So Exciting!

I'm so thrilled to finally be able to announce this workshop! Please take a look at the website!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Dad with his GrandBoys -- it will be interesting to throw a little pink into the mix!

Time brings perspective. Growing older isn't getting new eyes -- it is seeing with better clarity with the eyes we've always had.
I've been getting older every day and inevitably, Dad, so have you. It's the unfair reality that time marches on, and we have our birthdays to prove that :)
All that I am, I owe to you and the Mother you chose for your children. There is so much about me that I didn't recognize as strength until I was able to see more clearly, and as I was able to see more clearly, I could recognize that the strength came from you. You set the pattern and example for me to follow long before I even knew I was following.
What Mom taught me about zeal and energy and passion and spirit, you tempered as you taught humility and gentleness and quiet strength and dedication. What Mom encouraged of creativity, you supported with consistency.
And in your seemingly opposite personalities, the two of you have taught me about marriage and complement and love -- and what our Father in Heaven intends for His children to learn through their relationships. I know my own marriage is stronger because you make the effort to strengthen yours.
I don't know what I did to be blessed to be your daughter, Dad, but I'm so thankful to my Father in Heaven for the opportunity to be yours. I fear I'll spend the rest of my days trying to prove worthy of that great gift, but I'm willing to try, because having you as my father has been one of the supreme blessings of my life. I'm sorry that I haven't always seen you with the clarity that a little maturity brings, and I know that I haven't been as grateful as I should have been (especially through those pesky teen years when I knew everything...don't worry, I'm a lot dumber now). Luckily for me, time brings perspective and as I grow older I am becoming increasingly more cognizant of the fact that I have
the best father in the whole world.

Happiest of Birthdays to the man that puts all other fathers to shame!!



Some of my favorite things about my Dad:
*He's a fabulous and hysterical story teller. I love to hear about the time he found a dead body in front of his house (and his mom wouldn't believe him...until she saw their home on the evening news), or the time he locked himself out of his hotel room...in his underwear (classic), or the elder from Dad's mission that rode off into the sunset with the girl he fell in love with...on his bike, or the various sundry tales from his teenage years (which I'm only beginning to hear for the first time...Dad really censored his teenage years when he talked about them when I was growing up!!).
*I love the way he calls me Emmie. Very few people call me that, and I love that it's almost exclusively reserved for my Dad.
*I think the only person that could beat my Dad at Jeopardy is Ken Jennings. Ken is just lucky that my Dad wasn't one of the contestants up against him -- Dad would've knocked him out in the first episode :) Dad used to watch Jeopardy with us in the room and would call out the answers -- then make us give him high fives when he was right. Which he was, something like 99% of the time.
*My Dad used to always use phrases like, "Be Calm." Poor man was burdened with a loud and easily-excited progeny and he had to be the reminder of the need for decency and calm -- which gave him the unfair designation as the Party Pooper. :) Since moving away from home, I've realized how much fun my Dad is -- he's just not the loud and rambunctious kind of fun -- and I even heard myself say "Be calm" to my own children this week. I understand you, Dad. I truly understand you now.
*He's one of the smartest, well-read, interesting people I've ever met. These were also qualities I fell in love with in my husband. They simultaneously make me realize how little I know, and make me want to learn more...which is the mark of a true mentor and teacher. Although our interests may vary slightly, I'm always amazed at how much my Dad has to offer on the subjects we discuss.
*He loves my mother with a pure and Christlike love. He has encouraged in her, qualities and abilities that she didn't know she had. They have worked together, labored together, loved together, cried together, and experienced life together -- and it's so beautiful to see their togetherness continue to enrich their lives. Maybe a little too much. (haha, just kidding Mom and Dad -- but really, the lovey-dovey text messages and Facebook updates are a little nauseating to your kids. FYI.)


Love you, Dad.

It's Gonna Be Famous

It's very possible that this is the best post you'll read all day.

It's also very possible that I have delusions about how funny my kids can be, in which case, this may not be the best post you read all day.

I guess time will tell.


It never occurred to me that my son was missing out on the good things in life until today. After I picked Nate up from school, I had a flash of genius (or a pregnancy craving, whatever) -- "Let's go to the Dollar Store and get an after-school treat."

Nate's eyes got wide. A treat! Best day ever. He asked, "Why do they call it the Dollar Store?" I replied, "Everything there is a dollar."

