The Murphys

"I think this house is a mess!"

2012-01-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

This morning, Cade came into the living room and told me, "mommy, I think this house is a mess! We need to clean it up!" I asked him if he wanted to clean it, and he said he did. I took a shower, and when I came out, he had taken everything from the living room that he could possibly carry... and moved it infront of the front door. The living room was indeed clean.

Study Buddy

2012-01-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun having a break from school for three weeks... I felt GREAT and got lots of stuff done around my poor neglected house. I had hot breakfast for the kids, I caught myself singing while I was cleaning, and I probably took 15 trash bags full of stuff to the DI. It was amazing!!! But all good things must come to an end. January brought a new semester, and a new semester means no more sleep for mommy. I get up between 4 and 4:30 every morning to try to get everything done before the kids wake up.

Cade has started getting out of his bed and coming into ours in the middle of the night. One night, he got up, walked into my room, and when he didn't find me there he came back out to the dining room. He found a blanket and a pillow, climbed on top of the table next to me, and went right back to sleep. He's my little sidekick.

Mr. Potato Head

2012-01-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

Coleman got a Mr. Potato Head for Christmas. He really could care less about putting everything on the potato, but he loves to put it on himself! He will stick the ears in his ears, put the mouth in his mouth, and he loves loves loves to wear the glasses!

Happy Boys

2012-01-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

Chocolate and a nap. The kids love that combo as much as I do.

Soccer Camp

2012-01-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

Cade started a soccer camp in January. It was hilarious.

The kids weren't a team, just practicing drills with an occasional scrimmage. Cade made up his own rules the entire time. If someone stole the ball from him during the scrimmage, he went and got another ball and started playing with that one. If the goalie blocked his shot, he would take the goal, move it, and then take another shot. He is quite the character.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas was great this year. The Murphys were able to come for a week, and we all had a great time. Russ, me, and the kids were ALL sick, but it was nice to slow down for a few days and just spend time together.

Santa brought Coleman an mp3 player in an effort to keep him from wanting my phone all day (that plan didn't work). He does like his music though! Cade and Coleman got a police car that they LOVE. They ride in it almost every day. Cade says that sometimes its a firetruck, so he will dress up in his fireman attire and run around the neighborhood pretending to put out fires. Coleman is happy to be the co-pilot; he just rides and smiles and pushes a button every once in awhile (until the park comes into view, then he bails out the side and starts running).

The boys were so preoccupied with their police car Christmas morning, they acted like we were torturing them when we told them to get out of the car to open up a new present. About half way through the presents, Russ and I decided to call it. We boxed up the rest of the presents and put them away for next year!

Luke 2; presented by the Little People

2011-12-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

"And it came to pass... the shepherds {along with Noah's ark, the jungle, the farm, and the zoo} said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."

My little helpers... putting up the tree

2011-12-28T07:44:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving at The Sonderegger's

2011-12-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

My Superhero

2011-12-28T07:37:00.000-08:00

Baby Wiewey

2011-12-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

We tend a friend's two little boys once a week. Cade is CRAZY about baby Riley. He runs around saying "I wuv my baby Wiewey!". While Riley is here, Cade insists on feeding him his bottle, holding him, even reading to him. He and Chase (Riley's brother), fight over who baby Riley "belongs" to.

Naughty and Nice

2011-12-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

Cade was sent to his room one day (shocker, I know) and started crying that he wanted out as he was laying by the inside of his door. Coleman must have felt sorry for him.... he went and laid down on the other side of the door, and stuck his hand under the gap at the bottom and patted Cade. It was the sweetest moment... until Cade bit Coleman's poor little fingers!!

"Oh no mommy! Oh no!"

2011-12-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

Cade has decided that Coleman's highchair is cooler than his booster seat.... but found it's a little harder to get out of.

Another failed attempt...

2011-12-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

5x7 Folded Card

2011-11-15T21:12:00.001-08:00

With Love Christmas Card

Turn your favorite photos into Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

"Halloween Time"

2011-10-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

This year is the first year that Cade has cared about Halloween. He picked out his costume, we put out the decorations together, and all month he would ask me, "Mom, is it Halloween time?" He had a party at his preschool that was lots of fun, and a playgroup at church with all of our neighborhood friends. Coleman was a state trooper, and Cade was a fireman. The first time he wore his costume (for the preschool party), he refused to take it off all day. He told me where all of the "fires" were in our house, and was busy at work putting them all out for about two weeks prior to Halloween.

Today we carved a pumpkin and then met Russ at his work to show off the kids' cuteness and catch a lunch date with their dad. Coleman LOVED the pumpkin carving. Cade liked the finished product, but really didn't want anything to do with it during the process. We had a fun time at lunch; the boys always love to see their dad.

Tonight, we had a lot of fun trick-or-treating. It was very appropriate for Coleman to be a trooper, because he is probably the best "trooper" I have ever met. He rode in the wagon all night with a smile on his face, happy to be along for the ride. Cade loved seeing all of his friends. Whenever the doorbell would ring, he said, "Mom! More friends!". He didn't think that going to everyone else's doors was quite as exciting. He kept telling me that his bucket was full, and that he didn't want anymore candy. Both of the boys fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows!

Go Utes

2011-10-31T21:04:00.001-07:00

We have been season ticket holders for about a year and a half, but until this past weekend, we had never been to a game together as a family. Cade did surprisingly well, and Coleman did well as long as his mouth was full :) It was a good game, but the best part was that I was able to watch some football in this beautiful October weather with the three boys I love most.

Rocket Juice

2011-10-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Cade's friend Bronco came over to play about a week ago and introduced him to "Rocket Juice". Juice in a bottle shaped like a rocket. Cade and Coleman thought that it was the best thing that ever happened to them, and the rockets were the only thing that both of them would drink out of for about three days!

Autumn Leaves

2011-10-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

A week ago, Russ and I took the kids up the canyon for a Sunday drive. It was absolutely beautiful. We got out of the car, Cade threw some rocks in the river, Coleman picked out some leaves, and we all ate some Oreos. What a great Sunday!

Sweet Boys

2011-10-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a few random pictures of my sweet boys taken over the past month.

Cade carried this toy magazine around for two weeks before letting the wear and tear get the better of it. We probably taped it together 200 times. He picked out one thing that he told me Santa is going to bring him, and he looked at that one toy all day, every day.

Here's the boys in their 'cars' when they stopped to take a break and get a little story time in...

Coleman's still working the wobbles out of his walk!

Cade made a police car and a fire truck... and got a little carried away with the number of lights that he wanted to put on top...

Cade giving Coleman "blanket rides". This looks sweet, but it's lethal!

Cade is sole ranger of our neighborhood watch campaign. He loves to watch the cars drive by from his bedroom window.

Cade taped up all of his cars right where he wanted them, and then fell asleep looking at his materpiece...

Coleman is always talking on the phone... always.

Fireman Cade! Getting ready for the preschool Halloween carnival.

A born rocker...

Top of Utah Marathon

2011-10-01T20:16:00.001-07:00

The race was awesome. We made a weekend trip out of it. We got a great room in Logan and had fun relaxing with the kids on Friday. We tried to go to a nice dinner, and well, I remembered why we don't take the kids out to eat! I went to bed around 8 and probably woke up every 30 minutes because I was so excited (and nervous that I would sleep through the 3 alarms that I set!!). I got up around 4 and got on the shuttle bus around 4:30. The shuttle picked up everyone from all of the hotels in Logan (how sweet is that?!) and took us to the bus loading area. The bus to the top took forever. It was pretty intimidating thinking about how long it was taking to drive the course and knowing that I was about to have to run all of that!

We got to the start line at about 6:30 and they had a really big tent set up that everyone sandwiched into... and then the rain started. It POURED. I had brought a bunch of my flashcards from a test that I was supposed to take a few days later (I think I am always doing more than one thing at once!), but I was too nervous and it was too dark to see them anyway, so I just sat and tried to breath and relax... and not think about the thunder and lightening outside.

The starting line was really exciting. The wheelchair athletes started about 10 minutes before everyone else, so I watched them get ready and line up. I got really emotional thinking about how they stop at nothing to reach their dreams. I just kept thinking about how I hope that I can teach my kids to have that kind of confidence and determination.

