7 seconds

Ever since EJ turned one I sort of took a break from the whole  taking videos thing.  All of those monthly updates were fun but they were also a lot of work so I went on a video strike for a while.

I'm still on strike with the exception of the Vine app.  Its pretty fantastic and here are some of my favorite vines of Evie.

-Playing at our Daddy's office in the conference room.

-Our first time coloring.  Of course the crayons end up in the mouth.

-Having fun with Aunt Bekah doing leg kicks.

-Wearing my shoes already.

-Learning to shush our babies. (I'm trying to incept her brain with the idea of loving babies before #2 comes)

-And reading a really hilarious book in a basket.

Hope every one has a lovely Easter!

learning from them

Tonight I learned a lesson. Twice.

John was doing bathtime with EJ after our dinner of pork chops and baked red peppers, zucchini, and squash.  I was hurrying to clean up the kitchen and get done as many chores possible before the little girl was ready to get out, suit up in her jammies, and go to sleep.  

**Rinse and load dishes, start the load of dishes, clean counter tops, tidy up the living room, tackle laundry, tidy EJ's room before bed...especially the tee pee full of stuffed animals.**

Evie and I took a nap in the tee pee together today it looked like a stuffed animal explosion happened and there were many casualties. Furry bodies lay there in a mangled messy pile and it was my last feat.  

John was calling from the bathroom, "Babe you gotta come see this! She has a foam 2 stuck to her ear and she doesn't even care!"

In my head, "I have a very important thing I'm doing right now...this animal massacre can't wait." 

Out loud, "Ok just a minute."

Then with these words from John my heart was pricked, "Well its not going to be like this forever."

I dropped that bunny and went straight to the bathroom.  Evie smiled right at me with a giant blue foam 2 on the side of her face.  She was adorable and giggling.  To think I could have missed that silly little moment...

Not 20 minutes later Evie is asleep and my love is on the couch downstairs. I ask him to go fix us a bowl of pineapple upsidedown cake and he groans and says, "All I want to do is snuggle and lay my head on your lap."  I was hesitant because I had blog work to do and I wanted to get my work done and dangit...I wanted some cake.  But I let him anyway and I'm so glad I did.  He fell asleep in my lap and I loved it.

People are what are important.  Not our tasks and to do lists.    Moments like these don't last forever so we need to appreciate them while we can. Its easy to forget that sometimes.  But I am glad I have my sweet little family to remind me. 

mom words

Do you ever find yourself saying the weirdest things as a mom? I mean, sentences and phrases that after you say them you repeat them silently to yourself and think, "What the heck??" I do...all of the time. Here are just a few that happened yesterday, just yesterday.

-Did you put that sock in the toilet?

-Ok, thats it. No more digging through the trash.

-You may not eat that crayon!!

-Evaleigh spit the sticker out.

-Shoes are not for your mouth they are for our feet.

Can you tell we still are in the everything in the mouth stage? EJ is a mess but gosh I love her.

that magical moment...

...when you finally don't feel like hurling all of the time.

Good riddance first trimester. I am glad to see you go. 

With Evaleigh I didn't have morning sickness too bad at all.  This baby...is a completely different story.  

I had to sleep with Saltines by my bed.  I don't want to eat another Saltine for the rest of my life thank you very much.  This morning sickness was more like all day sickness.  

I don't know why I was stubborn and didn't take my husband's advice.  I should've just gotten the darn Zofran.  While I've heard that it works wonders for your nausea I've also heard it can stop up the other end for a month or so. No thanks.

I've been feeling pretty sleepy this time around too.  I'm sure missing those naps I could take just about anytime when I was pregnant with Evaleigh.  

A couple weeks ago I was feeling particularly exhausted so I closed my bedroom door as to barricade EJ and myself inside.  I laid down on the bed to hopefully get a little shut eye while I let Evie destroy our night stands and book shelf in the room.  

I was awakened by the noises of swishing and splashing water.

Crap.  

My pregnant brain forgot to remind me to close the bathroom door and EJ was having a blast in our toilet.  One of my proudest mom moments...

There are only a few more weeks til we find out what we are having, can't wait!

happy birthday pops

Yesterday was our Pops birthday!  We love him so much and learn from him all of the time.  He is so special to us and we are grateful to be his kids.  Happy Birthday Pops!  Here is your NASCAR experience video! 

how baby #2 came to be

I remember being in the hospital with Evaleigh right after she was born and thinking, "I can't wait to do this all over again. Like right now."  

I loved being pregnant, I loved my birthing process,  and there is nothing in the world like a baby fresh from heaven.

We always wanted to have our babies close in age.  So, the months passed by and we didn't not try for a little sibling for EJ.  At one point it started to be all I could think about.  It was consuming and frustrating every month that those taunting pregnancy tests would tell me "Not Pregnant".  We had it pretty easy with Evaleigh, it took one month and there she was...on her way.  This baby was a little harder.  I know that there are couples out there who try for years and years and I can't imagine that struggle.  For me 8 months felt like forever.  

