Getting Real
It's been about nine months since I've added an update. Chances are there won't be many posted. Turns out I'm not a blogger! BUT, I'd like to reference the old posts when (eventually) I get around to updating the kids books. Soooo... I need to keep them here until I figure out a way to copy them somewhere else. Meanwhile, I'll try to be a bit better about posting pictures more regularly. Key word: try.
Happy New... March???
So I've been out of touch lately. Blame the kiddos and all their energy! Since school's begun, our days have become a string of carpools, soccer then swim then basketball and soon to be t-ball practices and games, dance classes, piano lessons, errands, and playdates. Aidan's loving school and he seems to enjoy whatever sport is currently in season. Sophie, not surprisingly, has become fast friends with the girls in her class as well as several younger siblings of Aidan's friends, loves dance class, and is asking to start violin lessons (we're thinking we'll take that more seriously when she starts kindergarten.) And Kieran is forever getting himself out of trouble for climbing on the couch, the kitchen table, the bed, the daybed... basically whatever is in front of him at the time. Lucky for him he has an infectious laugh!
Basically, every day is a new adventure and yet there doesn't seem to be much to report.
Summer's over????
It's crazy to think that it's already mid-September. Especially now that we're finally getting some summer weather! But Aidan started school, turned 6, the pool closed, Sophie started school... Can't get much more fall than that!
I'm slowly trying to catch up on photos from the summer. Nana and Papa came to visit, and it was finally cool enough that we were able to enjoy some of the outdoors. Usually it's 100+ during their stay and we're stuck inside. Aidan was a ring bearer in my cousin Jon's wedding. We're so exicted that Maricel's now officially part of the family!!!! But he and his cousin John were two handsome guys in their tuxes! Then we went on vacation to South Haven. And there are a ton of pictures of Aidan's first day of school. Not to mention the other random fun times we had since the beginning of July... Those'll be up on the recent photos link soon.
And keep coming back to check the kiddos' pages; I'm getting to them, too! They've had some exciting events--school, soccer, dance, piano, football, walking... They're definitely keeping me out of trouble!
Goodbye Spicy
In sad news, on our return from Jon and Maricel's shower in Wisconsin this past weekend, we discovered that Spicy has gone to fish heaven. Both kiddos were very sad. He was a good fish for our family and we will miss him.
Grandma's turning 60!
It's a good thing the kiddos recovered from their sickness, because otherwise we would've missed out on all the fun of Grandma Linda's 60th birthday festivities! The drive down gave us a chance to listen to the BFG (which only reminded me how crazy-creative Roald Dahl is.) Aidan is now obessed with giants, human beans, shnaz-cumbers, and bottling dreams. And then we had a weekend full of fun with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Brian, and Tre! Among the kiddo's favorites: going to Olander park and playing in the lake and going paddle-boating, playing baseball with Uncle Brian, giving Tre hugs, and, of course, birthday cake. Unfortunately, we were having so much fun that I didn't take many pictures.
We survied the swine flu! (Again!)
Last Tuesday, on our way home from swim lessons and grocery shopping, Aidan told me he had a headache and sore throat. I didn't think much of it until I went to give the kids their lunch and Aidan was installed on the couch, unwilling to move or eat. By four that afternoon, he had a fever of 104. Since it had been so long since the kids had been sick, I couldn't remember when I needed to start worrying about the high temp, so I called the Dr, who brought us in for their last visit of the day. They ruled out strep and said that they're just assuming that anyone who comes in with flu-like symptoms has the swine flu and sent us on our way, suggesting that we call if he still has a fever on Monday. Overnight, Sophie developed a fever. They spent Wednesday in our bed while I disinfected the house, and Thursday on the couch downstairs. I practically had to carry them to the bathroom, and listening to a story completely wiped them out. But by Friday, their fevers were gone and we were good to go! And thankfully, Kieran never showed any symptoms (despite having shared cups with Aidan) and I seem to have missed out as well.
We survived the swine flu!
Okay, so no doctors are telling us that Brian actually had the swine flu. But they're also not saying he didn't have the swine flu. Here's what happened: Monday he called home at lunch time and said he was coming down with a fever and thought he was getting sick. He didn't go to the doctor until Wednesday, despite having the chills, fever, and serious shakes. Convenient care told us he had influenza A. Now, they no longer do a specific test to see whether it's the swine flu, or the avian flu, or another variation, so we just know he has flu A. And that they hadn't treated any cases of avian flu back when they still tested to see what kind of flu A people had. They send him on his way with a Tamiflu prescription and motrin. Between the drugs and 12 hours of sleep, by Thursday he's feeling about 80% and can work from home. Meanwhile, we're scrounging all of DuPage County for Tamiflu for the kids (Dominicks gave us their last two bottles, found another one in Wheaton, and otherwise couldn't find any--even their supplier was all out. Methinks the flu is going around.) And Brian gets a call from his doctor checking in on him; turns out that, for whatever reason, Tamiflu works wonders on the swine flu version of flu A; moreso than the other variations. Hmmm...
