To Whom It May Concern:

Please stop posting on your blog. I have so much to do, so little time to do it, and I just spent two hours going through everyone's blogs and reading their posts. Nate and the baby are still in their jammies and it is almost lunchtime. My life is becoming pathetic and it's all your fault! No more posts!

Thank you,
Emily
Domestic Engineer
Murdock, Inc.

Another Great Nate-ism

Nate came home from pre-school today with a backpack full of all sorts of things...including Christmas projects that he'd made in school. This afternoon he called up to me while I was on hold with Honda: "Mom, can I eat the cookie I made in school?" I didn't remember any cookie, but I said: "Sure!"
Not even a minute later he came upstairs spitting and sputtering. "I didn't like my cookie, Mom." And what had he eaten? The gingerbread ornament he'd made last week, complete with glitter and sequins. Nice.

Nate's First Phone Call

Today I let Nate dial his Grandma's number. I told him what numbers to push, and then the conversation went like this:

Hi Grandma!
How good are you? I mean, how are you?
(Grandma talks)
I'm good. (little pause)
The baby is still a baby.
(Grandma talks)
I am almost five years old.
(Grandma talks)
Yes, it is almost my birthday on February twenty.
(Grandma is mid-sentence------)
Goodbye.
(Hands the phone to me.)

That was actually pretty good, normally he doesn't want to talk at all!

Just Passing Along Important Info

http://www.twilightmoms.com

My Sweet Boys

I'd post more pictures, but that would ruin the surprise of our Christmas cards! But man, aren't they cuties? I am one lucky momma.

This past week:

*We celebrated Adam's birthday on Friday. I can't believe that he's 32! Wow, time flies when you're having fun....and getting old!

*We're planning for our Christmas trip to Utah. We'll get to see my family and some of Adam's family. I am so excited, I can hardly wait! Less than two weeks until we leave!

*We're also planning our move to Dallas. Adam has been offerred a residency position in Garland, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). We are thrilled to be moving to a city which is familiar to us, and where we have wonderful friends. We are sad to leave Calgary behind. We've been so blessed here. We'll be moving in mid-January.

*I had a fun photo shoot with some friends here. Their pictures won't be up on my photography blog until after the holidays, when I get my Photoshop CS3. It is such an adventure to take pictures of a one-year-old who is just NOT in the mood! We had a lot of fun, though. Keep checking back to my photography blog, because I have a lot of shoots over the next few weeks!

*Aidan grows every day. I'm amazed that at two months, size 3-6 month clothes are just right. Oh, dear! I'm afraid we have a basketball player on our hands. He's not very "fat," just long. But oh man is he a cutie. He has brought new light to this house and I love it.

*Nate, my dear Nate. He continues to be a sweet boy and I get many hugs and kisses all day long. He loves school and I'm sure he'll love kindergarten next year. (Five days a week will suit him just fine!) He keeps begging me to go and see Santa at the mall. This week I'll probably have to cave in and take him (and Aidan too, of course!)

Aidan is 2 Months Old!

I am so in love with this sweet, handsome little boy.

What JOY our family has had over the past two months!

Nate calls him "Baby Aideeee-Pants." I don't know where he got that from, but it's caught on--and now that is what we all call him!

He smiles all the time, but if he sees the camera, he stops smiling and looks at it to try to figure it out. He gets a very inquisitive look on his face and studies the camera as if it's a bit scary. So someday I'll get a really good picture of his darling smile. Just not today!

(oh, and please ignore the drool...poor baby just can't help it!)

