the weekend

This weekend was much needed.  It kept giving and giving one wonderful thing after another. We did all of fabulous things we said we were going to do and more. 

Last night John and I sat out on the wrap around porch and watched the Sunday sun set while we read the 2nd Harry Potter book out loud to each other.  I love it when John does the voices, he makes me laugh so hard.

We drank blueberry and cherry cinnamon tea by the light of the lamp next to our swing on the porch.

I love being pregnant and I feel beautiful.  I walked in to church yesterday and slid in to the pew where my husband was already sitting, as he had been there an hour and a half earlier than me for meetings.  He has been called to be the Young Men's President in our congregation and I am so proud of him.  I snuggled down under his big arm.  He leaned in close to my ear and said, "You look beautiful." and then he gave me a squeeze.  I might have blushed a little, I love it when we still flirt.  

Thanks Mr. Murphy for making me feel like a lady...

19.

Its the weekend!!!  This weekend will be full of:

P.F.Changs (be still my pregnant heart!)

Imax movies

Dates with my family

Cleaning out and organizing EJ's room

Shopping for EJ

Watching Jane Eyre by candlelight on the porch

Turning the AC waaaaaay down and pretending its already fall so I can cuddle with my husband

Preparing my primary singing lesson

Going to church for spiritual nourishment

Relaxing

The Ultimate Craft

I am currently involved in the greatest craft of all time.

I am making a tiny human.

This is by far the longest and most incredible project I have ever been involved in.

Here are the instructions and you too can have a tiny human of your very own.

supplies:

1 dapper husband

1 dutiful wife

mix well with one romantic evening and a lot of sweet lovin' and wait 40 weeks

Being pregnant has actually been pretty easy so far. 

I haven't gained a pound. (In fact I've lost 15, don't worry doc says its ok)

I sleep great through the night.

I don't have to wake up in the night to empty my bladder.

I haven't had any crazy cravings.

I've only thrown up 6 times.

I feel happy and glowy.

We have been blessed with so many hand-me-downs.

My hair is growing leaps and bounds.

Our baby has only given me a few little kicks, nothing uncomfortable or painful yet.

We are approaching the halfway mark and I am eager to start feeling EJ move around more.  I listen to her heartbeat every other day on our home doppler.  It is like music to my ears.  Sometimes we can hear he flipping and moving in there.

She is the...

Best. Craft. Ever.

I swear, if these things get ANY bigger....

Last night Mr. Murphy got home from work at 10:15.  

He walked in to the bedroom and I pretended to be asleep, but I am really bad at that game so after 5 seconds I just started laughing.  

He did a flying jump from across the room and landed on the bed and I screamed, "DOUGHNUTS" at the top of my lungs.

I haven't really been one of those pregnant ladies that has a lot of cravings but last night all I could think of were doughnuts.

Glazed Doughnuts...

Powdered Doughnuts...

Chocolate Frosted Doughnuts...

He is so wonderful about complying with my pregnant needs.  So we watched an episode of Friends, put on our clothes, and ventured off to the grocery.

We were walking around the fruits and veggies and I passed by the honey dew melons.  Do you want the truth? This is how my body feels right now...

A lot of pregnant women look forward to the perk of slightly bigger tots when they are preggs.

NOT

ME.

I repeat, NOT ME! Things are getting a little out of control over in these parts. And my biggest fear...its only going to get more ridiculous...

We made our purchase of:

strawberries

french twists

martinelli's apple juice

martinelli's passion prickly juice

and

POWDERED DOUGHNUTS...my pregnant heart was singing

We came home and watched more Friends and I made a simple delicious dessert that everyone should try.  It needs a name, but I don't have one for it.

1 package of French Twists

1 carton of fresh strawberries

-slice up french twists

-top with slices of fresh strawberries

Has anyone else noticed the incredible list of women with child in the blogosphere?  Its a pretty impressive list.  Here are a few of my favorites:

her

her

her

her

her
her
her

Here's to bigger tots ladies! Happy child growing!

