Sunday at home

I love Sundays with my precious family.  This morning when we all got up we had breakfast together downstairs. Watermelon, cereal for John, and yogurt parfaits for the rest of us.  Clara has been sick the past few days and her sweet cheeks are chapped and rosy from us wiping her little nose every 5 minutes.  Church was great.  We had a beautiful service on personal revelation and conversing with God and listening after we pray. I needed to hear that message today.  ❤️ When we got home we all shared what we learned in our classes at church. The afternoon consisted of naps (for the parents) mine was riddled with questions from the children and a baby climbing all over me but I got a few good 6 minutes stretches here and there. The sleeping was to the tune if Mandolin Orange and Brandi Carlisle.  Clara was so cute all afternoon.  The noises she makes now with her incoherent babble are heartbreakingly adorable.  The kind where John and I just look at each other and smile without saying a word but we know we are both dying inside with her cuteness.  Those are the kind of looks that are some of my favorite moments in our marriage.  Tonight we did Come Follow Me with the kids followed by a family wrestling match (in which John roughed us all up,yes there were tears) and then we initiated the kids into the Oooga Booga club, Evie had been asking to do it now for many days.  We went around and did family goals like we do every Sunday.  I told everyone that the next two weeks I really need a lot of extra support for all of the work I have going on and everyone agreed to pitch in and help out more.  I love these people.  I can feel our hearts knitting closer together with special simple days like today. ❤️

independent

Avett,

You have changed so much so fast this year.  I feel like with each passing week something in you matures just a little bit more.  I think you have found a new independence since Evie has gone to school.  I am so proud of how you can find one small thing and it can occupy you for hours!  When ever we go to Momomee's house you fill up cups with water and carry them to a bucket back and forth until you've filled the entire thing.  Some afternoons I'll send you and your sister outside to play so I can I finish the dishes or what ever house chore may be ailing me.  You find your spot right in the sand box and you talk to your self and play until you either have to pee or I call you back inside for a bath.  

You still love me so much.  I've grown accustomed to your clockwork smooches and hugs and snuggles.  You need them as much as I need them now.  Thank you for loving me like you do despite my flaws and shortcomings, I want to be more like you.   

bits of life I can't bare to forget

Avett and this frog may be one of my favorite pictures.  He is all boy, interested in creatues and curious and doesnt have a care in the world to get dirty...or peed on.  He discovered this little frog while we were at Herman C. Michael park for a playdate this week.  He was quite gentle and wanted terribly to bring it home as a pet.  The frog looks very unimpressed with the whole idea.

Today was the opening day for the Athens Farmers Market.  I don't know why I feel so fancy walking out of there with fresh pastries and cut flowers.  Today we went home with Poppies and Ranunculus.  I love the sense of community in Athens and it feels good to be apart of it.  

Just a little example of running errands with these two crazy ones.  They were giddy about these tiny carts.  I love that Evie's hair is getting longer.  She is so beautiful.  We bought orange chicken, which Avett thinks is too spicy, and some Indian food, and some cocoa batons which were all gone with in an hour.

This past week we went to my mother's and Evie came in baring this birds nest as a great outdoor prize.  She asked that we put it in a bag for her to bring home.  She copied "birds nest"  and I couldn't be more in love with the fact that some of her letters are backwards.

Playing in the barn, climbing hay bails, getting messy, my allergies are going crazy.

Rode BOB with mom across the street to return a shovel.  We stayed a while to look at the flowers and then rode BOB around with the perfect amount of wind in our hair and faces. I love big tulips.

Avett got the giggles SO hard for a good 10 minutes at Fresh Aire Barbeque when we went with our cousins last week.  I never figured out what it was but I suspect he thought it was funny that Mason was being a little naughty ransacking the restaurant.

Evie has been writing her fairy friend, Ella, through a door on the wall in her room.  They are great friends.  She anticipates every single correspondence.  That last letter she got (which took quite a while to get back to her, apparently fairy mail can take a lot of time)  Ella told her she was sorry it took her a while to respond and that she was busy preparing for a fairy ball!  Well Evie decided that we must make her a dress for the ball so she designed it, picked out the fabric, and then we sewed it right up!  I love her creative soul.

Well I just had no idea she loved this log so very much.  When she found out that part of it was going to be cut and given to a friend of ours to make some things she was devastated.  She went in to full on sobs and went and sat on the log in tears.  After Momomee gave her best shot to comfort her I went down and we hugged and she cried some more.  We decided to take a picture of the log and she took it.  Then we edited a picture where she circled the log, put a heart on it, and then pecked out every little letter to spell "This is Evie's favorite log."  

A very tender hearted soul.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Such a mess

Avett Murphy, I put you to bed two hours ago and I still hear you chattering away in your room with your sister about something.  You must be on Colorado time still.  

