We recently headed over to Downtown Disney to check out the Cars Master’s Weekend Show. They had life size versions of Lightening McQueen & Mater, as well as these fun topiaries. Let me tell you that this expedition spawned a new marathon of watching the Cars movie, peeps. Liam hadn’t been really into watching the movie before this, however, we have watched it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY since 🙂
Super excited to find his pals Woody & Buzz. We love us some Toy Story!
This show also had many cool race cars & older hot rods on display. Little man was NOT pleased that he couldn’t get in these race cars. LOL!
Daddy tried to appease him by having him sit in this supped up Camaro….while we thought it was cool…. he still asked to go back over to the race car afterwards. Hmm…I wonder if I have things to worry about down the road?? 🙂
Lightening McQueen & Mater. Got to say, I was less then thrilled by Disney’s choice to make you stand in line to take your picture with these guys. The line was SUPER long, so Liam was not interested in waiting for that. Luckily, he was fine with just catching a glimpse as we walked by.
On Father’s Day, we had our community pool to ourselves for a bit. That was SOOO nice!!
I found this FREE download on Pinterest here. I laughed my bootie off asking Liam these questions. We gave it to Stephen on Father’s Day. If you can see the scribbles at the bottom of the page…that was Liam asking to also write on the page. So cute!
Last but most definitely not least….Liam recently moved into a new classroom at school to start the summer off. He is still in the Early Preschool Department. Â I was hesitant for this move because there was no transition period, as in other moves he’s done, and I thought it would be hard on him. However, he has totally proven us wrong! He is doing awesome & we are loving his new teacher, Ms. Laura.
I have to brag now a bit because Ms. Laura (in just the 1st 5 days that he had spent in her room) taught him to count from 1 to 10 in Spanish. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty incredible! She’s working on getting him to go to 20. I’ll keep you posted! Here he is on our drive to Downtown Disney showing off his new skills:
This week’s video may not be as funny as the last few I’ve posted, but it sure does bring back some memories. As I was scrolling through our archive trying to make a selection, it really stood out to me, so it was a keeper for me this time.
This was taken back on May 20th, 2012. Liam was experimenting with learning to crawl. Hilarious that he would do movements & turns that looked like a windmill….at least, that’s my interpretation 🙂
Forewarning that this video is a little long, as well….but you know I’m biased, so of course, I’m going to tell you that it’s still super cute! HA!
If you’ve been following us, then you know that we’ve been in this potty training race for about 4 months now. I kept promising an update on our progress, but we were running into different obstacles along the way, and I just didn’t feel we were “there” yet.
Then, recently, a NEW exciting opportunity came my way that allowed me to share our potty training adventures! I am SUPER EXCITED to share with you all that I am a GUEST CONTRIBUTOR today on the ORLANDO MOM’S BLOG!!!! Please click here and go over and check it out!
Here are some additional pics that I did not share as part of that post:
Throwing the last of his diapers away back on the “Potty Training Boot Camp Weekend in February….Liam was VERY excited to do this!
We quickly got rid of the changing table and gave little man a nice, new bookshelf!
It took awhile & some diligence, but we have a Potty Star at school!!! 🙂
I want to kick this summer off with being more active with my posts, so I thought it would be fun to join in on the hype of “throwback thursday” & post a fun video or picture each week from our past. I haven’t really ever posted anything on my instagram or FB for this before, but let’s do something creative with it on the blog 🙂
If ya’ll know me…you know I have TONS of video & pics, so this should be easy…and entertaining!
So, with that, I think I found a pretty good one to start things off. This video was taken in early 2012 by a staff member at Liam’s school. I’m sorry to say that I never wrote down the exact date, but he had to have been about 7 or 8 months old. He LOVED this Little Tikes piano! Until I watched this again, I had forgotten that he used to also rub his chubby little feet together when he would get excited, too!  Enjoy!!
Hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend 2014! It was for sure a H.O.T. one in our neck of the woods. My, oh my, were we feeling the summertime temps, or what, already?!?!
When Liam gets a little older, we will explain to him the real reason for the holiday this weekend. Until, then, it was just an extra long & fun weekend for him. Overall, though, we kept it pretty low-key. He & I battled a stomach bug most of the week, so we spent the 1st part of the weekend playing catch up with chores & what-not. Daddy was a trooper with helping to take care of both of us & the house!