EJ.

Last night Mr. Murphy and I were doing our bed time ritual of night time prayers.  Back when we were dating someone special gave us the wonderful advice that when we have couples prayer at night that BOTH of us should pray out loud together.  

We took that to heart and have made it our tradition.

 I love the fact that I get to hear John Murphy say a sweet little prayer every night.

Last night was no different.  We sleepily climbed in to our cozy bed and I clicked off the light and said my prayer first.

Then it was husband's turn...

"Heavenly Father please help us to continue to have a happy marriage and to prepare for EJ.  Please keep her healthy and strong.  Help us to continue to make good habits now of spending time together so that when all of the children come along we can keep our marriage and friendship strong and continue in the strong bond that we have."

I wanted to cry.  I am so happy to have a husband who is my BEST FRIEND. I know our lives are about to change so much, and for the better.  But I sure am enjoying these last few months of it being just the two of us.  We talk about EJ every day and dream about what she will look like and all of the things we want to teach her.

I am beginning on her nursery and have a thousand ideas running around in my head.  I can't wait to get started on her room.  Here is my 18 1/2 week belly and a beautiful rug that I found last night.

Oh, little girl, you are already so loved.

Next time

Next time we are back in Colorado we will have our sweet baby girl in our arms.  Talk about a reality check.  Our trip was pretty fantastic.  We enjoyed:

-the long car ride out (24 hours to be exact)

-countless potty breaks.  this preggy bladder can't hold much

-picnics at the park

-the constant wind in our faces.  it felt like we were at the beach the whole time

-giggling with the nieces

-home cooked meals by moms

-free adjustments at the chiropractor (by john's uncle...lucky us!)

-dreaming about the things we will do with our baby girl when we bring her out there for the first time

-holding puppies

-going antiquing and finding gorgeous vintage earrings

-visiting and laughing with family

-playing basketball with old friends (well that one was just John, I ended up taking a preggy nap on the couch while the boys played.  sometimes this babe just sucks it all our of me!)

-eating ranch curley fries and pizza burgers at BJ's in Lamar and ordering from the telephone in the booth

-our two year old niece walking around telling everyone she had a baby in her belly.

-the endless views

-the long car ride back (26 hours to be exact)  and finishing the 1st Harry Potter book together. 1 down...6 to go

-then finally getting back to sleep in our own bed.

mr. murphy received a haircut from his sister the day after this was taken. yippppppppppeeee

I am amazed at the beauty of this place every time we go out there.

I love the sound of "next time".....

Dear Photograph

Dear Photograph,

22 years ago my husband walked this road in Walsh, Colorado with his Grandpa John as a carefree little boy with his whole life ahead of him.

Today we are in that same small sweet town as two crazy-in-love and happily married people with a sweet little baby of our very own on her way.

We can't wait to show her this beautiful simple little town.  Life moves on in the most beautiful way.

Love, us

(this lovely idea from here)

It's a.......

Yesterday was magical to say the least.

We found out that we  are going to be parents to a daughter.

We are completely overwhelmed with JOY.

I will never forget the moment that Shannon, the ultrasound tech, said, "Alright Mom and Dad, are you ready to know what your child is?"  Then, "It's a girl" popped up on to the screen and I began to cry.  I looked over at my sweet John and he was smiling ear to ear.

We left with the biggest grins on our faces.  My cheeks hurt like it was our wedding day all over again, I couldn't contain my joy.

We made dozens of phone calls and sent texts and spread the news of our daughter.  She is already loved by so many people. The blessings that we are receiving through her are amazing.

I went to work and taught for 4 hours and could hardly concentrate I was on a high from the whole day.

When I came home my mother and sister surprised me and John with a beautiful dinner complete with everything pink! My mother set the table with a full vase of pink gladiolas.  We sipped on Raspberry Gingerale and talked about our new little person who will be joining our family in just a short time.