This Is A True Story

Well, our guests from the cousins party (see next post) were gone by about 11:30 and so we had the placed cleaned up, and the car packed up by about 12:15. I got in the car and realized I'd forgotten my purse. I knew Adam's parents had locked up and gone to bed, so I took my house keys off my key ring (my house key and their house key are on their own ring) and went to the house, unlocked the door, put the keys in my coat pocket, and got my purse from upstairs. Then I got back in my car. Nate needed help with his seatbelt, so I leaned back and helped him. Then we drove home.
12:30 Got home, got everyone out of the car, got to the door, reached in my pocket, no keys.
Looked all over for keys: on porch, on walkway, in parking lot, in car. No keys. Start car, turn on heat, put kids in car to stay warm. (Did I mention that it is 20 below zero outside? Did I mention that I am in a dress with nothing covering my legs?)
12:55 Realize that keys are not to be found. Decide on game plan. Say a little prayer that went something like this: "Please, Father, you know where those keys are. I'm exhausted. Please help us to find our keys."
12:56 Decide that keys must still be at in-laws. Drive to in-laws while saying this prayer: "Please, Heavenly Father, if the keys are at the in-laws, let them still be in the door, so we won't have to wake them up and let them know how careless I am."
1:15 Arrive at in-laws, keys not in door, make Adam ring the doorbell. Adam checks house, no keys. I check house, no keys. Desperation sets in as we realize we may have to sleep here tonight.
1:20 Adam tells me to check the car one last time. Since I buckled Nate in, maybe the keys fell from my coat pocket. Look in car, feel under seats, look in Nate's carseat. No keys.
1:22 Nearly rip car apart. They must be in the car. Look in middle console between the seats. There they are! Where.I.always.put.them. But I didn't remember putting them there! It was all habit, brain had checked out.
1:30 We're on the road home and my prayer is this: "Thank you, Father, for helping us find my keys. Please help me to not be so stupid."
1:45 Arrive home, kids are asleep, husband is silent (and likely very upset). Tuck everyone into bed......
2:00 Aidan wakes up. Is hungry. Of course.


And the next morning I woke up to a sore throat. No big deal. By noon it was a very big deal: sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fever. Flu. And I was supposed to wake up and frost the 10 dozen sugar cookies I'd made for our cookie exchange. I hope Megan will forgive me for cancelling a half hour before the party. I felt like (insert word here). Today, pretty much the same. I spent yesterday in bed. The whole day, sleeping, only waking up to feed the baby. Ah, the joys of cold and flu season. Yuck.

Let The Holidays Begin!

This weekend is the official start of the Christmas season in the Murdock home. Without a real Thanksgiving to get us started, we had to get creative. And what better way than putting up your decorations in someone else's home?! I spent some time last week at Adam's parents' home putting up my tree, decorating the house. They were kind enough to let me host a party there for all of Adam's cousins. We just don't have the room in our townhome, and I really wanted to start a tradition of sorts for the adult cousins to get together during the holidays. It was a lot of fun. I spent all of Friday baking for the party that night and also for a cookie exchange we'd been invited to the next day. The hostess of the cookie exchange wanted everyone to bring 10 dozen cookies to the party, so that took most of the day. And of course, stupid me wanted to make iced sugar cookies (never something simple!). But Nate loved helping me with the cookie cutters. Well, he helped with the first couple dozen, then got bored.

For the party I made way too much food. We had Apple Annie dip, spring rolls, chips and guacamole, tortilla roll-ups, a veggie platter, a pumpkin cake roll, mini eclairs, shortbread cookies, banana bread, and more. I went a little overboard. We played a White Elephant game, which was unfamiliar to some of our Canadian guests. Adam and I thought it was humorous how practical the gifts were. Nobody wanted our silly, junky gifts. Oh well. Here are some pics of our White Elephant game:

Melinda and Erin checking out her Rapping Dog (complete with a grill)

who rapped a Christmas song

Adam's brother John with his Pigtail Santa Hat

John's wife Kari opening her gift-"What is it?"

(also Nicole, Brenna, and Scott)

"Oh my!" (check out Kari's face!)

Rachelle and Derek

Sean and Lara
Melinda's husband Mike
Melinda and ErinAdam's brother JohnRoss and John

Thankful

We had a lovely "American Thanksgiving" as they call it up here. I find that kind of funny, as I've never heard an American refer to "Canadian Thanksgiving." Of course it didn't feel anything like the holiday I'm used to, but we did the best we could. I made a turkey breast (we always end up with a lot of waste when I make a whole turkey for just us), stuffing, mashed potatoes and rolls. Nothing too exciting. I have so much to be thankful for, I definitely was grateful to have time to ponder on the many, many blessings I enjoy. I'd make a list, but I think I've made enough lists lately. There have been too many picture-less posts lately because... Our computer crashed. Crashed! I was in the middle of backing up all my pictures, but of course hadn't finished that yet. What a mess. We're still hoping that our computer guy can get all our files off the computer. Keeping our fingers crossed. Because if he can't, that will be several months of photos lost. I haven't printed a photo since August. All I've got is what I've put up on this blog (thank heavens for that).

