I'm Just Bored

I don't know how many people have been checking this blog for over a month now, wondering if we froze to death in the great white north...but no....I've just been so bored with our lives lately that I didn't feel there was much to post. I figured you'd be bored with it, too. I suppose that it's normal to have a boring life when it's super cold outside, snowy, and there isn't much to do. But we've had a bit more going on lately, so here are a few new posts! :)

Nate Turns Four!

Well, I'm starting to feel a bit emotional about my little man growing up so fast. I still can't believe we celebrated his fourth birthday last week! But, alas, here is photographic proof that I don't have a baby anymore, just a wild, fun, sweet little boy. This is our "family party" with Grandma and Grandpa Murdock and his Lightning McQueen birthday party with his friends is coming up on Saturday. I'll post more pics of that.
Once again, Nate was spoiled beyond his wildest dreams...he got a Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle, the game Hungry Hippos, a baseball tee that you can set up for t-ball or it can pitch to you, Diego t-shirt, and Lightning McQueen jammies. He also received a Leapster Writing laptop thing (not sure the real name for it, but it teaches writing letters, which he is begging to learn right now) and an "I Can Play Piano" piano that plugs into the TV. What a lucky little guy! :)

For The Fear of Clowns

I've never hated clowns. I've never really loved them either. Nate really wanted a balloon tiger from the clown, but that meant he actually had to speak to the clown, and that was a little much for him. To be honest, it was a little much for me, too. This clown was one of those ones that creep you out a bit, make you think "Why are you a grown man doing this for a living?" You know what I mean--one of those ones you keep a hawk-eye out for as they're near your kids, just to make sure all hands are appropriately placed, etc., etc. Okay, I'm sure he's a nice guy who is just trying to make a few bucks on a Saturday morning, but I got the heebie-jeebies!

So, why did I make Nate pose with this clown? In hindsight, I'm not totally sure. Maybe part of me thought that was the last clown we'll ever stand in line to see. Okay, maybe all of me hopes that will be the case.

And just to explain where we were....Adam's uncle is in the provincial (state) government here in Alberta and this was a fundraiser for him and his political party. It was actually a great event and I'm glad we went. They had a really yummy buffet breakfast, a jumphouse, face painting and a clown for the kids, and a few other fun things. We had a good time, despite the clown!

Hooray for good friends!

One thing that I've learned through our many moves is this: There are always new friends to be made. We've been blessed wherever we've lived to have found great friends and good little buddies for Nate. Calgary has been no different. This is Nate and one of his many "best friends" as he calls them. His buddy's name is Jackson and it seems that Nate and Jackson hit it off from the beginning. They were definitely cut from the same cloth, they're rowdy and imaginative and sweet all at the same time. We're glad Jackson is here!

Canadian Hockey!

This is Nate watching the zamboni clear the ice!


We had such a fun date night (all three of us) last Saturday night! We started at my favorite Canadian restaurant-----Boston Pizza, which of course is traditional Canadian cuisine! Just kidding. Then we headed over to the University of Calgary hockey game. The greatest thing about living in Canada is the availability of hockey! It's everywhere and of course my American child thought it was golf! Adam and I decided to help him figure out the difference by taking him to a game. The professional team here charges outrageous prices for tickets, so we went the poor-man's way: we headed over to the University of Calgary men's hockey game. It only cost us $16 for the three of us (about $12US) and we got to sit right on the glass! Guys were pushing each other into the glass right in front of us all night. Nate loved the game! And so did I, to be honest. It was really fun. But next time I'll remember they play in an ice-skating rink and the stands are not heated. It's cold. Everyone around us was in their winter coats and hats and gloves and I was in just a sweater. I was so cold!! Luckily I dressed Nate really warmly and so I didn't have to feel guilty about him being cold too.

The other thing that was great was the "half-time" show. It was a team of kids (about a year older than Nate) playing a hockey game. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Most of them were falling all over the ice and only one goal was scored, but it was really fun to see. Ever since then, Nate's been talking non-stop about playing hockey. Oh, dear. I guess when in Rome, do as the Romans, right?????

Happy Holidays!

Snow Angel

The picture you would've received if we sent Christmas cards this year

I love this picture--I told Adam to stand by the tree so I could adjust the lighting for our family photo--this is the pose he gave me, and Nate put his hands in his pockets to be like dad.

For some reason, I just love this picture. He looks so sweet to me!

Nate and his handbell skills! I guess all 50 handbells ringing at one time made him want to cover his ears! Me, too!

Nate and Adam playing shepherds for our Nativity play. They both did a great job!

Happy Holidays from the Murdocks!
We enjoyed a quiet Christmas and an even quieter New Year's Celebration here in Calgary. I'm posting some pictures of us on Christmas Eve-- on our way to church and at Adam's family's Christmas Eve tradition (Nativity and musical production, including handbells!) We were very blessed to be surrounded by family for the holidays.
We hope your celebrations were magical, too!