We started the race at about 7. It was a little chilly for the first few miles, but I still dumped my jacket about 2 miles in because it was wet and was getting heavy. The rain didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, it was actually even kind of nice after the sun came up and it stayed cool. It started to hail around mile 9. That's right, HAIL. It was awful. I said a prayer and about 5 seconds after I said 'amen', the hail stopped. It's really encouraging to know that God is in your corner :)

My pace was great; I stayed at around 9:00-9:15 for the first 18 miles. I slowed down a lot between 18 and 20, but then my awesome brothers, Dallin and Cory met me at mile 20 and it really lifted my spirits again. I was focusing every bit of energy I had to keep putting one foot in front of the other, so we didn't talk at all, but just having them there helped so much.

My goal was to finish under 4:15:00. I stayed ahead of the pace girl until mile 25. I tried SOOO hard to pick my pace back up but I had NO gas left in the tank. I finished in 4 hours, 17 minutes. My first marathon time was 4 hrs, 40 minutes, so I was still proud of my self for cutting off that much time.

The race recovery was 1000x better than when I did the Atlanta marathon. I think that I was much more prepared and in better shape this time around, and my boys didn't let me stop long enough to cramp up I guess.

The race was an amazing experience. I'm so grateful that Russ is so supportive to me. He is always telling me that I can do great things and helping me to be more confident in myself. When I was a child, I was not athletic at all, and I usually came in last or nearly last place when we would do the mile run at school or anything like that. I hated it. I was always too self-concious to sign up for the track team, so everytime I run a race, it renews my faith in myself. I'm really proud of my accomplishment. I worked hard. There were many mornings I would have to get up at 4:30 to get my run in. I had injuries, was dehydrated, sick, and just plain tired some days, but I prayed for stregnth and I worked through it. I know that with God, all things are possible (even marathons!)

I always like to compare marathons to life. Sometimes, you feel great and the scenery is beautiful and people are cheering you on and everything is perfect. Other times, there's not a soul in sight, everything hurts, it's raining... even hailing... and your socks and shoes are soaked and you still have 19 miles left to go. You don't give up though, because you know that your family is waiting at the finish line with open arms and smiling faces. You just say a prayer and keep putting one foot in front of the other... and eventually, you make it. In the words of President Hinckley, "God be my helper and I can do it".

So that race is done and I'm on to the next... school. It's hard. Darn hard. I get up between 4:00 and 4:30 every morning so I can try to get everything done before the kids wake up. I have had about 2 seconds of spare time in the last 5 weeks. It's like I'm already exhausted and it's only mile 2.5 :) But I keep on going because I know I can. Heavenly Father will help me and one day, I will get to that finish line. In the mean time I just keep running (... and try not to think about how much farther I have to go)!

So here are the pictures. I hate posting them because I look like I just ran through you-know-where in the pouring rain, but let's be honest... that's what I did!!

Dallas and the Murphy Reunion

2011-10-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of September, the Murphys got together over Labor Day in Dallas. It was the first time in a couple of years that everyone has been together, so it was great to see everyone again.

Coleman was a trooper, as usual, on the plane...

Leave it to Cade to notice that the caution cones were out of place in the airport. Russ had to wait in the rental car line for about 30 minutes, so Cade arranged and rearranged the caution cones while we had to wait. It was probably one of his favorite parts of the trip!!
We took the boys to their first MLB game with Conrad, Dan and Dan's kids. I don't know what it is about baseball... but I love it. The kids had a great time too. I think we lasted through about three whole innings :)
Caught!!
Cade really liked it! He would clap when everyone started clapping, and he went crazy over the homerun fireworks.
Russ was pretty proud to take the boys to their first game.

Of course there was a football game involved. The equipment truck was parked in front of the stadium the night before. I don't know who was more excited, Cade or Russ.

Cade loved playing with his cousins. Kylie was a great sport and let Cade boss her around the entire time.
And then there was the game. I'm pretty sure that this screen is bigger than my house.
Another win for the Tigers to top off a great trip :)
The boys wanted to see the Cotton Bowl. I really don't know what the big deal about it is, but we had to have a picture.

On the way home, Coleman got sick and managed to poop through every diaper I had, plus all of the clothes that were on him. Aside from that, everything was really fun. Hopefully we don't let another two years go by before we do it again!

Brothers

2011-10-01T15:51:00.001-07:00

Cade and Coleman have a love/hate relationship. Probably has something to do with how Cade loves to tackle Coleman whenever I turn my back. They sure love each other though (...on occasion...). Coleman wakes up from his nap and the first thing he says is "gade? gade?" Cade loves to give Coleman "big hugs" (it's really a sort of tackle that he doesn't get in trouble for), and he's always trying to look out for Coleman... he will say, "Mommy! Coleman sad! Mommy get Coleman!" or he will make sure that Coleman gets a treat too or things like that.

This happened a few months ago, but I forgot I had taken these pictures. Cade wanted to give Coleman a ride. Coleman knew just what to do! He held on and away they went... around and around the kitchen island.

Coleman at 1 Year

2011-09-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

Height: 29.5 inches (30th percentile)

Weight: 21 lbs 14 oz (30th percentile)

Head Circumference: 47.9 cm (80th percentile)

Favorite Food: fruit loops

Favorite Object: blanket, binky

Favorite Person: mom

Favorite Activity: "talking" on the phone, singing anything

Teeth: incisors are all here, canines are working on it

Says: momma, dadda, Cade (gade), and uh-oh consistently. He is also starting to imitate words on occasion.

New Things: drives matchbox cars back and forth while making car noises, he can put toys into a container, imitating more and more, he is expressing emotion about likes/dislikes, and TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS -- yay!! (9/9/11; 12 1/2 months).

We sure love you little buddy. You have brought so much happiness to our home, and you have taught us so much already. We love watching you learn and grow, and we are blessed to be able to raise such a special little boy.

Coleman's First Birthday

2011-09-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well I can't believe my baby is one. We have had so much happen in the past year that it seems like it was the longest year ever, but at the same time, it feels like Coleman has always been part of our family. One thing is for certain, he is growing too fast!! Coleman is such a sweet little baby, and we all love him to pieces.

We had an Atlanta Braves themed birthday party, and Russ was just as excited about all of the party details as I was :)

The invitations:

The birthday boy...

Cade pulled up to the party in style!

Proud dad...

Courtney the cake artisian... (whew, thanks for taking care of that part of it for me girl!)

Grandma and Grandpa were even able to come!

We had hotdogs, peanuts, cracker jacks, and popcorn!

I called the Braves' office and asked them if they would send me pocket schedules for the kids' favor bags...
Party people!

At last, the cake...

A little something to remember such a wonderful day!

My trip to Italy, Holland, and back again

2011-08-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

There’s a well known poem in the world of families with special needs called “Welcome to Holland” by Emily Kingsly. It’s a poem about how being pregnant is like planning a wonderful vacation to Italy. You plan for months and months and can’t wait to get there. When your plane finally lands, you find out that you are not in Italy, you’re in Holland, and you can‘t leave. Everything is different that what you imagined and planned for. You are disappointed that your dream Italian vacation will never really be yours, but you come to realize that Holland is beautiful too. It’s very different from Italy, but it is beautiful.

The story of our family could be compared to this, except that we did land in Italy at first. A beautiful, healthy baby was born. I held him and it was everything I dreamed it would be. It was like I was finally sitting in that gondola taking in the amazing scenery and experience that I had been waiting for. Things quickly changed.

Suddenly the bottom of our gondala fell out right from underneath us! We had a diagnosis; conductive bilateral moderate hearing loss. The shock overcame me. I started sinking. I realized that if I didn’t start swimming, I would drown. I did what I could to swim to the shore, but I was exhausted, weak, and a very poor swimmer. Prayer, faith, friends and family pulled me to safety when I couldn’t do any more on my own.

Once I was at shore, I realized that I wasn’t in Italy anymore. I was in Holland. Everyone spoke a different language, and I didn’t know where to go or how to get there. It was a very lonely and overwhelming feeling. Some incredible people were placed in my family’s lives: special education teachers from Jordan School District and Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. I would say that they were our tour guides. We met some wonderful families who also unexpectedly found themselves in Holland, and we learned many life lessons from their experiences. Just as Emily Kingsly describes in her poem, we realized the beauty of Holland. Tulips. Windmills. Rembrants. We grew accustomed to the new territory, and we embraced it.

