it's been one heck of of a year in the murphy house! blessings abound and our cups runneth over. we've got our hands full but boy are we lucky! here's hoping 2012 is even half as lovely as 2011.
happy holidays!
potty princess
disclaimer: 16 year old emma will likely kill me for the following post and the pictures it contains. but, i'm posting anyway because the potty training process has been one of the most adorable things ever. i'm sure it will have it's more messy moments that will leave me thinking twice about that comment....but watching emma mastering this new skill and how PROUD she is to use her "princess potty" is just too cute not to share.
she's very into this whole thing. they started taking the kids to the potty at daycare a while ago and it has slowly made its way home. she talks alot about the pottty and we encourage that. she will routinely ask "emma potty?" at home. she'll proudly march into the bathroom and we'll help her with her diaper and sure enough.....success! many times during a diaper change she will also ask and will then finish her business on the potty. the thing that is so adorable is just how PROUD of herself she is....her entire face lights up as we dance and squeal and celebrate her potty success each time. a little bit of positive reinforcement goes a LONG way. each time she proclaims..."emma pee pee potty! bye-bye pee pee! emma wash hands!".
last friday, when i was home alone with both kids, she was so excited about using the potty that we were in the bathroom for nearly 30 minutes. thankfully ben snoozed and afforded us this thrilling opportunity to sit on the potty....and get off and back on again and again and again....for an entire half an hour ;) it was the most fun i've had in the bathroom in i don't know how long....ever??!
so yes....someday emma will curse me for the photos to follow. oh well. someday i will be her cheerleader when she gets her first A. or scores her first soccer goal. or gets the lead in the school play. or does whatever she sets her mind to. for now....i'm cheering on my potty princess :)
she's very into this whole thing. they started taking the kids to the potty at daycare a while ago and it has slowly made its way home. she talks alot about the pottty and we encourage that. she will routinely ask "emma potty?" at home. she'll proudly march into the bathroom and we'll help her with her diaper and sure enough.....success! many times during a diaper change she will also ask and will then finish her business on the potty. the thing that is so adorable is just how PROUD of herself she is....her entire face lights up as we dance and squeal and celebrate her potty success each time. a little bit of positive reinforcement goes a LONG way. each time she proclaims..."emma pee pee potty! bye-bye pee pee! emma wash hands!".
last friday, when i was home alone with both kids, she was so excited about using the potty that we were in the bathroom for nearly 30 minutes. thankfully ben snoozed and afforded us this thrilling opportunity to sit on the potty....and get off and back on again and again and again....for an entire half an hour ;) it was the most fun i've had in the bathroom in i don't know how long....ever??!
so yes....someday emma will curse me for the photos to follow. oh well. someday i will be her cheerleader when she gets her first A. or scores her first soccer goal. or gets the lead in the school play. or does whatever she sets her mind to. for now....i'm cheering on my potty princess :)
....now if we can just get her to understand that it's not necessary to be entirely naked everytime she uses the potty, we'll be in business ;)
holiday magic
a spur of the moment trip to the grocery store to pick up milk last night turned into a moment i have waited close to my entire life for.
growing up, the holiday season has always meant so much to me thanks in part to the various traditions that my parents have instilled through the years. some are silly, others aren't. but, they are ours. take for instance, the fact that my brother can accurately imitate and recite any line from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation....we watch it every year. we're obnoxious like that ;) ryan and i caught it on cable a few weeks back and mid-movie i texted andrew a random line to see if his skills were still as good as i remembered. not 2 minutes later....he texted back the appropriate response. smile. he's a savant when it come to the Griswald Family Christmas.
i fondly remember packing into the car and heading out to look at the holiday light displays....the gaudier the better in my opinion! as emma and i headed back to the house from our quick publix trip, i decided to take a quick detour. as we passed homes brightly lit with twinkly bulbs and enormous lawn ornaments....squeals of absolute delight from my darling daughter showered down on me the realization that THIS is what holiday season is all about. these moments. this sheer and utter joy and wonder. this little girl. her brother. and her daddy. all of us together.
