Christmas 2009

It was another wonderful simple holiday that came and went way to fast a usual. Reed and I wanted to thank all of our friends and family who spent the time and extra money to mail us Christmas gifts, we appreciated all you did for us!

Reed and I tried to make this Christmas as special as we could with our girls since this was our first Christmas with them (if you remember last year we spend it at Reed's parents house) creating and starting tradtions of our very own! We opend up our stocking on Christmas Eve and the rest of the presents on Christmas Day! On Christmas Day I mad a ham dinner for Reed, every year he asks for ham and he always gets turkey, with just a few homemade fixings!

Oh, and "Santa Clause" a.k.a. Reed, stayed up until nearly 3 am putting together the girls toy box and kitchen set! I cleaned and watched him do it all from the comfort of the couch!

Enjoy the pictures!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow... ...

Reed and I estimate that we got atleast 18inches to 2 feet of snow this weekend! It was beautiful and breath taking! We just sat and watched it snow for over 24 hours and saw our little world outside our house change!! The girls enjoyed watching the snow fall and eating it as well! Here is what it looked like for us this weekend... the girls crawling through the snow! reed's car

Holding Hands!

A few days ago the girls decided that it would be okay for them to touch each other in a kind way that didn't involve any hitting or pushing... yes, they walked around the house holding each others hand. I almost cried. In the video you will see them try to hug also and Kaylee ducking Grace's attemts at giving her some sisterly affection! Enjoy!

Kaylee/Grace: The Cowardly/Cute Lion!

Kaylee
Kaylee
Grace

Mr. Baby and Me at 35 weeks!

Today is Reed and I 5Th wedding anniversary and since I was dressed up we took a picture of my and Mr. Baby at 35 weeks along!

I am very uncomfortable at this point and will be sending Mr. Baby his first letter to "vacate the premises" come New Years! I must admit I am not one of those women who love being pregnant, not at all! I love my children but I think I have physically hard pregnancies and I don't like being big and uncomfortable at all.

I had my 34/35 week appointment yesterday at my midwife's house and everything is going well with me and baby, no problems at all! I am having my first home visit from my midwife on the 28Th, so that she knows how to get to my house and the layout of everything! I couldn't be more excited about this home birth! I have all of my birthing supplies bought/ordered and ready to go! We also have Mr. Baby's stuff all set up and ready to go in our room and all of his clothes washed and put away... now we just need the baby! We are ready to meet him!

35 weeks along

And just for comparison this was me pregnant at 35 weeks with the twins!

The Hulk(s)!

So last weekend we let the girls play with their finger paints and well they both decided that painting on paper was too old school so they went for something better... their faces! So finger paints became face paints! lol
Grace decorating her face w/her finger paints!
Kaylee decorating her face w/her finger paints!

Our First Visit to See Santa Clause!!

Today we went to the mall so that we could get the girls photo taken with Santa Clause! There was no line at all, thank God!, and we walked right up put the girls on his lap and walked away! Grace sat there looking terrified and Kaylee just screamed! So, we let two more families get their photo taken and we decided to that the only way we are going to get the shot is if Reed and I sit with the girls on our laps. Now keep in mind Reed and I were not expecting to be in the picture at all and were not dressed for the occasion at all but our $20 that we would spend on two photos needed to be worth the price so here is the Murray Family Photo with Santa, enjoy!!!

What a Yummy Thanksgiving!

First off I want to say that I am grateful for my wonderful husband and my two (soon to be 3) healthy/beautiful kiddo in my life! But above all I am grateful for my Mother who all the years past has cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for her family, her six kids, plus their children, significant others and friends. I cooked for the first time this year all by myself for my small family of 4 and it took me 2 long days and I was tired to say the least and my mom would always do it all and I don't think she ever got the credit she deserved. So mom this blog is dedicated to you and all that you have done for us and all the meals you made me!

