MURPHY'S 1999
Merry Christmas. Here are some of the highlights of Julie, Billy, Olivia (4 1/2) and
Davis (22 months) from this past year.
January started on an interesting note with ever-inquisitive Olivia asking, "mommy,
what does daddy do for a living?" Julie tried to explain as best she could only to
be interrupted by a crying Olivia who says, "Why can't he be a Delta Pilot like everybody else?"
Davis started to walk in February right at his first birthday. But shortly thereafter
gave it up when he saw a "Dateline" Special on infant shin splints. He would further
get hooked on watching "Dateline" and proceeded to cry anytime he heard the words
"cholesterol," "hotel room mites," and "driver-side air bags" and His first words would
be "Jane Pauley, hot babe."
The whole family took a little trip to the Zoo in the warming month of March. Olivia
is so cute. She almost got us all in trouble when she didn't adhere to the "Do Not
Feed the Animals" sign. After all, she can't read. And besides, they never should
have let those ducks roam so close to the lion cages.
April's Fool days was a hoot at the Murphy household when we got up in the wee hours
of the morning and called my mom in South Carolina and took turns pretending to be
IRS Auditors, telling her we had lost her records for the past 7 years and we needed
full copies and all original receipts. An hour later we called to yell, "Aprils Fool,"
only to have my sister answer the phone saying she had to pick up my mom a prescription
of valium.
May couldn't have been any more educational. A field trip to the library provided
quite a learning encounter; the first book, that first library card, an initial experience
that is sure to be the beginning of mental enrichment beyond compare. Julie beamed
with pride to know she had introduced me to this experience.
The summer started with a bang with the first dip in Grandma's new swimming pool.
Davis loves the water and Olivia likes to play pretend. Her favorite game is to play
"poacher and baby seal" in which she gets me to splash up on the bank and then proceeds
to beat me senseless with a plastic baseball bat. The rest of the summer was a blur;
to me anyway.
September was a refreshing time with Olivia going back to preschool. We had trouble
getting her to go to school solo, leaving behind her endless array of stuffed animals,
moveable dinosaurs and massive collection of Keana Reeves action figures. Davis has
made incredible strides in his communication skills, repeatedly saying "I want that,"
everytime a "La Femme Nikita" commercial comes on.
November was a month Julie & Billy spent trying to recall, over and over, something
they forgot. They did word associations, went alphabetically, they even drank large
doses of Yoo Hoos. (Yoo Hoos don't really help with recall but the sugar high makes
you not care). Then in the middle of the night Billy sat up in bed and remembered. They
forgot October.
Well, it's finally December and time to celebrate the last 20 or so days before all
the noise, yelling, screaming, and brawling. That's right, before the Presidential
campaign commercials start in January. -- Billy Murphy 12/10/99