birthday at grandma's 'house'

Hi Daddy! Since we already had my party on Monday, Mommy took me down to "Grandma Glenna's" to play!

I had a party meeting tons of new people, throwing my eggs on the floor, greeting customers, and exploring the entire restaurant.

Grandma's house is cool because I can eat whatever I want and I always get chocolate milk! But it's sorta confusing cuz Mommy keeps calling her house Elmer's....hmm...she makes no sense.

Going to Grandma's is exhausting Daddy! I miss you!

Eric status: He is currently exploring Bourbon Street. Lots of bars, lots of partying, lots of trannys. He texted me a pic he took with one fine lookin' tranny... I better watch out, she was hot! :)

it's a party

On Monday we celebrated Sophie's 1st birthday!!! We had the best time and here are some pics I thought we'd share:

Let's start with a couple decorations...



Marty made the most amazing birthday cakes...

And Soph got to use the Red Plate for the first time!

Mmm... it's fun eating birthday cake!


Sophie got a pony from her grandpa!



And she got a sweet ride from the fam!


Here she is opening all her fabulous presents-


Here's everyone....

(Kristi found a hidden talent...I think she's takin this act on the road.)

And Soph got to hang out with her sis Alexandria...what a nice present!


Thank you everyone so much!!! You all made Sophie's first birthday so special!


Eric update: He is now in Louisiana, and we think he has found a 'home'. He is in charge of a medium sized crew that will be picking up hurricane debris (trees, seaweed, etc) in the swamplands outside of New Orleans. He is excited to get to get to work and to have his first real assignment. We love you babe! You are doing amazing!

happy birthday love

Sophie my Murphy.

I am so happy that I am your mommy. This year has been the best of my life and I thank you for that. It is so strange how one simple change can alter your whole view of everything and even make you a better person. What amazing times we've had and I can't wait to see what is in store for our future.

I love you my darlin.

daddy look what i got (early)

Mommy let me pick out a monkey at the store...


And I love watching my monkey show with him. He's just like Curious George!



Gigi got me my first pair of Stride Rite walking shoes. They might be ugly, but they were really expensive and they are supposed to be the best walking shoes for babies.


And here's the outfit Mommy got for me at the Children's Place in the mall. It's my birthday outfit! I hope you like it!

where's the vodka

Normally I need coffee to keep me fueled throughout the day. But let me tell ya I have been such a nervous wreck lately that I finally said screw the caffeine, momma needs a drink!

I love that man, but like I've said before, I hate him too. He is gonna be the death of me, and it's not even what he is or does...it's just his luck. Everything he does is a tangled mess. It always eventually unwinds itself, but in the mean time it sucks. Nothing can ever be smooth and why would traveling 2000 miles be easy peasy?

Breathe and take a drink.

Now let's watch your monkey show Sophie Mae.

when it rains it pours

Yesterday Sophie sat by the front window watching the rain come down like cats and dogs (while our courageous Lucy whimpered and cowered at my side). Soph was a champ up until there was practically a waterfall out our front door and she started bawling. It's funny how babies just know when something is outta the ordinary. :)

Now here's the part where I share our rainy day pics.....

But when the sun came out we explored outside...

And what better time to break out the rain jacket...

cruisin' forward

When Soph was born I was scared to death of taking her out in public. Between the icy roads, bad drivers, and nasty germy everything I just wasn't going to risk it. Up until she was about 4 months old the only places she had ever visited were her Grandma's and the doctor's office. I admit that I was totally overprotective but hey...safety is no accident!

Now I have just gotten used to throwing her and everything she owns into the car when it's time to get groceries. But a couple days ago we graduated to the next step in car safety: the front facing car seat. I love it!

It is so fun to watch her do whatever it is that she does in that backseat. Come to find out it's just playing with her feet and stuffed animals, but she could have been attacked by a blood thirsty scorpion and I wouldn't have known. Needless to say, it's very comforting to be able to see my kid while I'm driving.



Eric status: shacked up at a hotel just north of Houston, we're still waiting to hear from his primary contact. ugh. Luckily he has a list of backup contacts as well.

we are a-ok

While on the phone with Eric tonight, it really hit me that I have totally grown up in the past couple months. It's not often where you can mark that kind of change on a calendar.

Our family has been such a huge support through this ordeal, however, I must admit that I am handling this situation far better than I would have ever imagined. So well in fact that I'm almost a little concerned that I'm not more upset that Eric is nearly 2000 miles away. But it's tonight that I realized I am truly more concerned with Eric's safety, with keeping Sophie happy, and with the success of this job than I am with any selfish emotion that I want to feel.

