McMurray Mania

love.

2012-02-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

valentines day was full and eventful as always for the mcmurrays. . . we can't do a holiday without a trip to the doctor's office and a few tongue tricks:) . . .details to come. . .

the kids came downstairs to heart balloons hanging to set the mood for the day!

grammy of course had a beautiful table set with red tulips, heart pizza for dinner, we started the day with heart sprinkled maple bars , and a special valentine on the back of each chair from mom - each valentine promissed a special date with mom - five guys for k&k, milkshake and fries for emery pearl, and cupcake and movie date for lulu!

the boys did home-made valentines again this year with melted crayons. . . they turned out really cute, pat and patty left gifts on the doorstep in the morning i love this picture of lulu when she ran out and found her gift!

girls picking out their valentines!

every year since we have been married my mom gives aaron boxers and they are always snoopy or superheroes!

the boys had a Valentines talent show for their party at school. keagan and tyson played a duet on the piano and kinkade was the production manager for a dance group and did silly tongue tricks . . see below "the clover!"

it wouldn't be a holiday if we didn't make it to the doctor's office . . .emery ended up having a double ear infection, sinus infection and eye infection. . .uggggggggggggggggg!

mel joined us for valentines dinner at grammy and grampys so of course she got jammies too!

i love my white tulips, daisies, jasmine vanilla candle, and really sweet notes from the kids! the most fun gift was a dvd mel made for grammy and me from the kids!

i loved going to the boy's talent show and when i was there i got to witness the secret valentine game. . . prior to the party each student wrote a secret valentine about themselves, then they were collected and passes out randomly. at the party each student got to go up in front of the class and read the secret valentine they had and try to guess who it was in the class. of course kinkade got keagan's secret valentine. . so i took a picture because his writing cracked me up:)

Go Bucs again!

2012-02-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

ready to go to support those bucs!

i had to add this picture from 2 years ago. .. . . they are growing up too fast. . .

more and more writing and drawing

2012-02-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

every table and floor is scattered with artwork and writing. . . lucia is loving learning all her letters and writing, writing, writing. .. warms my heart!

sweet moments

2012-02-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

i love this photo. . my favorite thing is when all my kids enjoy each other. whenever we start to read it is like a magnet and they all just come and snuggle in. but my very favorite is when the boys read to the girls.

the girls and i came home to sweet valentine notes from daddy and a really clean house. . it was the sweetest!

lucia reads her note all day long. . over and over again.

we have had sunny days and it has been spectacular! the girls run to get our their bikes and chalk.

every friday night we have pizza night family movie night. we get out the big quilt snuggle up and eat lots of popcorn and watch a movie. love it! the moments are not all sweet believe me but that makes the good ones even sweeter!

forever family day 4!

2012-02-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

we celebrated lucia's forever family day with tres leches cake and and looking through all the pictures from the trips to guatemala. lucia we are so proud of the little girl you are becoming sweet, loving, theatrical, energetic, imaginative and just simply still a sunshine! we gave lucia a little nativity scene from guatemala since she loved it so much from christmas.

dates

2012-02-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

i am really proud of us we have been sticking with our resolution to go on more dates with the kids one on one! here are a few recent dates. the first pictures are daddy's date with emery. . . all i have to say is mmmmmmmmmm!?

oh yeah i got to go on a special breakfast date with my dear friend mandolyn it was perfect in every way.

keagan and dad hit the new five guys burgers and the zags game vs st. mary's and had a blast!

emery and i got to meet the twins for a swim date and a shower afterwards which everyone loved!

monday morning coffee date with my baby girl. . who is not so much of a baby any more. .sigh.

Beauty and the Beast

2012-02-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

Grammy and i took lucia to the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast! we were all mesmerized for the entire show. . it was incredible. love this little girl so much and her love of stories, singing and magic! we of course ended the date at starbucks for a cake pop. she informed us it wasn't really a date without a bakery.

Lightz Out year 2!

2012-02-11T21:04:00.000-08:00

Last year we played up and it was a good experience but rough at times. This year we went undefeated and the boys had a blast. They are growing so much in their knowledge of the game and skills!

some snow

2012-02-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

we have had a little bit of snow. . so of course we catch snowflakes on our tongue, build forts, and go skiing!

january. . . it's a love/hate relationship

2012-01-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

i have a love/hate relationship with january. . ..

*i love that - there is more snuggling, eating popcorn, watching movies, reading, hot tubbing, beautiful snow and just simply snuggling in and slowing down! oh yes, i am also loving that the boys are old enough to really play in the snow for long periods of time, they have built a great snow fort, a darling snowman and went snow shoeing yesterday for four hours.

*i hate that - it is freezing, the kids are bouncing off the walls and it can be dreary and depressing!

here are some pics of the love part - from last weekend!

i love this first picture of the three hot tubbing in the snow . . kinkade was building a snowman.

emery and i have been spending lots of time with our sweet friends the hume twins.

three day weekends rock!

2012-01-18T14:33:00.000-08:00

we had a full fun 3 day weekend!

on saturday night we took the boys out with janny and ryan to a fabulous Ethiopian restaurant.

aaron took the boys and some friends from school to sky high and pizza. . the boys were in heaven.

here are a few of my favorite things these days. . .

the first picture is emery squeezing between aaron and i as we hug. every time we start to hug she sprints as fast as she can to squeeze in with us!

the second picture is of my new favorite thing to cook. . i can't get enough curry! who knew we all love it. . i am scouring the Internet for great curry recipes.

the third i think i may of featured before my leg warmers i have been living in them.

the last i have started writing the menu for the week on a platter. . . i can take no credit for this cute idea. . my friend carla is brilliant and so creative! it holds me accountable to cooking and grocery shopping early and the kids love knowing what's for dinner!

welcome to the world joanna lee jarrett. . . i can't wait to get my hands on you!

every day we drive by emery's favorite horses. . so finally i took a picture so she can look at them anytime she wants on the phone.

phone dump from the weekend. . . the restaurant. .. . creamer i brought to church. . . and we are now onto barbies in this house. . in this picture they are hot-tubbing in the middle of my kitchen. . . .

oh sweet emery!

on mlk day we had a family date and took emery to her first movie . . . the whole family saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D then visited a reptile store and sports store. . . perfect! k&k found t-shirts of their favorite QB's!

lucia at the reptile store and emery with her packed bag for church. . it was the perfect family weekend. . .

winter

2012-01-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

there has not been a lot of snow here, yet it is definitely winter. . here are a few fun activities we have done! on new years day we went snow tubing with the buth famlily. it was a great morning even the girls had a blast!

we took the girls out to lunch the other day after preschool and there are just times i am mesmerized by lucias sheer beauty and cuteness!

on december 26th we headed to oregon to spend time with the mcmurray family and celebrate christmas. we had tons of cousin time!

i got to take emery on a special date with her friends maryn and kehne. we met at a coffee shop and walked to mobius. it was so fabulous to just have time with her and she loved the attention. she was so excited to be with kids her age and proud to have her own friends. emery decided she wants to have her birthday party at mobius which is perfect for a 3 year old party! i love this picture of the three of them.

goodbye 2011 hello 2012

2012-01-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

we have been talking a lot about resolutions around here and tried to come up with at least one in each category - faith, physical, relationships, and learning!

here are the families resolutions for the new year!

mom - phrase - choose joy!

