It's a ............GIRL!!!

I am completely thrilled to announce the birth of my new baby niece. Reanna Victoria! Weighing in at 7lbs 15 oz. Born yesterday, October 28th. My sister Julie, brother in law Mikey and baby Reanna are all doing fantastic! We are blessed.. truly blessed as we are surrounded by all of our girls!!! There are just no words....

Pre-Halloween Fun!

Friday night's "Halloween in the Park" proved to be a very fun and exciting event for the girls. Hannah was thrilled to see the park lit up in orange lights and decorated with jack-o-lanterns! They had pizza and hot cocoa for the kids and the highlight of the evening was a little trained pulled around the softball field by a tractor. It was adorable as it weaved in and out of hay stacks lit up with jack-o-lanterns. All of the girls were on their best behavior and were so good while we waited in line. The two peanuts, Addison and Layla slept for most of the evening and we all had a fantastic time! Before we left for the event, I was able to get these adorable shots of my girls in their Halloween gear.





Layla was looking so serious!

Addison and Layla sleeping for most of the night.. How cozy they looked!


The two amigos waiting patiently for their turn on the train!

Finally their time arrived!


What a face!

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Saturday morning was Hannah's last soccer game. She gave me such a time trying to get her ready to go. She wanted no part of the shin guards and told me she was all set with soccer and wanted to do dance now. Reluctantly she went to her game. How quickly things changed when she received her soccer medal. She came running up to me saying how she couldn't wait to wear the "gold socks" next year and play soccer! Aye! A very pregnant Auntie Julie joined is for Han's last game, even after a night filled with contractions! Thanks Auntie Ju Ju!!!


Hannah was smitten with her medal.. for a moment at least... then she took a purple marker and colored all over the soccer ball.. AHHHHH!

When we got back from soccer, Layla went down for a nap and Hannah and I got a chance to carve our Jack-o-lantern! She designed the face herself and made sure that I stuck to her template... but then of course, wanted no part of scooping the guts and cleaning the gooey pumpkin seeds so we could bake them! I think he came out pretty cute!

Before!

After!



So very proud of her work!

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This was the scene yesterday as we were watching our Patriots win!

My girls this morning in their matching dresses from Auntie Jill. I love these dresses and I finally remembered to buy them tights!!

Hannah looks so grown up and beautiful to me in this picture!

Little Miss Manners

Billy and I attended Hannah's Parent/Teacher conference last night. I think we were both a bit nervous as to what they were going to say about our little lady. As we waited outside the classroom for our turn, we made some conversation but I know that he was just as worried as I was. When it was our turn and we entered and sat down at the eensy teensy tiny kids table. It was quite hysterical to see Billy try to fit.

They began with, "Hannah is such a joy to have in class. She is a very polite, well mannered child and never misbehaves in class. She is actually quite reserved and shy and will only participate in class if called upon. She usually just sits there and gleams at us but if she is called upon she will always answer us accordingly. You can tell that she is a bright child and that she likes to sit back and take it all in."

To which we replied, "Oh you must be mistaken, we are the parents of Hannah Murphy." HA!

It was the most surreal experience of my life! Please dont get me wrong. Hannah is a delightful child who is extremely intelligent and an absolute joy to us, however, she can be quite the handful and very strong willed, independent and a bit mouthy lately. So as you can see we were quite surprised to learn that she is very well behaved in the school setting. Her teachers were actually shocked that we were shocked. When we told them about her bountiful energy and the affects of sugar on her, the amount of time she spends in the naughty corner, they couldnt get over it. They never see this in her at all.

I have to say, as a parent I was relieved and a bit proud if I may add. Billy and I try to be good parents but it is not until you hear reports like this do you feel like you have actually accomplished something. Most days you feel as though you are banging your head against a brick wall when it comes to parenting. Yet, it was great to hear that our efforts have had an affect on Hannah.

I was also pleased to hear that Hannah doesnt seem to fall into the "Clique Girl" group either. The teacher notified us that some of the girls have already begun this little social scheme and that Hannah doesnt seem to want a part in it. (YOU GO HANNAH!) Without speaking names, I knew exactly who her teachers were talking about as these girls have already started their shenanigans with Han. She has come home upset that they told her they didnt want to be her friend anymore and that her sneakers were dirty. Note: Her sneakers werent dirty, they were gray. End Note. Billy has had to Windex her sneakers on a nightly basis because she does not want these girls to say something to her about them. Shame on them. Shame on their parents. Where do kids at the age of 4 pick up such behavior??? I must now find a way to teach Hannah to be strong enough not to let their behavior get to her.

All in all we were so pleased with her report and therefore treated her to 4 new books from the book fair. She was very excited when she woke up to her new surprises this morning.

This is how we found Layla when we came home last night.. So stinkin cute!