It wasn't until I quit worrying about it so much that it finally happened.  I remember praying and telling Heavenly Father that I wouldn't worry anymore.  I asked him to bless us with another baby when the time was right.  That was 3 months before we found out we were pregnant again.

It was the day after my mother's wedding.  My sister was staying over and she and I went to Target to grab a few things.  I told her I would stay in the car with the sleeping babies and she could just run in.  Jokingly I said, "You could grab some pregnancy tests while you are in there!"  I should have known I was pregnant when not 2 minutes after she went in I was asleep at the wheel in a parking spot.  Not to mention I was over 11 days late, which completely slipped my mind in the midst of all of the wedding planning and preparation.

When we got back home I swiped the box from the bag completely undetected.  Sweet.  I snuck upstairs past my husband who was working from home that day.  I went to our bathroom and did the deed.  Not 10 seconds after that glorious, "Pregnant" popped up on to the screen.  I gasped and fell to my knees in tears and immediately said a prayer of gratitude to my Father in Heaven.  I prayed for the safety of our baby and thanked him for trusting us with another precious life.  I couldn't believe that the moment I had been waiting for was finally here again.

I crept downstairs and called John to come up for a minute.  I whipped out that test from behind my back and his face was priceless and he scooped me up in a hug and said, "Really???".  I will never forget the smile on his face in that moment.

I can't wait to become a little family of 4.

grove.

We've been pretty busy around here as of late.  

Our Uncle Grover (the one we recorded these songs for)  passed away two weeks ago.  We have been to Colorado and back for the funeral.  We are still shocked and so sad that he is gone.  He passed away from a very fast moving case of Pulmonary Fibrosis.  He left behind his wonderful wife and two little girls ages 2 and 5.  We owe much of what we have to Grover and Sally.

Uncle Grover offered John an internship here in Atlanta in 2009 after he returned home from his 2 year mission in Mexico.  He took it with plans to stay only a few months and then go out to BYU in the winter.  Grover and Sally invited John to live with them.  It was during that time that we met, fell in love, and got engaged.  John lived with them for a year.  When we found out we were having Evaleigh they passed down everything to us from their little girls; the crib, all of their clothes, shoes, toys, high chair, car seats, strollers.  The list could go on and on.  They would invite us over all of the time to have dinner and play music together.

If it weren't for Grover, it is possible John and I would have never met.

Thank you Uncle Grover.

(a little something John wrote)

Here is a poem Grover wrote last year:

Once I'm dead

And gone

My girls will carry on

My name

My blood 

My dreams my hopes my love

Because they 

Are everything to me

And I'll say 

The same 

to anyone

Its all about family

When I'm dead

Don't cry

Or compose a sad goodbye

Because I

Have lived 

to see my life completed by

My girls

My world

Is complete 

It's all about family

Matilda you

Have my heart

Ruby you're my art

And all I mean

By that is that I love you

When I'm dead

And gone

My girls will carry on

G Mundell Atlanta 2012

(If anyone feels like helping out, a college fund has been set up for the girls here.)

a *little* announcement...

...about the size of a grape right now to be exact!

Murphy baby #2 due October 6th!

And we are thrilled!

lately on t&s designs vol. 5

Here are a few of my most recent blog designs with many more in the works. A huge thank you to all of my clients for allowing me to create your little space on the internet. I love doing this and enjoy working with you all!

If you are interested in spicing up your blog layout head on over to my design site and lets see what we can create!  Don't forget that a full layout comes with a one month button feature on my blog, a great plus if you are looking to increase traffic to your blog/shop.

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positive vibes for Grover

Our Uncle Grover has been very sick the past couple of months. He is now in the hospital and is heading towards having a lung transplant. He is one of the most positive people we know and his wife is as strong as they come.

Today it was our plan to go to visit him in the hospital and serenade him with some tunes but last night we got a text at midnight saying that he has been moved back in to the ICU and no visitors could come. So we went to the next best thing and decided to record a couple of songs for him and Sally. We did 'Wonderful Tonight' because that is what Grover sang to Sally at their wedding. So we hope they enjoy that song again like newlyweds. The other song we did is 'Don't Worry, Be Happy', if Grover had the breath to sing this one, he would. Because that is the kind of man he is...happy, carefree, and fun.

We love you so much Grover. As soon as we are allowed will be there in person to make music for you. Til then every song we sing is for you.

If anyone out there could send him positive vibes or pray for him we know he would appreciate it. Also if you'd like to upload some music for Grover send us the link and we will send it to him!  Music brings him so much joy!

this is the hard part

I've really had the feeling the past few weeks that I need to start weaning Evaleigh from nursing.

I'll say at 13 months and with 12 teeth, we did great.

Nursing her has been one of the best things I've ever done. I have loved it so much and I'm glad to have been able to do it as long as I have. It's been way to stay connected with EJ and to bond with her. And hey, as a busy mom it's an awesome opportunity to just sit down and relax for a minute midst all of the running a round we do in a day. Sure there have been times my boobs have been living in a constant state of fear with that little piranha mouth coming at me but luckily we never had a problem with biting.