*date the kids - one on one time at least 2x month

tell each child once a day i love them and a specific compliment, hope, dream for their life
plan dates for us creatively on a budget
read “where the red fern grows to the boys”
work out 3x a week - 25 minutes cardio
save a buy a real adult comforter - it is already picked out of course
save up to get enough chairs to fit our family around our table
pray more - be creative car and shower

Dad -

friday morning breakfast dates with each kid
more spiritual leadership in family
make sure Lucia, Kinkade, Keagan and Dad always clean up after meals, never Mom
build working out into calendar

keagan

read The Lost Hero before december
listen to verses more attentively during church
be more patient with my sisters and try not to harass them even though it is so fun
go undefeated in basketball and football again next season

kinkade

finish the book the last Olympian
try not to melt down in football, basketball and soccer all year
rebuild my relationship with Conner spend more time with him

lucia

no more fighting, more loving and one candy a day

emery

spend more time with caitlin

best memories from the 2012!

keagan

cross country camp with grampy
christmas break
spending time with my cousins
my diving catch from my brothers awesome throw in football
my buzzer beater in basketball

kinkade

pogo stick camp
going to the beach with my cousins
my hail mary throw to my brother for a touch down

dad

the girls dedication at church on mothers day
going to penticton with my wife

mom

the boys mcmurray to mcmurray touchdown
lucia and emery dancing at ashley and chris wedding
going to santa barbara with mandolyn and my sweet husband
penticton to celebrate anniversary
sea world with the kids

lucia

my birthday

emery

*going potty

being at the lake with all my friends

favorite pictures from the year -

magical moments christmas 2011

2011-12-27T19:29:00.000-08:00

magical moments. . what precious, chaotic, enthusiastic ages to celebrate christmas. every year santa makes a visit on christmas eve to deliver jammies at grammy's house. i love this photo of the kids literally jumping for joy and squealing every time santa would consult henry (elf on the shelf) if that mcmurray child had been good. when he would report they had all four would jump for joy and cheer!

keagan thrilled with his new nikes!

lucia bursting with excitement in reaction to santa!

christmas eve morning we have a tradition to play the ornament game to open one gift under the tree that matches that ornament.

emery was so proud of herself when she found the pink pig!

decorating gingerbread with grammy.

this could be one of my very favorite moments. aaron and i had put all the kids to bed and told the boys not to come downstairs we we would be wrapping gifts. . . . well i would be wrapping gifts and he would be watching love actually (our favorite holiday movie.) we all of a sudden hear giggling and i see this sign pop up over the couch. . it just struck me as so funny that the boys schemed it up and thought it was hilarious so they would not peak at any unwrapped gifts.

kinkade's christmas eve gift. .

it had not snowed all of december and started snowing christmas eve to sprinkle a white christmas for us in the northwest!

emery with christmas eve santa!

this is what i found left for santa a note, egg nog, whoppers, cookies and tons of carrots for the reindeer.

santa gifts!

some sister love after the sibling gift exchange.

my favorite christmas magical moment i didn't capture on camera but i will never forget standing with all four of my children and my dear parents at our christmas eve service while daddy lead us in silent night. the boys were singing their hearts out while emery and lucia each held their own candle it was the best christmas eve service i have ever been to. . . so real, so peaceful, so intimate and such a clear amazing message it was my favorite hour of christmas. i just love our church and feel so blessed!

just simple holiday fun around the house

2011-12-27T13:14:00.001-08:00

it was just good to slow down and be home. . the kids stayed in their jammies all day and just played. it was a cozy week.

cutest cookies ever from the millers. . .

every.single.day i find babies all over the house like this. . it is so sweet from emery pearl.

fruit loop necklaces and bracelets.

uggs and bikinis ready for the hot tub in the freezing cold.

grammy every year makes a gingerbread house with the kids. it turned out so cute this year.

lots of snowflakes. .

and of course a birthday party with the stuffed animals. just good old being at home fun.

merry christmas!

2011-12-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

cards by the greatest company on the planet mangoink.com

winter hike with mel

2011-12-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

mel took the boys on an afternoon sunny winter hike! they had a blast! we are so blessed to have mel in our life.

christmas cheer!

2011-12-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

we started a new tradition this year the mcmurray lights tour. .. . . jammies, favorite blanket, mcdonald's fries, zip's milkshakes, christmas music and of course make believe stories made up by daddy including every friend we have and our cat murphy as the hero! the kids loved it!

on our way to the boys christmas concert at school. it was a fun concert and kinkade had a solo as elvis. . .and rocked it!

the girls captivated by all the kids singing at the concert. emery takes this puppy and baby doll everywhere.

aaron brought me the most beautiful roses when i was having a rough day.

i found this on the couch the other day. the little people nativity scene and little people santa's workshop are a hit this christmas. lucia plays with them every day.

we captured this picture of emery jumping and screaming hello to santa at first glance of him. she does not have a shy bone in her body. keagan asked for madden 12, kinkade asked for the hex bug fighting maze, lucia asked for barbies, and emery asked for princesses. i felt like i had been sucker punched when the girls asked for barbies and princesses. . i have never owned one of either. . . i had plenty of dolls but never barbies or princesses. how do i have two girly girls?

love this time of year it is truly magical to get to experience through children's eyes.

first haircut

2011-12-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

emery pearl got her first haircut today. she was a rockstar. . anytime she gets to join the ranks of big human she loves it! she sat like a statue so still and sweet.

she brought her baby doll to watch.

and of course a family cupcake date to celebrate!

i still can't believe it. . the girls!

2011-12-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

i always knew in my heart i wanted to adopt. . god imprinted it on my heart at a very young age. i have always been fascinated by adoption and just had a deep calling. . . and i always knew i would be a mom to boys. since the moment i was pregnant with the boys i knew one would be a passionate red head. . . . . .. but i never in my wildest dreams thought i would have two girls so close in age and that all this would add up to being a mom to four kids! i still am mystified that we have two precious, sassy, silly, emotional, feisty, darling, sometimes mean, cuddly, sweet, naughty, and really funny little girls. here they are . . . emery 2 1/2 and lucia 4! they make our life chaotic and really fun!

just love these boys

2011-11-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

i just love these boys so much. they make all my dreams come true. they made my number one dream in life come true to be a mom! i am so proud of them. . .

they are full of enthusiasm and energy every second! never a dull moment!

celebrating keagan's highlight of his year. . a real three point buzzer beater!

they are all about football these days it has taken over as their go to sport to play in the yard!

celebrating kinkade's highlight of the year his miracle teeth!

oh christmas tree!

2011-11-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

it has become tradition to go the day after thanksgiving to cut down our christmas tree. so we pack up with hot chocolate with tons of marshmallow and dad makes a special christmas music cd for that year and head off to camden ranch to find that perfect tree!

i pull out my work boots from my granola days in college once a year and this year i added leg warmers. a few of my friends have made fun of me for buying leg warmers at H&M but i know they are CUTE! i stole the idea from my stylish friend heidi who rocks leg warmers and looks darling! but then again heidi would look darling if she put a grocery bag on her leg!

about 20 minutes into decorating the tree guess who dissapears and then sprints in nakey again! this kid is always naked!

the tree! my favorite time of the year sitting on the couch at night reading christmas books and snuggling by the tree! it doesn't get much better than that!

brown eyed girl

2011-11-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

cupcake tree and sparkles

2011-11-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

i always have one new favorite christmas decoration. .. . that i usually purchase the year before after christmas at half price! the girls cupcake ornaments, retro tinsel trees, sparkle light up tree. . . take the cake this year! the girls love having their own tree and it turned out so cute!

yes, the boys have a tree also and lights in their room. . just not as sparkly and cute but just as fun . . wait they do have a sparkle light up tree and love it!

gobble gobble 2011

2011-11-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

we take a huge sigh of relief when we get to thanksgiving. .. after a crazy busy fall full of all the things we love that keep us on the run . . thanksgiving comes and we finally rest and just be together! here are a few pictures from the day. . .

grampy, grammy, and uncle bryan came for a big dinner. of course we ended the day with "Elf" our favorite Christmas movie! let the holidays begin. . .

everyone all bundled up ready to head down to the ultimate football turkey bowl.

my new favorite spice. . it smells so delish and is so cute the best part it makes the best mulled wine!

we started the day with our favorite pumpkin pancakes.

santa barbara - megs is pregnant!