We couldn't really go anywhere this year for Thanksgiving due to me being so hugely pregnant, so we decided to stay in and make our own turkey for just ourselves... My menu was bigger than my stomach and even 5 days out we still have enough leftovers to feed another family of four! The T-day menu was: Turkey, mac & cheese, rolls, olive salad, mash potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, stuffing/dressing, fruit salad, pumpkin & pecan pie, cranberry bread, cranberry sauce and gravy. All the foods I cooked my self and were homemade except the pie crusts and the French's onions on top of the green beans. It all turned out delicious! Like I said I now have a whole new respect for my mother and all those years she did it!

Reed and I spend our 4 day weekend doing nothing but chasing the girls around and relaxing which is what we needed after all of our travels during the previous weekends! I think we made it out to the park on the corner a few times and to toys r us one day and that's all! Oh, but we did get our tree up last night and the girls have been pulling off ornaments all day long (it's not driving me crazy at all... no... not at all... I swear if they do it one more time.........) So here are some shots from our wonderful weekend together!


Grace is wanting pie insteadKaylee not so sure about what is on her plate

It's not very often you can get the girls to share in their personal space, but when they do they are just plain adorable!

Nesting Like a Mad Woman!

Over the past few days/weeks my nesting instinct has gotten stronger and stronger. I think I am nesting this early because I know the longer I wait the harder it is for me to move around and get things done... Like the other night I just couldn't take it any longer so I, by myself, rearranged all the furniture in our room to make room for the baby and the rocker. I probably shouldn't be moving furniture all on my own but I did. I also went to the store and bought everything I needed for the first few months for Mr. Baby! He is all set! Now all I need to do is order my home birthing kit and get my house ready for the birth! Oh, and buy my mom's plane ticket!

On another note I had my 30/31 week appointment this Saturday with my midwife and things are looking great! I am measuring 33 weeks but I think we all know that I am just huge. I will try to get a picture posted with this blog tomorrow... (no promises) I love going to her house for the appointments, I get to sit on a comfy couch and chat and lie on a cozy bed for my exams, and she has a ton of toys for the girls to keep them occupied... no stupid doctors office would have that! I am so excited to have this home birth! It is going to be amazing! Now I just need to brush up on the Bradley Method a little bit! I can't believe we only have 9 more weeks, or 62 more days, or 2 months left... what ever works for you... i am a little nervous but I am ready to meet this little boy of mine!


We are just getting ready for Thanksgiving! We spent all weekend buying groceries and doing a ton of shopping. We are not going anywhere or having anyone over this year it is just going to be Reed, the girls and I. I am totally cool with that because it gives me a chance to cook a full T-day meal and see how it turns out. I have done this twice before with some help but never on my own... less pressure.

Oh, if I hadn't mentioned it before Reed's boss just informed us that we will be moving to San Antonio, Texas at the end of February!!!! We are so excited to be back in Texas again!!! Although the thought of moving a month after Mr. Baby gets here is a little overwhelming but I am always up for a challenge... Anyone wanna pitch in and help?

Because of the move Reed and I have decided to hold off on buying Mr. Baby any furniture or anything other than necessities right now, in order to avoid extra stuff to have to move! But we did decide on a theme for his room, we are going to get all of Reed's old boyscout patches and memorbillia and frame them all aroud the room... We don't want a camping theme but more of a wilderness theme like trees, animals, nature... things along those lines! But all that planning will have to wait until we get to our new place in San Antonio...

Halloween 2009... What a blast!

This Halloween was so much fun! I started out by making orange rice crispy treats in the shape of pumpkins, scary cat, ghost and moons... all with black and orange Halloween sprinkles on top of course! Then I made orange colored pancakes for the girls, kinda wonder what color their P**P will be in the morning. Then we decided to let the girls help us gut and carve pumpkins which was a huge mess but the girls had a blast! Grace just loved playing in the guts and Kaylee liked pulling them out and sticking the guts and seeds to her!


Then Reed and I cleaned up the girls and baked our pumpkin seeds and decorated our front porch for the trick or treaters.

