Thanks, Becca

Okay, so I harassed you enough...seriously, it was worth it because Bruce already had one started! I love you for finally asking for the password. (Check out the new link to Hatch Adventures) I can't believe how much Kiki has grown! I'm sorry that you have suffered from the Rubella syndrome- we dodged that bullet, but ended up with RSV/Pneumonia/Undiagnosed Respiratory Illness/Possible Asthma Problems with Jack for the last 10 days. I took him to the doctor when I thought that he wasn't getting any oxygen and he couldn't stop coughing. I thought that maybe I could score on some cough syrup with Codeine. Well, they didn't want to give me that, but they sent me home with a respirator and some "open-up your airways" medication. It actually worked really well. I'm hoping that he isn't a lifelong asthmatic (thank you to the Logan Valley with the worst winter air in the nation). The only bad part is that you have to put a mask on him and have him breathe in the medication which takes about 15-20 minutes. I'm not going to kid you, holding him still, not always as easy as it sounds. Lachlan was totally distraught while he cried with that mask on-she thought I was trying to kill him. She cried and pointed to him and tried to pull the mask out of my hand. I finally let her wear the mask so that she could see that I wasn't performing some kind of George Bush "define torture" maneuver. At any rate, we are making a fine recovery. Oh, and I know that I look terrible in this picture, sick kids...it's a bad deal.



The cats are off to the vet today. They are getting their teeth cleaned. Tabby cats (and apparently fat gray hybrids) are prone to dental disease. The vet tells me that the $$$ I spend now will pay off later because I won't have to buy canned food for them after their teeth rot and fall out. Yeah, I'm doing my part, but I'm telling you folks-even this animal lover has her limits. I will not be spooning soft noodles into these ungrateful mouths anytime soon. I'm afraid that these boys will have to learn to gum their food or starve. And in all seriousness, if you have ever seen how my mother's cats survive in their desolate condition you will know that these spoiled paws will probably outlive Jeff and I.

Here are some pictures from the rest of the week's activities:
Pushing Ernie in the grocery cart sounds like a good idea, unfortunately chaos and heartbreak were the only remains of this adventure. Jack got a turn first because he thought of the idea, but Lachlan bawled when Ernie decided that he had had enough and wouldn't get back in when she wanted to push it. Honestly, I feel that Ernie was getting some direct revelation concerning the status of his immediate health. Lachlan has a tendency to ram the cart into stuff to change direction. It can be quite a case of whiplash for the dolls and other unlucky passengers.

Okay, despite what I just said, I figured if I helped her turn the cart...why not let her push her brother??

Jack's a good passenger. I should have given Lachlan a weight belt so that she doesn't get a hernia. It was like watching an ant carry its own body weight.

Yeah, I dressed the kids like this on purpose. This is what they wore to church on Sunday. The older folks and people who shop at Christopher and Banks thought it was "so dang cute!" I got these outfits from a few good friends in the South. I figured that they must have cost a fortune and that I better get some use out of them before they won't fit.

I went to put this on Lola and she said, "Quack, Quack,"- yup, mama's making you wear ducks.

Anybody else sick of shoveling snow?? Our piles along the driveway are over 5 feet tall-I can't throw the snow anymore so this is a picture of the kids watching Jeff shovel before he goes to work. Yeah, it's very dark outside.

Remember the prunes I bought...oh, boy, kids love 'em.

Fritz takes a bath in the "Thunder Tube"
Lachlan yells, "No, no, no, " "MINE!"

A trip night skiing at Beaver Mountain. We didn't actually get to ski because Jeff shoved Lachlan off the hill on the Thunder Tube and she bounced on her head....so much for that.

A Mom's Night Out

Suz and I visit Maceys while Jeff watches the kids.

Me: Oh, man, kidney beans are on sale. I better get a case.

Suz: What?

Me: Oh, look and black beans too, better get a case of both.