2011-11-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

sun, no kids, great friends, a sweet baby shower, tons of fabulous food, shopping, sleeping in, a gorgeous home - one night we sat for six hours by the fire drinking wine . . . eating take out . . looking at the ocean. . . . laughing it was the perfect evening! we love you megan and jeffrey - we can't wait to meet this baby girl. we had such a fun weekend!

celebrating the boys

2011-11-25T20:33:00.000-08:00

we feel like we have been celebrating the boys for the entire month! they chose to have a tres leches cake and chocolate truffle cupcakes. their friends party was a blast at sky high sports. the perfect place for 12 energetic nine year old boys. here they are blowing out the candles. nine years old is the silly year!

cute silly boys. . .

we had a family birthday dinner with pat and patty, janny and ryan, uncle bryan, grampy and grammy and mel. the boys chose golden corral (long story and a good one) but it was veterans eat free night and a 2 hour wait, so we made a game time decision and tried mckensie river pizza.

grammy made home made lolly-pops and cake pops for the boys to bring to school.

the actual night of their birthday they had basketball practice - so we hit bruchis with tyson and then had cupcakes after practice with the team!

kinkade and riley!

Kinkade age 9!

2011-11-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

happy birthday silly, compassionate, imaginative, and kind kinkade trevor! we love you so much and love who you are and how thoughtful you are. this little interview with kinkade shows his thoughtfulness about the world and life!

What is your favorite place in the world to be?

At the ocean.

Who are your best friends?

Riley, Hudson,Tyson, Connor Peterson, Alex. Keagan is my very best friend.

What is your favorite Holiday? Why?

Christmas because there are presents, Jesus Birthday, 2 weeks off of school and the day after Christmas we always go to see Lauren and Bridget.

What is your favorite season?

Fall because it is the start of school, there are lots of leaves and it is really pretty.

What is your favorite thing about our family?

We are really healthy and we have enough money for clothes and food.

What is your favorite movie?

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief

second place - Totoro

third place - Rio.

What is the best feeling in the world for you?

To win a championship game.

What is the greatest gift God gave you to share and impact the world?

Humor

What is your favorite thing about our church?

We do a lot of special occasions and there is tons of play time.

What is your favorite day of the week? Why?

I like Saturday because it is game day and there are a lot of special occasions.

When are you the happiest?

Playing sports.

When are you the saddest?

Losing sports.

What grade has been your favorite? Why?

First Grade - because we had a really nice teacher and she made everything really fun.

What is your favorite meal?

Breakfast - eggs benedict

What makes you smile?

Funny things. I smile most of the time.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Marine Biologist

What is your favorite thing to wear?

Soccer shirts and Soccer shorts

What is your favorite thing to play?

Soccer

Favorite tradition our family has?

Going to Oregon after Christmas to see my cousins and Papa and Grandma

Keagan Age 9

2011-11-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday our passionate, talented, fun, affectionate. . .i could go on and on. . . we are so proud of you and your heart for people and love for your family! it is so fun to be your parents! i'll never forget when the doctor said "you got a red head!" i knew you would always keep life exciting and i was right. love you keagy!!! here is a little interview for snapshot into this little boy's life. . .

What is your favorite place in the world to be?

On any sports court or field.

Who are your best friends?

Riley, Hudson,Tyson, Caleb, Connor, Conner, Riley B, Alex, and my very best friend is Kinkade.

What is your favorite Holiday? Why?

Fourth of July - because we get to go to Pat and Patty’s lake and stay at the LAKE!

What is your favorite season?

Fall - Because it is my Birthday and school starts!

What is your favorite thing about our family?

That God gave me the best brother in the world!

What is your favorite movie?

1st - Percy Jackson

2nd - Step it Up

3rd - My Neighbor Totoro

What is the best feeling in the world?

After I have I have a pick 6! (I did not know what this was - it is apparently when you intercept the football and run for a touchdown.)

What is the greatest gift God gave you to share and impact the world?

My musical ability

What is your favorite thing about our church?

I love seeing all my friends there.

What is your favorite day of the week? Why?

My favorite day is Friday - because we get to add up our paychecks in school. It feels great to be done with a week and go into a weekend and go into a new fresh week.

When are you the happiest?

I love being alone and drawing!

When are you the saddest?

After I have to leave something that I just had a great time at.

What are the things you are working on in your life to grow as a person?

Being responsible.

What grade has been your favorite? Why?

My favorite grade is Third - because we have had a such a great experience with Science.

What is your favorite meal?

My all time favorite is definitely Breakfast by far especially crepes!

What makes you smile?

Being with my friends and playing!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to do something that includes Sports.

What is your favorite thing to wear?

Basketball shorts and and my Soccer Jersey and my running spike shoes that Grampy gave me.

What is your favorite thing to play?

I love to play Soccer, Football or Basketball.

Favorite tradition our family has?

We always have a day where we celebrate the day Lucia came home from Guatemala.

rockstars. . . alvin. . .and a snowman

2011-11-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

we had a fun halloween. . they all came up with their own costume ideas and it was a blast!

big date with Lulu to Seattle

2011-11-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

we have been praying and working really hard to try and spend more time one on one with our kids. sometimes we have to be creative in our thinking. i had planned to travel with my volleyball team to Seattle for our last weekend of conference play. the weekend all came together when God spoke to me clearly and said bring lulu she needs some special mommy time! it was perfect. . . we planned to stay with my bestest friend from college and her family in their NEW house! so lucia and I traveled on the bus with the team and cuddled the whole way playing with her princesses and watching movies. . here three favorite things - cuddling - playing with little characters - and of course the movie watching! i loved focusing on just her and giving her my undivided attention!

we went to avery's football game and she played more princesses but then the ultimate lulu request - "will you scratch my back lightly and then my arm lightly." i just held her and scratched every time she asked.

the jones have chickens and a new chicken coop. . she loved it.

our volleyball match was played here and the football game was here. . the girls felt like they were in the Harry Potter movies!

we were so blessed to get buddy passes on the way home and stay an extra night and fly home.

lucia i loved spending the weekend with just you! our big date as she called it was a success - just what we both needed.

grammy's retirement!

2011-11-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

Tiaras. . . Sparkles. . . Top Hats. . . Chocolates. . . Martinis. . .

It was an amazing party and celebration for Grammy. . . with a surprise anonymous 3 million gift to endow her position at Whitworth University! We are so proud of Grammy and loved Celebrating her years of hard work and passion! Aaron sang and I spoke to represent the family. Here is part of my speech. . .

Lessons I have learned from my mom. . .

Always Match everything - even your cars!
Decorate your house for every Holiday with theme dishes and furniture yep I said furniture!
Always make time for PEOPLE above all else.
Save money for traveling.
Give Away your money to organizations and People you believe in.
When your sad it is okay to go shopping for a new outfit.
Gifts do not need to be expensive just thoughtful and usually home - made.
Be nice to cats.
Always order and make dessert.
Family is everything.
Spend quality time with your friends.
Work Hard and Sleep little.
Go to church.
Make learning Fun and high interest for students.
The only colors are yellow and red!
Take pictures of everything.
Live Life to its fullest every day

Love you mom!

The boys getting ready for the big party!

Photobucket">

amazing location at the Spokesman Review building. .

aunt janet and uncle lovell made the trip to honor grammy!

family photo. . promise the dress looked cuter in real life. .and hopefully i do too:)

the margo martini. . . with glow sticks and flashing wands as stir sticks!

the boys were the greeters

mel got to come she made it just in time from her adventure in belize

we love you so much grammy!

greenbluff time!

2011-10-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

it's that time of year to visit greenbluff and pick pumpkins! the kids love greenbluff it was a beautiful afternoon and just shouted FALL!

emery and kinkade love the animals. . the mini horses are always a hit!

you just have to . . especially when you have four kids to fit the faces perfectly.

keagan and lucia lovin the corn maze!

off to pumpkins in the patch.

thats my man pulling 106 lbs of pumpkins and two cute little girls back to the farm.

the girls were so proud to push the pumpkins to the car. love these little tiny hands!

ghosts are up!

