Genius!

Okay, remember my complaint about the pole in my father/sons photo? Well, Jesse asked me what pole? He did some crazy photo editing and here's what he sent-


Jesse, you made my day!!!

Future Percussionist?

So, who does this remind you of? The youngest Murphy shows promise in percussion.

Connor definitely likes percussion, whether it's banging hands on a tray or playing a log drum. His favorite book is "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb" with all the drums. Oh, boy.

Does Thomas check if the boys play with steady beat or copy rhythms? You bet. Are we both complete music geeks? Yes.
This picture reminds me of Thomas, very serious about the music. I have a bunch of pictures of Thomas playing, I should compare them. It 's in the facial expression. Here's where we turned the corner....Hmm, what makes this mallet so interesting?


Let's taste and find out! Uh, oh. Mommy did NOT like that idea. Rubber mallets tend to break into pieces, so Mommy wasn't going to allow the mallet/lollipop bit.

This is one of the first times I have told Connor "no" in a stern voice. At first, he thought it was funny when I took the mallet out of his mouth. He popped the mallet back in his mouth. On the second "no", he was unsure how to proceed, eyeing me with bewilderment. What is this woman saying? He slowly put the mallet back to his mouth, watching me the entire time. Once again, I took the mallet out of his mouth and said "no" in the "I mean it" voice. This time, I got the quivering lip and then the waterworks began.

Okay, so I had to turn away from him because it made me want to cry myself. Look at that face. It is the hardest part of being a parent, all those love no's that my mother in law always talks about it. But, being the well rounded photographer that I would like to be someday, I read that you should take pictures of all the baby moments, not just the happy ones. So there you have it.
Just think, someday he might be a percussionist!

Even More Fun at the Park

Ian got quite a workout tonight. Thomas has him practicing longer kicks. Interestingly, Thomas appeared to remain in one spot for much of the time. What is that about?!
Okay, okay, he DID move! Way to go, Tom! Score! (I'm only kidding with you) Notice his hands in his pockets....it was really cold!

It was much harder to get a decent picture of either of our soccer players. Ian really was cute with the hood. (must always have the hood on...he blended in well with the teenage skateboarders at McDonald's.)
I was really hoping these "aww" pictures would have turned out slightly better, but the main idea is there. Here is a father, his two boys and a lightpole.

I think we always wonder what kind of parents we'll be. Thomas is a terrific father. He's busy, he's tired, but he makes time for the park. He makes time for crazy clunk games with Ian. He reads the only three books that Connor is interested in with him. He lets the boys know how much he loves him, whether it is fun, happy love or the love you have to learn from. He is consistent. He is silly. He gets frustrated like any parent does. He needs to know that I think he is one cool daddy-o. (hmm, where have I seen that phrase before??)

These boys are so fortunate. I am fortunate too.

More Fun at the Park

Peekaboo!

Our typical Friday family night, working up an appetite at the park, although we decided to skip pizza in favor of McDonald's. That will not happen again. Stick with pizza, always stick with the pizza.

Anyway, we started off by taking the boys to Freestone Park in Gilbert. I was a click maniac since the sun was setting and I could shoot with natural light and try to recall half of the photo lessons I'd read over the last several weeks. Connor was amused by the camera, so I got a few fun shots of him.

It was pretty windy and chilly this evening, so we didn't stay too long. Now, remember we live in Arizona. Windy and chilly to us now is in the 50's. We were all in layers, Ian and I were wearing gloves, Connor with the hat. Our New York branch thinks we are a bit ridiculous. But when my mother in law told me it warmed up to 30 degrees in New York, my Arizona winter seems just divine and fine to me.

I was really, really trying for the Tom and Connor "awww" shots. This one is a favorite, but blurry and far because I was in the wrong mode and trying to snap before Connor looked away. I LOVE watching Thomas carrying Connor.
Many shots included Connor sampling the grass. It's becoming his favorite pastime at the park lately. Decided to give everyone a break with the "Connor eats grass-again!" pictures. But when I got this photo, no grass involved, it was worth the 30 that I deleted.

More to come....

Ten Foods I Don't Like

I am piggybacking from another blog on the ring....and I needed a fun break from the ten million things that came up at the last minute today and tonight.

