I have a bone to pick...

...with the person who invented thigh highs!  What were they thinking?  Well, I guess a better question would be, "What was I thinking?"

When I got to about 6 or 7 months pregnant with Monroe, my uniform became dresses.  I wore them almost every day to work.  At AHS Corporate, you were supposedly required to wear hosiery, but many to all women ignored this and chose to go without.  I took it upon myself to decide that hose was not required for any pregnant woman during the summer months.

Things are a little different in the hospital setting.  You MUST wear hose and they aren't kidding around.  I have been dying to wear dresses, but in this newly acquired heat that has arrived in Chicago, I couldn't fathom wearing pantyhose, especially since I have a pantyhose phobia!  I started despising them in highschool, but when I got pregnant it got overwhelming to the point that I actually had a panic attack one day while wearing them.  The tightness around my belly was just too much for me to handle.

This weekend, I got the bright idea that I could wear dresses if I had thigh highs.  Then, I wouldn't have to worry about the suffocating feeling I get.  Well, I got some and wore them for the first time today.  All I can say is, never again.  I must have looked like such a weirdo, because they kept falling down.  Well, actually the right leg stayed up perfectly, it was my left leg that had problems.  Every time I walked anywhere (and I do a lot of walking at work) it would slowly start to inch it's way down my leg until it was down around my ankle.  Most of the time, I would feel it happening in time and I could duck into a quiet corner, but there were at least three times, where I'm sure someone saw.  How completely embarrassing.

I think I have some good news...knock on wood.  On Saturday I started getting kind of itchy again.  If you know anything about my first pregnancy, you know that I went through three arduous weeks of intense itching--from the top of my head to the tip of my toes.  It was the worst medical ailment I have ever dealt with and I was terrified that it was back.  I really couldn't imagine having it for the rest of my pregnancy as I have 14 whole weeks left instead of just three.  I mentioned it to Mark, and you should have seen the fear come across his face.  It was pretty excruciating for him, too.  I would cry myself to sleep some nights and he really felt so bad for me.  Anyway, I think it was just the change in weather, because it has completely gone away now.  Well, actually, now that I'm talking about it I'm itching again, but I'm sure it's just psychosomatic.   So anyway, I'm very relieved.  Please pray that it doesn't return!

I have my next doctor's appointment tomorrow.  It has really snuck up on me.  He's seeing me every three weeks now, so it comes a lot more often.  I almost forgot about it and probably would have, if they hadn't called to confirm.  Hopefully it will go smoothly.  I really don't have much to mention to him.  I have been having a lot of pelvic pain, but I had the same thing with Monroe, so I'm not too concerned.  I'll let you know how it all goes.  

I almost forgot to mention what a wonderful surprise it was to have my favorite person guest blog (or web log) yesterday!  I just love that guy.  He was so good at it, huh?!  I think I've almost got him to agree to sign a contract for at least three guest posts a year!  We'll see what I can negotiate.  I'm also trying to convince him to start his own blog.  He's such a talented and entertaining writer.  I wouldn't miss a post!  I haven't succeeded yet, but I'll keep working on it.

I better run.  I have lots of cleaning to do.  We are trying to get the basement spic and span before my two friends, Ashley and Jaime arrive on Friday!  I can't wait for them to get here and I really want their time in the "Love Cave" to be perfect:)

Have a great night!

Prince of Uganda needs YOUR help...

Murrill's Pearls of Wisdom has been hijacked by its biggest fan and most loyal supporter. ("This guy"--->) Steph, you really should be more creative with your passwords. ;)  Now, let's see what this whole web-logging (yea, that's what what us 'purists' call it) rage is all about.   So, this is my first go at "blogging" and I am already stressing out - it would literally (watch for proper use of "literally")take me hours to do this every night.   As I am an avid follower of this blog I have been privy to the honest reaction to 7 wonderful years of marriage libel that has taken place over the last 7-ish days and I have to say I am one lucky dude to be married to such a wonderful woman.  In honor of our anniversary and Top 7's I thought I would share the moments and periods of our relationship, in no particular order, that bring me goosebumps and good memory feelings!  **A word of caution to the casual reader, there will be some inside jokes you may not understand so I apologize.  

