a beacon

On Saturday night it was a pleasure to take a break from regular life to be with my darling girl, as well as sisters across the world, to hear our leaders at the General Women's Meeting. I love witnessing Kate's excitement for gospel learning. I hope she continues to love to feel the Spirit always.

I loved listening to Sister Neill F. Marriott (and her fun Southern accent) as she talked about light.  She said,  "Our purpose, [like the temple's, is] to serve others and help them push back the darkness and return to Heavenly Father's light." After she heard this, my sweet, in-tune Kate leaned over to me and said, "I think this would help my friend at school." Her friend has been having a hard time with another friend who is trying to influence him to break rules and disobey teachers at school. He feels a little trapped, I think, not knowing how to break off a friendship that is getting him caught up in things he would rather not be doing.  Kate has been worrying over her friend, talking to me about what she could possibly do to help.

I think, through her own example, she is probably helping more than she knows.  The fact that she would hear counsel, truth, from our church leaders and then instantly apply it in her own mind to her personal life, is astonishing to me.  At nine I barely sat through one session of Conference.

But, she is so much smarter, wiser, more faithful than I was at her age.  I think she needs to be. As do all our children. The world is in a tailspin of evil, worsening every day.  But, hope, for me, is found in my children and their friends who "stand for truth and righteousness." They are a beacon to their friends. I feel privileged to be on the sidelines and watch them storm the world with their good, just trying to keep up.

Me and My Double Life

This morning, after scriptures, Kate turned to me and said, "It would be so weird to be like you and have two lives." Hmmm...did she think I was secretly a spy?  She continued, "Because, you know, you and dad lived in the olden times, when there wasn't anything and then you had to get used to now days where we have iPads and stuff."

Yeah...that is one way to make your mother feel old.


In other news: I am a lousy blogger as of late, but am loving the world of 'micro blogging' that is Instagram. If you want, you can catch me, and lots of baby pics, there. @adrimurdock

My dad has always been a good gifter, and Valentine's day is no exception.  When I was a girl, he always had a little surprise for me: a necklace, a treat, and, one year, when I was probably 7 or 8, "The Queen of Hearts Maze Book." 

I thought the maze book was a treasure. Each page had an intricately created maze and a rhyming poem, and I loved it. I loved it so much, that I never wanted to actually WRITE in it.  I solved the mazes with my finger, over and over, but would never ruin the beauty of my book with a pencil.

I saved my maze book.  It made its way into my Valentine's box year after year, and this year, my own 8-year-old found it. She immediately headed upstairs to find a pencil to work out the mazes, not at all thinking that this must be a treasure, which is why it has such pristine pages. To her, it looked like fun.

As she sat at the counter, working the puzzles, I fought  back my instinct to stop her; to teach her the 'value' in doing mazes with your finger instead of a pencil.  But, I didn't. The book has been around over 25 years. It is about time it was actually used.

It got me thinking about my 'saving' ways.  Saving, of course, can be such a good thing. But, I think I fall into the manic side of the spectrum.  At least, I used to.  As a kid I had a huge stash of 'saved' stuff: stickers I never wanted to waste on a page, crayons I couldn't possibly ruin by using them, candy hoarded for another day.  As I've gotten older, I have tried not to save to the extreme.  I have decided it is okay to use the nice dishes; to wear the new nylons instead of making due with the ones that have the holes in the toes; to use up the pretty paper to make a card for a friend.  After all, if I save it too long, the dishes will just be dusty and old, the nylons might lose their elastic waist, and the pretty paper will look out-dated and frumpy. (Not that I know any of this from experience!)

So, here's to enjoying the beauty of today.
And, finally finishing up that maze book.

Halloween

I think I got the worst Halloween costume pictures of all time this year. Bummer.

But, here is how it went down, in case you were wondering....

Dal was a bat with wings courtesy of a (now dead) umbrella. They looked good, but he found that having such a big wingspan was prohibitive when reaching into candy bowls at the neighbors' houses. He still managed a sugary haul, so I guess it is all good. Oh, and he was a little disgruntled that the wings didn't actually provide flight.

Kate's {simple} request to be a mermaid proved a bit challenging to this mom who refused to create flesh colored anything and doesn't believe in shells for shirts.  Plus, my sewing skills are pretty minimal.  Luckily, she was thrilled with this funny tulle and sparkle fin and even agreed to wear long sleeves.

Have a 2-year-old at Halloween is so fun!  Love this little kitty!

Having a picky 3-year-old is NOT so much fun at Halloween.  Davis had a cute scrubs set, courtesy of Gram, and I cut down one of Chad's old lab coats (he is holding it in his hand), but he refused to wear ANY of it.  Except the stethoscope (his adoration of which provided the inspiration for the costume in the first place). Ah, well, maybe next year.

blooming

Around these here parts, I'm traditionally the planner, the calendar-keeper, the long-term thinker.

