spring training montage

the joys of spring training:  going to see dallas play in his first major league game in a over a year (hitting a homerun too); reese eating puffs for the first time; her first easter dress; first st. patty's day; first easter and all her cute gifts; seeing daddy as a "florida marlin"; turning 8 months old; meeting the easter bunny at Palm Beach Gardens mall; waiting on daddy after the games; reese's top two teeth are in; getting so much quality family time; reese standing up and walking down the table; jumping in her jumperoo for hours...; spending time with the murphy's (we miss them already); gymnastics every wednesday; runs with reese through the park in her jogger.  

per your request..

My little sunshine...she loves peek-a-boo..

the only person in the world who thinks I am this funny...

ah, the wonders of mommyhood.  

I'll post the rest on our site!  Can you believe it's April? I turn 30 in 6 days.  I am concerned about this.  We'll talk more that later.  Until tomorrow...

4 a.m.

That is what time we pulled into the driveway.  Have I mentioned that I am a night owl?  Well, I am.  Not as much since I have been married, but I am a caffeineaholic and I can drive all night. So, I did.  

We were exhausted yesterday, but not too exhausted to see the Braddy Bunch.  We dropped by their house & had so much fun catching up. So, we are in Georgia where it is just too cold for comfort.  Seriously.  I hear from the family that it has been warm, but I question this.  Reese and I are freezing!

Snaps of Reese are coming soon.  Promise.  Between the sleep deprivation and unpacking, I have deprived you. For that, I apologize.

on the road again

just can't wait to get on the road again.  

These are just song lyrics, not my real feelings.  I dread this 9-10 hour drive.  Last time was wonderful so we can only hope for the same experience. I will be MIA for the next day or so. Sorry I haven't posted new pics of Reese lately.  I will try very hard to give you one for the weekend.  Everyone need's their Reese fix right?  I will return on Monday.  Please pray for our travels.  

Have a great weekend!

new mexico here we come...

Scratch that. Here he comes. Reese and Mommy are headed back to Reese's namesake.

Dallas got sent down yesterday. I know what your thinking...this terrible. But wait, hold on. I've always been a glass half full kinda gal so hear me out. Here goes, my take on this situation...

Number one: He uses up his last option. Okay, so for those of you who are not up-to-date on the joys of professional baseball, you have 3 options the team can use whenever they please to send you to the minors. If you spend at least 20 days in the minors an option is used. They can send you down as often as they like within a one year period. This is the reason you are excited as a player to "use them up." So, this will be his last one! See, there are positives in everything...

Number two: He can just play baseball again. Not only does Dallas always start slow (he has never made the team out of Spring Training, he has a long swing that takes a while to perfect & um, perhaps the most obvious...He hasn't played baseball in over a year!! So, some time in AAA figuring it out is a good thing...

Number three: He might, just might, become good friends with Julia Roberts and introduce me to her. I've always thought we could be fast friends. We're both Georgia girls. Brunettes. Moms. Practically twins! Okay, it's a stretch but I needed a third good reason!

Other than the long early morning plane rides, crappy stadiums, questionable hotels, three hour time difference, not seeing Reese & me for a while, and the fact that he is in Albuquerque, where are the negatives?

Kidding. It will be hard to be apart. Dallas and I are so close. Reese is loving him so much right now and I'm afraid he's about to miss her first steps. Have I mentioned this chick is practically walking? We'll talk about that another day, but she is moving on down the coffee table every chance she gets. Anywho, this will be hard. I am going to fly to see him every 2-3 weekends and that will be good for us. We are praying that he is healthy and finds his swing fast! We leave Sunday to Atlanta. I am excited to see all my friends and family again. I'll blog more tomorrow. Meme gets here at midnight tonight!! Yeah..the meme trains a comin' which is good news for mommy & daddy!!

Oh...the pic is from today. I watched her from the other room and she was standing up holding onto anything she could find! This one was my favorite from today.

the rain keeps trickling down

Does Florida really need this much rain? Georgia, yes. The Carolinas, yes. But Florida? I find it hard to believe that any state is in this much need of water. I have never seen so much rain. I guess we have lived in Arizona too long, because we are sick of cloudy days. It tried really hard to rain out Easter but we didn't let it!

Dallas had a game against the O's in Ft. Lauderdale that got rained out, so he got home just in time to get dressed up in all our Easter pretties and head to church. Christ Fellowship was having services at the Ampitheatre at 6 Saturday evening. On our way down the turnpike we were looking at each other like "Are you a little scared to drive in this?" It was a monsoon. Once again, maybe it's b/c we went 2 years without rain in AZ, but we were a little nervous. It proceeded to get worse and the roads were a wreck from the large amounts that fell all day. By the time we reached the church it was pouring. We sat contemplating what to do....I don't even know where the nursery is, we have a very small hot pink umbrella, what do we do? Well, we ended up back home. It never let up, flash flood warnings everywhere, so I ended up watching Easter service from the comforts of my imac. I am reminded that it does not matter where you serve the Lord, but just that you serve him. I read Reese bible stories and Dallas went to Chapel at the field. So, all in all, we accomplished our task...being with Jesus' word.

daddy.