But we have the laptop and so I can upload my newest pictures. I took some of the boys today. They are not edited (of course that is what I miss most of all...Photoshop) and so forgive me. I didn't realize how much I rely on my Photoshop!

So here are some more recent pics.

Sunday Night Brownies (licking the bowl is the best part!):

The pictures ended this way:
My birthday party at the Murdocks':

So Funny

I was reading a gal's blog today and found this story. It's the funniest thing I've read in a long time, I was laughing so hard I was crying.
I hope Kelly Anne doesn't mind me sending some web traffic her way, but man this is a good one. I just had to share.
http://www.sansomfamily.com/?p=282

Twenty-Six

I have been thinking of this litle diddy all day:

Happy Birthday to you
You live in a zoo
You look like a monkey
And you smell like one too.

Today, I feel that was penned just for me.

It's official. I'm on the "back end" of my twenties. Sliding faster and faster toward thirty. Oh, dear.

What I want for my birthday: Eight hours of uninterrupted, deep sleep.
What I'm getting: Another move. To Dallas. Texas. Yep, it's true. We've decided to accept the residency position offerred to Adam at Baylor-Garland and we'll be moving sometime in the next few weeks (after the holidays, as per my gentle command). I'll likely write more about that in the coming days, when it (hopefully) sinks in a little bit.

And now, 26 things about myself (this will hopefully excuse me from ever making a "100 Things about me"):

1. I always answered "a teacher" when asked what I'd like to be when I grew up, although deep down all I wanted to be was a mother and a wife.
2. Marriage and motherhood is so much harder than I thought it would be. I'm pretty sure I would've made a better teacher ;)
3. I have to have socks on when I sleep. This drives my husband crazy. (crazy in a bad way, not a good way)
4. Most of my pet peeves relate to driving. Like people that can't drive and have no business operating a car that turns into a weapon when they are behind the wheel. That is a pet peeve of mine. More minor ones include talking on the phone while driving, tailgating, and stopping at a yield sign. I have an idea for an invention that is a mandatory phone or walkie-talkie in every car that you can call from your car and chew someone out. I think it's going to make me millions.
5. My great passion in life is photography. I think about it constantly, especially while I am driving. I am usually trying to find a great place to take pictures, or I am thinking about my latest work and thinking about how to improve it. I haven't had many photo shoots in Canada, but the reasons are too personal for a blog. But I think I am really good and I also think that my potential has yet to be unleashed on the world. Look out world.
6. I am sarcastic pretty much all the time. That makes it really hard to blog, because you can't read sarcasm.
7. My lists are a little too wordy.
8. My husband and I met at a singles ward Valentine dance in San Antonio, Texas. He knew that night that we were going to be married. I didn't know, however, which made it a little awkward when he told me on our second date. Let's just say that he's lucky that there was a third date.
9. I believe that our greatest blessings are also, by nature, our greatest challenges. I really, truly believe that nothing worthwhile comes easily (I know, that is SO cliche, but it's also true).
10. I went to BYU for a short time in 2000. I failed nearly every class and that was because my social hours were from 11 pm to 5 am. Every night. I am not joking, although my parents wish I was. I have never been more irresponsible, and I loved every minute of it.
11. My most prized earthly possession is my wedding ring. Adam picked out the stone specifically for me because it is a unique square-shaped diamond with a star cut inside. He explained it this way when he proposed: "This star represents you. You are my north star." It is probably the most romantic thing he has ever said to me. I think of that every time I look at my ring. I positively, absolutely love my wedding ring.
12. All of my grandparents are still alive, and I was fortunate enough to know five of my great-grandparents. I am very, very blessed when it comes to family. I love each of my special, wonderful relatives and get teary-eyed just thinking of how much they mean to me.
13. My favorite dessert is creme brulee. Mmmmm...
14. I used to imagine that I was always on TV, that people were always watching me. As a child, if I were doing the dishes, I would inevitably be in a commercial where my charm was used to sell dish soap. It's probably a good thing that my parents never caught on to how much I love(d) attention. They might have let me try acting, and then who know where I'd be?!! I could have been Lindsay Lohan. So thanks, Mom and Dad.
15. If I have a choice, I will usually buy jewelry or shoes or a purse. That is because these are the only things that I don't get depressed looking at the size. It's a fat girl thing.
16. I used to love the snow. That was when I lived in Texas and snow was a novelty. Then I moved to a place where it snows a lot, and I have had to scrape the windows in my car, and wear sensible winter shoes, and try not to fall every time I walk outdoors. Snow is no longer a friend of mine.
17. My favorite vacation spot is Mexico, likely because I really haven't been anywhere else. I loved the Playa del Carmen, where Adam and I honeymooned. Mostly because we were on our honeymoon. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to go there as "seasoned" married people. People who sleep for fun at night. Hmm.
18. I love, love, love that my boys both have my blue eyes. My eyes are the only thing I've ever been vain about. And, luckily for me, my best feature will not get fat, get saggy, or fade. I feel pretty lucky about that.
19. I am a stickler for table manners. It drives me crazy when people don't follow the simple ones. It has always bothered me that Adam doesn't stand up when a lady arrives at or leaves the table. But I realize that I did not marry a southern gentleman cowboy who studied manners and ettiquette (oh man I cannot spell that) just for fun. Oh well, he has other, more important qualities. If he read this, he'd probably ask me if the Savior would do it. If the Savior would not do it, then neither will he. And he's got me there.
20. My favorite quote is this: "Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable and undeserved." (Elder Marvin J. Ashton) I have tried to be great.
21. I have been blessed to know some of the most wonderful, Christ-like people in all the world. That has been the greatest consequence of all our moves.
22. I am still in touch with most of my high school friends and they continue to be some of the most amazing people I've ever met. I'll always be grateful for those friendships that stand the test of time.

