singing in the rain...

two posts in one day? i know! but, this was too good not to share.

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a typical florida thunderstorm rolled in as we were finishing up dinner. emma, our water baby, had to see what all the fuss was about.  what happened later was 20 minutes of absolute delight.  her squeals of laughter and excitement filled the evening air as water droplets drenched our bodies.  ryan and i laughed hysterically as she ran back and forth into and out of the rain with the hugest of smiles.  

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these are the moments that make you realize the way in which having a child really changes you. would we have ever thought to dance in the rain on a random sunday night? probably not.  but, with emma in our lives, we are reminded of the beauty in the simple things, things we may otherwise take for granted.  as a parent, you think you are the one doing all the teaching....but in reality, as we see the world again through the eyes of a child, our emma, it's clear that she is not the only one learning :)

the low grumble of distant thunder, the cooling of the hot summer air....the feeling of raindrops on our faces and puddles beneath our feet....perfect!

thanks, baby girl :) singing in the rain made our night!

weekend bliss

i have truly forgotten how wonderful weekends go. by count, it has been 9 weeks since i had one off....so i am basking in absolute luxury of having 2 whole fabulous beautiful weekend days to spend with my family.

my little miss is snoozing as i type and i am just one content mama.  its been a simple weekend full of fun in the (hot) sun, splashing in the pool, a date night, and murphy snuggles.  and, miss emma got her FIRST haircut!  her long locks were getting a little bit crazy and since she's not really willing to let clips and ponytail holders stay in for more than an hour....she got a little trim!

a little coloring time on saturday morning.  she likes to sit with her etch-a-sketch by the window and color as she watches the day get started.

she found it pretty hysterical to start slamming the thing against the window. yea. had to intervene on that one ;)

we have found, time and time again, that it's the inexpensive things....or the things that weren't even intended as toys....that emma likes the best.  i found this pink plastic recorder at target for $2 and emma LOVES it.  she parades around the house like a little pied piper with a little march in her step.

my parents have been gone for 3 weeks ~ off on a trip to New Zealand and Figi!!! they returned this week and we headed over for a visit and a cookout on Saturday.  emma met her new "kiwi"and got re-aquainted with glammy and peepaw.

she was very concerned with putting "poncho", a stuffed monkey i had as a little girl, to sleep.  she pulled out a blanket, covered poncho, and rubbed his bum saying "night night poncho!".

i need to get all sappy and emotional for a second, bear with me.  i've been working crazy hours in preparation for a hefty maternity leave and leave a lot to be desired in the helpful wife category these days.  i'm getting huge and my ability to keep up with my munchkin is quickly dwindling.  ryan is just about the most amazing man i could have ever hoped to have in my life.  he is working SO hard to finish our renovation and picks up my slack both around the house and with emma with absolutely no question. he puts up with a lot between my exhaustion and fits of hormonally fueled frustration about things as epic as not having clothes that fit over my belly....ha!  we are both exhausted as any set of good parents should be....but i'm just so eternally grateful that i get to travel this life with him.  honey, i love you.

ok, thanks for hanging with me :) last but not least.....here is emma's new haircut!!! with the help of some pancakes and a plastic eyelash curler as distraction....i trimmed her long crazy locks this morning with what i think is a pretty good result.  there are some areas to touch up but i stopped before i got too ahead of myself.

i think she looks like a little mod baby ;)  the best part is....the back still flips and curls.  oh how i love my little girl!

i hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

oh sleepy me!

well, it's officially impossible to conceal the bags under my eyes!  i'm one sleepy mama!!! pregnancy in general has been easy for me both times around....pretty much my only major complaint the entire time is overwhelming exhaustion.  with emma, i had a great energy spurt in the middle and really didn't slow down until the last month.  this time around.....that energy spurt came and went pretty quickly!

this little munchkin is keeping us busy!!!! i have never met a person, big or small, with so much curiosity and energy!!! she is such a fun little girl with the most loveable of personalities....and she's always 5 steps ahead of me ;)  it is, hands down, the most amazing thing to watch her grow and develop....at this point on a DAILY basis.  i swear she comes home every single day with something new to show us.  she is actually far more interested in interacting with us and with others than playing with any of her toys....which makes me think that while i'm sure she'll experience some sibling related jealousy....that she's actually really ready to be a big sister.  i just can't wait to see her with her little baby brother.

she had her 18 month checkup last week and got a huge clean bill of health!  she's still in the 95th percentile for everything....she got THAT from her daddy! my favorite phrase these days is "emma touch" as she reaches out for everything.  ha! she loves drinking from a cup and keeps ryan and i in stitches as she goes "AHHHH!" after a big gulp.

ahhhhhh!