Once everyone’s bellies were feeling better, we indulged in some yummy ice cream cones after dinner. 🙂
Daddy says this was Liam’s FIRST ice cream CONE …I haven’t been able to locate any other pics of him eating a cone, so he may be right because ya know I would have documented that! LOL …He wouldn’t stop moving while eating this one, so it’s not the best shot, but here ya go:
On Sunday, we decided to head out to Cocoa Beach for a day of fun in the sun. Two things I learned after our trip. One, Liam needs a bigger sun hat (last years is too small….yet still so cute). Two, if we’re going to frequent the beach this summer, we need an umbrella. The Florida sun is brutal.
Liam loved the playing in both the sand and the water. While he would be in the water with us, he would sing, “we’ll be swimming in the ocean all day long…splish, splash”.
The other highlight of our weekend was that Mr. Liam taught himself how to do a somersault. Well, I guess, I should 1st clarify to say that I believe one of his little friends at school helped show him how, as I observed this from my glimpses on the camera. It was actually pretty hilarious and I wish I had been able to catch that on video. He must have felt confident in his new skill to show it to us because this is what he did on Saturday.
To end our weekend, last night, after bath, he proceeded to tell us that he loved us & that we were “the best day ever” ….I don’t think it gets much better than that, folks!
Believe it, or not, I started this post about 3 weeks ago. It was definitely not my intention to be just sharing about our super fun Easter holiday almost a month after the fact, but it’s been crazy times around Casa de Murphy, peeps. Both Stephen & I have been working hard & on the weekends, swim lessons are still in full swing, and life has been charging on 🙂
Liam got to participate in his 1st real Easter Egg Hunt with our Meet Up Group of friends, the Sunshine Babies. This is a super fun group of parents and we really enjoy spending time with them! He had a blast!
The park we went to was in Baldwin Park. Really great space & this fountain was beautiful. Of course, little man was hamming it up for the camera.
Special buddies since they were babies…so cute!…Kenadie & Liam
Family pic!
The Easter Bunny came!! …all of Liam’s current favs…Thomas the Train, Toy Story & Tinkerbell.
The Easter Bunny hid some eggs in the yard for Liam. He also planted lolly pops in the ivy…WOW! 🙂
A couple of eggs had treats for Timber in them. The boys were sharing them directly after coming inside. HA!
We had dinner with Grammy & Papa Rock on Easter. It was also great to spend time with my Grampy (Liam’s Great Grampy). The Easter Bunny got a tad bit carried away with his delivery here…lol.
Liam was SUPER excited (hence this expression below on his face) to see that he got an Olaf from Frozen. We are loving that movie in our house right now.
He had also been asking us EVERY day (really, NOT joking about this) for a vacuum. He had one that was a hand-me-down from one of our friend’s & it recently broke. This kid loved to use that vacuum around the house and was pretty upset about it. So, every day, he had been telling me he needed  a new vacuum, and he wanted one like our Dyson vacuum. Well, unbelievably, they actually make a toy version of our Dyson Animal that we’ve had for years. It was love at 1st sight 🙂
The afternoon would not have been complete without another egg hunt, right?!?!
Such a sweet picture between Liam & his Great Grampy!
And, if this little dude is not spoiled enough…..
He got ANOTHER Easter basket from his Mimi & Papa D. He loved his Mickey cup, puppy & the baking set for his kitchen.
It was really exciting for us to see Liam get into the Easter holiday this year. He enjoyed all the decorations and the eggs (and, most surprising for me…the CANDY…lol). Â I guess it’s another sign of the times….our baby is getting bigger…growing up some more!