You two are the best... but never trust them!

1.  I am sure Steph has told you about the lies and deceit that brought us together (conniving couple --->) but she may not have said much about the memories we created the days and months following that first encounter. What I remember most fondly about our early days were the long walks (Can I Walk With You by India Aire - one of our favorites)  in afternoons at Union College. These weren't your little walks around Union's tiny campus, I'm talking, like, at least two to three miles. :/  Every day I would eagerly await the new things I would learn about the woman whom I was sure I would be walking many more miles with! 

Our walks take a little longer now than they used too!!

2.  Wedding Day- I guess it isn't much a huge surprise why this is such a memorable day  but what I haven't told too many people is what part of that amazing DAY (not NIGHT-sorry folks) stands out the most in my memory.  I remember looking out over the 9th green at the Golf Club of Oklahoma and being told I could turn around to see Steph in her dress for the first time.  It may sound superficial but it it what I remember most.  In my defense, I had been thinking about the sentimental, rest-of-my-life-with-this-girl "stuff" for months already and this was the MOST beautiful she had ever been!  Hott. 

3.  Tiny Dancer has unofficially been dubbed our "travel anthem." For some reason the iPod seems to autopilot straight to Elton John.. we try to keep it classy.  Some of my favorite memories are from our Sabbath afternoon excursions gathering ideas for what our future mansion will look like. On our cross-country treks, as we are tiny dancing, we daydream about what we want to do with our lives and the new hobbies we want to pursue (Steph's usually have to do with some sort of crafting business, preferably in Maui).  They say you learn a lot about your relationship on long trips; I couldn't be happier.  And how can you not have fond memories when Sir Elton is involved??  I mean just check this out.

Elton John - Tiny Dancer by newcanadian

This is just pure awesomeness.

It got pretty nuts...

4.  During The Great Ice Storms of December 2007 in Tulsa, Oklahoma  the true colors of Stephanie shown clearly.  In addition to losing electricity for 11 days Stephanie and I were going through some "issues" that really could have created the perfect storm in our relationship.  Instead of running from me during this time, she instead came closer and saved our family.  I look back, renewed, at that period of our relationship and the pain associated with the chapter is replaced with wonder and appreciation of what it feels like to be REALLY loved. I am blessed to be married to such a God-fearing woman.       

Murrills + Baughmans = Murmans. Please excuse the hat.

5.  I look back at all memories we made with the Baughman's and think about how lucky we were to have such amazing friends to hang out with pretty much every night!  My mom always told me we needed to appreciate our time with them and now I know why.  There were many great excursions, adventures and sleepovers to choose from but I think movie night pretty much sums the Murmans.   I love how "crazy" Steph can be and she laid it all on the line for movie night!!

6.  New Years Eve 2009 probably sticks out as one of the most fun nights I've had with Steph!  On a whim we decided to do one of the most touristy things you can possibly do in Orlando - a dinner show. Because pirates are awesome we decided to go to the swashbuckling Pirates Adventure.  Maybe it was because I managed my expectations but Captain Klegg (the pirate who represented our section.  But seriously, I have no clue if that was his name) delivered an Oscar worthy performance and brought home the booty.  Incredible.  And I haven't even mentioned the Pirate after party...      

Shiver me timbers!  That's pirate talk... you probably don't understand.

7.  Tomorrow.  I look forward with raring-to-go anticipation for what the future brings and it gives me goosebumps and good feelings just thinking about it.  I HEART you Steph.

Day 7- Anniversary!!!!

I thought I would start this little post with some pics we took today of our family...

About two minutes after this picture was taken, Monroe broke her glasses...oh well.  At least they were from the dollar spot at Target:) 

I woke up today to the smell of yumminess being cooked.  When I came out, I was greeted by, and I'm not exaggerating, the most amazing breakfast burrito I have ever had.  It was full of yummy veggies and potatoes and it was just perfect.  Breakfast burritos are my all time favorite food.  I really can't think of anything I like more and he definitely hit the nail on the head.  I threw in my contribution of fresh baked banana bread and our meal was perfect.