Suz: Sheesh, look here, stewed tomatoes. Sweet.

Suz: Oh, Rose, these are individually wrapped prunes. They are awesome!

Me: You've got to be kidding me.

Suz: Seriously, they taste just like a piece of candy!

Me: Well, shoot, they're on sale. I'll get two of them.

Suz: Open one of them now and try it.

Me: No way, we're in Maceys.

Suz: I want to see the look on your face when you eat it.

Me: (laughing) Isn't that a line from a movie?

Suz: Yeah, but we are talking about eating a prune and pretending that it is candy. And you have two cases of beans in your cart.

Working On It...

Just before noon on Friday:

I was in checking on my web shmuck (he will remain nameless for now), but essentially I work with this dude. Let's just say things have not been getting done. Jack was asleep. Lachlan playing with her toys (which means she was taking the pants off her doll). I am concentrating on diplomacy and efficiency with the dude. I have been working for about 20 minutes when L comes running into the room and says, "Mama, wa wa....me shoo, too be" Translation: Mom, look I have been doing my hair! I notice that indeed, the girl has been in there working on it. It is wetted down, make that, heavily wetted down. And combed down flat to her head (think Mr. Gilson 7th grade science teacher style). She is so proud of this that I say, "Wow, you have been in there working on it--and you even used the water from your sippy cup to help!"

I pat myself on the back for being supportive.

Fast Forward

Late Afternoon on Tuesday:

I am trying to get the dishes done, dinner fixed. Jack is in his high chair, whining for more food. Lachlan is playing in the living room (taking pants off of her doll). I have been absorbed in crisis management, but I sense disaster..."Lachlan, where are you?" no answer. I find her out on the ledge of our stairway. She has the cat's water bowl in her hands and it appears that she is pouring it on the stairs below. "What the hell? Immediate time out!" She promptly rushes to her room. I follow behind and close the door. Five minutes later I head in there to talk about how dangerous it is for her to be out on that ledge (think: do you want to fall and break your neck??)

Following all of the good discipline techniques I crouch down and look into her eyes, "L, you can't get out there on that ledge with the cat's water.....?" pause, silence and I notice that her hair has "been worked on" in the course of about two seconds my mind drafts together the realization that she has been "doing" her hair by dipping her head in the cat's water. She wasn't out on the ledge pouring the water onto the stairs, she was "workin' on her hair."

Still silence in the room, until I have to stand up slowly without saying anything else and walk out of the room to laugh out loud.

Note to self:

1) At least she wasn't drinking it.

2) It could have been worse (i.e., toilet water)

3) Own hygiene is not what it used to be- personal hairdo maybe looks similar.

Truer Words Were Ne'er Spoken...

Andy Rooney generally gets it right, but this time he knocked it out of the park!
The following is his latest excerpt from 60 Minutes.

60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS)

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.
If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.
Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.
Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.
Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off that you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.
Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year oldwaitress.
Ladies, I apologize.
For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

From Scratch...

I took the time to make Jack's birthday cake from scratch. Oh, I had forgotten why it can be worth the effort. It was a beautiful three-layer yellow and dark chocolate delicacy (if I do say so myself...and I do because I ate two pieces). Jack climbed up on the counter while I was finishing the dishes and ate part of his 3-layer "baby cake" before it was even frosted. I created a cute slideshow of his party so make sure to check it out.

We had such a good time celebrating. I finally made something that everyone liked (hard to please this crowd)...philly cheese steak sandwiches. I was inspired by Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I am addicted to that show. It makes me salivate before I've even clicked on the new episodes. The only thing I will do differently with this menu is to add homemade onion rings next time...I can hardly wait.

Make a postcard - it's easy!

New Year, New Look!

I have been coveting others' more flashy websites for some time and I finally decided that it was time for an update. Good thing I got the stomach flu from Jack...I was able to get it finished! Thanks to Jeff for watching the kids today. Thanks to my body for keeping all the food where it belongs...

