giving thanks

i thank my lucky stars every day for a life that makes me smile. i'm thankful for a husband who is my best friend and who still makes me get butterflies every day. i'm thankful for a daughter who makes everything in my life more beautiful just because she is here....her giggles, her voice, her snuggles, everything about her makes me smile. i'm thankful for a supportive family who have helped me to become who i am today and who help me to grow into the woman i will be tomorrow. i'm thankful for amazing friends who are here for me in good times and bad and whose company brightens my life. in this season and every day, i'm reminded of how incredibly lucky i really am.

we had a whirlwind thanksgiving complete with bellies full of not only food but laughter. we spent time with loved ones, enjoyed delicious food, and watched emma eat until she couldn't eat anymore. 4 outfit changes and a few baby bites of pumpkin pie later, thanksgiving was deemed a success. i spent most of the day just soaking up the moments with family and didn't actually take too many photos (really!). here are a few i snapped before trading in my camera for a fork ;)

emma's spread.....literally!

we love our little messy eater....can you tell??

are you starting to understand the multiple outfit changes yet?

full, naked, and happy :) a thanksgiving success!!

things i'm loving right now...

Despite being deliriously tired from long hours spent logged on my current rotation (which I'm actually LOVING...more on this later), I've managed to drum up a list of things that I'm currently loving. Like alot.

Check out these homemade pumpkin & hazelnut donuts. Hello gorgeous! I'll admit I haven't given them a whirl yet but I like the idea of the pumpkin and I LOVE the idea of the donut. I'll be giving them a shot on Thanksgiving morning. I may break out my maternity pants just for the day ;) ;)

I'm loving this yarn ball wreath!! What fun :) I stumbled upon tatertotsandjello not too long ago and I've been dying to try some of the crafts on the blog. With the holidays coming up, I'm getting pretty excited about an entire December free for fun projects like this one. I see a large amount of superglue in my immediate future.

If you love to cook or you just love to eat you've got to check out www.merrygourmet.com. I happen to personally know the blog author and she's just as fabulous as her site. She's got a knack for words, photos, and is a big fan of wine - a pretty great combo. She's also a tremendously inspirational physician and mother of two. I'm loving her blog AND her food and I think you will too ;)

I found this bag at Old Navy a few weeks back and think its great. It's big, it's girly, and it has flowers attached to it...what's not to love?? It's soft and slouchy and the flowers are good for distracting a certain blonde blue eyed 10 month old.

Which brings be to....

Look at our little cheeseball! Jeez, SOMEone is starting to really love the camera. Wonder why ;)

We're obviously loving Emma these days. One thing in particular is the little copycat she's become...it's super funny. I clap, she claps. Ryan sticks out his tongue, she does it bigger. I pretend to talk on the phone...SHE wants to talk on the phone. It's hysterical.

Copycat!

She's started talking more and more over the past few weeks. Her latest thing is pointing at all the kids at daycare and saying "baby"!. Everything is "baby" to Emma these days.....even me and Ryan ;)

Life is good!!

gotta love the weekend!

Oh what a weekend it was! I actually had to work on Saturday morning....but we managed to have an absolutely wonderful weekend. Friday night we had dinner with my current team from work. Every so often as a resident you'll have a team of interns, med students, and an attending with a super fun team dynamic. This month has totally been that way and it has made for a really great work environment. We all decided to grab a bite to eat on Friday night, significant others included, and had a great time chowing down on Mexico Lindo. Mmmmmm.

Saturday morning, despite a few hours at work, I was free of clinical duties at around 12pm. I was welcomed at home by our dear friend Heiko...a friend since freshman year in college. I haven't seen Heiko since I graduated from medical school....I remember the morning after my graduation party well. Ryan and I sat on one couch, Heiko on the other as we made breakfast plans. "Oh, one more thing Heiko.....we're pregnant!!!" His reaction was priceless then and it was so fun to see him and get to introduce him to Emma. Also in town were our friends Adam and Lee all the way from South Florida. We packed up Emma's stroller and headed to campus for some fun tailgating. Emma is the best tailgator.....she REALLY gets into the people watching. Especially entertaining is how she points at everyone and says, "Baby!". Silly gator :)

Sunday morning meant sleeping in for all members of the Murphy family. After Emma woke and chugged down her morning bottle it was off to play!

Her latest obsession are her magnet letters.

Can you spot the baby? She loves to hide in the shelf and pop out "PeekaBOO!"

success!!