I actually know now how it feels when a mom is truly more concerned about the safety and happiness of her children and family than herself. You just don't have room to think about 'you'. All 'you' want is what is best for your family.

huh. i think i am a grown up now. i think i like it.

hey yawl

Eric has made it to the lone star state! We are so proud of you babe. Now just to survive to Houston and shack up, rest up, and settle down with a couple beers. Tomorrow is (hopefully) going to be a big day.

Sophie wanted to celebrate her daddy's arrival to Texas by puttin' on her cowboy boots! We miss you babe and have all faith that you will do great.

Eric's current status: driving through Dallas with just under 4 hours to go to reach Houston.

happy soph-tober

So October actually began yesterday...but we've been a bit off for the past couple weeks. It happens.

But October means: Sophie's 1st Birthday!!! And Eric had doubts that I could make it this far.... take that! To be completely honest I had doubts too, but we've done a great job so far. I was just thinking about all the things that we've successfully avoided over the past year: an emergency room visit, locking her in the car, leaving her at Fred Meyer...ya know all the normal stuff that mom's worry about. :)

Oh sweet victory.

And speaking of our October monster/baby...

It takes a bit to look gorgeous after waking up...

Eric status: slept in his truck at a Flying J in Wyoming last night, his trailer got a flat tire just outside of Laramie this morning, but 300 bucks later he is back safely on the road.

step by step

Change is never easy and saying good bye is even harder.

Today Eric left for his journey off to Texas. Yes it is a risk, and yes he will be missing Sophie's first birthday, and yes I might go crazy. But we really feel that all will be worthwhile in the end. That the time spent away right now is like an investment into more quality time in the future.

It will be hard to say when Eric will be coming home next (month or so...longer even???). But until then we can only take it day by day and our main priority at the moment is his safe trip to Houston. I have about one bajillion things to worry about but that would cross off the first from my list.

For now I am just mentally planning out the next month and preparing myself on how to deal with our neurotic animals. They are true creatures of habit and really miss their dad when he's gone. Actually, given the mental status of the 4 of us (Soph, me, Katt and Lucy) I am thinking that Sophie is gonna be the rock. God love that child.

thank you

I love my little family.

We have definitely had a tough couple weeks (and are in for a drastic change for a couple months), but it's situations like these that allow you to fully appreciate all the important and simple things in your life.

I love that kissing Sophie's belly gets a giggle out of her every time. I love how Katt and Lucy hate/love each other all day long. I love the smell of my clean towels. I love how Eric puts his heart and soul into providing for his family. I love my morning (and afternoon and sometimes evening) coffee. I love watching Sophie learn to babble words. I love my family.

I really love what I have.

status check

Here's the status of our relationship with our child/monster:

9:00 p.m. yesterday.... 80% love 20% hate

11:59 p.m. yesterday.... 80% hate 20% love

all day today.... 100% love

Oh sopha-monster.....

the naughty baby song

Yes, Sophie and I love to sing. Every single song I can think of I actually just rewrite the lyrics to and add 'Sophie Mae' or 'stinky baby' or 'l...m...n...o...poopy', I think you get the picture. Our personal favorite goes to the tune of the Spongebob Squarepants theme. I have added the video so you may refresh your memory with the tune.....

Our replaced lyrics:

Oh...who's the stinkiest baby with powerful thighs!
Sophie Murphy
She plays peek-a-boo cuz she loves the surprise!
Sophie Murphy
Her favorites are boobies and Curious George!
Sophie Murphy
She crawls like a beetle it's her we adore!
Sophie Murphy...Sophie Murphy.....etc

This morning I created a "Naughty Baby Song" inspired by the fact that she didn't get to bed until 4-5 a.m. Yeah it was nice. My delirium created the new lyrics to the same tune:

Oh...who's the monster of babies and stays up all night!
Sophie Murphy
Eats Lucy's dog food and gives Mommy a fright!
Sophie Murphy
Loves to play in the potty and splash all around!
Sophie Murphy
She spits like a cobra, throws herself on the ground!
Sophie Murphy...Sophie Murphy.....etc

We sort of hate (but totally love) our Sophie Mae today. Let me tell ya, there is nothing like sleep deprivation and a screaming baby to test your true love and devotion to your child. But Eric and I might lock her in the closet tonight if she tries it again. Oh monster baby, we do love ya.