February 2015, Latest & Greatest News

3.5 Years {42 Months}

As we said good-bye to January, we also said hello to 3 1/2 years old for our little man. I can hardly believe that a whole 6 months has gone by since his birthday. Seriously, where does the time keep going?!?! 🙂 — There are so many moments where I wish I could freeze time ….bottle up these memories & make them last forever….I don’t want to forget any of these little details from our everyday…even the ones that sometimes frustrate & make us tired….this little dude is such a gift & a blessing to us

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Keeping with our teddy bear picture tradition, here’s our updated version above. A look back on previous pics are here –  here – here (this link has a cool flip a gram of a series of pics!) – and,  here

{Look back soon for all these fun pics on their own page in the blog ….I think it’s time 😉 }

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AGE: 42 months // 3 1/2 years

WEIGHT: 40 lbs.

HEIGHT: 38.5 inches

CLOTHES: mostly size 4T ….some 3T depending on the brand. Also wearing a size 10 shoe. The biggest characteristic with his clothes is that he HAS to pick out his outfit. He is all into superheros, so that is definitely a preference in his everyday wardrobe…some piece usually has an Avenger on it 😉 ….I really can’t believe it, but I’m already finding it slightly harder to shop for him because I already pause to wonder if he will wear it. How is that possible?!?!

FAV FOODS: What he will eat changes with his moods. I say this is part of that “threenager” attitude….lol! Do I wish he would eat more veggies, yeap, but I am sure that will come in good time. He really loves to always eat what you’re eating so my goal is for us to eat healthy things so he will too 🙂  …of course, he still loves his chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, orange slices, and cereal.

FAV WORDS: I’m sure I have said this before, but we have a little person on our hands, at this point. Sometimes, it’s almost scary ….I mean, he’s not a baby anymore. You can have complete conversations with him about anything! Call us crazy, but that still amazes us 1st time parents. At this stage, it’s fascinating to watch him learn learn and grow with his vocabulary. For example, everything in the past right now is “yesterday” ….we did that yesterday or we were here yesterday ….even if it’s been a few weeks or months. I’m sure in the blink of an eye, that will all change and he’ll “get” the verb tenses and know yesterday, last week, last month, etc. For now, I just enjoy yesterday ❤

As much as we try not to laugh at times, he also enjoys ‘toilet talk’ these days. His current word of choice is nipple. He thinks that is THE most hilarious word in the world. I can only hope he is not saying it at school. He knows what it means and that he’s not supposed to just be saying it….so, that’s why keeps doing it. What a stinker!

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FAV ACTIVITES: We have been taking gymnastics lessons since September. It has been a great learning experience for Liam & so much fun! I had read this awesome blog post not too long ago about why preschoolers should do gymnastics lessons….it is so true! You can check it out here.

Liam also really likes to draw pictures now. He is getting really good at it. He is quickly moving out of just the scribbles stage, and we are starting to see actual pictures. Again, totally amazing to watch this happen! He favors his left-hand almost 100%, so I am pretty sure he’s going to be a lefty, like his mommy 🙂

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MILESTONES: At the end of this month, it will be ONE YEAR that we are diaper free! Whoo hoo! You can check back on our potty training adventures, here. I can hardly remember what it was like having a changing table in his room. He does so well with his big boy undies!

By the end of this month, Liam is also officially moving into the Preschool Department at his school! {We had still been in the Early-Preschool Dept} So exciting for him! This means that he will be moving up into a new room with a new teacher. He says that he gets to move because “he is bigger now”  His other comment about moving up was that he would get to play on the “big kids playground” 🙂

Between now & his birthday in July, we will be updating his room. That’s our next project and we are all excited about it. He is still sleeping in his toddler bed, which is his original crib that’s been converted. His room still has all the original decor from when we 1st designed it for his nursery with the jungle theme. So, this will be a BIG change for ALL of us 😉 ….I think we are moving up to a twin bed….but depending on what we find, it may possibly be a full size. We’ll see. Liam has his heart set on a super hero’s room, so that’s the plan right now! We’ll definitely be posting pics of this update when the time comes!!

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Happy Half Birthday, Little Man!! — Mommy & Daddy Love You So Very Much…. XOXO

January 2015, Latest & Greatest News, Sponsored Post

XTREME Circus Fun

Recently, we were invited by Feld Media to attend the new Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents CIRCUS XTREME at the Amway Center in Orlando. No other compensation was given & all opinions below are my own.