Recently, we attempted to visit the Easter Bunny for our yearly memory making pic. I have to say that we were successful with this for Liam’s 1st Easter back in 2012. Here’s that pic {not the greatest quality, sorry}, which was taken on March 25th, 2012…
After that 1st year, he figured out that a giant bunny was not so fun, so last year & this year were a no go in the picture department. Luckily, last year, we opted to trek over to the Millenia Mall, as my OCD self wanted to do pictures with “that” bunny. Yes, I know…I am crazy, but to me, how the bunny looked, mattered 🙂 …When it became apparent that the picture wasn’t happening, the guys working the station motioned us over to the side of the area and asked us to do these candid spring time pictures. I guess it is their business that they run along side the Easter Bunny get-up and it’s a quick session but you get all the pics they take on CD for $40 with no sitting fee. Not a bad deal, at all, in our opinion. Plus, we think the pictures turn out pretty darn amazing!
Here’s a look back at last year’s pictures that were taken on March 10th, 2013. ….
Since we were figuring Liam was not going to be friends again with the Easter Bunny, we planned a trip back to Millenia. Last year, the two guys who took his pictures told us they would be back again this year, so I was counting on that. Not gonna lie when I say I was excited to see them when we arrived. Liam said he was going to sit with the Easter Bunny as we were on the way there, but as soon as he saw the big guy, it was a big, fat, NO…lol. We were not gonna force it.
This year’s pictures were taken on Sunday, April 6th…so, just over a full year later. We got almost 40 pictures this time around. Here are some of our favs. What a difference a year makes, right?!?!
So, we blinked & another month has gone by. Liam Michael seems to be growing by leaps & bounds here lately, so while I don’t do this each month, I thought it would be fun to give you a 32 month update with 32 fun facts about our little guy.
1. I have been taking pictures of him periodically with the same teddy bear since he was born. I thought this would be neat way to measure his growth as time went on. Enjoy this Flipogram of these pics, including this week’s picture!
2. Liam shares the same middle name as his daddy 🙂
3. He has just recently gotten interested in watching Disney movies, or any cartoon movie. I have to admit that I am secretly excited about this…even though, we are now watching the SAME movie like a broken record. His current favs are Toy Story 1 AND 2, and Frozen.
4. One of his favorite parts in Toy Story 2 is when the Toys are trying to figure out where Al took Woody. He loves when Hamm, the piggy bank, says ‘picky, picky, picky’ …. in reference to the Etch-A-Sketch drawing of Al. He giggles & recites that part.
5. His favorite character from Frozen is Olaf the snowman. I admit, as well, that little snowman is pretty damn funny. Liam really gets a kick out of the summertime song that Olaf sings. He will also give a pretty mean rendition of ‘Let It Go’ 😉
6. He has a small white dalmation puppy that he sleeps with every night. His name is, “puppy”. Daddy got it from a local drugstore one day last year when picking up a Rx for him after a visit to the Dr.’s. A very random purchase that has turned into the greatest bond 🙂
7. Current fav foods: Publix popcorn chicken, Cheez-It Snack Mix (or, as he calls it, ‘cheese crackers & pretzel & puffs’), Reese’s (special treat for going potty), french toast with syrup (P.S…this kid gets COVERED in syrup..omg! ha!)
8. Current fav drinks: water & milk are still our staples, so that is good. We did introduce apple juice because of potty training so that’s a new choice at home but I am still grateful my kid loves his water.
9. For some reason, he loves soccer balls. He has a few pairs of socks with soccer balls on them & he will always ask for them. Really have no idea where this comes from, as neither Stephen or I play or watch….but we will foster that.
10. Liam has been in sports classes at school since early Fall 2013, called Playball. They not only teach the basic concepts of many sports activities, but they also teach the kids about physical education, health, and teamwork. We really like that and he definitely enjoys the lessons. That may be where his love of soccer is coming from. He also is developing quite the little arm on him!
11. He loves our dog, Timber. He is so gentle with him and we always tell him that Timber is his big brother. He calls Timber his ‘white doggy’ …It really is the cutest thing when you hear that little voice say, ‘I want my white doggy’.
12. About 2 weeks ago, Stephen & I realized that our little guy’s toes were about to bust out of his shoes. Yeap, he’s a growing, peeps! So, we paid a visit to my fav children’s shoe store, Stride Rite, and got his feet measured — 8 1/2 wide! He picked out his new kicks. Check ’em out:
13. So, some of you know that we have camera access to him at daycare. I like to peak at him when I can to see how he’s doing. Sometimes, I catch some pretty darn hilarious tid bits. For instance, a few weeks back, it was one of his little friends birthday & the class was having cupcakes for snack time to celebrate. Yes, this may seem crazy but I snapped a pic of the camera to capture this very comical moment of my child literally shoveling cupcakes in his mouth with both hands….
