Eden's Angel

(Not my photo)

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about Eden's angel, the child who lost his life and allowed Eden to continue her own. We are eternally grateful, you know we are, but have failed in our ability to share this with Eden's donor family. As we finally sat down to transform these feelings into words, I asked myself why it has taken us two and a half years to do this. Then it hit me... I am painfully aware that we are only one half of the extraordinary event that occurred on August 6th, 2008... the better* half. As in most everything in my life, I have trouble being the winner if it means someone else has to lose. This harsh reality has slowed me down, but what finally got us to seal the envelope this month was our ability to focus on the positive. Rather than just feeling bad for their loss, we chose to detail all that has been gained, including the amazing life Eden lives due to the gift they have given.

We hope they embrace our gratitude. We hope they choose to respond. We hope that someday we could introduce them to Eden and reunite them with the part of their child that lives on. And until then, I will continue to see hearts everywhere, and with each one know, that Eden's angel is smiling back at us.


*I say this lightly. The word "better" is relative, of course, Eden's had a very tough road and will for the rest of her life - but she is alive.

33 years young

It is no secret that Brian (and his sister, Erin) LOVE birthdays. His mother created one tough act to follow and every year I find myself thinking of another tradition to add to our long list of Murphy-family-birthday-must-haves.

1. A homemade birthday banner:

2. Breakfast in bed:
(This picture was actually taken during tickle fest the night before.)

3. Gifts.
(These are the adorable mugs that Eden made... with a little help... which held the chai tea Brian was served in bed.)

4. A family outing - this year we went swimming.
(One kid LOVED it and one kid HATED it!)

5. Dinner out! (My personal favorite :)

6. And, of course, a homemade cake!
In Brian's case it is always Grasshopper ice-cream pie.
(not pictured... it was melting!)

Needless to say, tomorrow I will be resting up for the next big birthday in our house. Boy do we have a celebration planned for this girl and after watching the Oscars tonight, I am in the mood for a movie night to remember! I just hope our little movie star can handle the attention.

August - How old are you?

The Valentine Extravaganza

Calling Valentine's Day an extravaganza this year is no exaggeration. Along with the normal craziness of a Monday we added a party at Eden's school and a (disastrous) photo session to boot!

Days in advance we began by making lots of homemade valentines. Some to pass out to her school friends as well as the mailed variety sent to family and friends.




Then, since no heart day is complete without heart shaped food, we had heart pancakes, heart pasta, and heart pizza throughout the day... Not to mention heart cookies and candy too!











Eden changed dresses three times that day. Although dress #2 is not pictured here, I did snap a shot of her in only tights and a t-shirt at her school party (dress #1 got wet in a snow bank).




She is quite the diva! And although she is not sick of hearts, she is quite happy to move on to her all time favorite holiday... her birthday! Can you believe this girl is going to be five?!

Happy Heart Day!

I heart the little things

After a hectic month of classes and studying, terrible allergies and then jury duty; I found myself exhausted and barely able to keep my head above water. (I really don't see how working moms do it!) It was so wonderful to have our moms swoop in and take care of us... not to mention our larger than life baby-sitter (btw... I dread the day she has a family of her own)! But what really got me through it, the only thing that ever does, was stopping to enjoy the little things.

Like coming home to find my two kids (and their buddy Cecilia) cuddled up in a chair with Nicole (aka... my savior) reading books, happier than ever, and still in their jammies.


Or finding August in that same chair, looking bigger than ever and wondering where my baby went.


Like a sunny day after after a big storm - perfect for making snow angels.



And shinny girl's shoes on my tap dancing boy... seriously, he is the next Sammy Davis Jr. (I guess he got it from his sister?)


Like "opposite" day at school... and any other excuse to get her to walk through the doors with a smile on her face.


And those eyes... oh those eyes will get you out of any kind of funk.

Will.i.am's ode to Eden

We've been dancing to this video all day! Enjoy!!

Welcoming February with open hearts

(Not my picture)

Even more important than being the month for lovers, February is the official American Heart Month. Eden and I love hearts of all kinds and we'll take any excuse to celebrate and cherish the healthy hearts in our lives. We have already pulled out the heart decor and planned a few fun crafts. We will also be wearing red everyday, participating in some sort of exercise (everyday!), and cutting back on the animal products in our food. And last, but not least, we have the huge goal of finally writing to her donor family.

Stay tuned as we'll include you on this journey....


P.S. Does jumping on the bed count as exercise?


"Congenital heart defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths. 1 in 3 children who die from a birth defect have a congenital heart defect."