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It had been many years since both Stephen & I had been to see a Ringling Bros. show, and for Liam, this was his very 1st experience! It was so thrilling! If you have ever been to a circus, this new XTREME show is unlike any show you have ever seen!  While we saw the traditional favorites of the animals, tricks, and clowns, with this show, there were also beautiful acrobatics & amazing stunts!

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Little man said his favorite part of the show was the clowns AND the music 🙂

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This family on the trapeze was crazy good!! I was scared for them, but they pulled off their performance without a hitch 😉

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Liam’s eyes lit up when the elephants came out!

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Quick family selfie ….had to do it! 🙂

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My favorite was the tigers! They had an incredible performance with the trainer. Look at them in this pic….so exotic!

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YES! — there was a human cannonball — AND….yes — it was a lady (girl power! 🙂 )

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The show closed out with the incredible performance of with the BMX riders and the acrobatic stunts. There was so much going on….it was awesome! Liam was LOVING it ❤

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Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey truly does put on The Greatest Show on Earth! I hope you had a chance to check our their show. If you have not, and they are still scheduled to come to your area, you can find their tour schedule here.

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Until next time, friends!

~H

January 2015, Latest & Greatest News

Our Winter Break {Part 2}

Good times continued during our winter break with our 2nd trip to the Magic Kingdom with little man. It, again, had been almost a year & a half since our 1st trip there {for his 2nd birthday celebration}. Just like with Legoland earlier in the week, he honestly didn’t remember being there before, so it was fun to re-introduce the park to him. This age is SO MUCH different than 2 years old, so it was a whole different experience, for us, as well.

We knew the park would still be crowded for holidays, and since I had never seen the Electrical Parade before, we decided to head out later than normal…..so, we didn’t get out to the gates till about 4, but the weather was gorgeous! Special thanks to my mom & her hubby for getting us tickets from their friend, who is a cast member….nothing beats that!

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One of the main points of our plan for visiting the Magic Kingdom that weekend was to catch their Christmas decorations before they took them down. We had actually never been to Disney to see them before….so this was a nice “1st” experience for all of us! In true Disney magic, they really do the park up extra fancy ❤

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Over in the Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland is The Barnstormer ride. This is a junior roller coaster that guests must be 35 in. or taller to ride and just has small drops. We asked him, and Liam wanted to ride it….so, he did with Daddy 🙂 ….his 1st roller coaster experience!! Oh my goodness!!

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In true fashion, they sat in the back car….Liam enjoyed it, but he did tell me afterwards, that he was “alittle bit scared” ❤

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Dumbo was a fav ride this time around, again. He rode with me last visit….so Daddy got a turn this time 😉

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Such cuteness…..

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This was on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin in Adventureland ….he loved this ride! The flash caught his eye in this pic, so he looks a bit sleepy 😉

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Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland ….he enjoyed this one, but wasn’t crazy about the little drop that you feel while in the dark on the boat ride. He has totally been singing the ‘Yo Ho‘ song since that night, though….hysterical!!

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Cinderella’s Castle was decorated & lit up with a Frozen theme for the holiday’s ….absolutely beautiful!

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There were a few moments that I wasn’t sure we would make it to the start of this, but YES….we held out till the 10:15 pm start of the Electrical Parade (wow, I felt old but man, that was late for us….lol!!) …poor little dude, was PASSED.OUT.COLD in his stroller by the time everything began. There literally was no waking him up….he wanted no part of it. I felt so bad, but he did wake up towards the end and managed to catch a few of the floats 🙂

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I know we kept Liam out WAY past his bedtime, but it was such a pretty show. Really glad to have finally seen this!

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….And, here we all were on the tram back to the car at 12 AM ….what a little trooper ❤

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Here are a few pics we took in front of the castle! …this 1st one is super cute — Tink is super-imposed in our hands 😉

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All in all, it was truly a MAGICAL DAY…and night ❤ ❤

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Until next time, friends!!

~H

December 2014, Latest & Greatest News

Our Winter Break {Part 1}

Over Christmas & New Year’s, I had off of work {so nice!! …definite perk to working in higher educ}, so I also kept Liam out of school. Stephen was fortunate to have a few days off, as well, over the actual holidays, so we enjoyed some quality family time.

We were also fortunate to have a few expeditions to surprise little man with during this winter break. Just before New Year’s, I took him for his 2nd trip to Legoland 🙂 — Our 1st trip was about a year & a half ago. This time around, it was just me & Liam, as Daddy had to work that day. However, they are currently running a fantastic deal for residents, where you can pay for a day & get admissions for the rest of the year for free — we definitely want to take advantage of this for the family this year! Liam & I were lucky to get comp passes for the day from my mom’s neighbor so that was awesome!!

