Trip #1 (since moving to TX): Irvine for Austin's Homecoming

I know I've mentioned a bunch of times how much traveling we've done this summer. Basically since Tommy graduated two months ago we have been in a different time zone almost every week. NOT EXAGGERATING. Here's how it went:

North Carolina --> Utah --> California --> Mexico --> California --> North Carolina --> Texas --> California --> Texas --> Tommy in Utah, me in New York --> Texas --> Tommy in Virginia, me in Utah --> Texas AND DONE!

In case you were counting, that is 11 flights and one twenty-hour road trip. And in case you were wondering, it has been absolutely insane! Looking at our calendar before this summer started, I just felt my stomach sink thinking about how many flights we were going to have to go on with Dane and how hard it was going to be on him (and therefore all of us) to be traveling so much and messing with his schedule so much. I was really, really stressed thinking about how we were going to do all of this and not sure how it was going to turn out. 

But all in all, it has been GREAT. Dane has hands down been the world's best traveling toddler with everything. He has really been SO flexible and so, so, so good with all the time changes and flights. I think by the end he was just so used to getting on planes that he knew exactly what to expect and didn't want to run around and get down and whatnot. He would watch his shows, read books, and take a nap in our laps when he was tired. He has seriously THRIVED with all of these visits with family and has been happier being with them than he would be here at home with our quiet routine. I have loved seeing him with our families and he honestly doesn't need hardly any toys or anything to entertain him when we are with them. And when he's happy, Tommy and I don't really need anything more to do for us either! 

Seriously, we have been so lucky with him this summer. We have asked a LOT of him and he has just been so happy and completely fine with the late naps and late bedtimes and crazy schedules. What a nice, nice boy.

This wasn't all just joyriding, though. We have had some really good reasons for doing all this traveling, the first being going to California to see my little brother Austin when he came home from his mission. We had not been planning on making this trip until just a few weeks beforehand, when we realized we really didn't want to miss this--and since neither of us were working, we had no reason to NOT be there. So two days after unpacking our stuff in Texas, we hopped on a plane again and flew out to CA. We landed just about six hours before Austin did, so we were able to be there at the airport to welcome him home, and we were there for about five days to do some fun stuff with them.

Dane was so, so sweet sleeping on the plane in my lap. Seriously, what a nice guy. He got really good at taking long-ish naps despite all the noises on the airplane. 

Waiting for Austin at the airport! We made signs for him and were all waiting for him to come out.

My mom and dad were just staring at the screen waiting for it to say that his flight had landed. (It unfortunately never got updated accurately...)

Unfortunately, we were so excited about our signs, we were not ready waiting for him at the bottom of the escalator! Haha, we turned around from taking these pictures and he was already there walking towards us, haha. 

When my mom turned around and saw him, she screamed and we all thought something terrible had happened, haha. Just our cute missionary coming home!

Dane was really tired--he had already gone to bed for about an hour before we had to wake him up to go to the airport, haha. He was pretty excited to see Austin, even though this picture doesn't look like it.

We had Camille and Brandon Facetiming with us so that they could be there in spirit.

As a joke, we had this cardboard head of Dallin's that we put on Bethany's life-sized cutout of Liam from One Direction and had it waiting to greet Austin when he walked in the front door for the first time. He got a kick out of it. (That was the one bummer of the whole week--we wished Dallin could be there too!)

The first place Austin wanted to go was In-N-Out when he got home.

We spent the whole weekend doing some of our favorite things--like playing Risk together. Even Dallin's head was there in spirit.

We went to the beach one afternoon and Dane could NOT get enough of it the water. He LOVED it! He loved it so much he wanted to throw himself into the water and get swept away by the water. We needed two people there holding him so that he was safe. So funny.

Such a photogenic boy! I just wish my legs weren't there in the background messing up this picture, haha.

Trying to swim away in the waves...

Dane and Papa walking down to the pier to eat at Ruby's on the pier for dinner.

A great family picture!

Dane and his papa.

Siwwy Ausin! (Dane loves to have him chase him and say that about him.)

Giving kisses to Auntie Meel.

 He loved going for walks to the park in the wagon.

Riding home after swimming. So funny.

Dane also got a much-needed haircut from Grandma while we were there. So cute!

We went on the train at the Irvine Regional Park for about the fifth time. Dane always has a blast. It's become a tradition by now. And then we had a fun time hanging out at the park while some of us went running and Dane played at the playground.

 Before heading to the airport, Papa wanted a good picture with Dane but Dane did NOT want to cooperate.

Luckily my dad was coming to the airport too, for a flight of his own, and Dane was feeling better by the time we split up from him and we got a better picture there.

We rode on the bus back to where our car was parked and Dane was in HEAVEN getting to ride on the blue bus. He's been talking about the blue bus ever since. 

The best part of being there was of course getting to hear about Austin's mission and catch up with him after so long. The morning before we left, we reenacted this picture, which we took the night Austin was set apart as an elder two years ago, the last time we were all together. We'll have to do it again in another year when Dallin gets home, but this was the best we could do! Notice the difference that two years has made for Cole--and for Dane! 

