Making memories

This weekend was an extra special weekend for the Murphy family. Steve's sister, Shannon, celebrated her marriage to Eric. They came home from their new home in Sicily, and had a beautiful ceremony and reception in southern Illinois. It was wonderful to see family and friends, and Luke had a great time meeting lots of extended family.

This is a shot of him getting ready to go to the welcome dinner on Thursday night at Malcolm and Carol's. Luke did a great job all weekend with the excitement, meeting new people and later nights. We had a lot of fun seeing him holding court with aunts and uncles and cousins...

Enjoying a GREAT reception...my mom and dad took Luke home when he was getting tired. It was nice to enjoy a glass of wine and dance with my husband. It was even more enjoyable to dance while Gpa Paul sang La Bamba :) Steve with his godfather, Joe, and Luke. Joe said that Luke reminds him of Steve except for the fact that Steve was as big as Luke is now when he was born...

I am not sure who is happier - Luke or Grandma Jackie

Biggest hit of the night for Luke...the 8 spoons soaking in ice water that we rotated through as he threw them to the ground. Nothing better than a nice cold spoon to gum.

Happy and lovely bride, enjoying a laugh on the dance floor with Steve and Luke. The next time that we see Shannon, maybe it will be in Italy! He did get out of his tux at the party, but he looked great in it, and he was a real hit as ring bearer! Thanks for asking him to be involved, Shannon!

birthday photos

I love this kiddo...even if right now he is sitting in his high chair looking at his daddy and SHRIEKING....We gave him his spoon to chew on, and all of a sudden he is smiling. Steve is humming to him now and he is just in awe of his daddio. It is his 7 month birthday, but we still celebrated :) I don't have the energy to type so enjoy some shots of him today. He started the day at 4am ready to party and slept about 3 hours between 4am and 6pm so he was excited to get the most out of his anniversary, I guess.

Loving his book - loving to chew on it at least!

Star and Luke - total buddies

AAAAA-choo

Check out those teeth...He has two more popping through the top and I think the front two will be coming in after those.

7 months...really?

Luke is 7 months old tomorrow (10/22) WOW! Here is a quick pic of him grabbing his toes and enjoying some time without the restraint of clothing/diapers! He giggles whenever he gets his outfit changed - he loves to be in the buff :) This morning he woke up about 6:30 so I was dozing next to him and I kept opening and closing my fist above his head. He was totally amused by the 'disappearing act' my fingers were performing.
This is a pic from the living room to the front yard. I realized a couple of days ago that I have never really noticed a tree's life cycle like I have this one (I think it is an elm tree). I have spent a lot of time holding Luke on the couch and looking out the window since March, and I have noticed and enjoyed everything from the first buds of spring to the now changing colors of fall. I just finished planting about 100 bulbs in the front yard. I hope that I planted them correctly and that the squirrels don't move them all. It will certainly be a treat to watch them come up and blossom in the spring.

Thank you Mr. Policeman

Luke with Blue Bear...smiles for the camera I went to Centralia (about 90 min from home) last night for a tennis meeting. On the way home, I was talking to my mom on the phone and obviously just cruising along, b/c all of a sudden I had to cut her off and pull over. I got pulled over for the first time in a LONG time. It was kind of raining, so I have to give some extra credit to the Elkville Police for making the effort. He came to the window and said I was going 53 in a 40 and did I have a reason. I just said I am a nursing mom and I am headed home. He took my insurance and license and came back a few minutes later with a - drum roll please - written warning! YEAH! I was really really relieved and grateful and went 55 the rest of the way home. I can't imagine what it is like to be a police officer - the man that dealt with me last night was really friendly and polite which must be a challenge some days.
This frog was my welcome home committee last night - cute, right...

We got the highchair today! Way to deliver UPS! I met the delivery guy in the driveway I was so excited to get this chair. I think he was a little freaked out by my excitement but Luke was really worn out with eating out of his car seat and this chair is pretty great - it came fully assembled so we put it right to use. I was singing about it when I opened the box and Luke was watching me like I had gone a little crazy :) but he really likes it!
Green beans taste better in my high chair, mom!
Steve caught us with our mouths open tonight. We got back from the Massac match really early which is great, so we put Luke's hat on, leashed the dogs, and I put Luke in the frontpack for a nighttime walk. My coat zipped up around both of us so he stayed nice and warm on this beautiful fall night.

We had a really nice day today. The best part was taking a mid-morning nap together. I put him down about 9:15 and he woke up about 9:45 so I brought him to bed with me to nurse a little which he did and fell asleep. We were both snuggled up under the covers until 12:30! YEAH! I feel normal after that...he has been waking again about 1am, 4am and 6 or 7am so this nap was a real gift.

My sermon of the post: I saw at least 6 dogs tonight on 24/7 chains with maybe a halfhearted doghouse for shelter when we were in Metropolis. It really disgusted me. Why do these people get pets?????? I called Steve and asked him to give Luna and Star a little extra love. Anyone I know that reads this loves dogs and understands how to treat them (and other animals for that matter) so give your favorite pet a little extra snuggle and think of taking some treats or even paper towels to your local animal shelter...thanks for reading!

