenen to the family. Margaret (Maggie) Anne Koenen was born to Sam and Catherine on November 10 at 1:14 a.m., weighing 8 lbs, 6 ounces and measuring 21.5 inches long. She is doing well and growing quickly! Here is a picture of the cherub a few days after she was born. (For more recent, super cute pics, be sure to check out Sam and Cat's blog!)

These Shoes Were Made For Walkin'

We recently got Micaiah his first pair of real shoes. He is doing great walking in them, and seems to like them a lot, although he prefers to wear them (and all other shoes) on his hands rather than his feet. Here he is sporting his sweet new treads.

Native Wildlife

We didn't actually do anything for Halloween. We were given this cute costume before Micaiah was even born, in a bunch of hand-me-downs. Upon recently unearthing it, we figured we better put it on him while it might still fit! Betcha didn't know there were giraffes in Alaska-- Life is getting pretty wild around here!

The Littlest Henry

We are so very excited to announce the birth of our little niece, Ava Katherine Henry!! She was born October 24 at 1:11 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. We are thrilled to be Uncle and Auntie again, and can't wait to meet sweet Ava, and see her parents and two adorable brothers, Blake and Cole, again soon! Congratulations Nathan and Jessica! We love you guys!!

Ava Katherine

Ava and her beautiful mama, Jessica

Eleven Months

Micaiah is 11 months old and walking!! He took his first intentional step last Thursday and hasn't stopped since! He still will drop down and do his bear crawl if he wants to get somewhere lickity split, but he is able to go further and further on his chubby little legs every day. He frequently says Dada and Momma, but his favorite word, by far, is Bella. It is often the first word out of his mouth in the morning and the last word out at night, as he lifts his sleepy head off of my shoulder in one last, very feeble attempt to stay awake. He calls for her from wherever he is... in bed, in the bathroom, in the car, at the store, in church... and especially when he is in his highchair. He gets a kick out of either feeding her directly from his hand, or tossing his food on the floor as a little feast for his faithful companion. And she, in turn, is of course more than happy to oblige. Micaiah also loves to sing and clap, often simultaneously, and to give high fives. He also recently figured out how to take his diaper off. He will be busy playing one minute and the next I look up to see a naked little bum zipping about. I have to admit it is a really cute little hind end, but I'd have to say that this is one trick I wish he would unlearn, as it is not very easy to get a diaper on the little monkey in the first place! He is understanding more and more and turning into such a big boy. I can't believe how quickly time flies.

Big Changes

Micaiah is now 10 months old. He has six teeth, and is a very busy little boy. He started standing on his own yesterday and already is getting more steady and standing for longer periods of time. He also recently began working on feeding himself with a spoon. He still misses often, and has a hard time getting much on his spoon, but he is beginning to get it down and loves to stir his food. He discovered though, that after a while it really is a lot easier to ditch the spoon and lick it straight from the jar. Here are a few recent pics.

Meet Mater

We ordered this last week and it arrived in the mail today. We thought it would be a fun toy for the boy, especially since he is so into standing and trying to walk. The dashboard lights up and it makes all sorts of sounds when you push the different buttons. There is even a little cell phone with Mater's voice. His eyes and carburetor move, and there is storage under the seat for all one's treasures. Micaiah was pretty excited, as you can see by the video.

It's Silver Season!

This past weekend we went out on the boat to try our luck trolling for silver salmon. We went out fairly late in the day so we weren't out long, but Mike did manage to catch a nice fat one (which was incredibly tasty, I might add). It was Micaiah's first time salmon fishing, and his second time on the boat. He wasn't quite sure what to think about the hubbub that took place when we got a bite, and he got a little scared when Papa whacked the fish, but he loved being on the boat, and especially helping to drive. The first of many fishing trips to be certain.

A Cop's Kids...

