Merry Christmas 2009!

November was a momentous month. Don (Pops) had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and he came through it with a great report from the doctors. It was a scary procedure by any measure, but Don is home now and recuperating. We are so thankful and we praise God that he is doing so well. This brought particular reflection during Thanksgiving, especially since Don was still in the hospital that day.

Andy continues to develop into 110% little boy. One morning he decided he would start caring about clothes he gets to wear. He showed Mama the outfit he wanted to wear, which included a pair of brown pajama bottoms. Momma tried to get him interested in some jeans but he would have nothing of it. Then Dad showed him the “hammer hole” loop on his jeans and how his plastic hammer could go with him wherever he goes, and the deal was sealed. He now has two plastic hammers that go everywhere with him, including bedtime. After setting him down for sleep, it is not uncommon to hear him remodeling his crib before nodding off. Tap tap tap tap BANG tap tap.

Andy also has learned to whistle, if you can believe it. He sees Daddy doing it all the time and so, what the heck, let’s learn to whistle before we learn to talk, shall we?

Not that he doesn’t have any words. Our favorite is probably “wet”, which is his word for anything that he drinks.

And further evidence that God trumps Darwin, Andy does not take after his dad’s own childhood diet. Beets, pumpkin, green beans, sweet potato, you name it…he loves it all.

November was also the height of leaf removal for Prairie Village this year. Andy was not to be left out—he really enjoyed helping Dad rake (and un-rake) the mammoth piles of leaves.

Lastly, Marshall spent a long weekend in Pennsylvania helping Andy’s Pawpaw split enough firewood for the winter. Thank God for gas-powered log splitters. Still, it was a workout.

Thank you for tuning in to this blog to catch up with us. We do this for loved ones who live far away, and it is a great blessing to be reminded of you each month as we put it together.

This Advent season, may you be blessed as you celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior.

Merry Christmas,
The Minnichs

*It came to our attention that we failed to notify folks of last month’s update. Sorry about that—you can scroll down below to see October’s entry.