He is the best.  Right now Reese thinks he is the coolest, best looking, funniest guy around. Wait, he is all those things! She's figured it out. She still has the mommy attachment like crazy, but now she sees him and screams in excitement.  He loves it! They are really going to miss each other when he is in AAA.  Lots of ichatting will being going on.

I just have to mention this.  I am really picky about Reese's clothes. However, I bought this yellow outfit at...I am a little hesitant to reveal this, but...Cracker Barrel! I know, I know.  I think her other outfits were a little insulted when this walked in, but I loved it. I saw it for $16 and snatched it up. My thinking was who cares, she'll only wear it once near Easter, but when I put it on her I fell in love.  You are of course entitled to your own opinion but I sure thought she looked cute!

Where's meme...Where's papa??

If only she could talk.  I know she would be asking this. They come into town, give her all the attention in the world, every second of their day and then they have to go back to their stinkin jobs.  We miss them.  We all had so much fun together.  Both of my parents got some great quality time with Reesie cup.  She loved it!  She is so funny.  Really falling in love with Dallas. She saw him across the field today and screamed out loud laughing.  You could tell it melted his heart. 

Not much going on.  Reese is crawling everywhere, but loves to pull herself up.  I can tell she is way more into the walking thing than crawling which is just fine by me. If you are near her, she's using you as access for standing...seriously!  

Well, another busy week almost gone.  I can't believe spring training is almost over. So sad. Our weekend should be calm. Just baseball and church.  Easter's almost here.  I pick up her easter basket today that Meme got her.  Reesie cup's first easter!  So exciting...

going green

Happy St. Patty's Day Everybody!  Reese is celebrating today with her granddaddy!  Daddy flew in Sunday and is spending the week with his girls.  We will have a fun week together. I'll update more soon.  Have a great day!

my two loves...shoes & meme

First off. Reese loves shoes. I have to put our shoes in the closet, behind a door, out of sight. She will fly across the room if she spots a good pair of shoes. She's not picky...running, heels, sandals, any kind of shoe. I think she gets this from her Aunt Boo. (Formerly a shoe buyer for Macy's). This could mean trouble for me and Dallas in the future. An 8 month old with a love of shoes??? whew.

Second, Meme is on her way!! She will be here at 8:30 tonight. We are counting down the hours. Reese has been happy all day awaiting her arrival. Mothers are a gift from God. I know mine is. Delivered from the heavens. She is my angel. We love Meme here.

I'll blog more later. For now, it's dinnertime. Time to cook. Dallas just walked in. We get to sleep in tomorrow. No game til nighttime. He should play by Saturday. Thank you for the prayers. Until then, date nights, a pedicure and some time with meme.

life is good.

first hit, a homer and another week out

That sums up our last few days. Dallas finally got his first big league hit in over a year on Friday-it was a homerun! Reese and I were blowing air towards it hoping it would go out. What a blessing. Just to see him out there again is the best feeling.  It's him.  It's who he is. God gave him talent and has blessed him with the will to pursue his dreams.  

It is easy to turn all this excitement into discouragement. Yesterday, after a three hour road trip to the Red Sox Dallas pulled his groin on his last AB. He felt tight all day after the trip and it was a little chilly.  For once, maybe I should have been hoping for a strike out. He's doing good, though. Looks as though he'll miss 7 days minimum.  This may deter our hopes of him making the team.  The Marlins have put their faith in him and given him the ability to win the job, but it is hard to secure your job from the bench.  Quickly, I am reminded (Phil 4:13) that Christ gives us strength and we can do all things through him.  This is what gets him back on the field everyday. He's back after microfracture surgery on his hip and spinal fusion surgery...what's a groin pull???  

So, this is where we are.  We PRESS ON.  This is baseball. This is how it works.  You're 0-4 one day and 3-4 the next. You are the "big star" one day and the "if he could just stay healthy" guy the next.  Everything happens for a reason.  It is easy to question why so much has happened to Dallas, but just before that you hesitate.  You are remind that you put your life in HIS hands. That God blessed you with a beautiful baby girl.  And a great marriage.  This is what life is about. 

Let's see what GOD has planned next.  I feel in my heart it is great...

So for now, we PRESS ON. 

8 months.

8 months already! 

It is hard to believe.  She is such an a cutie pie.  Dallas and I laugh at her all day long.  Her personality is my favorite thing about her.  She is a drama queen...already.  

She weighs 21 lbs.  Everyone loves her rolls...gerber baby...

