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!

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':