Although we did love Holland, everyone we knew was coming and going from Italy. They were all constantly talking about how incredible it was and showing us pictures. I couldn’t help but think from time to time about how I was supposed to be in Italy.

One day, we were told that our time in Holland might come to an end. Coleman passed his hearing test at the beginning of August. Over the next two weeks, he passed two more tests. Without any medical explanation, his hearing is now completely in the normal range for his right ear, and he only has a mild loss for high pitches on his left. He stopped wearing his hearing aids (hooray!!) and seems to be doing just fine without them. We packed our bags and took the next flight back to Italy with tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces!

Now we’re back in Italy, and Italy is amazing. Coleman is consistently saying a few words now, which puts a smile on my face every day. I can read to him and sing to him and know that he heard me. I can leave the room for a second without worrying that $2500 worth of hearing aids are being slobbered to death or dropped down the heat registers. So many things that I worried about are suddenly gone, and I love it. I’m taking in all of the incredible sights and sounds of this wonderful place.

I do miss Holland. I will be starting school next week so that I can one day work with kids with special needs. Maybe I can even be a tour guide there one day. This vacation has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I will be forever grateful that, by the Grace of God, I was able to experience both Holland and Italy. Holland is a place I will always love and never forget.

Idaho

2011-08-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Me and the boys made a quick trip to Idaho last week. The 24 hours that we were there were jam-packed with tire swing rides, lawn mower rides, enormous side walk chalk exhibits, water fights, fishing, waterskiing, and hangin' out with the fam. We had a great time.

One of the most memorable moments of the trip had to be this... Cory's first attempt at barefoot skiing. This picture was taken moments before the best face-plant I have ever seen. Awesome effort Cory!!!

Water Fight!

2011-08-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

We had to leave our Jordanelle camping trip a little early because it was starting to rain. Russ decided to prove to us that a little rain can't spoil our party, so he broke out the super soakers and a 5 gallon bucket. He taught Cade how to properly shoot a water gun at his little brother... Coleman was on the inside of the glass door, so he enjoyed getting shot at as much as the shooters enjoyed deploying their weapons.

Jordanelle

2011-08-07T15:21:00.001-07:00

We took the boys to Jordanelle a few weeks ago. We only stayed for one night, but we still had enough time to enjoy a campfire, fresh air, the stars, and time with the kiddos.

Caught with his pants down!! Those shorts are a little too big...

The matchbox cars always seem to find a way to make the trip...

One of Cade's favorite parts of the trip was our map of the campground. He carried it around all evening and kept telling us all about the roads on the map...

My Favorite Super Hero...

2011-08-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

My favorite super-hero is a pantless, fireman/fighting tiger. He can scale any wall, topple any tower, and defeat even the strongest of discipline techniques.

Don't let the smile fool you. Danger is {or should be} his middle name.

What Can He Hear?

2011-07-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Lots of people have asked me just how much Coleman can hear without his hearing aids. Here's a good, basic video of hearing loss simulation. Coleman's loss is in the mild-moderate range, which means that a few of the higher pitches are just a mild loss, while most others are moderate.

We are very lucky that in Coleman's case, he has nearly normal hearing with the aids. Many people don't understand though that while hearing aids amplify the sound of normal conversation, they amplify all of the background noise (the fan, the radio, the humming of the fridge, the a/c, etc) also. This is why we have a deaf education specialist come to our home every other week to teach him listening skills, and to teach me and Russ teaching skills. This is also why it's important for everyone to look directly at him and to speak up when talking to him.

So there you have it! Deaf Education Fred Flinstone style!

C-Man at 10 Months

2011-07-16T21:08:00.001-07:00

Coleman is 10 months old (well, almost 11, but I'm slow at this stuff). Here's his 10 month picture. He wouldn't stay put long enough for me to push the button, so here's a picture of his escape attempt. I love the tongue out of the mouth grin... he's doing this about 90% of the time that he's awake lately.
Coleman is the easy-going member of the family. He's just content to watch everybody and doesn't complain or fuss. Here's a perfect example... Cade was giving me a run for my money, and I was busy disciplining/cleaning up/making him happy while Coleman was left in his high chair after he finished lunch for too long... way past naptime. Poor buddy.

Coleman is crawling all over the place now...

and figuring out how to get into trouble!!

More things about Coleman this month...

He is babbling mama, baba, and dada, and saying dada and uh-oh with meaning.

Coleman mimicks my signs, but signs dog with meaning.

Coleman will try to sing the chorus of his favorite song... "If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops" by singing "ah ah ah ah!!"

He figured out how to blow a whistle. Cade and Coleman love to take their whistles and blow them at each other as loud as he can.... uhhhh, love it.

Coleman's hearing tests are all pointing to a conductive loss (the bones in his inner ear are most likely malformed), which is good because it means that chances that the hearing loss will worsen are very unlikely.

Coleman's hearing aids have now been broken 4 times. It's an impossible and never ending battle to keep them in. His audiologist tells me that it should start to get easier any time now, so we're hanging in there.

Coleman's EI teacher says that he is making great progress, and she expects that he will pass his upcoming development test with "no delays". I'm so proud of him!

Kennecott

2011-07-16T20:45:00.001-07:00

We have talked about going to tour the copper mine by our house ever since we moved here. This week the tours were free, so we finally made the 5 minute drive up there. It was amazing!! Cade was in Heaven. In the museum, he ran from display to display (all of the displays were models of the mine lined with construction trucks) saying, "wow!" the whole time.

Hobbler Half Marathon

2011-07-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

I ran my first post-Coleman half a week ago. It was a great race. Maria and Mandi ran with me, and since they are super-speedy, I had to work hard to keep up! The last half I did was in September 09, and my time was 2 hrs 20 mins. My goal this time around was to finish in under 2 hours, and my time was 1 hr 59 mins and 30 secs. I was really excited to meet my goal.

Russ and Cade got to ride in a hot air balloon while they waited for me at the finish line...

Here's my fast friends! We all did awesome and I'm very proud of us! Maria even won some headphones for her rockin imitation of Katy Perry. What can I say.. we had a good time :)

4th of July

2011-07-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun this year on the 4th. We went to my aunts' anual BBQ/fireworks show on Saturday, then on Monday we had our own BBQ with Dall and Court. Dall provided a stellar fireworks display of his own that night. Cade loved the sparklers, and Coleman just loved to be there... as always.
Cade was refusing to be a part of the picture.

He wouldn't put his blanket down all night.

Cade was in heaven... Dallin let him throw snap pops from the back of his jeep. He snuggled up with Court all night.

God Bless America... and Seersucker

2011-07-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my text book hookups from my aunt being a clothing design professor, I've been working on trying to design some of my own children's clothing patterns lately. Last week, seersucker was on sale at Joann's (oh, happy day... I love love love seersucker). So I came up with some matching outfits for the kiddos. Cade was not having posing in a picture, so you'll have to take my word for it that 1. he wore the outfit, and 2. it was cute.

The ladies over at eighteen25 inspired me here, and I came up with these little embroidered t-shirts for the boys to wear with their shorts to the fireworks. Cade still doesn't care what he wears (as long as it doesn't restrict his movement, he's good!), so I'm getting away with the cheese while I can... and I'm loving it.

Camping

2011-07-03T20:01:00.001-07:00

Russ took Cade to the Father/Son Campout a few weeks ago and the two of them had a lot of fun, so we decided it was time to give a family campout a shot. We bought a tent and set it up in our back yard. Cade was sooo excited. He ran around in the tent saying, "dis my houff mommy!" (This my house mommy). When it was time to take it down, Cade was broken-hearted; he wanted to sleep in it so bad. We compromised by setting up his play tent on his bed. He kept the tent up and slept in it all week.

We went camping at Rockport State Park this weekend. We used up every square inch of our car packing all of the gear we needed for 18 hours. The boys did great. We stayed up late with the kids by the fire. Coleman went to bed without a peep.

Cade's favorite part of camping was the campfire. He sat still in his chair for two hours.... probably a record for him! I kept asking him if he wanted to go to sleep, and he said, "no, me want to watch the fire." He counted the stars too (he made it to seven... several times before giving up).

Cade finally told me around midnight that he wanted to "west my eyes wight ere" (rest my eyes right here), and he fell asleep in his chair.

Cade also had fun watching a squirell pop in and out of his hole. He chased birds, threw rocks, and tried to run away many many times. It was exhausting but fun. I'm sure we'll have many more camping trips ahead of us.

