Thrilled Beyond Belief

I can't post the reason that I am so thrilled; it's not my news to share. Stay tuned, and as soon as I know I'm allowed, I will share the details. I literally cried tears of joy when I heard; it's fantastic news.

Anyway, as I write this, Murray is in bed and one of his toys is going crazy. The Little People Car Port by Fisher Price seems to have a mind of it's own. All of the sudden, the cars began honking and beeping, quite loudly, I might add. I think they may just drive away on their own. Creepy. No one has touched it since yesterday. I can't even blame it on the animals.

Okay, I must go stop the annoyance. More tomorrow.

Friday, Friday, Friday!

Happy Friday to all!

I was thinking this morning about how I haven't been updating Murray's baby book lately. I was feeling pretty down about it, but then I remembered that I post pretty much every event, big or small, on my blog. All I have to do is reference past posts and fill in the book. I can handle that! Emilie, the author of lemmondrops, a blog I frequently read, has turned her blog into a book. It's very cool. I'm not ready for that, but maybe someday.

I'm going to see "Twilight" tonight and I am super excited. First of all, the last movie I went to was Ocean's 11. Craig doesn't like to go to the theatre, he'd rather buy the DVD (which I think is dumb, because what if you don't like the movie?). Secondly, I'm addicted to the Stephanie Meyer series and cannot wait to see the first book on the big screen. Third, I absolutely love movie theatre popcorn. I do not ever share; if I don't eat it all, I take it home and eat it later.

I've been trying to post this blog on The Forum's new website for Moms (and dads), but haven't been able to receive the correct information via email in order to finish registration. A friend of mine is in charge of the site, but she's on vacation, so I'll have to figure it out when she gets back. In the mean time, if you want to check it out, it's pretty neat. Visit http://moms.inforum.com/

I'm off early today; I finished all my work for the week (unless something comes up). Murray will be glad to break out of daycare early today. Then again, maybe not. Sometimes he cries when we leave, he just loves it so much.

Have a fantastic weekend!

A Very Happy Birthday

Finally, some pictures of the party. As you can see, the Speak Easy did a fantastic job.


Murray was VERY unhappy when we put his "See N Say" away so that he could open another gift. Sheesh.





Murray loved the lasagna, but wasn't such a fan of the cake. Hmm. . .maybe I've taken the minimal -to - no - sugar rule too far.
All in all, he had a great time, even though you couldn't tell by looking at the pictures. We have some wonderful video footage, but it's too big to post here. It will be fun to show him when he gets older. Anyway, it was a successful party and I do believe fun was had by all.

Teeth

Today I remembered the USB cord, but forgot the camera - go figure. I will get Murray's birthday pics up soon.

Murray had his one year check up yesterday. He weighs 22.9 lbs, in the 50th percentile (time to go car seat shopping), and is not very tall. In fact, they want to see him again in 3 months to assure that his growth is fine. Dr. G. isn't too concerned, since genetics play a factor, and Craig and I are both pretty short.

The top two teeth came in yesterday, finally. I was wondering when it was going to happen; at his nine month check up, Dr. T. said any day. Guess he was off a bit. Oh well, now they are in and life is swell.

On Friday night, I am going to see the movie "Twilight", the first of the Stephanie Meyer series. I am truly excited; I love this series.

I had a very stressful day at work today, so I'm off to bed. We're almost to Friday! By the way, I'm already cranky about the cold weather. It's going to be a LONG winter.

Birthday Fun

We had the best time at Murray's birthday party. The Speak Easy did an absolutely fabulous job; the banquet room looked beautiful, and of course, I went in and decorated before hand, with a little help from my mother-in-law, my sister, and our good family friend (she's really just like family). I forgot the USB cord to post pictures today, but will do so this evening.

Murray refused to eat his cake for the longest time crying and shoving it away. The video is hilarious. We tried everything, until finally, his cousin (who is only five days younger than Murray) came over and helped. They ended up sharing the cake and loving it. By Sunday evening, Murray was so pooped that he slept from 5:30pm until 5 this morning. I caved and gave him a bottle (he hasn't had one in almost 2 weeks) because he had slept through supper, and he went right back to sleep. There was no way that I was going to make scrambled eggs and toast on a Monday morning at 4:45am. Now that we're back on schedule, meal times should go back to normal.

The present opening was an interesting event as well. Murray opened his first present, a See 'N Say, and after that, he wanted nothing to do with the rest of his gifts. However, when we put them all together on Sunday morning, he was in heaven. He couldn't decide which to play with.

We just had such a fabulous weekend; I can't wait to post the pictures.

This weekend we will celebrate Murray's cousin's birthday, and I can't wait. Who knew first birthday parties were so much fun?

Stay tuned for pics. Have a super Monday.

Happy First Birthday, Little One

Dear Murray,

One year ago today, at this time, you were still in my tummy; we were waiting impatiently for you to make your grand entrance into this world. What a grand entrance it was! Although you took your time, you finally arrived at 5:56pm. Words cannot describe how thrilled we were (and still are). When I heard your first cry, I cried right along with you, though my tears were tears of joy. November 14, 2007 was the best day of our lives.

What a year we've had! You have been very busy growing and learning. To date, you are almost walking, and getting into everything. You are a very curious boy who loves animals and cell phones, but most of all, your daddy. When you were born, you weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz, and now you weigh 21.9 lbs. That's a lot of growing!

Mama is a bit sad today; it's amazing how fast you've grown. You are officially weaned from your bottle, and are very good at eating anything we put in front of you. But even though I'm sad that you are growing up so fast, your daddy and I are having so much fun watching you learn and grow. We are very proud of you.

So, even though you don't realize that today is such a special day, we do, and we celebrate in your honor. God bless you, sweet boy, and happy first birthday!

