Home Is Where Your Heart Is

A few people have asked me to post a picture of our new home. Don't get too jealous, I know it's big and beautiful.

It really is a great home for us. We have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living rooms and two dining areas. We also have a two-car garage and a great backyard. We feel really blessed.

With all this space, we would love visitors! Come let us take care of you at the Hotel Murdock.

And yes, we still have the Green Stunner (aka my little Accord) that has gone many miles in search of the perfect place to live. Dallas to New Orleans to San Antonio to Kansas City to Calgary and back to Dallas. The circle is complete!

And just a little shout-out:
Congrats to Justin and Brook for matching in KC! I know that they will love the city and you KC-ites will be in for a real treat to have them as neighbors. Justin and Brook are the only couple we know who have lived in more cities since Hurricane Katrina than we have. Hopefully Kansas City will feel like home!

Happy Easter Y'all

We had a really great Easter celebration that lasted all week!

The Saturday before Easter we spent a "family day" that included a trip to the Eggstravaganza at the Cooper Institute where we sampled good food, tested the durability of all ten jump houses, and rode the tractor-pulled train. We finished the day with a great Mexican linner (read: lunch and dinner at the same time!)

Easter Day is generally low-key at the Murdock home. We woke up to find that the Easter bunny had come and hid a ton of eggs. He even included a basket for baby Aidan filled with springtime clothes and bibs. (which were desperately needed with the current teething situation and all the drool that is constantly flowing)

Nate was totally uncooperative with photos. I've included this one from last week just so you know what he looks like in all his handsome glory:



And Baby Aideee sporting a new bib...and lovin on the empty eggs
his brother let him play with:

Shaking out the loot all over the floor
(thank goodness the Easter bunny also vacuumed the house!)

Somehow, this is the best one I got of the boys:

Because some un-named parent decided to tickle them at the EXACT moment I was getting a great picture that was in focus and had a smiling Nate:

We were fortunate to have Easter dinner with one of Adam's friends from Calgary and his darling wife and five kids! We were a loud bunch and we loved every minute of it. Thanks, BJ and Heidi, for thinking of us lonely newbies.

I've decided that next year I've really got to step up my game. Or rather, I've got to make sure the Easter Bunny steps up his (her?) game. But really, an Easter egg hunt really is lame with just one kid. Next year we'll try something new. Any suggestions?

Happy Friday

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Orange

You're a bold, confident orange. A warm, powerful color that indicates a strong, welcoming personality, orange is the mark of people who are social and extroverted by nature. Vibrant, with an upbeat attitude, you have a bright, inviting demeanor. Energetic and fun-loving, you're a real friend-magnet. Your easy charm and unassuming manner make you the sort of person people want to meet and get to know better. Well-rounded and fun to be around, you enjoy helping others, so it's no surprise that orange also symbolizes attraction. Orange is an extraordinary color — for an extraordinary person.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Leave a comment and tell me what YOU are!

Blog-larious!

This is from my blog friend Amy's blog. She is one of the funniest people I wish I knew in real life.
Anyhow, just thought this would brighten your boring Thursday:

I'm releasing a build-your-own-comment section in response to all of your recent posts. You'll find that it's vaguely reminiscent of the chose-your-own-ending books we adored in elementary school. It's simple to use--just pick one line from section A, section B, and section C, piece them together and *bam,* you've got a comment from my heart to yours. Go ahead and give it a whirl...

Section A

Congratulations on...

I'm sorry about...

Oh! Look at that...

Wow...

Section B

(s)he's walking...

your recent race time...

your new appliances...

the house...

your significant other...

picture...

your rear end...

you're covered in mud...

your weight gain...

your weight loss...

your kid...

Section C

is adorable!

how cute!

is awesome!

is nasty.

sucks!

that sucks!

look(s) fantastic!

that's priceless!


...So, which comment would you like me to leave on your blog? -emily

For The Beauty of the Earth

We are so loving the Dallas Arboretum. For all you Dallas-ites, we got a membership and want to know...want to join us for a day in the sunshine?

You can see more pictures from our day on my other blog.





Can you spot the boy who is D-O-N-E with taking pictures? Too bad, because this might have been a good one!

