Steve, Katie, Emma, and Wilson

Communication overload

2012-02-03T15:06:00.006-06:00

I suck at blogging while mommying. There, I've said it. I always feel disappointed when the blogs I read slow down and sometimes even stop their posting. This has typically happened when the bloggers have child(ren) added to their lives. And now it is true for me as well.

Between facebooking, emailing, texting, Skyping, calling, blogging, I can't keep up. I think I have one, maybe even two, twitter accounts and am on whatever Google created as well. (Obviously I don't do anything with either of those.) I also have diapers, laundry, binkies, blankies, snack time, cuddles, books, shoes to tie, noses to wipe, hair to come, babies to wash, I think you get the picture. And, like it is for most (all?) parents or otherwise busy people in the world, priorities are set whether by intention or time. Face-to-face time seems to happen more with kiddos thanks to play dates, but the electronic world seems to suffer the most.

So I apologize for those of you who take occasional peeks at this blog to see what's going on in our little family (especially a certain set of relatives in TX who somehow still are not on Facebook. Sign up already, I get around to posting pictures there about every month!). While I enjoy the moment to write about what we've been doing and pick some pictures to illustrate the day to day of our lives, it is hard enough these days to take the time to plug in the camera and overwhelm Facebook with too many (if there is such a thing) pictures of our babies. Because the idea of editing for content is far too daunting!

Phew. I feel a little better fessing up to what you already knew. And the timing couldn't be better, Emma's waking up for her nap and we're about to enter phase two of our day. Wils no doubt will be close behind since that's how things go around here!

Holiday Stuff

2011-12-11T12:55:00.003-06:00

We're trimming our tree and checking our lists. . . How about you??

Family Pictures

2011-12-03T08:19:00.003-06:00

We had the lovely Carlie Veeder come to take pictures of our family a few weeks ago. She really got some gems!!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T12:03:00.003-05:00

A friend's Halloween party turned out to be a surprise 30th bday party for me! Great trick AND treat!

Oh, and at Wils' 6 day check, he was up to 10 lb 6 oz and 22''!!

He's here!

2011-10-25T12:43:00.002-05:00

Well, 50% of the votes were correct, Wilson Matthew Murray arrived Saturday night (22nd) at 11:35 pm after a 3 hour labor. I went to bed early after feeling cruddy, just rolled over to go to sleep, after journaling to this baby that I thought we'd meet him/her soon, maybe tomorrow, and suddenly realized that my water had broken. WEIRD sensation. Thankfully I listened to the nurse on the phone and we headed straight in after gathering our things and telling Emma good night because contractions picked up quickly and he was born within 2 hours of our arrival at the hospital. Seriously unbelievable. Steve was an amazing labor support and the birth went exactly as we had hoped!

Baby update

2011-10-20T13:04:00.003-05:00

Well, at 40 weeks, 6 days, baby Murray is apparently quite comfortable. We had a BPP assessment this morning to ensure that the baby is doing well and has enough amneotic fluid to indicate that the placenta is still doing it's job. The baby scored a perfect 10, so there's no rush on the medical side to move this kiddo along. I'm feeling patient, Steve's getting antsy, and Grammy is getting a gold star in patience as she leaves on Saturday and has yet to get this baby in her arms. Thank goodness for Emma or she may just be about to lose it!

We're eager to meet this little one, but trusting in God's time. Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers, we are really feeling the support of loved ones!!

Growing girl

2011-10-10T07:18:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures of our Emma. She's growing and changing each day! Lots of new words, funny phrases (a few faves are "I stuck" - when she's in time out - "Mommy, where are you" - extra cute when you hear her say it - "I see baby" - as she climbs in my lap to lift up my shirt and rub the belly), and greater skills & abilites each day. It is amazing to watch her development!

Birthday girl!

2011-10-10T07:13:00.002-05:00

Emma had a fabulous 2nd birthday celebration! Thanks to everyone who helped make it so special, including a few out of town aunties & grandparents!

Baby oh baby!

2011-10-10T07:07:00.004-05:00

35 weeks with sister hugs, 37 weeks, and a few perspectives at 39 weeks

We are getting closer by the minute, but we've still got a little time to wait. At book club yesterday and friend shared a birth story of someone in their circle who went to the doctor, was 10 cm dilated, and was directed immediately to the hospital. Following her arrival, the baby was born in 15 minutes. I have my appointment at 10:45 this morning and now I have something to strive for! ;o)

Grammy & Baba are here, the baby let me finish my last week at work, and if (s)he waits another day or so, Steve will get through his busiest part of the week as well. Time will tell!

Fun at the fair!

2011-09-12T08:00:00.005-05:00

Can summer really happen if you don't make it out to the Great Minnesota Get Together and consume 80000 calories all on a stick?? We don't think so either.

How did this happen??

2011-09-12T06:38:00.002-05:00

Wasn't she just born?? Apparently not, because our little girl turned 2 over the weekend! She had a fabulous birthday weekend, complete with grandparents, Chi O aunties in town, an Aggie victory over the Gopher's (seriously, how did that one happen?!), an ice cream cupcake, an Elmo party, lots of fun with friends and family, and more presents than one girl needs. . . It was an awesome weekend, perfect for celebrating an amazing two years. Happy birthday sweet girl, we love you!!

A 'yee haw' to some favorite Texans!

2011-09-06T08:28:00.006-05:00

I have some relatives who are not on facebook. This is shocking, I know, but as they are not on facebook, they have not been able to keep up with us as readily when I get delinquent on the blog. So here's a bump update just for them. Now, go friend us already!

In sequence - 24, 27, 32, 34 weeks

The bump's a growin'

2011-07-04T09:23:00.002-05:00

The bump is getting bigger - I think even bigger than it was when Emma was in there - and with it have come a few pregnancies pleasantries (some heartburn, minor swelling on hot days in my fingers and toes, sore back). All in all though, still feeling great, doing well, and loving the experience!

Some summer fun - in pictures

2011-07-04T09:10:00.007-05:00

A Murray Family vacation to Jellystone Park, the zoo, the Children's Museum, splash pads, and more! We're loving all the sun we can get! *Oh, and some proof of the escape and her new temporary bed while we get the big girl room ready!*

Escape artist

2011-06-05T21:06:00.002-05:00

I keep forgetting this happened because I wasn't the one to witness it... Part of the amazement was the Emma slept until after 6 Saturday morning. The other part was that she met Steve at the door of her room when he went to get her.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Boy? or Girl??

2011-06-03T21:26:00.003-05:00

We had our ultrasound today and our wiggly little baby is doing great! Measuring a week ahead of schedule and a little mover and a shaker!

Easter

2011-05-26T09:16:00.002-05:00

We had a lovely Easter with our friends Kindra & Andy and their pup Agrippa. Emma thoroughly enjoyed watching the mutts play together. Oh, and the candy. Yum!

Cousin fun!

2011-05-26T09:13:00.002-05:00

G & O Visit

2011-05-26T09:09:00.001-05:00

Emma had lots of fun with her grandparents - and their iPads - in town!

Return of the bump

2011-05-26T09:07:00.002-05:00

I've been a little delinquent in posting bump pics, here are a few!

Puddles!

2011-05-26T09:04:00.002-05:00

These shoes will never be the same, but it's summer (ish) and she's a kid, so why not!

Bubbles!

2011-05-26T08:59:00.001-05:00

sweet omission

2011-05-13T13:53:00.001-05:00

I noticed that one special Mother's Day treat was left out. Not only did our boys surprise us with massages and pamper us with time alone, but they.baked. Cupcakes. They're not even big fans of cupcakes. That's how much they love us.

