Got a kick out of this one, so I had to share...

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A Child's Prayer

Kaleb said the cutest prayer tonight for dinner...I'm going to try to repeat it if I can, "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for this dinner, thank you for my lunch. Thank you for my bed, thank you for my baby, and for my kids. Thank you for mommy and my dad, thank you for me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." He said this all by himself with no prompting, and it was so sweet to hear! He also wanted to say a prayer today while we were at Tacos'N'More with Gramma-Gramma & Aunt Carla, and Aunt Carly helped him. What a special boy!

The End of an Era

Well I have to say I am shocked to hear that my favorite prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley has passed away tonight. Although he was 97, he always seemed so full of life, and I just hadn't prepared myself for what I knew would happen eventually. Although I never met him personally, I've always felt very close to him. President Hinckley is the first (maybe?) prophet that I was able to be in the same room with. Kelly, and T, maybe you'll remember this, but while we were at BYU together we decided on a whim to go to the Saturday session of Conference. It must have been October of '97, and miraculously we were able to get in. We sat up high in the balcony to the right of the podium, but I remember feeling like we were really close and could see surprisingly well. Although I don't remember exactly what was said or what the main message of the conference was, I do remember feeling the Spirit so strongly, knowing that the beliefs I had grown up with were really true, that President Hinckley is a man of God, and feeling in awe that I was there soaking it all in. Feelings of peace, joy, and inspiration filled my soul and it was truly a highlight of my college days. I know I was able to see him on a few other occasions: devotionals while at Ricks & BYU, the First Presidency Christmas devotional with Ronda, and my graduation. He will be remembered and honored by many for all the service he has done worldwide, but I will always remember him for the way he enjoyed life. He always had a twinkle in his eye, a joke to share, and a way to connect to all of us and just make us love him like you'd love a grandpa. A few more things I loved about him... his stories and knowledge of history, the way he made mistakes but learned from them and shared these lessons with all, the way he prayed especially for the youth, his passion for temple work, and the way he shared the gospel in a way that was unapologetic, but loving. I know the church will go on, another Prophet will be called, and all will be well, but I'm going to miss him. I'm so happy that he is now reunited with his wife, parents, and so many others. Here's a link if you're interested in more details on this amazing man, President Gordon B. Hinckley. http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/beloved-church-president-gordon-b-hinckley-dies-at-97

5 Months & Thriving!

Having a swingin' time!

My first fruit... prunes! (Poor kid hasn't gone #2 in days!)

Handsome baby boy!

Sleep in heavenly peace!

Dylan is 5 months today and such a sweetie! The other day Kaleb told me that Dylan is a perfect baby! Although I may argue this a bit, I definitely cannot complain. He brings our family so much joy and is such a little love bug! Some of his recent "accomplishments": he can bring his hands together now and reach for toys, he's eating cereal and shows a preference for the oatmeal over the rice cereal, he says "ah-goo" and squeals loudly now when he gets excited. He also loves to sit up, although not quite by himself yet. The best by far for me is he's started sleeping a lot better at night... what a relief! After trying everything I could think of, I finally let him cry it out a week or so ago, and now he's doing so much better! It's been such a blessing for all of us and he's a much happier baby. (Imagine that... sleep makes everyone happy!) He has the cutest little laugh and Kaleb has a knack for getting the laughter started. In K's funny voice he'll say, "What's so funny, Dylan-Dylan?" and it gets Dylan laughing every time! Happy 5 months, baby D... we love you soooooo much!!!

I LOVE MY TECH GUY!!!

So a lot of my blog buddies have updated their "look" after the holidays. I have to admit I was a tad jealous... but not enough so to devote hours of my time and sanity to figuring out how to customize (esp. after talking to Mon, who's much more computer savvy than me!). Well, I may have mentioned it to Ben, and my tech guy jumped right in & got involved with our family blog! He designed our new look, and I must say... I LOVE IT! Thanks, Ben... you're a "freakin' genius" and "I love you madly!"

To the ZOO!

