Even in our imperfections (like our binky addictions), we're darling.

And we love you. We want you to know that.

The whole Murdock clan wishes you a beautiful Valentine's Day. May you have those you love around you and may you remember that no matter what, there is Someone who loves you for all that you are, all that you are becoming, and all that you will be someday. There is One who loves unconditionally. There is Someone who wishes to teach you about True Love. Learn more about His Love on this very special website.

We love you! Happy Valentine's Day!

February is for Lovers

Oh, what a fabulous weekend. January was a tough month for the Murdocks, and although there are a few struggles still lingering, this weekend was so wonderful that I hardly feel the need to complain. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably still complain, but I don't feel the need. (haha)

January was a particularly stressful month for Adam with regards to work. He was working at Children's and working some long hours (which are actually regular resident hours, but with his really easy schedule lately, it was tough to have him gone so much...and it was tough on him to work such long hours). He worked two weeks straight without a day off (and still taking call at the hospital -- sleeping there overnight every few nights). Anyways. January was tough for all of us. Finally, that rotation was over last week and he had the weekend off. We took full advantage and spent Saturday doing errands and chores...together...which makes doing them so much easier and so much more fun! Saturday night we got a babysitter and went on a real date. Generally, we celebrate Valentine's Day on a weekend in February that is NOT close to February 14th. We find it to be much more relaxing, because it's easier to find a babysitter and easier to get a table at the restaurant we are going to. So, we had our Valentine's Day date this weekend, and went to dinner and a movie. It was so lovely to just be together. I really missed my husband last month!

Superbowl Sunday was great too...we made it to church on time and were all there! I don't think that's happened for awhile. After church, we came home to a roast cooking in the kitchen and while we waited for it to be ready, the whole family dog-piled on the couch and took turns napping on one another. It was so comfy and perfect.

Many of you have asked about our plans for the future. Most of you probably know that Adam is going to be done with his residency in the fall (September) and that we have been thinking about the next adventure (read: job) for awhile now. I have hesitated to talk about it much, especially on the blog, because you never know who is reading -- and I don't want to say anything that would hurt his chances at a fabulous job. (I tend to do that -- say things that I immediately wish I hadn't!) Anyway, a few months ago his residency program director asked him to consider applying for a faculty position with Baylor (basically, he would be the residents' boss...or one of them at least) and so he did. It's been a long road since then (I'll leave out the details but MAN it has tried my patience!), but we're hoping to hear for sure tomorrow. Of course, Adam has told me at least five times that he'll "hear about the job tomorrow" so I'm not holding my breath. I am, however, completely sick of not knowing what we're going to be doing next. It might be nesting with this pregnancy, but I am desperate to know where we'll be and find a house and a school for Nate, etc. It's killing me to wait! I'm not a patient person! :) I was really hoping that we'd know for sure that we were staying here and then be able to find a home and move before the baby is born. We'll see if that is going to happen or not.

And lastly for this boring post, if you haven't already -- and actually, even if you already have -- head over to the Mamarazzi Boot Camp blog and check out this amazing workshop! We've been working really hard on it and I would love to have you be a part of it! Also, we're planning a Salt Lake City one for the fall (maybe August?) so PLEASE let me know if you're interested in that. We'll for sure do one if we have enough interest.

Love you all!

Snippets

My goal to post more in 2010 is really not going well! So I decided to post a few random items. It's not the best post, but at least I'm posting, eh?

Just before the holidays, our Wii broke. Nate wrote a very sad letter to my brother Thomas about the Wii being broken. My brother got a kick out of it:


To Thomas from Nathan 11 11-19-09
Dear Thomas there is bad news and good news the bad news is the Wii broke and the good news is I will be ok.
Do you like the Wii broken?
yes or no
Love, Nathan 11

Nate's "number" in school is 11 and he always writes it along with his name. {Don't get me started on the fact that the school has given my son a number. Is his name not enough of a distinguishing factor or do we need to further emphasize that school is prison by giving the inmates numbers? Do I need to have his number tatooed on him somewhere just to be certain that the teacher will know who he is?}

We have since sent the Wii away to be fixed, and it came back to us a couple weeks ago. In the short time span of those couple weeks, I have considered purposely breaking it more than eight hundred times. Even the little guy begs for the Wii all day long. He loves to play Baseball on the Wii Sports disc.

