Air Show

Max is always on the look out for airplanes in the sky. He calls them "mare-pains". Every sound he hears when we're playing outside (ie. lawn mower, car, contruction trucks) causes a frenzy of excitement. He runs around pointing to the sky yelling "MARE-PAIN!!!" and I feel so bad when I have to tell him the sound he hears is not an airplane.

But last weekend I knew he would not be disappointed because nearly every "mare-pain" sound he heard outside would almost certainly be an airplane.

On Sunday we watched the show from the back of our car in a random parking lot. We really wanted to avoid the crowds and paying $70 for admission when any number of scenarios (meltdown, diaper blowout, etc) could force us to head back home within minutes of arriving.

Max hanging out in the back of the Volvo waiting for the show to start.

"Coool!"

Max kept signing and saying "more, more" everytime a plane would disappear from view.


Pure happiness.

After the show we went to lunch at Happy Gillis.


Two things that make Max happy besides airplanes: Eating and Coloring.


Sullivan WAS there he just did a whole lot of this the entire time...

Atleast he was wearing his little airplane outfit to show his excitement about the air show too.

the luckiest.

Our anniversary was this past weekend. Six years and two kids later I still feel like the luckiest. Lucky to have someone who knows all of my imperfections and loves me anyway. I'm proud of our relationship and the life we've built together. I wrote about how much things have changed since the day we got married at the end of a recent (extremely long) blog post here .

Over these six years (plus four years dating) I've accumulated a box full of lovey-dovey cards from Billy...most of which are from Hallmark. However, we recently decided that none of them truly capture how it actually feels to be married to one another. Billy would always write "I couldn't have said it better myself" in the cards, but that's really not true. Especially since he considers himself to be the one with the superior writing skills out of the two of us. Which I think is cute ;)

At any rate...for that reason, we've agreed to rule out store bought cards when it comes to celebrations of love in our home. We started on Valentines Day of this year. I don't care if its written on the back of a receipt...it just must be from the heart. Its been fun to see what we can come up with using scraps of paper and old pictures...


Another tradition we started this year is involving the kids in our anniversary festivities. We want them to know from an early age that being married takes hard work and commitment but it’s also something that should be celebrated. So each year from now on we'll spend a portion of our anniversary day with our children doing something special.

Here's what we did this year:

We took the boys to the church where we were married. We let Max splash in the fountain in the courtyard and run around the empty pews. Billy and I sat in the front row holding Sullivan looking at the alter where we stood 6 years ago. I thought about the "blessing of the hands" reading we did during the ceremony and the line that says "...these are the hands that will hold your newborn baby..." and was overwhelmed with the way our lives had changed. I realized every part of that blessing was going to come true and we're still at the beginning of it.




After our outing at the church Billy and I went to lunch at the Blue Grotto and to the record store. My very thoughtful sister volunteered to watch Max so Billy and I could spend a little time together. We gratefully accepted. I've learned to say "yes" to any and all the help that we're offered :)

Sullivan came along with us since I'm still nursing on demand. He wasn't much of a third wheel though. We nearly forgot he was there in the booth with us during lunch and I don't think he even opened an eye until we got to our next destination.

As we were searching the stacks of albums for Al Green ("Let's Stay Together" was our first dance song) Sullivan decided it was his turn to eat. I tried to buy us some time by giving him my pinky...



We ended the day with a homemade meal inspired by our engagement dinner at Capital Grill...steak, lobster, risotto and a Stoli Doli martini. We listened to the Elders just like the night we got engaged (not live this time unfortunately).

And we made Sully do an Irish jig for us. Poor child :)

I'm starting to discover that it truly gets better every year.

Sometimes life...

is

just


so


fun.

Sullivan's First Week & Max's 1/2 Birthday

Big week in the Murray household! We brought home our new baby boy and it was also Max's 1/2 birthday on Saturday, 8/13.

This week has been wonderful. All my boys at home just eating and sleeping and getting adjusted to the new family dynamic. I've been in heaven...if it was also possible to feel a little sleep deprived in heaven. And I really can't even complain about that. Sullivan gives me about 4 to 4 1/2 hour stretches of sleep at night already.

Max has been more accepting of Sullivan than I ever could have imagined. He is so proud and seems to have a sense of responsibility when it comes to his baby brother. Max follows me to the changing table every time Sully has a dirty diaper. He has decided its his job to hand me a clean diaper and throw the dirty one away. He also screams "BABY EAT!!" whenever I'm nursing Sullivan...not sure where he got that from, but he seems to think its helpful in some way. He surprisingly gives all the pacifiers to his baby brother too. I thought he'd be sneaking them away from the little guy every chance he got, but instead he tries to shove them in the baby's mouth everytime he sees one lying around. My heart is swelling with pride if you can't tell :)

Here's our week in photos:

We came home from the hospital on Monday afternoon.

