From Rush, uh, with Love

See what I did there? Here's our new boy posing for some photos in a rare moment of being awake. After a wild first night at home which could easily have been a script in a movie (Rush crying, then Winnie crying, then Rush crying, and on and on), we had a somewhat normal evening last night. Winnie seems less threatened and more enamored with this strange new plaything that lies around the house.

Big Sister, Little Brother

Winnie's little brother was born on Friday - Rush Chivvis Murphy. He was a real heavyweight, coming into the world at 9 lbs 7 oz.
To help understand the new world order, Winnie got a baby, too. Hopefully she will learn the meaning of the word "gentle" sooner than later!

We are truly blessed to have such wonderful kids, and can't wait to see Rush and Winnie grow up as the best of friends.

The Pool

We went to the pool again today, as a part of "Mommy and Winnie's Day of Fun" (ended up not being so much fun because of Winnie's crazy behavior/illnesses/whatever). Her favorite part of the pool is snack time and water time. Chug-a-lug.

Rough Week

Things have been kinda tough at our house this week...Winnie's constipated, cutting teeth, and not sleeping very well. All in time for Aunt Jenny to come and stay with her this weekend! I'm hoping she has a better day today. She has been wanting to snuggle a lot, but my big belly gets in the way. It does make for a cute picture, though. Hopefully the next post will be of Winnie's new baby brother!

And The Mother Of The Year Award Goes To...

Sweet Girls

Just a little "time has passed" photo of Winifred and her friend Addie...this first one was taken last August, and the next one last week. Addie has the most beautiful eyes and the blondest hair. They had a delicious lasagna dinner (made by Addie's mommy) and needed a bath afterwards. So cute! I hope they are friends forever:)

New Sound

Just a short little film showcasing Winnie's latest talent...clicking her tongue. Anything other than grunting and her beloved "mah" is a welcome addition to her repertoire of sounds. In the background, the other Murphy's beautiful new home. Winnie and I got lost a few times while we were visiting.

Happy Daddy's Day!

Winnie has the BEST Dad in the whole world. (Well, she and I think so!) Winnie just lights up with excitement when he gets home in the evenings, and she LOVES playing with him. They have so much fun together. Andy, we hope you have a great day, and we are so thankful that you are our match. You have a little girl who looks and acts just like you. Even the clammy feet. And picky eating. And crazy busy sounds. And brute strength. We are lucky to be able to love you! Happy Father's Day!

Double Trouble

I can't leave these two alone for a second!

To Market, To Market...

On Saturday mornings, we have a tradition of going to the Tower Grove Farmer's Market with Aaron and Al. Today, we let them "play" in the playground next to the market, but as you can tell from the photo, they seemed to not know what to do with anything. Just give them time, I guess. They did like swinging, but those pictures were not good...all fat faces or blurry. The babies usually share a blueberry scone, but not this morning. Then afterward, the mommies stuff their faces at Donut Drive-In (like I had 3 big donuts this morning, and Aaron usually knocks about 2 down before we even get back on the highway:) We love spending our Saturday mornings with them!

Friday, Pool Day

Winnie and I went to the Webster pool this morning for their toddler time. They have the best pool! Kids can just walk all around and play in the fountains and the shallow water. We were going to venture out to the swings, but the water was a little cold for Mommy to go out to her thighs:) She had fun playing with all of her boy friends...Noah, Luke, Henry, JJ, and George. As you can tell from the picture, she was a little enamored at Luke's attention. Most of the time, she just liked to sit at the edge of the water and watch the big kids splashing around.

Just For Fun

Winnie likes to push things. She tried desperately to get Puddy to go into the laundry basket so that she could push him around. I helped her out, and put him in for her. When she realized she couldn't push it with him in, she tried to pull him out. When I get Winnie "into trouble" for hurting Puddy, I used to make her kiss him to make up for it. Now she just does it automatically....at the end of the video, she's going in for the "I'm sorry" kiss, but I cut it off. I'm glad I got this on video! It's things like this that make me laugh every day.

It's For Real Now

We have an official, 14 month old walker. Yay! At home, she is walking most of the time, but outside of the home, she's a little more timid. Her first steps were about a month ago, so it has been a long time coming for us! She is a pretty careful walker and doesn't often fall, which is pretty in step with how she started off crawling, as well. My little perfectionist!

This next photo is just a silly one. She has learned to say "cheese," (or her version of cheese) and this is the smile she gives us with it. Not her at her cutest, I'd say, but I love that face just the same. She's beautiful to me whatever she is doing! It does showcase several of her 10 teeth.

A Swing, a Cone, and a Tunnel

We headed over to Lafayette Park for a quick swing recently, then tried to go to Ted Drewes, but it was a little crowded. We drove-through McDonalds instead. Winnie was very insistent on sharing my cone with me, and I caved. She is getting a little demanding, and her one word, "mama," means not just me, but "I want." (Actually, she uses it or a variation of it for about everything) A little annoying sometimes! Here is a video that makes me roll my eyes, but hopefully will make you laugh. The next photo is of Winnie enjoying the tunnel she received for her birthday from Jenny, Ryan, Finn, Raff, and Remi. She loves it, so I keep it folded up under our couch and only pull it out a couple times a week, so the newness doesn't wear off so quickly.

Dogwood Canyon

On Saturday, we headed down to Branson, then to Dogwood Canyon, for my cousin Adrienne's wedding. It was such a BEAUTIFUL day and wedding. We loved it there! Winnie was so good during the ceremony, thankfully. She was happy to spend the day with her cousin Grace...they had the most fun by the stream (during the reception), throwing rocks into the water. They were dazzled by Uncle Matt's talent for skipping rocks, as well. Adrienne looked beautiful, so there was no taking any attention away from her, but Winnie was a hit amongst the guests. Congratulations, Adrienne and Chad!

Big Shoes To Fill

Winnie is really into her feet lately. She tries to do everything with them...turning on toys, lights, pressing buttons on her toys, putting them on Puddy, etc. She figured out how to get Daddy's shoes on, but wasn't able to get anywhere with them!

A Little Nostalgic

My hormones and the fact that I'm getting so close to Baby Boy's arrival has me a little nostalgic lately. I look at Winnie and can't believe how fast the past year went! I'm so curious what this little boy will look and be like, because W surprises us every day. Here are a few of my favorite photos from her first day with us. Oh, and I guess I'll have to change the blog up a bit to make it more baby brother friendly. I'll add that to my to-do list:)