"oh my guh-ness!! pwetty lights! more lights! snowman! santa! more lights pweeze!!!!" it made me smile down to my core and even got ME excited. it was past her bedtime but she didn't care. and neither did i. i obliged her calls for more lights and we searched until we couldn't search anymore. "tank you, mommy!" she said as we pulled into the driveway. no baby girl...thank YOU. i've never known the spirit of the holidays more than i do now as i see it through the eyes of a child. through the eyes of MY child.
i kept emma home from daycare on friday so i could enjoy a day at home alone with BOTH my munchkins. while i was thoroughly terrified...you can't possibly imagine the trouble these two can get into on their own. mostly emma but ben is a pretty good accomplice....they were a total joy ;) not one meltdown all day long. sweet baby brother kisses and cuddles. music. dancing. coloring. tummy time. bumbo fun. mommy snuggles. pretty much the perfect day.
i can honestly say i've never been more excited about the holidays. watching it unfold through the eyes of little emma who can only just now start to understand brings a whole new meaning to the word "magical".
we are off to spend the afternoon with grandma and grandpa who have created a spectacle of holiday lights all their own. here's to more holiday magic!
under construction
under construction ~ seem to be a going trend around these parts. literally and figuratively on many levels. blame it on the hormones....although at 7 weeks postpartum, i'm not sure if i still can. oh well.
i've been thinking alot lately {what's new} ~ maternity leave keeps me busy but also gives me lots of time to think. there aren't alot of heavy conversations going on at my place these days ~ ben isn't really one for small talk yet. i think about things big and small....mundane and abstract. i think about how to get myself organized as i start to make the transition back to work. how do i flip the switch from being in total mommy mode to funneling some of that energy into my patients and coworkers? to myself even or is that allowed? i did it once before yet it seems so foreign in this moment. how will i get back into the groove of the daily grind....and what will that daily grind look like as our routine is already in flux and is sure to change. i've already purchased a new planner because that sort of thing actually eases some of the anxiety about finding ways to make all of the things in my life fit into the day. as if. but, i'm thinking and working on revamping our and my daily schedule to maximize the fleeting moments.
i think about my children. my beautiful children. so young and so precious. can they sense that i feel frazzled. like i'm never organized enough. like the house isn't clean enough. that i love them so much i feel like my heart will explode. that i want so much for them. that i'm trying hard to balance all the things that make me who i am so i can be the best mommy for them? that i love watching them grow but also want to freeze frame my life right now....exactly where we are....so that they stay my babies forever. and they will....maybe not physically...but every mommy knows that your babies are always just that no matter how big they get.
i think about my husband and our life together. for all the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and chaos we have created....i've never been happier. we're exhausted and often take it out on one another...but i've never been happier to the core. this is the life i dreamed of. we have a lot of work to do in terms of carving out more time for our relationship as right now it seems a little swallowed in our responsibilities at home. but, there is no one i'd rather take this journey with.
i keep talking about balance like it's this thing i'm going to magically achieve, this place i'll suddenly arrive at. and the more i think and sit in this place of unbalance....i realize that "balance" isn't the destination but rather a way of living. it's not a static place to arrive but rather a dynamic, everchanging, ever shifting way of being. i'm learning how to better change and better shift to be more comfortable and balance all the twirling plates of my life....and i think i always will be.
lastly, i think about this blog and the direction in which i want it to go from here. it originally started as a way to document our family life and to create a memoir of sorts for us to look back at years from now. it has become an outlet for me, in ways i didn't realize that it would when i started. i find myself holding back or wondering what people, namely my children when they are old enough to read, will think. not sure why but i think it has to do with the natural insecurity felt when opening up, bearing my soul. but, that goes against what i want and the idea behind starting this blog in the first place. so...while the purpose still remains to document our life as a family...i'm going to spend more time sharing my thoughs and writing what's on my mind. i enjoy it immensely and it feels good....and facing that insecurity head on will be good for me :)
i've been thinking alot lately {what's new} ~ maternity leave keeps me busy but also gives me lots of time to think. there aren't alot of heavy conversations going on at my place these days ~ ben isn't really one for small talk yet. i think about things big and small....mundane and abstract. i think about how to get myself organized as i start to make the transition back to work. how do i flip the switch from being in total mommy mode to funneling some of that energy into my patients and coworkers? to myself even or is that allowed? i did it once before yet it seems so foreign in this moment. how will i get back into the groove of the daily grind....and what will that daily grind look like as our routine is already in flux and is sure to change. i've already purchased a new planner because that sort of thing actually eases some of the anxiety about finding ways to make all of the things in my life fit into the day. as if. but, i'm thinking and working on revamping our and my daily schedule to maximize the fleeting moments.
i think about my children. my beautiful children. so young and so precious. can they sense that i feel frazzled. like i'm never organized enough. like the house isn't clean enough. that i love them so much i feel like my heart will explode. that i want so much for them. that i'm trying hard to balance all the things that make me who i am so i can be the best mommy for them? that i love watching them grow but also want to freeze frame my life right now....exactly where we are....so that they stay my babies forever. and they will....maybe not physically...but every mommy knows that your babies are always just that no matter how big they get.