I tell you what, you could have passed a freight train through that gaping mouth of his.

"Everything costs a DOLLAR???

...Even the games? The toys? The candy?"


"Yes."


"I have twenty-two dollars so I could buy twenty-two games there?!"

"Yes."

"I cannot believe this. {seriously, that's what he says all the time, it cracks me up} I am going to buy twenty-two Wii games there."

A-ha. Having never been to the Dollar Store, Nate was imagining a Target filled with $1 price tags. I had to explain that the Dollar Tree would have some things he'd recognize and some things he wouldn't, but they didn't have Wii games. He was not worried.

"Okay, then I'm going to buy twenty-two Bakugans there."

Again, they probably wouldn't have Bakugans. But, I told him, they would have some toys that might be fun {for like twenty seconds before they break} and some candy, and he could choose three things to buy.

As we pulled up to the store, Nate was still in shock as he read the sign.

"Dollar Tree...Everything's a Dollar...

...Mom, this place is gonna be famous."



Yep, buddy, good thing we were the first to discover it.

Today...

I'm so thankful to be a mother.

I'm thankful for a husband who works hard for our family.

I'm thankful that things are moving forward for my Aunt and Uncle to adopt a little girl from Ghana. {Read a little more about their story here} I am praying for a safe trip for my uncle Bill and my cousin Thomas as they travel to Ghana. I am excited to meet my new cousin Hope.

I'm thankful that there are exciting things in the works for my business. I'm partnering with another very talented photographer to create some new opportunities to share my love for photography. It's gonna rock.

I'm thankful that Adam has been interviewing for new jobs...September seems so far away, but I'm sure that it will be here before we know it!! I am hoping to have something to tell you about a signed contract soon......

I'm thankful for good friends and family that I love.

I'm thankful for the little joys that are part of my every day life -- watching Aidan dance to his favorite songs, or watching him try to play tennis on the Wii. The sound of the boys playing together. The way Nate still calls it "root beard." Snoring coming from my bedroom when Adam just couldn't stay up a moment longer -- and it's only 8:30. :) The first few weeks of American Idol (yes, I'm one of those fans that watches in the beginning for the reeeeallly bad ones).

PS I'm feeling the itch to travel. Maybe some of you will have to see me soon. :)

Super Fun session posted on my photography blog....take a look!

Emily Murdock Photography -- The Blog

Happy Birthday, Ali!

my sister Ali with Aidan and Nate, Summer 2009
They look like an ad for Gap -- all three are sporting Gap hoodies :)

Dear Ali,
On your birthday, and every day, I hope that you know how much I love you. You are a beautiful and talented girl --ahem, woman-- and I'm lucky to have you as my little sister! You're so much fun to be around, but you're more than a boisterous and fun sister -- you're also a sister I can count on and you're always willing to help and I am so grateful for that. Like the time you flew to Dallas to help me drive to Ohio to see Mom and Dad. Or the time you lived with us for the summer and were always so helpful and sweet with Nate. Or the time you went with us to the zoo while we were visiting Utah. So many of my favorite memories include you.
You have grown into a loving woman who is dedicated and fiercely loyal to her family and her husband. I know that Heavenly Father is proud of you and He has such tremendous things in store for you.
I hope that the next year will bring many blessings for you. I love you! Happiest of birthdays!
Love, Emily


And, because I'm the BIG sister and I CAN, here are some of my favorite Ali images....


image by Jessica Kettle Photography


guess which mustache is real??

Judge Not....

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day in Dallas, with warm sunshine and moderate temperatures. It was a perfect day for the park.

My boys have two very-best friends in the brotherhood of Logan and Ben. Their momma is a sweet friend of mine, and so the five-some we create when we all get together is heavenly. We took the boys to the park yesterday and they found a giant leaf pile underneath one of the giant trees.

After a few minutes of making the giant pile giant-er, they also found some help : a very obnoxious girl and her older (probably in her late 40s) mother. The mother found a broom lying near the rec center and started to use it to push more leaves into the kids' jumping pile. Pretty soon all four of our boys were playing in the giant leaf pile, and Kate and I were watching this mother and her determination in making the pile for the kids and instructing them in proper jumping. But it all got slightly weird when she pulled out her camera and took a ton of pictures. Of our kids. Without her kid in the picture. Being slightly sensitive to how images can be used improperly, I wondered aloud if we ought to ask her to stop -- after all, we didn't know her and why in the world would she need or want to take pictures of our kids? Is she going to blog about it? Put them in a scrapbook? Really?