We spent the morning kind of lazy like, video chatting with both sets of our parents.  Monroe was super excited to see them all.  She has definitely started to become more of a showman these days.  She would dart around the room, showing off her running skills, twirl like a ballerina, or just sit and laugh.  All of which gained much attention and fanfare from her audience.  She doesn't let her fans down.

Later, we headed out to do some shopping.  Kenneth needed some new things before he leaves on his golf trip and wanted to tag along.  We had a great time.  I ended up finding two maternity dresses and a top.  I was so excited when I discovered that all of my items were half off!  They were already pretty cheap so that made it all the more doable. Mark, Kenneth and Monroe each found a little something, so we all walked away feeling very accomplished.  Kenneth treated us to an anniversary lunch from California Pizza Kitchen and it was so good.  I love that place.

On the way home, we dropped Monroe at the Meharry's and came home to get ready.  We are such oldies now, that we actually took a fifteen minute nap before we left (we set the alarm).  We were so exhausted.   I can't imagine that we would have done something like that on our first anniversary.  It's funny how the years catch up with us.  It happens without us even realizing.  I think I kind of like being old:)

We were still very full after our lunch so we decided to have a very light dinner.  We headed to downtown Elmhurst and let our stomachs do the walking.  We ended up at a little sushi place.  It was so good and the perfect amount of food.  I had totally forgotten what it was like to eat at a restaurant without a crazy child tagging along.  I have to admit, it was very refreshing. Our conversation was awesome and at one point we were both laughing so hard it was almost embarrassing.  I love that we still have those moments.  After dinner, we walked around for awhile and stopped at Starbucks for a Coconut Mocha Frap.  Then we headed to get Monroe.  It was a short night, but so worth it.  We have to do that more often!

7 Reason why I love Mark William Murrill

#7 He's the best friend a person could have- In my opinion, that's one of the best things about Mark.  Looking back over our seven years of marriage, I can't help but be overwhelmed by what an amazing person I've got.  I'm telling you, he's the best friend I have ever had.  He's such a good listener and gives the wisest advice.  He builds me up when I'm down.  He always makes me feel special and beautiful and he always has my back.  I love that he is the most loyal reader of my blog.  I can count on the fact that he will read it, even if no one else does.  He is always honest and helps me to be a better person.  I'm so very lucky and I can't wait to see what the next 70 years hold:)  Thank you, Mark for everything.  I love you!!!!!

7 years ago today, I married my best friend. 

BFF's

  

Day 6

So, the weathermen were WAY off today!  They've been saying all week that today was going to be beautiful and in the 80's!  I was so excited and had planned a wonderful day full of water activities for the kiddos.  Well, try torrential rains!!! I mean scary storms.  What a let down for all of us.

Monroe would not nap alone for anything.  The thunder kept scaring her and her cries became so hysterical.  I can't bear to hear that cry.  We got her up and we laid in our bed with her.  She was out within a few minutes and slept for a good two hours.  I rested a bit, too.

This afternoon, the rains let up and the Meharry's and Kenneth came over to BBQ.  It was nice to hang out and eat good food.  Nicole did it again and brought two AMAZING desserts.  She made yummy coconut cream bars and an apple pie for Mark.  I, of course, tried both and they were equally good.  So, so, so good.

I am so excited that we don't have to go to work tomorrow!  We are still figuring out our game plan for our day, but it will be great to have a dinner alone.  We are so thankful that Nicole was willing to watch Monroe.  We haven't had one of those in forever.  I truly don't remember the last time. It will be awesome. 

Here's a pic that Kenneth sent me from yesterday.  It's not to great of me, but I love our little family!

7 Reasons why I love Mark William Murrill

#6- His cute little quirks-  I don't think any couple is prepared for the little nuances in our personalities that come out after living together for awhile.  I have enjoyed figuring out Mark's little special quirks.  Of course, there was quite a learning curve, but now I adore these cute things about him.  They are what set him apart and make him special.  These are a few of my favorite things about him!

