Peek-a-boo!

This picture is worth 1,000 words...

Patience shoes her horsie...

Watch out, Uncle Dave! You have up-and-coming competition in the farrier trade. Not only can Patience shoe her horsie, but just look at the fashion statement the shoes make! Not your boring ol' steel shoes...

Patience had swim lesson #3 yesterday, again with brother Dylan in the water with her. She is still crying when Marianne is working with her, but is fine when she is "swimming" with Dylan. It'll be interesting next week when Dylan is back in school and can't accompany her.

She started with her, "I not go hummmmmm," when I was putting her swim suit on her before her lesson, and quickly added, "I not feeling well" to her reportoire to try to get out of going to Marianne's pool. Poor Bubelah. But swimming is one of life's little necessities in the Murphy household.

Look who has ankles...

Jordyn is wearing a pair of the cutest little boots that Mom bought (in two sizes) when Patience was a wee baby. Imagine my disappointment when she was never able to wear them because I couldn't zip them past her chubby ankles.

Our little Jojo is so petite in comparison to Patience. She had her one-year check-up yesterday and she's growing perfectly along the 50th percentile. Patience, in comparison, was barely hanging onto the graph, somewhere between the 95th and 99th percentile.

So, among other things, I'm enjoying wearing shoes on my little daughter...

Another couch wrecker in the making...

What do you see on the couch? That's right. One-year-old (almost) Jordyn. And what do you NOT see on the couch? That's right. Cushions.

That's because Jordyn's big sister, who shall remain nameless, has taught her how to climb on the couch and throw all the pillows off. Now this is her favorite activity, coupled with looking out the window once she gets up there.

Can't she get hurt up there? Can't she fall off? Yes, and frequently. But does it stop her from doing it? No. Such is my life...

You Know You're Old When...

Your child is old enough to donate blood! Today Nathan took another step on the road to adulthood. He and I had back-to-back appointments to donate blood, but when we got there, I was told that I couldn't donate because my iron was too low. I was shocked! Not.

But Nathan's was perfect...his little blob of blood sank to the bottom of the vial with lightning speed so he continued on through their processes, interviews, questionnaires, etc. Of course he thought the juice and cookies were a great bonus.

I came home with a pamphlet listing iron-rich food which I'm supposed to start consuming regularly.

It's amazing how fast they're all growing up. Jordyn will be one in less than two weeks, and Nathan will be thinking of moving out in less than 18 months.

My Over-Achiever

Can anyone guess which of my kids was selected to participate in the 2007 Canadian Mathematics Competition?

Swim Lessons!

There was an old woman, who lived in a shoe, the had so many children, she didn't know what to do!

Okay, I'm not technically "old," although if you ask my children they'd probably say I am. And I don't live in a shoe...but the rest of the nursery rhyme fits me pretty well.

On Tuesdays Patience has swim lessons. I'm able to bring her to Marianne's pool. Not a problem. I can even entertain Jordyn in her stroller during the whole 30-minute lesson. It's being in the water with her that has me stumped! No, I don't have to be in the water, but if I'm not, Patience has to sit on the steps while Marianne works with the other kids.

So, this morning I had a brainstorm! I happen to have several other children who could probably help out from 12 to 12:30! It just so happens that Dylan has a spare during that time, so I picked him up from school, drove around the corner to Marianne's, and tada, Patience has her very own helper, and was out in the water the entire 1/2 hour. It worked out perfectly!

Thanks, Dylan, for being such a great big brother...

Happy Birthday, Sean!

Here is our once baby, now middle child, Sean at his 12th birthday party. Slumber party. Never. Again.

Actually, Don and I slept fine, considering the boys were all down in Boyland and we were far away from the action. But according to Nathan, they didn't sleep at all.

But they're having a great time. They've been playing with Nathan's Wii, eating pizza, chips, cake, ice cream, pop...and now Don is making crepes. It's 8:30 and the parents are due at 11:00. We can make it!

On the agenda today, I'm taking Dylan to the bank to do some 4-H banking, taking Nathan to another basketball game, and then we'll have Sean's family birthday celebration this evening.

There's still snow on the ground, but skies are blue and the roads are finally clear for driving. I'm starting to feel the gardening itch for the first time in a few years. I think I'll do some gardening this year (on a very small scale...like maybe 40 sq. feet).

More later...

Hide and Seek!

I'm cheating... this picture of Patience and Danica is actually from last week, but it's so cute I had to post it.

