Payton Christopher Murray, Welcome to the World!

Our family grew by two feet as they say. We are so Blessed to have this beautiful baby join us in this family. Lauren did an amazing job delivering this Baby Boy. The nurses on the Maternity Unit are talking Record Breaking performance, especially for a first time Mom!

I was so fortunate and privileged to be asked to be a part of the Birth and be in the Delivery room. It was awesome to be a witness and not a participant this time. It truly is a miracle to witness.

So, without further ado, I present:
Payton Christopher, born on August 11, 2010 at 9:28 a.m
he weighed in at 6 lbs., 4 oz.,....and 19 in. long.

It's a Swim Party!

Julia finally got to have her Birthday Party at Barclay Farm Swim Club on August 8. It was a great day!

Happy 8th Birthday to our BABY!

July 6 is a very important day in our house. Our lil' firecracker, Julia, entered our lives on that date, in 2002. Life has never been the same since, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Since it was during the week, we just did a simple celebration with her favorite, Ice Cream cake.

She received many calls, from her admiring public, which always brings a smile to her face. Mom Mom Murray (or MaMaa, as Jul calls her)was one of the first to call her. But since she wasn't feeling great, she wouldn't be able to stop over. She didn't want to share her germs with the B-day girl. But, assured her, she & Pop Pop would see her just as soon as she was better. She got a very special package in the mail from New York. It is always very exciting when these parcels arrive from the Big City. It was from Egg (Ed) & Linda. They have never forgotten either of the kids B-days, always making them feel so special. It was her very own portable DVD player and assorted movies, awesome!

A few days later, the kids slept over Mom Mom & Pop Pop McCay's house so we could attend my Class Reunion. It was during that visit that Julia was treated to a most wonderful surprise, Mom Mom made her her very own, AMAZING birthday cake. It made this lil' 8 year old feel soooooo special. She received a beautiful ruby heart necklace, just like the doll in her cake was wearing!
It was indeed a very good Birthday for Ms. Julia. We opted to have her actual party after vacation time, when it would be a bit less hectic. So, she gets to celebrate again!

Our Lil' Fish!

Much to our amazement, we have a child on the swim team!!!!!! It happened quit unexpectedly, but what a complete, joyful experience it has been.

At the beginning of this swim season, Julia was not what we would call a "swimmer", but, she was definitely a "try-er". So many people would tell us to put her on the swim team. This blew my mind, as I always thought it best that one was a proficient swimmer, before joining a team that, well....swims! We would ask her if she wanted to join the team, and she would always reply, "maybe next year". O.K, fair enough, and we left it alone. Then came the day....As we were leaving our Swim Club, after a incredible day of swimming, a 'big girl' life guard ran after us, calling to Julia. Her exact words, "I was watching you swim, you are really good, do you want to join the swim team?" I think to myself, 'Oh, dear girl, don't waste your time, she doesn't want any parts of it'.....but, what I heard come out of my little ones mouth was,"SUUURE!"

The rest, they say, is history! Julia has become so confident in the water, and we are overflowing with pride. Her big brother is right there at every Meet, cheering her on. It really has been a wonderful family experience, and a most pleasant of surprises. But to just see how proud she is of herself, is worth everything.