1)  That he has to have his socks folded a very unique way before put away in his drawers.  I didn't know this for the longest time and finally caught him refolding them one day.  He had to teach me his method.

2)  That he is so precise when ironing his shirts/clothes.  I can iron a shirt in a few seconds.  It takes him about 30 minutes per shirt!  He has a routine and I have to admit, his product is pretty perfect.  I gave up trying long, long ago. 

3)  Mark has been known to eat 2 to 3 dinners per night.  He will eat dinner with me and a few hours later have another dinner.  Then a little after that, another snack/dinner.  I don't understand how he stays so thin!  

4) Mark must, no matter what, take a shower before he goes to bed.  He always takes at least two showers, but that night time one cannot be skipped.  Believe me, I've tried many different things to try and get him just to come to bed, but nothing works.  One time, I thought I got him to skip it and a few minutes later, he snuck out to take one.  This guy is so clean.

5) Mark always claims to be a non picky eater, but...he doesn't eat: tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, brownies, ricotta cheese, enchiladas, lasagna, mushrooms & lima beans.   I know there are more, but I can't think of them right now.  

6) When he is being photographed he ALWAYS laughs, he can't just smile.  

7) He loves yard work.  He enjoys nothing more than a good day of mowing and weed eating.

8)  When he lays next to me, he always tells me to "Come into his "love nest"!"  It means he wants to hold me.  It weirded me out at first, but now I find it so endearing.  There's no place I'd rather be.

9)  He loves sports.  It used to be a little overwhelming because he could watch, talk about or play them constantly.  Now, I have lightened up, and he has mellowed out.  I love that somehow he is good at every one.  I really can't think of one sport that he doesn't excel in.  

10)  He's willing to deal with my REALLY strange quirks.  For every one of his, I've got three.  I love how accepting he is and how much he loves my weirdness.

Home Alone & Day 5

Another great Sabbath! We went to Sabbath School and stayed after to help Becky and Jason to transition the room over for the next lesson.  After that, we headed home for lunch.  Kenneth joined us.  We had one of my favorite meals: dinner roast and mashed potato casserole! Yummy! 

 The perfect meal with two great people! You may notice the mashed potatoes are half cheese/half no cheese.  Mark made half vegan for him and half regular for us non-vegans.

After resting for a bit, we hit the road for a little Sabbath drive.  We ended up going to North Chicago because Mark had always wanted to see what it was like.  It was well worth the drive.  We saw some amazing homes!  I mean A-MAZ-ING!  I guess many of the Bull's players live around there.  We thought about being stalkers.  Now at this point, I would love to say we thought about it, but we realized that would be wrong, but really we would have been stalkers if we had any clue to which houses they were.  

We also headed to the Bull's training facility.  Yes, very stalkerish, huh?! There were a few kids waiting outside trying to see Scalabrine.  He was the last player left inside.  I'm not a fan of him AT ALL back from his Celtic days, so we didn't stick around.  We just took a few pics and headed to the next part of our journey.   Here's what the Berto Center looks like.  It's not too incredible looking.  I have to admit, I was expecting more.

We next headed to the beach.  It was such a crummy day, but it was a great day for a leisurely walk on the beach.  Here are a few pics.

We drove around looking at homes for awhile longer, with a particular house on our radar.  This house...

Does it look familiar?! It's the house from "Home Alone"!  Pretty crazy, huh?!

  I love spur of the moment drives and this one was exceptionally fun.  

7 Reasons Why I love Mark William Murrill

Reason #5 He's so romantic.  Mark has always had a zest for romance.  I remember him getting me special presents after every month of dating and his proposal to me was to die for.  You'd think things would have slowed down over the years, but they haven't changed much since then.  I told you about my Mother's Day!  See how romantic this guy is?!  Some of the most romantic things he does aren't even planned.  Watching him with Monroe, hearing him say sweet things about me to people, when I catch him looking at me from across the room, sweet kisses for no reason...the list could go on an on.  I feel so lucky to have a man that still cares enough to make me feel special.   

  

Rosie's New Wheels and Day #4

Today, I had to make up for my lemon of a day yesterday.  I had a lot of cleaning to do and a few errands to run.  I got pretty much everything I was hoping to accomplish done, which is good. I also fit in a tiny little catnap, which is very good.   