I'm not sure how long this look will last. It is a bit on the pink side. I'm not a huge fan of pink, but I couldn't really find anything "not neon" in greens and earth tones. I'll keep looking. It should be easier now that I know what I'm up against.

P.S. It looks much better in Internet Explorer. I'm not sure what is going on with the html code in Mozilla. I'm probably not going to fix it because I don't really care for that browser anyway. just fyi.

Hey, Hot Stuff!

Jack found some of Sierra's sunglasses. He thought they were pretty cool.

It has been a long week for Jack. He has been so very sick. A horrible cold topped off with a bit of a stomach virus. Nothing worse that having a sore throat, stuffed nose and vomiting. Today is the first day out of the last three that I didn't rock him or hold him all day long. We even went out to eat at the McDonald's Playland last night because I was feeling so guilty about Lachlan's lack of attention. She thought that she had died and gone to heaven.

I have been back to our regular diet now for about a week (post-holiday hangover). Let's just say that Lachlan would rather eat something laced with cinnamon and sugar rather than plain oatmeal for breakfast and vegetable-based lunches. She went on a Gandhi-type fast for a few days before she got hungry enough to eat it. She is rediscovering her likeness for dried fruit and oranges as snacks. She still asks for chocolate after every meal, but hey, so do I...

I am so glad that all of the treats are finally out of the house. It is really hard to give the kids a "snack" and not have a few for yourself. I'm not really capable of a lot of self-control in this area.

Oh, and I finally started my guitar class last week. I have been playing left-handed, but our instructor suggested that maybe I would have a better advantage if I took use of the dexterity of my left hand (as it is the stronger of the two). Consequentially, I had the local shop restring my guitar for a right-handed person. It has been a hard week because I feel dyslexic. I'm not really sure if I like the change. It still feels very awkward and my finger tips are killing me! I'm going to give it a couple of weeks to see if it really does make a difference. For now, I'm just plugging away on a dorky-looking guitar (the guitar still has the pick-plate on upside down..I'll fix it later if I like the change).

Okay, So I've Been A Little Busy...

Let's just start with my daughter being a robot. Frankly, she doesn't have a clue what a robot is (and if she did she would scream and run the other way), but she really likes to climb into paper bags. This is very irritating to the cats because they are usually trying to do the same thing and they simply can't all fit in there together. Jeff suggested a compromise by cutting out some "eye holes"-it probably saved her life.

Since the children came, we occasionally have one of the cats (prisoners) escape from the house (holding facility). On one particularly cold and wet day, Fritz was stupid enough to run across the street under a pine tree. I yelled from the garage, "fine, you idiot-you can stay out!" Sadly, however, I forgot that he was out and I went to town in a blizzard for several hours. These sad, muddy paw prints on the front door show that he tried to claw his way back into jail.

We have been sledding. This is a trip on an old runner-type sleigh. Sledding is fun for the kids, but not so fun for mom and dad. I miss skiing. I try not to think about how old they will really have to be for them to enjoy that...

Okay, so Jeff likes sledding...maybe it's just me.

Jack prefers something much slower and controlled.

This is our new red sled. The inside is slicker than the outside. This is Lachlan hanging on for dear life. We tried to get her to sit in the middle but she just kept sliding out the back...zero, traction.

Jack finds out just how slippery the sled is...face first into the snow. Sledding over.

So many of you have asked me about how hard it is to have two children the same age...well, let me tell you about the Cocoa Puffs Incident.

Children are playing nicely in the living room. I decide to clean up the bathroom. I grab the cleaning supplies and dash into the bathroom. Things seem to be going well, I peek out occasionally to make sure that they both still have their eyeballs and no chipped teeth. I continue to scrub the tub. When I finish with the final rinse I realize that it is suddenly VERY quiet in the living room. I stop. I listen. And then I hear Jack laughing...not just a regular laugh, but a gut bursting round of laughter unlike I've ever heard before...