My sister used the linens that came from the old Oat House on The Murphy Ranch.  My MIL Kathy gave them to me last time we were down there.  They must have been 30 to 40 years old and in beautiful condition.  They were all pressed and ironed as perfectly as can be, my guess is that Granny Joy got a hold of them one day.  I can't wait to use them for parties and in my home someday.

Our little girl is coming to join us in January! We cannot agree on how to spell her name so for now we will call her Baby EJ.  I can't wait to kiss all of her fingers and toes.

i hate avacados but i love my baby

I love our life right now so much.

My little tummy is growing and more importantly the tiny human inside of it is growing too.

Today I feel as light as a cloud.  I feel refreshed from a good nights rest and my belly is warm and full with a morning bowl of Cream of Wheat topped with molasses.

I am anticipating tomorrow like it is Christmas.  Wait, no, better than that.  It's almost as good as our wedding day.  I think I might get up at 5 am and start getting ready for our ultrasound.  I can't wait to find out what our child is.  

It will change our lives no matter what.

If we have a son that will bring on a whole myriad of moments.

I'm not sure I would know what to do with a little boy because I have been surrounded by women my whole life.

An entire vision of moments pass through my mind though.

holding my little boy

kissing my little boy

watching him play with sticks and rocks and trucks

feeling so protective, as i know he would be a little daredevil

wiping his tears away when he falls down and scrapes his knees

watching John play with our son

teaching him how to ride a bike

saying "no" to playing video games a million times

watching him read his scriptures

having trouble waking him up early in the early morning and seeing his messy hair peek out from underneath his covers

watching him receive the priesthood

seeing him be a big brother to his younger siblings

sending him off on a mission

watching him return two years later and embracing him for 30 whole minutes

seeing him with his own children and wife as he follows the excellent example of his father

Then of course if we have a little girl my whole life would be full of different things too.  I can see her now with blonde bouncy curls just like I had.  Hopefully she has her father's luscious eyelashes and beautiful brown eyes.  My visions with this little girl are completely different.

watching this perfect little baby sleep

examining the beautiful lips that look just like her father's

seeing her discover new things

chasing her around as i know she will be full of more energy than i ever had

dressing her in beautiful little things

fixing her hair

kissing away her tears when she discovers that sometimes friends can be mean

teaching her about her individual worth

chatting about crushes and boys

helping her dress her body modestly

worrying all day about her driving around after getting a license

sharing soul touching conversations

laying in bed and playing with her hair as we talk about where to go to college

seeing her marry the man of her dreams in the temple

My mother took this video last night.  I am in my 17th week of pregnancy.  My voice is doing some weird things in the video, please know this isn't how I really talk.  I just thought I'd start the baby talk a bit early.

Dearest Baby,

Who are you?

We can't wait to meet you and let you in to our hearts.

Love, your Mama and Papa

a foot and a bum.

My mind is racing at the moment.  It is filled with warm thoughts of this child I am carrying.

I suppose it hasn't really hit me much until today that this is real, and even then I think I am grasping a tiny fraction of the reality of this situation.

Two heavenly things happened today.

This morning as I was in the shower I was running my hands over my little bump of a tummy and I felt something.  Something inside me changed.  It was as if my spirit was meeting my baby's spirit for the first time.  My spirit said "Hello."  and my baby's responded with joy.  I felt the bond I had been waiting to feel.  At 16 1/2 weeks pregnant I finally felt that moment I had been waiting for. I smiled as I knew things were going to different from here on.

(our baby's bassinet, a gift from my cousin)

Then around noon I went to visit a dear old high-school friend.  She is 37 weeks pregnant and her little boy Brady could come anytime now.  We sat around and talked about being pregnant and our feelings.  It felt so good to talk to someone who knew everything about this miracle that I am experiencing.  As we sat on the floor of her little boy's nursery my whole being was vibrating with excitement.  I couldn't wait to be in her shoes.  