23. I am totally addicted to Diet Coke. Well, not addicted, but I sure do love the stuff---the glorious, teeth-rotting, headache-inducing, up-all-night, delicious stuff.

24. (this is getting hard to think of things!) My worst quality: I cannot keep a clean house to save my life. My best quality: Hmm. I'll have to get back to you on that.

25. My favorite ways to spend "me" time: photography, scrapbooking, enjoying (not creating) beautiful art, and I love the great outdoors. I love rock climbing too, indoors or out.

26. Drum roll, please.... The greatest gifts I've ever received were people, not things. Well, people and my Nikon D200. That was also a really great gift.

Whew! Is anyone still reading after all that?!? haha

Something Fun

Come see what my mom made for us...I think it's so funny...then make one of your own!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9514788240

This Week

We had an eventful week, nothing too exciting, but here goes:
*We had our weekly lunch with Adam's mom, and his brother John and his wife Kari. Really fun. SO GLAD that John and Kari moved to Calgary recently, it's been too fun to have them here.
*Like the good wife I am, I took all of Adam's church clothes to the dry cleaners (I don't do this often, just a couple times a year, usually I wash things myself). Didn't ask for prices, was SHOCKED when my dry cleaning was $168. I can think of a million things I'd rather do with $168. Oh well. Note to self: Ask how much your dry cleaner charges BEFORE dropping off clothes.
*Speaking of money I hate to spend, our vacuum died. We had to buy a new one. I hate buying things like that, which must explain why I still have my very basic clothes iron that I bought for $7 when I went to BYU seven years ago. It still works, so thanks, Walmart.
*Aidan has recovered from his cold but now has an eye infection. That is just so strange to me, because none of us (or anyone we know) has had an eye infection recently. Luckily he's not in any pain, just has nasty drainage. It's gross. Got drops from the foreign doctor at the walk-in clinic. Adam had already told me that it could be an infection or a blocked duct. But the doctor felt it prudent to say: "We would be worried that it could be from an STD, such as gonorrhea or chlamydia (I hope I didn't spell those right) that he would have picked up as he exited your vaginal canal." I nearly burst out laughing, but instead just assurred him that I have no STDs and for that matter, had a c-section so passing an STD would be nearly impossible. But it was totally worth hearing the India-born doctor say that. Definitely blog worthy.
*Nate is doing MUCH better. Thank heaven for that. He's mellowing out and I do not feel the need to beat him anymore (just kidding!)
*Last night we took Nate to see the Bee Movie. Really cute movie. I'm not sure that Nate was as entertained as Adam and I -- we thought it was pretty funny, though. I just wish they'd put in more of Chris Rock's character. I think he can hold his own against Jerry Seinfeld any day. Definitely a fun one for kids and parents, too!
*We might be heading to Salt Lake for Christmas. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, because that would be a dream come true! I absolutely love Utah. So I'm crossing my fingers.
*And just to test who reads this blog, I have a big deal thing to tell you about: Adam is headed to Dallas this week to interview for a job. If you are shocked/excited/confused/angry about this, post a comment so I know you've been here.