Oh, shit.

I head to the living room. Children are gone. Laughter coming from the kitchen. Make that laughter, singing and some kind of foot stomping.

My discovery reveals that the children have broken into the kitchen pantry. Lachlan has pulled down a giant (think Malt O' Meal size) bag of Cocoa Puffs. She shakes a few on the floor and then dances around on the Cocoa Puffs and sings "Hello, Hello" (a familiar nursery/primary song). Jack is shoving puffs in his mouth as fast as he can, all the while laughing hysterical at his sister! This creates quite a chocolate mess because he doesn't have any back teeth to chew with so the laughing just makes it all drool down the front of him.

"Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, me ma moo ma meeee."

After Lachlan dances around on the puffs, Jack lays down on his stomach and swims around in the crumbs. It is even funnier when Lachlan slips on the mess she has created and falls on the floor. This brings on another round of fitful laughter.

Granted, it was just wild enough that I had to get some pictures of the whole thing. It took about 20 minutes to get the crumbs off of the kids, off the floor...Jack kept trying to grab the puffs out of the waste scoop as I was sweeping them up.

This however, is my favorite picture. This is where I started laughing...about 15 minutes after the clean up I found the kids in the hall nearly passed out from the collapse of the sugar rush. They laid on that laundry pile for a good thirty minutes before they got their strength back!

And then there was the Sweet Potatoes Incident. Jeff left for church meetings and I ran down the hall to grab a bib...ironic really, since he grabbed the sweet potatoes container and I came back to find him drinking them.

No incident here. Just Christmas morning...Hostess Powdered Donuts are not a Murray Family approved food (as Aunt Susie would say), but on Christmas morning anything goes...and the kids ate about a dozen of them. Lachlan liked washing it down with Egg Nog. She still asks for it every meal. Fortunately for her, she's so underweight that she can have it at any given time. Can you imagine? A diet that consists of pats of butter, whole milk, Egg Nog and cheese. I'll never know.

Hum, what can I say about this hair lately? Probably nothing good. Those of you who know me, know that I have firmly lived by the resolution that good hair is very important. I have often dreamed of doing wonderful things with my daughter's hair...let me just say that, uggh, Lachlan may have the world's slowest growing, fuzziest, wild-out-of-control hair on the earth. This is a picture of what her hair looks like on any given day...all day, even two seconds after you brush it it looks like this, like a mix between the Heat Miser and Sanjaya (with his mohawk).

And now, please welcome my latest DIY project. I found these cool paper mache letters at Giga-JoAnns in O-Town. They were only a couple of dollars. I spray painted it white and then glued a variety of different buttons on the top to give it a bit of texture. It turned out so cute! It was so easy and I had been wanting to do something different in her room. Just for the record, I did get a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas. I made Double Fudge Mocha Brownie Cookies from the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook and Bobby Flay's Blondies from the Blondie Throwdown. They were both so good that I never even bothered to take any pictures. I'm sure that eventually I will post a full body picture and you can just take a gander at my thighs...it will make you instantly think of an overindulgence for baked goods.

And let's not forget that it's ELECTION SEASON...oh, my gosh, can you just shout out loud for the landslide victory that it would be for the Democratic Party if Mike Huckabee even comes close to the nomination. Here's a laugh out loud piece from the NYTimes if you aren't up to speed on this dude (Two Buck Huck). I am so excited that Obama didn't take NH last night. I really wanted to even the score so that I can have these two (vs. Clinton) whittle it out to the finish. God Bless the women voters who came out to vote!! It's about bloody time we took control of this system!

Oh, and one last thing, we are so excited for Lachlan to have a new cousin. Mike Tullis and his boys (and uncle Jason Murray) will be coming THIS SATURDAY from China with Kylie (Fu Kang)!! She is from the Guizhou Region of China. It's pretty far from Lachlan's hometown, but we are so excited for that special connection. I'll be sure to post some homecoming video soon.