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

grammy's house is so fun and magestic in the Fall! we all love putting up the ghosts every year! it was a crisp sunny sunday and the perfect evening for ghosts and sunday night family dinner.

these boys are always throwing the football everywhere we go. . .

lucia loves the angel ghost.

grammy even has a halloween tree!

twin boys . . . twin ghosts!

grampy cannot resist any sports game.

cuddling after decorating and a yummy dinner.

fall goodness

2011-10-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

everything about fall screams HOME. even though our schedules have been crazy i have tried to create a cozy place to come home to. we love the candles. snuggling under cozy blankets. soups. decorating. crisp days with tons of sun. cute boots and sweaters. halloween costumes. everything pumpkins.

best candle ever purchased pumpkin caramel latte.

girls ready for preschool friday guess who dressed them. . yep grammy!

caramel apple sundaes after school.

snuggling.

mini pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon frosting.

fun decorations.

lucia loves halloween jammies and these halloween stuffed kitties - she carries them everywhere.

of course the hot tub is the best in the fall.

pumpkin ice cream with orange sprinkles after friday night movie night.

sweet girls.

happy fall!

yoga shoot with janny

2011-10-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

it was a beautiful fall afternoon up at greenbluff with families we love and tons of delightful cute children. . . . janny asked me to take some pictures for her new website of kids doing yoga with her! i will share her website when it is up and running. she is amazing with children and truly has a gift to love them for exactly who they are! i took lots of pictures but here are a few of my favorites.

janny and olive!

oh emery!

abby and hayden. . .

love anna and the outfit!

our beautiful lucia. . .

even the adults couldn't help themselves but to join in.

i think we got a class clown on our hands!

we love you janny and are are so proud of you for combining two of your passions kids and yoga!

remembering summer

2011-10-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

the first night we were at the coast this summer, we had such a cool experience on our walk out to the beach. . . we spotted tons of sea lions. i did not have my camera so cathy just sent me these pictures and i had to post them. it was such an amazing sight and a beautiful night. oh summer!

there is just something magical about the beach, sunsets, and family!

"i'm a big girl mommy!"

2011-09-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

i hear this statement from emery all day long. so when the other three were off to school this year emery was devastated. lucia's preschool teacher said we would love for emery to come if she is potty-trained - which of course she is, since she is the most independent child alive - she potty trained herself right before her second birthday.

we were torn about the decision to let her join lucia at preschool, mainly because she is our baby and has the rest of her life to go to school. we also feel strongly that lucia needs to have big girl activities of her own. so we compromised and said she could go on friday mornings with lucia since she is so ready.

i love this first picture of the pigtails and backpacks from emery's first friday of spanish preschool. she was exhausted when i picked the girls up but loved it. i am excited for emery to be hearing spanish at such a young age. she talks about the singing, dancing and "the park" (she calls all playgrounds parks.)

salt water sandals and sundresses. .. these girls are giving me a run for my money daily with their sassiness and energy but they sure are fun to dress!

;

emery we love you so much and hope you love school as much as the rest of your family. i had to make aaron stop getting degrees. . .

we love watching how much you want to be a big girl but you will always be our baby girl!

First Day Spanish Preschool for Lucia!

2011-09-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Lucia is going to Spanish Preschool this year. She will go 3x a week Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. It is complete Spanish Immersion and only 5 minutes from our house! Maestra Fanny is the sweetest woman you will ever meet and speaks the entire day in Spanish. . they sing in Spanish, dance in Spanish and learn in Spanish. Lucia was comfortable day one - in fact she loved it.

I love this picture it just captures her essence. she continues to be filled with JOY, now just with a little four year whining and tattling thrown in:)

No need for a new backpack when you have the cutest owl back pack on the planet.

We love you so much Lucia and pray you have a fabulous year in Spanish Preschool - we are so grateful for this opportunity. Your birth mother had a dream for you that you would get a great education and be able to go to school. .. . we are doing our very best to make her dreams come true for you!

Third Grade Here we come!

2011-09-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Are these boys really in third grade???!?!?! They are so ready and were thrilled to go to school.

We could not be more excited about their teacher Mr. Cong! They sprinted through the door after school saying they might just have the best teacher on the planet. He made the first day a blast including dressing up as Mr. Madsen a mad scientist with a mystery box to introduce the scientific method. He continued through the week to dress up everyday with a new exciting science lesson. . theme song and all. K&K cannot stop talking about their virtual bank accounts and virtual paychecks they earn for responsibility and hard work in the classroom. Teachers that make school FUN in the midst of high expectations and academic rigor deserve many starbucks cards in my book!

of course the sisters had to get in on the first day pics. . . lucia had her first day of tap and ballet and was already to go by 7:30 and class was not until 10:45.

all about NIKE and Shadow soccer gear for the first day outfits. you would think that as twins they would not want to wear the exact same shirt, but what do i know. they loved having the same shadow shirt on with their names on the back.

fist day of school pics are always so smiley and filled with excitement!

always goofing around!

trying to smile like emery:)

have a great year boys we love you so much!!!

goodbye summer

2011-09-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

lots of ice-cream bars and Popsicles on the porch swing. . . now that is summer!

we had a such a packed fun filled summer. . we were on the go! the weather is in the 90's this week but school is under way and the fall schedule is in full throttle! first day of school pics to come. . . . always my favorite!

we got all dressed up for the black tie event coaches vs. cancer.

treats galore. . eating brownies naked is always a perfect summer activity!

sprinkler time. emery screams "sprinkler" anytime we see them driving.

good thing she is so cute. . b/c she is such a stinker!

emery keeps murphy's bowls very full.

dot paining on a summer morning.

a little you tube with the armstrong boys.

all ready for church.

has it really been 20 years. . aaron and I both attended our 20 year reunions.. . . are we really that old?

radio and race cars

2011-09-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

the boys were asked to help make a radio commercial for the orthodontist kinkade went to for his teeth. it was a great experience. we haven't heard the commercial yet. . .should be interesting.

on the way home mel took them to see a real race car. it has been the summer of cars for them so they were thrilled!

Photobucket">

Shadow Soccer

2011-09-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

the boys were invited to play in two shadow tournaments this summer. i love this first picture of keagan and two new teammates after he just scored a goal! they had a blast, in fact they LOVED every minute of it.

real uniforms with their names on the back. . . and first soccer medals for winning the silver division.. . don't ask me what that means. . .because i was not allowed to play soccer growing up - my dad said "soccer" was for all the kids that couldn't catch. we had three rules in my household - no soccer- no cheer leading- no motorcycles!

well, i married a soccer player who is a fanatic for the game. . . and here we are!

this is how i find the boys every night. . in the same bed. . . oh twins! but after three days of lots of soccer in the heat they were exhausted.

more time at the beach with friends!

2011-09-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

we had so much fun at the beach with the armstrongs, boles and bryan. the dads are aaron's best friends from college and our families get along great!

mcmurray reunion 2011

2011-08-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

we had so much fun on the oregon coast with the mcmurray family! there is truly nothing like being with your cousins in an amazing place. thank you papa and grandma for such a great vacation!!! we can't wait for next year and already miss you all so much!

lots of snuggles and tons of dance parties!

and of course some good quality drawing time. . .

and more dance parties! the adults were there but i guess i just take pictures of the kids these days:)

harvey

2011-08-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

harvey and emery! these two adore each other and have such a special relationship. and i adore this picture!

the lake

2011-08-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

we love the lake . .. . it is our favorite summer place to be. . here are some pics from this summer!

big girl bed for lucia!

2011-08-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

lucia is so excited about her big girl bed! and apparently so is emery! it is on the floor for now since she is such a crazy sleeper.

pretending to be asleep. . ..

pogo stick camp

2011-08-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

kinkade LOVES to pogo stick. . so he came up with this idea in the spring to run a pogo stick camp for his friends. . keagan would be his assistant. he literally worked on his lesson plans for 3 months. every morning the first thing he would do was work on his plans for camp. i loved watching him create so much fun for his friends and get so excited about teaching and sharing one of his passions.

he planned lots of breaks! the big water balloon fight was a huge hit!

snack time. . . i got a list two pages long of the snacks for the week.

and of course there was lots of hot tub fun.

miracle teeth!

