New Ride

When the weather outside is 3F, but it feels like -13F, we definitely don't leave the house.

So how do we entertain ourselves? Well, for 20 minutes we tested out our new wheels around the house. The kids were entertained, so we just kept going.

A very busy day!

Today we headed over to Nani and Poppa's house to get away from all the renovation noise at our place.
Hailey kept busy will all the new toys. (Brady had a very nice long nap).

Box 'O' Fun

We recently bought the kids their big kid car seats, so naturally we had to play with the boxes!

Murray Time

 



 With our trip back to Sioux Falls, the kids were able to have some great Murray family time!

 

Alexis and Hailey were trying to keep up with each other around the kitchen.  Brady was overseeing the activity!  He is still not quite ready to crawl yet.  He can spin in circles and go backwards, but the forward thing is still a bit of a mystery!

 

The kids enjoyed some pool time with their uncles and daddy! We may have some pool sharks in the future!

 

Celebration of Life

Two weekends ago the family went down to Sioux Falls, SD to celebrate the life of Charles G. Murray, Brian's grandfather.  We are all so blessed to have had him in our lives.  Brady and Hailey are so unbelievably fortunate to have met their great-grandfather.

We will always cherish this four generations of Murray men photo we took when Brady was 4 months. 

 

In honor of Charles, the family toasted him with his favorite beer, Hamms!

 

 "Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy." ~ Eskimo Legend

My Little Chefs

 My newest cooking secret is turning the kitchen floor into a place space for the kids.  Who knew tupperware and mixing utensils could be so much fun!  Apparently the salad spinner is by far the most exciting thing in the whole kitchen.  At least someone is using it these days.

 

Trike Races

One of our new nighttime rituals before bed are trike races around the house.  Hailey and Brady just love this part of the day.  All you can hear is screaming and laughing as we all chase each other and Moose around.  Of course, it becomes bumper cars at the end- guess who started that ritual? Boys will be boys!

Sledding

A few weekends back we finally had the chance to take the kids sledding, which I have been dying to do.  The stars finally aligned when we had snow, the temperature was reasonable and everyone was well napped! Everyone had a great time!

 

 

Brian thought the snow angel was a little cruel, but that's what Moms are for!

10 Months! (a little late)

As every month passes by, I just can't believe how much B & H are growing!  Their personalities continue to develop and their relationship with each other blossoms. 

I laugh continuously each day with the noises, faces and movements they make. They have truly blessed their Mommy and Daddy!  

 

Murray Christmas in Sioux Falls

The weekend after Christmas we headed down to Sioux Falls for a Murray Christmas!  The three Murray boys and families were all there to celebrate!  Grandma and Grandpa Murray were sure loving all the grandkid time!

We had a great time in Sioux Falls as we always do!  Thanks for a very

Murray Christmas!

 

Christmas Day

Christmas morning was spent opening a few gifts for the kids from Santa Claus at our place.  Brady and Hailey each got one gift!

After morning naps we headed to my parent's place for a Flaherty Family Christmas gathering.  The kids were pretty much oblivious to the gifts, but really enjoyed the wrapping paper, as expected!

 

 

Brady (left) and Hailey (right) showing off their new rocking chairs!

After an exhausting time of opening gifts, it was mealtime at the cousin's table.

Mallory showed off her ticking skills with the twins! Lots of laughs from these two little peanuts!

 

2012 Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we went to mass with my parents and the kids did amazing! They had plenty of entertainment between the cheerios, the Holmes family and so many other kids in the pews.  I was so proud to me their Mama, as usual!

When we got back to our house, we were visited by Santa Claus himself. This was the second time the kids had seen Santa, and again, no one cried.