Night At the Museum

Monday night our Family Home Evening was spent at the Crowfoot Cineplex seeing "Night At The Museum!" It has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. What a well-done, really, really fun movie. I highly recommend paying the insane cost of a movie ticket to see it. We even took Nate (our three-year-old) and he loved it. I kept expecting him to be scared, but he wasn't, and he actually sat still to watch the whole movie.

On the same vein, Adam and I have seen two other movies this holiday season, which I cannot recommend: Apocalypto and Eragon. Wasted money if you ask me. Apocalypto was actually a great film until the extreme violence was added to it. The actual story line was so amazing, though, and I enjoyed a lot of the movie. But I was nearly sick to my stomach by the end and there was a moment I seriously considered walking out, just to spare my mind the memory of the violence. When we got home after watching it, Adam's mom asked me what was the matter. She said there was no color in my face and I looked like I might pass out.

And then there is Eragon. I've never read the book, never been tempted by it. But on Christmas day Adam's parents wanted to see a movie, and Eragon was the only one not sold out. I was bored, and disappointed that John Malkovic and Jeremy Irons weren't more prominent. Their acting was superb, though. I just thought the movie was a bit slow and I guess part of the problem was that Nate was with us and was bored during most of the film, so he was walking around and bothering the people around us. Due to the ending of the film, I imagine that there must be some more Eragon movies coming out sometime, because otherwise the ending is severely disappointing. Okay, enough of my terrible critique. I'd be a horrible movie critic because I wouldn't say much more than "I liked it" or "I hated it." :)

German Cookies

There is a tradition from Adam's side of the family (his mother's side, to be exact) to make German cookies each Christmas time. The whole clan loves them, they just eat 'em up. This year Nate was old enough to help roll them out, which he just loved. He really enjoyed putting flour on his hands so he could roll them into balls--he kept saying "It tickles me!"
As a side note, I have heard that one must learn to like these cookies. They look kind of like gingerbread cookies, but they taste like black licorice. Strong black licorice. I just haven't decided I like them well enough in relation to the calories. I'll stick to the other things that widen my rear at Christmas time, like the things I love--candy and chocolate! haha

Holiday Fun!

Ward Christmas Party, on Santa's Knee

Adam's Grandparents at the Ward Christmas Party

Decorating the Disney Gingerbread House

(Adam and I won it at a White Elephant Party)

Mmmmm.....making brownies

Well, this Christmas has been so different from any other....although we're recovering from a move, it's the first time we haven't had to travel anywhere for Christmas, which has made it a lot less stressful. We've really been enjoying the laid-back preparations, including all the parties and the cooking of good food! We've made soft caramels that my mom usually makes every year, and brownies, and Apple Annie's famous dip, and the list goes on and on! We've got a lot more to do, too..... :) But I'm happy to have something to look forward to. Christmas is always so special!

Our Thanksgiving Weekend

Nate and his cousin Sydney
Playing train with the storage boxes
Sydney, Rachael, and Paul (Adam's brother)
Angela (my sister) and Becky (my mom)
Jeff (my brother), Mike (my dad) and Ali (my sister)

Okay, so this is old news, but I thought I'd post some pictures anyways. We were fortunate to have members of both sides of our families visit us the weekend after Thanksgiving, on the same day! So we went to get some Kansas City BBQ (a MUST if my dad is in town) at Arthur Bryant's. It was finger-lickin' good.

Then, on Sunday, we had a Thanksgiving dinner with two families from our ward in Kansas City that we just love (the Dewsburys and the Taylors). It was a delicious dinner! What a great weekend.

Some Recent Photos

Nate and Grandma's Snowman.....Grandma did most of the work, but Nate made sure he had a great hat! Nate kept saying that he wanted to make a snowman that "looks like me, a boy one like me." That made me laugh. No girl snowpeople allowed!

Our Christmas Tree, all dressed up

Putting the Star on the Christmas Tree

Nate's Christmas Tree, complete with chili-pepper lights.

Long-Awaited Update

Mount Rushmore

So, we've made it to Calgary. We spent four days in the U-Haul, and by the end we were all ready to kill each other! No, just kidding, but we were certainly ready for a long winter's nap. Adam did all the driving, and I was in charge of changing the DVD for Nate and keeping him happy with all the tricks I could think up. Have you ever restrained a three-year-old for four days straight? They become like a caged animal and you hardly dare let them out, because you know they won't get back into their seat! Oh well, we made it. On the way, we saw Mount Rushmore and that was really great. Neither Adam and I had really seen it (I visited when I was a little kid, but it was too dark to see it by the time we arrived). Nate was fascinated by the "men on the rock." We didn't stay long because it was so cold and the wind was terrible! But it was nice to take a detour and actually SEE something! We had absolutely incredible weather, the whole trip was snow-less (just really cold).

