Catching up!

 It's been a while since I've posted....I think I'm due for a quick recap of what we've been up to lately.  It's not very often that I get to say this...but things around here have honestly been pretty laid back and calm!

The end of January and month of February were nice and relaxing.  We got to spend our weekends hanging out as a family, taking Roscoe dog on walks, playing in the yard, enjoying nap time, getting some things crossed off the never ending "to-do" list around the house.  We went to the zoo on a gorgeous weekend, we went to our first Predators game, and went to a birthday party for our little friend Duncan who turned 3.  Matt and I were able to get out a few times thanks to our sweet babysitter Jordan....we took a class to learn how to use our camera, and I took a follow up editing class.  Hopefully that will come in handy when we take pictures of Katy's upcoming wedding...lots of pressure!  We actually bought a new lens for the camera that we are learning to use too....wish us luck!

The zoo was great...I am partial to the Memphis zoo, the but Nashville zoo was nice.  Nash had his first carousel ride and we just let him do what he wanted.  He was more interested in watching the other kids at the zoo than the actual animals.  He liked the gibbons when they were swinging all around and making noise, and enjoyed the aquarium where he could get close and watch the fish swimming around.  Unfortunately, a few days after the zoo he was sick with a virus - and I'm pretty sure I shouldn't have let him get so close to the fish.  Ah...live and learn, right?  He had a blast though, so probably worth it.  He was exhausted by the end of the day, so were we!




watching the red pandas



big fish!

 



kisses for momma

 



such a big boy, no holding hands momma!



first carousel ride



running freeeeeeeeeee



pooped.



My mom came into town a few weeks ago on a Thursday evening....Nash stayed home from daycare with her on Friday and I know they had a ball.  It was so much fun having her here, we were sad to see her leave on Monday morning.  It was quite an interesting weekend though....our main breaker box went out and we had to have the entire thing replaced, so that made for an interesting Sunday (envision running refrigerators off of extension cords running through the house).  Hopefully we can convince Grandma Kay to do this more often when she has long weekends!  We'd love to share them with her more often!









thanks for coming grandma kay!





cuddles





come back soon, please!  xxoo!

Last Friday Matt and I went to the Grand Ole Opry....pretty much just to say we went, but also to see Carrie Underwood.  I knew my only chance to get Matt to a country concert was to take him to see someone as gorgeous as she is!  :)  So, that was fun....but we probably won't go back. Too many old people singing really twangy old country songs we had never heard of.  ha!  At least now we can explain to people what it is like when they visit.  But that would require us to have company first....right.

On Saturday we had some neighbors over for dinner....and I think we made new friends!! We're so excited (a little too excited probably) to have met Jada and Curtis and baby Bennett who is 9 months old.  They live down the street, and we met them when they were out on a run one day.  They're a new family of 3 like us, and we were excited to share an evening meal and drinks with them.  The kiddos played and we talked, and it seemed so normal and easy.  So, hopefully there will be many  more of those evenings in our future - it feels great to meet new people, especially as nice as they were.

We're getting ready for a trip to Memphis this weekend....headed there to catch up with old friends, Aunt Becky and Uncle Brad, and maybe Gus's Fried Chicken!  yum!