101st Post

Spring has sprung in the Lone Star State. We spent yesterday soaking up the rays. I have some great pics that are with "The Editor" of my blogs and they'll be up soon.
Here is a teaser of the beauty we enjoyed at the Dallas Arboretum.



Oh how I love the sunshine!

I do not, however, love the migraines that have been my nearly-constant companion this week.
I drove to Wal-mart and had to call Adam because I was seeing double and was dizzy. I literally couldn't see anything unless I was staring straight at it. Kind of made shopping at Wal-mart during rush hour difficult. Luckily it got a little better before I had to drive home. Anyways, Adam thinks it is just migraines but is making me see a doctor about it. On the phone at Wal-mart, he told me: "The good thing is, you're young, which probably means it is not a stroke." The words every woman longs to hear.
Do any of you suffer from migraines? What are they like for you and what do you do about them? I'm a little nervous that this is a new thing that is not going to go away. It is not fun!

Okay to end this on a happy note, we think we've finally got a new A/C unit installed and almost ready to go! Thank goodness, because tomorrow is supposed to be 83* here!

Pride and JOY

Baby Aidan at 5 months!

Brrrrr....

I wish this was some Photoshop-ed picture. But alas, it is not. Can you see that? It says "Inside: 55" Degrees. That is how cold it is in my house. That is what happens when your heater breaks and you're renting.
Supposedly we're getting a new one. Hopefully before it snows again (there was SNOW on the ground this morning! Snow!)
In the meantime, double jammies and five blankets at night. And plenty of snuggling.

In December I was thrilled to find out that we were moving to Texas. I just couldn't believe that we were fortunate enough to get to move back to Dallas, the place where Adam and I started our lives together. I have such a great love for this city (I know what you're all saying--"WE KNOW! You haven't stopped talking about Dallas since you left! We get it!" Fair enough...)
Anyhow, I'm not sure how I envisioned our return. I certainly didn't expect anyone to say, "Oh good, the Murdocks are back! I can finally stop holding my breath! My life can now go on!" I'm a realist. I know that we were hardly missed. Texas life went on without us, shockingly enough. But I hadn't expected things to have changed so much. After all, I really didn't think I'd changed all that much. But being back has shown me that I am a much different person than I was when we moved away, yet I'm still prone to the same insecurities.
Take, for example, my work. I've gone back to the same job I had for almost three years. Everything has changed at my Y. All of my management is different. The rules are different. The staff is different. The parents, the kids...well, you get the picture. I think I've said the phrase "When I worked here before..." way too many times. I don't fit in there anymore, and I think the gals I'm working with are starting to resent that I thought I would fit in.
Then there is my old group of friends, whom I love dearly. Their lives have all changed, too, over the past couple years. They have more kids, more stress, less time. It has been a little weird for me to try to redefine our friendships. We went from same-city friends to long-distance friends and now we're back to same-city friends, and I keep wondering how it's all going to work out. Now I guess I know it won't ever be the same as it was, and I was a little naive to think that my life was the only one that changed. And that's not to say that my friends haven't been fantastic. It's not that they are not fantastic.
Oh!
I just figured it out! My own little epiphany, right here, right now. This thought just entered my brain. And it's all starting to make sense.
The real problem is that I didn't expect this move to be as difficult as all the rest were. I thought that because Dallas was familiar, the move would be easy.
The reality is that moving is difficult every time. You have to be brave and confident every time. You have to prove yourself as someone interesting and worthwhile every time. You still have boxes and boxes to unpack and a community to settle in to and a niche to find every time. It's exhausting every time.
So my apologies to all you who read this. It was like a little mini-session of therapy! And who says blogs are a waste of time. This was my own reality TV show right here. And I didn't even charge you cable fees. Lucky you.


And some updates, just in case you're wondering.

Nate will not play soccer. Not this season, at least. I'm going to try for t-ball. This time I'll know to request a team with no Sunday practice or games. I haven't told him yet and he broke my heart tonight when he said he's going to watch the other soccer players so he'll know what to do to be a good soccer player. I just didn't have the heart to tell him yet. So I said, "That sounds like a good plan, Nate."

Aidan is five months old. What the--??? Where did the time go?

Adam is almost done with his two-week rotation of night float, meaning that by this weekend he'll be able to sleep at night and work during the day. Novel idea.

