sweet omission

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!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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?!"