I have been on the quest for outdoor toys for Monroe.  She loves playing outside and is completely content to roam around, playing with whatever she finds.  That's great and all, but I started feeling bad the other day when I saw her rubbing two rocks together.  I really wanted to make the backyard more enjoyable for her.  I got her a little wheelbarrow a few days ago that she loves so that was a start.  


I thought I would hit up some garage sales today to see what I could come up with by way of outdoor toys.  Well, just my luck, I couldn't find one garage sale.  I then decided to stop at a new store that opened up not too far from our house...Savers.  It's a thrift department store.  Well, again, no luck on the toys, but I did hit the book jackpot.  Look at these great books I got for about $4.00!  Most are the flap or pop up books that Monroe is majorly into right now. 

Rosie is OBSESSED with books.  From the time she wakes up, to the time she goes to bed,she wants "boots", as she calls them.   

I knew I wanted to get her a cozy coupe, because Mason has one and she LOVES it.  I debated whether to just get her a new one, but I figured I would try Craigslist first.  Well, I'm glad I did because I found a great one for a pretty good price.  When we got it home she was so excited!  

This is her getting in her cozy coupe for the first time!   

 There is only one problem...she can only seem to figure out how to go backward.  She ends up running into things...see above photo.

 Because she can't go forward, and believe me we both tried to teach her, there is a lot of pushing going on.  As evidenced above...

 And here...

 And here.

Oh, well!  At least she gets where she needs to go.  She'll catch on at some point.  

I'm going to have to make her a little license plate with her name on it.  I'm so glad she loves it.  

Melissa found the cutest sand/water table for the boys and I have been debating getting her one of those, because she LOVED it.  I am going to try and sell this old dresser on CL and any money I make, I will use toward that.  I'll let you know how it all turns out.  At least she won't have to play with rocks anymore...unless she wants to.  

7 Reasons Why I love Mark William Murrill

#4 He's the best daddy ever.  I was going to save this one for a little later down the list, but then this happened today and I couldn't resist...

Yup, that's Mark and Monroe in her crib.  How many daddies will climb in a crib just to make their little girl smile?!  From the time Monroe was born, he's been amazing.  I remember we used to (and actually still do) fight over who's going to get her out of bed when she wakes up from her nap.  He is always so excited to see her!  He's never one to shirk on diaper duty and he puts the kid to bed almost every night.  She adores him and it's obvious to anyone how much they are alike.  

He is always up for teaching her new things and is so good at disciplining her.  He helps her to realize that she can do things on her own, so she doesn't become too dependent on us.  He really is just amazing.  I don't tell him enough how lucky I KNOW I am.  Thank you, Mark, for being so good to me, but even more importantly, so good to Monroe.  Having such a Godly, stable, loving daddy will help her to be such a confident and wise young woman.  I truly believe that a good daddy is one of the most important ingredients to a teenage girl that makes good decisions.  I'm can't wait to see how much fun we will have with this new little girlie.  I know it will only get better.  I have about a trillion great pics to choose from, but here are a few...

A few seconds after becoming a dad.  I still get weepy just thinking about it!   

 Getting to hold our little button for the first time.  She was about 5 days old. 

 All dressed up for church! 

 Celebrating with Daddy on his birthday! 

 Learning how to eskimo kiss!  

 I've always loved this one!  

 He's a firm believer in "toughening a kid up" at an early age.  

 Snow bunnies! 

 Always all smiles when they're together.

 I love these three pics! They are literally making the same faces.  Mark didn't even realize that he had food on his face, too!  Two peas in a pod! 

 Cut from the same cloth! 

Even when they're upset, it's cute! 

I'm pretty angry at blogger right now, because I can't get the formatting on this to look right.  The sizes and kinds of fonts are all screwy throughout.  I have decided to give up and go to bed.  Forgive how nuts it probably looks.  Love to you all!  Hope you and yours are having a relaxing Friday evening!  