between work, an every growing belly, and home life....i'm one tired girl, i have to admit.  i think it's something i'm just going to have to get used to especially as a parent to 2 under 2! ;)  i have a couple of slow weeks at work with weekends off before i hit a 2 month stretch of hell.  i'm trying not to think too far in advance but it's going to be tough.  at the same time, we are finishing up the master/bath renovation & putting together emma's big girl room along with sprucing up the nursery for little ben.  all in all....A LOT on our plate!!! sounds kind of crazy as i type it all out!!!  by the time ben gets here....it will feel like vacation ;)

the icing on the cake, though, is that with the way i had my schedule put together for work this year....i'll get close to three months off starting in october.  ben will be here, the house will be done, and the holidays and lots of time for celebration will be before us.  i cannot wait!!!!!

birthday and a half

happy half birthday to our sweet pea!

birthdays are one of my FAVORITE holidays and i intend to see that my kids feel the same way :) our little emma claire is 18 months old today and there was celebrating to be had this afternoon in the murphy house!

we had a small snack of emma's new favorite...."yo yo" (yogurt smoothie)....when we got home.  she loves drinking out of a straw...who knew it could be so fun??! if i'm drinking from one i often have to hide my drink or emma will grab for it.  she has straw radar!  {you'll notice in the pictures above that she has gone from being hair accessory intolerant to wanting like 5 hair clips in at one time....its pretty awesomely hysterical if you ask me.}

we played for a bit and then it was time for a birthday treat!!

these little suckers were the perfect size for emma. and perfectly dangerous for me and ryan since we could easily down 3 before we knew the difference.  not that we DID or anything..... ;)

emma was a fan and danced merrily as we sang happy birthday to her :) she's learning to "jump" and will do so on command so her birthday dance was filled with lots of half jumps and twirls.  when all was said and done, there were cupcake remnants all over the place and some very happy tummies.

another day goes by and my little girl is getting bigger!! truth be told, some days my heart hurts for how fast time seems to fly.  18 short months ago i brought home a little helpless squishy newborn from the hospital.  and look at her now.  maybe it's the hormones....maybe its motherhood.  i just wish time would slow down and these moments would last longer.  whatever the case may be, however fast and fleeting these moments may feel....we live for them. we savor them. we soak them up and remember them. there is nothing in my life that means more. 

so happy half birthday sweet little lady of mine. we love you so very much and always will. now if you could just stop growing up, that'd be great ;)

blankets and blueberries...

...are two of emma's favorite things.  obsessions in fact.  we typically don't keep blankets stored in her room because she will find them, unfold them, and drag them all over the house.  this particular morning she brought out three all at once, proceeded to lay them all over the living room, and just rolled around of the floor giggling.  it's so funny!  

her obsession with blueberries is no less intense.  here is a picture of her from breakfast a few days back. all she wanted was blueberries! she'll eat them with every meal if you offer them.  and we probably would if it weren't for what they did to her diaper!!! i'm not even kidding when i say that after a day of blueberries it looks like she sat in a can of navy blue paint!!! ;) tmi, i know...but it's too funny not to share!



ryan and i are focused on enjoying this time with emma as an only child and aren't particularly interested in spending alot of time talking about "the baby" with her.  sure, we point out the belly but in my eyes....this time is HER time and it's very precious and important to us.  that being said, she's very interested in all things "baby".  we decided to buy her a little baby doll to let her play and in some capacity "practice" for the months to come.

she was so excited when she came home from baby gator to find her baby waiting for her. she spent alot of time giving the paci to the baby and giving kisses to the baby :) she was super sweet and loving for about 10 minutes.....and then she grabbed the doll's pacifier, said "MINE", popped it in her own mouth and ran off! and that's that!  gotta love our little sassafrass! we've got a few more months to "practice" ;)

speaking of a few more months....ahhh! we are 6 months along today! i'm pretty large and in charge and not quite sure where the next 4 months is going to take my body! i'm not uncomfortable yet but i imagine i'll start getting there pretty soon. i actually have quite a bit of energy and feel great for know (but oh what i wouldn't give to lay on my belly!)....the calm before the storm? ha! ben knows i'm talking about him because he's summersaulting as i type :) 

TGI(almost)F everyone! enjoy your weekend!!!!! 

water baby

i'm slowly getting my wits about me after my night rotation. in fact, last night, i slept through the night for the first time since i switched.  prior to that i was getting up in the middle of the night feeling wide awake as my body recalibrates.

just in time for 4th of july!!! we spent the afternoon grilling out, hanging out with family, and of course....cooling off in the pool!  

after the day, it became glaringly obvious that swim lessons are in emma's immediate future.  we were going to wait a little but we just can't.  this little fishy LOVES the water and is eager to get in the pool.  you can tell by being in the pool with her that she wants to learn what exactly it is she is supposed to do in there.  i don't need her to learn to be a great swimmer right now....but i would like her to learn how to get to the side of the pool and how to keep her head above water.  she'll love it and ryan and i will rest easier.

i'm off this morning and am spending it in a VERY lazy way. i'd say i deserve it! ;)