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

I Heart Vampires

So I've officially jumped on the bandwagon. Perhaps I'm one of the last ones. This week I read all three of the Twilight series books. In four days. 1800 pages (give or take a few) in four days. That is sooooo unlike me (at least since eighth grade). But I was hooked. I finished the first one in a matter of hours and the second one the next day. The third one I spread out over two days because I realized I'd been neglecting all responsibility......
So I'm a dork now, just like all of my friends who have been talking these books up for months. Now it's my turn. If by some chance, you're reading this and you haven't read the books, stop reading my blog and go buy the Twilight series books. Do it now. You won't be sorry, in fact, you'll love escaping into the world of Bella and Edward. So much fun. And don't let the vampire thing hold you back---after you read these books, vampires will seem as normal as roast beef dinner on Sunday. ;)
And while you're here, if you have read the books, let's have a little book club meeting. Let's talk archetypes--did you think of the comparison between Edward and the Savior? Did you relate to Bella at all? Which Cullen would you want to be? Would you make the same end choice as Bella (which boy would you choose? I'm not sure I would have chose the same one...) Anyways, I can't wait to get these onto the book club list here in Calgary. So much to talk about.

Ode to Nate

Daddy and Nate in the NICU (Feb/03)
2004

Spring, 2005. Dallas YMCA gymnastics

December 2005, Utah

Malibu, May 2005

Halloween 2005, Kansas City

November 2006

December 2006

September 2007

Okay, so that last post was a little sad. I was getting Nate a snack when I realized that I need to do a post about how great a kid he is. I think I need to remind myself of all the great things he does and all that makes him so great. So, at the risk of being a little self-indulgent (isn't that what blogs are for, anyways?) here goes:

*From the beginning, Nate has always been a happy, social kid. Everywhere we go, he makes friends. Even at the grocery store. His line is always: "Hi. I'm Nate. I'm four. How old are you?" and he says this to kids and adults alike (which can be a little awkward, especially with the adults.). I believe that he has been blessed with this gift so that our many moves have been less difficult for him. He loves being around people.

*Nate is a bright kid. We were really nervous when he wasn't really talking much by age 2 or so. But once he started, he's never stopped! He's so curious about the world. He has many questions, some which surprise me by how thoughtful or insightful they are. He knew all his letters at a really young age and would "read" to me when we were driving. "That sign says S-T-O-P. That means stop. S-T-O-P means stop, Mom."

*Now, he can write all his letters and all his numbers. Imagine my surprise when one day at church he wrote all the letters on a piece of paper and handed it to me. We'd never even worked on it, not once. I still don't know how he did that.

*He can count to 100, not missing a single number. He is obsessed with numbers and asks us, "What number is this?" all the time. For instance, he'll say, "What number is 2,0,0,0?" to which we'll reply "That's two thousand." He'll then say, "Oh. Two thousand has three zeros after a two." He does this all day. When we're driving past houses, he reads the house numbers. Gets on my nerves sometimes, but I'm so glad that he's noticing the world around him.

*He loves the movie Cars, Toy Story, the Backyardigans, and Little Einsteins. He loves to play with Legos, cars, and ride his bike.

*He is a loving little boy. I love his hugs and kisses, and he's very sweet with his little brother. Aidan probably gets more than his fair share of love ;)

When Nate was born, he spent five days in the NICU. That was scary for us. I was so grateful to have him then, and I'm grateful to have him now. I hope to never take this precious child of God for granted. He is what his name means: "Blessing from God."