After dinner we got the girls dressed and went around the neighborhood and collected our candy. We were not sure if the girls would understand what we were doing or enjoy walking around but they did. They would walk up to the doors and ring the doorbells and say "treat, treat" and "hi" and hold out their bags and get the candy then they would say "thank you" and then "bye-bye" we did it for an hour and this is what we came home with!






HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Happy Pregnant Lady!

Reed and I have figured out how to go back to working with my midwife to proceed with a homebirth! We couldn't be happier! I love the idea of being at home during and after the birth of my son, I hate hospitals! Don't get me wrong, I love them when I need them, but for my birth I don't feel like I need them!

Oh, and my mom agreed to come and fly out a week before and stay some time after the baby is born! I am so happy to have my mom by my side once again!

Goodbye hospital and HELLO being in my own bed at home!

It's Begining to look a lot like ... FALL

The season has most definitely changed here in VA! We are now in the mist of fall colors and beautiful weather! As you can see:




Reed, the girls and I are all doing well. We all just got over some small sickness but other than that we are just enjoying each others company. Reed and I have also figured out that we are 99% positive we will be moving back to Texas come March/April. Reed's boss is most likely going to open a new Houston branch for Reed to run or there is a small possibility that he might open it in San Antonio, but whatever the case we will be in home in Texas once more! Now we could have a choice in Houston or San Antonio so if you would like to give your two-cents as to the city you would prefer us to live in let us know!

Baby boy Murray is also doing very well and is very active inside my tummy, most day's I think the is either moving furniture or practicing for the gymnastics team! Like the forgetful pregnant lady that I am, I completely blanked the fact I had a doctor's appointment today so hopefully I can reschedule that soon. I am feeling well, just uncomfortable and fat... lol... here are some pictures of baby boy Murray at 26.5 weeks along!

26.5 weeks 10/21/09

Pumpkin Patch 2009...

We went to the pumpkin patch this Wednesday afternoon and it was such a perfect weather day and there were no crowds! Last year the girls were to small to do anything and this year they could do it all. We played on wooden trains, hay bails, lot and lots of different slides, we did a hay bail ride, ate kettle popcorn and saw some baby piglets and calves. Overall the day was a blast and I wish we could do it everyday!

We let the girls wear their Halloween outfits so we could get actual use and photos out of them. Kaylee is the fairy and Grace is the pretty witch because she loves the hat, and no that does not mean we think Grace acts more like a witch or Kaylee more like a fairy it is just the costumes we bought and the ones they picked to wear that day, we liked them, we bought them and they wore them.

Enjoy the pictures!

Just some pictures!

Mom and Dad in search of a new toy for the girls, too bad it's not a double seater!

Twin and Baby Boy Murray Update

This Friday I had a prenatal appointment with the doctor and they said everything was looking good and I was measuring 22 cm and the heartbeat sounded great! I have only gained like 2 lbs since i found out I was pregnant and she wanted to see me gain more than that but I still had some previous baby weight on me so I just figure I already had some meat on these old bones and no need to gain much weight yet... lol

The girls also had their 18th month appointment and as usual they are off the charts in height and weight.

Grace is 34.5" (off the charts) and 26.5 lbs (90%tile)
Kaylee is 34" (97%tile) and 24.5 lbs (50%tile)

The doctor said that she was noticing that Grace is slightly knocked-kneed and that we need to keep her from sleeping on her knees at night and keep her sitting during the day with legs out strait in front of her or crossed leg. She also noted that Kaylee is very very flat footed and that we just need to watch her as she got older to make sure it didn't cause her any problems.

Other than that they are healthy and happy toddlers...

National Zoo

On Sunday to continue our birthday celebrations we went to the National Zoo in D.C. We had a blast seeing elephants, gorillas, gazelles, cheetas, etc. I think the next time we go we will go early in the morning and observe the feeding times of all the animals b/c we got there mid afternoon and they were all sleeping... oh well, the girls loved seeing all the animals!