The award goes to. . .

Nana Bekki & Papa Ed for taking Charlie, Ila, & Gus for the ENTIRE weekend.

That's right, folks, 50 ENTIRE hours of TRANQUILITY that included going to the temple, going to the mall, going out to dinner, watching a movie, and SLEEPING IN.

This is for you Nana & Papa:

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you for loving the kids SO much, for the tractor rides, the baths, the snuggles on the couch, the lawn mower rides, for letting them help you cook, for playing memory match game over and over and over, for wrestling, laughing, teaching, listening, for ALL the story-telling & most of all, for being SO EXCITED & HAPPY to have the kids come to your house so that everyone can MAKE MEMORIES.



It's always refreshing to be given the GIFT of a break, but as always, great to be together as a family once again.

"Trick or treat please." Said Charlie.

I'm not sure why, but when I upload the pictures, I just see the html code---so I can't write in between the pictures or move the pictures around so they can be in order. Oh well!










This is Gus saying "To infinity & Beyond!" He was THRILLED to be BUZZ & has been BUZZ ever since----lucky for me, the costume is HANDWASH only. . .

Rub a Dub Bub.

When Ila wants to take a bath, she just jumps in (pretty much head first).

I heard Charlie & Gus laughing from the other room (TOO MUCH FOR COMFORT)---and I knew it had to be Ila. . .




She loves the water. . .so much SO, she also drinks it---either straight from the tub or out of the rinsing cup----she's not picky.

Once again---only the best for the Murray kids.

We went to Houston for a week. Visited Randy's aunts, uncles, & cousins.

Received the BEST hospitality----thank you Joyce, Robert, Linda, Roxanne, Ellen, Maggie & Chris! LOTS of laughing, talking, & HGTV.

Randy & his Uncle Robert went bow hunting for deer in Central Texas (thus the reason for the trip).

Went to Target 3 times. . .OH I couldn't RESIST!!

Check out Randy's face---hunting makes him HAPPY, I guess.

The only "dear" Randy really needs----(I'm sappy)
Ever been handed a sand-covered poop? I was ambushed.

Miss Ila Mae

This dress is TOTALLY adorable. . .but she MUST be walking to wear it.

Crawling is just impossible in this ensemble!!

Dear Nana Bekki,

You know that four-wheeler that Owen's mom was getting rid of. . .and my mom would NOT let me & Gus have it at our house because she just KNEW we would fight over it? And so you were going to keep it at your house?

Well, it turns out Gus doesn't want to play with it at all, and he just lets me play with it ALL the time! Great, huh? Plus, it makes me REALLY happy when I ride it & pretend like I'm fixing it & once I even woke up in the MIDDLE of night wanting to ride it "really bad!!!"

So, mom said if you still wanted the four-wheeler, you would have fight her for it. (especially since I played on it SO long the other day, she was able to clean the ENTIRE house!)

Miss you & love you & hope you'll understand,

Charlie

One hot mama.

Randy & I participated in a pioneer trek with the youth back in July.

The trek reunion (where they show the video that was made of the events & also pictures) was last night & it brought back memories.

I DID NOT want to go on the trek & Randy actually signed us up (without me KNOWING) & then had to talk me into it. He assured me that it would be a great experience. . .wouldn't promise that I would EVER want to do it again----but that it would STILL be a great experience.

So, thanks to the help with our kids that our friends offered (thank you, thank you, thank you!!)

We were on our way.

I cried myself to sleep (seriously) the night before we left, saddened that I would have to be without my sweet children for the 3 days & also frightened about the experience that was lying ahead. I'm just not an outdoors kind of a girl & dirt is no friend of mine----and sweating----none to be found from me. . .if I start to sweat, I sit down (seriously).

How it went---I LOVED it----OH how I LOVED it. We had handcarts & were all allowed to bring a 5 gallon bucket, with only the belongings they had specified we could bring. We slept under the stars, cooked over a fire, and were a ma & pa to 7 youth. We wore pioneer clothing, including long sleeves, bloomers, long skirts/dresses & bonnets.

I learned:

1) To sweat & not sit down

2) To walk & walk & walk & walk some more & SING---oh how we SANG!!