Heaven Help Me

Okay, so I know this is normal...and I know I'm not the only mom that has ever experienced this, but my first born is driving me crazy! He was doing pretty well for the first couple of weeks after Aidan was born (and I thought--look at me! I've prepared him so well, what a great mom I am!) Then, he got sick and it's been downhill from there. He hasn't shown any aggression toward the baby (quite the opposite in fact...he's been overly loving) but Adam and I are feeling all the effects of a boy who is feeling out-of-place. His new phrases are: "But I WANT TO!" (which he feels is a reason to get to do, eat, or say whatever he wants) and "NOW!" (which he adds to the end of any request or demand--lately it's been more demands than requests).
So, I'm at the end of my rope. (What is that saying? Tie a knot and hang on?) Can any of you relate to my insanity? Because the catch is this: If Adam or I are too harsh with him when he acts out, it actually gets more intense, the whining gets to a much higher level, and then I just want to run away. But the fear is that if we allow the behavior in any way (the whole "ignore it and if he sees it doesn't get any attention, it will stop" theory), that he will start to think that we are okay with him acting totally awfully. I used to think that I was a pretty good mom. In real life, Nate is generally a really, really good kid. But lately I've been thrown into "survival mode" and I HATE that!
Okay, enough of that. I'm sure a lot of you are saying "Been there, done that" and I'm sure things will even out soon. I suppose I wouldn't be so cranky over it IF I was getting more than two hours' sleep at a time and IF I wasn't sick and IF the baby wasn't sick, too. This too shall pass.

Heavenly Father to me: "How badly did you want another baby?"

Halloween!

Aidan in his Halloween outfit...."I Vant Your Candy"

(thanks for the outfit, Nana!)

Hello, Brother!

Aidan was a dalmation for Halloween! It kept him warm!

Too Much Trick-or-Treating!

Nate doing the traditional "dump-and-sort"

Some funny things said by Nate on Halloween:

"Oh, Mom, I LIKE Halloween!"

"I don't want to go to that house. It's spooky." (good thing, too, because there was someone hiding in the bushes trying to scare the kids)

(near the end of the night): "I am done. I have enough candy now."

Ward Party

Nate and his buddies Alden, Liam & Jackson
The mayhem after the pinata was broken...
Nate is in the middle of the pile-up

The loot!

On Tuesday our ward had a great Halloween party. Thanks to Amanda for heading it up (with help from her wonderful committee, of course) We had such a good time. Adam and I didn't dress up this year. It's hard to get into the Halloween spirit when your spouse says "Bah Humbug" ...or whatever the Halloween equivalent is. We lost all our Halloween costumes in Hurricane Katrina, and since then I haven't had the energy to make or buy new ones. But anyways, Nate was dressed up of course, so he represented the family. Next year we will have to get into it, because no one bought our explanations of our "costumes" : "Super Dad" and "a desperate housewife."

The party was a blast, though. I mostly loved seeing all our ward friends dressed up (some were extremely creative!) They had a haunted house, a pinata, games, a costume contest, and dinner. It was quite an event!

Halloween at Preschool!!

This is Nate's class at their Halloween party. I loved that most of the girls were princesses or fairies and each of the boys was a superhero or hero of some sort. They are a fun group of kids. And check out Nate, I mean, Superman. He'd wear that costume every day if he had the choice. But he doesn't have the choice. Because I am a mean mom and make him wear clothes. I thought it was funny that he'd pretend to fly and kept yelling "Su-per-man!" at every one that asked him who he was. Funnier still that he's never seen a Superman movie, cartoon, or even an episode of Smallville. Where do they pick these things up???

Fun Playdate

Nate had a fun playdate with some new friends this week...thanks for playing with us Austin and Ella (and Alivia too!) And thanks, Alysha, for meeting us in such a fancy restaurant. ;) We just wish you didn't live in Edmonton...good thing you still visit Calgary often. Looking forward to your next visit!

