He’s growing up!
Canton’s 9th Birthday Pictures
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Category Archives: Birthdays
Happy 8th Birthday Canton
Happy Birthday Canton!
Squid Cake!
To Canton As You Turn 8
May 13, 2009–the day our lives forever changed
Age 1
Age 2
Age 3
Age 4
Age 5
Age 6
Age 7
Last Day Being 7:
Dear Canton,
EIGHT?!? How did that happen? You are officially a kid now, not a big little kid, but a straight up kid. I feel like now we are raising you for the big moments of your teen years and the adult you will be, but I will always miss the little version of you.
You started our little Murphy Family! This past year we have watched you grow taller, grow braver, lose teeth, gain new interests, and take on the challenges of the world.
You started your year still loving Mythbusters, astronomy, and Star Wars, but your love of marine biology and art has blossomed. You moved from T-ball to machine pitch and took up interest in sewing, even making your own whale stuffed animal! My heart melts when I watch you do something you love.
One thing that hasn’t changed, how much you love family, especially your sisters. Adleigh has been all over the place this year, she’s a mover and a shaker, but you have been right along side her, encouraging her and watching out for her. You entertain and teach Liberty and have had many great adventures together! When we moved here your old first grade class made you a book and the constant theme throughout (besides how much they would miss their cool friend) is how much you love your family. You are not immune to sibling squabbles, but there is no doubting how much you love your sisters. May you always carry that love and priority in your heart. Family first!
Always nurture kindness. You are a sensitive soul. You love deeply, feel deeply, and hurt deeply. Protect your heart but treat others kindly. I love how you will start up a conversation with anyone. Continue to see the best in people, share what you have and what you know, and stand up for the little guy (make “good trouble”).
Follow your Passion. One of my favorite things about you is how you laugh with your whole face. You also can spend hours reading or making creations on subjects that are important to you (marine biology). Since you were a baby sleep has never been important to you, you are always going 186,000 miles per second (see what I did there 🙂 ). May you always live with the same zest.
We joke sometimes how Liberty, maybe even Adleigh, will move out before you do, and how you will live next door to us when you grow up, but I agree with you; I want to live with you forever too.
The tides are turning, I can feel it. I love when you come up and give me a hug when I’m not expecting it. You still ask to snuggle at night and sing our song, thankfully you haven’t retreated to your room slamming the door (yet). You still spend most of your time downstairs with us, but you are going to the office alone to work more and more, always know we will be here for you, even if you don’t want to be in the same room as us.
It is my honor to be your mom and I’m so glad that I have had to chance to help shape you from a sweet and inquisitive baby to the young man you are becoming. Even if I don’t get to hold your hand as much anymore, you will always hold my heart in your hand, no matter how big it gets.
Canton’s Eight Year Old Photographs
Happy First Birthday Adleigh!
Dear Adleigh,
What a year you have had, peanut!
Being the last baby, moments like this are generally sad. As I sit here crying, I cannot say it isn’t sad, I get misty putting away outfits that you have grown out of, or the bumbo, or swing, or anything that reminds me how fast everything is going. But I am so excited to see the girl/woman you will become.
As your brother and sister before you, you took your sweet time getting here. But at 12:53 pm on 9/29/2015, as the rain poured down outside, you forever changed our family. An hour later as I walked down the hall to our room and saw Canton and Liberty waiting for us, I knew you completed our family. I could not imagine my heart being any more full than at that moment. As Mal would say, my three angels.
You were strong from your first kick. You gave your mama a run for her money with heartburn and cramping legs, but you lifted your head a soon as you came out and looked right up at me I knew I had another strong-willed girl on my hands. You rolled a couple days later and have been moving even since. You were the earliest to wave (Old Man Wave as we call it), you loved to way goodbye to the boys in the morning. You were also the first to crawl (you actually scooted first) and you were without a doubt the hardest baby I’ve ever tried to pin down to change a diaper! You also flapped your arms in excitement so hard that it probably prevented you from walking a few weeks sooner than you did. You still walked in your tenth month but boy were you excited the month leading up to that. Once you took off your were doing your favorite activities of digging in the cup drawer and picking up the floor vents as if they were the greatest toy ever invented. We loved to watch you get in downward facing dog position and laugh your grunty laugh that we all love. As Becky said describing you, “Can you ever remember being so excited about something?!”
People ask “Oh three kids, what’s that like?” I say, it is like treading water and then you add a baby. But, you were the baby we could handle. Between dad getting a new job, dad living away from us for work, and finally moving, unpacking, new school, and on and on, your laid back style is just what we needed. You eagerly nursed and happily slept (short as is was you could almost sense the days I needed it to be 2.5 hrs instead of 2 between feedings), you smiled through our week of hotel living, and slept through the night a couple weeks after moving into our new house. You readily accepted worn out toys, stained clothes, and we realized the world wouldn’t end of your teether hit the floor. You were the baby we needed.