You are such a cute little punk! A couple of weeks ago you stuck gum in your hair. GUM! I suppose it's a rite of passage in childhood for some kids.  You are such a mess.  Luckily your Auntie Kayla was here to give you a nice haircut to remedy this situation, a much better job than your mom could do for sure, sorry buddy! 

I just love you so much, and you love me so much.  You are 'handsome like daddy' and you are so sweet. You say the best things these days and you know all the words and the tune to I am a child of God by heart. It melts me to hear you sing it. We will start potty training soon, wish me luck! Thanks for making me laugh with the funniest faces I've ever seen. 

I can do it

Today while we were getting ready to leave my moms house Evaleigh insisted on carrying everything out to the car. Even if there were something in my hands she would ask to carry it and say don't worry I can do it. On the way out she would drop items and then lean down to pick them up without a fuss or frustration. At one point I really wanted to help her but John wisely looked at me and said "let her do it." After she made it to the car with every thing I praised her and said, "wow Evie, good job! You can do hard things!" I hope that is a lesson she will learn in her life. 

On the way home we listened to some old Cirque du Soliel CDs that I found in the basement while cleaning up this afternoon. Evaleigh was loving the music while Avett fell asleep. At one point she asked me, "is this a sad song?" I asked her, "does it make you feel sad?"  She said yes.  Then I told her music can make you feel any emotion happy, sad, excited, relaxed, nostalgic. She asked me "mama, what does nostalgic mean?" Then I told her "do you know how when we are at Momommee's house and you tell me 'this feels like home?' Well we can feel the feeling of being at home."

Then she said in a very matter of fact tone, "yeah, I feel that way."

One the ride home she put her new blush on....about 7 times. Normally I would have squelched such a project but she looked so happy and I decided to embrace her first attempt at makeup by herself, really I just wanted to see where it would go and how far.  She was beaming a pretty little girl smile and was so proud of herself.

I love my Avett.  He was such a happy boy today.  I spent a lot of time swinging him in the swing and he kept asking to go higher up the the sky and up in the tree. I loved watching his sweet little high point to the sky. He is growing up so fast and I am cherishing these last bits of toddlerhood with him.  He is just 2 and a half still and sometimes I expect him to be where Evie is.  I have been finding more joy lately in embracing where he is now and sitting with him longer and playing with the things he is interested in.  We spent about 30 minutes together at our new little sand table yesterday making green sand with food dye. He loves to ask me to "cry mom."  And then he says our happy family word "jigglyjob". We made it up so when we say it no matter what who ever is crying has to stay and smile.  It sounds crazy but it works great and the kids think it's so funny. I love my sweet son and my giving curious daughter. 

The Glenn Murphy Ranch: Spring Break part 2

Yesterday we got dirty and learned a lot.  Papa drove us around and we spotted Burrowing Brown Owls and Meadow Larks.  We went to the bone yard and the kids were introduced to the circle of life by seeing two decomposing cows.  They both rode Sassy, Avett's first time on a horse. He was beaming and mesmerized.  We watched daddy Papa Erin and Aunt Janice cut the calfs first thing in the morning.  We picked more fresh oranges and sat on and on every piece of farm equipment.  

After our hibachi Buffett dinner we came home and played another game of corn hole, (John and I won!) and then we put the kids to bed and watched a Elder Holland's LDS face 2 face broadcast. Lisa sang and I beamed with pride for my friend.  Wonderful gospel conversation followed by cards and a late bed time.

The kids woke up at 5:55am this morning, a fluke. But not a fun one. Now we will spen the morning at the Verona Lake beach to get all of the wiggles out we can before we take off for Georgia.  It's been a blast of a visit to the ranch.

two little monkeys

Two little monkeys caught jumping on the bed.  

Our move to Athens has turned out to be the best possible thing for Evaleigh and Avett.  It has been heart warming to watch them grow in to not only better siblings but friends.  They stay up past their bed time giggling in to the night and chatting about who knows what that sounds like the most exciting conversation. John or I have to pop back in with reminders to "go to bed!" Sometimes gentle and sometimes not so much.  We love to look at each other with a grin as we hear them over the monitor concocting plans or laughter making the lights spike to their highest frequency. We smile at one another with an indentical silent thought that this is just about the best thing in the world.  The first few weeks we let it go on in to the night some times as late as 11pm.  Once we let them experience the joy of room sharing it was time to get down to business.  Now most of the time they are asleep within 20 minutes or so.

They are sharing and growing together.  If Avett gets upset Evaleigh will offer to give service and will slowly run his cheeks as he sits in my lap until he calms down.  Then they start to laugh all over again. 

Avett loves her so much and if Evaleigh is ever in another room he asks me, "where's sissy?".  She is one of his absolute favorites. 

We love Athens and are settling in so well.  We've made some friends, found some great food, and we love our little apartment.  We are so happy here.