I Hate Croup

Well, our old friend CROUP has visited Nate again...in a nasty way. It started Tuesday, and every night since has been no fun (between nursing Aidan every two hours and Nate waking up three times a night, I'm getting no sleep at all!) Luckily we think he's on the back end of it. This is the third time Nate has had croup, and everyone says he's too old to have it again, but here we are. So, the challenge hasn't necessarily been the terrible cough, or the trouble breathing, or even the middle-of-the-night trips into the cold air (which help a lot, actually). The challenge has been keeping Nate and baby Aidan apart. Nate is terribly upset that he can't hold, hug, and kiss his little brother. And he's equally upset that Mom is spending so much time holding the baby, and she can't comfort him all day long. It's brought us both to tears on several occasions. I realize now how much I've taken for granted--good health, spontaneous hugs, and good sleep. Hopefully next week will be better, and join us in praying that Aidan doesn't get sick, too. I'm not sure I could handle that!
OK, so I know that many of you didn't really care to read such a boring blog entry, and maybe you're just here to look at pictures, so here you go :)

Wanna see more? Check out my family's blog:

http://busathfamily.blogspot.com

Four Years Will Make You Forget...

It's been a long time since we've had a newborn in our home. I've forgotten...

*Baby poop is gross and it gets everywhere. Aidan goes through so many outfits, I'm doing laundry every other day!

*A mom with a new baby can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. Even sitting up.

*The world is eerily quiet at 2 a.m. and is equally quiet at 4 a.m. when we get up again.

*There is no sweeter feeling than a little infant curled up against your chest.

*I'm more likely to have a meeting with the president of the United States than get a shower by noon.

*Binkis (soothers for you Canucks), TV/movies, and McDonalds are not evil. They are tools necessary for survival.

*I will never find out what I did right, that made me lucky enough to be a mother. What a tremendous blessing, and what a tremendous responsibility! I'm humbled when I look at the little faces of my boys, and think of what they might become. Limitless potential. Wow.

********************************


Aidan is two weeks old today and has figured out what lungs are for!! Last night was a little rough, but by one a.m. he was calmed down and asleep. I'd barely fallen asleep when, at exactly 1:08 a.m., Nate woke up with a wet bed. So I took jammies off, put on new jammies, switched out bedding, calmed him down, went back to bed and fell asleep. Luckily Aidan let me sleep for a little while. Poor Adam, he actually had to get up today and go to work...I got to sleep in until Nate woke up!

Introducing....

Aidan Michael Murdock

Born October 3, 2007 at 11:05 a.m.

8 pounds, 1 ounce

21 inches

Proud Daddy

Our First Family Portrait...Aidan is about two hours old

I look tired, don't you think?

Me and My Boys...I am one lucky momma

These brothers are going to be good buddies!

Aidan joined our family last week and we have been basking in the joy of a newborn in our home. What a sweet spirit they bring...so fresh from heaven. He was born by c-section last Wednesday and gave us a little scare in the beginning. He came out screaming but didn't turn from blue to pink very quickly. The atmosphere in the operating room was tense, and I could hear a lot of commotion as they brought in a pediatrician consult and called for a special team to come and take him to the "special care nursery." But I couldn't really see anything since I was lying on the OR table being stitched up... Needless to say, it was a scary situation but he ended up "pinking up" before they had to take him to the nursery and he has been given a clean bill of health, thank heaven. We didn't name him right away, since Adam and I couldn't agree on a name. The second night I woke up from a dream with the name of Aidan on my mind, and although Adam liked it well enough, he still wanted to name him Matthew. So, we decided to let Nate be the tie breaker, and he chose Aidan. We chose the middle name of Michael in honor of my father, and we were reminded later that it's kind of like giving him the middle name of Adam since the first man on earth (Adam) was the spirit Michael. Anyways, Aidan means "little fiery one." I hope we're not asking for trouble!

Since we've been home, Aidan has been a dream come true. He hardly ever makes a sound, he's such a calm baby. He looks just like Nate did when he was born (except he's two and a half pounds heavier!)

Nate is adjusting (I think) and he says, "I like my baby brother." He's been very helpful and sweet with the new baby, and I am so grateful that so far he's doing well. I am healing very quickly and haven't taken any pain medication since we got home on Friday. That is a tremendous blessing...I feel great!

We were so blessed to have my mom here for the birth and the days following. It was really sad to see her go (she left yesterday) but we've been managing okay without her. We have such amazing family members and we're so thankful to our friends and family who have been so helpful and provided so much service over the past week.

Life is beautiful, and we are so blessed!!!