I love how your eyes light up when you see something you want. May you always chase your dreams with the same gusto.
I love your grunty laugh, how you always clap for yourself and anyone else, and how you blow raspberries on my neck when you fall into me for a snuggle. May you continue to always lift others around you and find joy and love in everything you do.
I hope in the years to come you forgive me if I hold you a little longer, little tighter, because you are the link of our young family, the one trying to figure out our way, to the family that will grow in the future. Soon, I will miss how you love when I nibble your chubby thighs or pat down your tuft of hair. One day I will no longer be able to feel your weight in my arms, but please know I will always be here to catch you when you fall. And, when your babies crawl all over you, you will still always be my baby.
We love you peanut!
Weight: 21 lbs 2 oz
Length: 29 inches
PS–Mike, we did it, we have successfully guided three pretty cool humans out of the baby phase. Through blood, sweat, tears, whatever filled all those diapers, and pure willpower we have completed this part of our journey. I’m so thankful you have been with me for each step and can’t wait to see what is ahead!
To Liberty As You Turn 3
Dear Sweet Lou:
Tomorrow you will be THREE! What a year you have had!
I remember being young and laughing at the old people talking about how much “time flies” You won’t understand it until you carry your own babies to bed, but those crazy old people are right. Those old people also talked about the “terrible twos”, well girl, it has been terrific!
Yes, you are a spitfire, and you have the temper of your namesake, your great-grandmother Hilda May, but you also have her deep capacity of tremendous love. Your “twos” weren’t a walk in the park, you moved and had a new baby sister, that is hard on anyone, let alone a two year old. You cried for days about missing our old house but you were soon seeing ghosts in our new home, ghosts that make you feel safe and loved.
You also grew in inches (you’ve always been so tall) and your vocabulary exploded, oh the things you say amaze us sweet girl! You are so in touch with your feelings and you make sure everyone knows where they stand with you! Sometimes it is hard to remember you are just two, you seem like you came into the world knowing how to do so many things.
You are so strong, brave, and beautiful. I hope you continue to squeal as you chase after Canton. That you remember your sparkly bed decked out in Minnie Mouse everything, covered with all your “guys”. Don’t forget about your pink owls that you carry every where you go or how you have to have your bed lined up just so each morning or how your owls and Dory have to come with you on every car trip. We won’t forget carrying you to bed and watching you turn over “butts up” that’s how we knew you’d be out until morning as you let out the quietest and most dainty snore. Continue to dress up as Sofia (ya-ya) and throw your pixie dust with Izzy as you make rocketships with Canton and answer “stayin’ home” as your favorite thing to do. Keep fixing your animals as you sing Doc McStuffins. Keep laughing your silly laugh and always stand on your bed each day to tell yourself you are beautiful.
I’ll probably cry as I sing “skinamarinky dinky dink I love LOU” tonight but that’s only because I have so many wonderful memories of your last year. I can’t wait to see how you grow in the years to come, but also want to make time stop and hold on just a little longer.
Me and LOU and LOU and me, no matter how they toss the dice it had to be, the only one for me is LOU and LOU for me! So happy together!
We love you!
Canton’s 5th Birthday Party!
Even the rain couldn’t keep us from having a great time celebrating Canton’s 5th birthday! Can’t believe our big man is 5 and will be off to school soon!
We appreciated having his friends: Chase, Luke, Elias, Alex, and his very special friend, Sam from school, all here to celebrate with us. But, nothing made Canton happier than having his Nanny here. Nanny is his superhero and he was ecstatic that she and Rhonda made the 13 hour trip just for his birthday!
Of course the space theme was in full force–plates, cups, napkins, banner, hanging decorations, and of course–the cake. His presents followed theme: some hanging planets from Mom and Dad and well as Chase and Luke, new space clothes from Nanny and Rhonda, a bat from Poppy and Grandma, some space books by Stephen Hawking from Aunt Becky and Uncle Ben (he’s has greatly been enjoying those and mom appreciates the story vs textbook reading!:) ) school supplies from Beth, a very special stuffed polar bear that he named Iceberg from Rhonda, and his absolute favorite present–a blowup rocket from Nanny! Thanks to Janice brought some cool building blocks and even brought her special camera for mom to take lots of pictures!
Canton kept his tradition of not eating the cake, he has asked for cookie cake again 🙂
Here is to five incredible years!
(more coming, dealing w/ updating issues)