Love,
Mama and Daddy

I'm It

Here are the rules for this fun little game. I'm always up for distractions at work:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. Mine came from Peace Garden Mama II.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. tell about your six quirks (see below).
4. Tag six bloggers to do the same.
5. Leave them a comment to let them know they've been tagged.
6. No tag backs.

My six quirks (although there are many more):

1. I cannot stand dishes (dirty or clean) in the sink. It drives me batty!

2. There must be many pillows on my bed, all big, fluffy down pillows or I can't sleep. Craig is very clear that he doesn't like my pillows, but every morning, I discover that he has "stolen" one out from under me. Dirty rotten trickster!

3. I refuse to drive on the interstate. Ever since I crashed 5 years ago, I go through town, no matter how much longer it takes me. I wasn't even injured in the crash, so I don't know why it terrifies me so much; all I can say is it's a good thing I'm in therapy.

4. I don't like chocolate, or really, any sweets, but give me a big bucket of french fries and some ranch, and I'm in heaven.

5. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Especially when I should be working.

6. I have a terrible sense of fashion and hate shopping for myself. I'm sure I look pretty goofy most days.

There they are-I could go on forever. It was fun thinking of silly quirks. Now that I'm on a roll, I could write all day! Have fun!

Sick Germs, Be Gone!

Addendum to today's post:

I am addicted to KFGO radio, partly because I used to work there, but mostly because they have the best news, information, and talk I can find. It's been a huge distraction for me of late; music seems to make me sad, so I avoid it all costs (which I think, music lover that I am, is even sadder). Anyway, today on the way home, I switched to the FM dial, cranked the volume, and sang all the way home, for the first time in as long as I can remember. I felt SO good. It was such a relief - the cloud really is lifting. Music is so powerful; I'm thankful I found the courage to listen in again when I'm in the mood.

On another note, I came home to a clean house, although Craig had started the process of cleaning the refrigerator, hit a brick wall and quit. No biggie, I just finished what he started and it was done. At least he started the process for me! Both boys are asleep, have been since 7pm, so I'm finishing laundry (yes, finishing, I can't believe it) and am relaxing. What a great life.


Earlier today. . .
Well, even though I disinfected, Craig still wound up with a doozy of a bug. I don't recall him missing two days in a row for work, in a very long time, if ever. He seems to feeling a bit better this afternoon - he was shopping online. So, it will be interesting to see what the condition of the house is when I get home. :) I guess I will have to disinfect all over again. Sigh.

I'm feeling like the fog is beginning to lift. Work helps, and I'm beginning to enjoy things again. Slowly but surely. I feel like the tortoise in the Tortoise and the Hare. Slow and steady wins the race. I'm working hard on therapy and haven't even had a panic attack in about three weeks. I've had close calls, but was able to reign in my emotions and calm down. Anyway, I'm turning a corner.

It's already been a busy week, but I just don't mind. Keeping busy helps so much, as long as I remember to take time for myself once in a while too. I've scheduled a cut and color for this week, and am planning a massage next week (I've never had one, so I'm pretty excited).

Quote for the day: Don't let negative thoughts, feelings or people rent space in your head.

Gopher Fever


I have spent the last two days in bed with some sort of crazy bug. I didn't have the usual symptoms that you would associate with the flu or a cold. My whole upper body was in serious pain, it hurt to breathe, very bad headaches, and a temp of 102+ bordering on 103 that just wouldn't go away. I woke up this morning feeling a bit better, though still not 100%. I took advantage of a burst of energy and disinfected the entire house, including doorknobs, Murray's toys, etc., then ran to Target, started the laundry and scrubbed floors. I am going to spend the rest of the day on the couch finishing recovering. I may have overdone. I just picked up the third installment in the Stephanie Meyer series, Eclipse, so between naps, I am going to read away.


On a final note: Do you think that Gopher fever may have caused my bug?




Counting My Blessings at 4am

It was 4am when I woke up this morning. The dogs were by my side on the floor, the cat keeping my feet warm, Craig snoring softly beside me, and a baby who was out like a light (or so I thought). I don't know what woke me, but as I snuggled under the covers, it was as though a crystalline light surrounded me, and I realized how very, very special my life is. Even when Murray woke up several minutes later soaked through to his sheets, I didn't mind getting up. Craig and I quietly worked as a team to get him cleaned up and the sheets changed. As we all went back to bed, I smiled to myself, knowing with all my heart that God has a plan, and I'm living it. It may not always be what I want, but He certainly provides me with my needs, and oh so many blessings.

Murray just learned how to pull himself up on EVERYTHING. It seems like it happened over night. Several weeks back he began practicing, but he finally got it down. I feel like bolting all of our furniture to the floor and walls. In this clip, he was so proud of himself.

Whirlwind

Wow, it's been a whirlwind of activity and it's only getting busier. We completely overhauled our house on Saturday - adding new furniture, throwing out old furniture (sorry, the John Travolta dresser had to go), rearranging, etc. I just love what we've done and many thanks to S & T for their decorating and moving help. S just has such a fabulous sense of style, and actually, her husband does too!



On Sunday we spent time with Craig's family at his sister's house. It was fun to see the cousins play together and the Vikings win! After the game, we went to the lake to be with Grandpa and Grandma.



Monday was the one year anniversary (I despise calling it an anniversary; it doesn't feel like the right word) of our Mom's death. It was very difficult, but that is to be expected. I spent some special quiet time sitting at the beach, watching the stars, remembering her (this was a tradition of ours; including my sister, that started before I can remember). I'm still struggling, but expect to for a while. As I've stated many times this isn't a short process. I have many blessings, I just wish I could share them with her. Anyway, enough of the pity party. Today is a new day, and a good one at that. I'm off to vote!!!