When Ben's Away, the Blogger Will Play!

Here's a fun survey I found on my new friend, Sarah's blog. Since Ben's away (hence all the posts this week) & my boys are both in bed, I'm spending a little guilt-free bloggin' time on the computer. Enjoy!

What I've done in my 29(+2) years of life:
(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
( ) Been to Florida
(X ) Been lost
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country...just in the JFK airport though, so it doesn't really count.
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played cops and robber
(X) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
( ) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't (several times...why?why?why?)
( ) Made prank phone calls
( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
( ) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about...not yet!
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
( ) Been skinny dipping outdoors...maybe when we're retired! ha!
(X) Gone to the movies
1. Any nickname? Sar, Sary, Sis, Sarco, Sarsa, Stock, Mama, Mommy, etc...Ben calls me Gorgeous mostly on the phone, "Hey, Gorgeous!" He started this when we were dating and hasn't stopped...man, I love him!
2. Mother's name? Barbara...her best friends call her Mum, Mama, & Bob
3. Favorite drink? Dr. Pepper (this week anyway)
4. Tattoo? Nope
5. Body Piercings? Ears
6. Birthplace? Lakeside, AZ
7. Favorite vacation spot? San Diego for quick getaways...I've been craving the beach ever since it started warming up around here.
8. Ever been to Africa? Not yet, but my fav. Aunt Carlybell was there last summer!
9. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Of course...and on a really good day breakfast, lunch & dinner!
10. Ever been on TV? Remember Rambin' Rod... I was SO there at least twice!
11. Ever steal any traffic sign? Tempting, but no.
12. Ever been in a car accident? A few, nothin' major though
13. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 door Dodge Durango
14. Favorite salad dressing? Ranch...but I also love Jalapeno Ranch, Caesar & Poppyseed
15. Favorite pie? Does white chocolate raspberry truffle cheesecake count? My mom's cherry & apple are award winning for sure!
16. Favorite number? 9
17. Favorite movie? Can't decide... probably any movie in the theater w/o kids these days.
18. Favorite holiday? Christmas
19. Favorite dessert? I haven't met a dessert I haven't liked. Pazookies are pretty good.
20. Favorite Food? Mexican or Italian...probably Mexican. I love fruit though & Heather's divine fruit dip is my favorite new treat...recipe to come!
21. Favorite day of the week? Saturday... we used to call it Ben & Sara day.
22. Favorite brand of body wash? anything that smells good.. I like to change it up
23. Favorite smell? Orange blossoms, Ben & my boys after bath/showers, anything baking in my kitchen
25. What do you do to relax? read, blog, sleep, watch tv
26. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Happy with more kiddos & a few more smile lines, maybe?
27. Furthest place away this will be read? no idea!

If you read it, you're IT! :0)

You're My Best Friend!

"Mom, (so & so's) my best friend!" Kaleb & I have this conversation each & every day....sometimes several times a day. He's a social little guy and really reminds me of his Uncle Tommy & Grandpa Stock...never met a stranger, friends with everyone, or in Kaleb's case... best friends. These are the best friends he's told me about this week: Dylan, Natalie, Eden, Thomas, Dad, Winston and me. Of course it's the best when he says, "Mommy, you're my best friend!" accompanied by a hug, kiss or a wink. I hope it always stays that way, son!

I don't quite know how to balance being friends with your children and still being the parent, the leader, guider, teacher, disciplinarian, etc. But I hope that my kiddos will really talk to me about the stuff inside their heads... not just now when they're still so fresh, young, innocent, and uninhibited, but always.

8 is Great!

Silly Dilly, Dylan-bop turned 8 months this week! Crazy how the time just flies. Before I know it he'll be one, and I just don't know if I'm ready for that. He's growing up so fast and I love the little personality that's popping out! So much like his daddy and big brother, it's awesome! Dylan loves to be tickled and Daddy & Kaleb love to tickle! Today first thing in the mornin' he gave me a head bonk...what I thought was Kaleb's signature move! He's also giving the best slobbery baby kisses right now, Kaleb & I love them, Ben...not so much. Dylan is so content to sit and play with his toys, and especially loves getting his hands on big brother's toys, mom's cell phone, the remote, or sunglasses. His fav. foods are Cheerios & oatmeal with bananas. He also loves oranges & grapes in his teething/feeder sac. I think he has the most amazing light blue eyes and when he gets really excited he "flaps his wings." He's kind of a mama's boy & whenever I leave the room lately, he lets me know. He loves to be held... Bobyn thinks he looks like a little monkey when I'm holding him. Kaleb said this morning while we three were all in bed, "Dylan sure is a sweet, sweet baby!" I couldn't agree more (except for maybe when he poops in the tub...and then well, he's just a stinky Murdock)!