What a weekend!

2011-05-12T09:21:00.000-05:00

Here's a shout out to all you mom's out there. You know who you are and what you do and we think you're wonderful!

Apparently our guys do too! Well, let me back up because last weekend started not with Mother's Day celebrations, but with the celebration of Steve's and my 5th anniversary (a week late). On the night of our anniversary, we had a nice dinner out at our traditional restaurant. Grammy & Oscar came in for the big guns though, our first dual night away from Emma. This mama took a bit of gearing up for the actual evening, but after a few tears, anxiety, and instructions, the rest of the night and the following morning were lovely and relaxing!

Steve and I had a fabulous dinner at Murrays Steakhouse (if you go, you absolutely MUST have their raspberry pie. I am not even joking about this, it is incredible) and a full night of sleep (although our eyes popped open at 6:20 out of habit - ugh). It was great just to be able to lounge around in the morning, take our time getting ready, and not need to worry about a little toddler running amuk & need a diaper change.

Before breakfast, Steve told me I was getting my mother's day gift a day early to be sure to have the day of with my kiddo. My mom & I were set up with massages together and time to play a bit in St. Paul. How lovely! SO after a leisurely breakfast in downtown, my mom and I took off for a fabulous rub down. This will not be my only prenatal massage! She & I enjoyed some time together, doing some shopping, having a snack, and enjoying some girl time.

Sunday brought a little girl into my bed, proudly handing me a handmade picture frame with a new favorite picture of me and my girl. Best gift ever! Church, brunch, naps all around, and a trip to Ikea rounded out a lovely day. It was pretty much a perfect weekend, aside from the fact that I got no mother-daughter-daughter picture! Next year for sure!

Re-fi-fo Fun

2011-05-02T09:32:00.003-05:00

We're refinancing our house. Great financial decision, super low interest rate, but a huuuuuuge kick in the pants to finish house projects that have been lingering since, oh, we bought the house. Like the cracked lightswitch by the front door. Yes, it's an easy change, yes, it's a bit of an eyesore, no, we didn't get to it until two days ago.

Daddy's been busy doing all of the handy man projects. He really is an incredibly handy man! Things that have been bugging him for years are now getting done, like the trim in the kitchen. It looks much better. Mama's been busy cleaning, organizing, and doing little handy-ish things that are safe for daddy's sanity and our baby, like changing the light switch. You have been busy watching TV, helping me clean, and generally keeping yourself busy for the past few days. It's nice that Grammy & Oscar are now in town to shower you with attention since you have definitely earned it baby girl!!

Cross your fingers for a great appraisal Wed!

QT Pie

2011-04-29T11:43:00.002-05:00

You are doing some things these days that are just so cute, I die! Here's a sampling:

*Changing your babies diapers - you grab one of your diapers, the changing pad, request a wipe, and take care of your babies (or monkey or koala). It's so cute to see you at the couch or in your room mothering

*Saying your name! When you see yourself in a picture or mirror, you say "Em-ma". Love this!

*Continuing with the run by leg hugs. These are amazing.

*Curling up in a chair with your blanket and cup to watch "El-mo"

*Kissing my belly and saying "baby" (then touching your belly and saying baby and pointing at daddy's belly and saying baby)

You have the sweetest heart Emma and we just adore you!

World Record holder

2011-04-23T13:48:00.003-05:00

Ok, so participant may be more accurate. Just a technicality because today we were part of setting a world recor in, drum roll please, the most cloth diapers changed at one time! We went with some friends to our favorite local baby store Peapods, played for a hour, ate some yummy treats, won some FABULOUS prizes (like $80 in prizes! 4 new cloth diapers and a pair of baby legs!), and then made history! At 11:20 all of the parents and cloth diapered babes gathered in a room to wait for the signal at 11:30 to change away. It was hilarious to be packed in a room with all of these diapered kiddos hanging out as we waited. You & your buddy were super patient and such good sports. We had so much fun! There were 300 sites around the world participating today, pretty cool, don't you think?

Then we topped off our fun morning with lunch and a book store with our friends. You're asleep, I'm thinking I should be, and now we can decompress for the rest of the day.

Happy almost Easter from the World Record holding Murrays!

Flying in to spring!

2011-04-13T10:56:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that the days of snow in the forecast are (mostly) behind us. It's been so great to feel spring in the air and see buds on the trees. Emma is loving the opportunities to get outside, her mama is far more willing to be out in the world when it's 40+ than when it's colder! We hunker down for the winter in the Murray household.

Em is working on yet another tooth. Ugh. This process is not fun for anyone, although probably least of all for her. She's working on more and more words, communicating so well, and she can walk backwards - something apparently children should do at 18 months that her mama hadn't noticed when we were at her 18 month appointment.

Baby #2 is growing and changing and should be the size of a lemon right now! We've hit the 2nd trimester-wow! The pregnancy continues to go well and other than being a little more tired, the impact has been minimal. With more friends having more babies, the reality of our changing family is more real and exciting! This Friday we hear the heartbeat for the first time, sooo excited for that!

Emma's getting excited for an upcoming visit from Grammy & Oscar and then a summer with more time with daddy. My how she loves her daddy time! It's been fun to hear him talking about scheduling play dates and activites for their days together as he usually has less opporunity to do so.

So there you have it folks! A brief check-in from the Murrays. Pictures will hopefully come soon. :o)

BOOM!

2011-03-17T11:10:00.004-05:00

I started counting last night and we know of 35 babies entering the world in 2011. Some have already made their appearances, others are anxiously being awaited. We are THRILLED to be among such great company as we wait for the arrival of the newest Murray in October (the 14th is the guess date). We think Emma's going to be a great big sister and we're so excited for this baby to have so many playmates! (And with more time left in the year for announcements, our number may reach 40 - wowzers!)

*Grammy made the awesome announcement shirt - it says "Whoooo's the best big sister?!"

Love

2011-02-14T07:38:00.001-06:00

Actually is around us!

The Murrays are feeling the love today and we hope you are too!

Go to St. Croix

2011-02-07T08:30:00.009-06:00

Seriously, it's beautiful. Go! We did, with Grammy & Oscar, in mid-January in an effort to keep our brains from completely freezing during this long, cold winter. Putting hats, coats, mittens, long-johns, *etc. aside for a week was Heaven.

We lounged on the beach, had fabulous meals, went snorkeling WITH A SEA TURTLE! An actual sea turtle thought it'd be fun to snorkel with me! That was the.coolest.experience.ever!! I'm excited just recalling it! And enjoyed some wonderful, warm, family time for a week!

(*Although I did get teased for having a very cute scarf on the day we arrived - a lady at a roadside restaurant said she was afraid I'd lost my luggage and told me I could get away with walking around in my bra. Something to consider)

Holiday Fun Part 5

2011-01-24T07:07:00.004-06:00

The day after Christmas, we got up in the morning and made the drive to La Crosse. It was a quick trip, but nice to see some of Em's aunts, uncles, and cousins, plus Grandma & Grandpa Murray and Great Grandma Rosie for the day!

Holiday Fun Part 3 - Christmas Eve

2011-01-24T07:02:00.003-06:00

We had the traditional Wilson shrimp soup, our friends the Whittles, church, and fun with the girls!! What a nice way to celebrate the birth of Christ and the blessings in our lives!