We moved in to the living room and each had a snack.  Then I looked over at her and she was smiling down at her belly and told me that Brady was moving.  I asked her if I could feel him and she said yes.  So, I snuggled up next to her and her baby and felt the most miraculous thing.


A foot and a bum.


My eyes got huge and my mouth gaped open.  I don't remember ever feeling a baby move around like her was.  He was stretching his little feet and squirming around.  I almost teared up as I felt that little life move around inside of her.  I have only felt tiny flutters of my baby and I can't wait to feel it more.    


This pregnancy has been so easy so far.  I feel very lucky to have felt as well as I have.  We are slowly accumulating a few baby things around the house.  I'm sure after this Thursday's appointment baby prep will pick up a lot more around here.  I don't think I'll be able to resist going in to nesting mode right away.  


John and I go in two days to find out what we are having.  I have no idea what it is going to be.  But, it will be ours and it will be the most incredible little human we will ever meet.  I can't wait to feel little feet and a bum moving around in my tummy.

Plump and Juicy

This week I resumed some much needed baking.

Baking is like therapy to me.

Not to get all Julie and Julia here, but I love knowing that If I grab the right spatula its going to do exactly the thing that I want it to.

If I add a dash of vanilla to anything, it will instantly be delicious.

I love that the sound of the Kitchen-aid gearing up sends my heart pumping.

I love creating something outside of myself and then watching other people enjoy it.

Friday I went with my dear friend Lisa to pick berries at Adam's Farm. We went for the blackberries, which I came home with.  In addition to the 5 pints of blackberries I also got 6 pints of blueberries, local blueberry syrup and sweet and hot vidalia onion chow-chow!  I don't even know what it is but it looked snazzy, so I grabbed a jar.

(these are some of the fresh berries I picked with my own little hands)

As I was sitting underneath one of the blueberry trees with my berry filled bucket I was dreaming of jams, pies, homemade blueberry pancakes,and the look on John's face when I presented each of these items to him.

The farm was a magical place.  When the wind blew it carried sweet aromas of berries to my nose.  Although I must say, it felt like I was soaking in the fresh smell through every pore on my body.  It was early in the morning and the blueberry trees were still covered in their chalky white dew.  It was a dear time to me and I was taught something there in the blueberry trees.  

I had never seen the way that a blueberry tree was harvested before.  Each tiny berry had a stem of it's own and each tiny berry had to be picked on its own. I had always wondered why the price of berries was so high.  Its because each berry requires tenderness, caution, and individual care when it is plucked from the tree.  If not, they can be crushed when plucked in a bunch.  If not, they can fall to the ground when plucked in a bunch.  There was no fast and easy way for it to be done.  

It reminded me of the human soul.

We likewise, require so much personal love and attention.  We are all individuals that need to feel special.  We need to feel important.  Our price is so high because we are worth so much.  We have so much potential and promise.  I am so grateful for that lesson I learned there at Adam's Farm.

So, when I got home I decided to start with the Blueberry Pie since it wouldn't be my first rodeo with that.  I started making it last night around 9 o'clock and it wasn't finished til a bit after midnight.

I used this tutorial to do the lattice crust.  Next time I'll cut thicker strips but I still think it turned out great!

Speaking of plump and juicy, husband has been just that lately.  No, that's not a fat joke.  Since I have been preggs he has been an unusually and fantastically stellar hubs. Its amazing how our love continues to grow deeper and deeper.  I love marriage so much.  And blueberry pie...






***I have been overwhelmed with some incredibly sincere and soul-touching messages regarding my last post.  I can't tell you the good that they have all done to my heart.  I am so grateful for the love and support of the blogging community as well as my personal friends and family.  Please know that I will respond to each one of you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.***

Choosing Happiness

I am choosing to end a rut today.

I am choosing gratitude.

I am choosing happiness.

I have been horribly sad the past few months. I haven't talked about this much but 2 months ago in April, my parents divorced.  It was a huge surprise to me.  After 26 years of marriage everything came to an end.

