2010 Olympics, Vancouver!

This morning we got up early and mobilized to get a group of 10 into Vancouver before the throngs of people that were projected to be there.

But first, let me back up and say that Don drove to Seattle yesterday afternoon to pick up Nathan, who flew in from Cordova for his 2-week holiday! They didn't get home until midnight, so we already had some tired people in the house.

So, after the prerequisite coffee Don and I started making a crepe breakfast complete with strawberries, cherries, and whipped cream. Dylan went to pick up Haley and Nathan went to pick up Naylene, a long-time family friend from 4-H who has been keeping in touch with Nathan recently. Everyone had their fill of crepes, we did a quick clean up, and then packed our backpacks with lunches and snacks for the day.

We were on the road by 9:15 and drove out to Surrey to catch the Sky Train into Vancouver. The Littles had never taken public transit so even that was quite an experience. The big kids, as you can see, were very helpful keeping the Littles corralled on the Sky Train and in the city.

We got off the Sky Train very close to the cauldron, and called Darlene, who was going to meet us there. On the way down to the torch, we saw this lovely eagle, and then we saw many others, but I didn't stop to photograph them. I'm assuming they'll be here past the Olympics, so there'll be other photo ops.

Here we are at the Cauldron. There are some other pics on Nathan's and Naylene's cameras.

The Murphy Clan.

All the kids with Darlene.

Sean, Nathan, and Jordyn with the communal sunglasses.

The Murphy Clan Jr.

Naylene and Nathan.

The Cauldron. I'm sure there are MUCH better pictures on the internet : )

After taking our torch portraits and visiting the washrooms, we walked around a bit as a big group.

But by noon the gold-medal game was beginning and the teenagers were interested in finding a big screen to watch it on. They are still there, having a great time I hope!

Darlene went with us and the Littles for more of a walk and we visited the North House, a gallery of life in the Northwest Territories. From there, Don and I took the Littles back on the Sky Train and we got home just in time to watch the end of the game to see the Canadians take the gold. I'm sure the kids are in the middle of pandemonium right now : )

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandma and Grandpa Murphy spoiled us all with Valentine's Day gifts! Here is a big thank you from all of us!



Thank you for our Dairy Queen gift card!

Thank you for my Dairy Queen gift card! I'm going to use it on Wednesday after my orthodontist appointment!

Thank you for our Tinkerbell paper dolls!


Thank you for my bubblebath and fun towel!

Filling big shoes

All by himself Nick picked Sean's shoes out of the dozens that were strewn about our back porch, and then slowly shuffled down the hall. He's so funny : )

A fun and frugal date

Being able to have a good time without spending money is a great skill!

Valentine's weekend...the good, the bad, and the ugly

On Friday evening we had new friends over to play cards. Russ and Kari Furse are Justin's parents, which is a friend of Sean's from school. He's one of the friends that Sean enjoys shooting and getting shot by. Oh yeah, and Russ is also the Physics teacher at the boys' school. His wife homeschools their kids until Grade 8, and then they go to Poppy with their dad. Sounds like a great setup to me! We had a great time getting to know them and played Canasta and Oopsha (sp?). We played past midnight, because that is how long it took the boys to beat the girls, and of course we couldn't stop before that happened.

On Saturday Nick woke up feeling very poopy. And me too. So after a brief foray into wakefulness we decided to head back to bed, where we slept until 11:00. I felt a little better. Don took the girls to the park and the store to burn off some energy, and I put Nick down for another nap and had a shower. And then I went back to bed until 4:00! I woke up feeling much better, but Nick was still a mess : ( We realized that our plans for leaving the Littles with Haley while we went to February Blues was a bad idea, so we quickly rearranged our evening. Don stayed home with the Littles and Haley went with me to Feb Blues. Last year I stayed home with the Littles while Don went, so it worked out fair. Plus, he went last month to a Kwantlen concert so it was my turn.

Sunday was, of course, Valentine's Day. We were so lucky that Waneta stopped by on Saturday, on her way to a funeral, and brought us a bag of Valentine's goodies. I was planning on doing Valentine's errands on Saturday, but that day was robbed from me so no one got anything from me : ( Don got everyone candy, and Patience made cards for Don and me. I got caught up on laundry and did some baking for this week's lunches. Oh, and I finally read blogs last night for the first time this weekend and found amazing news! Val has a new graphics job! And she has a "before" picture of their new home. And Nathan has a video of him snowboarding. And Mom and Lee have posted about their travels on New Zealand's south island. And that's when I realized how behind I was with my own posting. I'm hoping to take pictures today of the kids with their new Valentine's treasures, so check back : )

Oh the irony...

When I bought this shirt a few years ago for Patience, I knew it was perfect for her... after all, I don't know a happier person than Patience.

What I wasn't considering is that it would eventually get handed down to Jordyn. It fits her size-wise, but I'm not sure about the rest of it.

Haley branches out!

Now, I would never describe Haley as "adventurous" when it comes to food... but I have to say that she branched out in a big way last weekend with my broccoli soup! She likes broccoli, so that was a plus, but she got past the look of the soup, so I was very proud of her!



Dylan taste tests it to show her it's not poisonous.

Soup always tastes better when your true love is feeding you : )

Jordyn's birthday cake

This year we did some thing new. Something we've wanted to do in the past but never could bring ourselves to spring for it. But this year, we threw caution to the wind and bought an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Not just any ice cream cake...a Blizzard cake. It was so large and delicious that we decided to serve the cake for dinner : ) We didn't have any complaints!

The Blizzard cake...

worth every penny : )

Jordyn waiting for her cue to blow out the candles.

Blowing... with a lift from Sean.

Most of the motley crew... minus Nick.

A satisfied 4-year-old!

Happy 4th Birthday, Jordyn

Last night Dylan and Haley babysat the Littles while Don and I did some birthday preparation, followed by dinner out, followed by cards with Steve and Lois! So, it was a great evening for Don and me : )

When we got home we quickly decorated for Jordyn's birthday morning. We realized once we had everything set up that we overdid it just a little bit in the present department. But we also did my parents' shopping (since they are in New Zealand), so we were able to justify it : )

Birthday morning decorations. This is a tradition that we started with the Littles...I'm not sure if I will live to regret it : )

Birthday loot : )

Talk about Christmas in February!

Jordyn's favorite food is milk, so we got her Milk 2 Go in every flavor : )
Jordyn walking into the room this morning. We hadn't told her that today was her birthday, so she ended up having a surprise birthday!

Very pleased with the turn of events!

A new Webkinz! She named her "Belle."

Jordyn all decked out in her Cinderella garb.

The rest of the morning was spent playing with the new toys and eating chocolate chip pancakes. Tonight we'll have birthday cake...most likely an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Stay tuned for more birthday pictures!

Jordyn is 4!

Here is Jordyn, a big girl of 4!