Holiday Fun Part 4 - Christmas Day

2011-01-24T06:52:00.004-06:00

The Murrays celebrated our first family Christmas at home this year. Steve and I have wanted our kids to wake up in their beds on Christmas morning and this year, we started that tradition. It was so fun to see Emma get more excited about presents and stockings and stuff this year (not hard to improve upon last year as she napped through much of the festivities ;o) ). We had a great Christmas breakfast, Skyped with Grammy and Oscar, took Em for a walk/sled ride in the afternoon, and had a low-key day.

*This was especially nice since Emma was up.all.night Christmas Eve.

Holiday Fun Part 2

2010-12-20T16:14:00.002-06:00

A few book club mamas and babes headed on the train to the 8th Floor Display at Macy's. Although it's been the same for 3 years in a row, it's the first time I've made it. It was fun to share with Em and she even got to see Santa afterwards!

Holiday Fun Part 1

2010-12-20T16:09:00.002-06:00

We've been having fun decorating, baking a bit, wrapping packages, getting things in the mail (**ON TIME!**), and enjoying the joy of the season with Emma!

Children's Museum

2010-12-20T16:04:00.006-06:00

We will be getting a membership soon - it's been so much fun the couple of times we've gone! We just need to find a time for daddy to come too, we know he'd looove watching Em explore!!

Still Thankful

2010-12-20T14:17:00.003-06:00

I'm a bit behind. You're probably not surprised. Here are a few pics from our great Thanksgiving visit up nort' to see the Duluth Murrays. There was football, food, sledding, cousins. . . Man was it fun!

Minnesota fun with snow

2010-12-12T08:48:00.002-06:00

You may have heard we were hit by a blizzard yesterday. We've heard reports of up to 20'' of snow or so, Steve may claim more as he's been out shovelind and snowblowing several times for far too long and in the now bitter cold.

SO the fun with snow in the last day has not been in the "typical" form - it's been too deep and too cold for snowmen, snow angels, snow balls, and the like. No, this fun with snow has been in the form of status updates and clever play on words.

I present to you:

Snowmania, snowmagedon, snow my goodness, snow much fun, snOw My Gosh

If you are cooped up inside with a world of snow outside, you make do with what you've got! Don't we all feel clever?

Diddle diddle dumpling

2010-11-21T08:04:00.002-06:00

My daughter Em walks around the house with one shoe on. Or one mitten. Or one sock. She likes to find things - from her room, the laundry basket, by the door - and make her "request grunt" (I'll try to capture it on video, it's pretty funny and covers all nature of communication). At the moment she's got two shoes on, that she brought me independently and actually are for the correct feet. They are, however, two different shoes of two different sizes. She's content so who am I to judge.

Toddlers are funny.

*I'll try to get more pics up soon, just reading about Em may be a bit boring.*

On raising a toddler

2010-11-20T07:36:00.002-06:00

I decided yesterday after Emma truly pitched a fit that raising a toddler is much like the world is to a toddler - mostly fun, sometimes overwhelming and scary. Good thing the mostly fun comes back quickly after a period of overwhelming. And a nap.

The family that shares together -

2010-11-13T17:35:00.004-06:00

Is sick together. :oP So Em's Thursday morning bug turned into Steve's Friday bug and my late Saturday bug. (Or late Friday, early Saturday.) Em and I tucked Steve in when he came home from work and had girls night cuddled on the couch. I was feeling great until about 12:30 am. Ugh. So Emma's had two sick, lazy parents today. The poor girl.

It's especially a bummer because it's the first big snow and it was exciting to think about getting her out in it to make a snowman and play in the white stuff. Luckily, it's MN, so there will be more.

Until then, we'll master the art of hybernating.

Scare

2010-11-12T08:07:00.004-06:00

Tuesday when Em and I came home, she walked from the garage to the house, crawled up the stairs, and was ready to crawl in to the house when a very excited, non-listening Hank barreled through and knocked her down the stairs. In spite of my attempt to catch her with my leg, it happened too quickly, my hands were too full, and she toppled. It was terrifying. Other than a bump by her eye (and an anxious mother), she seemed to be her normal self. Praise God.

Wednesday after daddy came home, an excited dog who was walking through the kitchen minding his own business sent Emma falling straight back to thud her head on the kitchen floor. Big cry, anxious mom, sad dad, generally ok baby.

Thursday morning Em woke up a little before 6. Wow. In throw-up. Ugh. Daddy brought her downstairs, was stripping the bed while Em was cuddling with me and nursing. In switching sides, she puked all.over.me. Ugh. Another bed to strip, anxiety about whether the vomit was related to the head traumas of the last two days.

We were thinking we'd wait until our normal clinic opened to call and talk with our nurse. Until she took a small sip of water and immediately puked all over the floor in her room. Ugh. Threw on clothes, changed her clothes, and headed out to urgent care. Which is not open at 7:15 am. Consulted the RN grammy, called the clinic, got the on-call md, and was took to take her to the ER at Children's.

PANIC. Emma has had a cough and runny noses to this point, so to be told to take her to the ER was not quite what I had expected, but we headed straight there. (*Note - 8 am on a Thursday is a pretty great time to go to the ER. We were the only ones there.*)

Daddy came to meet us as both of us were afraid a CT scan was in our future. Thankfully, the great doctor there checked you out, reassured us that you did not have a concussion, and you might have the start of the flu. Time would tell. Daddy decided to take the afternoon off to cuddle you and keep any possible germies away from Aunt Kathy & Uncle Toads and you and I headed home to rest and recover.

Friday morning - puke free for 25 hours and getting back to normal. You're a fall or two away from being "that kid" being forced to wear a helmet all the time.

Trick or Treat!!

2010-11-01T13:04:00.003-05:00

The Trick - getting Emma to sit still for fabulous Halloween pictures.

The Treat - 8 Hours of UNINTERRUPTED sleep!

We love the Park!

2010-10-31T09:45:00.001-05:00

My kind of Town

2010-10-31T09:29:00.002-05:00

I did it. I ran off to Chicago for a weekend with my girlfriends! It was much harder to leave than to be gone as I'd been told. I have to admit that while I definitely missed Emma (and Steve), having a few days to only worry about me was pretty nice. :o)

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T09:16:00.003-05:00

We have a family tradition with the Buzza's that we've participated in the past two years. We gather a day or two before Halloween, carve some pumpkins, eat some food, and have some treats for the kiddos. Last year Em was 6 weeks old and wore her cute skeleton onesie, being very content to cuddle in family member's arms. This year she wore her giraffe costume and was less than content to stay still! Things are far too exciting to explore, who would want to stay in one place??

Walka-walka-walka

2010-10-31T09:10:00.005-05:00

Mostly. In the span of under a month, Emma went from primarily crawling to primarily walking. She's so cute as she toddles around the house, the zoo, the park, well, the world! Her walking's getting faster and she's increasingly stable. For a baby who always looked pretty big, she looks awfully small to me as she wanders around her world.

Fall Break - for mom

2010-10-29T17:56:00.002-05:00

Daddy's on fall break. Well, sort of. He still is having to work a bit, thus goes the life of a strength coach in the school year, but his morning's are later and his day's are far shorter.

I decided that over his fall break, we'd try night weaning. Sorry babes. I've been allowing you to nurse on demand/request for 13 1/2 months. That's a pretty long time in the nursing world. And I'm tired. So, like the great man he is, daddy got on board and has been the one to get up to help settle you back to sleep the 2-3 times you wake up at night. It's amazing the difference a little more sleep can make.

