Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving this year was spent in Pottsville, and we had a great time...unfortunately, our camera didn't get used a whole lot - but I'll share the few pictures we did capture.  The week before Thanksgiving, we took a trip to the zoo with our friends, the Chio's, so I'll throw those pictures in here too!  Enjoy!

walking the ledge with mommy at the zoo

nash and bennett....looking for zebras

buddies!

flamingos....one of Nash's favorite exhibits at the zoo

Waiting for Santa in the fireman's parade!

being silly with Uncle Mark - these two play so well together.  :)

squeezes from Nannie and Opa

Uncle Mark loves to make silly faces!

Fall 2011 family pics....Daddy, Nash, Mommy, and baby Quinn!

our Nashman with crazy hair! 

Baby Quinn - 27 weeks!

Baby Quinn is a mover and a shaker - at 27 weeks, we are getting towards the home stretch!  Thought I'd share a belly pic (already, the pictures of baby Quinn are fewer than Nashman...and he/she hasn't even been born yet!).  All of my appointments have gone well, and everything is right on track so far.  No gestation diabetes, no elevated blood pressure so far....yay!  Here is baby Quinn...in all of his/her belly glory:

Our month of October!

October was a pretty busy month for us, but so fun! 

We kicked off the month with a visit to Pennsylvania for my friend Johana's wedding.  It was a crazy travel situation...we flew into Newark on Saturday morning of the wedding (meeting Jackie on our connecting flight in Baltimore) and Matt's parents met us with two cars.  We grabbed a quick lunch and we (me, Matt, Jackie) took one car to Jo's wedding while Nannie and Opa took Nash with them to Pottsville.  We enjoyed the wedding that evening (my water was SO yummy!  haha), and drove back to Pottsville the next day where we were able to visit with all of Matt's extended family.  Nash had such a big time playing with all of his cousins, and we were able to stay until Monday afternoon - when we all piled back in the car and drove to Philly for our flight home!  Whew - we were exhausted, but it was totally worth it.  Here are a few pictures of the wedding and Nash's time in Posttsville:

Jack, Jo, Amy Jo - college roomies!

me, Matt, and baby Quinn  :)

Nash eating with his cousins a the big boy table!

Love for Nannie before bedtime

Playing ball with Uncle Mark

Thanks for hanging out with me Nannie and Opa!

At the end of the month, of course Nash had to celebrate Halloween.  We had two costumes this year, thanks to grandparents!  :)  So, for his school party...Nash was a snowman.  For evening trick or treating....Nash was a monkey.  He was adorable in both outfits!  We returned to the pumpkin patch as well, and Nash was very excited to pick out his own pumpkins.  We took advantage of the gorgeous day and setting and did an impromptu photo shoot with him as well. Enjoy the pictures!

Nash the snowman

hanging out with mommy at the school parade

his treat bag was so heavy, I had to carry it back for him!

Nash the monkey, and his buddy the pro golfer - Bennett

No, pumpkins are NOT balls....but try explaning that to a 20 month old.  :)

Wagon ride through the neighborhood...

in search of the perfect pumpkin

I see it, dad!  I see it!

so heavy!

this slide was HUGE, he was SO proud of himself...obviously.  :)

"helping" daddy spread mulch

more help, courtesy of Nashman

Hope you all had a happy October!

Nashman (aka...big brother!)

I am 20 weeks pregnant....Nashman is going to be a big brother!  Quinn Murphy is expected to join our family in early February 2012 - we are so excited!  Here are a few pictures of Quinn at our midterm ultrasound, where everything looked great!

Introducing....Quinn!

our little boxer

feet!

Quinn's little heart beating away perfectly!

What Quinn looks like from the "outside" at 19 weeks:

Here is what Nash looked like from the "outside" at 21 weeks (the closest comparison I have):

Wow!  Quite a difference huh?  So far my weight gain hasn't been any different, but this belly is definitely popping out much more quickly!  Everyone told me it would be this way with baby #2, but these pictures prove it! 

Labor Day 2011 - Indiana

We decided at the last minute to head home to Indiana over Labor Day....we knew if we didn't get home for a long weekend, it may not be until Christmas before we got home!  So...off we went.  We stopped about 10 minutes into the trip and turned Nash's carseat to forward facing.  It was almost 105 degrees when we left Nashville, and needless to say....a rear facing carseat was smothering our sweaty little dude.  He was much more comfortable after that roadside switch!

We arrived late into the evening (or early morning), as usual....but didn't miss a beat hanging out with the family for the weekend.  We didn't necessarily do anything out of the ordinary - other than enjoy each others company, but that's what made it so nice and relaxing.  We let the kiddos play around outside, took naps, slept in (as much as Nash allowed), gave Macy and Mya their birthday present (a few weeks early!), and managed to get in a Bummies visit as well!

Here are some snapshots of our visit, not too many this time...surprising, right?

the murphy boys

Here was the conversation....

Amy:  "hey Matt, can you hang out with Nash while I get lunch ready?"
Matt:  "sure"
(me...making lunch.  matt...hanging out with Nash.)
Amy:  "ok baby, lunch is ready....want to bring Nash in here?"
Matt:  .....(silence)....

I walk into the living room to find this...

so sweet, my boys are. 

18 months - update

Our little Nashman is 18 months old!  At 22 pounds 1 ounce, and 31 inches tall....he is keeping pace around the 10th percentile for weight and 15th for height.  Dr. Mishu tells us repeatedly that he's not going to be the star center.  Point guard maybe?  :)

Here are a few things our love bug is up to these days:

• LOVES the pool and the water.  Hates being contained, so any type of life jacket or floatie is pretty much out of the question.  He wants to hang out with us in the water, so that means he is in our arms most of the time.  He will jump off the side of the pool, and let you dunk his head under the water.  He will most definitely be ready for swim lessons next summer!
• Learning to maneuver the stairs....the rule in our house is to sit on his bottom and scoot down.  He does well most of the time, but gets antsy and wants to walk.  He IS a coordinated little guy, but still makes me nervous....gates are still fully functional in our house.
• Our kiddo is coordinated!  He will kick and throw any kind of ball you give him - by far his favorite game.  He is also really into coloring right now (his favorite colors are brown and black?) and stacking blocks.
• Nash can name most "normal" toddler animals and the sounds they make...of course half of the words only Matt and I can understand - but we're ok with that!  We know he is communicating and we are so proud of him!  
• Eating is quickly becoming more of a struggle....he seems to eat fine at school with his friends, but is getting more picky at home.  We'll see how it all plays out, but it looks like we may have a mac-n-cheese and PB&J kind of kiddo.
• In terms of schedule, Nash usually wakes between 6:30 and 7:00 and takes about a 2 hour nap after lunch, with bedtime between 7:30 and 8:00.  Sleeping is going pretty well at this point, not perfect of course - but we've settled into a pretty good routine!

 Happy 18 months, sweet boy! 

big boy on the slide!

18 month photo with the lion (that lion used to make Nashman look tiny!)

tickles with mommy

Nash's "serious" face

playing in the park after church

kisses for daddy

and kisses for momma