2011-08-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

it was a sunny spring afternoon in 2009 and I was holding emery on the front porch as lucia finished her nap and the boys sprinted home from school to shoot hoops. this particular afternoon dunk hoops was the game of choice. i glanced up to see kinkade slam down a reverse dunk- then it was blood and shock from that point on. kinkade was hanging by his front teeth on the net. he fell to the cement and i have never seen so much blood in my life. . . . . later to learn that the mouth bleeds more than any other place on the body since there is no skin protecting it. as i ran over i realized his teeth were barley connected and sticking straight out. the ironic part is keagan was crying harder than kinkade he was so upset and concerned for his twin brother. i immediately called aaron . . . . aaron flew home from work as i held kinkade with a huge ice pack that was filling with blood rapidly. my favorite part of the story is that Aaron took one look at kinkade and rushed in the house. i followed him in to find him almost passed out against the wall - "thanks for the help!"

we then called Dr. Grummons, a dear friend who we respect and adore, who told us to send a quick photo and bring him in immediately. he stabilized the teeth and got kinkade an emergency oral surgery. we learned that both teeth were cracked at the crown and every ligament was torn. Dr. Grummons reported that it would be a miracle if the teeth survived.

i will spare you all the details but Dr. Grummons promised he would care for kinkade as if he was one of his own kids. he prayed for him and us constantly and texted and emailed weekly to check on kinkade. we spent the year taking kinkade to appointments and praying his teeth would revitalize and live.

Dr. Grummons reminds us every time it is a complete miracle that his teeth have survived and they look amazing. Dr. Grummons is incredible if you ever need any orthodontic work GO THERE!!!!! here is the link http://www.thebraceplace.org/.

praise God for kinkade's teeth and this little miracle that has taught our family that prayer is powerful and God cares about the details of our life. check out this progression of pictures documenting kinkade's journey of his two front teeth this last year and a half! the first picture is september of first grade 2009 when he first lost his two baby front teeth, naturally.

november first grade when the teeth had started growing in.

April 2010, two weeks after the accident. you can see how far his two front teeth stuck out.

he spent most of second grade with braces stabilizing the teeth.

this summer the braces came off and look at our handsome boy!

kinkade was an amazing trooper the entire time never complaining. he thanked God for Dr. Grummons every night and was so tough the entire time.

sleeping beauty camp!

2011-07-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

first sleeping beauty camp in this household.. . .lucia loved every minute especially with her sweet friend brooklyn.

real camping with small group

2011-07-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

geocaching so fun!

lots of campfires. . .

tubing!

frisbee golf course. .

more geocaching . ..

hot chocolate club building forts.

the harv!

more treats. .

more emery nakedness. . .

emery holding baby gus 3 weeks old.

so majestic. . .

these two. . .

the water feels so good and freezing!

ready for some serious geocaching.

some of our favorite people

wow lots of people.

cards with the big kids! i decided after this trip that camping is fun for kids. . . and a ton of work for adults thank God we love the people we were with!

summer evenings

2011-07-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

we love summer evenings at grammy's . . always yummy dessert, laughter, flowers and running around!

emery's new smile:)

when it cools down in the evening the hot tub is the best!

our favorite spot - 14 years!

2011-07-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

we went away to celebrate out anniversary early. our favorite vacation spot on the planet is penticton canada. we always stay at the most magnificent bed and breakfast. it is called god's mountain and it feels like you are in italy. it is surrounded by vineyards, mountains, and has a fabulous view of the lake. we love it here.

we seem to always get the pool to ourselves it think everyone else is out wine tasting at the hundreds of boutique wineries nestled in the hills.

i love all the cherry trees!

such a fun centerpiece at our favorite winery . . elephant's island.

toasting at the pool to 14 years!

my sexy husband and a beautiful view.

we talked, laughed, layed in the sun, ate, drank wine, hiked, cuddled a lot, and simply enjoyed not being interrupted every two seconds. . . . it was an amazing get away!

the fourth!

2011-07-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

the fourth of july is in the top five or maybe even top three best days of the entire year! the lake, one of our all time favorite families - the murphys, great food, sun . . .it doesn't get much better! thanks murhpys for making the fourth so fun and special for the us. . . . we LOVE you!

love this picture of aaron he is so cute:)

the boys have always loved smoke bombs the best. . . since they were little.

on the way home watching alvin and the chipmunks. . . a hit in our family!

lulu is four!

2011-07-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

the day started with a full house of friends. . . .the jones family, and the boys great friend tyson. we had yummy strawberry crepes for breakfast and of course maple bars!

the happiest little girl on the planet!

favorite gifts!

then, we celebrated at the lake with a guest list lucia made. which of course included her sweet friend brooklyn! these two are three days apart in age and so fun together!

it was a princess dress birthday! she got a one from grammy, janny and ryan, and the millers

look at these three gorgeous girls! i just love how happy lulu is to be surrounded by all her favorite friends!

as many treats as i want on my birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

anna and abbey had to be there! lucia adores them both! more silly girls!

we are humbled and honored everyday day to be lucia's forever family. she is beautiful in every way. she is the sunshine of our family and every time i look in her eyes i am reminded of God's faithfullness to us when we follow our hearts.

sports. . . . high highs and low lows!

2011-07-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

well. .. when you've played sports for awhile you are well aware they you will experience the greatest highs and some pretty bad lows. hoopfest this year was pretty close to rock bottom for the mcmurray boys. they won a big game then it was down hill from there and i stopped counting the competitive mcmurray meltdowns at 5 and that was only the first day. but, the silver lining of hoopfest was the JONES FAMILY came and it made it all good because we LOVE the JONES! here a couple pics from the weekend.

kinkade flying to save yet another 2 scored by the other team. . . ugggggg!

grampy having a serious coaching talk with keagan. there were many of these moments.

we lost so we went to the lake and brought the jones and life was better:) i love this picture of savannah with the girls she is truly the sweetest girl on the planet.

start to summer - june!

2011-07-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

the whole crew on the last day of school for the boys!

oh my . . i am so behind on the blog! we have been PLAYING HARD this summer no computer time. here are some pics from the beginning of summer. the millers had us over for my birthday and the three princesses had a blast on the trampoline! thanks millers what a perfect way to celebrate my birthday!

last day of second grade. . so proud of these boys. they had a great year studying dolphins, whales, japan, multiplication, writing recounts, and playing lots of soccer at recess!

first day of summer. . . girls having breakfast doing "cheers" with their juice sippy cups. . too cute!

summer clipboard jobs and popsicle stick jobs. . . . everyone helps here.

maybe my favorite thing in the world is when the boys read to the girls.

our new big 8 ft. yellow picnic table for summer dinners outside. . YAY!

finding ladybugs. . ..

oh so sweet summer feet. . .

spending tons of time with the buth boys!

more fun trampoline with anna!

signs of summer

2011-06-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

green grass and happy naked babies. . .

sprinklers! last year she was terrified of the sprinkler this year she cannot get enough.

this is how i found emery sneaking big red juicy strawberries!

a full ALL weekend soccer tournament that ended in champions! way to go wildcats!

favorite new flower purchase!

the sky is falling!

organizing projects. all the kids craft/writing/art stuff had been driving me nuts! it needed a major organizing. i have been holding off on labeling every last little pocket and drawer. . since i have friends who will make fun of me. but it is killing me not to have them labeled. since i got everything organized i have been dreaming about my label maker and fantasizing about making the labels . there is nothing like a pocket full of markers with a label. . what is better in life! so i might start sneaking a few labels at a time so it isn't as obvious.

all i wanted for my birthday coming up was some money to spend at world market. i think target has been dethroned from the best store in the world. have you been to world market lately - so stinkin fun and cute ! i brought out all my white shabby distressed chairs and have this work in progress little sitting area on the deck.

track

2011-05-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

keagan giving it is all in the 200.

the boys ran track for the first time this spring and loved it.

love this face! kinkade loves the longer distances and was a star at the javelin!

check out kinkades intensity at the starting line compared to the other first and second graders - he is the 2nd one from the right lane 2. wonder where he gets that!?!?!?!?

the bob

2011-05-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

someone got a new haircut. . .

an extra special mothers day!