At this point, Kate and I realized that all four of our boys were going to stay at the leaf pile and not return to the playground, so we headed over to a bench closer to the leaves. I took a few pictures with my own camera, and the woman walked over to me and started making comments about my camera. She told me about the nice camera she wished she'd brought with her, instead of the point and shoot she was using. She was an awkward person, and the conversation was awkward. As we were packing up to leave, she offered, "I have some great shots of your kids if you want me to email them to you. Well, not great, but good. After all I didn't have my big Canon and so I couldn't control the settings so the pictures aren't perfect but if you want them, I'll send them to you." I hesitantly agreed, and she started slapping her pockets. "I guess I left my business cards in the car, you'll have to come with me to my car." I was already roped in, so I followed her to her car, where she retrieved a business card and handed it to me. I put it in my pocket and thanked her (probably a little curtly, but I was annoyed) and started getting my kids into the car.

When I glanced at the business card, I realized that I probably should have been a little nicer. (Well, I should have anyway, but I really should have been more respectful...)

She's the acting mayor of our city.

Whoopsie!

21 Weeks

A huge dose of gratitude to my amazing photographer, Nate. And please ignore that I look about 34 weeks pregnant. Heaven help me.

Hello, Handsome!

So I was going to spend some time cleaning these images up and making them a little better, but due to some issues with my new camera not working seamlessly with everything I already own (hello, why can't it just be that easy...plug in and work!!), it took me longer than expected to get these loaded up. Anyway, they are what they are -- and I'm not going to try to pretend that every picture I take is perfect. Sometimes I take pictures of my kids when they have eye crusties and leftover food on their mouths. Oh well.

These are some of the first images I got with my new camera. Waaaay back in October, my sweet camera lost its life in a water accident and I was so very sad. After all, I'd had that camera through all my stages of photography so far... from "What the heck is a digital camera?" to opening my own photography business. That little camera and I have had some good times.

When it was clear that the camera wouldn't be coming back from the dead, I decided to put some distance between myself and photography. I rented a camera for the remainder of my sessions that were already booked, and chose to not accept any more sessions for the remainder of the year. I wanted to test whether or not I should continue with photography -- whether or not I'd actually miss it.

It didn't take long to realize, I love photography A LOT. And I missed it A LOT.

There was an empty part of me without my camera. Photography is a big part of my life, and although I'm going to have to make some adjustments to my business over the next few months with a new baby on the way, I know that I still want to continue with work, however I can. The challenge will be finding a good balance between home and work, but I know it can be done.

And oh-my-stinkin-heck, this new camera feels goooooood. It feels good to feel that shutter click again. It feels good to be back in the game.

So, to celebrate my quiet return (no one really knew I went anywhere...haha), there will be a giveaway and a contest coming up on my photography blog. I'll let you know as soon as all the details are laid out over there. It will even be a little something that my friends (near and far) can use! Stay tuned....

An Announcement

The boys have something to tell you:

{Drum-roll, please...}

{We think. The sonographer was only 95% sure, so she cautioned us to "Buy Pink...but keep the receipts."}

Favorite Entertainment of 2009

I just wanted to share some of my favorite entertainment things of 2009, in no particular order.

Favorite Websites I Found This Year:

Paul Cardall's Blog : Paul is a musician in Utah who has shown so much courage and faith in the last year (and really, all the years of his life). I took some time to read his archives and really get to know him and his struggle and I've been changed because of his example. If nothing else, start reading his entries about recovery after a heart transplant.

The Big Mama Blog : Love her style of writing, love that she uses more words than she needs to. Makes me feel right at home as I'm reading :) Plus, she's from San Antonio! I'm still confused though -- she IS a Mama, but she's not Big.

Daddy Scratches : Often totally irreverent, use-too-many-bad-words type of writing BUT there is something endearing about this Dad who isn't afraid to talk about being a Dad and all the ups and downs of the experience. Some of my favorite posts are here and here and here and here. (Please be warned and don't send me an email later claiming you weren't warned, this guy uses potty mouth language sometimes.)

Design Mom : Love the ideas she finds and shares.

People of Walmart : Are you kidding me, this could be one of the best ways to waste HOURS of your life!