3 and 9

2011-06-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late in posting this one... better late than never I suppose!!

Cade turned 3 in May, here's a few of his 3-year-old stats and facts:

Height: 37.5 inches (50th percentile)

Weight: 36 lbs 8 oz (90th percentile)

Favorite food: Cookies

Favorite person: Coleman

Favorite phrases: "That's mine!" and "No, me try mommy!" (we're going through an independent phase!)

Favorite toy: any and all of his one million matchbox cars

Favorite activity: Riding the bus to preschool

Coleman turned 9 months in May, here's some of his stats and facts:

Height: 28.5 inches (45th percentile)

Weight: 21 lbs 4 oz (75th percentile)
Coleman started crawling at 9 1/2 months. He is a champ at sleeping through the night. He has started pulling up on furniture, and now (at 10 months) is just starting to try to cruise. He's doing better at keeping his hearing aids in, as long as I keep his hat on and tied *quite* tight! He's vocalizing more and very attentive. He's still a happy-go-lucky baby. He seems to understand a few signs (more and all done), and has mimicked my signs a few times, but isn't consistent with them yet. He likes to listen to me sing, play games, read books, and watch Cade.

These two are sweet boys that keep me ON. MY. TOES. Our house is always a party. A loud, crazy, messy party but still a party!

The Perks of Being a 3 Year Old

2011-06-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Being 3 is *tough*. You have an oppinion about everything, but mom's oppinion always seems to matter more. You have enough energy to run to China and back, but you have to keep it contained to the backyard. You could wrestle a bear... and probably win... but you get in trouble everytime you try to practice on your baby brother. Yes, my friends, it is not easy to be three. Even though being three usually means 5000 trips to time out each day, there are a few upsides.

For instance...

School is still cool. Very cool. You can be juming-up-and-down excited about going, and never get made fun of.

All of your teachers love you when you're three.

You get to hold hands with your bus driver, and you're the coolest kid on the block when it pulls up in front of your house.

You get a Toy Story backpack..... *with wheels*.

You're finally strong enough to squeeze the hose thing.

And most importantly... you can drive the car cart at Lowes.

Maybe three isn't as bad as people make it out to be afterall.

Let's Race

2011-06-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

I ran in a 10K a week ago. Russ and the kids were waiting for me about 50' in front of the finish line. When Cade saw me running, he ran out to hug me. He held my hand and we ran the last little bit of the race together. He was so excited!! The race photographer took this picture. My facial expression is a little crazy, but Cade's is priceless. I think it's hilarious that both of his feet are off of the ground too. When we finished the race, Cade said, "moe wace, mommy? moe wace?" Love that kid.

Cade's 3rd Birthday

2011-05-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Cade-o is 3. He has grown sooo much over the past six months. We've been working really hard with his teachers, and he has made tons of progress. His vocabulary has exploded, and his articulation is getting better and better. He is such a sweet brother to Coleman and is getting the hang of how to be gentle with him. He is a very special little boy and we love him to pieces.

We celebrated Cade's birthday by having a party with friends. Since firetrucks are the love of Cade's life right now, we centered the celebration around them. I think Cade's favorite part of his entire birthday was the balloon bouquet...

I think Coleman might have just as much fun on Cade's birthday as Cade did. He got to eat a cupcake for the first time, and loved loved loved the games and toys...

The boys also got to have Nana in town for the weekend, which is the best kind of birthday present!

It was also fun to be able to share the day with friends. We're lucky to live so close to so many amazing people.

We had lots and lots of firetruck paraphernalia!!

I thought that Cade would be really excited about a firetruck shirt, so I made a felt applique and embroidered his name on it... he really couldn't have cared less though. Oh well... it was fun to make!

YES; I still consider myself to be a novice in the cake-decorating department. It must have looked pretty scary... Cade gagged when I put it in front of him to blow out his candles!!

The presents were a hit. He loved unwrapping them piece-by-piece.

It was a fun and crazy day!!

Cade, we love watching you learn and grow! You make us be better people, and we're so blessed to have you as a part of our family. We love you, little buddy!!

Easter

2011-04-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Cade really liked coloring the eggs this year...

The world's most beautiful Easter eggs...

Easter morning...

Our best attempt at Easter pictures...

Yummy Easter dinner...

Egg hunt!

Coleman 8 Months

2011-04-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Coleman has grown so much this month. He has started to say "dada" in his babbling, which is a huge for us since he has hearing loss. He is sooo close to crawling. He's eating anything and everything. He also got his two bottom teeth this month.

"Me Bob"

2011-04-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

Cade is all about Bob the Builder these days. He runs around the house with his hard hat and tools and says "me Bob, mommy." A week or so ago, he closed the dishwasher and it didn't click when it closed. He said "Uh oh! Me fix. Need tools." He ran to his room and got his trusty hard hat and saw. He came back and sawed the dishwasher for awhile and then said, "All done!" He put his hat and saw on the counter and went about his business.

Cade thinks that his dad is pretty cool. Whenever Russ is doing something, Cade has to be a part of it. Russ changed my brake pads yesterday, and Cade was in second heaven sitting next to him and watching...
Before church yesterday, I told Cade to stand by the car while I got Coleman in his carseat. 10 seconds later, I heard, "help mom! help!" Cade had gotten into Russell's tool bench, got a wrench, crawled under the car and started to "fix" it.

Game On

2011-04-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Cade had his first t-ball practice yesterday. He did GREAT at everything... except recognizing or following any of the rules of the game :) Russell's first love was baseball, so he is obviously thrilled that Cade is finally old enough to play (well, he's really not... but Russ talked to the commissioner and got an exception). Russ is coaching, and everyone on the team is from our neighborhood, so I'm sure we'll have lots of fun.

Coleman provided great support from the duggout...

Cade insisted on pulling the hemet down over his eyes, and peeking out through the little hole on the brim of the helmet. Anytime someone tried to help him fix it, he would scream, "No! Me do it!"... and then he would pull it back down over his eyes. He hit the ball, ran the bases, and played the outfield like this. Good thing they don't keep score at this age.

Welcome Spring

2011-03-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

How do you welcome Springtime? One of Cade's favorite things to do is to hit his brother with flowers. Coleman seems to like it too, so uh, okay, go for it boys.

The Simple Things

2011-03-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

We had to send one of Coleman's hearing aids to the manufacturer last week for repair, so he had to go without all week long. I took him to the audiologist yesterday to pick it up once it was fixed. The audiologist put it in his ear and turned it on. Coleman froze, and after a few seconds, he looked up at the audiologist and gave her an ear to ear grin, and started kicking his legs, shaking his arms, and squealing. He was so excited to be able to hear again! The audiologist and I were almost in tears we were both laughing so hard. It was a really great reminder about how lucky we are to have all of this technology and assistance available to our sweet Coleman. It was also a really sweet example of the love, submissiveness, and joy that children possess. Babies sure do teach us a lot of life lessons!

C-Man is 6 Months

2011-02-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love this little guy. Coleman is like a little piece of heaven in our house. He is always, yes always, sweet, cuddly, and smiley. He has my eyes and his dad's... everything else. He loves his brother, is very curious, and eats anything and everything, including his hearing aids. Coleman weighs 16 lbs and 6 oz (30th percentile) and is 26.3 inches (50th percentile). This month he started eating his toes, squealing, sitting (tripod style, just for a few seconds at a time), and is just starting to scoot around (mostly backwards and in circles).

Coleman is a very special little boy who has had some big obstacles in his 6 months of life, the biggest of which is his hearing loss. Where there are trials, there are blessings, and lots of lessons to learn. I think that the biggest thing that I've learned is that people are inherently kind. Wherever we are, there is always someone I don't know who comes up to talk with me about Coleman. Lots of those people have experience with hearing loss themselves, and ask about his situation and offer tips and tricks that they've come across. There are also many others who go out of their way to talk to me about how cute Coleman is. I can tell that these people don't comment on his hearing loss because maybe they think I would be offended if they did (I wouldn't... I love to talk about my baby :), but I do appreciate their concern). There are many many kind people out there.

We are so glad that Coleman is a part of our family. He adds another whole dimension of happiness to our lives.

Calling All Angels 2

2011-02-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

My friend Angie is doing a service project collecting blankets for a hospital in memory of her newborn son who passed away almost two years ago. Please take a minute to watch the video, their faith and love is inspiring. This is such a great cause, please help if you can. If you live near me, let me know if you want to participate and I will pick up and mail your blankets for you.