2011-05-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

happy mother's day and happy mcmurray girls dedication! what a faboulous day to dedicate these amazing gifts from God. only God could of brought each one into our life their stories are miraculous! to be surrounded by our church community and dear friends and family it was beyond anything i could of ever hoped for in our life.

to have ryan holding the girls and dedicating each one of the girls was so special. our best friends who we get to do life with it was incredible.

papa and grandma made the trip with our sweet niece bridget.

grammy and grampy had a celebration brunch at their home afterwards. . . and of course grammy made it so special with beautiful flowers and cake pops!

janny and ryan brought the girls balloons. they also stood upfront with us at church as the girls godparents.

these are the amazing girls that have lived with us the last couple of years and invested their lives in our family! we love you caitlin, ashley, and melodie!

bryan brought the girls flowers. . their first bouquets!

here is what we wrote pastor ryan about emery and scripture we chose for her -

emery pearl mcmurray

* named after her great grandmother an amazing women of faith and "pearl" after her mom's nickname from her father "pearl of a girl."

* emery was a huge surprise and a miracle baby.

* she has put the family into complete chaos being number 4!

* we believe god put her in our family to humble us in parenting. . . we have never been so challenged, and to make us laugh and most importantly to believe in miracles!

scripture chosen for emery pearl - Colossians 2:6-7

"And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust Him. Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught . Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done."

there is always some healthy competition at every mcmurray party/celebration!

these boys look so old to me here i can't believe it.

here is what we wrote about lucia and the scripture we chose for her -

lucia jacinta shean mcmurray

* named after her biological maternal grandmother who died of cancer a year prior to her birth. shean is her great grandmother's maiden name, maternal grandmother's middle name, forever mommy's middle name.

* everytime we look into lucia's face i am reminded of god's faithfullness and how He blesses us when we are faithful to the seeds He plants in our hearts. darcy dreamed of adopting since she was in second grade. in college after spending a month in guatemala she knew God was calling her to the children in guatemala. aaron and darcy talked about both feeling called to adoption their second date.

* god gave us the word "joy" when we prayed for lucia and if you know her she is bursting with joy in every way!

* we are also daily reminded of the amazing sacrifice lucia's birthmother made so luica would have an education and enough to eat.

* we are beyond blessed to be lucia's forever family!

scripture chosen for lucia - Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

all ready for nap.

such a special mothers day.

adult fun!

2011-05-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

we started our time away driving with two of our favorite people on the planet. . who we get to do life with and are so lucky!this post is way late. . but we were blessed to get away with some great friends this winter and had so much fun. we went to Leavenworth and just played!
heidi is so beautiful and the best part she is just as beautiful inside.
the girls and ryan!
morning walk with coffee and mimosas.
they were filming a movie and ryan asked if he could kiss one of the actors. . . life with ryan is always better!
then i got to get away to santa barbara for a girls weekend with two of my bestest college friends. we have a tradition to pick angel cards when we are together.
love mandolyn. . we all searched for heart rocks on the beach to bring home to our valentines.
i felt so refreshed after a weekend away. . and could not wait to get home to see everyone.
and, santa barbara is fabulous. . the food, shopping, the beach and most of all the SUN!!!

painting

2011-05-03T21:15:00.001-07:00

the last couple of days i have been working really hard to enjoy the sweet moments. it is so easy to get overwhelmed, rushed and just simply task oriented around here. emery was painting today and she was so content and contemplative i had to capture it.

first bloomsday

2011-05-01T20:41:00.001-07:00

we had a blast today running bloomsday together. it was the boy's first bloomsday and aaron's first bloomsday. i used to run bloomsday when i was younger but have not run it for many years. grampy is the main announcer at the finish line. there are over 60,00 runners and so much fun. i am so proud of the boys for finishing and having great attitudes for all 7.5 miles. ready to go on a foggy morning. . emery is in the picture but the girls were not invited on this adventure.. . only for big kids! thank goodness the fog disappeared and the sun came out for the race. i don't think real runners grab a starbucks on their way. . .
we took the bus down with many others to avoid the parking disaster downtown. home after the race. . . finisher t-shirts, stomachs full of olive garden, and exhausted!we did it!

sonatina #6 allegro - olsen

2011-05-01T20:29:00.001-07:00

so proud of keagan . . he has improved so much in his second year of piano. he has worked hard and spent much time practicing when others are playing. he played sonatina #6 allegro - olsen at his spring recital this weekend and knocked the ball out of the park. he looks so old and so handsome in these pictures. way to go keagan!

second grade spring run off winners!

2011-05-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

every year the boy's school has a spring run off. every grade level runs throughout their entire recess all week. the run has individual grade level competitions and classroom competitions. keagan and kinkade won last year in first grade and won again this year with one of their best friends. all three tied in number of laps total for the week. they were thrilled and so proud.

the boys had been nervous leading up to the the spring run off, so i told them they do not have to win. . just run for fun. kinkade responded, "it is not fun if you do not win."

oh boy. . they are so competitive!

easter. so sweet.

2011-04-25T14:43:00.001-07:00

easter weekend.

boys first track meet. double header soccer games.

sun. branches first easter service. family. strawberry crepes. praline baked french toast.

grammy's famous creme brule'. ham. dying eggs naked. new sparkle toms.

chocolate faces. lots of easter egg hunts.

Jesus!

we could not find emery.. . . here she was. . mmmmm i don't even want to know what our neighbors think of us?

family time on vacation

2011-04-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

the best part of vacation is great family time. . . we walked to get donuts every morning . . . why doesn't our state have donut shops everywhere?. . .vacation for the mcmurrays = family, sun, beach and donuts!the kids loved the petting zoo.
the house had a fabulous roof top patio.
we had a fun dinner out at joe's crab house. . we all love crab legs and seafood especially the boys.
what a great trip. . i was once told it is called a vacation when you leave the kids at home and a trip when you take them. i completely agree. . . .YET it is all worth it for the memories and wonderful family time!

the beach

2011-04-11T22:10:00.001-07:00

this family loves the beach and i love taking pictures at the beach!

spring break vacay - sea world!

2011-04-11T14:46:00.001-07:00

we went to san clemente for spring break with grammy and grampy and had a blast. one of the highlights was Sea World for the day! we left emery to spend the day with grammy and grampy and took the three big kids and truly loved every minute. here is lucia ready for the 4D seseme street movie which was darling! there is a new ride journey to atlantis which is a must! you can barley see dad and kinkade in the back seat whizzing by! it was awesome!
movie time. . .
they have a whole section of little kids rides all seseme street. lucia was in heaven and the boys loved it too. . . . it is so great that the boys will do all the fast rides and still be happy with the little kid rides.
the exhibits are incredible all three kids couldn't get enough.
now this ride i could do without every time i get soaked!
i love the shows the very best - shamu, dolphins, sea lions we hit them all! they were incredible.
kinkade was lucia's personal tour guide. he is such a tender sweet big brother.
all the kids got to pick one stuffed animal. . my eight year old boys chose sweet turtles and dolphins to cuddle. . and my darling little three year old daughter chose plastic hammer head sharks and look at her face . . . i think this should be the opposite:)oh keagan. . .
love these boys and their excitement for life!
what a great day. . . i am going to be really bold and even make some people angry with me i love sea world way better then disneyland. i have been to both many times and always have so much more fun at sea world! we didn't even attempt disneyland this time. sea world is spectacular and so much fun for kids and adults. aaron and i for our honeymoon went to both and even at that time w/o kids liked sea world better.

emery is ALL two!