As for our Nashman...he is getting so big and acting like a toddler more and more every day.  He is officially no longer taking a bottle - we prepared ourselves for a weekend of tears and drama when we got rid of it two weeks ago, but he couldn't have cared less.  Bedtime routine is now bath, brushing teeth, stories...and then he's done.  He still takes his pacifier, but is usually so exhausted that he just goes right down.  It's sort of sad actually...he is getting to the point that he would rather just lay down instead of accept all of my cuddles.  He is good at going down for both Matt and I, so that is nice too.  He still just has the 8 teeth, although we keep expecting a molar to pop through any day!  Our love bug has turned into Mr. Mischievous...he definitely knows when he is about to do something wrong, and will check to see if we are watching.  Once the deed is done, he then runs and hides.  Little stinker!  I attempt to be serious, but it's so cute that I catch myself smiling when I should really be teaching him otherwise.  :)  He is beginning to eat a little meat....he will eat chicken nuggets for the most part and we tried fish sticks the other day, but he wasn't really into them.  We'll take anything at this point though.  One of his new favorite foods is dried cranberries...LOVES them.  He's still not taking milk from his sippy cup - even though he was taking it from a bottle.  He may take a teeny sip, but once he realizes it is not water, he wants nothing to do with it.  Our pedi insists we not stress about it since he eats plenty of dairy otherwise - so I do my best with that.  We try every few days with the milk, and so far it's not working.  No stress...no stress...no stress.  Nash gives the best kisses...still.  He opens wide, and it's almost as if he is going to bite and then at the last minute gives the big smack.  It is absolutely adorable.  And so are his hugs.  He is so lovable, and loves to hug babies.  He hugs the babies at daycare and was loading his little buddy Bennett up with hugs last weekend. Roscoe gets plenty of them too.  So stinking sweet.  Some days I just look at this little person who grew in my belly, and is now this living, breathing, smiling, laughing, kissing, hugging perfect little boy and I am overwhelmed with how in love I am.  The moments that it hits me are so powerful and so random, but I am so thankful for feeling this way.  I feel how real and deep my love for him runs, and it reminds me of how special and how important my job as mommy really is.  My life is good and so so blessed.

Geez...so this wasn't so "quick" was it?  Ooops!

Hope everyone has had a nice, relaxing couple of months like we have....I'll leave you with a few more pictures of our sweet little dude.




not sure what to do with the bubbles on his head.



our little baller



teasing roscoe dog with the ball

playing with our new camera lens in the backyard

irresistable.  heart piercing.  you know it.



best buds

in love with this photo

110% sweet



my love bug and my favorite

Without these two boys in my life...I'm not sure how I would get through my days.  Every day I look forward to the moment I pick up Nashman (aka...love bug) from daycare and get a big hug and that smile that is reserved only for his momma.  Then we get home, and he is eating...and he hears his daddy (my favorite) come up the stairs - and that smile is *almost* as amazing as the one I get.  I love my boys (even the furry one...happy valentines day to you too, Roscoe dog!), and can't imagine life without them.  Happy Valentines Day to my love bug and to my favorite.

xxoo...

Professional One Year Pictures

There are just too many pictures to choose between...I'll post a few of my favorites here.  Kristen (www.kristenweigelphotography.com) did an amazing job on a very very cold afternoon - thank you Kristen!  We love them!  Now...we just have to decide which ones to print and show off!  :)  Enjoy!

Baptism

Nash was baptized at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church on Saturday evening after his birthday party (January 15, 2011).  The whole family got to be a part of the ceremony...how great is that?  Uncle Mark and Aunt Katy are Nash's godparents, and we are so grateful for their love for Nash and their desire to help him grow up in the light of our Lord. 

Mass was at 5:30 and we chose to do a private baptism ceremony afterward...it proved to be a tad late for all of the babies (see picture of meltdown below), but was a very nice ceremony.  Nash wore a baptismal gown that has been a part of the Murphy family since 1916.  Nash is the 26th baby since then to be baptized in the gown.  It has a pretty amazing history...and if the list wasn't so long, I would post it here! 

Enjoy the pictures...

Nash, parents, and Godparents during the ceremony

grandparents

anointing of oil

the murphy crew

the whole nash/murphy crew....note all babies having meltdowns...this picture is just too funny to me. 

nash and his Godparents - Uncle Mark and Aunt Katy

the murphy boys

After the baptism, we went back home and put the babies down to sleep and ordered pizza.  We were all pretty tired from a big day of celebrating!  Sunday morning we had some breakfast, and those who were driving took off around lunch time.  

Nannie and Opa and Uncle Mark flew out Monday  morning, so we got to hang out with them for an extra day.  We headed downtown for a few drinks and for dinner...we stopped by the Parthenon down by Vanderbilt for an impromptu one year photo shoot.  Some of them turned out pretty well - Nash even made a "one" with his finger for us!  