Go Green!!!

Chehalem Valley... the place I still call home.
(I've been away from home for almost 13 years now...yikes!)

Columbia River Gorge...one of my favorite places to hike in the world! There's nothing better than being surrounded by trees, enveloped by the forest, and finding wildflowers and waterfalls at every curve in the trail.

I've always been a bit of a tree-hugger at heart... being raised in Oregon will do that to you! I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a granola (although there may be a tie-dyed shirt & a pair of Birkenstocks hidden in the depths of my closet that I can't seem to part with), but I have always thought it was so important to take care of our beautiful world.

Interesting facts I have learned this week:
Those darn plastic grocery bags are illegal in a few countries! My mom and I for years have sworn that they are not recyclable, even though they have the little emblem on them. She even went so far as to ask a worker at Fred Meyer's what they do with the bags that are "recycled" at the grocery store & he said they throw them in their dumpster! I also hate how the baggers give you 50 of the dumb things & put two things in each bag! I have finally converted to the canvas grocery bags & love them! They hold so much more and are just really great...at least when I remember them! Both Fry's & Basha's give you 5 cents/ bag if you bring your own.
Fast food restaurants tend to overpackage their food, using unnecessary resources. Yet another reason for me to avoid the fatty food altogether!
There are really 5 R's, not the typical 3 of being "green": Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Respect & Responsible. The last two are news to me, but good ones I think...we should respect our earth & be responsible with what we have.


Take care of your Mother Earth...it's the only one you've got! (Matt Lauer, The Today Show)

My Prince

A few months ago my friend, Chrissy, told me a cute little story about our kiddos. Natie had dressed up in her princess gown and her dad asked her if he was her prince. Natie said no...it's Kaleb! I got a good laugh out of it and told mom over the phone. When Ben came home, Kaleb tells him first thing, "Natalie says I'm her prince." And we all kind of laughed and joked about it. The next day he decided he was a King...King Kaleb.

Since then, whenever Natie sees Kaleb she says, "My prince!" and gets really excited. His invitation to her birthday party was addressed to "My Prince in Maricopa." I wasn't sure how Kaleb felt about it, so after a playdate with them I asked Kaleb, "Are you a prince?" In his best teenage/2 year old voice & crumpled brow, "No, I told Natalie I'm NOT a prince, I'm a BIG BOY!"

Time goes by, we show up to Music Makers and Natalie says to me first thing, "I"m getting married!" "Oh really, to who?" I ask. "To Kaleb!" "Really? I think Kaleb is a little young to get married." Then Kaleb pipes up, "My mommy got married to my daddy." That's right son, you tell her! Mommies and Daddies get married, not 2 & 3 year old kiddos.

Last Monday, we show up a little late to Music Makers and Natalie says, "My prince!" Eden was sitting right next to her and said, "No, he's MY prince!" And so it begins...our little ladies man!

Eden & Kaleb just 1 year ago at the park. Sheesh... I still miss that hair!

Natie & Kaleb at the zoo.

Princess Natalie & Prince, King, or Big Boy? You decide!

Natalie, Eden, Cooper, Kaleb & Keith at Jeepers for Natie's Birthday.

Eden going in for a thank you hug... she loved the panda bear Kaleb gave her for her birthday!

Today...

Today we were dusting & dancing to Jack Johnson in the family room. We were having a great time, until Kaleb looks at me (in the middle of one of my dance moves) and says, "Mom, you're an old lady." Did he REALLY just say that? I ask, "What did you say young man?" incredulously, then jokingly, "What did you say!?!" because I really know what he said and he's looking at me like he KNOWS he's said the wrong thing. Then a very little, "I'm sorry." comes out of his almost 3 year old mouth, with no prompting I might add. Kelly & I were just talking about how old we're getting to be, but how we feel young inside & like we're MAYBE 23...at the oldest! I guess there's no foolin' anyone anymore. Thanks for the reminder, son.... I used to love that sincere, child-like honesty of his!

