My darling boys...

In their PJ's from Santa's Elves (delivered in the snowstorm on Christmas Eve)

Aidan Riding his bike in the middle of the Christmas aftermath (all the games have already been taken apart and spread out!)

Nate is helping Aidan open one of his gifts from Nana...a Thomas train!

The boys could hardly wait to get outside and play in the snow. We were so excited to have a white Christmas in North Texas this year! Our first!

This year we had a beautifully mellow Christmas. I have to admit, it was so nice to spend the holiday (and the days leading up to it) relaxed and calm. Although I wouldn't want to have every year be this low-key, it was a nice change from the usual hustle and bustle. Next year we'll be traveling and baking and partying and laughing and sledding in the Ohio snow....

Adam worked Christmas, but surprised me Christmas Eve when he didn't have to go in to work and instead was able to spend the day with us. He took the boys shopping in the rain, which gave me a chance to finish wrapping their gifts. We had a lovely Christmas Eve with traditions from our families -- reading the Christmas story in Luke and opening one gift (this year, we let the kids choose which gift they wanted to open).

The next morning, Adam got up before the rest of the world to head to work and accidentally locked his keys in his car ...with the engine running. At 5 am I started calling tow companies and was getting no answer from any of them. After about 10 calls and messages left, I finally got someone on the line. He said it would be at least two hours, since they were so busy because of the snow storm that had come through the night before. The man with the truck finally made it and didn't charge me very much. It was a Christmas miracle :) I guess he really deserved the Christmas bonus I gave him! Especially after he told me that he was on his way home to enjoy Christmas with his family when my call came. He was a good guy. Adam, on the other hand, is still in big trouble. (haha, just kidding!)

We are so looking forward to the coming New Year and the chance to start afresh and make new goals to better ourselves and our little family. 2010 will be a year of big changes for our family, with a new baby, a new job, a new home, and a new school for Nate. But we know that the Savior is real, He lives, and He guides our lives if we let Him. We're excited to see what the next adventure will be :)

Today at church I reminded the girls of a story I'd told about my Grandpa Burnett being the youngest member of the Utah Symphony (at age 13) and one of the girls said:

"When you told that story, it really inspired me to work hard and get better so someday I could try out for the Symphony."

My heart was bursting...someone had actually taken a life lesson from something I shared with them!! Amazing.

Then she added, "Yeah, but then I quit so...so much for that."

Uh-huh.

North Pole Express

Other than the fact that it was fah-reezing (and I had no coat to fit my growing baby bump), we had such a fun time at the North Pole Express. It's run by the Grapevine Railroad and you travel along on the train, then make a stop to pick up Santa, who then goes through all the train cars and wishes each child a Merry Christmas.

Admittedly, it wasn't quite as magical as I'd expected (Santa wasn't very convincing and the train ride was waaaay too short for what we paid), but it was still so nice to have our family doing something together, which is a rarity this month with Adam's work schedule. Plus, the lunch that we had afterward at one of our favorite restaurants was heavenly. I think it was the best meal I've had in a very long time...so the day ended on a very, very good note :)

We're so excited for Christmas this week! Merry Christmas to all of you!

December So Far

Adam's Birthday
We celebrated with his favorite, Angel Food Cake, and although the picture shows a fireball of candles, it actually wasn't quite as dangerous as it looks. Although....he is getting old, so maybe adding the correct number of candles is a fire hazard....



Decorating the Christmas Tree
Of course this is one of the favorite traditions of the season. My boys love arranging (and rearranging) the ornaments. I learned my lesson last year (after losing many of my glass ornaments to baseball-like incidents) and this year found some super-cheap PLASTIC balls. We're Christmas-tree-baby-proofed for the first time in all our years of Murdock Christmases. Hooray.
No pictures of the final product -- I still need to add the tree skirt, ribbon, and keepsake ornaments (to the TOP of the tree of course) but you can use your imagination to guess what it looks like :)

Christmas Update: Last night I was giving Adam some hints about what to get me for Christmas and he said "Maybe your gift has already been ordered...." which is leaving me in a state of torment because I want to hack into his email account and find out if he ordered something online...or I guess I could look at our bank statement online....or check our credit card activity....but instead, I think I'll just wait for the surprise. :) The suspense may nearly kill me!! :)

November

I thought I'd do a quick wrap-up of our last month or so....since I've been largely MIA from this blog....things are super busy with work and so I have neglected the family blog in a big way. Don't feel too badly though, blog, because I've also neglected such things as housework, laundry, and eating in the pursuit of giving people the best Christmas ever (photographically speaking).

So in the spirit of the holidays, I give you the lame cop-out photo dump:

Emily's Birthday

Dinner with our besties on my birthday...(not sure if Adam knew the picture was being taken)
You can't imagine how excited I was when Jennette planned a trip out here for my birthday, and then how much better it was that the stars aligned and our husbands were able to make it to dinner with us. We ate at the classic Dallas favorite, Chuy's, and I have to admit that the company was even better than the food! (Although the waiter was a close second...he kept our chips and salsa full and our drinks refreshed for the three hours we were there...good man!)

We miss you, Pauls. Looking forward to our trip in the spring!! :)


San Antonio Trip


I had some work to do in San Antonio the weekend of my birthday, so my favorite people came along and we had a great weekend exploring and enjoying the city, except for the part when Aidan choked on a mint at Zio's then threw up all over me in the middle of the restaurant. That was not a highlight. But these parts were highlights:Riding the train at Breckenridge Park
Without even trying, somehow I'd convinced Adam that this was going to be an amazing train ride. He was surprised that the little train powered by a lawnmower motor didn't take us further or through more exotic areas of San Antonio.

But we did get to see the place where the former Breckenridge Stables resided, and it brought back memories of going horseback riding with Kerstin and Elyse (my two dearest friends growing up) and the time we told the employees that we were experienced riders in an effort to get them to let us take the horses out by ourselves (without a guide). Why they believed us is beyond me-- we sure looked like suburban girls who'd never ridden horses before. But we proved to them just how suburban we were when I dropped my reins, then got off the horse to get them (coincidentally got off on the wrong side of the horse...who knew there was a correct side to dismount??) and the horse ran away into the "forest" near us. Leaving me on the ground, with no horse, and Elyse freaking out about getting caught for not being the Ranch Hands we professed to be.

Let's just say we weren't welcome back. I hope they found that horse.


**Post Edit...my mom has helped me to see the error of my spelling ways...it's BrAckenridge Park, not BrEckenridge Park. Whoopsie!**

**Double Post Edit...after a Google search, I CANNOT find out if it is Breckenridge or Brackenridge. Even official pages have it spelled both ways.**

The Alamo
Of course, it's a must-see each time we visit. I never get over the beauty of this building and the reverence it inspires. This time we took Nate inside and let him really look and listen to what is offered there, and he was very interested. It's so fun to have a kid that are growing up and realizing what a great big world is out there for him to discover.


Lunch at The Salt Lick
(sorry Dad, try not to be too jealous)
Even though it took us an hour to find it, of course it was well worth the drive. It is a very simple place in Driftwood (near Austin) and although it doesn't offer much fanfare (or even decent Diet Coke), it has been a family favorite for many years. The brisket is so tender and the sauce is unbelievable. If you're desperate to try it, they have a website and will ship meat and sauce to your door (just ask my dad, we sent him some for Father's Day one year!)
Here is the website...if you dare to tempt your tastebuds...