14. Apparently, Liam picked up on me telling him that I am not happy with him at times when I felt he was misbehaving. I say this because now when he knows he has done something he is not supposed to do, he will look at me and say, “Soooo, you not happy with me right now??” ….I almost cracked up laughing the 1st time that munchkin voice spit that out….where do they come up with these things?!?! …oh yeah, from us!! LOL
15. A few of his fav phrases right now: “I do it myself” ; “Five more minutes” (response to anything when you tell him it’s time to stop doing something, go to bed, eat, etc.) ; “I want a snack”
16. It’s pretty much amazing to me that you can now have a full out conversation with Liam. I love to ask him questions about his day at school and see the responses he comes up with. Really hilarious sometimes. I hear about reading stories, finding frogs on the playground, how funny he thinks he & his friends are (literally, he says that), and that he thinks a few of the girls are beautiful (aww!).
17. Potty Training — we are in week 6 now of this lovely process. I stand by my previous comments and will still have a separate post about it SOON. I will say this for now, though, I think Liam has done amazingly well and we are still diaper free!
18. Anytime Liam sees crumbs in the car or his car seat, he always tell me that we “gotta vacuum” …without fail, I get told that…basically, mommy, your car is dirty & you should clean it.
19. Yesterday, we got out of the car and Liam saw that our driveway was covered in the pieces of pollen (we have FOUR oak trees in our front yard). He looked at me and said, “We gotta clean up this mess. Daddy needs to mow.” LOL!!! I about died laughing!! Where does this little person come up with these things?!?!
20. He ate his 1st bowl of cereal on March 23rd. In my book, this was a momentous occasion, as he asked for cereal with milk. I don’t know why, but that just seemed like such a big boy thing. So, of course, I took a picture 🙂
21. The boy LOVES music, dancing, & singing! Here he is belting out “Let It Go” in the car with Daddy …or, maybe eating the air conditioning…I’ll let you be the judge.
22. We are in a comfortable size 3T clothes now with a mix of some 4T here & there.
23. Liam is starting swim lessons on Monday and we are VERY excited for that. More details & pics to come in future posts!
24. He is a pro at turning the speaker bar on & off for the TV. I think he thinks that’s one of his little jobs because we always ask him to do it now. He can also turn the TV off if you ask him.
25. Gone are the days when we can pick out any outfit we want for him. He is a mini fashionista and already has to have a say in what shirt & shorts he is going to wear. Not to mention, his socks and undies…hey, the patterns, on those matter, too, ya know?!?! It even goes all the way down to his shoes….Tonka Trucks, Captain America, or Lightening McQueen? 🙂
26. He is very independent when out at the stores and is hard-pressed to ride in the shopping carts anymore. He “wants to walk”.
27. He is a little bookworm. Can’t get enough of his books!
28. Thomas the Train is one of his favs and we are slowly building quite the collection of the wooden train cars. He loves learning all the names of the different engines.
29. He has always had the most pleasant & mellow personality, but we are definitely starting to see small spurts where he tests us to see what he can get away with. Very interesting how quickly their little demeanor can change when they aren’t getting their way.
30. His fav place to eat / snack at home is his picnic table…Timber’s fav place to sneak is underneath it!! ….no crumb is left behind!! Dangerous duo, those two!
31. He is learning how to brush his teeth on his own. He likes to watch himself in the mirror while he does it. Of course, we brush for him 1st or after, but he likes to try & it’s good for him.
32. Last, but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, Liam is THE MOST loving child EVER!! If I’ve said it once, then I’ve said it a thousand times….we are blessed!! Nothing is better than those little arms going around your neck and getting a hug & a kiss. He will often ask you for a “big hug” 🙂
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Whew!!! Are you still with me?!?! Did you make it ’till the end? Kudos to you, if you did. That was a lot of writing! Hahaha!! Well, I enjoyed bragging about our little guy for a bit, so if you are reading this, then I hope your enjoyed reading it just as much!!
Casa de Murphy 