i think about my husband and our life together. for all the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and chaos we have created....i've never been happier. we're exhausted and often take it out on one another...but i've never been happier to the core. this is the life i dreamed of. we have a lot of work to do in terms of carving out more time for our relationship as right now it seems a little swallowed in our responsibilities at home. but, there is no one i'd rather take this journey with.
i keep talking about balance like it's this thing i'm going to magically achieve, this place i'll suddenly arrive at. and the more i think and sit in this place of unbalance....i realize that "balance" isn't the destination but rather a way of living. it's not a static place to arrive but rather a dynamic, everchanging, ever shifting way of being. i'm learning how to better change and better shift to be more comfortable and balance all the twirling plates of my life....and i think i always will be.
lastly, i think about this blog and the direction in which i want it to go from here. it originally started as a way to document our family life and to create a memoir of sorts for us to look back at years from now. it has become an outlet for me, in ways i didn't realize that it would when i started. i find myself holding back or wondering what people, namely my children when they are old enough to read, will think. not sure why but i think it has to do with the natural insecurity felt when opening up, bearing my soul. but, that goes against what i want and the idea behind starting this blog in the first place. so...while the purpose still remains to document our life as a family...i'm going to spend more time sharing my thoughs and writing what's on my mind. i enjoy it immensely and it feels good....and facing that insecurity head on will be good for me :)
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| http://runningaroundintherain.tumblr.com |
perfect failure
there are moments in parenthood when you are reminded that it is truly your children, not you, that are really in control. i get this reminder on a daily basis....be it the fact that i routinely spell out words during routine conversation with ryan or that i allow emma to dress as wonder woman on a simple trip to publix because it simply isn't worth the battle i will be forced to fight if i don't. but never are you more aware of this reality than when you attempt a family holiday photo with a disinterested toddler and a hungry newborn.
where to start. holiday photo cards are always, in my opinion, SO fun to get in the mail. i not so secretly love receiving them every year, now more than ever because we don't see as much of our friends as we used to. having kids makes it even more fun because, lets face it, they are the ones that REALLY make a holiday card. so...this year, i scoured the pages of pinterest and several of my favorite blogs in search of inspiration. i came upon the photo in the previous post and fell in love....it was simple with a touch of rustic whimsy and seemed like something that even with 2 kiddos, we could accomplish without a fight. right? SO WRONG!!!!!!!
despite the fact that we were literally traveling a quarter of a mile away to take advantage of the old siding backdrop at a friends house, it took us about 6-7 trips in and out of the house to get going. did you grab the lights? what about emma's juice? wait...do we have a burpcloth for ben? strike one. we get to our location {sounds glamorous right?} and the light is quickly fading thanks to an overcast sky. it takes us entirely too long to get the lights out of the box and as we are doing so, one of the bulbs spontaneously breaks. who cares, right? until you consider that these puppies are about to be wrapped around me and the three most important things in my life. i failed to consider the fact that christmas lights, when lit, get hot....and again...my grand plan involved draping this things over my munchkins. strike two. i'm wearing a flannel shirt and ryan in a sweater....by the time we get the lights unraveled and plugged in, we're both sweating and looking reallllllly great. ben's starting to fuss because we cut his bottle short to get this done. emma, for whatever reason, is scared of these big bulbs and everytime i pick up a strand and drape it over my shoulder.....she squeals and pushes it off as if to say "Mom, this is a VERY bad idea!". she's in a sweater too so she's getting hot and wiggly. Ryan and I stand back to back and quickly wrap ourselves in lights despite Emma's best efforts otherwise.....and his mother starts snapping photos. at this point i don't even care if no one is smiling if we can all just look at the camera at the same time. but, i also failed to consider that ryan and i would be back to back so we can't tell what the other is doing. emma is yelling "all done! all done!" because she is far more interested in checking out the puppy on site than she is in taking chances of going up in flames for a silly holiday photo. ben is just along for the ride although i'm pretty sure he's thinking "this is so lame, mom." strike three, four, and five. yea.....it was a totally epic disaster nightmare of a photoshoot failure.
it's by far and away NOT the best photo ever taken of our family...and i'll admit, when all of these shenanigans were going down, i was frustrated to all hell. how hard is it to take a friggin family photo? well, i'll tell you. damn hard! ha! but....the chaos that ensued IS our life. our beautiful crazy hectic life raising these kiddos, working hard, and making memories by the mile :) so....i really can't help but smile because in my eyes, the craziness "on set" {and by golly, there was ALOT of it!} is in direct proportion to the love and joy we experience at the same time. i hope that's what my holiday card says this year :)
here are a few "outakes" so you can see what really goes on at a family of 4 photo shoot. brace yourselves. it's about to get ugly. and by ugly...i mean really awesome.