It has been an incredibly difficult thing for me to wrap my head around.  I have spent many tear filled hours trying to understand why life turns out the way it does.

I suppose it all comes down to our choices.

We all have within ourselves the power to choose.  

I can choose to eat jello for all 3 meals of the day.  I can choose to go to the antique mall 3 times in one week.  I can choose to do my laundry or to let it sit.  I can choose to take 15 minutes to have a meaningful conversation with someone or I can let the moment pass me by.  I can choose to be happy or I can choose to give way to my negative emotions.

Today I am going to choose to be happy.

I am going to try to understand why the Lord has put me where I am at this time.  John and I have moved in with my mother to help her out during this hard time.  We are living the home that I grew up in. 

Even though we know this is where we are supposed to be right now, I haven't exactly been the easiest person to live with.

I have been sulking around and complaining that I don't have a place of my own.  I have felt like less of a wife.  I have been so much less productive.  I haven't been cooking or taking pride in my own little area of the house.  I have been sad to have left our friends and life in Atlanta.  I have been being so negative.

I can't believe how ungrateful I have been.

I need to focus on the blessings of this situation.

Because we are living here I am able to see my wondeful mother everyday.

Because we are living here we are living rent free.

Because we are here we are able to save money and work to get out of the small debts that we have.

Because we are living here we are able to enjoy candle lit evenings on the porch.

Because we are here we have a snugly puppy to make us laugh and smile.

Because we are here I can look in to the lightening bug glitter filled woods in our back yard.

Because we are living here it has become possible for us to have our baby!!

I am going to try to make this place my home again.  

I am going to reclaim my wifely duties and start doing the things that I enjoy again.

I am going to wake up each morning with a resolve to choose happiness.

(This picture really has nothing to do with this post except that John Murphy sure does make it easier to be happy.  That and we went to the Glenn Murphy Ranch last weekend for Father's Day.  I love my happy ranching husband.)

1+1=3 : The most magical of math equations

I haven't blogged in quite some time.  

I have been busy growing a tiny person.

John Murphy and I made a baby.

It is ours and that fact soothes my soul and vibrates my heart with love and gratitude every single day.

Last month after we came home from my brother's wedding in Hilton Head my sister and her husband were outside shooting off some illegal fireworks we had picked up in South Carolina.  I went up stairs to grab a hoodie, I got distracted, and for no particular reason...I decided to take a pregnancy test. (I had two boxes stored up in the bathroom for funsies)

When the digital test popped up "Pregnant", I almost fell off of the toilet. Literally.

The next few minutes were a blur.  I ran downstairs and beckoned John to come upstairs with me.  We both stood at the bathroom counter and stared at the test in silence.

I was totally shocked and also a bit skeptical.

We jumped for joy in the bathroom and embraced each other while we were full of smiles, some tears, and questions.  It was one of those moments that you could always imagine how it would feel but then when you are there, living that moment, it is so much better than you ever expected.

We kept it a secret for that night.  It was just between the two of us and I loved that.  I loved looking over at him in the room full of our family and him shooting me a smile.  I knew just what that smile meant, "We are having a baby.  We made something together. You are going to be a mother and I am going to be a father."  I will never forget that night.

Or course like any woman, I took about 6 tests to make sure.  I carried the tests around in my purse for 3 weeks and I would look at them almost any free moment I had. I know, I know....pee sticks in my purse? For 3 weeks?!

I can't wait to meet this little person.  

When I saw our babe's heartbeat for the first time, tears filled my eyes.  It is such a miracle to make something so special with the person you love the most in the whole world.

Here is baby's first film strip.  If you look close enough in the second picture you can see two little dots that are the arms and two little dots that are the feet. Oh, and a really huge head (I guess our baby is going to be super smart).  

It may look like a little smudge, but its the cutest little smudge I have ever seen.

I am so overwhelmed with joy right now. 
I'm growing a sassy little babe that I made with the man I love.