But the good news is that Brian's back at work and done with his Tamiflu regimen, and he stopped being contagious over the weekend. I took my last dose this morning. And at Kieran's appointment, we got the okay to take the kids off Tamiflu (the first couple of doses went down pretty easily, but Sophie started spitting hers out Sunday, Kieran did it today, and Aidan gagged so badly this morning that he actually threw up!) Hopefully none of us will need it again!
Spring
With all the warm weather lately, we've migrated outside for the bulk of the day. I can barely get the kids indoors long enough to change out some laundry and get dinner ready. Needless to say, keeping the website up to date doesn't really cut it as far as Aidan and Sophie are concerned--who needs to post pictures when we could be riding bikes? And that's what we've been doing--biking to Trader Joe's (Sophie included), biking to the library, biking to parks in Wheaton, biking to t-ball, biking to school, biking in the cul-de-sac. The kids might like biking! Thankfully, Kieran doesn't seem to mind being in the trailer. So the less I post, the more you know we're outdoors embarking on some local adventure, or trying to catch a bird for a pet (this also involves digging for worms to use as bait for said bird) which has been keeping the kids running around the neighborhood for the past couple of weeks.
Good times in April
April has flown by and we're getting ready for May--Kieran will turn one, Aidan will finish up his last month of preschool, and the pool will open over Memorial Day. Meanwhile, we've had some fun in April. The trucks were out at Ackerman park, so Aidan and Sophie got to show Kieran all the fun to be had sitting in the driver's seat. The kids finally got to take Dad to Kline Creek Farm, where we saw sheepherding with real dogs, sheep shearing (that went over much better than I had feared--the kids actually liked watching the sheep get a hair cut!), and yarn spinning. All in all, quite the Murray adventure: ba-bas, dogs, and yarn! We've made some improvements around the yard--knocked down one of the fences (the one next to our back garden, so only two more to go), planted some arborvitae to replace said fence, and planted a weeping cherry and magnolia in the back. And Aidan has started his first organized sports team, so now we have games to watch every Saturday. I'm still trying to get out biking early Saturday morning and Brian is finishing up teaching his U-Chicago class.
The Joys of Spring
Our latest adventure to Kline Creek Farm, an 1890s working farm/museum, introduced the kids to the miracle of life. First hand. We went with the Jannincks (Nate and Olivia) as an excuse to get out of the house on Thursday. The boys sawed some wood, the girls oohed and ahhed over new chicks and all of the kids were amazed at how loud lambs are. There were 1890s games for the kids: stilts, throwing grace, marbles, etc. Thankfully, no one caught on to the opportunity to shovel manure (seriously, that was an option.)
It was so much fun that on Friday all of them clammored for more. Since it was a sunny day, we loaded up the car and went back for more fun. This time, we walked to a barn a little bit more removed from the rest of the farm to look at some cows. At one point, Sophie turned to Mrs Janninck and said: "Look, a baby cow." Mrs Janninck looked over and started to explain that it was just a mommy cow laying down in the hay until she realized that a mommy cow does not have two tails. Sure enough, those were the front hooves of the latest calf to join the farm. Within fifteen minutes she had calved a baby bull cow!
The boys were astounded that cows have babies out of their butts, but were relieved to hear the answer to "do you have babies out of your butts" was negative (we need doctor's help to get our babies out) and that we don't lick our babies clean (again, professional assistance a mighty nice luxury!) Needless to say, this unexpected veterinary lesson will provide much interesting dinner conversation for days to come.
Moving back...
Our bathroom/bedroom remodel is finally finished!!! Well, almost... there are still a few details to iron out (phone jack that no longer works, some knobs, skylights, and a little outside painting) but it's close enough to being finished that we can move back in! And it turned out even better than I had hoped. What a relief!
Our bed is back, and Brian is thrilled to be sleeping somewhere besides the floor. We're installing closet organizers, and I'm soooo excited to get our clothes put away instead of just shoving them into Sophie's closet and shutting the door really quickly. And Sophie's looking forward to getting back into her room (even if we don't paint it pink first.) Woo hoo!