I loved that we made it there in time to see all their Christmas decorations! Nothing like a Christmas tree made of Legos 😉

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Liam was more impressed with the snowman….of course, he asked to touch him…lol!

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Super excited to ride the carousel again!

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Santa brought Liam the Duplo My First Train Set for Christmas & it came with this conductor guy. He was amazed that this was his same little guy. He kept saying how he was as big as him! Loved it!!

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I was pleasantly surprised to see that a lot had changed since our last visit. Not, in any way, that the park was bad before, but there actually was so much more for us to do this time around. The Duplo Play Area really expanded, and there were several more rides for little man. This train ride was new for us & as luck would have it, when our turn came up in line, Liam got to be the conductor for the drive! He was thrilled 🙂

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Inside the Duplo Barn ….we spent a lot of time running around in here. So fun!

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I think I was just as excited as Liam to discover all the little animals and treasures throughout the park that were made of Legos! So detailed…

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We had a GREAT day together!! Can’t wait to come back to visit again soon! 🙂

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On New Year’s Day, we headed down to South Florida to spend the day with Stephen’s family & have dinner. It’s always a pleasure to spend time with them, and Liam has really taken to his great Uncle’s ….we love for him to spend time with family. It’s precious memories that will last a lifetime for him! ❤

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Having a quick music lesson with Uncle Glenn 🙂

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Stay tuned for “Part 2” of our winter break adventures tomorrow!!

Until then…….

~H

December 2014, Latest & Greatest News

Happy New Year!!

We were blessed with another year in 2014, and what a year it was!!

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Some highlights from 2014 …..

Our biggest goal was Potty Training & we can definitely check that off our list. Liam accomplished that with flying colors! I am not going to say it was a breeze — hard work for sure, but he was definitely eager to learn. We also said good-bye to the beloved paci.

We even ended the year, today, with our very 1st trip to the dentist for a cleaning…but more about that later 😉

Stephen changed jobs in March & is kicking butt! Same kind of business (fabric restoration), just for a different company.

I started blogging for Orlando Moms Blog in August, and it’s really been a joy to be a part of this fab team of moms! Not to mention, the experience I have been gaining is awesome!

HUGE KUDOS to those of you who keep up with us here ❤ ….this little hobby of mine has really grown this past year and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I am still just doing this to mainly keep our family & friends abreast of the latest & greatest news of Mr Liam & the fam, but it’s also led to some new exciting opportunities. Our most popular posts were Liam’s 3rd birthday celebrations (here & here). The most commented on were when we said good-bye to paci. 🙂 We had over 2,000 page views this year!! While that may be small potatoes for some blogs, that is pretty amazing to me! Most of our visitors came from the U.S., Brazil & Canada.

I am anxious to see where 2015 will take us!

Here’s a quick look back as we bid farewall to 2014 🙂

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{song credit: Dave Matthews — Baby Blue}
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Looking Ahead to 2015 ….

Liam will be starting official Pre-School in August!! Oh my goodness! Where is the time going?!?!

We want to find a solid church home and a place to give that foundation for Liam that is vital so he can learn & grow in our Lord. It’s time & has been heavy on my heart.

Stephen and I have some projects we want to tackle around the house.

Overall, we just want to live each day to the fullest, savor each moment, and be thankful!! ❤

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Happy New Year!!

~H

December 2014, Latest & Greatest News

Our Merry Christmas 2014

How many times have I used the word “fun” in 2014? I have lost count, but I will tell you that having a 3 year old at Christmas time has been FUN 🙂

While we kept things pretty low key around here, we did enjoy ourselves by visiting some family and partaking in a few of our family traditions last week.

On Christmas Eve, we baked some yummy cookies for Santa. Liam really enjoys helping in the kitchen. We love to cook and bake with him ❤ …..look at those little hands using the cookie cutters!

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After cookie time, we headed over to Mimi & Papa D’s to have dinner and celebrate the holiday. We also got to spend some time with Aunt Heather & baby cousin, Sierra.

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Liam got to open some presents and it was awesome to see his excitement. He had mentioned a few times over the last few months that he would like the Mickey Mouse Club House, so he went bananas when he opened this. He actually said, “Oh, I always loved this!!” ….I mean, really….how hysterical is that?!?!