I still have boxes everywhere. I've seriously got to get my butt into gear and get everything put away. Please, someone tell me they're coming to visit and see the house so that I get motivated.

And just so that the teasing doesn't go on much longer, the thing I was "putting off" was washing my hair.

Just kidding. I'm still not telling, not yet anyway. It's far too personal for some random person to read. (who am I kidding...only my mom reads this blog.) So, Mom, you'll just have to ask me personally. But let me tell you, it means BIG CHANGES! Big changes, people!

Yesterday was a...

terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Well, okay, it wasn't too bad. But I am still upset over the whole soccer thing. I figure most people reading this would think--What is the big deal, seriously? Well, it actually is a big deal to us for a few reasons.
First-we just moved back to Texas and Nate is seriously having a rough time. He's bored most of the time, as all his friends live thirty minutes away. He hasn't made any friends at church yet (neither have I...but that is another post...only four weeks of attending church and barely anyone has talked to us...)
Second-Nate is not enrolled in preschool. We just can't afford it right now. I'm still looking for somewhere that might let him come for free, if they even have space available. He spends three days a week with me at the YMCA childcare which he says "is for babies because there are only babies there and they have baby toys." He hates it and I have to drag him there M-W-F.
Third-I was looking forward to the fact that I got to enroll him for less than half price because I'm an employee. It was going to be only $20 for him to play the season of soccer. Cheap fun.
Fourth-He's been talking about playing soccer for weeks. I kept reminding him that he had it to look forward to. It even became a bribe of sorts to get him outside to play..."Go practice kicking the soccer ball so you'll be really good at it when soccer season starts."

Oh well.

It also wasn't the best day because I had to do something really brave that I've been putting off for almost six years. I'm not kidding. And you thought YOU were a procrastinator! Let's just say, it's going to cost a lot of money and take a lot of effort and maybe even some self-introspection. Oh, dear.

But the day ended okay...I was able to go to dinner with some old friends. They were ladies I worked with at the YMCA when we lived in Dallas before. It was really nice to get together and just be an adult. Plus the food was yummy. And the vino flowed like wine (for them) so the conversation got funnier and funnier as the hours rolled on. I love my friends.

Update: The YMCA is not Christian

Um, so I was THAT mom today. I marched upstairs to the sports office and requested a team change. I was told that there was no way. I explained why I needed a team that practiced on Saturday, and was told (in more words than this, but generally speaking) "Too bad." The gal told me that she couldn't grant my request because they have too many kids in the league and if they gave everyone their change request, it would be a madhouse. I totally get that. But I couldn't let the fight stop there. Not with the lowest-on-the-totem-pole gal in the department. So then I became THAT mom and THAT employee when I talked to her boss. Unfortunately, that only got me a promise of a swift refund.

My husband (jokingly) says we should sue the Y for religious discrimination. I wonder, if we were Jewish and said we couldn't have practice on Saturdays because it's our Sabbath, would they grant that request? I'm sure they would. But we're not Jewish. We're Christian.

So much for the Young Mens Christian Association.

But I still work there. Mostly because I need the money :)

Almost A Soccer Mom

I got Nate's soccer team info today. The team coach emailed a bunch of information about the team...jersey ordering info, etc. She said our first game is next Monday. And our team practices will be Sunday afternoons at 4pm. Great. So I had to email her and tell her that we don't have our children play sports on Sunday because we use that day for worship and family time. I also asked her what our options are...could we switch to another team that doesn't practice on Sunday? Her response...

She let me know we could come and use the playground for family time during practice, as her family does.
There is a strict policy about children not playing in the game if they miss practice.
We could petition the YMCA for a team change, but it may be difficult to get one this late.

So what makes this all the worse is that all of the sudden I'm THAT mom. The one that (seemingly) wants everyone else to work around her. The one that is talked about by YMCA staff once she leaves the room: "She seriously thinks she's above the rules! Does she honestly believe the whole world revolves around her?"
And what else? This is the YMCA that I work for. Uh-huh, now I'm THAT mom and I'm THAT co-worker, too. Love it.
I'll let you know what happens...hopefully we'll end up getting to play with a team somehow. Nate will be absolutely devastated if he can't play soccer...he's been looking forward to it for weeks! Agh!