The morning was filled with banana pancakes, lots of playtime, and a very special mission a la daddy and Uncle Heiko!

My wonderful honey spent the morning hanging Emma's first swing. Here is is basking in the proud glory that he so valiantly earned :)

JOY.

Pure JOY.

Next it was off to Grandma and Grandpa's house for some playtime. We wanted to get a good family photo for our first holiday photo card. To really get Emma in the mood, we broke out the bag of bows and let her go to town. I cannot WAIT for the real thing! ;)

Here's an outtake from our mini photoshoot. Emma is at the age where sitting still is not really an option anymore. The photo chosen to be used as our holiday card certainly reflects this. She was a wiggle worm on steroids that day!

Little Miss Mischief

Here she is tolerating a little reindeer headband torture. Someday I think I may be hated for this photograph :) For now, I think its pretty dang adorable.

A busy week lies ahead. I am loving my rotation despite the long hours and hard work. I think I've finally decided what I want to be when I grow up (more on that in a different post) :) I am, however, looking forward to vacation in December. It will be absolutely magical to spend the holiday with my family! I hope the week is off to a great start for everyone!

Until next time....!!

11.11.10

Another month of fun has passed and now we are proud parents to a 10 month old!!!!!!! I don't even know where to start. This is by far and away our favorite stage yet (I say this at every stage, don't I?) I'm not sure if its her fiesty personality, her love of snuggling, or everything else in between....but she just keeps getting better and better. In honor of her 10 monthday...."What We Love About You" is back. Here goes. Emma, what mommy and daddy love most about you at 10 months....

...everything. it counts. because it's true!...

...that you're TALKING!!!! "my puppy" is the first real phrase :) what a smarty!...

...that you love to dance. when music starts, you sway, wiggle, and shake that tush...

...your "lip strumming". you make the cutest noise and strum your lip for fun...

...your squeals and shrieks. excitement is your middle name....

....that deep belly laugh. oooooohhh that laugh. we'll do anything for that laugh...

...how you play with deja. the two of you are like real friends...

...your hugs and open mouth kisses. the best!...

...your two tooth grin...

...watching you learn to walk!...

...our morning family snuggle routine...

...playing catch, peek a boo, games with you!!...

...the list goes on...

emma claire, our sweet baby bean, every day with you is more lovely than the last. you make us smile from the inside out. we are the luckiest people alive to be your parents. thank you for making life infinitely more bright and meaningful. we LOVE you!

playing catch up!

I have been a T-errible blogger lately. Yes. With a capital T. My current rotation (Hematology/Oncology) is so busy that I barely have enough time for my Ryan and Emmabean so everything else has been taking a big backseat. After a nice day off spent with my lovies, the beanie is tucked snuggly in bed and I have a little time to play catch up. With pics, as always :)

Ryan is the best husband in general, but also the best husband for always bringing Emma to visit me on weekends when I'm on call in the hospital. This particular day, Emma REALLY wanted to stand up at daddy's steering wheel. What Emma wants, Emma gets.....oy vey!

Ryan took her to Cedar Key on Friday night to visit his Dad. This meant getting sprung early from daycare and a pre-trip visit with mommy. She was very excited about the fountain in front of the building and couldn't stop squealing. Cold weather gets Deja VERY feisty and I'm thinking that Emma is the same way. It's going to be an exciting winter!! :) I love this photo Ryan snapped with his iPhone.....the wind blowing in her hair and her shreiking with delight at the water fountain.

Here she is bundled up for a little swingtime on the beach. We discovered that Emma loves the swing a month or so back when we went to Jax for our pumpkin patch shots. Again, more squealing.... ;)

The next few fall under the category of "Funny Faces" which we get ALOT of around the Murphy house. I've got to start posting more of the funny facial expressions we get because she keeps us in stitches. She's very expressive not only with her voice and her personality, but also with her face. A stand up comic, really.

She may look like her daddy, but at least I get PJ shoutouts :)

HUH????

face stuffing....something she's REALLY good at ;)

Ryan and I are doing well. Ryan continues to be very hard at work at the renovation in the back. Man oh man will it be good when it is done. I'm ready for a Murphy retreat right in our very own home. I'm keeping very very busy taking care of some of the sickest folks in the hospital. The hours are incredibly long, and the days very draining, but at least I get to leave with my health....something for which I am very grateful.

The beanie will be 10 months on Thursday. You better believe I'll be posting :) Hope this post finds everyone doing well and staying warm.

Til next time! :)