Murray Manners

As a family, we have been working on manners. It's one of the many areas that we need major improvement in. We've tried different things to encourage better manners like lessons, contests, prizes and treats. I thought tonight would be the perfect opportunity to practice our manners at our Valentine's Day dinner. The trouble is, we still don't have very good manners.

Before we started I told the kids I would be serving them for dinner since I didn't want any candles or goblets knocked over from passing food around the table. I told them to use quiet voices, and no silliness allowed.

We snapped a couple pictures and all was beautiful and going smoothly when Sammy started making noise and standing up in his high chair. Sam can get pretty irreverent at dinner time. Tonight he got loud enough that I couldn't hear our romantic background music. I had Il Divo playing on pandora and I think Jason wanted to gag. (He kept trying to change the music, but I wouldn't let him.)

Jason spilled the grape sparkling cider everywhere when the bottle blew as he opened it. As I worked to keep Sam's bum in the seat of his high chair, the kids lost patience and started reaching across the table to dish up their own food. Waiting for Sam to behave so I could get back to serving could have taken forever. Aidan took too many shrimps causing Cole to complain. Then Sadie tipped her goblet over on her plate. Cole un-politely dipped his head into his plate of chocolate to make chocolate covered lips. And I was no better. In my haste to eat my chocolate covered strawberry, I clumsily dripped chocolate all over Sadie's arm and then Cole dripped chocolate on our white tablecloth. The finale was Aidan knocking a candle over as he abruptly moved away from the table spilling candle wax onto my only white tablecloth.

So much for manners...it was delicious though. And the chocolate dipped strawberries were the best!

Love at First Sight

Tonight at my brother's house we were talking about our first Valentine's Day with our spouses. I remember mine very well, even though it was 17 years ago.

It was February 14, 1993 and it was love at first sight. I was sitting in a pew at church during sacrament meeting. Sitting towards the back, next to my friend, Josh. We were in a student ward. It was a few minutes after the had meeting started. I looked over and saw a VERY good-looking guy poke his head through the slightly opened back doors....looking for a place to sneak in and sit. The second I saw him I remembered him as one of the guys I had just met and talked to in the Hub a few days before. (Sadly the Hub, well known for it's fabulous breakfast fare, has been replaced by the food court and I hate that we can't go back there to relive some of our favorable memories at Utah State.) On with the story. Jason's friend knew the girl I was sitting with and we talked briefly. I laugh about my first impression of Jason in the hub because I thought he either had to be or at one time must have been a football player. He just seemed to have that football player build....I laugh now because he is so not a football player. I've never seen Jason play football ever. He doesn't even watch the sport. Jason was quiet, seemed a little shy, but cute, and we did talk a little.

So this was the same guy. Jason. I was so surprised when he walked in to the chapel and headed straight towards us. Then he sat right between Josh and me!!! Oooooooh baby, was I excited! Turns out he knew my friend, Josh, too. We whispered/talked throughout the meeting and that was it. I didn't know a lot about him except that I Was In Love. How can you be in love with someone you don't really know? Well, maybe I wasn't in love, but I was extremely attracted.

When I got home (I was only 19 and STILL living at home) from church I did something I had never done, ever. I told my mom about this guy I met. To this day I still don't know why I told my mom about him...because I never told my mom much about anything. I think my mom was really surprised at how excited I was over Jason, and probably a little shocked that I was telling her such juicy details about my life. After all, I had only talked to this guy for an hour tops and I was dating other guys and one in particular my mom really liked. (He was the one who would take me to the Symphony on dates.) My mom still vividly remembers that day too, maybe because it was the first time during my teenage years (I was still a teenager) that I ever really confided in her.

Technically it wasn't first sight because I had seen Jason once before (the Hub). And technically I don't know if it was love. Like I said before, Can you really love someone you have only known for an hour? But I do know this: I had never been so attracted and so excited about anyone like that before and never will be again. I also believe that Jason and I were meant to meet on that Valentine's Day 17 years ago so that we could create the family we have today.

Jason is still habitually 3-5 minutes late to church most weeks. (but I am too, so that's okay)

Jason wasn't in my student ward when we met...he was a member of the other student ward that met in the same building as my ward.

He eventually switched to my student ward. This would no longer be allowed.

Jason still desires to ward hop...he asks me to go to the Spanish Branch with him every week. They meet in our building. I always tell him, "No." Because they speak so fast I can't comprehend a word.

Today was awesome...it began with romance and ended with romance. What more could you ask for on the most romantic day of the year? I love you, Jason, 100 times more than I did on Valentine's Day 17 short years ago.

Valentine's Eve

I've always liked Valentine's Day. When I was in elementary school we all dressed up on Valentine's Day (in our Sunday best) and went to the Valentine' s Tea in the Media Center. Valentine's Tea was red punch and sugar cookies and we were to use our very best manners. It's not that I liked the red punch...in fact I dislike red punch. I just liked that it was a special day. I always loved decorating my shoe box and turning it into a pretty red and pink mailbox. Edith Bowen (my children's school) doesn't have a Valentine's Tea, instead they have the Little Blue Luncheon to encourage good manners and this isn't held on Valentine's day. However, Aidan did ask for a shoe box to take to school last week. And I watched him add a long chute to his box for the kids to slide their Valentine's down. I was also happy when Cole, Aidan, and Sadie all came home from school last week with their Class Name List for the big "Valentine Exchange"...some traditions haven't changed. As I was reminiscing and telling my kids about my "Valentine's Tea" Cole mentioned that they were having a chocolate fountain at his Valentine's Day class party....sure puts the red punch and cookies to shame. I'm suppose to help with Sadie's class party tomorrow, but I may take a detour to Cole's class on the way....I LOVE CHOCOLATE! I guess that's another reason that I really like Valentine's Day.

Board Race

Yesterday I tried to catch up on mountains of laundry while watching a documentary on parking lot attendants (definately not the most exciting day) and my boys raced on their boards. It was their first race. Aidan took first in his division. Not hard to do since he was the only boarder in his division. ( They had an 11 year old ride with him anyway....I am guessing so that he could feel like he was in a race). Cole got third place, (no prizes given for third) but he had to race against 14 year olds...doesn't seem fair does it?

Aidan's winnings...a pair of gloves

Cole getting air

Disco Aidan

We Murrays don't get out much, but we do a lot of dancing. Mostly in the kitchen. Cole started sticking pillows and stuff under his clothes when he dances...then Aidan started doing it and now Sadie does it too.

Last night we were all crowded on my bed watching this movie of Aidan dancing. Actually it's really not that funny...but when you watch it in super fast motion it is hilarious. I laughed until my stomach hurt.