We've been busy, but not with anything monumental, so I haven't been inclined to blog. So, I'll just fill you in on our mundane lives : )

We've had snow! In fact, the snow and icy roads made us cancel our 4-H meeting on Wednesday night, which was a pity. Nathan's basketball game was also canceled. So far this school year the snow has really wreaked havoc with many events.

Nathan's basketball team is on Vancouver Island without him because he has two tests next week (in Physics and Math) and we felt that missing more school was just not in his best interest. Keep in mind he was out of school for more than 3 weeks between the Hawaii trip and Christmas holiday, so it's really time to buckle down and concentrate on school work. It's amazing that this semester has only three weeks left, and in the third week Nathan will be taking some pretty substantial provincial exams. Eeek!

Dylan has been having a blast with his new keyboard. It has a lesson mode, where the keys light up to show you which ones to press, and a chart on the display shows you which finger to use. I'm pretty sure this is not how real lessons would go (right, Heather?) but he's enjoying the challenge. After you play the song, it shows you your score. If you score 70 or higher, you get applause (Dylan loves this feature). The funny thing is that because electronic games have not been welcome in our home this week, the boys have decided that the keyboard can be a pretty good substitute.

Sean stayed home from school (his dad's decision) on Wednesday because of the snow. On Thursday he didn't want to go, but I forced him out the door. I'm glad I did, because his (great) teacher took the kids outside for science and taught them things about the snow, like how to make an igloo or a Quincy. The kids had a blast!

Jordyn is quickly closing the gap between she and Patience. It's not going to be long until there's more playing and fighting between the two. In the past two weeks, Jordyn has decided that daddy is who she wants : ) It's very cute, and of course Don is over the top with her adoration. I think Jordyn is cutting her other top tooth, which will make two for the top and two for the bottom.

Tomorrow is 4-H for the boys. Nathan will be helping out with dog training in the a.m., and then all the boys will have Outdoor Living training in the afternoon. I'm hoping it doesn't snow...I'd hate to cancel tomorrow because of the weather.

Tomorrow night Val, Dave, and the kids are coming over. The kids are having Pizza here and the adults are going OUT. We've been wanting to take them to our favorite Greek place for ages, but we've never made it happen...so, hopefully, tomorrow we'll get to dine with them there.

I think that's about it for now!

Rich in Girlies!

Good morning from the tree farm! This morning we woke up to a beautiful dusting of snow and the appropriately cold temperatures to go with it!

We had a quiet evening last night, beginning with Nathan driving Dylan and me to WalMart, during which I didn't gasp or brace myself once. This is a huge step in the right direction.

After the girlies went to bed, Don played tech support (it's like a reality game) to niece Joleen and sister Val. During that time, Nathan and I listened to the Sharks have a feeding frenzy with the Red Wings. The 9-4 victory was exciting even just listening to it!

This morning we are having fun playing with new Christmas toys (some of them haven't even been played with!) with Danica. All three girls LOVE the kitchen, table and chairs, and tea set. Today is the last weekday of Christmas vacation for the boyos...they'll be off to school bright and early Monday morning. Ugh... It's been such a nice, relaxing two weeks (three for Nathan!)...

Pretty Hair!

Patience has never been a fan of having "pretties" in her hair. She'd take em out as fast as I could put them in so I eventually gave up. But this Christmas she got some really cute hair things in her stocking and to my surprise she likes them! She'll willingly sit so I can brush and part her hair and make pigtails.

The hysterical thing is that Jordyn is fixated on Patience's hair pretties. She follows Patience around, trying to touch her hair, and even pulled one out when Patience was sitting on the ground not paying attention. So I put Jordyn in her highchair and proceded to "do" her hair. She sat relatively still! I pulled up all her long hair and made it into a little palm tree, and wouldn't you know it, that little girl left it in her hair all day long! Patience walked around saying, "I soooo pretty!" and I think Jordyn was thinking the same thing : )

Patience's Tea Party

This might have been the cutest thing that happened in the history of my being a mom to daughters.

If Patience has a nap during the day, she's up late. Far later than I like to be up! But sometimes it's just impossible to keep her awake during the day, so I have to pay the consequences. I have to admit that she is very self-sufficient, so being up late with her is not difficult...it's just....late.

So this evening she was up late playing and I was on the internet when she came in the kitchen, grabbed my hand, and said, "c'mon, Mom." She lead me into her little play area where she had set up a tea part for four. Her guests, along with me, were Jessie and Woody from Toy Story. So we sat (I sat gingerly on her new little pink chair) while Patience poured me cup after cup of "tea," and then I switched to coffee so she could run back and forth to her kitchen where she has coffee maker with real brewing sounds.

It was very precious...a memory I'll have for a long time (especially now that I've blogged it). I love having daughters (thank you, Lord).