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Last year, he took FOR-EVER to open presents, as he very carefully unwrapped each one. This year, we explained to him how fun it is to “tear ’em open” and he quickly got it…and loved it! He was going through his presents like a champ! Opening each one with great enthusiasm! That continued on into Christmas day, so it was super fun to watch 😉

We have quickly become fans of Imaginext toys from Fisher-Price. This gift below from Mimi & Papa D, as well as the loot from Santa have given little man quite the super hero collection 😉

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Once we got home, it was time to get ready for bed…..but 1st, we had to sneak outside to feed the reindeer! Mr Elf had left Liam this cute bag of food on his last morning with us. We also said bye to him, as he headed back to the North Pole that night, & put out Santa’s cookies before heading off to sleep. If you recall my recap post about Mr Elf, I had mentioned I had wanted a good bye letter from him to Liam….we ran into some time difficulties & that didn’t happen this year {unfortunately}, so I’m saving that for next year.

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Christmas morning was a flurry in our house! Little dude woke up before the sun and was a joy to listen to as he snuck up to the tree to check out what Santa brought. He was so excited and happy……from our room, we could hear him whispering to himself — “Look at all the presents! I love you, Santa!” ❤

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In the months leading up to Christmas, the only thing Liam would say he wanted for Christmas was a Mickey Choo Choo Train. Naturally, you can imagine his excitement, when he opened just that! He said, “oh, I got it! I love it!

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After a nap time, we headed down to Grammy & Papa Rock’s and shared Christmas dinner & celebrated the day. Santa came for little man, there, too….by that point, I would say we were on toy overload. Definitely a blessed little dude 🙂

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We have been seeing Liam ride a trike at school & wanted to get him something he could also enjoy at home. He still has the trike Santa brought last year, but it seems to be very heavy in weight & a bit hard to pedal. It wasn’t hard for us to brainstorm on this Original Big Wheel, which has recently made a comeback.

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It was so nice to also have my Grampy at my mom’s for a bit. Love spending quality time with him! Liam gave him a great big hug & it was so special!

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Liam was not smiling in this pic because we made him take it before he could open presents….LOL!!

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It was a great holiday, and I would say, our most fun with Liam, thus far! Hope you all enjoyed, yours, too! Merry Christmas!!

~H

December 2014, Latest & Greatest News

Happy Christmas Eve!

There is something about today, Christmas Eve, that always feels magical, right?!?!

Maybe it’s from when we were kids & knowing that it would be impossible to go to sleep that night knowing that Santa would be coming. Now, it’s so much fun for Stephen & I, as we feel like we get to relive aspects of our childhood, like these moments, through our little man’s eyes. Magical….

I have been loving to dress Liam up in his Christmas pj’s each year & put him by the tree, along with Timber, & sneak a pic or two….I guess, it’s become our little tradition in Casa de Murphy. Here’s a look back at my little collection of memories ❤

2011 ~ Baby’s 1st Christmas ~ 5 months old

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2012  ~ 17 months old

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2013 ~ 2 years, 5 months (29 months)

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bff, paci, was still around….it’s in his hands 😉

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milk & cookies for Santa…

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2014 ~ 3 years, 5 months  & Timber: 12 years

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such cute memories from these last 4 years….I love it!!

Last but not least, I wanted to share this super cute video of our little dude singing his heart out to one of his fave Christmas classics 🙂

 Happy Christmas Eve, friends!!

~H

December 2014, Latest & Greatest News

Week-In-Review

Last Friday, we had the amazing opportunity to go to the Marvel Universe LIVE! show at the Amway Center.

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Don’t have to tell you that little man was pretty captivated 😉 ….full show review with fun pics coming soon on Orlando Mom’s Blog!

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Saturday, we were excited for our Annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party with our gang! I can’t believe this is the 5th year we’ve gotten together to do this. So fun!

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For a look back on last year’s festivities, check out our post here.

BEFORE the craziness
BEFORE the craziness

Lisa is AMAZING because she collects ALL the gingerbread house kits from us beforehand and works hard to build them & puts together this beautiful spread for the families. All we have to do is show up & have fun 🙂

 

the AFTERMATH :)
the AFTERMATH 🙂

Daddy & Liam kicked off the decorating.

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Someone might have been eating more candy than what was going on the house, at one point 😉

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Working hard…..

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Mommy helping out with the action

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All done & proud of his work of art ❤

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So much fun!!

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And then, peeps…..there was this 😉

Lisa & Stephen continued their crazy {yet hilarious} tradition of decorating their own house after the kids wrapped things up. Let me tell you….it was serious business. They even recruited Haven this time around to help them.

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Gettin’ crazy!! LOL! 🙂

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Ta da! ….they are not proud or anything…ha!

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The Bengel’s neighborhood has a fun tradition in December of a surprise visit by Santa. We were thrilled that he came by after the party…great timing!! Liam was SO surprised that he came all the way down from the North Pole just to say hi to them! 🙂

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After that, he discovered the Bengel’s Polar Express choo-choo train {again} & that was all she wrote, folks. If you recall, he found this last year & we couldn’t pull him away. He LOVES trains!