1. Liver. Yuck. My grandmother would actually go out to a restaurant with us and order liver and onions. Again, I say, yuck.

2. Can I say liver twice?

3. Pork Chops. I remember chewing them endlessly until it tasted like paper in my mouth. I am pretty sure I cried a few times when my mom made pork chops.

4. Milk straight up. My husband is probably faint of heart right now, but I don't like drinking milk straight in a glass. Only in cereal. Now, the exception here is when I was pregnant, then I could drink milk with no problem.

5. Codfish (and assorted fishes except salmon). My uncle Chet forced me to sit at the dinner table with a hunk of codfish on my plate and demanded I stay there until the fish was eaten. I was there for a very, very long time. Also, in Ecuador, we went fishing for trucha and afterward, it was cooked and served to me with the head and eyeballs. I could not. My abuelita ate it.

6. Pig. I am talking the whole pig....again in Ecuador, this is a big deal and my dad always buys a pig for the family gatherings there. Again with the face, the ears, the crunchy skin. My cousins would tease me about it, but it just wasn't happening.

7. Maple Syrup. Now, this one is strange and even baffles me. I loved maple syrup until Connor came along. Suddenly the smell makes me ill and I cannot even stand to have the boys eat it and smell like syrup afterward. I eat my pancakes with peaches now. I am even grossed out now as I write about maple syrup.

8. Ketchup on French Fries. Never have liked ketchup on anything except a hamburger and it must be mixed with mustard and mayo. I refuse to eat anything that ketchup has even touched in some way. Now my son will eat most things doused in ketchup.

9. Eggs. I was kicked under the table by my then future mother-in-law for eating eggs politely when she knew I hated them. I do not like them, Sam I Am.

10. Green Olives. I have to vote for black olives as my favorite.

I am sure there are more foods....my mom will probably come up with a bunch. Back to work now....

Falcon Field Air Museum Part Two

Curious little C really liked hanging out in the back of the Army jeep.
All my boys in one spot.A very rare photo of myself alongside my favorite plane..."Miss Murphy". There seemed to be quite a few cute ladies plastered on the planes. (Oh, yeah....forgot to tell the folks back home that I chopped my hair off.)

A well timed family hour...just enough for something fun to do after lunch and before naps. We all came home for a nice snooze.

Falcon Field Air Museum Part One

In an unusual burst of energy, the four of us set out to visit the Falcon Field Air Museum, here in Mesa. Honestly, all I truly know is that it has a bunch of old planes, including a B-17. The boys really enjoyed the visit.


Ian's favorite part was this cute little pedal pusher plane for kids. That was pretty much all he was interested in, until.....Here's Connor in the plane. His moment was short-lived because Ian was not too impressed that Connor was in his plane.
back to the original thought....Ian had a great time climbing into the B-17 cockpit with Daddy. The quarters looked really narrow and small, so Mom and Connor watched from the ground and took pictures.

Check the next post for some more photos......

He Stands Alone

Okay, folks, mark the date. Connor stood by himself-no hands, no prompting from either parent. We were outside blowing bubbles and he was standing next to my patio chair watching bubbles go by. All of a sudden, I looked and Connor is standing, no hands on the chair, ever so briefly. I started to get all happy, when he followed up with a forward pitch right into the metal arm of the chair. Unfortunately for him, he landed on his eyelid, so he has a nice purple mark on his eye. That brought on the tears, the ice and lots of consolation on Daddy's part. (Ian kept clamoring for more bubbles over all the commotion, so I elected to do the bubbles, since Tom is much better in the emergency/first aid/consolation department).

Later today, Connor was in the living room and did his little standing routine minus the injury portion of the show. We were about to grab the camera, but he sat down as we mentioned it. Once he wakes up, I will be keeping my camera handy so I can capture the moment for you.

I Want to Sit Next to My Brother

Sometimes, little things warm up your heart (and my camera), for instance, this morning. Ian sat in his usual spot with his toaster stick. Connor was in his chair; his usual spot is next to me. Ian announced, "I want to sit next to my Connor, I want him to sit next to me.". He got up and started pulling Connor's chair next to his. Tom and I had that "awww" moment and then Ian says, "Mommy, take a picture, get your camera." I obeyed my orders and this is what I got.