You seem to be adjusting well, which makes me think it has been more habit than need. There's hope of full nights of sleep for all 3 of us in the future!!!

My what big ears you have

2010-10-24T17:32:00.003-05:00

Yes, the Murrays are going to be the characters from Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween. Last year we dressed up together - Emma was our little football, I was the football player, and Steve was the sexy cheerleader. It was pretty fun, so we decided to pick a family costume again this year. Steve came up with the brilliant idea and now I'm busy channeling my inner Martha to make this a reality. The big, bad wolf is almost done, now to get the little red hood/cape together. We actually have to occassions to show off our ensembles as well - at the annual Buzza pumpkin carving event the night before (although that may just be Emma) and the next day at a friend's Halloween party for the kiddos.

Happy Haunting!

Say cheese!

2010-10-18T13:36:00.005-05:00

To celebrate the 1 year anniversary of our family, we had some great pictures taken by the wife of a guy I knew in college. Gotta love facebook. ;o) Here's a preview of a few and a link to the facebook album if you want to see the rest!

Life has been busy, but of course life has been busy. Emma's officially transitioned from a cruiser to a walker and it's pretty cute to see her toddling around, often with some prize in her hands. She is more and more of a joy each day, which is consistently surprising! They start out so wonderful, it's hard to believe they can get better!!

Our family shrunk a little bit, or maybe just was redistributed as Grandpa took Emmitt on a roadtrip to live in NM. It was sad (for me) to see him go, but the right choice for our family and I think the Wilsons are enjoying having a social cat around. It's nice to know we'll be able to visit him and catch up on Skype one of these days.

It's feeling like fall again today after a very nice, warm October so far. Hopefully we're not in for it this winter!

It's time. . .

2010-10-07T20:54:00.002-05:00

Or at least it almost is. In true form, I'm leaving much of my packing to the last minute. And also in true form, I thought I'd get a lot more done than I did (i.e. cleaning the house, packing you, preparing some sort of crazed master list for your fully capable daddy to reference). But, laundry's finished, your daddy is fully able to pack and prep you for your part of the weekend journey (up north to cheer daddy on in his marathon! Go daddy, go!!) And now Grandpa's travel changes means he's here to house/pet sit while we're gone and he can pick me up at the airport WITH YOU Monday at 8 am. Sharp.

Please don't change at all while I'm gone. Please remember me when I come back. Please don't be embarassed or judge your freak of a mother until you are a mother yourself!! Love you Emma!!!

Hyper Attached

2010-10-06T21:30:00.002-05:00

I'm getting on an airplane and leaving you for the first time - for more than 10 hours at least - on Friday. I'm a wreck. I've reminded daddy that if I die, he has to cut your fingernails and that I don't want you eating meat or having dairy with hormones.

It will be great to go to Chicago. I love Chicago and more than that, I love the girlfriends I'll be seeing. I'm at least kind of looking forward to a few days without diapers, although the added task of totally pumping is going to be a little bit of a drag. :o)

I know you and daddy will have a good time and I trust the mom's who have gone before me and say it's good for all of us. Plus I know it has to happen eventually. I guess I just didn't anticipate it being quite so emotional and difficult to do.

I love you sweet baby girl - don't forget your mama!!

Just a little taste. . .

2010-09-13T21:12:00.002-05:00

Until I have time to upload my pics, a few from my dad. . .

We're so proud!

O.N.E.

2010-09-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

My precious baby girl is now a full year old. Where has time gone?? We love you so much Emma and are so thankful for all the ways you have blessed our life in the past year and look forward to all the fun ahead!!

Now let's party!!

365 days ago. . .

2010-09-09T07:37:00.002-05:00

. . . I showed Grammy and Oscar how daddy wanted the family room painted and took off to Home Depot. I don't remember what I needed there, but I remember walking around the store having contractions. I also remember what I was wearing - my black shirt & khaki pants/capris. I had to go by the local hardware store too to pick up, or was it drop off, a window to get fixed. The woman asked me if I planned to breastfeed and was the first to inform me that you get HOT when you are nursing. I kept having contractions and kept it quiet.

That afternoon, around 2, Grammy, Oscar, and I went to get GIANT roast beef sandwiches as Masliks (?). Probably not the best plan for someone in labor. I still kept quiet - daddy knew and I had texted Lisa, but I was feeling very private about the beginning of the process. (Hours later I would really regret that lunch as I saw it again. Ick.)

I finally spoke up around 4:30 when I just couldn't keep the contractions to myself anymore. About an hour later daddy was home, 30 minutes after he got home we left for the hospital, and almost 6 hours after we got to the hospital, we had you in our arms.

Your first birthday is causing a flood of memories and feelings, Emma. I laid in bed last night recalling that it was a year ago that I'd told your daddy he probably should stop working on the family room and get some sleep since I thought you might be here the next day. I was 53 minutes off.

Tonight is football opener. When we drove to the hospital, daddy guessed that if you were a girl, you'd be born Wed (9.9.9) because you'd think that was good, but if you were a boy, you'd wait until Thursday for football opener. Well, our sweet little girl, you'll watch the Vikes and the Saints tonight with daddy and, if it were me, I'd be thinking of our first football game as a family cuddled up in my hospital bed watching the Steelers take on the Cardinals (??).

Gilmore Girls

2010-09-08T10:09:00.001-05:00

Last fall you and I spent a.lot.of.time together on our couch. Pretty lazy, or healing, who knows. Anyway, one of the things we did every day was watch the Gilmore Girls. I LOVE the Gilmore Girls and I told daddy you do too, maybe it's true. I had visions of us being fast talking, cute dressing, coffee drinking gals together when you got older.

You're older and I think we're on our way!

The Great MN Get Together

2010-09-01T20:52:00.004-05:00

Admission to the Fair - $9/person
Variety of food throughout the morning - ~$30
Tickets for two on the carousel - $4
Watching Emma's face and hearing her squeals of joy as the horse moved up and down/round and round - priceless

Hayes Family!!

2010-09-01T20:47:00.004-05:00

Lauren and I met when I was 9. We have been friends across 2 countries, at least 8 states, 8 degrees, and now 2 babies! BFFs getting better with age!!

Canada, Eh

2010-09-01T20:36:00.004-05:00

At the beginning of August, the Murrays and a Grammy loaded up and headed to Canada. In the middle of the night. Why so late you ask? Miss Em is delightful and charming and the light of our lives, but not always in the car. Although driving through the night isn't exactly anyones idea of fun, it beats the snot out of driving for 11 hours with a screaming baby.

The trip went well, the food was great, and the company was indescribable. Here are a few pics - in no particular order.

You must be mistaken

2010-08-11T19:26:00.001-05:00

The Bump birthday counter says there's just 4 weeks and 2 days until Emma's 1st birthday. How on earth could it possibly be here already? Wasn't she just a tiny little scrunched up newborn?

Predictable surprise?

2010-07-25T11:40:00.002-05:00

For our whole relationship (especially the initial period of distance), Steve loved coming back a day earlier than he had told me to surprise me. This is actually how he proposed. You would like I'd have caught on after 6 years, but last night when my phone had that familiar ring, I was surprised to hear my hubby's voice and offer for company at 10 pm! Yay! Daddy's home! Hubby's home! Mama can take a shower alone again!

The week finished up with for mother & daughter, I was pleased to remember just how much I enjoy her company. She's a really great companion and she's funny as heck, but her evening conversational skills are a little limited.