Oral care

I found this mesh feeder that I had read about and tried it out with some fresh banana inside. Luke was really into it, but the banana got all over everything...This thing is basically a ring attached to a mesh compartment for the food to go in and only little pieces come out for the baby to eat. I bought two b/c I wasn't sure how it would work and am glad that I did...this one got thrown away I don't have the patience to clean banana pieces out of mesh netting and soaking and the dishwasher didn't work either. I think we will stick to putting ice in the other one if we try it again.

We went to the Terrier game Friday night and made a lot of people smile (well Luke did!) His Polamalu jersey was a hit and I will take the blame for the high waisted pants. He didn't have any other ones that matched and it was chilly...sorry in advance Luke for when you see this pic at 14 yrs. old and ask what the heck were you thinking, mom? He loved seeing Uncle Glenn and all of the action obviously wore him out.
My mom raised me to really take care of and appreciate your teeth. It makes wonderful sense, then, that Luke's first toothbrush is a gift from Gma Jackie! He loves playing with it and it is good for him to get used to one. You can see his two bottom teeth in one of the pics, and I think more are on the way. I asked my hygienist at my last appointment about when children should come in and she said around 3 years old...it is basically a play date so that they are not scared of the dentist. I have also heard that sippy cups should basically only contain water b/c juice/milk etc...just helps rot teeth when kids are constantly taking sips of them.

This pic is purely for Steve and I to kind of look at and be amazed. The onesie is the one that Luke wore in his picture for the hospital when he was first born..it was big on him. The diaper is a size 3 Pamper. He just started wearing them tonight....Babies are amazing.
It has been great to have a 4 day weekend with Steve. We had a nice visit with Glenn - my conference tourney is over...just a few days left for tennis and then I get to be a full time mom :) and Luke is feeling better after a freaky night on Saturday of not feeling well (I am blaming the teeth?) We walked with the dogs on Sunday at the lake and that seemed to help him feel better. Countdown to Aunt Shannon's wedding is on - good times ahead!

dream child

Is this an example of why we love little boys or what? I am leaving the library today, and I hear a couple of young boys talking on their way out behind me.

Boy One: I am going to go home and sit down and eat some chips.
Boy Two: I am going to go home and sit, but it isnt going to be on any seat - it is going to be on a toilet!
Boy One: chuckle...

I laughed out loud and turned around to see these two cute little 11 or 12 year old boys comparing cell phones and waiting for their rides. I hope the fun of this whole exchange got through to you....

Luke and his singing frog...It sings "My Girl" and he loves this guy...from The Gift Garden :) Thanks Susan - You knew what he would like before he even showed up!
Luna post hike...she was clean but she didn't like it I guess - or else she just wanted me to towel her off and brush her again - which I did :)
Interesting spider outside of our front window. Has anyone seen this kind of spider before?

I had a dream last night that was so vivid and seemingly real that I woke up and thought it happened. I dreamt that Luke was walking (at his current age and size) and that he was just a wild man. He was opening drawers, checking out everything at full speed and then he would just collapse into a nap. It was actually pretty neat. I can never describe dreams to the detail that they seemed, but it was a good preview as to what he will be like in a few more months.

He got to visit with Aunt Ellen and Uncle Mike for a while last night (I have a really cute picture of them together but Ellen wouldn't allow me to post her on this site!) It was fun to see them and Luke was really interested in listening to them tell stories and talk. When we get together the volume level seems to rise and I think he was intrigued with that. Love you Mike and El! Thanks for coming by :)

Today has been a GREAT day. Our tennis match got cancelled so I have gotten to spend the whole day with Luke, not only is that fun, but it has been wonderful not thinking about when he ate last or when he should eat again for when Gma or Daddy have him. It is going to be SPECTACULAR to enjoy the days with him full time once the season ends in a couple of weeks. Tennis has been good, though, and Luke has been fortunate to get lots of quality time with Gma Susan.

Last weekend was really fun. I played in a fundraiser tennis tournament at SIU which was a good time on a BEAUTIFUL day on Saturday and got to go on a date with Steve that night. Thanks again to Gma Susan and Gpa Paul for watching Luke while Steve and I enjoyed some time together. Sunday Luke and I took Gma Jackie and the dogs on a hike at the lake which was really fun. It was lovely out, and everyone enjoyed the outdoor time. I have posted a pic of my beautiful black lab, Luna after she got home from swimming. She was brushed and dry and shiny and then she rolled in the dirt and turned brown...what a dear :)

I am probably missing something - but I need to put groceries away before Luke wakes up...Life is good - AND the Red Sox are one step closer to the world series - yippee

brrrr and other things

Luke visited Gpa Paul today at his office. It was really fun to see him introduce Luke around and just to see the two of them together. Luke was really happy and Gpa was really proud. One of his co-workers mentioned after we left that Luke obviously knows when he is onstage and turns on the charm...too true!

It is getting colder at night, but the days have still been lovely. Here is a shot of Luke in his cozy sleeper relaxing with Daddy. I love these two! Luke is much more interested in sitting up than laying on the floor to play these days. Here he is figuring out some new toys and how he might be able to get all of them in his mouth. I think more teeth are trying to make their way to the surface.
Hey mom! Do you think I can try to eat the camera?
Gma Jackie brought Luke a nice hoodie tonight and he immediately got some use out of it...She and Gpa Nick were walking Luke as Steve and I walked the dogs and this face was just too much to resist.
Family shot after our walk. I told Steve I felt like we were going to the prom b/c we were getting out picture taken out in the yard...you know how everyone has a picture of themselves by the pretty tree or flowers outside on prom night...