(So Mr. M and the hound weren't actually in trouble, we just swung the fireplace gate across the entrance of the kitchen to try and corral the kids as we were getting ready to go-- It made for a good picture though, especially since Micaiah happened to be wearing his little striped jailbird onesie.)

The Boy

Today I was emptying the dish drainer while Micaiah played on the kitchen floor with some toys. I looked down to see Bella laying upside down on her back with her head by Micaiah's feet, where he was knocking on her teeth and nose with a block. Bella just lay there, happy to be loved, while he played dentist. It was quite silly. When I spoke to remind him to be gentle they both just looked up at me all innocently as if to say, "What??". They make quite the pair.

Micaiah now has four teeth which he doesn't particularly like to have brushed. He can army crawl like crazy and just recently started pulling himself up to standing. With all this going on, he sleeps very little these days, but seems to be a pretty happy little guy. It's so fun to watch him learn and to see him flash that toothy grin. Simple things, outstanding joy.

What's In A Name

You may have noticed that I finally got around to updating the look of our blog. We decided to title it "Paid In Full", instead of simply "The Henrys" for several reasons. The term has had significant meaning to me ever since high school, when my brother wrote it on my hand before a volleyball match. I had been struggling with shaking off mistakes and moving on to the next point. It was to remind me that no matter how much I messed up, I couldn't lose God's love or nullify what He had done for me. My mistakes were forgotten, my sins were forgiven, and I was "Paid In Full". Lately Mike and I have been especially convicted of our shortcomings as we struggle to run the race. How often we falter. We get bogged down by everyday life, and become frazzled by the busyness, instead of taking joy in His blessings. The world absorbs us, and we lose sight of the prize. So it is once again a reminder to us of God's great forgiveness and mercy, and a challenge to us, to, by His grace, live in a manner worthy of that to which we have been called. It is also a reminder to us that we are not just "the Henrys", but because of His great love, we are indeed Paid In Full. To God be the glory.

Construction Zone

Our home has officially been turned into a construction zone. The owner of the property is having a caretaker's quarters built which will be a nice two bedroom apartment above a garage. We are very excited and have gotten to help design it, which has been really fun. So far they have torn down the existing garage, put the water tank in place, hauled a bunch of gravel, and poured the footer. Also, there is currently a guy working on sanding down and refinishing the house that we are currently living in, which is a huge job. He works with his girlfriend/wife and brings his little kids sometimes too. They are really cute and it reminds me of when my brother and I got to go and play while my parents were chinking houses. He also has a little weiner dog that is super cute and has made friends with Bella. It is quite dusty and loud, and feels a bit like a zoo here at times, but it will all be really nice when the work is completed. Here are a few pics of the action. More to follow in the days to come.

The Beach

This past weekend we went to the beach by the Diamond Ridge trail. It was a beautiful day and a nice little hike down to the water. Micaiah rode in the carrier and seemed to have a fun time even though it was pretty windy. He especially liked watching Bella swim and "fetch" rocks that Daddy threw.

We're Back

After a long break, a trip to Florida, a trip to Montana, and a trip to Anchorage, we are back, and I finally had a little time to post. Micaiah is changing like crazy! He can now sit up by himself and is on the verge of officially crawling. Right now he does a funny little frog hop as he pulls himself forward. He babbles all the time and has his bottom front two teeth, with some more teeth on the way up top. He is such a joy. He is infatuated with his best friend, Bella (our golden retriever), who is now earning her keep cleaning up Cheerios off the floor, and entertaining the baby. They make quite the pair. It is really sweet to watch them interact. Here is a picture of the two of them and a few pictures of our 2nd of July (Mike had to work on the 3rd & 4th) cookout at the beach.

Fish Turnover

On Monday Micaiah rolled over for the first time! He hasn't quite figured out how to return to his back from his belly, but once he gets onto his tummy he tries furiously to get his arms and legs going to propel himself forward. I got a little teary when he rolled over that first time. Our baby is just growing up so fast...