So I now have my parnter back, which is good because the next two weeks are crazy! Tuesday evening Oscar (grandpa Wilson) gets to town for a quick visit before he heads to Canada Thursday. Then Thursday (or Wednesday, or Friday) the Hayes family rolls in for a pit stop on their way to WA. I get to meet my nephew. I'm stoaked! Then they hit the road again on Saturday or Sunday or Monday, we'll see, leaving time to change the sheets for Grammy's arrival Wednesday. Then Thursday after work it's time to head Nort' (Late at night when Emma should - please, for the love of God - sleep for most of the drive.) for a few days in Canada. Eh.

Let the fun begin!

A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

2010-07-21T21:39:00.003-05:00

Reasons yesterday rocked:

*You slept well. Like a 4 hr stretch followed by 2 - 2 hr stretches. This is great. And I pretty much had to wake you up so we wouldn't be late for work. Or rather, I wouldn't be late for work, your work is play and you're always on time.

*You were my giggly, sweetie pie, happy, lovely baby. With the exception of when I tried tricking you in to hanging out in the exersaucer while I showered. We compromised and you sat in the tub with me. Worked out well because our meeting for church went late Monday night and you didn't get a bath.

*We may have (cross your fingers, knock on wood) figured out the day care situation for fall with an AWESOME option. More to come.

*Bath time was fun again! And you are a nut afterwards tearing it up in the empty tub. I'd post a video, but daddy would be annoyed at me for sharing naked Emma with the world. If you're a close personal friend or family member, you can probably be privy to the cuteness!

*I scored the object of my CL desire. I've been obsessively hunting down a BOB stroller for, um, months now. Like checking CL multiple times a day in any city I either know someone or know someone will be driving through. And I'm not kidding. Albq, Witchita, Des Moines, you name it. You may have even been asked to meet a stranger and get the goods for me. Thank you anyway, but that won't be necessary as Emma and I will be treking up to Albertville Friday morning to obtain our awesome score. This deserves some sort of merit badge.

We miss daddy, but let's face it, girls rock!

Good listener . . .

2010-07-21T21:34:00.003-05:00

At least when it counts.

When I told Emma (or the baby who was either Emma or Wil) to stay put and under absolutely no circumstances come early, she listened.

When Steve told Emma to be nice to her mama while he's away, she listened (at least so far).

When I've told Emma not to tip over the dog dish, open the toilet, play with the kong, pull my hair, pinch my neck, grab my glasses, she doesn't.

I guess that means she's human. And she's pretty darn great.

Embarking on some great adventures

2010-07-18T20:56:00.003-05:00

The Murrays are adventuring it this week. Steve in the magestic Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Katie & Emma in the great unknown of solo parenting for a week. Gulp! Sure, Steve may run across a bear or moose and will be bunking up with family for the week under the stars, but Katie will most certainly face the ferocious clingasaurus with limited back up!

Emma is an absolute gem, the best thing in our lives, and she is also a bit of a force to be reckoned with at times. This week has been host to some epic melt downs - both by mother and child on one day - and we're praying Steve's right when he says she's getting it out of her system before he leaves. There is nothing more beautiful than the sight of your husband when your child has been screaming when just the thought of putting her down happened across your mind and that sight will be a mirage until next Sunday night.

So please pray for the Murrays this week - those in the BWCA to have a safe, healthy, wonderful trip enjoying the beauty of the untouched land and those in the wilds of Lake Nokomis, for patience, strength, and the ability to see the perfect child behind the melt downs (assuming that we may see at least one in the next 7 days).

*Oh, and to all of you life boats who have offered play dates and extra time spent with Em - thank you in advance!*

Accidental CIO?

2010-07-16T09:23:00.002-05:00

I came home from work last night to find you sleeping in your crib. This is pretty typical for a Thursday, you and daddy play hard and he puts you down and then he and I go to bed and wait for you to wake to join us. We put on the monitor and chatted a bit before drifting off. At one point, the monitor was beeping and needed charging, so he turned the other on to take over.

Enter 2 am. I woke up and realized you weren't with us. I looked to see if the monitors were on and you had just (miraculously) remained asleep and what do I see? NOTHING! The little green light that indicates that we can hear you is off! Ahh! Enter mama guilt! So daddy hustled upstairs to check on you and found you still asleep. Even after he moved a few things around.

Now, in theory I should capitalized on my time alone and caught some heavy zzzzz's. But this horrible image of you standing in your crib, crying, and finally giving up and crashing kept nagging me so I was up for the better part of an hour. It was probably just as I was about to get to sleep that you actually did wake up for more than a stir and I could scoop you up in my arms (and nurse since I hadn't in almost 10 hrs - eek!) and melt away some of the guilt with some snuggles.

I'm looking forward to the day - night - when you sleep for a solid 8. Or even 6, I'm not that picky, but when that happens, I want it to be because you were ready for that, not because we left you crying and didn't hear you. Guess that's why the ultimate goal is good enough parenting!!

Now I hope you've been enjoying your nap because before too long I'm going to need to wake you up, we've got some fun plans this morning at the Farmer's Market with E & C!!

Whirlwind

2010-07-09T17:01:00.002-05:00

I thought after last summer, this summer would seem relaxing. I guess in some ways it has been - the house isn't (actively) under construction, licensure exams are a thing of the past, baby prep has transitioned in to baby proof - but man is the time flying!

Two weeks ago, my parents zipped in to town for their own whirlwind visit. They got to our house Thursday evening, headed to Stillwater Friday evening, partied it up to celebrate their 31st anniversary, a new wedding, and a graduation, and spent Sunday night and Monday with us. Big bummer was I caught some sort of icky stomach bug - no, I am not pregnant - and wasn't much fun. Big bonus was two extra sets of hands to help out with Emmanator when I was feeling icky.

The next weekend we hopped in the car on Friday to head to Madison for a wedding. Car trips are iffy with Em and this one went reasonably well. Back to Mpls Saturday only to head to Hudson Sunday afternoon for the 4th. It was a great time and so much fun, but I think we were all grateful that Monday was a holiday so we could decompress a little before heading back to the grind.

Enter Wednesday and daddy got nailed with a (lesser) version of whatever hit me a week or so before. No bueno. So mama juggled Em to try helping him rest (and was pretty exhausted, grateful for my typically very helpful partner and even more exhausted thinking that I'll be solo for a week coming up before too long). And now our bags are packed again as we plan to head to La Crosse this weekend to celebrate the impending arrival of our newest nephew!

Life is good and we're grateful to have so many things to celebrate, but I'm looking forward to our next "boring" weekend at home!!

A few summer pics

2010-07-08T08:51:00.003-05:00

Let's hear it for the boy!

2010-06-20T19:17:00.002-05:00

While Steve is doing what he does best - being an awesome dad - I'm going to steal a quick minute to let the world (or at least the handful of you who read this) know that I think he's doing a wonderful job in his new role.

The actual date of his hire can be debated - some may say this is his 2nd Father's Day, he's leaning towards this being his first. Before Emma was "Emma", he was an awesome dad, preparing the house, patiently nurturing his wife, and eagerly awaiting her arrival. But for his 1st Father's Day of a baby we know in a more intimate way than we did last year, he really rocks. He gets up early to play with her when mama needs some rest, he has dance parties, reads books, shows her off, plans her future sporting endeavors, and is as hands on as a dad can be.

So while last year he may have technically been a "father" in the biological sense if nothing more, this year he shines as a daddy and I know Emma's proud he's hers.

I'll get back to you. . .