Chilly but smiling

Look at that adorable grin!

playing around

Nannie and Opa!

Such a big boy!

Being silly with Uncle Mark

I am ONE!

It's a party!

Nash is one lucky little dude...both sides of the family all managed to get to Nashville to celebrate his birthday (and baptism...coming in another post). 

Nannie and Opa flew in on Thursday...
Grandma and Grandpa drove in on Friday with Aunt Jessi, Uncle Ty, Macy, and Mya...
Uncle Mark flew in Friday evening...
Aunt Katy and Uncle Clint drove down late Friday night.

Nash's first birthday party was kept pretty low key - just family, but we had a great time!  The party had a bit of a puppy theme to it....some puppy balloons, puppy napkins, Nash's smash cake was a puppy (yes, decorated by me!), and the cupcakes for everyone had paw prints on them.  (I know, so Martha Stewart, right?  ha!)  We had a taco bar for lunch, opened presents afterwards, smashed cake, took a bath, and then took a nap to rest of for the baptism later in the evening.

Nash was totally spoiled by all of his relatives (as every one year old should be) and got some pretty fun toys.  Auntie Katy and Uncle Clint had the winner in a little power wheels four wheeler.  Auntie Jessi, Uncle Ty, Macy and Mya bought Nash a little tyke's basketball goal...he is getting pretty good at throwing everything in there!  Nannie and Opa gave Nash a nursery rhyming bear and a savings bond.  Uncle Mark bought him a fun oversized rubber ducky for the pool this summer and a super duper cute hat.  Grandma and Grandpa bought Nash his first dump truck and some new clothes.  Momma and Daddy got him some new clothes, some new bath toys, a push popper, his first basketball, and a swing for the porch.  I told you he was spoiled! 

Ok...here are some pictures.  There were a ton taken over the weekend...so I'll make an attempt to keep it brief!  We had such a great time having everyone in the same place...we miss them already!

Nash trying out his new 4 wheeler from Aunt Katy and Uncle Clint

Listening to the rhyming bear from Nannie and Opa

all the babies want to help!

hey, who says the swing need to be hung?

sweet birthday baby

momma's attempt at cake decorating

the birthday boys!

i'm supposed to just dig in?  really?  just dig in?

like this?

aftermath...and straight to the tub he went!

kisses for cousin macy

grandma and grandpa and their grandkiddos

the oatess crew + nash

aunt katy, uncle clint, and their favorite nephew!

Happy First Birthday Nash Thomas!

Nash Thomas,

Today you are one year old, and I am more in love with you today than the day your slippery, pink, squirmy, naked body first made it's entrance to the world.  You are the most amazing little person I have ever met.  Your smile lights up the room and fills my heart with so much joy, so much that I think I may burst.  I never imagined that a human could love so much and so completely, but you have taught me how.  I thank God everyday for your life...I am so blessed that God chose me to be your momma.

In one short year, I have learned more about myself and love and relationship and selflessness than I ever thought possible.  My life is perfect with you in it.  The bond that you and your Daddy and I share as a sweet little family of 3 is so special...and although one day we hope to expand on that, right now we are soaking up every moment that you are our one and only. 

I must say, I always envisioned myself as a momma to girls - but by the time you had spent about 14 weeks in my belly - I knew I would be a momma to a baby boy.  I don't know how I knew, but I did.  We never got confirmation that you were a "he", but I knew it in my heart and couldn't have been happier about it.  The bond of a momma and her boys is something special - everyone told me so, and now I understand. 

You have grown so much this year - from a teeny 5 pound 12 ounce newborn to a 19 pound one year old - and it has all gone so fast.  There have been lots of changes during your first year of life:  we moved from Memphis where you were born, Daddy moved to his law firm's headquarters in Nashville, we moved into an apartment while looking for a new house, Mommy started a new job in Nashville after being so lucky to get to stay home with you until you were almost 8 months old, and moving into a new house!  Whew - you have been busy, but you have taken everything in stride and probably have a laid back personality because of all the craziness that you've been through this first year! 