3) That I am incapable of pushing a handcart up a hill & that the pioneers were EXTREMELY blessed in SO many ways----and without the MEN, well, we need'em & how when they left for the women's pull (when just the women pushed the cart up the hill---and the men "went to war") & then returned, oh how I CRIED in complete appreciation for the sacrifice of the pioneer families, men & women, way back when.

4) "One" has to pick up her (I'm not naming names, here!) skirt & other clothing when peeing

5) I am ABSOLUTELY grateful for the organization of the FAMILY & how a family can come together & accomplish MIRACLES.

6) Most of all---I once thought that I wouldn't have been able to be a pioneer---but I take it all back---I would've been a GREAT pioneer. . .hopefully I would've lived!

7) Oh & last of all, Randy was wrong---I would totally do the trek again.

More about the pioneer history: http://www.lds.org/gospellibrary/pioneer/02_Nauvoo.html

before picture

Oh happy day.

We bought a new (to us) van in April (http://rtmurray.blogspot.com/2008/04/loving-my-pre-owned-van.html)

& 8 weeks later, the transmission started to have issues.

Simply put, the transmission itself (the inside) has a warranty on it until Oct. 18 '08, but the part that was going out on our van was connected to the transmission but "technically" on the OUTSIDE----so it WAS NOT covered. But the part that was broken, when driven long enough, would make the internal part on the transmission malfunction. Since the part was going to be $753, we decided we would ride it out until the warranty ended on the transmission to see if the transmission would croke. . .AND. . .

TODAY IT DID!!!! Saved us $753 & worth EVERY rough-shifting moment these last 2 months!!!! The odyssey's getting a new transmission (FREE) ---

you go girl---

you deserve it.

...........................................................................................................................

Nothing but the best water for our Gus---

This means she wants up. Now or die, pretty much.

Her pigtails know only one way--straight up.

_____________________________________________________________

I was getting ready to go bowling on Tuesday, and Charlie was talking to me ----he was on the potty of all places.

Charlie: "Nana Bekki got a new van."

Mama: "Really? When?"

Charlie: "Last week."

Mama: "No she didn't, who told you that, Charlie?" (we've encountered some lying recently)

Charlie: "She did."

Mama: "Charlie, that's not true---it's not a good choice to lie & you need to tell the truth."

Charlie (still on the pot): (shrugging his shoulders as if it doesn't matter) "Well. . .daddy lies."

Mama: "What does daddy lie about?"

Charlie: (again shrugging his shoulders like it's none of my business & no big deal)

"It just doesn't even matter, it just doesn't matter."

____________________________________________________________

On a side note, I dropped Charlie off to preschool today & a little girl from his class was right behind us. Charlie was excitedly telling me that her name was Faith

& then he went on to show-off.

I've never seen him show-off to a girly friend, but it apparantly includes him speaking jibberish, twirling, smiling, and saying things like "somersault beauty." WHAT??

Wowzers.

Fussy, anyone?

Ila was the first to get sick (enlarge picture to see what I'm talking about). . .at one point I thought she might have chicken pox----and then her rash started to improve & I was happy. . .and then, since Gus is constantly in this girl's face, he also got sick. He said his throat hurt & his head. . .just to be safe, I took him to the doctor. What I am about to tell you almost ALWAYS happens to me when I take the kids to the doctor----it WAS a virus. Nothing they can give Gus to help him (OR ME for that matter!) Ila's rash was also a virus--not chicken pox or scarlet fever or german measles. . .I need to stop diagnosing.


Remember Gus' face when he was given the Woody & Jessie doll from Toy story? If not, click here:

http://rtmurray.blogspot.com/2008/08/shout-hooray.html

Now imagine his face when he gets THIS for Halloween!



I found it on ebay last week. The auction was to end at 1:00 a.m.---so the true, ebay sniper that I am, I set my alarm for 12:55 a.m. & went to work. $7.77 plus shipping! Go BUZZ! The great thing? It's all ONE-PIECE!




I got this picture just by typing in scary dog in google. CREEPY!

Gus had a rough night last week & woke up 5 times in the middle of the night coming into my room saying a dog was biting his shirt. He was REALLY AFRAID & VERY reluctant to return to his bed. . .so reluctant that he continued to have the SAME nightmare.
Unfortunately, 2 1/2 year olds do not understand what a nightmare is----SOOOOO...