Nate's (Kinda) Birthday Party

Oh, how thankful we are for good friends!

We met Nate's good buddy Ethan and his mom and sisters for a birthday celebration at Chuck E Cheese. We have one very close to our house and every time we'd pass it, Nate would ask if he could have his birthday party there. So, naturally, when the time came, we just couldn't imagine his birthday party anywhere else!

I think the kids really had a great time. It was nice to be with our good friends, too. Ethan was our across-the-street neighbor when we lived in Dallas the first time. His parents are some of our best friends and we're so happy to be back in the same city as them!

Anyways, here are some pictures. If Jennette sends me the ones from her camera, I might post some of those, too.

The boys love the blue frosting!


The girls enjoying cake...yum!

Nate is a PRO at the basketball game! :)

My Sweetheart

I absolutely love this little boy (he'd say "I'm not a little boy! I'm a kid!") I still can't believe how fast time goes. What a blessing that he is healthy and happy--well, most of the time! Nate has been such a great addition to our family and he is such a fantastic big brother. I'm thankful for him. Here are five things about Nate at five years old:
*He is one of the smartest kids I've ever met. Right now he's very much into spelling and reading. He still loves numbers too, and is starting to figure out how to read them (like 1000 is one thousand, 142 is one hundred forty two). Smartie pants.
*He loves his Nintendo Wii. He's much better than his mom and can even hold his own against Dad in his favorite game, MarioKart.
*He spent five days in the NICU after he was born at a tiny five pounds, thirteen ounces. You'd hardly know it now, though...he's tall and healthy and full of energy.
*He cannot wait for school to start in the fall. Closer in the future is the start of his first soccer season. Now that is going to be fun!
*He still loves people and friends and being social. He's kind and thoughtful and has been every bit of the meaning of his name: "Blessing from God."

I am such a lucky momma.

I Absolutely, Positively LOVE Texas

So, we're here. We're in Dallas and our internet is finally hooked up. I think I went almost six weeks without checking everyone's blogs! Wow, talk about withdrawal.
The move was exciting. There was a good snowstorm the day we moved from Calgary. Of course. It reminded us of the blizzard that Kansas City dumped on us on our way outta town. Apparently it's just not a Murdock move without snow. Luckily the weather wasn't too bad most of the way down, but we did have a couple setbacks. I won't bore you with too much detail, but one event makes me laugh now, so I'll share it:
We were headed through a pretty good storm in Wyoming (I think....all those states really blended together for me). We passed through a decent-size city at about dinner-time and I told Adam that we should find a place to stay for the night. He told me that it would be crazy to stop so early and that there was another good-size city about two hours ahead. (Can you tell where this is going? Yup...it gets better) We headed onward (who am I to argue against efficiency?) and got stopped about thirty miles later by a road block. The highway was closed because four 18-wheelers had jack-knifed off the road and were blocking the passage. My response: "Let's turn around and go stay the night in town." Adam's man-response: Got out of the car and asked the highway patrolman where the little road we could see in the distance led. The patrol officer told him: "It goes through the mountain passes and gets you back onto the highway about 75 miles ahead. It will take you longer than the main highway would, but it'll get you where you're going." Hmmmm....sounds like a good idea, right? Except....did I mention that it is WINTER? Did I mention that there was a STORM? We spent the next two and a half hours going through the mountain pass where there was a foot of snow on the road (and continuing to fall), eight feet (easily) packed up on the side of the road, and my Canadian husband had this to say when it was all over: "Those were the worst driving conditions I've ever driven in. It was probably a mistake to go that way." Right.
But we did make it to Texas eventually. Nate did really well on the trip. Aidan did well, too. We were lucky enough to have Adam's brother Daniel as a third driver which helped immensely. We got to Dallas on a Saturday and we were supposed to go sign the lease on our home when we got to town. We called our realtor on Friday night and he said everything was good to go for the morning, but when we called him Saturday morning, he told us that the house had been leased to someone else! We were homeless. So we spent Saturday looking at homes and found nothing that we liked. Monday came and we looked again...and found a home that we really thought would work. It took almost a week, but we finally moved in and although we're still in boxes, we're happy to be here.
I took some pics of the boys. Are they darling or what?
PS--I used two different logo options (slight font difference) so.....which one do you like better?