Comfy Cozy

We had and amazingly comfy cozy evening last night. Since it was such a chilly evening we decided to eat dinner early and give Hannah her much acclaimed movie night. By 6:00, we were all in our cozy clothes, (the girls in their pj's) and we popped in The Polar Express.. my favorite! By 6:30, Billy, Layla and I were out cold! Ha! I woke up at 7:20 and Hannah was completely disgusted with me for falling asleep. "This was supposed to be a family movie night and you all fell asleep on me," she said. Poor kid. If I could only have one drop of all the energy she has!



Thankfully, they seem to be feeling better and we are excited to embark on another fun filled Fall weekend. We most certainly need to get our pumpkin carved and we need to go tag our Christmas tree. This will be a first. Usually we are wandering around aimlessly looking for the perfect tree in early December, only to have the best ones already taken. Not this year. Nope! The Murphy's are preparing ahead of time! Tomorrow night there is also a pumpkin event in town we are hoping to attend.


Tonight is our parent teacher conference at Hannah's school. Should I be worried? I hope not. I know that she can tend to be a little fresh with us lately, however, I am hoping her behavior at school does not reflect this. For the most part, she really is so good with other children and she most definitely takes a leadership role with most activities. So I am not too worried-I think.....to be continued...

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When is this baby coming??? My Jules this morning!

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This is the bug that greeted me the other day when I went to get the mail. I kid you not that it was at least 6 inches long. It looks to be a Praying Mantis.. not that I am a bug guru or anything. But from research http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/praying-mantis.html it looks like it is most definitely a Praying Mantis. Interestingly enough, the female tends to eat its mate after or during mating.. HMMMMMMMM Needless to say, it just pretty much scared the crap out of me and Hannah was not going within 2 feet of it. I ended up catching it for a few hours in Hannah's bug catcher just so I could show Billy how huge it was! The simplest of things amaze me and yes, I did let him go soon thereafter!

This is a good shot of how huge it really was!

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The girls this morning in the office.

I really think I need to find some sort of caffeine iv hookup or something because I swear as these days go by I get more and more tired! What gives? Both the meatball and the ravioli have nasty colds and our household has been full of boogy noses, sneezes and A LOT of crying on Layla's end. The poor thing does not fare well when she cant breath out of her nose. I kid you not that she cried for nearly 4 hours yesterday evening. I was quite beside myself by the time 8:00PM came around and when I went to the liquor cabinet for some reprieve, I barely had a half glass of wine left! Geesh! I pray that Billy can stay clear of all the germs. Love him dearly, but as a patient he is down right horrible. He is not the best at getting sick and not like most men are, but he gets severe attacks of the "crankies" when he gets sick and it can be unbearable to live with. So we'll just keep our fingers crossed that Daddy doesnt get his girls' germs and everybody stays happy all around!

I am very much looking forward to picking up Hannah this afternoon and heading straight home on this EXTREMELY chilly and rainy afternoon. It almost looks as though it should be snowing! I believe it is the perfect evening to curl up on the couch with my family and pop in The Polar Express while drinking some hot cocoa (without the mushrooms as Hannah says because she confuses mushrooms with marshmallows. What kid doesnt like marshmallows I ask?????) ... Yuuuummmyyy.. Warm Fuzzy Cozy..

Still waiting on some baby Romano action. Jules is now 3cm and 90% effaced.. Whooopppiieee... when am I going to get to meet this little stew? Heck, when can I start shopping for pink or blue??

Chilly Weekend

Wow.. we made it through our jam packed weekend! Friday night we joined Hannah's schoolmates at their annual hayride and corn maze event. We had a blast, although it was freezing! It really was adorable and they even had a bunch of treats set up from the kids including, hot cocoa and hot apple cider. We jumped on the hayride just as it was getting dark. The tractor let us out to a huge corn maze. It was a little tricky at first and Billy and I were a bit nervous that we were going to lose Hannah in the dark, but in the end.. we Murphy's pulled it off and ended up being the first family to make it out of the maze, long before the rest of the families. (Just bragging a bit!)

Saturday morning I walked to Hannah's soccer game with Layla. On the way I walked past a yard sale.. ohhhhh how I love yard sales! I spotted this fu fu pink lamp complete with feathers galore. I kept walking and headed to her game, however, I did tell myself that if it was there on the way back I would purchase it. Han did a great job at soccer even though the weather was very chilly. Even Grammy braved the cold and came out to see her play. On the way home Hannah decided to walk home with us and as we walked past the yard sale again.. the lamp was still there. She agreed that she needed to have it as it matched her room perfectly. It was ours for the price of $1. Can you stand it?

In the afternoon Fitzy and William came to visit. How big he has grown and how happy I was to see them and cuddle William for a bit! Fitzy always has a way of making me laugh. That girl was born a comedian. The kids had fun crawling around and Layla was babbling away at him. Billy made us a fantastic shrimp scampi lunch. As we were cleaning up all of a sudden I heard Billy yell, "Oh my God.. Oh my God.." Of course, nervous nelly me comes running into the other room just in time to see Layla take 2 steps all on her own. Yes, my baby girl is starting to walk! Although, she hasn't attempted any more steps since Saturday. Soon enough she will be my little walking ravioli! Grammy, Leanne, Arielle and Addison popped in to say hi as well and at one point, it was pretty funny to watch the chaos of 5 kids unfold in the living room. I have to say.. I loved it. All of it. My house was alive and moreover, it was alive with children. We decided to go to the Redbridge that night and it was a great last minute decision as we all love the food there.