Except when I'm not.

Chad and I seem to be a good balance that way.  I think long term about stuff like family vacations, schools for the kids, record-keeping and decorating the house.  He thinks long term about stuff like money and career and...landscaping.  He has become the 'master' of the plants, spending all his free time learning about shrubs and perennials, measuring spots in our yard for the future size of the trees, learning which trees will hold up well in our windy, sandy terrain.  Several times I've wanted to just "buy the trees, already" (Like my friend, Jenny, said, "Who needs a landscape plan? Does it say 'whatever is on sale at Lowe's' on it, because that is what's going in!").

But, as spring has sprung, Chad and I have both had such fun watching the baby plants we have selected and planted and watered (and crossed our fingers that they would live) take root and grow and BLOOM!  Everything in our yard is still very infantile.  Both of us trot around the yard during the day, adding a little water here, wondering if we should move something where it will get more sun, adjusting sprinklers (well, actually, that is just Chad, but he does it A LOT. And his lawn is lovely, thankyouverymuch).  It is amazing how excited we get over a new bud on the rose bush or a little blossom on the strawberry plant.  Kind of like how we get excited over the little things in our kids' lives, too, I guess.  What a wonderful time of year to watch the world GROW!

Speaking of our REAL babies...here's how they have been blooming:

Lea is blossoming into a two-year-old a bit early, frequently using her new favorite phrases, "Go away" and "I don't like it."  Hmmm.  Fortunately, she is also a little bit of sunshine as she makes us laugh EVERYday with her world observations (Yook, Mom!), endearing requests ("Yet's rock"---as in, rock in the rocking chair and snuggle), and her self confidence ("I did it!  High five!").  Oh, how we adore this little one!

Having a blast on her first zoo trip (since she wasn't an infant)

Davis is (finally) growing into a big boy and figuring out potty training.  It has been a loooong road with this one (and we still have a long way to go), but he is making progress, which is cause for much celebration from the Mommy.

This is as good as it gets when asking him to look at the camera.

Kate has turned gardener, too.  She helped plant the vegetable garden, planted dozens of GIGANTIC sunflower seeds, and is the watering guru.  We will see (hope with us, will you) if anything comes up.

Kate even made her own plant markers to remember what is planted where!

Dallin is emerging as a social butterfly this summer.  His usual homebody ways have blossomed as he has discovered the freedom his bike (and several near-by friends) affords.  He is usually outside, all day, having many adventures.  He is also the most likely to finish all his chores by breakfast, speedy guy, which is wonderful for me (and awful for Kate, who always gets reminded that "Dallin already finished...hurry up")

Dal at his 3rd grade recorder concert (with the bonus of having cousins in town to come!)

It has been a good first week of summer break!

She makes me laugh

My girl is getting to the age where it is actually fun to take her on errands.  She is helpful and chatty and says things that make me laugh.  Like yesterday, when we ran to the grocery store.  I reminded her, as we walked in, that she shouldn't ask for a million things or she won't get to come to the store anymore.  After a few minutes, though, she forgot.
"Can we get blueberry bagels?"
"Can I get a doughnut?"
"Don't we need this???"

Once again, I reminded her of the asking policy, and rounded another corner.  Then,

"Mom, would you pay two dollars and seventy-nine cents?"
"For what?"
"Just, would you pay that much? Do you have that much?"
"It depends on what it is for."
"Chocolate covered pretzels."
"Kate! I just told you to stop asking for things?"
"I wasn't asking for them.  I just wondered if you had that much money. Money has nothing to do with food!"

Kate showing off her "Dog" picture that was selected to be part of the district art competition.

found

Today I was cleaning out the camera roll on my iPad.  I found over 550 pictures. That I did not take. 

There were approximately:
200 pictures of the back side of my iPad case
75 shots that were completely black
50 or so pictures with the camera pointed up Lea's nose
100 of various ceiling shots around my house
25 of Davis cheesing it for the camera
and
about 100 or so of these:

Let's just say, the iPad is never bored.

tooth tales

Although she is seven years and two months old, our Kate has yet to lose a tooth.  Nothing is even wiggly.  It is distressing to a 1st grader.  Last night, as I tucked her in, Kate shared with me her theory on this whole tooth dilemma:

Kate: Mom, when I move my mouth like this, it feels like my teeth are loose, but then when I stop, they really aren't.
Me: They must really love it in there.  They don't want to leave!
K: Yeah.  Maybe they will stay in until I'm 18.  Then, when my new teeth come in, they will be super strong, so I can bite down trees, like a beaver!
M: Hmmm.  I doubt it.  And, I don't think they will really stay in there until you are 18.
K: When did you lose your first tooth?
M: I think I was in 1st grade, like you.
K: So, maybe they will get loose soon.  But, they must not want to go.  They like their job in there.  They don't want to lose their job!  It is like the Great Depression in my mouth!  No one wants to lose their jobs!