2011-04-10T23:04:00.000-07:00

we celebrated emery's birthday before spring break. the day started with maple bars with candles a mcmurray tradition after she came downstairs to a new "cooking" kitchen. we ended the day with a small family dinner party. . . thai food and tres leches cake!
daddy put emery's new kitchen together it was quite the project. . . but turned out so cute. emery's has three favorite activities pretend cooking, babies and cuddling. she loves to cook! it has been the perfect gift she plays with it all day.
melodie lives with us and has formed a very special bond with emery. we realized awhile back that emery calls her honey. she loves honey and melodie is so great with emery. so sweet in this picture emery is reading the card melodie got her.
first glance at her new kitchen.
she was a little scared when dad brought her the maple bar with candles or more just really confused why dad was giving her a maple bar on fire.
this is the stinker face we see all of the time. . .this picture was taken the moment she just stole all of keagan's whip cream frosting from his cake.
i can honestly say i never knew the terrible twos until emery. the boys were so sweet at two years old and lucia was a little feisty but fun feisty. emery honestly does the opposite of what you are asking her to do. she runs and hides when you are looking for her or trying to get her dressed and then bursts out laughing. even lucia will say now, "oh man emery is such a little rascal." she can be such a stinker then turn around and be the sweetest little girl on the planet. she says constantly "cuddle one minute." she loves to cuddle and rock in the rocking chair. she has made our life chaotic and very interesting but we can't imagine life without emery pearl!

here is a list of emery's favorite things at two years old: dogs, YMCA, church (she yells yeah church when we drive up) cooking, babies, cuddling, rocking, books, counting, our cat murphy or any cat, buses, wrestling with dad, waking up lulu, harassing her brothers, swimming, playing outside, piggies (pigtails), fancy shoes, all bags and purses, of course milk!

we love you pearlie and can't wait to see what the next year has in store for you! thanks for making us laugh, humbling us as parents, and leading us to believe in miracles . . you will always be our miracle baby.

here's what we have been up to the first week of spring. . .

2011-03-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

the boy's spent the first day of spring with their godparents building new book shelves for their room. the finished project was spectacular. i will post pictures after kinkade's shelf is done. pat is so talented and the boys had a blast! patty made us a yummy yummy lunch. everyone needs fabulous godparents to help raise their children!
dr. pepper cupcakes! how else would you welcome spring?
my sweet husband brought me daffodils and they look perfect in my new spring vase from anthro!
of course a second st. paddy's celebration with grammy and grampy. . with full leprechaun costumes and corn beef and potatoes! she just might be the cutest leprechaun on the planet!
and. . . . it would not be the first week of spring without pink eye, ear infections, fevers and a trip to the doctor for antibiotics.
so sad they are so sick. . . . more pink eye and tons of gook! our girls are really sick!

we caught one!

2011-03-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

happy st. paddy's day from the mcmurrays! lulu's first leprechaun trap for preschool. . .look at the green footprints that showed up after her nap. she could not believe it.
we found these penny/root beer traps all over the house last night that the boys had made.
"hey mom looks what's in the toilet?"
"that is so rude the leprechaun peed in our toilet." - lucia's exact words:)
what a fun day! next year kinkade informed me we need to plan ahead and have corn beef for dinner.

ps. . emery does not have a side pony tail she just pulled the other pig tail lower.

risk takers

2011-03-14T15:29:00.001-07:00

dad and kinkade on the chair lift in front of us. . .we have been talking a lot about taking risks and trying new things with the boys. this last couple months they have had two huge firsts. we went skiing last weekend and had a blast. don't get me wrong there was a couple meltdowns but 95% of the time we had so much fun. it was a beautiful sunny day and there was fresh snow from the week. i have felt so thankful lately for the pacific northwest living 20 minutes from our lake place and 20 minutes from a great ski mountain is pretty awesome. on sunday on the way to church we had to stop for a family of deer which is a common thing around here and emery was squealing with joy - "hi deer, how ya doin?"

i was struck by how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful place! i am a good complainer so i have to document when i am feeling blessed:)
the second big risk was the boys took an acting class that ended with a big greek gods performance. they went every monday and loved it. i was so proud of them for trying something brand new and learning so much. lucia can't wait until it is her turn. she sprinted up on the stage the minute she could!

oh emery or is it ozzie osborne!?

2011-03-03T21:44:00.001-08:00

this kid is CRAZY! i did not do any of these hair dos or outfits. i found her looking this way. she cracks us up all day. she is a pistol with more gusto than we ever imagined. she is nuts~ here she is today. . . her hair is out of control but it matches her personality! we have started bunsies they are so stinkin cute and fit her sass!

her favorite things all in one. . she wears this swim cap all the time. . fancy shoes all day even over her jammies and she loves jammies!
her" i will not eat one more bite" look. . . that we see all day.
yep, every time she finds a head band she puts it on backwards and will not put it on the right way. as mentioned many times before is the messiest eater on the planet!
have i mentioned the rats nest that she has 99% of the time. i have never seen a nastier rat's nest in any one's hair. . it is her trademark.
i can't wait to see this kid in high school. half the time i think she looks like ozzie osborne and acts like him too!

cold mornings at home

2011-02-24T21:47:00.001-08:00

it has gotten so cold. . here are some snapshots of february cold mornings at home. today was a snow day - no school for all of us. of course some hot tub time in the new snow. last weekend we did a scavenger hunt for the kids to reveal where grammy and grampy are taking us for spring break. aaron wrote riddles all over the house.
new snow. .
our sweet kinkade who loves to be all wrapped up in a blanket. every morning he walks around wrapped in a blanket the first hour he is awake.
we have discovered multi-grain pancakes. blueberry multi-grain pancakes are so delicious. emery loves to stir.
this cracked me up. she loves her babies.
we are trying to make the best of the cold weather. . but i am ready for spring!

valentines love. . .

2011-02-15T22:12:00.000-08:00

we had a wonderful busy valentines day! i love that my boys make homemade valentines every year. i thought this would be the year they were to old or cool. . but no they decided to make every kid in their class a special paper airplane and decorate each one with a theme that person loves. . like mario, seahawks, flowers, cats. . . they turned out great! i spent the weekend somewhere sunny with friends it was beyond fabulous. we collected heart rocks on the beach for our valentines at home. . . more to come next post!
i found murphy on the stairs like this. . lucia made her a valentine.
i actually made valentine cookies and they were actually good. . this is a major accomplishment for me!
i love these tulips my sweet valentine got me. . .
hope you felt loved on valentines day! we ended with a special dinner my parents brought over and lots of cute underwear for everyone. . of course!

a new world so stinkin cute!

2011-02-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

GYMNASTICS FOR THE GIRLS! cute buns!
lucia loves it. . every single minute of it! emery loves most of it just not the bars and balancing beam. the boys love coming and watching although it totally stresses them out when emery is not following directions. whole new world little girls in pink leotards. . . so fun!

lighz out = the spoilers

2011-02-08T19:53:00.001-08:00

the boys played in their first official keep score basketball league. we were all second graders and we played in the y competitive third grade league. some games great idea . . some games worst idea we've ever had. over all it was a good season of learning and improving. there were 14 teams and our goal was to finish in the top half. . well we were fifth. there was one huge highlight of the season. . . . we beat the undefeated team the last game of the season. they had not lost yet and we had a spectacular night and won! my dad and i coached. i have not yet coached the boys and it was a good experience for all of us. my dad explained the term "spoilers" to the boys - we spoiled their undefeated record!

time to move to the back burner mom!

2011-02-07T15:14:00.001-08:00

this little boy of mine has made the transition. .. he has always been an extreme mama's boy attached every second he could be. there were many periods in his toddler years he would not let anyone else hold him or touch him. i was told that there would come a time when he would idealize his dad and i would take the back burner. and this could not be more true these days. it has happened gradually but it has definitely happened.our red headed passionate, talented, affectionate, emotional, full- of- life keagan wants to be just like dad!
he had a red Mohawk for a couple of years and his eyes still get me. . . i never thought i would have a blue eyed little boy!
it hit big this weekend when we were in staples getting valentine supplies and keagan came over with a black leather journal that he wanted to buy with his spending money. now if you know aaron very well. . .you are aware he has way too many leather journals. i started making a list in my mind of all the big and little things where keagan is following in his dad's footsteps right now. .