and there you have it. i'm literally laughing out loud as i post these...what a trip. i honestly don't know who i am thinking we'd actually be able to pull this off in a calm, cool, and collected manner....get a grip, lady! the take home message is that it's an emma&ben world and ryan and i are just living in it :)
so please...this year, when you get our holiday card...keep it for as long as you can possibly stand it because we worked dang hard to get that one decent shot. pretty please. or at least lie and tell me you didn't throw it away until after new years ;)
where to start. holiday photo cards are always, in my opinion, SO fun to get in the mail. i not so secretly love receiving them every year, now more than ever because we don't see as much of our friends as we used to. having kids makes it even more fun because, lets face it, they are the ones that REALLY make a holiday card. so...this year, i scoured the pages of pinterest and several of my favorite blogs in search of inspiration. i came upon the photo in the previous post and fell in love....it was simple with a touch of rustic whimsy and seemed like something that even with 2 kiddos, we could accomplish without a fight. right? SO WRONG!!!!!!!
despite the fact that we were literally traveling a quarter of a mile away to take advantage of the old siding backdrop at a friends house, it took us about 6-7 trips in and out of the house to get going. did you grab the lights? what about emma's juice? wait...do we have a burpcloth for ben? strike one. we get to our location {sounds glamorous right?} and the light is quickly fading thanks to an overcast sky. it takes us entirely too long to get the lights out of the box and as we are doing so, one of the bulbs spontaneously breaks. who cares, right? until you consider that these puppies are about to be wrapped around me and the three most important things in my life. i failed to consider the fact that christmas lights, when lit, get hot....and again...my grand plan involved draping this things over my munchkins. strike two. i'm wearing a flannel shirt and ryan in a sweater....by the time we get the lights unraveled and plugged in, we're both sweating and looking reallllllly great. ben's starting to fuss because we cut his bottle short to get this done. emma, for whatever reason, is scared of these big bulbs and everytime i pick up a strand and drape it over my shoulder.....she squeals and pushes it off as if to say "Mom, this is a VERY bad idea!". she's in a sweater too so she's getting hot and wiggly. Ryan and I stand back to back and quickly wrap ourselves in lights despite Emma's best efforts otherwise.....and his mother starts snapping photos. at this point i don't even care if no one is smiling if we can all just look at the camera at the same time. but, i also failed to consider that ryan and i would be back to back so we can't tell what the other is doing. emma is yelling "all done! all done!" because she is far more interested in checking out the puppy on site than she is in taking chances of going up in flames for a silly holiday photo. ben is just along for the ride although i'm pretty sure he's thinking "this is so lame, mom." strike three, four, and five. yea.....it was a totally epic disaster nightmare of a photoshoot failure.
here's the best one we got....act surprised when it pops up in your mailbox ;)
it's by far and away NOT the best photo ever taken of our family...and i'll admit, when all of these shenanigans were going down, i was frustrated to all hell. how hard is it to take a friggin family photo? well, i'll tell you. damn hard! ha! but....the chaos that ensued IS our life. our beautiful crazy hectic life raising these kiddos, working hard, and making memories by the mile :) so....i really can't help but smile because in my eyes, the craziness "on set" {and by golly, there was ALOT of it!} is in direct proportion to the love and joy we experience at the same time. i hope that's what my holiday card says this year :)
here are a few "outakes" so you can see what really goes on at a family of 4 photo shoot. brace yourselves. it's about to get ugly. and by ugly...i mean really awesome.
and there you have it. i'm literally laughing out loud as i post these...what a trip. i honestly don't know who i am thinking we'd actually be able to pull this off in a calm, cool, and collected manner....get a grip, lady! the take home message is that it's an emma&ben world and ryan and i are just living in it :)
so please...this year, when you get our holiday card...keep it for as long as you can possibly stand it because we worked dang hard to get that one decent shot. pretty please. or at least lie and tell me you didn't throw it away until after new years ;)
tgi weekend
holy increasing caffeine requirements, batman! just when ben decides to sleep through the night....his SISTER, who has been sleeping 12+ hours a night for over a year, thought it would be fun to wake up at 4:30 all bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning. oh my my. i'm surprised my eyes are even open right now...but it's been a while since my last post so i'm hanging in there for a few more minutes! you're welcome ;)
we have lots planned for the weekend! we are hoping to get our christmas tree and decorate the house. we're also planning on starting to make the transition from pack n play to the big boy crib with ben. i have some light work responsibilities coming up in the middle of the month and i want to start the transition before that happens.