Well...it is a theory.

leg warmer

Whenever we ordered pizza, as a kid (which wasn't very often), I liked to volunteer to ride with Dad to Pizza Hut and pick it up.  I'd jabber the whole way there and back.  My soft spoken Dad didn't usually have a lot to say in response to my ramblings (maybe he was ignoring me?), but I think it was just enough to let me get in some of my 7,000 daily words during our drive.

Once we had picked up the pizza, I got to ride home with the hot boxes on my lap.  I loved how they made my thighs warm, warmer, then hot.  It was nearly too much heat to take, but we'd pull into the driveway just as I thought the pizza would burn through the box.

Thursday afternoon got away from me and I was facing 5 o'clock without a dinner plan.  Thankfully, Daddy offered to "cook" and Papa John was called in as reinforcement.  I headed out the door to go pick up the pizza and my Kate rushed after me with a "Can I come?" on her lips.  She hopped in the backseat and chattered at me the whole way, talking about friends and school, games they play at recess and the boys she chases 'cause she's so fast.  It made me smile to remember my own talkative self as I stole a peek at my beautiful girl in the rearview mirror.

We grabbed the pizza and I slid the boxes onto her lap for the drive home. 
"Are your legs getting hot, Kate?" I asked. 
"I like it.  It is warm!"
And, as we pulled into the garage she said, "I want to stay under this pizza blanket forever!"

I guess she's better at handling the heat!

related

note: Another belated post, waiting for a picture.  So glad to have it now!

Ellie-Bee: Kate, you are my best friend!  Actually, you are my cousin.  No, I think you are my ancestor.

Kate: Mom, are both boys and girls called ancestors? Why are boys an-sisters?  They should be called an-brothers?

To our fabulous Burton Cousins....So glad you are ours, and you would come to visit!  Come back soon!

funny things...

...I've noticed lately:

*My baby LOVES babies!  She loves to rock and give her dolls a bottle.  Today she tried to take her doll for a 'walk' in the stroller.  Problem is, she doesn't know how to walk herself.  How can a girl who is still such a baby herself love to play mommy?
* Bitty boy is talking more and has started to SING his little heart out.  I guess I shouldn't say 'start' since he has been singing for a long time, but now I can tell which song he is performing.  Not so much because I can understand the words, but this boy has great rhythm and pitch!
*Sissy is getting so long and lanky.  She has always loved to dangle from a ledge we have in our house, but now her feet reach the floor!  When did she get so big?
* Mr. D is so darling with his face full of grown-up teeth.  Maybe he won't have as awkward an awkward stage as his mother had to suffer!
*I'm not very good at taking pictures of all these great little moments.  But, I did take some one-year-old shots of this cutie.  Enjoy!

glued

College football season started yesterday. Much to my chagrin.  One person in this house, however, is ecstatic!

Make that two. 
Nothing like a perfectly still 'customer' (GLUED to the game) when you want to play beauty parlor!

Happy Easter!

sacrament meeting masterpiece

sure love my girl!

under the same sky

"Whenever me and Kate see each other, it's like our hearts just JUMP out of our bodies and give each other a big hug!" Maryn exclaimed to her mom as they made their way down the winding canyon road.

Her description could not be more perfect!  Kate and her closest cousin, Maryn (born exactly 10 weeks apart mid-winter 6 years ago) are best friends.  Although on the outside, they seem like opposites (one has long hair, one short; one has blue eyes, one brown; one sings low, the other high), in their heart of hearts, they are the same.

Kind of like their moms.

We, too, are different in many ways, but have always shared a part of our hearts, as sisters.  When we watch our girls together, it is like our childhood is being re-lived and witnessed from the outside.  Only, as if we were twins.  We've often wished we were (except during that one rough year in Jr. High, when we were glad that we weren't!)

Sadly, these two (four) hearts live 600 miles apart.

This past weekend, however, hearts reunited in a weekend spent together.  My sis and I joined our third sister (equally heart-linked, but a few years younger) and parents, too, for some together time at the cabin.  My Kate's heart was full with the company of her cousin.  They played and laughed and hugged and giggled.  And, they stayed up late into the night singing and laughing and loving their hearts' connection.

They made up a song: silly and nonsensical, and EXACTLY the thing Kami and I did together when we were young.  They sang it over and over again.  We smiled at their creativity and laughed at their antics.  We reminisced about our own created songs and plays and performances from so long ago.

And, Kami pulled out the guitar and taught the girls a {real} song about hearts that are linked:

Underneath the same sky

Even though you're not close by

It feels just like

We're right beside each other.

