Where Have We Been?

Well, the answer to the question is: everywhere and nowhere. We've been busy, but we've managed to squeeze in some fun, too. Last weekend we had a lot of fun. Saturday we went to a ward activity at Chestermere Lake, about 25 minutes away. Nate had been looking forward to "boat day" all week and finally, Saturday was here! The weather wasn't that great (it was a bit windy and cold) but some brave souls did get in the water to wakeboard, and we got to take a ride on the boat, so we were happy!
Saturday night we went with Adam's family (all the extended Melchin family) to Globalfest's finale. Globalfest is a week-long fireworks competition and we had tickets for the closing ceremonies, so to speak. A big thanks to Adam's uncle Greg for inviting us! Nate loved, loved, loved the fireworks and even a little bit of rain didn't dampen our spirits! We were a little nervous about how Nate would like the fireworks, since he hasn't seen any since he was two (and was scared to death at Disneyland...that was the last fireworks show we've seen....) but man did he love it! I must admit, so did I. I'm a sucker for fireworks.
I've also been busy with some photo shoots, a couple of which I've posted on my other blog. I'm hoping to be able to do some more before the baby comes, and then get back into it as soon as possible afterwards. I find so much joy taking pictures, whether of people or scenery or my favorite subject in the world: Nate!
Anyways, we're just trying to get ready for baby. I'm organizing, cleaning, storing, etc. all in anticipation of the little man's arrival! Only about five more weeks!

"Sittin' on the dock of the bay...watching the tide roll away..."

These boys LOVED the trampoline at the cabin!

Some great friends from our ward...isn't their daughter beautiful?!

Rick, el capitano

Sweetheart 'L'

Outrageous!

I am not sure that I've ever used this blog for anything but showcasing my love for my family and keeping in touch with loved ones, but I just had to write about this.

I was just watching the local news at noon and heard the most ridiculous thing ever. This is so indicative of "progressive" Canadian politics and laws and it makes me sick. In Quebec, when a couple gets married, the woman is not legally allowed to take her husband's last name. Even if she wants to. Now, I am not against women who choose to keep their last name when they get married. I think that is a personal choice. But I do believe that a woman should have the choice!! The news story said that if a woman wants to legally take on her husband's last name, she has to apply to legally change her name, which is generally not granted for the reason of "marriage."

Beyond having your government tell you that you cannot change your last name, which upsets me at every level, I have to think about the effects of this: what will doing geneaology be like when a woman doesn't have the same last name as her children? How does it affect record-keeping in the Church (and otherwise)? Anyways, I just had to assert my opinion. This isn't a new law, it's about 25 years old, and it was considered a major "win" for the feminist movement. Now there is a call for government to change the law and let women choose. What do you think about this? Am I just a little too uptight? Does this really matter? Would it matter to you?

Murdock July

July was a busy month for us! Not only was it the hottest July in Calgary since 1960, which made sleeping with no A/C a little difficult, but we were kept on the run with all sorts of adventures, visitors, and fun, fun, fun! First of all, let me defend my inablilty to sleep and my crankiness about the 87-degree heat. Everyone here teased me mercilessly because I'm supposed to be this tough Texan who is used to heat. Well, in Texas, 87 degrees in the summer would be considered a cool day, that is right. But Texans do not usually go outside if it's much hotter than that (unless it's to the pool or something) AND we are smart enough to make sure that the air conditioning is working wherever we live. Otherwise, we die. And, I've never been seven-plus months pregnant in the summer either. I will from now on, plan winter babies :) So, all you Canadians, lay off. It's hot, I could barely sleep for most of July, and I am not a wimp just because I installed a window-mounted A/C unit in my living room. So there :)

Okay, on to the fun things.......

1. Adam's brother Paul and his wife Rachael and their 20-month-old daughter Sydney visited Calgary this month. We went with them to the Calgary Stampede. Super fun. Nate cried for a couple days after Sydney left. They were really good buddies. He kept saying "I want my cousin back."

Really great photo of Adam and Nate on the roller coaster. You'd never guess that I actually know how to use my camera :)

Nate and Sydney riding the train to the Stampede

2. Adam's uncle Wade brought his family to visit from Arizona and we got to go on a day trip to the mountains with the Melchin clan. These pictures are from Morraine Lake and some falls that I think are called Takawaka or something.

3. Nate got his first bike. I think it's way too big, but his ever-so-frugal dad says he'll grow into it. We decorated it with Spiderman and Superman stickers so that it would be "cool."

4. Adam's brother Jared also visited Calgary, although we hardly got to see him because...

5. Adam's grandmother (his father's mother) passed away at the spry age of 95. The family was able to go down for the funeral (even Paul and Jared could go because they were in town). So they drove down to Idaho and were gone for a few days. The services were beautiful, I'm told, and we will all remember the sweet and fun woman she was. She was finally able to go "home" and be with her husband and son, Dennis, who preceded her in death.

6. Adam's aunt Robyn and uncle Nyle were here to visit. (Robyn's actually still here) We loved having dinner with them and we even celebrated "Heritage Day" with a Melchin family picnic in the park. I was having too much fun to take any pictures, so sorry....

7. Adam and I celebrated our sixth anniversary on July 25. It's nearly impossible for me to wrap my head around the fact that it's been six years since we were married in the LDS Salt Lake Temple. What a blessing it is to be married to your best friend and what a blessing that we have each other forever. Also, I couldn't help but get emotional over the fact that we're blessed to have our own children, with a sweet and loving four-year-old and another little boy on the way. We are richly blessed.

I couldn't resist adding this side shot, this baby is growing every day! (This pic is from 30 weeks....only a few more to go!)

8. Other than all that, we've just been soaking up the sun and enjoying life. Here are some bonus pictures :)

Having a great time with friends Alden and Jackson at Riley Park, a wading pool park that is FREE! (By the way, this was the 4th of July. I made sure Nate was wearing his red, white and blue swim shorts. Even if no one else noticed, at least we remembered the holiday...and thought about how much I miss my country and how blessed we are to be American.)

Nate and his neighbor buddies...we've been spending a lot of time outdoors playing with these guys. Some days Nate is literally outside from 8 am to 7 or 8 pm, only taking breaks to eat!