The six Murphy siblings, (almost) reunited. 

life in Texas

It doesn't really feel like it, since we've been in and out of town for 3/4 of the time we've lived here so far, but we are mostly settled here in Texas. Our apartment is 80% unpacked, but we can't really finish the rest of it until our complex fixes our outdoor storage closet, which has been flooded and rotting and therefore can't have anything in it for a while. (How pleasant, right?) But seriously, we are feeling great about our new place (other than the closet issue) and are really loving Frisco.

Things we love about where we live:

-Location, location, location! We are a seven-minute drive (including stoplights) to Tommy's office, a five-minute drive to the church, and across the street from the community college where I am going to teach! I mean, could this be any more convenient? There are also four grocery stores within a two-minute drive of our apartment, and basically every store and restaurant you can think of is close enough for us to walk to (if it weren't 100 degrees outside). 

-We have two pools in our apartment complex that I can use with Dane! It is the perfect set-up for us, for those long hot afternoons while Tommy is still working. I've taken Dane almost every afternoon and plan to keep that up for the rest of the summer. We're using up a lot of swim diapers but it is soooo worth it. 

-We are still getting to know all of the things to do in the area, but there are apparently some nice museums and lots and LOTS of nice parks. The library here is pretty big and has story times several times a week (although it's super regimented and you have to get tickets beforehand because they get so crowded--very different from the chill ones in Durham). The cool days we've had so far, Dane and I have just spent hours at the park and we are just spending lots of time exploring all the new places and things to do. We are right next to this water park/gym/athletic center too and although we haven't gone, I think it might be fun to try it out a few times to see if we want to get a pass.

-There are tons of very friendly, nice people here! We are lucky to have some family in the area (my aunt and uncle, and several of Tommy's cousins) and we have already spent some time with them. Our ward is really big and they have lots of new people moving in all the time, so they know what to do with us and have been really friendly. We are still getting to know people but so far so good. 

All in all, we are really happy here so far! Of course, we've only actually been in our apartment for a few days total (after you take out all the traveling we've been doing so far) but I am so excited to be OFFICIALLY back and settled and into a normal-life routine here and to make some new friends. Our life is about to go from 60 mph to 0 and we're going to have to remember how to fill it up like we used to in North Carolina. 

Here are a few things we've done in Texas so far, over the last few weeks:

On the fourth of July, we had a totally full day. We went to our ward's 4th of July breakfast in the morning, and met a bunch of people in our ward. Then, Tommy's cousin Loralee and her husband Taylor and their kids invited us to go to a little parade in the neighboring town with them. And by little, we do mean "little." It only lasted about 10 minutes, but it was perfect for Dane and the kids--there were fire trucks and police cars and people throwing candy at us. What more could you ask for? Afterwards, Taylor's parents (who live nearby) invited us over for some BBQing and swimming at their house, so we totally crashed their family party and spent about 7 hours with the Warners, eating and swimming and playing Killer Bunnies. It was really fun and we had a great time with them all day. Of course, I only got pictures at the parade, but we had fun the whole time we were there.

So excited to see the fire trucks in the parade! Ahhhhh!

Dane eating a sucker someone had thrown to him and waving an American flag. So patriotic! (P.S. His outfit says "Future President" on it and is from the FDR Library. We've never been there--it was from the Durham Rescue Mission thrift store! But I got it because I thought it would be a perfect 4th of July outfit and it definitely was.)

We got Dane this train set from IKEA and he is IN HEAVEN. He LOVES LOVES LOVES trains and trucks and talks about them all day long, and he is really into playing with these trains. I was so sad that most train sets I'd looked up online were $70+ until I found this one for $10. THANK YOU IKEA I LOVE YOU. 

We wanted to do something fun together the other night so we went over to the mall to let Dane play on the mall playground. The mall also has this little train for the kids and a carousel, but we didn't bother to pay for those or show them to him. He had a blast just running around here. 

Tommy started his new job! Here he is coming out from his FIRST DAY of work. Look how fancy and serious he is in his shirt and tie! He has since worked for two weeks and basically endured a lot of orientations and trainings. Not much to report so far--he likes it and is excited to get started for real. 

Last Saturday, before we both left town again, we decided we should go out together for a family date (therefore removing the need for a babysitter) to the Heard Museum, a nature preserve/outdoorsy museum in nearby McKinney. They have a few animals, a butterfly house, and a lot of trails that you can walk around and explore on. Dane had a great time running around and seeing the animals. We saw this dead or dying butterfly on the ground in the butterfly house and he talked about the "sad butterfly" for the next week.

Dane ran up to this cage with the deer and yelled, "HIII DEER! HI DEER!" as if expecting a response.

Butterfly house.

The museum boundaries have some wetlands and marsh-like area (let's be honest, I didn't really read the descriptions or anything) so it was cool to walk around and see it. We both said it reminded us of the swamp in Charleston that we went to visit. 

They also had some little play cabins for the kids to explore and play around in. Dane kept finding the kitchen pots and pans and making soup for us. "Hot! Soup! Hot! Soup!"

He was really happy to sit on this BIG TURTLE for us. 

This next month or two is really about us trying to get to know this area and find more fun outings like this for us. Can't wait!