****

One of the things I dislike most about my day is that I drive Nate to and from school. It gets a little old. But, it's a decision we made so that he could go to the school he's in (there are no buses from our neighborhood to that school because it's not our "area school" but in our district you can choose to go to any school you'd like). The main reason for my dislike is that the other parents who drive their kids to school are idiots. Plain and simple. They have no concept of four-way stops, and some even drop their kids off across the street and make them run across the busy street (through the traffic, with no crosswalk or crossing guard) instead of waiting in the drop-off line. This morning I almost hit a child who bolted across the street in front of my car.
But the four-way stop thing is what gets me the most angry. Every single morning people do rolling stops, don't pay attention to who was at the stop first, and just power their way through the intersection. There is no courtesy, no regard for, you know, laws. And then they will stack themselves into the intersection three or four cars deep, blocking the intersection. Ans when I don't go because there is no room behind the last car and I'd be in the intersection, I get honked at.
Grrr. It almost makes me want to walk the four mile trip twice every day. (Almost. But I've posted about that before...it's not a good option. And that street I talked about in that post? In December a little girl was walking along the street where there are no sidewalks and was hit and killed....and the driver kept on going.)

***

There are about three hundred projects going on right now in my personal and my business life. I'm so very excited about them. First is the grand-daddy of them all, the Mamarazzi Boot Camp. About a year ago, I started thinking about hosting a workshop/class for moms who want to take better pictures of their kids. I have been trying to find a good time to do it, and also I wanted to be sure that I really thought about what I wanted to offer, rather than just launching into it and figuring it out as I went. I met another photographer here in Dallas who I really like, and our personalities are just different enough that we can work really well together. I had a meeting with her several weeks ago and asked her to come on board with me and get the ball rolling for these classes. Over the course of several phone calls and several hundred emails (seriously), we came up with the Mamarazzi Boot Camp. Which actually is a slight deviation from my original idea because we won't be talking about childrens' photography exclusively, but I'm fine with that -- it will be a class that everyone can benefit from. I'm excited to have our Dallas workshop and we're working on a late summer/early fall workshop for Salt Lake City.

***

They released me from my "job" working with the young women at my church. It was the right timing, and I knew that it was coming so I wasn't too surprised or disappointed, although I was sad to be done with that calling. I love those girls so much. When Nate found out that I wouldn't be going to my Wednesday night meetings anymore, he said "Oh, GOOD!!" When I asked why he was so happy about that, he said, "Now I'll have more time to hug you."

What a sweetie.

***

THIS little man is just super cute, but OH MAN what a stinker. :) He has recently started with "Why?" after everything you say to him. It actually cracks me up, because I don't remember Nate having a "Why?" stage. "Aidan, go eat your breakfast." "Why?" "Aidan, I love you." "Why?" He keeps us laughing.
Also, I'm pretty sure that the writers of Family Guy have cameras in our house, because this video is shockingly familiar (we have this scene at least eighty times a day, except I'm not always lying down):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNkp4QF3we8

***

Somebody's turning SEVEN in a couple weeks (Feb 20th) and he is using his subtraction skills to tell us how many days are left until the 20th. He is so excited and proudly tells everyone who will listen that he is having a Lego party -- oh dear, back in OCTOBER when I told him he could maybe have a party at the Lego store I couldn't imagine he'd actually remember that. When will I learn my lesson??? :)

***

Finally, I wasn't going to tell you that yesterday I was sitting on the couch with Aidan, watching Curious George, and fell asleep. He took the opportunity to do some serious damage by stripping down and pooping on the carpet (yuck, sorry to share). But I feel the need to share that because I also should tell you that while I was typing this long post, he did the same thing again. I suppose that is my BIG hint to go and do my job and PAY ATTENTION to what my two year old is doing in times of quiet.

Y'all have a good day.

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.

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...