Wordless Wednesday: Parents

These are my parents laughing on their 25th wedding anniversary:


They are who I hope to grow to become. Thanks Mom and Dad for all of the time you have spent on me. I love you so much.

Investing in Yourself - An Inspiring Quote

I just recently read this quote over on one of my FAVORITE blogs of all time, Hungry Runner Girl, and couldn't help but re-post it:

“We have to make an initial investment of energy to develop skills to the levels where we can accomplish tasks that inspire and hold our focus... that means doing the necessary training. The alternative is passive entertainment... which temporarily drowns out the chaos but produces no satisfaction or GROWTH. Those who DO invest themselves in difficult tasks... find the returns more than worthwhile. As Csikszentmihali reports, “The quality of experience tends to improve in proportion to the effort invested in it.” (source)

It's never too late to decide to invest time and energy in something new. You're really investing in yourself, your family, and your happiness.

Gender Myths Unveiled

Here are the myths that apply to me... there are a lot more that don't:
It's a boy if:

• You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy
• You are carrying the extra weight out front
• You are carrying low
• Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy
• Your hands are very dry
• Pregnancy has you looking better than ever
• Your urine is bright yellow in color
• You are having headaches
• You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number (30)
• The Key Test. If the pregnant woman picks up a key from the larger end, then it’s a boy.
• Ancient Chinese Gender Calendar. If you're interested in Asian legends, see the Chinese Gender Calendar. Using your lunar age and date of conception, the gender can be “guessed” with 50% accuracy!

It's a girl if:

• Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute
• Your belly looks like a watermelon
• You are craving sweets
• You are craving fruit
• You crave orange juice
• You are moodier than usual during pregnancy
• You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread
• Your pillow faces south when you sleep
• Acne. If you have more acne, it's a girl.
• Interpreting dreams of the pregnant woman. Cigars, trucks, snakes, telescopes = Boys. Tupperware®, keyholes, any fish, almonds, Prada®, Vogue magazine = Girls.

Total Myths Say:
Boy - 11
Girl - 10

I still think it is a girl... even if I do have cold feet and dry hands. I guess we'll know for sure in EIGHT DAYS!!!

One of those "How did I get SO Lucky?" Moments

This is Michael. A couple of years ago I spotted him BBQing on the balcony outside of his apartment and knew that this was the man for me. Though it took him a little longer to realize our mutual destiny, he eventually had his moment of realization and got down on one knee.

Michael is my sunshine. He wakes up smiling and singing every morning no matter how late he stayed up the night before. He is the hardest worker I know but is somehow always able to find time for his family and friends without stressing out. Maybe the lack of stress is a male thing but I am always impressed when he gets home after a long day at school, takes the time to talk to me as we eat dinner, does the dishes, listens to me ramble on for hours about anything and everything, shows me his favorite youtube video of the day, completes his wife-assigned list of chores, then proceeds to start his 5 hours of homework at 11pm without me even knowing he had a long night ahead of him. It is impressive.

That being said, Michael also seems to always have some sort of personal checklist that always begins with 'see how I can make my wife feel wonderful today'.

Example #1) On Friday we went to a dollar movie and I think I only really saw half of it because I COULD NOT stop thinking about how bad I wanted a soda. I never drink soda without an occasion. On the way home I mentioned this to Michael but he knows I feel guilty whenever I drink 'the bad stuff' so he asked if it would be ok if we stopped at a gas station so that HE could get a soda... then proceeded to allow me to drink the whole thing guilt-free... because it wasn't really my soda anyway.

Example #2) For Christmas every year we do a 'heartfelt' gift exchange within my family where everyone gives each other handmade gifts to increase the sentiment of the holiday and decrease the expense. I have been on a rampage lately about getting my heartfelt gifts done by the end of this month... and somehow wives cannot craft without their husband being directly involved. Since my recent crafts have involved spray paint (which can cause severe birth defects if inhaled) and a 60lb bag of sand, Michael has involuntarily volunteered to help. On Saturday I began my day with a cleaning rampage while Michael went golfing (and therefore came home to a list of chores - I know, I am a fantastic wife) then embarked upon an evening of grocery shopping. When I came out of the grocery store there was a sweet card stuck under my windshield wiper from my husband telling me how much he loved and appreciated me. He had ventured out to Home Depot after finishing his chores to make sure I had my sand for that evening's crafts and had wandered through the parking lot to leave me a note on his way out.

Example #3) I had great intentions of making sure our guest room was nice and tidy before going to bed last night to prepare for the guests we are receiving today... but somehow got distracted and went to bed frustrated that the bed was still not made and the room was torn apart. Michael tucked me in at 11:15 before heading off to do 4.5 hours of homework and I spent the night dreaming of my catastrophic guest room. I woke up early to get everything tidied up and Michael had done it all in the wee hours of the morning while I slept like a baby! Sometimes this man is just too good to be true. I apologize to any and all former girlfriends... but I am more than happy you missed out!

Love you Michael!!

Week 16 - Oh how you've grown!

This week the baby is supposed to be the size of a turnip! Since it is fall and turnips are: a) not in season b) impossible to find when they are in season c) not as cute as baby gourds d) a waste of money since I would take a cute snapshot with it then watch it rot... we used this cute little 5" gourd instead! Compared to last week's photo, I actually haven't grown THAT much (thank heavens) but I'm definitely feeling large and in charge! Also VERY grateful that the baby weight is sticking to my tummy for now. HERE is what is going on with the baby this week if you're interested! I have gained 7 pounds so far and feel really good about that. Don't expect poundage updates after today if I stop feeling good about it... My goal is to stay under 22 pounds gained but honestly, as long as the baby is healthy I will be fine with whatever I gain.

The Vegetable Monster

You may or may not have heard about the somewhat-recent idea that was presented of turning the Cookie Monster into the Vegetable Monster as to set a better example for the kids watching Sesame Street... Since Murdock house entertainment revolves mostly around animated movies and children's entertainment (mind you, this is our first child on the way... that's just how it goes when your husband is in the animation industry) we were very well aware of the idea and I think I know why it happened. Once my good friend Leah Jesperson and I found out that we were both pregnant and due within a week of one another we decided to cut the sugar and only award ourselves one "treat" weekly. The challenge has gone WONDERFULLY for the last 2ish months and I really do feel 5 billion times better without the extra sugar running through my veins! And I feel like a SUPERSTAR mother-to-be (all you have to do is sleep a lot, exercise every once in a while and eat fresh to gain the superstar title before your child arrives).

Back to the Vegetable Monster... I think that the makers of Sesame Street shadowed a relatively health-conscious pregnant woman in hopes of inspiration for a new character and could come up with nothing but the sister of our friend Mr. Cookie Monster. She wakes up hungry, needs to eat an hour later, and still feels completely starved before she finishes her morning snack... Knowing that it would be confusing for children to understand the I Eat EVERYTHING Monster they tried to go with Vegetable but realize they were missing their complex carbs and threw in the towel. Needless to say, this is my creative way of mentioning that I am always hungry and have no other solution but to pull out another baggie of dried cranberries, string cheese, or peaches. If this doesn't slow down soon my husband may find himself married to a mansion of a woman.

15 weeks - The Bigger The Better

This was definitely a week of rapid growth for both the baby and the mama! Looks like this is really happening! PS. The shirt was a hand me down from a friend - definitely not an announcement of twins... as much as I wish it were!!