Today I received a package in the mail from Babs. It was my Maricopa 4th ward cookbook! I was SO excited... it was like being reunited with a long lost friend!

Today Ben performed emergency surgery on our beautiful white oleander tree. It was so full of flowers that the tiny trunk couldn't support it's overflowing blossoms, and it split into thirds! We'll see if it makes a comeback.

Today Dylan tried grapes for the first time and LOVED them! This little feeding/teether sac thing I bought is awesome! He also laughed & laughed & laughed as Ben & I tickled him & splashed & splashed & splashed in his bath tonight. I think I may have a water-dog on my hands!

Today I tried using a Magic Eraser for the first time and found nothing magical about it.

Today we thoroughly enjoyed the newest episode of The Office. Can you say, AWKWARD?

Today I didn't get even HALF of my to-do list done, but we had a fun day anyway!

Our Birth Stories

I was tagged to do this fun survey about your first baby, by my sis-in-law Babs. Since I plan on publishing our blog for our family history, I'm going to go ahead and tell about both our boys, Kaleb & Dylan. Thoughts about my little guys today... there's something grand about falling asleep nose to nose, forehead to forehead, with your son playing in your hair that just melts the frustrations of the day away. Kaleb is still a cuddle bug & I love it! I love Dylan's dimple in his left cheek when he smiles really big. He loves to be held, and I love to hold him! There's this part ofme that doesn't care if I get a thing done all day long, but hold and love my baby. If he's my last (who knows with our history) I want to hold, cuddle, smell, tickle, kiss, and squeeze him every minute of every day!

Dylan and Daddy

I'll answer in blue for Kaleb, & green for Dylan.

1. Were you married at the time? Yes. We were married for 3 1/2 years before we were able to get pregnant with baby K and almost 6 years before we were able to get pregnant with Dylan.
2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? Ecstatic with both!!! Just the best news ever!

3. How old were you? When I was pregnant with Kaleb, 27...28 when he was born. I was 29 for a few weeks when we found out we were pregnant with Dylan, 30 when I had him.
Sweet baby D holding hands and bonding with Kaleb hours after being born.

4. How did you find out you were pregnant? After trying for years to conceive, we finally found ourselves an infertility specialist. After a month of many unpleasant tests, the cause of our infertility was inconclusive. We ended up doing 2 rounds of Interuterine Insemination, and so know exactly when we got pregnant...Aug. 17, 2004. We still had to wait a few weeks to find out, but I ended up calling the Sonora Quest Lab direct at about 9 pm because I couldn't wait any
longer! It was a long shot, but we were connected to someone who gave us the news we'd been hoping and praying for for so long! After getting pregnant all on our own, and miscarrying very early on, we waited until Dec. of 2006 to visit our specialist. At that point I was just so ready to start the IUI treatment again, since it worked the first time. Our doctor had developed a new program based on his research, and wanted us to try these vitamin supplements to build our immune systems and then really try to get pregnant in 3 months. We were told if we got pregnant while on his "super vitamins" we had a huge chance of miscarrying. We decided to give it a try since it could possibly solve our problem for future pregnancies. After following his instructions to the tee, we found out we were pregnant the day after Christmas! I remember being extremely tired, but also late, and trying not to get too excited. I made myself wait until
the day after Christmas before taking the p. test, so I wouldn't ruin the holidays for us, just in case we weren't. It was the BEST Christmas miracle ever!
5. Who did you tell first? Ben was with me both times when I found out... once over the phone, and once the good ol' pee on the stick test which we confirmed the next day with a blood test & ultrasound at our i. specialist.
6. Did you want to find out the sex? Of course... I'm such a planner, I have to know as soon as possible!

Our first glimpse of Kaleb Benjamin

7. Due date? May 7 or 11, 2005. The doctor said one, the ultrasound the other. August 24, 2007, I think! It kept changing, because I didn't keep very good track of my last period..
8.Did you deliver early or late? With Kaleb, I was a week and a half early. Dylan only a few days...this was not in my plans, since I was early with K, I was expecting to be even earlier with D. No such luck!