Jumpin

2011-02-02T13:31:00.001-08:00

If you know Cade, you know that he likes to run, jump, and crash things. We went to Kangaroo Zoo in PG, and Cade loved it. Like LOVED it. He burned off so much energy and had so much fun, that we thought we would all be happier if we had some of that in our basement.... probably one of the smartest things I've ever done (but I do have to give Russ the credit for the idea and finding the stellar deal on Ebay). Cade gets 10 minutes of jumping time every time that he does 5 nice things for Coleman. It's hilarious (and oh so refreshing) to watch him give Coleman every toy in his room, his favorite blanket, all of his treats, and plenty of kisses.

The first couple of pictures are from Kangaroo Zoo, the others are in our basement (it's more fun with friends! Come over!)

And one more picture just because this moment was too cute to forget...

1 Month With Hearing Aids!

2011-02-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

Coleman is 5 months old now... and I can't believe how much he has changed over the past month. Since he got his hearing aids, he is soooo much more social. He likes to play games, he laughs and squeals, and he "talks" to us all day long. The difference the hearing aids have made is astounding. Coleman is all set up with Early Intervention and PIP/USDB, and we have met some truely amazing people through the whole process. They have even inspired me to go back to school to be a SLP, and my application is in! It's going to be a looooong road, but I am 100% sure that it's where I need to be. I am so excited to be able to give other families like mine the hope and help that all our JCDC friends have given to us.

Little Gym Graduation!

2011-01-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my Cade-o!! He finished his first semester at The Little Gym. They had their "show" last night. We had so much fun watching him. That's the best money I spend all month... Cade absolutely loves it. He can run as much as he wants to, and whenever he crashes into a mat it doesn't hurt! When he gets home from class, he is absolutely exhausted, and sleeps like a log. It's a win-win!

Mommy's Juice

2011-01-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

I dropped Cade off at his preschool class this morning, when his teacher walked in with a Diet Dr. Pepper in hand. Cade pointed to it and said, "mommy's juice!" He pretty much nailed it.

Turn Those Ears On!!

2010-12-31T13:53:00.001-08:00

We got Coleman's hearing aids yesterday. Russ wasn't feeling well, so I went into Coleman's appointment and we made sure that they fit and were working right, but we didn't turn them on so that Russ could be a part of Coleman hearing for the first time. Primary Childrens has been awesome to work with. They gave Cade a little stuffed animal with mock hearing aids so that he wouldn't feel left out. We gave the stuffed animal to Cade and explained to him that Coleman was getting some "special ears". Cade kept taking the mock hearing aids off the animal and gave them to me saying "more baby's ears! more baby's ears!".

Once we turned the hearing aids on, Coleman was very nervous. Every little sound made him jump, and he was really tense all night, but he didn't really cry or fuss. Today he seems to be doing a lot better with them. I was talking to him in a silly voice and making faces at him, and he laughed... that was really touching, he's never done that before. I'm so excited for him that he has so many more opportunities and experiences ahead of him now. I'm also so thankful for the technology that's available. It's really amazing when you stop and think about it.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T14:22:00.000-08:00

We went to a Christmas Festival at Cade's school a couple of days before Christmas. Cade tolerated Santa's lap much better this year than last. Coleman was just happy to be there, like usual...

Christmas Eve was awesome. I had all of these plans.... we would see the lights on temple square, build a ginger bread house, and then read Christmas stories and act out the nativity... but Cade of course had his own plans. I didn't want to fight the kids and stress over it, so I asked Cade what he wanted to do. He said "mowee! mowee!" So we watched a movie. We watched Toy Story 3 (loved it!). Cade and Russ ordered pizza for dinner, and Russ kindly picked up a Diet Coke, fries, and fry sauce for me since I can't eat pizza. Coleman was spent by that point and ducked out of the party...

Russ picked up a buid-your-own wood car kit from Lowes, and put it together with Cade. I don't think Cade has ever had so much fun. He laughed and laughed while they built it, and then carried the car around like it was his life's work. He kept pointing to it and saying, "Dada did it! Dada did it!" It was really cute to see Cade having so much fun with his dad.

Once the car was complete, we all played cars together and built garages for them... Cade's favorite activity.

Then we all read the Christmas Story and sang "Away in a Manger". Cade went to bed with his usual truck book in place, but also with his new wooden car...

Christmas morning, Coleman had to wait for Cade to wake up before he could open his presents... I think the anticipation was almost more than he could handle :) ...

Neither of the boys knew that all of this new stuff was from Santa, but they did know that it was new, and that it was theirs!!

Christmas afternoon, we headed up to Idaho to spend some time with my family.

I got to see my grandma and grandpa while we were there too. We even got a 4-generation picture :)

What a great Christmas. Lots of good memories!!

Coleman at 4 Months

2010-12-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Coleman is four months old now! He weighed in at 14 lbs 8 oz (55th percentile), is 24.5 inches long (50th percentile) and his head is 42.7 cm (60th percentile). He started rice cereal, and he is a big fan! Whenever I feed it to him, he sticks his arms and legs straight out and just shakes with excitement. He was finally diagnosed with mild to moderate hearing loss bilaterally. We're glad that we're at last to the point where we're done with tests and we can start helping him. His hearing aids have been ordered, and he will be getting them this week. I can't wait to see his reaction when he has them in for the first time!

Oh yeah, this is why I rarely blog...

2010-12-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

So I was feeling guilty that I'm so behind on my blog. I took 10 minutes to update it, walked into the living room, and found my darling 2 year old in the middle of an entire box of cereal. This is why I never get anything done people!

Coleman's Blessing

2010-12-27T18:51:00.001-08:00

Coleman was blessed on November 28th, by his dad. It was a beautiful blessing. Coleman is a very special little spirit and he has brought our family so much joy. We were very lucky that almost all of both of our families were able to be there (we were just missing Dan and his family who are in Oklahoma, and Michelle who is on a mission). Cade doesn't EVER sit still long enough for a good picture, but we sure made a lot of attempts.

Thanksgiving with the Murphys

2010-12-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

We were lucky to have the Murphys out to our house for a week over Thanksgiving. Coleman got to meet his Papa for the first time. Of course, we fried a turkey :) Conrad also spoiled us with some creole, and I thoroughly enjoyed having on-call babysitters! Russ and Conrad also went to the Utah/BYU game, it seems that football always has a place in Murphy get togethers!
Cade wanted no part in having his picture taken, so here's our best shot!

Our Crazy Happy Lives

2010-12-19T06:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, 2010 has been a whirlwind. It's been my happiest and toughest year on record. I have to laugh at myself when I think of my "best laid plans" that are now pretty much out the window. It's funny to think of what I thought was important 10 years ago, vs. what's important now. This year we've learned a lot about what really matters.

So... Here's to 2010! We've had some highs, and we've had some lows, but all-in-all, we've shared a lot of laughs, we've made some new friends and had fun with lots of old ones, made happy memories with family, we were blessed with our sweet Coleman, we've been able to watch Cade grow and learn, I've spent one more happy year with my amazing husband, and we've grown closer to our Savior.

I think that this talk by Elder Wirthlin "Come What May and Love It", has really been sort of a theme of my life this year. It has helped me so much; I want to share it so that maybe it can help someone else who might need it also.

Kiddo Update

2010-12-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

Cade is now 2 1/2! Cade started preschool this month. He hates it. He does love his Miss Lisa though, so I think that after he gets the swing of things he will have fun. His favorite expressions are "Ooooohhhh Booooooo!!!" (Oh no) and "Hi Beebee, Hi!" (Hi Baby, Hi). He is learning new words every day, and I am so proud of the progress that he's made. He loves Coleman so much, and tries to hug and kiss him all of the time. He loves loves loves everything about cars and trucks. He has also started to love buiding "ouff"s (houses) out of his lincoln logs and legos.

Coleman is three months old! I can't believe how fast he is growing. I love this picture with his belly hanging over his belt. He's becoming quite the little chub. He started laughing this month, but it sounds more like an excited grunt than a laugh. He is a very smiley and happy baby. He hates being by himself, but loves to sit and watch Cade play.