Spicy
Yesterday afternoon the kids and I decided that it was time for an addition to our family. So we packed up and headed to Petland, where we found what had been missing from our lives: Spicy. Spicy is a blue betta fish, with little white flecks at the tip of his fin. Aidan and Sophie were in agreement that he was the "one" and that he needed a purplish bowl, with purple rocks and a fake plant. Spicy is back home and seems happy swimming circles in our kitchen.
One thing or another
This is the week of batteries, I think. We went to take Aidan to school on Monday morning, only to discover the Pilot wouldn't start. Thankfully the contractors were here, so they pushed my car out of the garage, pulled their truck up next to it, and jumped the battery. I drove around a while and figured that would be good enough. Aidan was a bit late for school, but he made it in time for the Rainbow Place Olympics (for which he wanted to wear red, white, and blue) so not a big deal. Meanwhile, my phone wouldn't start, either. So I plugged that back in and figured I hadn't charged it in a while. Then this morning the car wouldn't start again. Thankfully I had backed it into the garage this time, the guys jumped it, and I drove it straight to Firestone and now have a new battery. Turns out I should do something similar with my cell phone--it's fully charged, but won't turn on. And just now, the kids came running to me with a couple of toys that need new batteries, too...
In better news, the bathroom is coming along fantastically. The floor tile in in and grouted, the cabinets are in, and they're working on the shower tile right now. The counter guys are coming in tomorrow to measure for that and our guys will start on the trim then, too. Pretty soon the painters will come through to do the walls before installing the rest of the bathroom stuff. So we're seeing great progress! Can't wait to actually use it. But sooooo glad we got the kids' bathroom done first--can't imagine the four of us trying to get ready in the old one.
Getting back in the routine
We got back from an awesome vacation a little over a week ago and have been trying to get back into the swing of things. Slowly we're getting there! Florida was such a wonderful escape for all of us. It had been about a year since we'd last gotten away as a family; since Kieran was born at the beginning of summer, Brian took two weeks off then instead of a week vacation in August. And while it was nice having him home, the first two weeks of having a newborn isn't exactly a family vacation. Plus this winter has been absolutely brutal with the cold and snow. So Sanibel was a perfect getaway. We had five straight sunny, 80 degree days where the toughest decision involved whether to go to the beach in the morning or the afternoon and what kind of frozen fruit to put in our smoothies. The kids loved being able to run around outside without having to get all bundled up. We even saw dolphins! Who could ask for more. Espcially considering the 50+ degree days we had when we got home. We got to reconnect with the neighbors and ease back into winter.
And when we got home, we were pleased to see that the contractors had made a ton of progress on our bathroom. Everything had been gutted, the walls were framed, the electric was wired and plumbed. There were a few things to finish up and we were set for the drywallers to come do their thing. So we missed the messiest aspect of the whole job. Right now, the tile should go in the next few days, at which point we can start adding things like cabinets and sinks, etc. We should see visible progress almost everyday. Which also means we're that much closer to getting back into our room and getting Sophie back into hers!
Ack! It's 2009!
So it seems that the Murray Family website was put on the backburner for the last couple of months of 2008. Not because we didn't have anything to report, mind you. But we're up and rolling again and I'm hoping to be a little more consistent for a while. So November and December flew by with Adopt-a-Family in full force, a couple of 3rd birthday parties for Sophie, check-ups for Sophie and Kieran, Thanksgiving, Brian's band concert at his firm's Christmas party, Sophie's Dance recital, Christmas crafts and decorating... All kinds of fun! I'm hoping to get caught up on pictures relatively quickly, which should fill in at least some of the gaps. Otherwise, we're just moving forward and wishing everyone the very best in 2009.
Halloween!
Kieran officially survived his very first Halloween, and the rest of us made it as well. Sophie went as a fairy, as planned. Aidan called a last minute audible and reverted to his original plan of being a ghost--good thing we had cheap white sheets on hand! And Kieran went as a pumpkin (or at least in a Halloween outfit with a pumpkin hat.) Liam, the little boy down the street, took fantastic care of Sophie while they were trick-or-treating; at every house, he would explain to the person answering the door that Sophie was allergic to nuts and that her candy couldn't have any nute, and then he'd pretend to read the label to make sure it was safe for Sophie. And I was thrilled that Sophie checked in with me before eating any of her candy and turned down offers from other kids to try theirs. And, in Cranston Court tradition, the Melinders had us all over for a fantastic Halloween party that night. The weather couldn't have been better, the kids had a blast, and the parents did, too! Now if only Halloween candy didn't have any calories...