Last Saturday we took a family trip to the Phoenix Zoo. We always have such a great time there and the weather was perfect... flip flops & sweatshirt weather was welcome after our trip to rainy Oregon. It was so nice getting out of the house, enjoying the nice weather, and just being together. We spent 3 hours there, the boys were great, and a lot of animals were out & about that are normally hiding and sleeping.

Let us know if you want to join us for a playdate sometime... we have a pass and I can get another adult in and kids under 3 are free!

Mama Said There'd be Days like This....

So we started the day off great... just after nursing Dylan, Kaleb climbed up on my lap and all three of us were cuddling, rocking, happy, and smiling. These are the moments I love being a mother, I thought!

Fast forward 6 hours and yeah...let's just say it's been a pretty poopy day. LITERALLY! I was on the phone with Bri, sweeping the floor, when K said he needed to go potty. We run to his bathroom only to find he'd already gone (an adult sized poo, I swear) and it is now all down his legs, in his pants, on the toilet & the floor. Lovely. I seriously need to get this kid potty trained, it's grossing me out!

Then about 5 minutes later, after K is all cleaned up and off busy playing, I check on Dylan. I was in the process of moving him to his swing so I could finish mopping, when I decided to check his diaper. He recently started cereal and has been holding it in and only going once every 3-4 days. Well I have seen some poopy messes before (having already been through one boy and 4 brothers) but this topped them all! Somehow baby liqui-poop ended up all over his clothes, arms, legs, back, my hands, the pottery barn changing cover that I love, the lotion pump, the wipes dispenser....everything! Ben & I usually measure how bad it really is by how many wipes we have to use to clean it up, but this one I lost track. I decide there cannot possibly be anything left in this baby of mine, so I strip him down and put him in his crib naked while I clean up the disastrous changing area and start the laundry. Two minutes go by and I come back to check on Dylan, sure enough pee all over himself, a few toys, and his crib sheets. SUCH A BOY!

I'm not so sure my mama said there'd be days like this, but I guess I'm glad she didn't. Thanks for letting me vent and for listening to all the grody details!!! :0) Btw... my middle's definitely sagging on this one and Ben is bringing me home a DP... diet, or no diet!

New Kind of TAG!

Have fun with this one, bloggin' buds! Love ya,

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: Patches Durango
(first pet & current car)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: Oreo Chocolate Chip
(fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: S.Mur
(first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: Red Puppy
(favorite color, favorite animal)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: Rae Lakeside
(middle name, city where you were born)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: Mursa
(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)

7. SUPERHERO NAME: The Pink Raspberry Lemonade

(”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)

8. NASCAR NAME: Ted Max
(the first names of your grandfathers)

9. STRIPPER NAME: (oy!) Dream Symphony
(the name of your favorite scent/perfume/cologne, favorite candy)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: Rae Dale
(mother’s & father’s middle names )

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: Clark Cincinnati
(Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: Spring Daisy
(your favorite season/holiday, flower)

13. CARTOON NAME: Strawberry Jeany
(favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)

14. HIPPY NAME: Special K Aspen
(What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: The Reading Rain Tour (Rain is the BEST sound next to sleeping babes!)
(”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)

I'm Turning into my MOTHER!!!

Mom & "Dylan Delight" our new nickname for him.

Me (in one of the sweaters we both have) & Kaleb the Elf.

So when I was growing up, I always wanted to be like my mom. I adored her and still do, but realistically I knew it would never happen. I have an angel for a mother... it's a tad annoying at times, but I knew I could never reach her level of perfection. I am sad to say I am still not even close in the areas that really matter, but I have seemed to "become" her in several uncanny ways.