Day 3

I'm just going to get right down to business.  I am just a little too tired to feel like writing.  I don't know what's up, but the sleepies are back.  I feel like I did during my first trimester.  I had the hardest time peeling myself off of the couch today.  I didn't get half of my list completed.  Tomorrow is going to be one busy day!  Anyway...

7 Reasons Why I love Mark William Murrill

#3 He's really smart  He doesn't like to admit this, but Mark is super duper intelligent.  Yes, there was a time when I did his homework when he was taking classes for education, but that wasn't for lack of smarts, it was lack of interest, which I can completely understand. 

I am continually amazed at the depth of his knowledge.  He is an avid reader and is always abreast to what's happening in the news.  While I'm reading blogs and Tina Fey books, he's in the middle of a 500 page biography about a theologian.  I mean the guy's radio stations are all set to NPR.  Can you get any smarter?

I love being able to ask him anything and he's able to explain it to me.  He really is an amazing teacher and has a knack for making complicated things seem simple.  

I also love that because of his smarts, charm and personality, he is so well respected at work.  It makes me so proud to work in the same place.  I'm always getting, "Oh, so you're Mark's wife!"  I am always delighted to be able to say yes.  I know that Mark's got a big future ahead of him.  People would be crazy not to want him to be apart of their team.  I sure feel lucky to have him on mine:)  

So that's just another reason why I love this man.  

I don't really have a "smart" picture of him on the macbook, so this one will have to do.  I feel that it has a smart aura. 

Day 2

Work week done!  What a relief.  I have a major headache, but I don't even mind because I don't have to go back to work until Tuesday!  I am so excited for the holiday weekend.  It will be so fun to be outside and relax with the family.  We are planning on doing a fun grilling day on Sunday with the Meharry's.  I can't wait.

Today, I attended the graduation for one of our hospital's Therapeutic Day Schools.  Our therapeutic day schools are best described as schools for students who were falling through the cracks in regular school because of behavioral or social issues.  It gives a chance for students, that would never have been able to succeed in regular school, to flourish and really feel special.  The schools are safe places where the students don't feel different, but rather, feel accepted.  The program is really phenomenal.  The students take part in all kinds of different therapies (art, music, pet/equine, group, individual, sports therapy) and are taught how to succeed and how to overcome some of their social anxieties, etc.

I know that I'm an easy cry right now, but this graduation was EMOTIONAL!  I swear I was crying from the minute I arrived.  It was so neat to see the kids beaming from ear to ear--so proud of their hard earned accomplishments.  Students that probably would have never received any awards were on the honor roll and excelling in arts or in music.  Then their choir sang a few songs and I really fell apart.  When the students actually graduated, I was a goner!  Their parents and proud family members were crying tears of joy and there I sat, not knowing any of the kids from Adam, weeping.  I'm sure people must have thought I was related to one of the graduates, but nope...I didn't know a one.

I love seeing people overcome odds!  Don't you?  I really don't think it gets much better.  It all made me think of my two girls.  I can't wait to see them grow and mature and become young ladies.  I can't wait to celebrate with them on their graduation day and then later, their wedding day.  I am already so proud of them both, just for being.  It will be so neat when they start to choose interests and begin to exhibit talents.  I just can't wait.  But then, I really can.  I don't want them to grow up at all.  The idea of them no longer being babies is heartbreaking.  Man, being a parent is hard.  I sure love it, though!

Well, enough of that mushy stuff.  Let's get to something totally not lovey dovey at all...oops!:)  

7 Reasons Why I love Mark William Murrill

#2 He's so funny!  If you know me, you know I love to laugh and my favorite thing in the world is making other people laugh.  I feel so lucky to have such a funny man in my life that I can laugh with.  I mean this guy cracks me up.  He can be so silly, but also has such a dry wit.  I love that he doesn't embarrass easy and nothing is off limits.  Thank you, Marky, for being the funniest guy I know.  No one makes me smile like you! 

 See, I wasn't kidding...nothing embarrasses him! 

 Silly Guy!

 So fun to be around, this guy! 

Not afraid to look silly...those are my shorts, by the way.  

I'm one lucky girl.  One lucky girl that is so tired.  I better go.  Love to you all!