Even though we're far apart,

Your friendship fills my heart.

It's so good to know, we're under the same sky.

Tonight, as my kids bedtime-snacked together, Kate started singing the made-up song.  Dallin smiled and said, "Hey, did you make that up?"  Amazingly, he hadn't heard her singing it, even though she and Maryn must have performed it 100 times over two days.  It's because he was busy being with his heart-linked cousin, too, doing whatever it is boys do when they are together under the same roof.  And, the same sky.

xoxoxo to our cousins, far away!

together

I was grateful, as we held hands and made our way into the church building, that I’d pulled myself away from the cozy sofa and the dishes in the sink and the email to check to brave the chilly night air and go to our ward’s Relief Society Mother/Daughter activity.  Kate seemed excited to have a special night out, especially when I told her that fingernail painting was involved.  As we made our way to the Relief Society room, I reminded my little lady that she needed to act grown up. “Like Leslie?” (her favorite babysitter), she asked?  “Yes, just like Leslie.” 

Thankfully, the infamous Leslie was there, too.  Kate was thrilled.

After a short introduction and explanation, I let Kate lead the way to the break-out classes she was most interested in.  Not surprisingly, we stopped off at the fingernail painting table first.  A few minutes (and 10 hot-pink nails) later, my girl was all smiles and admiring her hands.  Next we took in the 'make-up dos and don’ts' class (and finished with a dolled-up 6-year-old).  With Kate looking more grown-up than ever, we finished the night at the exercise class (“Because I like it when we do yoga together, Mom.”) 

Spending time, one-on-one, with Kate is priceless.  I didn’t realize how little of it we have together.  Usually we are surrounded by babies, and because she is the world’s greatest baby helper, I use her company as ‘help’ more often than not.  But, every now and again it is a blessing to realize that my Kate is more than just a mini-mommy.  She is a growing girl with lots of ideas to share and questions to ask; feelings to work through and learning to do.  

She is amazing.  And, I’m honored that she’s mine.

remember

"Oh, Kate!" I exclaim as I'm helping her tie magic knots in her laces, "How did you scratch your leg?"
"I don't know, Mom. There are too many rememberies to keep in my head!"

Oh how I love this girl of mine. She is smart and funny, kind and caring. She's a thinker; a solver of problems and an asker of questions. She can sing and turn cartwheels and entertain her siblings. She is helpful, excited about life, and fun fun fun!

She's also a little sassy, often questioning 'why' we have to do something a certain way or go somewhere when she's busy playing. She is an independent thinker, which at times drives a mommy crazy, but which trait I'm hoping will serve her well as she grows. This five-and-a-half-year-old is at the perfect stage: she still loves to snuggle, wants mom to color or play dolls or do play-doh, but loves the independence of going to kindergarten, being able to read on her own and zipping down the street on her two-wheeler.

THIS is a time of 'rememberies' I hope to always keep in my head (and my heart).
xoxo {first} baby girl!

Dislaimer: this is NOT a craft blog

Disclaimer: This is NOT a craft blog!

Just a few photos to document the project that has taken up the bulk of my summer. We are super excited to welcome our little baby girl home to share this new girly room with her big sis.

Baby girl's quilt (aka the easy one). Stripes and ruffles. Fun and fast!

Kate's quilt. Who's 'genius' idea was it to diamonds, anyway? Just FYI...I discovered that cutting and piecing diamonds is a LOT harder than squares. I had to consult my architect brother for help.
Seriously.
It's been a while since 9th grade geometry. Thanks for the diagram, Pres!

Ruffles...just to make it extra feminine!

a little embellishment on a clearance rack pillow

And, something to fly in the sky!



Still left on the 'to-do' list:
paint crib
ruffle-up a crib bumper
turn clearance rack frame into magnet board
birth baby...

chocolate covered

It all started when a snazzy little package landed on my doorstep. Inside was heaven:
My most amazing parents sent me chocolate covered strawberries for Mother's Day! Shhhh...don't tell my siblings. I think they got perennials or something definitely less indulgent. The benefits of living out of state, huh?

The chocolate covered weekend had only just begun.

On Sunday, my hubby presented me with more chocolate strawberries. Mmmm. Doesn't he know me so well?

Apparently, the berries don't fall too far from the plant, if you catch my drift. Miss Kate couldn't get the delectable treats out of her mind, either. So, on Monday I told her we could make some more.

She, actually, did all the work. She carefully washed and dried the berries, stirred up the chocolate. I showed her once how to dip them, and she was off! She even thought of adding the toppings herself. The only thing I helped with was the decorative white chocolate stripes.

Sharing her special treat was treat in itself. What a proud little chocolatier!

tucked in bed

When I climbed into bed last night, this was hiding for me under the covers:

Oh, my! How I love this girl of mine!