Sunday seemed to come and go even more quickly than Saturday! I somehow managed to get my butt out walking in the morning and then we ran to get Gramma Rose's Birthday present. On the way back home we picked up Billy and then headed to the birthday celebration. She turned 91. What an amazing accomplishment! Happy Birthday Gramma Rose!

We left shortly after Hannah drugged herself up on tons of sugar and headed over to Smithfield for the dedication of the Youth Memorial. The ceremonies actually took my breath away. I was so proud of all the work my family and friends have put into making the garden a sacred place for those whose lives were cut way too short. Fr. Najim said the blessing and my father was master of ceremonies. It was all fantastic. Bitter Sweet. How much everyone misses Jay and how much I realized I missed seeing Chris Reilly's smiling face around town. Their faces etched on the stone pillars were just a truly remarkable sight. It brought back a lot of memories as it was meant to do.

If only I could take a nap now as my busy weekend and late night last night staying up to watch my beloved Red Sox lose, has left me very, very tired. I must rejuvenate myself as I have to find the stamina to not close my eyes tonight while watching the Patriots!

Buddies

You had to do this to me.. didnt you? Just had to do it.

Layla's first steps... she was so proud of herself!

My Rock Star!

My family room accomodating 5 kids.. and Billy!

Playing

Proof that she still only has 2 teeth~!

My toothless ravioli!

Could she be any cuter..

Hi Da Da!

Happy Friday

It was so very nice to have this short week! Even though we have a jam packed weekend ahead of us, from our outing at Confreda's with the St. Philip's crew, to soccer, to time with Fitz and William, to Gramma Rose's birthday celebration and to the dedication of the Smithfield Youth Memorial.. I am certainly looking forward to spending some time with everybody this weekend.

I dont know what is wrong with me lately, but I have been seriously missing some of my old friends from Salve Regina University. (Early onset of midlife crisis maybe?) Somehow I let life get in the way and got so busy that I let so many of my friendships with my Salve crew just fall through the cracks. I have managed to be in touch via email with a few of these long lost friends this past week and it was so very nice to hear from them and hear how well they are doing. From the births of their babies to their great career opportunities.. it really has been great to hear from them.

I am hoping that Fitzy and I can come up with some sort of guest list and plan a social to get all of us old friends together again. It would be so nice to see everybody and catch up like old times. It still makes me crazy to think that 11 years have flown by since we graduated! WHAT? Yes 11 years. Insanity! I have so many wonderful memories from Salve and besides the memories I have of my girls, Salve comes in at a close 2nd with all the great times I had there in gorgeous Newport. Hopefully we can rack our brains and come up with something so that we can create some new memories.

Well, I am off to go get the meatball from school. Happy Friday!

xoxoxo

Time in New England

Our New Hampshire weekend was fantastic! We drove up Friday morning and it was clear sailing! We stopped at our favorite diner in Tilton and then hit the outlets for a little shopping. Billy found these adorable Sketchers for the girls and I found this great tent with plastic balls for them. They had more fun in it!

Saturday we headed to Santa's Village. The weather was perfect and again the girls were so well behaved.

How big Hannah looks in the stroller.. but she insisted!

She couldnt understand why Rudolph couldnt come home with her.

Miss Layla Cakes driving!

I kid you not.. this roller coaster nearly gave me a heart attack! It was so fast!!!! I needed a t-shirt that said "I survived the roller coaster at Santa's Village!" Hannah got a kick out of me being scared out of my mind!

"Well Santa.. I want a new scooter and Layla wants a computer.. or maybe a phone because she likes to talk a lot."

Billy, Hannah and Pa all on the flume! I watched this one from the sidelines!

Auntie Leanne's craft corner! She had crafts for them to do each night and the kids really enjoyed spending the time with her. Hannah and Arielle get along so well and I just love to see the two of them interact. The two of them were quite adorable together.

Baby Addison.. is just the sweetest!

On Sunday, we picked my parents up since they were camping nearby and spent the day with them. We headed up Cannon Mountain and got to see the amazing views. The day was so clear that we could even see the mountains that sat on the Canadian border.

The whole gang. The views were breathtaking..

My Mountain Man!

What a great shot!

Miss Layla and I

This is our favorite cheese store in the mountains. They make the best cheeseballs!

This is my favorite gift shop in Sugar Hill. They sell this amazing spiced tea.. yuummmmmm

This is currently my favorite picture of Hannah.. Her expression is just so darn adorable!!

These are some of my foliage shots.. just amazing!