basketball

Mack is playing in a 4-6 year old basketball league.  I love watching him learn, persevere, and improve each time he plays.  He really enjoys playing basketball with his friends and takes it very seriously.

*At practice the coaches split the kids up to scrimmage.  Shirts vs. Skins...all these little boys want to be skins!...what is it about taking their shirts off??! lol.

skating

Mack was invited to a friend's birthday party at our local skating rink.  He had a blast!  At first he refused to put the skates on.  Then he decided he would try the training skates and he did really well.  This brought back many memories of my Aunt Bonnie taking us skating when we were young.  Pizza and skating - what great memories!

He even joined in the limbo.

How low can you go?

lower...

snow days

We feel like we have been hibernating in our cave.  With all of our snow days we have enjoyed a lot of quality family time.  We usually enjoy french toast and eggs for breakfast.  I LOVE making (& eating) french toast.  I always wanted my mom to make french toast for breakfast.  It was the first thing I learned how to cook on the stove.  Still my favorite!

We have enjoyed fun in the snow.

Getting ready takes time...

Scott and Mack have put in some major hours playing, sledding, & digging in the snow.

Soxy and Moon also love playing in the snow!

Rosy cheeks...

We have enjoyed playing cards, puzzles, knights, trains, reading, dancing, crafting, and loving on these snow days.

Playing cards...

These days really allow us to enjoy Mack and the child that he is.  We am not rushing to do other things, we just get to watch and observe and absorb this boy.

tmurdock photography

Many of you know that I love taking pictures.  I always have and hopefully always will be able to enjoy photography.  I really wish to expand on this hobby of mine.  I will at least put in some serious practice so that in my next life I can be a talented professional portrait photographer.  Right now it is obviously something I have to squeeze into my spare time.  I love all aspects - learning to manipulate lighting, angles, composition, editing and fine-tuning photos, all of it!  Currently, I am trying to learn to edit using photoshop elements 11.   Maybe sometime this hobby of mine will become more than just a hobby.

On one of our many snow days I found a portable back drop design made out of PVC pipe.  So I got some PVC pipe and fittings and built my on-the-go back drop stand.  Works like a charm!

Of course, I love practicing with Mack.  He is very tolerant of my need to photograph him...most of the time.  Here are some pics I took using my back drop stand in our living room.

I have had the joy of photographing one of my very dear friend's family.  She asked me to take photos to celebrate her son's first birthday  This was a very fun photo shoot!  Little B was animated and excited and was a great sport!

jokes

Mack loves to hear and tell jokes.  This has become a really fun development in our house.  Here are my two favorites that he tells.  Enjoy. :)

blueberry joke:

banana joke:

Happy Valentine's Day

We enjoyed our snow day on Valentine's Day.

We played in the snow, baked brownies, and had a nice steak dinner.

Mack enjoyed helping with the brownies...

What a LOVELY day!

Happy New Year!!

We hope you all have a happy, healthy, and blessed new year!

  

I am rushing to update the blog before the clock hits twelve.  We are at Scott's mom's house in Reno so I still have an hour and a half to spare. ;)  

We have been traveling to see friends in Las Vegas and family in Reno over our holiday break.  Our trip has been amazing and we feel blessed for this unforgettable adventure.  I will post more about our trip after we return to Missouri and get settled into routines again.

Happy New Year!