While home in Oregon, we kept dressing in very similar outfits... same color top with same color pants, etc. Then I went into her closet because I was missing a shirt and found 2 sweaters that I thought were mine. I took them to my closet only to find the same two sweaters in mine. We had the same exact sweaters... same color, brand, and one was even the same size! This may say something about our sense of style...but I'm trying not to read too much into it. We also have the same tastes: I stayed in the car to nurse Dylan and Mom, Dad, & K went into Taco Bell. They called me to bring something out when they were done eating, and I ordered the same exact thing as my mom w/out knowing what she'd ordered: Mexican Pizza & light lemonade. Other than that, we both have a tendency to blink while pictures are being snapped, forget things, get food on ourselves while eating, and don't sleep. Oh, and after I left Mom made the same wii character as me on Jonny's new wii...we both couldn't resist being tall & skinny, but i guess even the hair, brows, etc. were very similar.

Maybe one of these days I'll become the wonderful, patient, fun-loving, scriptorian, exercise-holic, great cook, mom, grandma & friend that she is, but until then I guess I'll be happy with just being me. Miss you already, Mum!

Christmas Vacation!

"We sure did have a fun Christmas Mom!" Kaleb said while we were having lunch after we arrived back in Arizona.We really did! We didn't do much.... eat, sleep, watch sports, eat & sleep some more, while huddling by the woodstove, but we did make some wonderful memories! The boys were completely spoiled while we were there... Kaleb consumed an unhealthy amount of chocolate for a 2 year old, but no one could resist him when he said, "This chocolate is so yummy in my tummy!" Dylan was loved, squeezed, and sang to all day long. He had fun rolling around with cousin Sophie and just being cute and cuddly. Ben was sick almost the entire time he was there..bummer! Somehow it spread to almost all those around us, so I have a feeling we may not be missed next year! We still had fun hanging out and relaxing though and Ben & I even snuck in a date without the boys...very nice! It snowed on Christmas day for about 15 minutes but enough for K & I to make a 3 inch snowman & catch snowflakes on our tongues. Kaleb got the ark (and about a million and a half other things from all the "Santas" in his life... let's just say he's very loved). Grandpa gave Kaleb a bath and changed Dylan's diaper & clothes while we were there... things mom says he never did with us kids while growing up. Grandpa also gave Dylan his first food... Gramma-Gramma's jello (and I may have flipped out a bit). Kaleb stole Jonny's girlfriend, Dani... she was his best friend and played Sharptooth and chased him around the house with endless energy. Jonny also traumatized K for life when after only being there a day or two, snuck up behind him, picked him up and said he was going to take him with him! Kaleb was a meany to him the rest of the time. We decorated the tree together & K loved all the decorations all over the house and his "penguin" room. Grandma let him play with every single one...especially the snow village which he pretended we were all inside the various houses. He also played with a nativity while Grandpa read the story of Jesus' birth, we then had our caroling sing along downstairs around the fire on Christmas Eve, but without the piano... good thing mom and dad paid for all those piano lessons throughout the years! Kaleb's favorite songs this year were Must Be Santa, Frosty, & We Wish You a Merry Christmas. So many fun memories, I think I'll let the pictures tell the rest.

Sara, Dylan & my youngest brother, Jonny.

Mom & Dad talking to "Elder Stock" aka Tommy at 5:30 am!

Grandma, Aunt Carly-bell, me & my mama Christmas evening. It's a miracle that none of us are blinking as we aren't a very photogenic group!

The best gift of all, our sweet baby Dylan!
We found out last year the day after Christmas that we were expecting.

Didn't happen... good thing he's SO cute! Maybe next year?!?

Ben & Kaleb.... super smiles! This is right after
Kaleb played in the snow for the very first time!Aunt Carly & Antonio... now she really does have it all!

Sara & McDreamy... the best stocking stuffer a girl could ask for! Although I really do love my new polka dot umbrella, "D" charm necklace. and plethora of chapsticks. :)

Kaleb loved his ark and all the fun animals that came with it!

The Murdock boys with bed head!

Christmas morning: Sis in law Terra, my brother Jo, niece Sophie, Sara, Dylan, Ben & Kaleb.

Christmas Eve dinner Grandma, Papa & Dylan. This is before Grandpa gave Dylan his first food: Gramma-Gramma's famous fruit filled jello!

Terra's specialty strawberry chocolate mousse cake!

Gramma-Gramma holding Kaleb & Dylan on Christmas Eve. So sweet!