Matt's Birthday

Today is Matt's birthday... the big 2-5! My parents, sister, and Grandpa are in town. We started off the day going to church, then the guys stayed home and watched football, while us girls and Jackson went to the mall and got Jack's pictures taken. Here are some of the great pics! I also posted them on the sharesite in case anyone wants to order any: http://mcgurnfam.shutterfly.com/. Then tonight we finished out the night with dinner at BJ's. Happy Birthday Matt!

A Man of Many Outfits

Merry Christmas! It was a wonderful low key Christmas here in Denver. I worked the craziest day ever yesterday. Then we opened presents and went to a candlelight church service. Then today we just hung out, played with Jackson and his new toys, and had a great steak dinner. Here is Jack in all of his Christmas outfits!

By the end of the day he was so exhausted from all of the outfit changes he ended up just chilling in his diaper and santa hat!

On a final note, I wanted to post this passage by Max Lucado that we read at Bible Study this week:
THE NOISE and the bustle began earlier than usual in the village. As night gave way to dawn, people were already on the streets. Vendors were positioning themselves on the corners of the most heavily traveled avenues. Store owners were unlocking the doors to their shops. Children were awakened by the excited barking of the street dogs and the complaints of donkeys pulling carts. The owner of the inn had awakened earlier than most in the town. After all, the inn was full, all the beds taken. Every available mat or blanket had been put to use. Soon all the customers would be stirring and there would be a lot of work to do. One’s imagination is kindled thinking about the conversation of the innkeeper and his family at the breakfast table. Did anyone mention the arrival of the young couple the night before? Did anyone comment on the pregnancy of the girl on the donkey? Perhaps. Perhaps someone raised the subject. But, at best, it was raised, not discussed. There was nothing that novel about them. They were, possibly, one of several families turned away that night. Besides, who had time to talk about them when there was so much excitement in the air? Augustus did the economy of Bethlehem a favor when he decreed that a census should be taken. Who could remember when such commerce had hit the village? No, it is doubtful that anyone mentioned the couple’s arrival or wondered about the
condition of the girl. They were too busy. The day was upon them. The day’s bread had to be made. The morning’s chores had to be done. There was too much to do to imagine that the impossible had occurred. God had entered the world as a baby. Yet, were someone to chance upon the sheep stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem that morning, what a peculiar scene they would behold. The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine, dung, and sheep reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor. A more lowly place of birth could not exist. Off to one side sit a group of shepherds. They sit silently on the floor, perhaps perplexed, perhaps in awe, no doubt in amazement. Their night watch had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels. God goes to those who have time to hear him—so on this cloudless night he went to simple shepherds. Near the young mother sits the weary father. If anyone is dozing, he is. He can’t remember the last time he sat down. And now that the excitement has subsided a bit, now that Mary and the baby are comfortable, he leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eye grow heavy. He still hasn’t figured it all out. The mystery of the event still puzzles him. But he hasn’t the energy to wrestle with the questions. What’s important is that the baby is fine and that Mary is safe. As sleep comes, he remembers the name the angel told him to use . . . Jesus. "We will call him Jesus." Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph’s saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel, “His kingdom will never end.” He looks anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being. Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter. She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your journey! This baby had overlooked the universe. These rags keeping him warm were the robes of eternity. His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen. And worshiping angels had been replaced with kind but bewildered shepherds. Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he had just sent God into the cold. And the people would scoff at anyone who told them the Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. They were all too busy to consider the possibility. Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no, they missed it because they simply weren’t looking. Little has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?

Our Christmas Dance for You!

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Christmas Craziness

With Christmas being the busiest time of the year at both Target and at UPS Matt and I have been incredibly busy these last few weeks... hence the lack of blog posts.

Matt has been working from around 12:45 every morning until as late as noon most days, and I have been working from 3PM to midnight most nights. Although it doesn't make for much time together it is an excellent arrangement being that we never have to pay for daycare or a babysitter.

Along with our work craziness we have also been busy trying to decide where to live. We finally decided on renting a really nice townhouse about 10 minutes north of where we live right now. On the main floor it has a large living room, dining room, half bath, kitchen, pantry, and huge storage closet, and upstairs has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a laundry room. It also has a two car attached garage. It is about the same distance from both of our jobs, but about 10 minutes further from our church and most of our friends. Our first day of the new lease is January 15th, and are going to rent a truck and move on Saturday, January 31st. We can't wait to have the space, and be in a safe family neighborhood! I posted pictures on our Sharesite at http://mcgurnfam.shutterfly.com/. Here is our front door:

Although we have been insanely busy, Jackson is oblivious and doing excellent. Christmas presents for him have been coming in the mail almost daily from friends and family. He also now has 3 Christmas outfits. One can be for Christmas Eve, and I am sure we can go though two on Christmas day at the rate he spits up. We will be sure to take lots of pics. Speaking of pics I also have some new ones of Jack on the Sharesite, but here are a few of my favs:

On Friday night my parents, sister, and Grandpa will be driving out here to celebrate Christmas with us! Then in January Matt's mom will be coming to see us. Well, Matt, Jackson and I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

He's a roller!

Jackson can officially roll from his stomach to his back and Matt happened to catch it on video yesterday. Now we are just trying to get him to roll from his back to his stomach.

Here is something that Matt discovered that makes Jackson laugh every time!

Here is Jack in the activity center that our friends the Minnick's are loaning us.

NO MORE BRACE!

Jackson is officially done with the brace! It is so nice not to have to put him in it to sleep anymore. We will see the doctor next week, but it doesn't sound like we will have to do anything else! Here are some of our recent videos.

Shutterfly Share Site

Thanks to Andrea's request for pictures, we just created a "Shutterfly Share Site". This is a website where you can view our recent pictures, and order any shutterfly prints or projects as you please. Here is the link to the site:
http://mcgurnfam.shutterfly.com/