2010-06-17T20:59:00.002-05:00

I'm averaging 2-4 weeks to respond to emails, 1 week to respond to client messages, a day or two to respond to text, 1 day - 4 weeks to respond to FB posts (totally depends on if I notice it!), but about 30 seconds to the grinning little girl who consumes my life!

We're still here, busy and really good! 9 months is.so.much.FUN! Ask any parent and I think they'll agree. The ones I've spoken to sure do. Emma's bright personality is blooming each day and I am so grateful to bear witness to her precious life. She reminds us to slow down, connect, and most of all smile, laugh, and love.

She's standing with far more confidence and pride these days. She has yet to let go of objects around her to see if she can stand on her own - no doubt she will all too soon. She loves standing at __________ and banging on _______. It's hilarious. As are the dog and cats, especially when she leans back in your arms to look at them upside down. Man is that funny. And when Hank eats, holy cow, the most hilarious thing ever is seeing the dog eat a cheerio! (Or Trader Joe's Os as we frequent TJs and they don't carry cheerios ;o). )

Little girls are fun to befriend, Emma holds special smiles and waves for them. And people who tell her just how cute she is are especially popular with her. (Men with facial hair still leave her a little leery - much like the rest of the population as social psychologists will tell you.) Daddy is the funniest man alive and can put her at ease in a moment and momma's not to shabby either (or is it mama or mamma - I need to decide how to spell my name, but like a gf commented on facebook, what a beautiful dilema to have).

Bubbles are a bit perplexing, swings are full of smiles, walks are great, runs are amusing (seriously, have you seen her mama run!?), and new foods are an adventure. Oh, and did you know, if you drop things, people will repeatedly pick them up, smile, and hand them to you? Trust me, she's tried it. And if you drop food, the dog will gobble it up and sit by you closer with eager anticipation? Man is she powerful.

When people say that parenting is the hardest job you'll ever do, they don't lie. And my bias is that parenting with an attachment focus is even harder because our impulse is to go quickly, set ourselves aside to provide comfort, no matter the time of day or whether we think she "should" be sleeping. It is also true though that it is the most rewarding job you'll ever do. To be blessed with the task of arranging our lives to care for this beautiful girl - what did we ever do to deserve this?

So please forgive my delayed response, call, blog, text, picture, email, video, date. . . I think you'll agree I've got a great reason.

In honor of Mother's Day, a PSA from Mr. T

2010-05-09T17:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, I said Mr. T. Word up.

Album Spring 2010 - baptism (141 photos), by katie murray

2010-05-03T08:11:00.001-05:00

I'd like to share my Walgreens Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Taking back the stone

2010-05-02T21:23:00.003-05:00

When I first started this blog a year ago, I remember writing how much I enjoy reading blogs and would prefer that the blogs I read kept updated, oh, like daily. At first I did a great job, documenting the constantly growing belly & swollen toes, then the first amazing moments with Emma. There seems to be a correlation however with my child's mobility and my diminishing blogability. This correlation also holds true to my ability to promptly send thank you notes, respond to emails, read emails, check Facebook, post pictures, share videos, and pretty much anything that takes more than 5 minutes and two hands.

We have had some amazing experiences in the past month since I last updated. We were blessed by 3 weeks of Grandma Bonnie's loving care of Emma (and us), followed up by a wonderful visit with Grandpa Wilson (aka Oscar) who shared Emma with old friends and distant family - shared his roots and helped solidify hers, and finally 2 great weeks with Grammy who showed Emma her people, took her out and about with no fear, continued to share her amazing talent through handmade gifts and lots of laughs. It's been a whirlwind of grandparent visitors and we are all so thankful and blessed to have family that so freely gives of their time and resources to help us make the most of ours.

We also had a special visit with Auntie Lauren - my oldest friend who truly is a sister and was the absolute perfect choice to be Emma's Godmother. Aaron & Emerson shared her with us for a busy, but delightful weekend for Emma's baptism. What a beautiful blessing that day was, full of family, love, and the sharing of our faith with our daughter.

Steve and I celebrated our 4th anniversary and reflected on all we've been through in the 6 years since we met. Who knew!?

As my hands get free, I will share pictures and a bit more detail about the last while. It may take me some time though, Emma pulled herself up to standing today! Thanks for your patience (and prayers!).

Good surprise!

2010-03-31T21:28:00.002-05:00

Auntie Lauren is coming to town for my baptism and I cannot wait to meet her! Mommy says she met her when she was 9 years old. That's a loooooong time ago! Maybe she'll bring my cousin Emerson so we can plan too!!!

6/12

2010-03-27T21:19:00.003-05:00

Some day Emma you will learn that you should reduce fractions. 6/12 = 1/2. One half of a year has gone by since you entered our world. How is that even possible??? It is incredible to think of all you have learned and done in the past year and even more incredible to think of all that is ahead! You are so close to crawling, eating "people" food, working your hardest to show some teeth, and bring endless amounts of joy to everyone you meet! (Seriously, EVERYONE. You made so many friends just strolling around Chicago it was incredible! You are a beautiful, friendly, joy-full baby and people are just drawn to you! And I'm not just saying this because I'm your momma and think you are the BEST.BABY.EVER.)

So Happy Half Birthday my little love!!!

Falling Behind. . .

2010-03-27T21:00:00.007-05:00

St. Patty's Day outfit

Spring coat, snug as a bug with Sophie

is such an easy thing to do when you're chasing after a 6 month old! (That and I've been trying to separate from the internet a bit, which means less time for blogging, emailing, facebooking - how am I surviving?!?!)

SOOO much has been happening for the Diving Miss Em (as named by her grammy) the past few weeks. She's really getting the creep thing down, even starting to do something that resembles the worm to get what she wants. Crawling could be soon or she could stay at this stage for a while, time will tell. It's fun to watch her grow and expand her world, even though it means we've got more world to be watching at all times!!

Her momma also finally got over her fear of solid foods and has begun leading Emma on that journey. We started with organic brown rice cereal, which Em's not a huge fan. Then we tried avocado to mixed reviews. Sweet potatoes the other day seemed the most enjoyable. It's fun to start making and trying new things!!

Emma went to her 4th state last weekend to accompany her daddy to a conference and see her Auntie Ellie & Uncle Davey. Mommy, Ellie, and Emma had a GREAT time in the windy (snowy, rainy, cold) city on Saturday - ate lots of cupcakes, got Garrett's, took her first ride on a city bus, etc. It was great!

Around the house, Steve has (finally) finished our family room! Hooray! Now to settle in, but it's been so nice to have the TV off of the main floor and the extra space added to the house. We spent most of the day cleaning in the laundry room to get it ready to be painted tomorrow. Our house has almost doubled in size and the storage space is absolutely fantastic now! We'll be slowly adding pictures to the walls and figuring out the best use of the space, but days without dust (at least construction dust) are coming to a close. Hooray.

We've also had Grandma Bonnie stay with us for 2 of her 3 weeks this month. It has been soooo wonderful to have a live in grandma playing, playing, playing with Emma and seeming to magically straighten everything she touches around the house. It's been really just delightful to get the time with her - we are so blessed!

Phew! Time for bed and to shut down the computer! I hope to get in a more regular routine again, someday! :o)

THANK YOU!!