"Aw, Mom!"


"Ok, much better without the ridiculous hat"

I have a history of bringing my sons home in embarrassing outfits as exhibited by the photo of Max on his way home from the hospital below:
Quick story...When I put this on Max in the hospital I started laughing so hard that the nurse came in because she thought I was crying.

First bath. Sullivan loved getting his hair washed but was not a big fan of the sponge bath part.


He looks so peaceful in the photos above, but was pretty mad at us by the end of the experience.

Luckily the record player playing Paul Simon seemed to sooth him back to sleep while we were drying him off. He loves to listen to music just like his big bro.

I had planned on telling Sullivan that he was born during one of the hottest summers in Kansas City history, but the weather broke this week and it's been unseasonably nice for mid-August. Billy and I have been dining al fresco on the back deck after Max goes to bed and taking our new little man with us in this tent to protect him from bugs.

Hanging out inside the house after finishing dinner.

Wednesday my wonderful mother-in-law had Max for the day so Billy and I could spend some one on one time with Sully. We stayed in bed all morning with this little love bug.

Then decided to get out and have lunch at the Classic Cup. Again taking advantage of the gorgeous weather...



Going to Max's Diner on Max's 1/2 birthday is a tradition we started last year.

Sullivan just hung out while we ordered our Max burgers at the counter.

We all shared a chocolate malt. Max was in charge of it, handing out sips to me and Dada as he saw fit.

And Sullivan continued to sleep.

When we got back home we had a cake for Max's 1/2 bday and Sullivan's "1 week bday".

Similar to the cake we had on Max's "1 week bday" celebration:

Max and I developed a routine of eating popsicles outside in the evenings this summer. He has a frozen GoGurt and I have my all-natural fruit bar. He insists we "cheers" before each bite.

Which gives Dad an idea...

Billy popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate surviving our first week with these two little rugrats while Max runs for cover :)

We did it. We brought a healthy baby boy into the world exactly the way I wanted to and successfully managed the transition of going from a "party of three" to a "party of four".

Max ran out to the yard to chase down the cork.

One week down. Dada is back to work on Monday. We'll see how I manage on my own...

One thing I know.

Sullivan Michael Murray ~ 8/6/11 @ 2:59 PM ~ 10 lbs, 21 inches

It's so amazing to meet your new baby for the first time. Such an odd introduction between strangers who knew each other all along. I fell in love with Sullivan instantly.

My heart felt like it had reached its capacity for love when I had Max. It was so bursting and overflowing with love that if I focused too much on it I would literally be brought to tears. I know now that it is capable of holding much more than I gave it credit for.

I can confidently say that the room in our human hearts to adore and care for a new little life created out of love far exceeds the outer reaches of space and time and anything our minds are capable of imagining.

Billy and I have realized, in this short amount of time being parents of two, that our love is not divided between Max and Sullivan, but multiplied.

Thank you, Sullivan, for this lesson on love. Your brother taught us about the depth of love and you have taught us about the breadth of love.

Welcome to the world little one. We're so happy you are ours.

My whole heart,
Momma





PS- your Dad discovered this song a few weeks before you were born. I must have played it a million times with tears streaming down my face. You were brought into the world with this song playing on repeat in the background. It helped me focus during the hardest parts of labor.

You were placed on my belly during the lyrics "I don't know where we come from, and I don't know where we go. But my arms were made to hold you, so I will never let you go". It's weird...there are some very specific details I captured in midst of the beautiful chaos and some things, like the pain, are already fading from my memory. I will always remember that final moment when we were forever made two seperate beings and this will always be your song.



Create a playlist at MixPod.com
You were born into a strange world.
Like a candle, you were meant to share the fire.
I don't know where we come from, and I don't know where we go.
But my arms were made to hold you, so I will never let you go.
Cuz you were born to change this life.
You were born to chase the light.
You were born...

Love your mother, yeah she's s good one.
She'll build you armor; keep you warm as a hen.
The stars may fall and the rains may pour,
But I will love you evermore.
You were born to make this right.
You were born to chase the light.
You were born...

Oh my precious, oh my love, when they come to take me,
I will hold you from above.
I don't know why we're here, and I don't know how,
But I'm here with you now, I am here with you now.
Cuz you were born to change this life.
Cuz you were born to make this right.
Cuz you were born to chase the light.