You have a very calm demeanor most of the time, although it doesn't take much to get you riled up and laughing hysterically.  A quick nursery rhyme of "this little piggie" will get you laughing from across the room, or a few raspberries on  your belly....a tickle of your toes or a quick game of peekaboo - any of those things get you going.  You never fail to let us know when you are hungry or tired - but are pretty stubborn when it comes to letting us know you don't feel well.  You give the best slobbery kisses and are learning to hug.  You definitely prefer mommy and daddy, but are pretty easy going with new faces after a few minutes.  I love all of these things about you and so many more...

I love you from your tippy toes to your the last red hair on your cute little head - you are the one who made me a momma and I have never loved any other title better than that - Nash's momma.  You are my love bug, my Nashman, my sweet little dude...I can't wait to see what your second year has in store for you.  

xxoo,
momma

30? Really?

A break from all of the "Nash-ness" that is this blog...Nash's momma turns 30 tomorrow!  Holy crap.  My mom said it best when she said in her text to me "It could be worse...this time 30 years ago, I was in labor!".  Thanks mom...you're so right!  (Although, I had a lovely epidural for labor - my mom didn't - so to me...it wasn't so bad.  Digressing...)

I'M THIRTY.  whoa.  Although many other people have reminded me that now that I am a mommy...many folks no longer care about my age, they care about the age of my children.  (Which, by the way, I am soon to be a mommy to a one year old!)  So, I'm going with that.  No one cares that I'm 30, right?  ha!

And by thew ay, I have an awesome husband who planned a super fun weekend for me...friends from Memphis and Atlanta came into town, babysitters all organized, dinner plans, etc. and we've been celebrating and hanging out all weekend. 

I love my life, my husband, my sweet baby, and my friends - some of the best friends you could ever have.  For all of those things - I am so lucky.  I am lucky to be 30, and I am lucky that I love my life.  I am so blessed beyond belief, and I thank God for it everyday.

Thank God for being 30 and all of the amazing pieces of love and laughter and experience that have been woven together over the past 30 years.  Here's to the next 30!

Tubes

Today was the day our Nashman hopefully found some relief for his mutliple ear infections.  We were at the surgery center at 6:15 a.m....super early!  But, the earlier the better....Nash wasn't allowed to have any food or drink after midnight last night, so the sooner we had the surgery - the sooner he could eat. 

I knew in my mind that the surgery itself was quick and routine, but my love bug was going under general anethesia....and I was quite a nervous wreck.  At least I feel like I kept my emotions pretty much under control.  He was so sweet and flirty with the nurses, and once they gave him the versed - he was so drowsy....attempting to play but he could hardly hold his little head up.  It was a little disconcerting, but knowing it would make things easier on the nurses and help him not remember a thing...made it not so bad.  They took him back, after lots of kisses from momma and daddy, and we returned to the waiting room. 

Dr. Demoville came back out about 30 minutes later and informed us that everything went well.  He had an infection in his left ear, but we were already on antibiotics so we would just continue the dosage, keep his ears dry, and come back for a recheck in a few weeks.  The next 20 minutes were by far the worst - he was just waking up from the sedation and wanted nothing to do with me, Matt, nurses, his bottle....nothing.  Poor little dude was totally inconsolable, very confused and disoriented, and generally ticked.  I knew to expect it, but it was still hard to see.  We got his pajamas back on him, and finally got him to take some of his bottle.  Once the nurses saw that he was keeping it down, we were free to go.  He fell asleep in the car, and slept for the next 4 hours....he was exhausted! 

He woke up a little drowsy still, but was pretty happy - just wobbly on his feet.  I was home with him the rest of the day to keep an eye on him, but by about 4 pm he seemed to be back to his normal little happy rowdy self.  So good to see!  So, off he goes to daycare tomorrow...we're so thankful for Dr. Demoville and a successful surgery.  Here's to hoping his follow up in a few weeks goes just as well and we get a clean bill of health!