Christmas 2006

The kids all slept graciously late Christmas morning. In fact, we had to go wake up Patience and pull her out of bed at 7:30. She was in bed really late the night before, and kept saying, "I'm soooo tired!"

Everyone was ecstatic with their gifts. This year, the theme appeared to be "few, but expensive," which, I suppose, is normal for older kids.

Nathan was wowed with the Wii, compliments of Grandma and Grandpa Steitz, and thanks to Don, who stood in line all night long the night before it was released. If he hadn't done that, I don't think we would have been able to find one. He also got a Sharks treasure chest full of everything teal: shirts, hats, jerseys, a wallet (with Sharks/Canucks tickets inside), and lots of other things to make a Sharks fanatic happy.

Dylan got a keyboard, filled with features for a budding musician. He wants to learn to play piano, and this keyboard has a lesson mode with light-up keys, etc. He also got a cell phone/mp3/camera thingy, and a couple of serious racing suits for the upcoming swim season. Let's just say that if he doesn't win any races this year, it's not the suit's fault!

Sean is now the proud owner of a digital camera, Heely's, serious racing suits, and more stuff, I'm sure! He and Dylan got the Knights and Cities expansion pak for Settlers of Catan, and many movies...

The girlies got a kitchen, which they love, an adorable table and chairs and tea set, a toy organizer (such a boring gift could only come from their mother), the little people zoo (very cute), and a gazillion other fun toys.

I got a new digital camera from Don! It's teeny weeny and I'm afraid I'll lose it. I'm still trying to figure everything out...for instance, this morning I tried to fit the battery pack into my computer to download pictures. There wasn't a slot that size anywhere. Lucky for me, I have tech support who showed me the teeny weeny SD card (thanks Mom & Lee) that slides into a teeny weeny slot in the front of my laptop! Very convenient!

Don had a clothes Christmas! It's been a while since his wardrobe has been overhauled, so I went through all his stuff, donating some, tossing some, and organzing the rest so he can find things easily. He now looks very hip!

We had the pleasure of having Don's sister and her family down from the Edmonton area, and it was the first Christmas ever for both families to be all together Christmas morning. It was a full house, with Don, Waneta, and my mom, but it was great!

After brunch, the Murphy's and my mom loaded up and went south of the border to spend the day with Val and Dave and their kids. We had more Christmas presents there...my favorite being portraits of the girls! When my mom was up that first weekend in December, she and Lee took the girls shopping with Val in Bellingham. At the mall, they took the girls to the Picture People and got some adorable shots! Apparently is was very hard work, which is why I've never attempted to do it! But I'm so thankful that they persevered : )

In the picture is me holding Jordyn and her Christmas stocking that my mom's friend, Dani, knitted for her. Patience has a similar one, and they're both precious. Thanks, Mom and Dani!

Winter Wonderland

Here are my five amazing children during November's snow. This snow might have been fun for the kids, but it sure wreaked havoc with the school calendar and with Dylan's band concert.

Mommy's Holiday Hair

I'm just posting this picture because you can kind of see my new fun hair color. It's roughly the color of this shirt (before Jordyn slimed it). The best news of all is that my gray is completely covered, however temporarily. My kids are too young (well, some of them) for me to have gray hair. Especially so much gray hair.

I just put both girls to sleep. Patience has been creating a habit of taking a very late nap, say from 3 to 5, and then being awake until 10 or later. Um, that doesn't work for me. So today I made sure that the late afternoon nap didn't happen. Yes, I paid dearly for it with a very grumpy girlie, but I'm loving life right now!

Okay, and now I need to get some things checked off my to do list.

Merry Christmas!

Here's Miss Jordyn during her very first experience wearing a Santa hat! She was quite inclined to rip it off as fast as she could...let's just say that this shot was a miracle!

I can't believe that Christmas is four short days away. At this point I have a manageable list of things I need to buy, do, decorate, cook, etc. Mom comes tomorrow in the late afternoon which we are all looking forward to SOOOOO much!

My wonderful sister is making the airport run for me since she has a plethora of free time right now : )

Don's sister Colleen, and her three children, are down from the Edmonton area for Christmas. The kids are having a great time together. They will be here for Christmas for the first time ever (that I can remember). I let both boys stay home from school today to enjoy cousin time. I took advantage of Dylan being home by taking him for a haircut, along with Patience, and then to the grocery store. Things are just so much easier with another big person along. I left sleeping Jordyn in the care of her brother Sean. You'll be relieved to know that she slept the entire time I was gone!