She is rolling and crawling everywhere.  She is not "super crawler baby"  (as my pediatrician informed me skinny babies crawl sooner b/c it is much easier for them...as you can tell we are not in the skinny baby category) but she gets from point A to point B with her form of crawling.

She jibber jabbers all day long.  Not sure what she is trying to say to us, but she loves to talk.

Her personality rocks. She laughs all day, at everyone.  I always say she is running for homecoming queen.  We make new friends everytime we are out...Chick-fil-A, whole foods, publix, does not matter, she is a social butterfly.   I think we deserved this.  Unless you have experienced a colic baby, you have no clue how rough it can be on everyone.  Meme, Daddy, Mommy, our poor neighbors, etc.  Everyone told me colic babies end up being great kids and it seems to be true.  However, do not make her mad.  She is drama, drama, drama.

She pokes out her bottom lip as a "warning sign" of what's to come.  She has done this since she was a day old in the hospital, but it is hilarious now.  First, her babydoll.  If you make the babydoll cry, she pokes out her lip then cries REAL TEARS herself! My dad discovered this one. It is so funny and we feel bad doing it over and over, but it is so stinkin funny!!  Her latest is one of her Baby Einstein movies.  At one particular part (no clue why) her lip comes out and real tears poor down.  It is heartbreaking and hilarious all at the same time.  She is such a funny little girl!! I have to fast forward through that part, she looks at me and smiles as if she's saying "thank you mommy, this part is much better," I swear she is a princess already.

She growls.  We went through the sucking in noises, the imitation coughs, the spitting, but the growling is a favorite.  Her delightful Daddy taught her this lady-like trick.  She will growl back and forth with you for an hour!!  It was funny until we are out, say at a boutique and ladies are saying "what an adorable baby" and Reese responds with a loud "RRRRAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Very lady like.  Or in a quiet pediatrician waiting room. Dallas thinks its hilarious.

She is pulling up.  Loves to stand.  I think she will be more of a walker than a crawler.  She likes to pull up on you.  

She is ticklish.  She gets that from me.  That may be the only thing I can claim since she looks just like her Daddy, but you can tickle her from her feet to her neck and she laughs so hard she can't stand it.  

Saving the best for last...her laugh.  I wish I could bottle it up.  I hope she has this laugh til she is 25...it is so darn cute.  I need to video her laughing for everyone.  Maybe it's b/c she's a chunk, but it is so funny!!  It's my favorite...

That's the 8 month mark.  Can't wait to see what 9 months brings.  I know one thing, it will bring more laughs...

storytime & baseball...it doesn't get any better than this

Whew, today was a crazy busy Tuesday.  After a fun, busy weekend with Dallas' family, there was no break today either.  Reese and I took off early this a.m. for  story time at Pottery Barn Kids.  Deb & Dylan met us there along with Deb's girlfriend, Shelly.  We also saw a familiar face from our gymnastics class, Brooke. As a mom with a VERY BUSY, VERY SOCIAL soon-to-be 8 month old, anything to get us out of the house is great.  I highly recommend this for all moms.   She sat quietly listening and playing with every toy that was in arms length. She even got to introduce herself...(so funny!)  After story time all the kids ran around Pottery Barn playing. Reese was the only girl in a kitchen full of boys cooking?! That was a great sight to see.  Then we all headed over to mom's favorite place...Chick'-fil-A for lunch.  No time for a break though, it was off to Daddy's game shortly after.  Marlins vs. Mets today which was much more low key, thank goodness, than the Red Sox (sold out) game yesterday.  Reese was the usual social butterfly laughing it up at the game.  She even got to meet "Billy the Marlin" and loved it!  It was hilarious! So fun...gymnastics and a game tomorrow.  By the way, Arizona & Florida-not the same-it is sooooo hot here at the games. I am going to be better about blogging, promise. More to come soon.

My first baseball game! Yeah Daddy!

Reese went to her first game today at lovely Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. It was so much fun. Really, really hot, though. She got a pink Marlins baseball bat and of course, it went right to her mouth. So cute seeing her with her Marlins gear!

hip chick.

Happy March!!  Can you believe it's already March???  I can't believe Reese is almost 8 months old!  Best 8 months of our lives....I wish I could freeze this stage, though.  She is an angel. She is hilarious, so sweet, personable & so darn cute!!  I love it!!  We just have a blast together.  Shot her Easter pics today.  I will be posting a lot more...there were so many cute ones it was hard to decide.  I will get them posted soon! promise.  Dallas' mom, sisters and a girlfriend are here visiting for the weekend, so we having some fun. Can't wait to see him play!  It feels like forever.  I will get some good shots of him soon.  Be sure to check out my pics (www.themurphycrew.com) of the handsome Murphy boys...great subjects=great photographs.  They are like my own kids I love them so much.  Tyler says he is going to marry Reese...Dallas begs to differ!! ( I would LOVE to have Deb as an in-law!!)