2010-03-07T21:29:00.003-06:00

Sometimes those words really just are not enough, but since it's what we've got, we'll use 'em. Since I went back to work in November, my aunt (and uncle) have been watching Emma for us. I can't express enough how much easier it was returning to work knowing that my tiny baby was in loving arms. Now, I'm sure had we needed to find a daycare, they would have been capable, caring arms, but probably not genuine, light up when I see you, loving arms. My aunt has those for Em. She has rearranged her life for the past 4 months to care for our daughter and we are so grateful.

I'm also in awe. This offer was made almost a year ago about this baby who was busy growing in my belly and now she's almost 6 months old. Where does time go?! Emma now gets to enjoy the company of her Grandma Bonnie for 3 weeks in March, followed by her Grandpa Larry (or Wilson or Oscar - his name is yet to be determined), with Grammy ending the line up at the end of April. This is one blessed baby to have so many people making so many adjustments to their lives and busy schedules to take care of her. (Although people seem to enjoy their time with Emma so much that really I think these are two blessed parents - the baby & relatives may be neutralizing their blessings to each other!).

Following the musical grandparents, my aunt will pick her Thursday afernoons with Emma up again while a student Steve works will takes over for the summer. What started as an effort to keep her from having to go to daycare as a tiny baby may now allow her to stay home for at least her first year. Amazing!

So thank you to everyone who has had a hand (or will have a hand) in our Emma care, but for today, a special shout out to Aunt Kathy (and Uncle Toad).

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T17:17:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

My sneaky Valentine

2010-02-13T09:15:00.003-06:00

For Valentine's Day we had decided we were going to the pancake breakfast at church, probably would catch a movie at The Riverview (mostlikely with Em in sling), and have a nice dinner at home - I was thinking I'd make mussels. Yum.

The rest of the weekend was to consist of a senior recital for one of Steve's athletes Friday night and baking with the HTLC youth Saturday night (for Katie & Emma at least). So yesterday afternoon I worked on the house and sort of getting myself ready to go to this recital. We were going to grab a small dinner before the concert, so I had to have us ready to leave by 5. I got Emma all fancy in this super cute outfit - complete with beret - from my cousin Julie, and shoved myself into a skirt that -mostly- fits still. My husband made surprisingly great effort to get ready and looked quite sharp if I must say so myself. For a man who works in sweatpants, this really doesn't happen often at.all.

Steve loaded Emma off and we headed out, although it seemed like we were going an odd way to get to Mac. Seemed more like we were headed towards my aunt & uncle's nearby condo. The very same aunt & uncle who watch Emma for us 3 days a week. Hmmm. . . Steve had arranged to have them watch Emma (who was now very fancy for a night of staying in!) while he took me out to one of my favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities (Chino Latino - coconut curry mussels??! YUM!) and the option of a movie.

What a great night! Fabulous dinner, time to connect with my hubster, an Indy flick in a theater that I picked (A Single Man - good movie!), and a little time to recharge for mommyhood.

And in the car after I figured this out - a single rose with a card asking me if I'd accept it. Gotta love my cheesy husband!

Happy Valentine's Day!

5/12

2010-02-12T11:03:00.002-06:00

4/12

2010-02-12T11:01:00.002-06:00

3/12

2010-02-12T10:57:00.002-06:00

Social Butterfly

2010-02-05T08:08:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago I was feeling a bit down. It may have been some post NM fall out, when we're there and I'm with girlfriends from college I tend to feel the pang of not having them closeby. Or it may have been the fact that my mom has a ridiculously close, fun, strong group of friends who see a LOT of each other and I find myself feeling jealous of that. Don't get me wrong - I have wonderful friends; however, many of them live way too far away (NY, IL, TX, NM), or are really busy with mommy duties & work in the cities.

SO! Since then I've joined a mom's group, started a knitting group, set dates with some gfs, and am connecting more with youth at our church. Pretty soon I'll be complaining about being too busy. Oh, and it's a bookclub weekend which is always a fave!

Water Baby!

2010-02-04T08:57:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite stories from Steve's childhood is the time his parents pretended their van was breaking down, stopped at a hotel to 'make a phone call', and surprised the family with an overnight at a hotel. . . with a pool! When this guy talks about staying at hotels with pools, you just can't help but smile.

So for our trip up north, we decided to do just that and have a place for our niece, nephew, and Emma could swim! After checking with our SIL to see what exactly Emma should swim in and picking up some water diapers at Target, we were set! We shoved Emma in a little swimmer and off to the pool we headed! While Henry & Clare did a great job talking about "not scaring baby Emma," the noise & excitement of a 3 & 5 year-old in a pool just can't be easily contained, so Emma was a little freaked out. Couple that with the fact that her morning nap had gotten cut short by the arrival of everyone and her fun meter was a little low.

Steve thought he'd traumatized her until the next day when we got her back in, all by herself, and watched with wonder as she got comfortable splashing in the water, smiling, and seeming to enjoy herself. Go figure we didn't have a camera with us for the 2nd swim!

Home, Home on the Range

2010-02-01T13:34:00.003-06:00

The Iron Range that is. We went up nort' Friday to visit some friends & see the Duluth Murrays. Friday night we surprised one of my friends from grad school at her 30th bday party. It was great to see Heather, Frank, the girls, and Lisa & Matt. We headed to Duluth that night and the Duluth cousins came to witness Emma's first swim that morning. It was so cute to see them all together! Emma's gotten so much more interactive with her world since Thanksgiving!

I had a chance to have some "me" time on Saturday, getting my toes pretty for the first time since before Emma was born and hanging out with Lisa. It was definitely recharging to get some pampering!!

Saturday night Steve and I got a glimpse into the future, watching the cousins while Jess & Sarah went to a party. Pete made himself almost invisible and got the low-key kid of the night award. Jess said later on that as much as you can count on one kid "messing things up," you can almost just as surely count on the fact that one will be super easy! The older two were definitely busy, but thankfully no one messed up the night and we had a great time! Steve's fun with Emma will grow exponentially the older she gets - he had such a great time playing with the big kids!

Sunday we relaxed at the hotel and took Emma back to the pool before connecting with the family again. It was a short visit, but really great to get together! We hope we can do it again soon!

Lazy

2010-01-26T19:09:00.002-06:00

I'm too lazy to repost pictures. Use this link to check out facebook abums!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007459&id=106400598&l=aaf818e96a

Back it up. . .

2010-01-15T16:16:00.003-06:00

I got a little ahead of myself. Before Christmas morning and New Years Eve, there was Christmas Eve.

2010

2010-01-15T15:59:00.003-06:00

We celebrated in true Wilson style - lobster, crab, yummmmmmy twice baked potatoes, champagne at 10, and some hot tubbin'. A new twist on the experience was shoving a postpartum body in a prepartum bathing suit. I must go shopping!

Here's to a fabulous new decade!

Baby's First Christmas

2010-01-15T15:35:00.002-06:00

For a kid who fell asleep on the couch while others opened presents for her, there was a whole lot of excitement around her presence there.

Chi O Aunties

2010-01-15T15:19:00.003-06:00

Emma was soooo excited to finally get to meet some of her Chi O Aunties over Christmas! She's so glad her mommy has such amazing friends!

Catching up is hard to do!

2010-01-15T15:10:00.002-06:00

Coming back from NM was a bit jarring - the return to work, groceries, resolutions, etc. was a bit to ake in. It was great having 8 hands to help with Emma for those 2 weeks and took us a couple days to get use to just 4 (and usually 2 at a time).