Lecturer in Law
Apparently Mr Murray is the next in line for president. This spring he will hold the same position at University of Chicago as Barack Obama:
Lecturer in Law.
Picking Pumpkins
We drove about an hour west of Glen Ellyn to go pick our pumpkins for Halloween. After last year's debacle at Apple Holler in WI, our expectations were low. Turns out we had nothing to worry about! There was plenty of room for all the hordes of kids who came, and everything was well organized. The kids had a blast riding tractors, walking in the Haunted Forest (lots of piratey skeletons), playing in corn boxes, riding tire swings, going through mazes, and riding the ponies.
Sophie was THRILLED to finally meet a real, live ba-ba. Dad got some food so she could even feed them. Definitely the highlight for her; not so much for Aidan--one of them brushed against his arm and he bolted for the exit.
The day finished in grand fashion with a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch where everyone agreed on the perfect pumpkin. Now we just need enough patience to wait a week or two to carve it.
Neighborhood BBQ
Aidan and Sophie were SO EXCITED to have all their friends over from the neighborhood for a casual barbeque that they didn't even complain when we took them from church to Home Depot, to Sam's, to Dominick's, to Trader Joe's. They even rested with no issues and helped put things together for dinner! It was great having everyone together; we feel fortunate to be on a block with fun families. Sophie had a giggling fit throughout all of dinner--the other girls kept egging her on. And Aidan was terribly sad when everyone had to go home. Now he can't wait for Halloween when we get to go to the Melinder's for their party!
Our boat is floating!
So after three days of nearly constant rain, our sandbox boat became an actual boat! The lake that usually forms in our back yard after the snow falls in early spring came back with a vengeance. Aidan came to wake us Sunday morning with a "hey, Dad, my boat's actually floating!" The boat was in water, the playhouse was in water, and our woodpile was nearly covered. We're thinking in the way back it was a couple feet deep. Thankfully we had recently gotten a new sump pump, so the motor wasn't too tired at the outset and it survived nearly five days of constant pumping. We're really fortunate that we didn't have any seepage into the basement and no damage from this storm. Some of our neighbors weren't so lucky! Of course, no amount of rain could keep me and Brian from the ND v Michigan game; it's sad to say that despite the downpour, we had a great time!
Go IRISH!
Even if the Irish didn't really show up for the first three quarters, at least it gave the kids a chance to be super cute in their football jerseys!
Farewell to Auntie Mich-Mich
We just got back from a quick escape to Wisconsin to wish Michelle her best as she heads back to Portland. We had a fun BBQ on Sunday with the bulk of the Konrads; Aidan and Sophie still love their cousins Jordyn and John! Brian had to head back early to interview students at Notre Dame, so the kids and I took advantage of the extra help by sticking around Mami and Grandpa's house for a bit. Mami and I were pampered with pedicures and manicures (lucky Auntie Mich Mich got to play with the kids!), Mich and I got Chinese take-out to share with Great-Grandma, and we even caught up with the Rienhardts for a bit--those kids are as cute (and tall) as ever! The only way we could convince Aidan that it was okay to come home was by reminding him that he was having his Pirate Birthday party on Friday; then Friday couldn't come soon enough.
Kieran's dunking!
The kids are now trying to adujst to a quiet house after a marathon weekend with plenty of friends and relatives! Friday, Nana and Papa, Grandma and Grandpa, and even Uncle Rick came in town for some fun with K'Nex and costume jewelry. They returned Saturday for a trip to Cantigny to climb on tanks and explore the First Division Museum, which was surprisingly fantastic! That afternoon we headed over to Aunt Kelly and Uncle Brian's house (or, as Sophie calls it, Tre's house) for some church and yummy food (including cake!!!) Then, to top the weekend, Kieran was baptised Sunday afternoon. Let's just say that Aidan and Sophie wish there were more people here right now... Luckily, we have Nate's birthday party tomorrow, so things won't stay dull for long!
20 July--Lake Geneva
The Adam family graciously invited us, along with the O'Neills, Melinders, and Asselmeirs for an afternoon of fun at their family's house on Lake Geneva. Aidan and Sophie had a BLAST! They played for hours in the lake; Aidan even got really adventurous and took running leaps off the pier and got thrown in to the lake. Sophie, on the other hand, was only happy floating with her life jacket and pink inner tube. They climbed huge rocks and played with their friends all afternoon. Needless to say, they slept well that night.