So now we're getting ready for Christmas. I cannot believe how fast it has approached! Before we know it, it will be here and gone. We set up our trees (one upstairs and one downstairs) and it is much more festive around here. Isn't a Christmas tree magical?!? I just wonder what Santa will bring me this year....a permanent home? Ah, a girl can dream. I know one thing I'm getting, because I bought it---a new pair of jammies. Does anyone else have that tradition of opening jammies Christmas Eve? I thought I'd start that this year, and thus I am sure of only one thing: I'll have new pajamas.

Everyone wants to know: What is it like living with the in-laws? Well, I don't recommend it. I actually think we have it easier than anyone that's ever done it before. But that doesn't mean it's easy! It's so strange to have a couple rooms to call our own and it's really difficult to feel that every move is seen by other people...we are just not used to it yet. But hopefully we won't have to get too comfortable, because maybe soon we'll have our own place! We'll see. The market here has resembled California-like prices (half-million-dollar dumps that cost $150,000 three years ago) so I don't think we'll be able to afford anything. I just keep praying that someone will really want to sell their house for less than half of what it's worth and then we can buy a home!

Okay, so this is a boring blog entry. I'm trying to think of things to say other than: "I wish I wasn't in Canada" or "I really miss my old life" or even "I wish I was with my own family for the holidays." Instead, I bite my lip and murmur, "Merry Christmas to all! Life is beautiful!" I'm just drawing from my limited acting experience, where I learned to portray a different emotion than my real-life self was feeling!! hahaha

That is the secret to life, though, isn't it --- to learn to count blessings instead of sorrows. I'm still learning, I guess.

Nate

Well, I finally took some time to take pictures of my own child, rather than everyone else's! So, here he is in all his three-year-old splendor.....NATE! Oh, and a couple of the two of us, because I know someday he won't want to smile for the camera OR take pictures with his mommy. Gotta take advantage while I can!

Almost Ten Days!

It's almost been ten days since I posted something to this blog. So sorry for those of you that check with us regularly! Things have been crazy busy, and it's been at least that long since I took a picture of Nate (I've been so busy taking pictures of other people's kids! haha) So anyways, Nate has his own photo shoot tomorrow and I'll have more pictures to post after that.
In the meantime, here are some words, not pictures: In eight days, Adam finally comes home! He's been living in Canada for six weeks and both Nate and I are so excited for him to come home. We will then be packing up and moving to Calgary. I'm still in denial I guess, because it isn't real yet. There is a lot of packing to do, but I'm having the hardest time getting motivated to do it! I've started packing a bit, but certainly am not where I should be. Oh well.
I hope everyone who reads this is going to have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday...what a great time to think about the incredible blessings we all enjoy. Check back in a couple days and I'll have better posts, I promise!

Good Morning Sunshine

For all of you who ever thought Nate's hair never looks good....THIS is what I have to deal with each morning! So next time you see him, just know that I'm doing the best that I can! haha

Another Great Field Trip

Yesterday Nate was able to go and tour the fire station! We were a bit late (it took me thirty minutes to realize where it was...oh well) but luckily all we missed was talking...we didn't miss the firefighter putting on his gear, or the tour of the fire trucks, or the flashing lights! (All the things a boy cares about anyway, right?) Nate really loved the part where he got to get onto the fire truck and pretend to ride to an emergency. Of course, it reminded me that we need a FHE lesson on fire safety! :) At the end, he got a great fireman (fire person?) hat!

Making Pizzas

The boys are ready to eat!
The gals....
Adding the sauce...
Final product, ready to be cooked!

Enjoying the finished pizza! Yum!

Nate went with his preschool group to learn about making pizzas. After a brief tour of the pizza place, he was able to make a pizza of his very own! And his favorite part of the whole experience? The soda machine! haha

Fall Favorite

The bumpy pumpkin Nate says looks like me....

Nate and Jeremy running through the pumpkin patch
Looking at the three little pigs in their houses made of

straw, sticks, and bricks

Cute kid, ugly pumpkin! But he loves it!
Bryce, Nate, Jeremy on the tractor ride
The boys at the mouth of the corn maze
Trying to roll the huge pumpkins! Believe it or not, he actually moved it a good distance!

Playing the duckie races--you race the ducks by pumping water into the track...so cute!

Reese, Jeremy, and Nate on the train

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go to the pumpkin patch! We went with Nate's buddies Reese, Bryce and Jeremy and their mommies. The boys picked out their pumpkins from the patch (we took a tractor limo to get there) and Nate picked two of the ugliest pumpkins I've ever seen, which made me so happy--he loves things that aren't perfect! That is awesome to me. In fact, I'd say that the pumpkins are artsy, so maybe we have a creative little man. Who knows. But he did say that the bigger, really bumpy one looked like me. I'm not even sure what to think about that, oh well.
So, here are some pics of our adventure. Enjoy! :)