Coleman gave us quite the scare the other day. He woke up with his soft spot bulging out. We went in to the pediatrician, who told us that it could be a sign of hydrocephalus or a brain tumor (which would explain his hearing loss as well), so we ran to the hospital for a CT scan. Thank Heaven that his scan was perfectly normal. This little guy is giving me gray hairs already. Good thing he's so darn cute. Coleman is such a sweet baby. We feel so lucky that he is ours.

Outsmarting the Picky Eater

2010-11-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Cade is terrible about being a picky eater. He is incredibly over-sensitive to the sight of food, so even looking at something that someone else is eating will make him throw up... he got to the point where he was literally only eating frozen waffles, grilled cheese, and milk. We started him in a toddler class for kids who have eating issues, and things have gotten SO much better. They saved my sanity. I thought that I should pay it forward and pass on some of the tricks I've learned...

1. Shake it. Make milk shakes out of everything. No really, everything. Cade loves the raspberry/avacado/sweet potato blend. Mix it with half and half for extra calories. Instant Breakfast mix will add some vitamins and nutrients too.
2. Dip it. Mix pureed vegetables into ketschup or ranch dressing. Let them dip pretzels, chips, or crackers into it. Nutella is an awesome dip too.
3. Glam it up. I top everything with cool whip, sprinkles, or mini m&m's. You can also use fun cookie cutters to cut out sandwiches.
4. Name it. Don't say "eat your fruits and veggies"... say "eat your CARROT SWORDS or BANANA WHEELS." Be creative.
5. Play with it. I'm not a mom who cares about playing with your food. I think it's a great opportunity for pretend play, and it helps take Cade's mind off of the stress of it.
6. Let peer pressure work for you. Cade does 1000% better if he sees other kids eating it too. We love lunch play-dates.

We still aren't to the point where I can make one meal for the whole family (wouldn't that be something?!), but at least I'm not having to wash pukey clothes after every meal!

Tiny Tubes for C-Man

2010-11-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

We went up to Primary's on the 4th for Coleman to get tubes in his ears. Little buddy hasn't passed his hearing test yet, so his doc wanted to put tubes in to rule out any chance of fluid causing the hearing loss. I felt like I was playing house, with the little-bitty hospital gown, blood pressure cuff, and oxygen mask! Coleman was very brave through the surgery, and so was I :) Thank goodness it was only 15 minutes long. They hardly gave me enough time to worry. Coleman did look cute though in his tiny gown...

But holy cow, if you ever are feeling sorry for yourself, spend a day at Primary Children's! I promise your problems will not seem so bad after all. We will go back in one month to have more hearing tests for Coleman, but come what may, we're very very blessed. We know Heavenly Father loves us, He loves Coleman, and that everything is in His hands.

Happy Halloween/October 2010

2010-11-03T14:42:00.001-07:00

We kicked off October with a visit to the pumpkin patch... a very muddy pumkin patch.

Cade was ticked that his hands were muddy, but he did like the wagon ride! He was more excited about the cars passing by than the pumpkins...

Still mad about his hands being dirty...

We also had the first snow this October. Cade sat at the window signing "snow" (that's what he's doing in the picture below) and just watching the snow fall for most of the morning...

Then it snowed again a few days later. Cade laid in the window this time to watch it...

We carved a pumpkin with Cade this year. He was fascinated that the top came off. He kept pointing to it and signing "hat".

We were an LSU superfan family for Halloween (I know... we went way out of our comfort zones!). The boys had matching outfits, complete with capes, masks, and foam swords.

Family Pics 2010 and Coleman Newborns

2010-10-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ho. Lee. ****. This day was the craziest day of my life. I remembered why we haven't done this in 18 months. Cade did everything he could to sabotage Coleman's newborn session, then during the family session, he tried to run away, take his shoes off, tackle Coleman, or chase the ducks every time the photographer has us in a pose. Literally, every time. I would have been overjoyed to have just one of the shots turn out... but we actually got a couple. Seriously a miracle. I can't sing enough praises to our photographer... Jeni Boston. But despite the craziness of it all, I am so glad that we did it. I have to say I have two pretty darn cute kids.

Coleman is 2 Months Old

2010-10-22T14:22:00.001-07:00

Our little buddy is already 2 months old. He started rolling over and smiling this month (at 6 weeks). Coleman is a very very easy and happy baby. He rarely cries. He is just waking up 1 or 2 times to eat during the night. He loves to coo when he is held close and talked to (I love that!)and is content to just watch all of the action going on around him. Cade gets super excited whenever he sees Coleman and says "hi baby, hi!" over and over. Cade is still having a hard time with the concept "be soft!", but he is getting better at sharing mom's attention.

Coleman weighs 11 lbs and 14.5 oz (75th percentile), and is 22.5 inches long (50th percentile). He still hasn't passed his hearing tests, but will be getting tubes in his ears in 2 weeks which will hopefully change that. We are thankful to all of our friends and family for all of the prayers that have been given on Coleman's behalf. I know that Coleman was meant to be part of our family, and his sweet personality brightens my day each and every day. We love him so much and are so thankful that he is ours.

One of my friends told me about this great idea of taking the baby's picture next to a stuffed animal each month, so you can see how much they have grown.

Coleman at 1 month:

Coleman at 2 months:

Halloween Time

2010-10-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

Our Relief Society put together a Halloween play date this morning. The kids got to wear their costumes and decorate sugar cookies. Russ took charge of the boys' costumes this year... so they are LSU super heroes. Cade had a blast. He didn't care to decorate the cookie, but he ate it... and being able to run and chase kids in the church was like a dream come true for him. Coleman was a trooper... he hated the mask I made for him, but other than that he seemed to have a good time.

Now... and Then

2010-10-11T10:04:00.001-07:00

We went to the zoo with the Caryn and the kiddos a few weeks ago. Caryn and I were pushing the strollers and talking, and when we looked up at the kids, Cade and Izzy were holding hands and cracking up at themselves. I had to get a few pictures, and after I took them, I remembered that this isn't the first time Cade has tried to get Izzy to hold his hand!

Takin' Care of Brother

2010-10-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Cade is such a good big brother. He hasn't figured out that Coleman can't wrestle yet, and he definitely doesn't understand "be soft"... but he is always trying to share his toys, put his pacifier in his mouth, cover him with a blanket, or something else to take care of him. Cade loves it when Coleman is in his swing. He will ask me to put Coleman in, he will push him to get the swing going, put a couple of trucks, blankets, or stuffed animals in with him, and then Cade will sit next to Cole in his rocker and just rock, smile, and watch the baby.

Our First Outing as a Family of 4

2010-10-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

This year on Labor Day weekend, Coleman was 2 weeks old. Russ was home, Ann was in town, and I was dying to get out of the house, so we all went to the zoo. Coleman slept all day, but Cade seemed to have a good time. After the zoo we went to lunch and walked around temple square. Cade thought that the reflection pond was pretty tempting... but thanks to Russ he stayed reasonably dry. It was a beautiful day, and we made some great memories.

Chasing ducks... one of Cade's favorite activities.

A good friend gave Coleman a baby toy giraffe when he was born. Cade stole it and now thinks that giraffes are the coolest thing ever. Here's Cade pointing to the awesome giraffes.
The boys had matching outfits :)

Cade's version of the sign for 'elephant'...

Happiness Is...

2010-10-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

This.

Coleman Russell Murphy is Here!!!

2010-08-31T13:06:00.001-07:00

My baby is finally here! Coleman was born on 8/21. He weighed 7 lbs and was 20 inches long. He is completely bald and has the cutest little nose and lips that I've ever seen.

Saturday the 21st started out as any other Saturday. I cleaned the house that morning, and then I went to Sams to get a couple of last minute groceries, diapers, etc. (I was scheduled to be induced the following Monday). Russ had taken Cade to the splash pad, and when I got home from the store, he was asleep for his nap. Russ and I started to watch a movie while Cade was sleeping, and I started to have contractions around 3 pm. I didn't want to get worked up or excited about it, because I had a false labor a few days before, and didn't want to be disappointed again... so I tried to watch the movie but I was mostly watching the clock :) By about 4:30, the contractions were starting to REALLY hurt, so I told Russ that I thought I was in labor, and we needed to get things ready to go. Thank goodness for awesome neighbors who said they could keep Cade until my parents would be able to get here from Idaho Falls. We finished packing our bags and getting Cade's things together, and dropped Cade off at the neighbor's house at about 5:45. By this time my contractions were about 2 minutes apart and were really hurting. I was so nervous that I wouldn't get to the hospital in time for an epidural. Russ was nervous and watching me barely able to breath/cry, so I think that we made it to IMC in about 15 minutes (we went 90+ the whole time we were on the interstate) :)

We made it to the hospital and got checked in at about 6, and I was now having contractions every minute... but was only dialated to a 4! I was dying of pain (baby was posterior and back labor is a killer), and the nurse told me that they typically would just monitor me for an hour to make sure that I was progressing before giving an epidural. THANK GOODNESS that my doctor happened to be filling in for the on-call guy for a couple of hours, so he had pitty on me and we got an epidural right away...................... and then I was happy and everything was easy. Cole was born at 10:15 pm. We are so thankful that he is healthy and that everything went well. We are so blessed to have two beautiful little boys.