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It was a fantastic evening at our Gingerbread Party with friends!! We laughed that we’ll be doing this each year until at some point, the kids will be sick of it and it will be just the adults on the patio decorating the houses 😉 …

Until next time, friends!

~H

Latest & Greatest News, November 2014

Recent Happenings

Remember me? It’s definitely been awhile….this momma was sick these last few weeks & honestly, the thought of sitting at the computer (for anything other than what I had to do for work) was just not appealing.

In the meantime, life moved on, as it always does, right?!?! LOL…I just tried to keep up. Thankfully, I had Mr Murphy there to help and lucky for him, he didn’t get it. Liam got a touch of it, but I’m happy to report that we’re all feeling much better now.

So, here’s what we’ve been up to the last few weeks….

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Halloween was so much fun! Liam was ALL about it! He was allowed to dress up for school, but yes, I was afraid his costume would get messed up soooooo he wore a back-up {go ahead & laugh….it’s ok}. He had a great time sporting his ‘Sheriff Woody’ costume all morning. We even saw from the cameras that he kept his hat on! — way to go, dude! 🙂

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Halloween night, we went over to our friend’s, the Bengels, and hung out for dinner {delish homemade pizza!} and then the kiddos trick-or-treated together. The ‘Hulk’ made his appearance for this main event!

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Getting ready to hit the neighborhood! Liam walked the entire trip. Such a little trooper! He loved going up to the doors & saying, ‘trick-or-treat’ …he’s still talking about it, a few weeks later 🙂

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The next night, we headed back out to gather with our friends for a 2nd Annual S more’s Roast. It was the 1st cool night of the season, so it worked out perfectly! The adults attempted a roasted marshmallow Kahlua shot….pretty tasty, I must say.

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The kiddos had a blast roasting marshmallows & making s more’s out back once it got dark.

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Last weekend, we headed downtown for the Touch-A-Truck event. This is a community event where the kiddos can explore various big trucks, construction vehicles, and public safety equipment. Liam LOVED it!

Here he is checking out a steam roller.

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There were a few mini monster trucks there. He thought they were the coolest things ever.

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We even got to squeeze him into the driver seat of one. Such a big, little man 😉

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Fire Truck!

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Saturday evening, we headed over to Mimi, Papa D & Aunt Heather’s to celebrate baby cousin, Sierra’s very 1st birthday ❤

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Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

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On Sunday, I got a little creative while daddy was watching football & made this turkey with Liam. I asked him for 5 things he was thankful for to write on each feather….He said: mommy, daddy, timber, rainbows, & letters

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It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving will be here next week, but we’re definitely excited & looking forward to it.

Until next time, friends! 🙂

~H

Latest & Greatest News, October 2014

Week-In-Review

Last week was such a fun week at gymnastics! Liam overcame his fear of flipping upside down and did his pull-over on the un-even bar with Coach Elyssa! He was super proud, as were we! Even more exciting was that his coach sent him a ‘star student’ certificate in the mail later in the week to recognize this awesome achievement 🙂 …that really was such a sweet gesture from her! Much appreciated by this momma & daddy!!

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We enjoyed a busy, but super fun weekend, as we geared up for the upcoming Halloween celebration. The festivities kicked off on Friday evening with our annual bash at the Bengel’s. Liam sported his costume and looked awesome!!

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Lisa had the house all decked out and I was in love with her ‘floating candles’ in their family room. Great touch!

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The kids decided to break out some pretty sweet dance moves. Liam definitely has some moves of his own, people….so cute!

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On Sunday, we took our little guy out to UCF for ‘Trick or Treat on Greek Street’. This was the 1st year we made it out there, and it was fun for him. He definitely was happy about the early trick-or-treating, and he did pretty good participating in a few of the games that they had set up.

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Trick-or-Treating is hard work 😉 …..water break!

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Sunday evening, the boys did a little pumpkin carving out back. Even the fur baby got in on the action 🙂

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Posing with his finished ‘jack-o-lantern’ …the smaller pumpkin is a fake one but he insisted that it was ‘the baby’ and that the one Stephen carved was ‘the daddy’, so they had to stay together….LOL!!! Too Funny!! What an imagination!

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By the time the candle burned out on this guy on Sunday night, I was exhausted….such a busy weekend, yet so much fun…..and, so many wonderful memories! Lots more Halloween fun to come this week. We are looking forward to sharing with you soon.

Until next time, friends!

~H