I was grateful to have had a pretty easy go with nursing. I didn't experience much pain in the beginning and Evie took to it right away. I know for some people it is the complete opposite so I count my self lucky.

Now weaning...this is the hard part for me. Between crying fits and having EJ pull at my shirt I feel like crying too. It's hard to know exactly what she wants and know that what's best for her now is not to give it to her. I struggling getting her to drink cows milk and she isn't the best eater either. She is a nibbler and will take teeny bites of things but never really commits to the task.

Any advice or tips any one has on weaning a 1+ year old would be great. I'm feeling a bit helpless.

verona

Last night my love sat me down in our living room and took me on a little journey.  He started clicking through a folder of pictures on his computer.  

This is Juliette's balcony in Verona, Italy.  Next to it is a statue of Juliette and a large gate.  On this gate are thousands of locks.  Lovers come from all over the world to seal their love with a lock on this gate.

John found an Italian man in Verona to put a lock for us on the gate.  He is sending us the keys to our lock and someday Mr. Murphy promises me we will go to Verona and find our lock.

Maybe then we will open it and put another lock on ours with all of the names of our children.  I can't wait for that.  I love him so much.

v day

I love my little Valentine.  Between Mr. Murphy and Miss EJ my heart is just exploding with love!  Can't wait to be with my loves tonight.  

Hope everyone enjoys their day!

are you one?

It still blows my mind that I am the mom of a one year old.

On her first birthday I cried for the whole 30 minutes before her birth minute.  

1:14 

That is where this video begins...Me and Evie, post sniffles and a puffy cry face.

Here is her ONE YEAR VIDEO!!

evaleighjoymonth12 from John and Rachel Murphy on Vimeo.

month 11

month 10

month 9

month 8

month 7

month 6

month 5

month 4

month 3

month 2

month 1

the long overdue truth about bill

I suppose I owe it to the Internet world to come out with the truth about Bill.

Remember right before Christmas when my Pawpaw got EJ a dog? Sweet right... I've been hesitant to come out with the truth but here is the story of how we were dog owners for less than 24 hours.

Four days before Christmas we get to my dads anticipating the union of our little family and Bill, the puppy. We were very optimistic and excited about him joining our family and couldn't wait to see how happy EJ would be around him. I mean why shouldn't we get a dog? We can do anything!

My Pawpaw got there with Bill and there was no doubt he was a cute puppy. He was teeny and the way he sort of fumbled around as he walked had a way of tugging at your heart strings.

But then as soon as I held him my skin started to itch and turn red and my eyes would water. Then they shriveled up like cartoon eyeballs and fell on the floor. He started looking less cute. I knew I had allergies to dogs but with some it's not so bad so I tried to be positive about it and we went about our day. Evaleigh could have cared less he was even around but that could have had to do with her obsession with Christmas presents and food everywhere. We took family Christmas pictures and Bill was in every single one.

He took a couple of naps in my arms and as cute as it was my skin wouldn't stop crawling. I kept looking over at John and saying, "This is fun right? Yay, we have a dog.". I think with every sentence like that I was trying to convince myself that I wasn't about to have a nervous breakdown. In my heart I already knew we had made a terrible decision.

We finally got to my Aunts house for Christmas dinner and he took a walk outside. The little sucker had a nice poop and we took him inside to introduce him to the family. I think everyone in there knew the poor guy didn't stand a chance but me. My family later told me the look on my face was sheer terror. Bill started humping EJ's leg and would NOT get off of her diaper. Bless his little canine heart, he didn't know better but he kept jumping up on EJ's face and she did NOT like him. My cousin Brittney bet me it wouldn't last a month. I tried to put on a brave face a acted a little mad. "No...psh...Bill is a part of our family now. How dare you say that. We can do this". (I think)

I started thinking, "What did I get myself in to? A puppy and an almost one year old? I am insane." Horror music was playing inside of my head, you know like the shower scene in that Alfred Hitchcock movie. All i could see was a future of EJ eating soggy dog food with Bill and them laughing and pointing at me together while I cleaned up their messes. Bill was looking less cute.

It was time to go home and Bill and EJ cried for the first 30 minutes of the trip home. I finally blurted out to my mom, "I CAN'T DO THIS!!!!!!!!!". I called John and we decided right then and there we were in over our heads.

Babies I can do. Animals I cannot. I don't know why I thought getting a dog would magically turn me in to an animal person. But it didn't, It's just not me. If anything it proved to me that I never EVER want an animal. I guess you just have to know your place. Me...well I'm just not an animal person. Sorry Pawpaw.

Now I'm not knocking anybody who has a furbaby. I just prefer my hypoallergenic human baby.

That night John slept downstairs with Bill, he went to the bathroom 8 times and bit johns ear all though the night. When I woke up I found a nice brown stinky present from Bill under the tree on top of one of John's presents. It read "To: John From: One of Santas little helpers". At least we knew how Bill felt about us too.

That day we sold Bill to a family with four children. The little girl who got him said with tears streaming down her face, "This is the bestest Christmas ever!!" I shed a tear or two when they took him.

But mostly because we were free again. Wherever you are Bill, thanks for teaching us an important lesson. We can not do everything.