I picked up my 3rd day at work this week (and proved that bad planning with start dates is more than just an accident. This time I began working 3 days on the 6 year anniversary of my brothers death. I was glad when the day ended up being short and I got unexpected snuggle time with Emma. She's an amazing barrier of joy especially on really difficult days.). Steve's been home with Emma most of the time while I'm working and she's still enjoying Wednesday mornings with Aunt Kathy & Uncle Toad.

Steve has gotten back to work (again) on the basement and is making great progress! We've moved some furniture upstairs to make it easier to get somethings finished down there. He's experienced a confusion with the electrical work in the family room, but is still optimistic that we'll be able to use the room for the Super Bowl in a few weeks. We'll see! I'm working on sticking with my resolution to get rid of a lot of stuff and I think I'm doing a pretty good job, more to go though.

Now time to catch up more with the blog!!!

60 degrees

2010-01-05T12:41:00.003-06:00

That is the difference in temperature we'll be experiencing today (a conservative estimate). NM and MN truly are on opposite ends of the spectrum and although the crappy weather and distance from family & friends makes it hard to remember at times, the two extremes offer a lot for our life. From tortillas to lefsa, it's been a visit!

The bundle me is back in the carseat, the bags are packed and weigh (slighly) under 50 lbs, and the last tamale may be eaten shortly.

Hasta manana New Mexico!

Should old acquaintance be forgot. . .

2010-01-01T10:36:00.004-06:00

Or frequently brought to mind.

With the dawn of a new year, heck, a new decade, it's hard not to get just a little reflective. 10 years ago, I was a college freshman and at that point may still have thought I'd be teaching preschool. (Although I doubt it since I'd had my first ECE class - my destiny may have already been found in the College of Ag & Home Ec.) I lived in the 200 building of Alumni with a high school friend, watched a lot of You've Got Mail, ate a lot of bagels (with cream cheese on the side, please), and I think had two fish - Seldom & Often.

Since that time, I've added a whole lot of titles to my life - Chi Omega, grad student, wife, intern, master, doctor, post doc, landlord, mother, psychologist - some that I'd expected for a lifetime and others that were a bit more surprising.

I've experienced the greatest joy in my life - marrying my best friend, giving birth to my perfect daughter. And since these past 10 years also brought my greatest sorrow - the loss of my brother - moments like that are even more sweet.

I can hardly imagine what the next year, let alone 10 will bring (other than teeth, crawling, walking, talking), but am prayerful that the lows are not quite as low.

Can you believe that at the end of this decade we'll have a 4th grader?!

Feliz Navidad!

2009-12-24T23:40:00.002-06:00

Christmas dress has been adorned and Emma enjoyed her first candle light service. From our family to yours - Merry Christmas!

Murray Family Holiday Letter

2009-12-22T10:50:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays to you and yours!!

Shortly after Christmas last year, we learned that our family would be growing in September. We were able to share the exciting news with both sets of grandparents-to-be together, which given the distance was quite the special experience! Needless to say, the impending arrival shaped much of the rest of our year! In addition to our news, we knew of at least 1 baby being born each month of this year – and even had several months with 3 new bundles of joy! Emma is blessed to have so many friends her age to grow up with!

Steve has stayed busy working at Macalester and really enjoys what he’s doing. We invested in a rental property early in the year and his connection with students has provided excellent renters and an overall good situation. Steve spent a lot of time this spring preparing the house for renters, after which he transitioned his focus on to our house. He began a full basement remodel early this year and has done a wonderful job expanding our space. Literally every room in our house (except for maybe the kitchen and bathroom) has been rearranged in the process. He’s looking forward to the day when house projects are not quite so intense, but has enjoyed the power tools and help of family and friends. His ‘contractors fee’ was a large flat-screen TV that has made this football season that much more enjoyable!

Katie continued to work as a postdoctoral fellow at a private practice in Burnsville. Once the wave of morning sickness wore off, she spent much of her time preparing for the national licensing exam for psychology. It was a huge relief to pass that on the first try and after jumping through a few more hoops, she became licensed as a clinical psychologist in November of this year. She’s returned to work and feels blessed to be able to do so part-time and still enjoy several days home with Emma. Katie’s aunt has generously been watching Emma during the day while Katie’s at work and Emma and her daddy get to spend Thursday nights together – a win-win for all! Katie accepted a position on our church council and has enjoyed the opportunity to get more involved in the community. She’s also continued to stay active with her bookclub, a group that expanded by 3 babies this year as well!

This year we were able to spend a few days in January in Nashville while Steve had a conference and enjoyed Easter in New Mexico. Once again, weather in MN was unseasonably warm while we were gone (and we had snow Easter morning). Much of the summer was spent in preparation for the baby, but we enjoyed several visits with Katie’s parents and time with Steve’s family as we were able. Thanksgiving was a special treat as the whole Murray family was together for a holiday – a first in many years!

Emma made her grand entrance on 10 September and changed our world in ways we’re continuing to discover. She is growing like a weed and is an absolute joy. Over Thanksgiving she really began to giggle and we’re excited to bring her to NM for a few weeks at Christmas to spread some cheer as only a new baby can.

Wish you and yours a blessed holiday season and joy in 2010!

~Steve, Katie, and Emma

Leavin' on a jet plane

2009-12-20T22:28:00.002-06:00

And if I thought packing for one stunk, packing for two is even worse! I'm paring down what I'm bringing for me to be able to bring more for Emma. Now that's love.

Perspective

2009-12-12T16:55:00.004-06:00

I haven't felt overly Christmasy yet this year. I think it's because I haven't been out hitting the malls and doing much along the lines of Christmas shopping. Steve and I made the decision to really reign in on the Christmas gifts this year - like much of the rest of the country, we're needing to be a bit more serious about having (and following) a budget and so some adjustments have been made. It makes me a bit sad to think that I have really fallen in to the commercialization of Christmas and that Christmas cheer seems to come with Christmas spending. It's time to re-group, come back to center, and get some perspective. Oh, and bust out some Christmas cheer!

Blue Christmas

2009-12-10T11:59:00.003-06:00

Years ago, gosh, 15 maybe, my best friends little sister died. That year her family put blue lights on the house and the Barbie ontop of the tree wore a blue dress. I spent several days leading up to Christmas with them, feeling sad for their loss, but from a 14 year old who hadn't faced such a loss perspect. Who knew that 9 years later I'd really understand her experience first hand.

As sad as that Christmas no doubt was for them, it also gave me one of my favorite Christmas memories and a future tradition I hope to share with Emma. My best friends mom took us out for dessert and to drive and look at Christmas lights. I'm taken back to that night every time I hear Amy Grant sing Grown Up Christmas List.

Last year our family had two sudden losses on Christmas Eve. I know this time of year is full of joy for many, but it can also be a blue Christmas when we can't be with the ones we love the most. I hope those for whom this Christmas is especially blue may be able to make precious memories to cherish for years to come. Maybe an old casset tape of Amy Grant's Christmas could help.

Thankful for family

2009-12-01T18:31:00.005-06:00

For the first time in my life with the Murrays, everyone was together for a holiday. There was great food, Loaded Questions, bowling, football, and many other holiday traditions. Although there are always struggles, there's a lot to be thankful for, and those 15 other people helped bring us back to center. Emma's a lucky girl to have so many wonderful people on both sides of her family to love her as she grows.

"I love her!!"

2009-12-01T18:24:00.002-06:00

This was heard repeatedly over Thanksgiving weekend by Emma's cousin Clare. The two are the little 'princess cousins' and Clare seems happy to share her title! It was so fun to see the kiddos together and imagine all the adventures in the years to come. I know I have fond memories of times with my cousins!