My family brought Cade to the hospital the next morning. Cade ran into the room and was so excited to see Russ and I (we've never been away from him overnight before), and then we introduced him to his little brother. He started signing "baby" (he still isn't talking much, but signs EVERYTHING) and was laughing and patting Cole's blankets. It was so sweet -- Cade was holding Cole when my dad asked Cade if he could hold him. Cade started shaking his head "no" and said "mine!" over and over. Cade is always so concerned about the baby... whenever he doesn't know where Cole is, he runs all over the house signing "baby" until he finds him. He loves to kiss Cole and give him hugs, but he is having a hard time understanding why Cole can't wrestle with him.... and tries to start a wrestling match at every opportunity he can.

Cole is the best baby. I can count on one hand the number of times that he has cried in the past week. He grimices and squeaks when he is hungry, but that's about it. He is so sweet and we love him so much.

One last pregger pic... taken about a week before Cole was born:

Weighin' in at 7 lbs (6 lbs 15.8 oz to be exact) :)....

Holding my beautiful baby right after he was born....

Proud daddy. I love him so much.

Our family of FOUR :)

Cade loves "his baby"...

We ♥ ASL

2010-08-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

We started signing with Cade after he turned two, since he was only speaking a few words, and was throwing terrible tantrums as a means of communication. I had seen other toddlers and babies using signs before, but I always thought that it would just delay speech, since they could use a sign to get what they wanted instead of a word. I was so wrong!!! I have talked with several speech therapists who have explained to me that using ASL helps improve a childs attention span and eye contact, which are both necessary prerequisites for speaking. Cade is now using about 30 signs, and has picked up about 20 words... and is SO much happier now that he can tell us what he's thinking. It's so much fun to watch how excited he gets when he gives me a sign and I understand what he is telling me. I'm a firm believer in signing with babies now and am totally going to do it with all of my kids.

Pregnant People Have Feelings Too

2010-08-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

Top three comments I've gotten during my ninth month of this pregnancy... not even from strangers... from friends who are usually tactful, considerate people...

1. "Your belly is SO BIG!!" (I love this next part as she realizes what she just said and tries to back pedal her way out of it..) "... well I think it's just that the rest of your body is little, so it just makes your belly look SO MUCH bigger."
2. "Wow! Did you get this big with Cade? I mean, does your doctor say that this is normal?"
3. "Dude... you're huge."

I guess people don't know that I already know that I'm huge?!?! Do they really think that this fact needs to be brought to my attention?

Boys Will Be Boys

2010-08-02T12:24:00.001-07:00

I came into the kitchen the other day to find Cade's drink dumped out all over the table, he was lapping it up like a puppy, and saying "Ahhhh!!!"

4th of July

2010-08-02T12:15:00.001-07:00

For the 4th, my Uncle Tim hosted their annual BBQ/Fireworks show in Provo. They live close to the stadium, so everyone can see the fireworks and kindof hear the concert. Cade was a mess... he just wanted to run up and down the street and play with every kid that he could find. He found his way into the middle of several frisbee and football games... and explored a few of the neighbor's yards. He LOVED my cousin's firework show in the street though. He sat crouched down at the edge of the sidewalk and soaked in every minute. It was funny that all of the boys were there in a line watching/loving the fireworks, and the girls were all scared sitting in their mom's laps. He was a wreck by about 9:00 though, so we headed home to put him in bed and skipped the big firework show (along with all of the traffic). It was a really fun night.

How's Michelle?

2010-07-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

So I started a blog for anyone interested in how Michelle is doing... I'll post all of her "to everyone" letters on there incase you want to follow along in her weekly missionary happenings.
Michelle's Missionary Blog

Summer Fun

2010-06-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

More fun at the farm with friends...

And a few pool parties...

Thanksgiving Point Farm

2010-06-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

We went on a picnic to the Thanksgiving Point farm today. Cade loves animals, and REALLY loves tractors, so I think he had a pretty good time. His favorite part though was playing chase with some other kids in and out of the little wild west village. My favorite part was coming home to a popsicle and air conditioning... these 90 degree days and my humongous preggo belly are taking their toll on me!!

Look Out NYC

2010-06-19T16:46:00.001-07:00

My sister Michelle went into the MTC on Wednesday. She's going to be serving in the New York City South mission. I am so excited for her, but sad for me that she will be gone for 18 months. Michelle has been at BYU for the last little while, and it has been a blast having her so close. I am going to miss her like crazy, but she really is going to be an awesome missionary.

Of course Michelle, who thinks of and is prepared for everything, got Cade his Christmas present before she left... a "Cars" hammock... that he loves to pieces. What a cute aunt.

Splash Pad

2010-06-19T15:57:00.001-07:00

One of the things that we love about living in Utah is that there is some sort of free, kid-friendly activity around every corner. There are about 5 different splash parks within just a few minutes of our house, so today we took Cade to one of them for the first time. I really don't think that he has ever had so much fun. As soon as we got him out of his carseat and he saw what was going on, he started laughing... then he started crying hysterically... I think he thought that we weren't going to let him play. He was really timid around the water at first.. that lasted for about 30 seconds. He watched the other kids running and playing in it, and then he of course wanted to be a part of the action. He was laughing, ssquealing, and running the whole time that we were there. I thought that getting him to leave would be a huge fight, but he was so tired (and probably border-line hypothermic) he left without one tear, and then took a 3 1/2 hour nap when we got home.

Weighin' In...

2010-05-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Cade had his 2 yr. checkup yesterday. He weighed in at 29.4 lbs (70th percentile) and measured 33.5 inches (30th percentile). Other things that he has been up to...

- Loves to run, throw, kick, climb, wrestle, sword fight... and every other physical activity.
- His favorite place to be is outside.
- Pickiest eater on the planet... lives off of grilled cheese, corn dogs, bread, pb&j, instant breakfast (because he throws up the vitamins), and baby food fruits/veggies (the only way they stay down).
- Loves kids... tries to make friends with every little boy or girl we pass in Walmart, and gets mad if they don't pay any attention to him. He is a very friendly little boy. Whenever someone knocks on the door, he runs to it laughing and excited to see who came to visit. Whenever we are going on a walk or in the front yard, he runs up to whatever front door he can find and starts knocking on it.
- Is a man of very few words.. mama, ball, and "DAT!!!". We can occasionally also get him to say daddy, keys, cheese, and truck.
- Knows all of his letters (can't say them, but he can point to them when asked), and is pretty good at his colors, numbers, and shapes.
- Loves to be the loudest kid in Sacrament Meeting.

Cade-o is 2!!

2010-05-16T19:40:00.001-07:00

This year for Cade's birthday, we decided to just have a fun day with the three of us. I went to the grocery store early that morning, and picked up some doughnuts (Cade's favorite food) and a Lightning McQueen balloon bouquet (Cade's other favorite things). I put the balloons in the living room, and when he woke up and found them, he just started laughing. He wouldn't put the balloons down all day... even during his bath. I don't think that Cade knows what a birthday is yet, but he definitely knew that something was different, and that it was fun and exciting! He was bouncing off of the walls all day long. When it came time for his nap, I put him down, and he just ran around his room squealing and laughing for almost 45 minutes by the time I gave up and just let him come out and play.

Russ was able to take 1/2 of the day off, so when he came home, we all went to the zoo. It was Cade's first time. He was interested in the monkeys, but didn't really care for the rest of the animals. He LOVED the carousel though. He was really mad at us that we didn't let him ride it all day.

