Dancing with the Stars at a Party in the USA!

My cute little niece, M loves to dance (and now so does her little brother, H)! So, awhile back I taught her some moves to the Miley Cyrus song, "Party in the USA" (simple moves, people - not because she is little, but because I don't have quite the rhythm that she does and I needed it simple!).

Anyway, I taught her these moves and since then she asks if we can listen to "our song" (aka: "Party in the USA") anytime I see her.

Last night I went to babysit M&H and had a mostly enjoyable night. The only non-enjoyable part was when H had a bit of a tummyache and ended up pooping through his clothes - and I happened to be holding him on my lap, in white capris, it was gross. I felt bad for H...and for my white capris... they are soaking!

There were more enjoyable parts of the evening though, like:

Reading books about Spring and Easter (We always read books and if you know me, you know why!)...

Making Easter eggs for Uncle B. We wrote notes on tiny post-its and put them inside the eggs. The cute things that M came up with on her notes! (I can't wait for you to read them, B!)...

While we were "writing," she asked me if I was having fun, and when I told her "yes," she replied: "I am having fun too. This is fantastic, Kirsten! Brian is going to love these notes!" Know what, she is right, B IS going to love these notes!

Having a puppet show with the book: Bark, George (and now a note from your friendly elementary school librarian: this is a book to checkout if you have kids who like funny stories because George is hilarious!)...

Making a new friend named Charlotte (She is a ladybug and now she lives in Maddy's front yard)...

and we danced!

A lot.

It was a dance party!

It was my exercise for the day (and since I was holding H for a lot of it, I am counting it as weight training too!).

I was tired this morning, but it was so much fun!

So, how lucky am I that last night I was Dancing with the Stars!

Being an Aunt (part 4 of 4)

Many, many moons ago, I was introduced to MG Power.

What is MG Power, you ask? Well, it is a special power that fills you with happiness, joy, laughter, and giggles. Not to mention, it boosts your ego, your energy level, and your own super aunt powers - but only if you happen to have MG Power yourself!

So, what is MG Power, you ask again (because I haven't really explained it!). Quite simply, MG Power is Murphy Girl Power, and in our family it's MG: Power of 3!

My first dose of MG Power came with the Power of 1. As in one small cutie, who at the age of 2 called me, "Turten Turtle" (pretty good considering that my maiden name, "Kirsten Sturgill," is a mouthful for grown-ups sometimes, much less a 2 year old!).

I had been dating B for awhile when he told me that his older brother was coming into town with his cute little family - at the time this was just Joe, Christi, and Em. I remember being nervous about meeting them because they seemed so grown-up to me (side note: I was just a 17-year-old kid!). Pluse, B had talked and talked and talked about them so much and I really hoped they would like me (I know, I know, of course they would like me, who doesn't! If only I had known at 17 how awesome I truly am! But who knows that about themselves at 17?)

Seriously...They were grown-ups....They were cool grown-ups...B looked up to them...I was nervous. And then I met them: Joe, Christi, and Little Miss Em. Yes, they were grown-ups (well, not Em, she was just a baby!). Yes, they were cool (especially Em!). But hey, I wasn't nervous anymore! I loved 'em and they loved me back.

Now, fast forward many, many moons to the time when I am no longer "Turten Turtle" (although I think I still have the turtle mug I was given to represent that unique pronunciation of my name by that super cute 2 year-old back then!), I am now an official part of "the family", and the MG Power in Joe's little family has grown from 1 to 3. And what power it is!

Now, Murphy Girl Power is strong with 1 dose (love you, Em!), but when it is doubled (love you, Sarah!), or Tripled (love you too, Rach!) it cannot be contained and you can't help but be affected by it! It makes you happy, brings you joy, makes you laugh, and causes giggles!

I love a good dose of MG Power and I love these nieces of mine. They are amazing young women who are striving to live Christ-centered lives and who seek to be examples of righteousness to others, and I am so proud of them!

They boost my own levels of MG Power and I love them tremendously!

So, enjoy some MG Power for yourself and remember, if the player doesn't pop up you can either hit the refresh button on your screen or visit this link: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=dce8b7b250219d4406b096&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

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Being an Aunt (part 3 of 4)

Introducing... "The 6-Pack!" Filled with energy and guaranteed to keep you moving and grooving, "The 6 Pack" includes:

• J = The Leader of the Pack, The Big Cheese, The Big Brother... the only boy! J takes his role of big brother very seriously and despite a skirmish here and there (natural in any pack, no matter the size), he loves his sisters incredibly and always looks out for them. Not only is he a great big brother, he is also a great athlete, he's musical, and he's smart. Seriously, this kid has challenged my knowledge of child development and kept my perspective as an educator open about how children learn at different rates and how we, the adults, shouldn't assume that just because they're young, they aren't capable of higer level thinking and learning.




• E = The Sweetheart, The Peacemaker... The Heart and Soul of the Pack! E is a gentle soul who would hurt no living thing. She is a lover of animals, a serious thinker, and is curious to know everything going on in the world around her. Because of this curiosity and desire to learn, she is extremely observant. So you definitely have to watch how you act and what you say when you're around her. Her love for others is pure and true and she gives great hugs!




• C = The Questioner... The Artiste... The Energizer of the Pack! C loves everything from her stuffed animals to playing soccer to dancing around her room at night with her parents before she goes to bed (Waltz Time, to be exact!). She invents games to play and since she is the rule-maker, it's your job to follow those rules. As she tries out her own style, she models some interesting fashion combos the likes of which the catwalks in France have never seen! And if you need a good art piece to hang on your fridge, she's there for you, all you have to know is if you want markers or crayons!




• Next in The Pack is Little G = The Entertainer! This girl has the best sense of humor and can drop a one-liner at just the right time in the middle of a conversation (a skill she has had since she started talking!). She has a great imagination and can play on her own, just give her a toy kitchen built into the stairs and she's good to go for quite awhile (just don't mess with her shopping basket!). She has the cutest giggle and the most intense scowl (which she pulls if you mess with said shopping basket!). She is full of life and loves to be the star of the show.




• Then comes Little L = The Strong but Silent Pack member... at least she's silent until she gets to know you and then you are her bestie (as long as you do what she wants you to do!). She has a strong will, she knows what she wants, and she can hold her own in any crowd (actually, she can quickly own the crowd if she wants to!). She has the most beautiful eyes and a great smile that will warm your heart when she shares it with you. One warning though: if you're trying to keep up with her, you better eat your Wheaties 'cuz this girl moves!




• The last of The Pack is Miss A = The Life of the Pack! Miss A is precious! She's happy, easy-going, loves to laugh, and has the whole Pack doting on her most of the time. Now that she's mobile, she's giving the rest of the Pack a run for their money and chasing them in all that they do! She loves her family - especially The Leader of the Pack (aka: The Big Brother, The Big Cheese, "J") and makes everyone happy.

And now, a look at my favorite 6-pack:

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