Salt Lake City

After Saint George, we traveled up to Salt Lake City to be with my family. I'd list all the family members we saw there, but that would take a whole page. Let's just say that we saw seven out of eight of my parents' siblings and their families (Debbie and Gary...we sure missed you! Hope Mexico is treating you well!), my whole family, three sets of grandparents, and my mom's uncles and their families. Seriously, I think we probably saw and talked with over a hundred family members. We are so blessed.

We stayed at my Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary's home. They aren't much like an aunt and uncle, since they are only a few short years older than us. So it was fun to be with them. My sister Laurel and her little family stayed there, too, so between the three little families we had five kids under five. It was a riot.

(Aidan and cousin Maggie, they are just two months apart)

Steve and Mary live on a darling little "farm" and their home is an old farm house which (part of it) dates back to the late 1800's. It's large and unique and perfect for photos. So here is one of my family in front of the old grainery:(left-to-right: Nathan Lakey holding Eli, Laurel (my sister), Jeff, my mom holding Nate, my dad, my brother Tom standing above them, Ali, Angela (sitting), Adam holding Aidan, me)

We also blessed Aidan while we were there. Adam jokingly threatened to change his name during the blessing ("A name and a blessing means just that...I have ultimate power...mwahahahaha!!"), but in the end he remained Aidan Michael Murdock.

We celebrated my dad's 50th birthday with a "surprise" party for him (he found out about it by reading my mom's emails...curiosity killed the cat!) The party included a Roast, and it was really fun to listen to his high school friends tell about him as a kid. I don't think my younger siblings will ever get into trouble again...they have "But you did it" fodder for the rest of their lives!

(Dad with his Mom, brothers and sister)

Adam and I took the boys to Temple Square in Salt Lake City on New Year's Eve. It was so cold, we could hardly stand it. The visitor's center was packed but there weren't many people touring the grounds. But I was determined to see the lights on Temple Square. It is one of my favorite traditions. I wonder--am I the only one who thinks that the spirit is strongest on Temple Square? For me, I feel it instantly as I cross through the gates. Every time I go there I start to gush tears for no apparent reason. What a magical place. I suppose it may have something to do with the fact that Adam and I were married in the SLC temple, as were my parents, my grandparents, and many sets of great-granparents, great-great grandparents, etc. I am so thankful for our temples and for the sealing power that binds our families. What a priceless gift.

After Temple Square, we went back to Steve and Mary's and put the kids to bed. Then the adults watched the ball drop and played a rousing game of Speed Scrabble (hey--it's not the most intense fun but at least this year we stayed up!! haha) We were all frustrated by Nathan (Laurel's husband) and his incredible mind. I think he easily had twice as many points as anyone else!

(Steve wanted Nathan to know how he felt about his plethora of points)

The next morning we had brunch at my uncle Mike's house. It was really fun to have everyone together for some yummy food!

(My mom and her brothers...nothing is ever boring with this crowd!)

The next couple days were spent getting family portraits done (I'll post them when we get them back from Busath Photography), shopping (we got a Wii...and playing Mario Galaxy is all we've been doing since we got home), eating good SLC food (Training Table is my fave), and photo shoots (I'm working on the edits from about 8 photo shoots...they'll be on my website soon). We traveled home safely (it was perfect weather the whole way back) and now we're into the reality of life which includes finding a place to live in Dallas, packing up, and making the move in just two short weeks. Wish us luck!

Christmas in St. George

We started our holiday travels in St. George, Utah with Adam's family. We were able to be with Adam's parents, his brother Jared from L.A., his brother Daniel (recently returned from BYU-Jerusalem), his brother Paul and his wife Rachael & daughter Sydney. Here are some highlights and pictures:

Nate and cousin Sydney watching a Mickey Mouse Christmas Eve special

Our view from the back patio...it was so sunny and beautiful there!
Ahh, I miss the sun now that we're back in dreary Calgary!

Happy Aidan on Christmas Morning

Nate and Aidan on Christmas morning...Nate was thrilled with all that Santa brought...but his favorite thing was the Spiderman Web Blaster!