- keagan points out all suburbans as we drive which aaron has been doing since we started dating.

- keagan loves Notre Dame Football. . which his dad has been the biggest fan since he was little.

- keagan begs us to see lord of the rings since his dad is obsessed. so aaron has started showing him a few scenes. now he draws maps of the scenes in his journal.. . that is his leather journal and of course he got his love of maps from his dad.

- keagan reads tintin and asterix the gaul - comic strip books that his dad read when he was little.

- keagan is excelling at the piano just like his dad.

- aaron has this weird thing where he never sits on the couch to watch tv or movies he sits on the floor leaning against the couch. . well you will only find keagan on the floor watching college hoops or a movie never on the couch.

- keagan is already obsessed with cell phones mmmmmmmm. . . like his dad has been since the first one came out.

- MUSIC! oh boy their love of music . . they talk music all the time. . . keagan loves all the music that dad does. . especially coldplay!

- it has gotten so bad that i have to tell aaron not to ever say he does not like any certain food or i will hear the same words out of keagan's mouth a few days later. ."um mom please don't put any onions in mine."

thank god i adore his dad and think there is no man on this earth i would rather keagan idealize and follow in his steps.

love you keagan it is such a fun ride watching you grow up!

3 years home. . . forever family day!

2011-02-01T14:50:00.001-08:00

we celebrated this precious, brilliant, funny, joyful, sweet little girl being home for three years yesterday! she requested baskin-n-robbins and pupcakes from starbucks (she has been eyeing them for quite some time!)

here she is with her special Guatemalan gift . . . perfect for her age learning her letters and how to write her name. yes that is chocolate ice cream on her mouth!
posing with all her requested treats! sprinkle ice-cream cones, chocolate ice cream and bubble gum ice cream for her brothers and of course the cupcakes (btw go to starbucks for coffee not cupcakes they were less than amazing:)
we celebrated with -

- treats of course!

- swimming at the Y with Dad and emery

- she requested the boys make her an obstacle course - her favorite game with her brothers.

- and my favorite part we watched her coming home video that whitney made for us! what would we do w/o the murphys in our life?!!! they bless our family in so many ways! we will watch that video every year on forever family day it is amazing!!

here are the links to her coming home day, first year , second year if you are interested!

http://mcmurraymania.blogspot.com/2008/01/its-real-she-lives-here.html

http://mcmurraymania.blogspot.com/2009/01/forever-family-day-lucia-home-one-year.html

http://mcmurraymania.blogspot.com/2010/02/forever-family-day-two-years.html

love you lulu you are a ray of sunshine to everyone you meet!

adopting you is the best thing this family has ever done!!!!!!

i hear there is nothing like having a sister. . .

2011-01-21T14:52:00.001-08:00

i have been thinking a lot about sisters lately. i have never had a sister. . so this whole thing is so new to me. having a sister seems complicated and beautiful all at the same time. these two girls cannot wait to see each other yet they are so feisty with each other. they squeal, giggle, yell, scream, laugh, chase, play quietly, grab, push! their relationship is so different from the boys. . . .maybe it is their age, their personalities, or twins are just plain different?????

the girls relationship seems so volatile and at the same time so sweet. i pray they love each other deeply and respect their differences and hopefully learn to appreciate their differences. as their relationship unfolds daily and changes yet stays the same in so many ways. . i commit to praying for their relationship and doing everything i can to cultivate a special loving bond and appreciation for each other. oh sisters!

here is a little sisters picture parade of some of my favorites!first picture together in the hospital. .
first easter together. . .

i was totally wrong - GUSTO!

2011-01-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

with everyone one of our kids i had mother's intuition from the very beginning and nailed their personality. i mean from the very beginning like praying for them before they were born and as newborns. i predicted and just knew. . . kinkade would be low maintenance, easy going and easy to laugh. i knew keagan would be fiery, passionate, scheduled, and charismatic. when praying for lucia God always gave me the word "joyful" from the moment we met her at 3 weeks old she had a BIG personality in a little itty bitty body and this still holds very true! i was right on with all of them except one. . . . little miss emery pearl i was completely 100% wrong! we named her emery pearl because the name just encompasses sweetness to me. i honestly thought i finally got a quiet, shy, sweet child who would have quiet tea parties, color for hours, and hide behind my leg when we meet people. not the case. . . . emery has turned out to be our LOUDEST, bravest, feistiest, funniest, most INDEPENDENT, strongest willed, opinionated child yet!!!! there is one word to describe her "GUSTO!" she does life with GUSTO! everything is head on, full speed, with NO FEAR! she is more energetic and demanding then twin boys were at this age. we joke that she did not get the mcmurray children memo in the womb. . . because she has broken all the rules already -

- mcmurray children sleep through the night at 9 weeks.

- mcmurray children are NOT picky eaters they eat what is served and are great eaters!

- mcmurray children do not scream in public places especially grocery stores. (i have to secretly confess that i could not believe it when children would scream "NO!" and "Mine!" in grocery stores and wondered what on earth those parents were doing. well. . fast forward to emery i am now that parent with the screaming child in the check out line.

- mcmurray children get along with each other and politely take turns. they do not hit, push, yell, grab and run away when they want something.

- mcmurray children start time-outs at age 3 not one and half.

- mcmurray children love books and will listen to them for hours.

- mcmurray children write on paper only not walls.

- mcmurray children keep car doors shut while driving on the freeway. . . .

- mcmurray children stay somewhat near their parents when they are out and about at least so they can see them. we never know where emery is. i think she is looking for a new family. all our friends have caught on to this. . .they know we are total chaos and need all the help we can get:)

-mcmurray children talk early and clearly . .. . emery has made up her own language that she only uses when she wants.

-mcmurray children keep the name their parents give them. emery tells everyone her name is abby.
don't get me wrong we adore her i think that is the problem she is spoiled rotten. the other day aaron said the reason she wakes up at night sometimes is we have always cuddled, rocked, and gotten her warm milk . . .aaron made the comment the other day "i would probably get her an egg nog latte at 2am if she asked." all under the premise she is our last baby. . . .. . .

i have broken all my baby rules on sleeping.

now i get the whole saying - "oh, the baby in the family."

so what is it with this little stinker . . . here are some of me most recent theories. . .

- she is spoiled by everyone in the family especially her big brothers.

- she came with this personality. . my new parenting philosophy - you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. . and you do the best you can!

- God needed to humble us in our parenting.

- she has mcmurray/long female genes which are independent, strong, feisty,opinionated and FUN!

- she is the fourth child and is trying to get someone to pay attention to her!

- she came sweet and we have ruined her.
emery pearl you are our miracle baby and we can't imagine life without you. you challenge me daily, make me laugh all the time, put me on my knees daily and will always be our pearl of a girl!

we ALL love you even when you scream at us:)

pupcake date

2011-01-11T14:47:00.001-08:00

nope it is not a typo. . . lucia has always called cupcakes . . ."pupcakes" it is one of those words that is too cute to correct. aaron and i have two big resolutions for 2011 or changes we want to make in how we do life as a family. i will write about the other in another post b/c it is heavy on my heart. one of the resolutions is to spend more time with the kids individually by going on one on one dates. we want to be more intentional about listening and conversation and simply to just spend special time with each one. we are off to a great start aaron has started friday breakfasts with Dad with the boys and has taken lucia on two great dates. i took lucia yesterday to a new cupcake store in spokane for a date! here she is with her cupcake! she chose the green one b/c it was so pretty then promptly asked after licking the frosting, "why is this whip cream so sour?"

i tried to explain the flavor lime.
her face is the most precious beautiful thing i have ever seen. this next picture is when she asked me to stop taking pictures and could we start the talking. when i asked what she wanted to talk about she said her dreams. . . . then she proceeded to tell me about a white bird dream.
we both loved the pink and brown striped walls on the outside of the building!
here's to many more special lulu dates!