So many people tell me how much the boys look alike, but I usually don't see it. I know all the differences. In looking at these photos, I actually see how much they look like brothers now, in looks and in spirit.

p/s: I took 20 pictures of this event. I scaled them down to about 5 or 6 good ones. This camera ROCKS-thanks to my cute hubby!

A Balancing Act

Not the greatest picture, I know it. But look Ma, no hands! Connor is attempting to stand and balance in one place. He does pretty well until it becomes a "catch me!" game. No steps yet, but he moves from place to place standing and holding on as much as possible.

His latest favorite game is standing up in the bathtub-one of those games that capitalize on a parent's fear and anxiety. So bathtub time is basically a barrage of "Connor, sit down." "Cooonnooor, sit please" (more insistently) "Connor, sit down now" until I finally give up and just take him out of the tub because I cannot stand repeating myself for selectively deaf ears. He does know what sit down means, he actually sits down when I say it, watching me carefully the entire time with a big fat smile. Once that bottom hits water, he pops back up and starts the game over again. Lovely.

Our newest favorite is Connor sitting in his booster at dinner (strapped in so I don't have to say "sit down, Connor".....then it becomes the "sit down, Ian" game, which is just as fun, let me tell you). He shakes his head no for us while he is eating. That's it. It is very amusing even though it probably sounds quite lame in writing.

Well, here's Connor either protesting that he didn't get enough dinner or maybe there is a Cheerio in his eye (Ian's catch phrase for having something in your eye). You just never know what these boys will come up with next! Love to the peeps!

Oh, The Places I Might Go

Right now, I am typing while listening to the baby talk to himself in the crib. He has been chatting it up the last few days; he has a lot to say. Quite a few 'mamas" here and there. I don't know that it is directed at me, but let's just say it is.

Well, I am actually NOT going to write about the boys today (sorry Grandmas)-I am giving myself an entry to share some of the fun work that I am learning and opportunities that are on the horizon.

The Chorale work has been really fun. The first board retreat was exciting to me, getting to see how the operations work. In fact, my opinion was taken on a few issues, so that really built up my confidence. They know I am learning the ropes and they are helpful, but they expect the work to be done. I like it. So, now I get to write and present my very first board report on Monday! Since the concert is coming up in March, I am doing several phone calls, emails and confirming contracts which is easy. The musical director will be giving me more directive on Monday about going out to visit venues, make contacts with the staff and find a great place for the chorale to perform in. It is really enjoyable work.

The grant writing is more sporadic; however I do like writing and I've been successful with all of the grants I've written so far. We are working on becoming a non-profit organization to be able to hold summer music festivals in Prescott. If this actually gets off the ground, I would work the administrative part of the actual festival, plus find and write the grants. While it hasn't earned me enough money to truly boost our income, it is really terrific experience.

Finally, I applied for an unpaid internship with the Arizona Commission on the Arts. They have a few openings and I applied for the Local Arts Development program. It involves reviewing grants, maintaining databases, organizing some state museum work, and doing some research. It is not directly in the arts education department, but that is not available until the summer. Anyway, I have the time to do it and they do say that many of the program interns go on to paying jobs with the Commission or other arts organizations. If it doesn't come to pass, the performing arts director will refer to another arts organization looking for an intern as well.

So, I think this is becoming the way to go. If the doors continue to open like they have been, I'll consider it a sign that I am heading in a good direction. My husband is so supportive, regardless of our meager income, he continually encourages me to find the work that I enjoy. He would be much happier if I was making more money, I'm sure, but this year has been about making the most of new opportunities for me. If I can translate that into a career, I'll do it.

The schools are now starting to ask about what teachers are planning to do for the next school year...are we returning or leaving, what positions are we interested in, etc. I had to complete a survey on it with my name, so they could get ideas. Honestly, teaching two days a week has been delightful, even teaching PE. I don't mind not having a classroom. I teach kindergarten plus a special education class. I don't miss the grind. I feel happier about going in. But, I know that if something else presented itself, I could easily subtract the teaching.

Should I work part time next year? Probably not. I love the chorale job, which is really much more difficult with a full time job. Love the grant writing, but it's hit or miss moneywise. And being home for the boys is something I will never regret. Teaching is a sure bet and it will be probably always be there, considering the desperate need for teachers. All I can say is we'll see.