Nathan is struggling away in Hawaii...hardly able to keep up with the basketball, shopping, and snorkeling schedule. He misses us deeply and can't wait to come home (NOT!). Anyway, we're looking forward to seeing him Christmas eve and hearing of his wonderful Hawaiian adventure.

We're still alive and kicking!

Sorry for the lack of updates these past three weeks. It'd not that nothing exciting and interesting happened, it's just that when you run a Christmas tree farm AND have 5 (active) kids, time for blogging is scarce.

Let's see, the major news is that my dad (stepdad, actually) just spent more than two weeks with us to prevent me from having a nervous breakdown. While Don is super busy this time of year, I really need another adult around here, especially one who drives! Lee made fires every morning before anyone woke up (Don's going to miss that!), drove various boys to school, practice, hair cuts, and lots of other places, worked in the concession stand during the day until Sean got home, and all day long during the weekends. He babysat, gave JoJo bottles, made toast for the girls...the ways he made himself indespensible is endless! He left this morning at 4:00 to get to the airport in time for a 7:30 flight. Our Christmas angel has left us.... Now I'm pretty much on my own!

Except that my two nieces, Kelsey and Hailey, are visiting us this weekend and will help me with childcare and/or concession stand duty. I'm really looking forward to having them here...Patience adores them both.

Nathan also left at o'dark hundred this morning for Hawaii. I'm trying real hard to drum up some sympathy for his having to wake up at 3:30. He's there with the senior boys and girls basketball teams from school, and they're there for 9 days...until Christmas eve, when we pick him up at the airport at 9:30 p.m. He's going to have an incredible time, I just know it!

Jordyn now has two bottom teeth, and has pretty much decided that pureed food is for babies. Sometimes I can sneak some into her, but when she's done, she just pushes it right back out, kinda like when play-doh gets squeezed through an opening. She much prefers toast, crackers, bites of real food, and even a peanut butter and jam sandwich if Sissy leaves one close enough to the edge of the table!

Don's been working like a horse for about four weeks straight. I think 40 is just a wee bit too old to be a Christmas tree farmer.

Dylan had his school Christmas concert last night, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't be any prouder of that horn blower. He's an amazing trumpet player and his band teacher made sure that everyone knew it last night, giving Dylan several solos and other showcases. He has another concert tonight, and this time Don will go see his WonderKid.

Okay, so we're all fine, busy of course, but oh well! One more weekend of retail farming, and I'm hoping to sell every last cookie and brownie that I've baked! (the boys, on the other hand, hope there's leftovers!).

Pictures to follow...Don's been hogging the camera lately : (

Snow!

By the time this snowstorm ends, there will be a foot of snow that has fallen! This picture looks black and white, but it's not...

This morning Don and I took JoJo into Langley to purchase touques and gloves, because amazingly enough no one could fine theirs. It took hours because of the horrible driving conditions. We were in the truck, driving with 4-wheel drive, and there were plenty of cars and trucks in the ditches on either side of the road. At Wal-Mart, we stocked up on groceries so we don't have to drive for awhile. This snow is supposed to last a few days.

We'll probably have no school tomorrow...shucks! In the meantime, the kids (except for Jordyn) played in the snow, built forts, and had a snowball fight. Only one person ended up in tears...it wasn't Patience.

Can you believe...

that Valarie gave ME a hard time about updating my blog?!?

The good news is that the Richeys arrived safe and sound to our farm around 4:30 this afternoon. I couldn't get my shoes on and the baby bundled up fast enough...by the time I got out there, they had their tree in the bed of their truck and were all ready to come into the warmth! In the good ol' days Valarie would've spent hours finding the perfect tree...now it appears that the tree that's closest to their truck when they park is the perfect tree!

They brought pizzas, pop, and a very yummy dessert which we all ate in no time. The kids had a great time together...amazing...and the babies were in hog heaven with all of these fresh people : )

Here are photos of various groups of people! For newcomers, the pictures are Dylan, Val, and Nathan; five cousins eating pizza, Hailey and Patience, Kelsey and Jordyn, and me and Dave!

Napping with Daddy

Last night, after my coaching interview, I came home to dad "babysitting" Jordyn. It was 7:30 and they were both completely sacked out! The flash didn't even wake up Jordyn.

Patience, who put herself to bed at 5:00 last night, is still sleeping soundly. Thank the Lord, no vomiting last night! Maybe she'll even be able to eat something more than just two Saltine crackers today. Poor little thing...but I have to admit, her sleepy cuddles are very nice. Normally she's way too bouncy to give anything more than a cursory hug. Yesterday she fell asleep on my lap twice : )