In the morning, I tried showing him there was NO dog in his bedroom (he was STILL talking about the dog biting him when he awoke)---to no avail, Randy said, "I have an idea."
He got his paintball gun (no paintballs) and told the boys, "I'm gonna take care of that dog" and then he went in their room & shut the door.
With just the CO2 tank on the gun, it really sounds like it's shooting----so he shot about 20 times in their room---it sounded like it WAS REALLY destroying something----
Gus' face was PRICELESS. He was waiting in SUSPENSE, for sure----and I could tell he knew that dog was getting it's TRASH kicked.
Randy came out and said, "the dog is gone, Gus."

GENIUS thinking, Randy!

Disclamer: Do not attempt.

One Pin Wonders.

I've been bowling every week since January with my friend Amanda & this month we joined a league. Surpisingly, we were able to sucker two other women into bowling with us (thank you rachael & tori) ---

Unfortunately, the only night we were all able to bowl was Tuesday night & we needed a guy----because it was a "mixed league" night. For all of you non-bowlers, that means you have to at least one team member of the other gender there EVERY week.

Of course, we show up the first night WITHOUT a guy, thinking that the alley will make an exception for our all FEMALE team. . .not a chance.

Luckily, Jeremy (pictured below) volunteered to be on our team. He works at the bowling alley----and actually works on Tuesday (the night we bowl)---so when the league begins, he just takes off his "Pineville Bowling Center" work shirt & bowls in his dingy undershirt----

We definately need to get team shirts so he doesn't have to look like he's wearing his underwear every week.

All in all, the girls (including myself) are not that great of bowlers----but thanks to Jeremy, we came in 2nd last week. How's that, you ask? He has a 199 AVERAGE!! YEAH for us! We might actually win a week or two----

Jeremy hasn't really talked to us much---but he took a break from texting or surfing the net on his blackberry or whatever he was doing. . .and approached me.

Jeremy to me: "How do you make your ball go like THAT?"

Me: "Like WHAT?"

Jeremy: "How it curves THAT way?"

Me: "I guess. . .I guess I just turn my wrist like this (demonstrating). . .why do you ask?"

Jeremy: "It looks REALLY WEIRD."

. . . . . . .

And of course that conversation had to happen before I had to bowl 2 more games. I'm now trying to recover from the complex he gave to me.

He has 32 weeks to say something nice to me . . .and to teach me how to bowl as many strikes in a row as he does.

She learned how to climb up the ladder & then this happened to her nose. . .

I didn't see it happen, but I'm pretty sure Gus was on top bunk, trying to get down & couldn't make it around her, so he fell down, pushing her down & racking himself. LOTS of crying.

Fun at Nana & Papa's

Randy & Papa Ed took the boys to mow out at the farm, so Bekki and I tackled the garage. It was SO much fun & just confirms even more how much I LOVE to throw things away.

Thanks again for letting me help you!!

Right side: BEFORE

Right side: AFTER

Left side: BEFORE

Left side: AFTER

(the brown cabinet was TOO heavy for us to move to the other room!)

The PILE: take it away!!

We even found one of the first baby pampers!! Oh yeah, almost forgot, I also found this (and a couple others) which I enjoy wearing--

it's really cozy. . .although when Charlie saw me wearing it, he couldn't help but laugh (Gus, too) and then proceeded to ask, "where did you get THAT from??"

After having FUN in the garage, Nana & Papa kept the boys for a couple nights & Randy & I (Ila, too) came home and partied!! It's always great to get a break & the boys love going to visit their Nana & Papa. I put Ila to bed late Sunday night so I could sleep in on Monday---I got out of bed at 8:45!!! What a DrEaM!

Birthday Cake? No problem--hand it over.

Ila's first "real" hairdo---Oh the possibilities!

Randy's family visited and celebrated Ila's 1st birthday with us----we were going to go to the animal safari, but it poured rain, so we went bowling instead----I of course was SO happy because I LOVE to bowl. The kids had a great time & were happiest when it was their turn.

Gus & his friend Tristan---an intense moment---will the ball actually make it all the way down the lane without stopping?

Another intense moment for Gus---what's he thinking? I know what I'm thinking. . .please make it all the way to the pins--come on ball!