The Murphy Family

Transition

2009-04-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

A crazy time in the Murphy household . . . Louie is one, not yet walking, but VERY cute! Johnny plays soccer and Jake plays t-ball. We have our house on the market - sold in three weeks. Looks like everything will go through, so we're putting an offer on a bank-owned property on 2nd street in a neighborhood that is to drool over. We'll see what happens. This not knowing where/when, being able to plan has me a little over the edge!

My 5-year-old is a teenager!

2008-11-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Johnny's new thing is calling his friend Sarah on the phone. It's totally adorable. I read off Sarah's phone number to him, and Johnny wrote it on a big piece of paper. So, now, when he wants to call her, he gets the phone and dials her number. When Mrs. Freed answers, he asks to talk to Sarah. He starts out asking me what he should say to her, but when he gets warmed up, then he wants to go somewhere private to talk to her. He asks her what she's doing, he tells her about his day, and this evening he asked her if she had time to draw a letter to send him (they like to get and receive mail from each other, too). Then they hung up and he drew a picture of her and a picture of himself each holding a telephone. He put it in an envelope to send her in the mail. I just love it - too cute for words!!

The latest info about the family

2008-08-15T22:02:00.001-07:00

It's August now, and Johnny has started his kindergarten class at the daycare. It's so great! There are only seven kids in his class, so he gets plenty of attention, the room is relatively quiet, AND his teacher is Ms. Amy, who was Jake's teacher in the two's room for almost a year prior to moving to the kindergarten room. She's a family favorite babysitter, and we love her! Johnny is learning so much. He can write any word we help him with in upper and lower case letters, he's starting to sound out words and is close to reading. He can count by tens (with a few little hints), and he's very good at math and math concepts.

Jake just recently got a medal at swim lessons for being able to float on his back for ten seconds and for beign able to get himself out of the pool. That kid is CUTE - and smart! He is also very creative with pretend play. He loves his trains, and he loves to turn all kinds of things into pretend trains.

Louis is almost six months and just got his first ear infection. He has not had formula yet, although the freezer supply is quickly diminishing. I am trying really hard to make it to that full six month mark without having to supplement. It sure is easy to tell when that baby is not feeling well. He is so happy and good natured that any time he fusses, you can bet there's something really wrong. He weighs over 17 pounds now, and is a little Louie Boo!

John just completed his first big acquisition with JDA. He's doing great at work and really seems to enjoy the company. I am so happy for him! Also, he's taking the kids to school every morning and is home before bedtime every night. We're finally striking a really good balance with work and home life.

My job continues to be challenging and rewarding for me. I can't imagine a time when I will want to leave the company, but there's always that thought that I will stay home someday. Someday just seems forever in the future. I am really starting to think that I can make partner in a few years, and that is exciting to me!

Family Update 7/30/2008

2008-07-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

Updates on the kids:

Jake is officially portty trained! This is the kid tht I thought would be so tough, showing no interest at all. About twelve days ago, Jake refused to have a diaper on. I asked him if he wanted to wear underwear instead and start using the potty. He said yes, and from then on he's been in undies - NO accidents! At school, at the movies, at home . . . I am amazed! The first time he went poop on the potty, I said " Jakey, I am so proud of you." Jake said "Is you happy, Mommy?" It was the sweetest thing! Yes, Mommy is very happy!

Johnny is getting ready to start his kindergarten class at daycare. We went to Target and bought the list of items given to us by the school. Included on the list was a pair of scissors. Well, as Johnny and I were labelling all of his new items and putting them in his backpack, Johnny and his new scissors disappeared for a while. The next time I saw Johnny he was coming to me in tears. "I tried to get my hair long, Mommy, but it's too short!" We had to go to the haircut store immediately for a buzz cut. He was so embarrassed. He asked me "Is the haircut teacher going to laugh at me?" I assured him she woudldn't and that almost all kids cut their own hair one time and then learn that it's not okay to do that. So, now he has a buzz cut, and I like it on him!

Louie has started cereal and green beans. He loves the cereal, but makes a mad face when he gets the green beans. It's so cute. He weighs almost 17 pounds now, and I haven't had to give him formula one time yet! I think we'll make the goal of six full months!

End of Mat Leave

2008-05-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

5-15-08

Today is the last day of "getting things done" during maternity leave. I have been trying so hard this week to get the house in order so we can put it on the market. We have a storage facility now, and I have boxed up so many books and other junk to clear it out of the house. I am not close to being done, but have made a big dent. Louis has been in daycare this whole week, and that has helped. I sure do miss that little pumpkin, though.

Louis has had a great four days so far at school. He's taking his bottles well, and his teachers say he's smiling a lot. He really likes to look outside at the other kids playing, and he likes all of the bright toys they have hanging around the room. Bonus for me: he sleeps less during the day and more at night!

Tomorrow is Johnny's pre-k graduation. We'll also have a "practice morning" for me going back to work. I'll leave the house for work at 6:45, John will get the kids dressed and headed to school at 8:30, then John and I will have some time together before graduation at 11. Then it's out for early hapy hour with the other moms. I'll pick up the kids at 3:30, and that will be our normal routine starting next week. I hope we can make that work, because it will save us a ton of money in daycare costs!

C

Trip to St. Louis

2008-05-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

The whole family flew to St. Louis May 3-6. Everyone did a great job on both airplane rides. Thank heaven for portable DVD players! During our trip we:

- Got all three "Reunion House" babies together (appropriately named based on the Fla. vacation we were all on last year in conjunction with the birth dates of the babies).

- Made a lovely trip to the zoo with Andy and Lisa Johnson. We miss them dearly and were so excited to hear that they are now stationed at Scott AFB near my parents' house.

- Christine attended the 10 year (holy cow!) reunion of the Maryville Internship Program .

- Visited with Amy and Dave Barzoff (Jake's Godparents) and their kids Hayden and Alex. Johnny and Hayden had a great time wrestling and tackling in the backyard at Grammy and Grandpa's house.

- Went to the park with our STL cousins.

- Johnny, Jake, John and Grammy had a blast climbing through tunnels at The City Museum.

It was a great trip, and probably our last chance to travel as a family to the STL area, since Grammy and Grandpa are packing up and moving to Arkansas. What great timing for my reuinion!

The Murphy family's first blog

2008-05-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

Yay! We're finally entering the age of technology. We were in St. Louis this weekend, and were able to visit with some friends (Lisa and Andy Johnson) who have a blog set up. I thought it looked so cool and so easy, I decided we should try it! My goal is to update the site with family happenings and pictures of the kids as our family grows. So, here we go . . . hope you all enjoy!

Love,
Christine