another thing on the list is an amateur photo shoot for our holiday card. i saw this shot on pinterest and was immediately inspired to do something fun with a rustic feel. with, of course, the kids as the focus....i just liked the fun feel of this photo complete with the large christmas lights. i'll be sure to post our version and see how close we come. i have a few more ideas up my sleeve and thought this would be a fun time to experiment! :)
we have lots planned for the weekend! we are hoping to get our christmas tree and decorate the house. we're also planning on starting to make the transition from pack n play to the big boy crib with ben. i have some light work responsibilities coming up in the middle of the month and i want to start the transition before that happens.
another thing on the list is an amateur photo shoot for our holiday card. i saw this shot on pinterest and was immediately inspired to do something fun with a rustic feel. with, of course, the kids as the focus....i just liked the fun feel of this photo complete with the large christmas lights. i'll be sure to post our version and see how close we come. i have a few more ideas up my sleeve and thought this would be a fun time to experiment! :)
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| haleysheffield.com |
still fighting a losing battle with "balance". still finding it hard to make time for myself but hey, isn't selflessness and sacrifice what mommyhood is all about? i am, however, looking forward to the new year and trying to carve out new ways to find time for all the things in my life. speaking of, i was so excited to have a few hours to spend with 2 of my favorite people this week. my best friend, elisa, turned the wonderful and fabulous age of 30 and we thought it the perfect night for a ladies night. she, corie, and i piled into a booth at Leos 706 and had the most wonderful birthday dinner. a few glasses of shiraz, yummy dinner, a decadent {and calorie free...for there are no calories on your bday, for you OR your friends!}, and the most amazing dinner conversation. i talk about this on the blog alot ~ how i don't have enough time in my day for the everyday things let alone enough time for my small group of great girlfriends. we are all so busy with our everyday lives, each so different, that we don't see enough of each other. despite the things that keep us occupied outside one another's company....we are always here for one another and pick up right where we left off when we get together. they are both so beautiful inside and out and who are making a name for themselves....who make me proud not only of them but of myself as well. we had a lot of catching up to do and it was just such a bright spot in my week :)
now that it is december, i feel it fair to get wrapped up in all things holiday. i love this time of year and i'm not shy about it. to that end, i'll leave you with the following video. got me in the holiday spirit, put a smile on my face, and made me want to dance.....how can you beat that?!
TGIWeekend!!! {sorry for the lack of photos tonight....caffeine has worn off and it is this mommy's bedtime!}
thankful.
there is much to be thankful for this year and i spent yesterday really focusing on the things that matter the most in my life. the day flew by in a whirlwind of activity exacerbated by my total newborn + toddler induced exhaustion but it was so nice to spend the day in my home with my family.
i'm thankful for a husband who has been my best friend since 10th grade. he's my mcgyver. a guy's guy who can fix anything. he's strong but sensitive {and stubborn!} and doesn't think twice about spending a day applying princess stickers to his face with his little girl. he's a devoted father who puts his kids first and a loving husband who does his best to put up with me and my quirks ;)
i'm thankful for 2 healthy beautiful children who have totally and completely changed my life. their happy hearts and bright smiles are what i live for. i don't remember who i was before i was their mom....and i don't care. being their mom is my life's greatest blessing.
i'm thankful for a family who loves me. and supports me....even in not so happy moments. and is right around the corner. we bicker and eyeroll at one another but i love them more than they know.
i'm thankful for a roof over our heads, food in our fridge, and clothes on our back. most of all, i'm thankful for the love in this home. the love that carries us through ups & downs & all arounds. year after wonderful year :)
i'm thankful for a husband who has been my best friend since 10th grade. he's my mcgyver. a guy's guy who can fix anything. he's strong but sensitive {and stubborn!} and doesn't think twice about spending a day applying princess stickers to his face with his little girl. he's a devoted father who puts his kids first and a loving husband who does his best to put up with me and my quirks ;)
i'm thankful for 2 healthy beautiful children who have totally and completely changed my life. their happy hearts and bright smiles are what i live for. i don't remember who i was before i was their mom....and i don't care. being their mom is my life's greatest blessing.
i'm thankful for a family who loves me. and supports me....even in not so happy moments. and is right around the corner. we bicker and eyeroll at one another but i love them more than they know.
i'm thankful for a roof over our heads, food in our fridge, and clothes on our back. most of all, i'm thankful for the love in this home. the love that carries us through ups & downs & all arounds. year after wonderful year :)
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