I have to thank all the people who support me in my endeavors, who tell me to try and see, who kindly give me compliments on my successes and encourage my writing. That is the only way I have the courage and confidence to move along. So thank you.

Update on the kids

Great news-I took the kids to the doctor today and they have.....hand-f00t-mouth disease!!!! At first, I thought, "isn't that a disease that cows get?" but that is something else entirely. So, we are contagious, home for the rest of the week and I get to wash and clean every sheet, towel and toy that has been used this week. Oh boy.

By the way, Thomas just has a normal cold.

Three Sick Males Under One Roof-OH BOY!

Bring on the mopey. I have three boys in the house under the weather. Husband included. He has a cold that has depleted most of our tissue supply, but he went to work and is happily playing some Warcraft game that I don't pretend to be interested in.

Connor has been running a low fever and took not one, not two, not three but FOUR naps today. Of course, I was at work so I missed the sleep extravaganza, but we all know that is far from normal for little C. He has been extra clingy today, one of those "don't put me down" days. Another indicator that things are going awry is in how little food he cares to eat over the last two days. Connor loves food. I don't know of any food he has rejected. You put food in front of him, he eats it. Broccoli and peas included. Tonight, he ate a bit of his chicken, broccoli and potatoes, but not with usual gusto. He didn't even finish his applesauce. Later, as I tried to rock him to sleep, he chewed on his sleeve, his fist, my shoulder and on the bottle. My educated guess suggests that we are about to be charmed by the presence of some more pearly whites. Let the fun begin (again).

Ian ran a fever all day Tuesday, up to 104 at its highest point. He was playful in the morning and early afternoon. Then, in the wink of an eye, the meltdown fest began. If Connor touched one of his toys, Ian would cry, "He's breaking it!" and sit and cry. Pretty much anything Connor did or looked at brought on a serious fit. I decided they needed some sleep so after 20 minutes of screaming by Connor, both boys took a hearty nap before gearing up for round two. Thankfully, Thomas was home to assist, although he was not up to par himself.

This morning, Ian woke up with no fever, no sign of illness so I sent the boys on to daycare with instructions to call if the fever returned. Ian had been complaining that his tongue hurt. Thomas and I checked it for canker sores or a bitemark and didn't see anything. At daycare, he continued to mention his tongue was bothering him. Alexis wasn't sure what it was either and she knows pretty much everything baby-toddler related.

Tonight at dinner, the poor child is sitting with his plate of chicken, potatoes and a piece of broccoli (untouched, I might add) with the usual pool of ketchup. The potatoes went fine. We asked him to eat one piece of chicken, which he started but ended up crying. Normally, he cries when he doesn't want to eat something, so neither Thomas or I gave in to that and insisted that he still eat that one piece of chicken. (meanies) More tears and I finally help him coat the chicken in ketchup, which he deemed worthy enough to try. He popped in his mouth and began crying more.

Finally the light dawns on us after considerable time coercing Ian to eat that damn piece of chicken, our brains click on that perhaps it is not the tongue, but his throat that is hurting. Out comes the flashlight and lo and behold, a white, icky looking throat with red spots. Nice. No wonder the kid is wailing when I am force-feeding him acidic coated chicken. Wake up and smell the doctor's appointment. That will be for tomorrow's adventure.

Now, here is the bonus in all this craziness and it might seem, I don't know, a little selfish or something. The boys curl up so cozy when they aren't well! They stop the busyness of their day and seek me out. Connor crawls and stands up on me, with his little head buried in my neck or just lays my lap while I play with Ian. It's so tender. Ian lying on the couch tonight where we could rub his back, ruffle his hair and just let him be quiet and restful. Ian resting in my arms like he was a baby once again, thumb in mouth and eyes closed. It doesn't last long, it seems that he has already taken flight when I am still down on the ground. But when they land, however briefly, to rest.......I just don't have words to describe how wonderful it is to be needed and loved by my children.

But, do they all have to be sick at the same time??

Backyard Fun!

Judges Score for T. Murphy: 10 for height, 10 for form, 10 for cuteness!!

Ian likes to use the soccer net by throwing the ball over the net.

