mcmurray family summer reunion

The boys count down the days all year for the summer lake trip with the McMurray Family. This year we went to our lake place and the rest of the family rented a cabin in the same resort. We had a blast until the flu virus started. . . not fun. Here are some pics of the week. I could not choose so hang in there. Keagan was so thrilled to catch this HUGE BASS! He could barley get it in. It is the largest fish he has caught yet.

Emery loves the lake. . someone is always holding her!

Our trailer is so tiny that this is where Emery sleeps. Yep. . up on a shelf. We bought the trailer when we were a family of five. . .2 weeks before we fond out we were going to be a family of six.

Lucia swims and swims and swims. . warming up with Papa after a swim.

Cousin Lauren and Kinkade enjoying many nights at the campfire with smores.

Lauren and Bridget loved having a baby cousin. She got tons of attention from them.

Lucia loves Uncle Adam. . okay Lucia loves everyone!

Fabulous wine at the lake. . what could be better!

The kids fished and fished and fished some more.

Everyone giving Daddy a fun wagon ride.

Aunt Cathy and her two darling girls.

We had such a fun week. . .even if the flu virus tried to attack us.

july highlights

We have been crazy busy around the mcmurray household with lake trips, concerts, cheese making, and lots of friends and family. Aaron's biggest highlight was going to Coldplay at the Gorge with two of our favorite couples .. . the Humes and the Millers. It was amazing! Best show I have ever seen! But I did not get any pics:(
Here are a few highlights that I did get pics of. . . skinny dipping with dad in the rain. . dad has shorts on:)

cutest buns on the planet. . swimming with auntie goonie our dear friend Megan!

happy baby girl

more auntie goonie!

isn't she beautiful. . we love her . . and love it when she comes to visit!

kinkade earned blue belt - here he is holding the board he broke for his blue belt test!

the boys off to cross country camp with grampy for four days! it was so weird to just have girls around here.

cheese making at the goat farm with my dear friends. . don't ask why we went goat farm cheese making together. . it was crazy!

my sweet friend mandolyn is having twins so we celebrated at the goat farm with a cheese making class then off to a farm B&B ( i missed this part b/c I needed to get home to feed emery but had a interesting fun day away with friends before I headed home.
)

the boys caught their first crawdad at tisha's lake place.. . what a fun day!

sweet emery at the lake

dad and emery

this is what I found the other night. . she is banished outside from now on at nights.

my crazy fun chaotic four leaf clover!

keagan and I had cooking camp here for a week while kinkade went to taekwondo camp. . we made something new everyday.

okay this was from june but I forgot to post swim lesson pictures of course lucia loved every minute and went with the three year olds b/c she is so brave and she was not even two yet.

the boys learned to dive at swim lessons!

More Lucia cuteness. .

One of my favorite blogger friends offered to edit a couple of my photos. She is so talented I jumped at the opportunity. We have followed each other's blogs through the whole adoption journey. She has a gorgeous Guatemalan princess in her family too! Thank you! Thank you . . I love how the pictures turned out. I would love to start editing some of my photos but do not have the margin in my life right now to learn. Here is her blog if you want to check out more of her work - http://adoptbellagrace.blogspot.com/
These last three are not edited but oh so cute!

who does she look like?

Some days she looks like Keagan. . . most of her mannerisms are exactly like Kinkade then we think she looks exactly like Kinkade. . other times we pull out my baby pictures and she looks like my baby pictures. We don't know who she looks like. . maybe she is the perfect combination of everyone and just looks like emery pearl!

It is has been a rough mom week. . . . being a mom is exhausting and so hard. I am really working on looking for the good in the days and in each one of my kids. Because it is so easy to be frustrated and focus on all the messes, the weeds taller than me in the backyard, my huge love handles that are sticking around, and all the constant feelings of guilt that I am not doing enough to make fantastic human beings. I have been praying a lot this week because I need his help, patience and strength to make it through each day. I have so much to be thankful for and yet some days it is hard to see it. I have been trying to make a list each day of the good I see in each of my kids and husband so I can focus on it. Here is my list today -
*I am thankful for Keagan and his huge heart. . he loves like no other. He kisses his sisters all day and is so affectionate with his family.
*I am thankful for the gift of nursing emery. . it makes me slow down and relax and just pray for all the kids and my marriage.
* I am thankful for Kinkade's layed back personality. He spends his days content and easy going. This family needs his personality.
* I am thankful for Lucia's JOY she continues to be the happiest funniest little human I have ever known. She makes us all laugh all the time. She can brighten any ones day.
* I am thankful for my husband and how supportive he is of me even when I am high maintenance like I have been.

love this

This is a must read. . .
http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-much-do-you-matter.html

me and my baby girl

I love this baby girl so much! She just makes me happy!

We love the Murphys and the Fourth of July!

I think the Fourth of July is our favorite weekend of the year! We spent time at Loon Lake and then headed up to the Murphys or Heaven on Earth! Then of course back home Sunday night for a perfect dinner at Grammy and Grampys. All three having a blast swimming at the Lake!

Huckleberry Blush Wine. . snuggling baby. . . gorgeous view.. . . cute deck. . . I mean it does not get better then this!

One of my favorite people on the planet! Love Whitney!

Thrilled to be lighting fireworks. . first year they got to help light them.

Patty has made the cabin so beautiful with flowers everywhere. This was my favorite flower.

Pat took the boys fishing on his new fishing boat twice. They loved every minute.

Baby toes in the sand. . ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so sweet!

Daddy and Emery taking in the lake.

I dressed all the kids up in matching cute Fourth of July outfits to get a great picture. Yep this is it . . . .and this was the best one ~ you can only imagine the out takes. Lucia refused to smile or take her hands off her ears. . . she's two!

Daddy and his girls. Sweet Emery enjoying the lake.

At Loon Lake the boys spend the majority of their time fishing. This was first thing in the morning after they stumbled out of the camper they grabbed their poles and started fishing.

I know you have all been waiting for family grades second go at the lake. No grades this time just awards!

Most Improved - Lucia Jacinta Shean McMurray & Whitney Murphy - First night only had to drive in at 5:30 am instead of 4:30 in the morning and then at the Murphys she slept until 6:45!!!!!! So Dad and Lucia had a morning Starbucks run. Whitney gets most improved cook! She made the most fabulous onion dip and pesto salad I've ever had.

Most Inspirational - Emery Pearl . . she has the lake life down. . sleep-smile-eat-sleep-smile-eat! and do it again and again!

Most Valuable Players - Keagan and Kinkade McMurray - they are becoming independent and really Helpful with vacations. They LOVE the lake and will do anything to get there and stay there as long as possible.

Team Captain - Patty!!! She is amazing how she keeps everyone performing at their best with a smile always. Everything is so organized and runs so smoothly.

Almost cut from the team - Yep you guessed it - DAD! Dad started the weekend well but got really grumpy around day 2. He asked for forgiveness made some attitude changes then got injured. Sunday morning his neck was so stiff he could not move it. So Dad is barely still on the lake team but he needs to improve his attitude and toughen up! Love you sweetie:)

Me. . well it feels a little funny to give yourself an award. Maybe it would be Best Hussle!