Awkward Family Photos : Another FANTASTIC way to spend hours of your life. Thanks to my sister Ali and her husband Jed for sharing such a valuable treasure with me.

Anti DuckFace : Alright, I'm not going to link to this one (just add a www at the beginning and a dot com at the end if you're interested in seeing it). They use the f-word in almost every post, but the idea is HILARIOUS -- they ask people to send in pictures of their friends or celebrities or whoever making that awful kissy-slash-pouty-slash-duck face expression that -- for whatever reason -- is totally HAWT right now. Whatever HAWT means. Anywoooo, it's funny stuff.

Pandora : Create your own radio stations and listen for free! But just don't listen for more than 40 hours in a month or they'll charge you NINETY NINE CENTS. (Which FYI is less than most downloads on iTunes. I'm just sayin'.)


And our family's Favorite Game of 2009:




Not everything in my life is web-based (haha). Nate got this game for Christmas and we LOVE it around here. It's even brought out the competitive side of his dad! It's really fun and PERFECT for kids around his age (5-8 I would guess, but really, his 30-something Dad and 20-something Mom LOVE it).


And since everything is better with a picture, look at this little nugget of awesomeness:

Yep, they're mine. I growed 'em. I love 'em.
No, they're not {currently} for sale.

(Also, could they look any MORE alike? Gads, their heads are the same size! Their hair is equally unruly! Their eyes are the same shade! Who would have guessed that they are nearly five years apart, and they have different Daddys!)

...just kidding about the different Daddys part. I think. ;)

In Like A Lamb

While we slept, the year 2010 arrived in Texas. Adam and I stayed up as late as we could but, well, we're old. And we like sleep. And we don't drink, or party, or have fun in any capacity, so staying up to midnight just didn't have any appeal to us. We kissed in the morning. {PS I was kidding about the "fun in any capacity" part... we're like the most fun people we know!}

Adam found an interesting article about the difference between celebrating a New Year with midnight debauchery or, in contrast, morning reflection. I'd like to think we're more the "morning reflection" type of people. We've spent the day as a family and I've been thinking about what my One Word will be for this year. Not familiar with this? Check out Ali Edwards and her explanation of the One Little Word project. I may have heard about this project in years past, although I don't remember it. If I have heard it before, it certainly didn't have the impact that it had this year. One Word to describe the sum of my hopes for the New Year. I'd like to share some of my Runners Up, then talk about what decision I came to.

I thought about the word Change. 2010 will certainly be a year of change for us -- a new baby, a new job, a new house, a new school for Nate (and not necessarily in that order, may I add...) We're certainly on the brink of a lot of movement in our lives, and it's something I'm looking forward to. For that reason, 2009 could have been designated The Year of Anticipation. 2010 could be The Year of Fulfillment.

I also liked the idea of Simplify. But for the reasons mentioned above, I doubt this year will be very simple. Perhaps there will be a need, however, to simplify where we can since it will be a year of chaos and upheaval. And besides, who wouldn't want things to be more simple? In actuality though, I'll be only adding to my life, not simplifying it. 2009 will probably look more like the Year of Simplicity compared to 2010. 2010 will be more like The Year of Upgrade.

I thought a lot about the word Create. There will be much creation this year. I also love the inspiration found here. I love the opportunity to work with my hands, through scrapbooking or crafting or photography. I am grateful for the chance to create something that wasn't there before. I doubt that I will ever understand why I was given the remarkable privilege to create bodies made to house spirits of God. It is amazing to me that something could be created within me, and that I (in partnership with my husband and a loving Father in Heaven) could create something as intricate and as special as a child. There will be much creation in 2010, but that wasn't quite the word I was looking for.

I've settled on my One Word for 2010. It is LIGHT. I want to seek diligently and find light this year. I realize that I am not the source of Light, but I hope that I can be a more worthy vessel of the Light of my Savior. I want my Light to be brighter. I want my life to be brighter. I have been a little stagnant in the past year, but I know :

"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day."

If I continue "in God" this year, each day, then I know that the light in my life will grow brighter. This year I want to work toward this : "Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal..." (Revel. 21:11)


More scriptures pertaining to light:

"If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light." (Luke 11:36)

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6)

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

"And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." (Revel. 21:23)

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)


More Inspiration Here




What will YOUR One Word be this year? Leave me a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear yours!!
Need a little help? Here is the list Ali Edwards compiled of her readers' 2009 Words.