Our little soccer star!!!

Thanks to Grandma for the awesome soccer net!

I Get By With a Little Help From My Family

Over our vacation, with Michael's motivation ("stay focused!") and help, the guys got to work on attaching new baseboards. Thomas finished the last few pieces with a little help from Ian.

Now, I do have to apologize to my husband. For some reason, I didn't document all the work he had done with Michael. With all my picture taking and a brand-new camera, this got overlooked. (maybe because I was busy trying to keep the boys out of his hair so he could actually work!) So, to be fair, I took some photos of the final piece being added.
A proud, happy handyman. Caulking and painting are the final, final steps, but he was just happy to get all the pieces in place! Once the work is completely done (don't hold your breath, folks...we are not exactly timely in the project completion area), more photos will follow. An extra special thanks to Michael and Terri, who stayed on an extra day at our house to help us finish, when they were ready to bust a move and get back to sunny LA. THANK YOU!

A Baby, Three Foam Letters and a Bathtub

I love cute bathtub pictures. When Ian was little, we pasted foam letters to his head for fun. (these children will need therapy after seeing these photos) Anyway, I figured what we do for Ian, we should do for Connor too. The problem here was Connor's name was a bit too long to put on his head. I also didn't have enough of the right letters. Thought about doing a license plate type of thing :CNR. They didn't stick, so I ended up with just one little C. I also tried CJM, which worked nicely for one quick photo.
Now, those of you who are extra neurotic (I know the type... I am one!) I realize that foam letters are not meant for young infants. You might note that Connor has a foam letter in his mouth. Well, I was careful to remove the foam letters following the photo shoot. All the letters shown were completely intact.

The Murphys Get Out of the House

Our excursion out of the house today included a hike at Lost Dutchman State Park, a fairly easy set of trails we felt we all could manage. Thankfully, the winters in Arizona are beautiful for hiking, no matter what time of day.

Now, we did choose this hiking area because it was flat enough for Ian to walk by himself. He did that for about 10 minutes of an hour and a half hike.

Keeping Ian entertained, we walked through the cactus forest, over the tricky trail and promptly got turned around and ended up walking just a bit longer than we anticipated. Some of the cactus looked deceptively soft to touch.

Connor enjoyed a comfortable ride, once he managed to get rid of his hat once and for all. He was pretty sleepy for most of the walk.

Thomas got a bit of a workout. Actually, I ended up carrying Ian on my shoulders for most of the hike. We searched for elusive jackrabbits and learned that birds makes nests in trees and inside the saguaros.
Ian was ready to go home....actually he wanted ice cream. Instead, we ate delicious jelly-laden sandwiches at the ramadas before heading back home. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to naps (Connor, Mom and Dad) while Ian played quietly in his room (no nap, surprisingly).

Para nuestro querido Papi

This one is for my father. I haven't forgotten how important futbol is to my father's family. My boys have not one, but 5 soccer balls of various sizes. They now have a soccer net in the backyard. However, the most fun is taking the soccer ball to the park and playing with Dad and occasionally Mom too. This week, our little family has gone to the park each day, lugging our soccer ball (a different one each time) and a frisbee (that's to make Dad happy) and of course, my happy little camera. So, expect many park pictures...it's just what we do.

Little C isn't running or kicking the ball (yet) but he enjoys all the park action and being a part of the Murphy fan club. He loves rolling the ball around. We figure it will not be long before Connor joins the team.

Big brother Ian has three main goals at the park: play frisbee, play soccer and play on the twisty slide. Everyone has to go down the twisty slide, by the way.


Daddy gets a break in the action to hang with baby C. It's Mommy's turn to play with Ian, but she tends to get caught up picture taking.


Connor gets a little bored waiting around for his turn to play soccer, so he gets some extra nourishment from eating dry grass. Mmm, good!



Dad-I know how much it means to you to have your grandsons take an interest in soccer and they definitely are carrying that part of you in their enthusiasm, it must be in their sangre.

"Por eso yo quiero que en mi mente siempre tu carino este bien fuerte
Aunque estemos lejos o aunque estemos cerca del final
Porque nada valgo porque nada tengo si no tengo lo mejor
Tu amor y compania en mi corazon."
-Juanes