9. Did you have morning sickness? Nope

Dad & I being silly... this is a tradition we started when I was first pregnant with Kaleb to see who had the biggest belly. In this pic, I'm in my last tri- with Dylan. (June 2007)

10. What did you crave? I never really liked potatoes until I was prego w/ Kaleb, but I occasionally craved the fatty-funeral type potato casserole. With Dylan, not sure... I remember getting a milkshake or two! Really I had more food aversions than cravings during both
pregnancies: water, guacamole, and chicken...all things I normally love!

11. Who irritated you the most? Not sure. Being on bedrest with Dylan at the beginning was difficult, but I'm not sure it could be called irritating. I did get irritated with both my doctors in the end! Dr. Starkey really got on the nurses minutes after Kaleb was born... really kind of
ruined the moment for me, although I know she was looking out for my best interest. Dr. Kells
was a little on the forgetful side and gave me conflicting instructions on my blood work about gestational diabetes. I loved my midwife, Janice, who delivered Dylan though!
12. What was your first child's sex? Both male

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? With Kaleb, not really sure. With Dylan, it was frightening. I gained 10 pounds early on from being on bedrest, so I think it was
around 45 pounds..YIKES!

Here I am showing off my baby bump in my dream nursery that Ben worked so hard on. Wish you could see the cloud ceiling... it was amazing! This is near the end of my pregnancy with Kaleb and I'm wearing the moo-moo my mama passed on to me...sentimental.

14.Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? I had one "episode" when I fainted in the shower...that was a little scary! I also had to give myself shots several times throughout the day in my first tri-. Unfortunately within days of finding out I was pregnant with Dylan, I started bleeding. It was probably the worst thing we've ever had to go through. It also happened to be
on New Year's Eve, so the doctor's office was unavailable for 2 days. I honestly thought I had
miscarried... it was just so much blood, I couldn't believe I was still pregnant. We went in on Jan. 2nd, expecting the worst, but found a heartbeat!!! Our little guy was still alive and kickin'! I had to be on bedrest and continued to spot for 2 months, but after that everything was fine.
15.Where did you give birth? Chandler Regional Hospital, AZ
16. How many hours were you in labor? 16-17 hours total, but I had an epidural after the first 8 hours or so. I had my membranes stripped around 11 am, and started labor around 4:30 pm. I didn't realize I was in labor for an hour or so, and had Dylan at 9:20 pm.

17. Who drove you to the hospital? Ben both times. With Kaleb, we only lived 5 minutes away... no big deal. With Dylan he made it from 'copa to Chandler in a record 15-20 min. through
construction and all! I made him run red lights at the end and have NO idea how fast he was going. Once my labor got going, it went really fast and I was in a lot of pain.

18. Who watched? Just Ben... that's the way we like it.

Proud papa bear! Ben holding Kaleb for the very first time...the Murdock name continues. This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of Ben!

19. Was it natural or c-section? Natural for both.

20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? I had epidurals with both. With Kaleb I was so numbed, I couldn't feel a thing! My doctor thought I was so numb I wouldn't be able to push. I didn't get my epidural with Dylan until the very end and could feel everything. It did help calm me down though and I was very thankful! Next time I will be driving to the hospital the minute I know I'm in labor and will ask to be hooked up immediately. There's really no need to feel that writhing pain again!

21.How much did your child weigh? Kaleb was 7 pounds 15 ounces, Dylan was 8 pounds 11
ounces.

22.Did your child have any complications? Kaleb had his umbilical cord wrapped around his shoulder and neck, so when I would lay a certain way, his heart rate would drop and the alarms would come on. They ended up taking him before I was fully dialated and it got a little scary, with orders for forceps and a vaccuum. I ended up pushing him out within a few minutes and
only 3 tries... w/out the forceps or the vaccuum!

Beautiful baby boys... Kaleb (top) and Dylan (bottom) both ready to go home for the first time. We ran out of the hospital doors 24 hours after Dylan was born!

23. What did you name him/her? Kaleb Benjamin Murdock & Dylan Michael Murdock

24. How old is your first born today? Kaleb is almost 3 years now...35 months! Dylan is 7 1/2 months.... it goes by way too fast!

And baby makes 3... we are a happy family! We don't have any good shots of the four of us with newborn Dylan...bummer!

I tag any & all who want take a walk down memory lane!