I thought that Cade would love his cake, but he really didn't care. He looked at it interested for a second, and then wanted to move on to the next thing. I thought it turned out pretty cute though.

I tried to teach Cade how to blow out his birthday candles, but it didn't really work out... he would take a big breath in, like we told him, but then he didn't know what to do from there and would hold his breath...

Cade had a lot of fun opening his presents. He was upset at first when we would take one toy away from him so that he could open the next... but he got the hang of it pretty quick.

Cade was really excited about this tool set... he stuck his little tongue out of the corner of his mouth and grinned just like this while Russ took it out of the package.

Then he was back to holding the balloons...

After presents, we cut the cake and tried to get Cade to eat some of it. Of course being the picky eater that he is, he gagged and pushed it out of the way. He never did take one bite. He did like poking the candles in the cake though. He also kept taking big breaths in like he was going to blow them out again... even though they weren't lit.

We had such a fun day. Cade is quite the character... we love this little guy so much. He keeps us laughing... running and laughing.

The Best Part of My Mother's Day...

2010-05-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

... is that I'm their mom.

Aunt "Ort-Eee"

2010-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Courtney and my dad came over to visit my grandma while she was sick at the University Hospital. They got here late one night, after Cade was already in bed. Court just camped out on an air mattress in the living room. The next morning, Cade got out of bed and saw Courtney asleep in the living room. He went up to her really quietly, moved her hair out of her face and saw who it was, and then he started laughing and cuddled up next to her. He laid next to her while she slept for almost an hour... I was amazed... he never holds still let alone CUDDLES with someone for an hour. He LOVES his Aunt Court.

Hurricane Cade

2010-05-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

This is what happens if I leave Cade alone in a clean room for 5 minutes...

The Big Guy Turns the Big 50

2010-05-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday (yesterday) dad!! I'd say it's time to start acting your age!! No more bare-foot skiing... and maybe you should try to keep all wheels on the ground when driving motorized vehicles... oh ya, and no more drag racing snowmobiles across lakes that are NOT frozen.

I really look up to you dad. Thanks for being such an awesome dad/grandpa. Love ya.

Boutique Tonight!!

2010-04-22T08:17:00.001-07:00

Here is just a taste of what's going to be going on at my neighborhood clubhouse from 7-9 tonight!! If you don't know where that is, email me at chelseadmurphy@gmail.com.
It's going to be awesome, we'll have tons of jeans from True Religion, Sevens, Miss Chic and more, lots of fun baby stuff, purses galore, and the cutest jewelry you've ever seen.... so you need to be there. Seriously.

Come See Me!

2010-04-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing up a storm for the past couple of weeks getting ready for these shows!!! There will be tons of cute things and lots of vendors... stop by if you have a chance!

It's A...

2010-04-14T14:04:00.001-07:00

BOY!!! It's a boy! I was completely convinced that it was a girl since this pregnancy has been completely different than my pregnancy with Cade... but I was wrong (not surprising!) I am so happy that Cade will have a little buddy.... and like my mom said.... this baby needed to be a boy to have a better chance of surviving his big brother's wrestling matches. Our house is going to be ROCKING!!!

Happy Birthday Russ

2010-03-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my loving, generous, witty, charming, handsome, fun, crazy-LSU-fan of a husband. I love you so much... and hope that you still love me after I post some of these pictures. They say that a picture is worth 1000 words, so I thought I would post a few that remind me of some of the things that I love so much about you.

Me, Cade, and this player-to-be-named later are so lucky to have you. I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

LSU's Greatest Super Hero

2010-03-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCING...

2010-02-26T16:10:00.000-08:00

We have a little one on the way... due 9/2/10. We feel very blessed and couldn't be more excited!!

All Boy

2010-02-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

Cade is all boy. Every day he's doing something else that convinces me more of this. Here's a few recent examples...

A week or so ago, we had the newspaper laying on the table. He pulled it off of the table and found an ad for a car dealership. He got really excited, carried it around the house for awhile, and then stuck it up on the fridge.

He loves to raid the pantry. Notice the make-shift stool. The boy is resourceful, what can I say?

A few of his favorite things are trains, cars, and throwing things down the stairs...I guess that he mastered building towers out of blocks, so he moved on to the magnets...

Cade, you definitely keep us laughing. We love you little buddy!

Christmas Part 3 (The Murphys)

2010-01-09T09:38:00.001-08:00

The Murphys drove out from Atlanta, and got here a couple of days after Christmas. We got to spend the week with them. Cade was spoiled and we all had a ball. It's always fun to get to see Conrad and Ann.... thanks for coming guys!

Christmas Part 2 (The Smiths)

2010-01-09T09:16:00.001-08:00

We drove up to Idaho Christmas afternoon to spend the weekend with my family. My dad suprised us with this little rocking chair that he *made* . He gave this same chair to me when I was Cade's age for Christmas. Somewhere down the line of 6 kids, the legs were broken off of the chair. My dad fixed the legs and restained it, and gave it to Cade. It's so cute. My dad is awesome.Cade also went on his first snowmobile ride with my dad, which is basically a defining moment in your life if you're a Smith.

And then there was Dallin.... Cade loves Uncle FD (Firedog Dall as we call him)... Dallin is basically a non-stop circus. He is constantly throwing Cade in the air, holding him up to "walk on the ceiling" and all sorts of craziness, but Cade thinks it's great.

Apparently I was having too much fun to take very many pictures... but we had such a fun visit!! Thanks guys!

Christmas Part 1 (Our House)

2010-01-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, Cade got to open his new snowsuit, and got to try out his new sled with dad...

We celebrated Christmas morning at our house, with just the three of us. It was so fun watching Cade get so excited about his presents... but he would get upset with us whenever we would pull him away from one gift to try to show him that there were more to open. Cade got a little basket ball hoop, and I was a little nervous that he might not be ready for it yet, but the first thing he did was walk up and put the ball through the hoop... I don't think that he's ever seen a someone shoot a basket before, so I guess boys must be born with the instinct?? Of course he got some cars and trucks... the boy LOVES anything with wheels...

We had a wonderful Christmas. I love these two guys more than anything, and being with them on Christmas is the best gift I could ever ask for.

I'm a Mean Mom

2009-12-14T12:09:00.001-08:00

The things moms do to their kids!!

Thanksgiving!!

2009-12-09T14:09:00.001-08:00

We had a very eventful Thanksgiving this year! I don't quite know what Russ and I were thinking {we were optimistic that our angel child would sit still, look at books, and play quietly and happily for all 48 hours of travel time}, but we decided to fly to Atlanta, meet up with Ann and Conrad, and then drive to Louisiana to spend Thanksgiving with Russell's extended family. It was so much fun to see everyone... but no so much fun to have to travel to do it. Cade hated us by about hour 2 on the plane, but no one killed each other, and we made lots of good memories, so I'll call that a successful trip!

Cade lying on the disgusting airport carpet... poor guy had to wake up at 4:00 am to make the flight. He was sooo tired, he just wanted to lay down and roll his truck back and forth.
Thanksgiving day was spent with the Murphy clan, in a community center filled with lots of good food... most of it fried :)

After dinner, Cade walked up to Uncle Frank, and started building block towers in his hands. He sat still for a good 20 minutes totally entertained... that's got to be a record for him. I was stunned.

During the road trip, we took occasional breaks to let Cade let it all out... he LOVES to run... so we found a few good empty parking lots, and Cade just ran in circles while Conrad chased after him. This was definitely a favorite part of the trip for him.

Shannon and Michael were so sweet to let us stay in their pool house. Cade loves him some Abbey and Peyton!!! They wore each other out playing chase, and Cade thought it was soo funny when Abbey would take his blanket, hold it over her head, and say "Caaaade.... you can't get it..."

Cade loved all of the little rocking chairs!! Especially the ones that Peyton was sitting in!

And of course there was Nana and Papa... who made all of that sitting still time well worth it.

Cheryl and co. made the trek (with darling brand new baby Maddox) out to Loganville, and we were so glad that they did!! Thanks guys! It was so fun to see you!!!

We're so thankful for our wonderful families and friends!!

My Little Business Endeavor

2009-11-18T20:38:00.000-08:00

I love to sew. I've been making gifts and a few custom projects for different people for a little while now, and I finally decided to make a little business out of it. It's still in the {very} early stages, but stay tuned for cute things!! Check out my blog at http://ohsewsavvy.blogspot.com.