Kate is SEVEN!

I decided today that I needed to post about my adorable Miss Kate.  It's been months and months since I've really posted here.  I'm hoping that I'll take more time to post here soon though.

Kate turned 7 on the 21st and we had a fun baking party for her on the 22nd.  It was a lot of fun.  Kate is such a fun girl.  She's a great big sister and she loves to play with her siblings.  Kate is also super social and has a lot of friends and loves to be with them.

Happy birthday sweet girl!  I hope you had a fun day.  Thanks for being in our family and for bringing such a fun light into our family.

Seven things I love about Kate:

1. She's thoughtful

2. She loves to be creative

3. She loves school.

4. She loves her siblings.

5. She's great at cleaning and organizing.

6. She enjoys church and learning about the gospel.

7. She tries so hard to be kind to others and keep the peace.

Thankfulness Day 17

I am so far behind ... but I will finish!! I'm grateful for the wonderful family that I married into. I have some pictures of all of us several years ago ... so these are the most recent pictures I could find from getting together!

This is the only picture I have with our brother-in-law Skyler in it.  :)  Thanks for being a great uncle, Skyler.  Our kids always have so much fun playing with you.

Our kids love being with their two Murri cousins.  They had such a fun time with these two girls (obviously ... lol!  They couldn't hold still it was too much fun).  We're grateful for Dale's parents and the ways they help us.  Our kids love spending time with them and playing.  I didn't even find a picture of my wonderful mother-in-law!! 

I'm so grateful for the wonderful sister-in-law and Aunt that Lisa is to me and the kids.  The kids have a grand time spending time with her (and love that she takes them on little outings, or even has sleepovers with them).  She's so crafty, and generous, and I'm glad that she is one of my fabulous sisters-in-law.

Sarah is so fun too.  The kids had such a good time playing at her house and with her girls.  I'm grateful that she's willing to let us hang out at her house all day for almost two weeks, even though I know it was stressful, lol.  I'm sad we don't live closer to Sarah, but I am happy that there is text messages and long conversations on the phone that are always far and few in between, but it's always fun to chat.

Thanks Murri family for welcoming me into the family 10 years ago when Dale and I got back to Nauvoo!  Love you all and I'm so grateful that I have wonderful in-laws all around.

Thankfulnes Day 16

I am grateful for my family.  I have a fabulous family. 

My parents are wonderful and the kids have a blast with them.  They like to do great things for us, and they like to travel to fun places.  It's always fun to hear their stories and what awesome things they've been up to.  :)  Thanks for being awesome mom and dad!

 

My oldest brother, Tim, and his wife Jennifer.  Along with their 5 fun kids.  They are always bringing life to the party, and having a fun time.  I'm so happy to have them in our lives.  Love when we get to spend a little time with them (which isn't nearly as often as it should be).

 

My brother Andy and his wife Jenny.  They have two awesome boys!  The fun part about their family is that they are expecting a little GIRL!  Know what else though??  Jenny is having a c-section on my birthday!  So my cute little niece (yep, I already know she's cute, look below, see, now you know too), and I get to have funnest birthday ever!!  :)  This cute family just moved FAR, FAR away.  Although we didn't get together often, it's still kind of sad knowing they aren't just an hour drive away.  We miss them.  We're grateful that we have other means to stay in touch though.

 

Having two older brothers was a challenge growing up.  I was probably picked on (as brothers are supposed to do ... or so I'm told, so technically they were doing their job? ;)).  I always knew eventually they'd marry and I'd have sisters in my life (finally!!!!).  I'm now so grateful to have older brothers.  I can't image having a sister growing up.  It would have been really different, lol.  I really am grateful for both of them though.  I'm also really grateful for the women that they married.  I'm so lucky to have them in my life as well.  I'm grateful for the friendships that I've been able to have with them over the years that they've been married to my brothers. 

Thankfulness Day 15

I'm grateful for my Simplistically Sassy blog.  It has been such a fun creative outlet for me.  Although, it can be frustrating at times to not have it be as successful as I would hope -- it's slowly becoming more than I ever imagined it.  It keeps me very busy a lot of times, but I really do love it.

Thankfulness Day 14

I'm catching up!  I'm determined to do all 30 days.  :)  Ironic that I stopped on day 13.  Day 14 is very important to me too.  This is another day I knew exactly what would be posted.  On November 14th Jack had his surgery.

 

I'm grateful for modern medicine.  I'm grateful for people willing to study hard in school and become unimaginable things like a pediatric neurosurgeon.  I'm also grateful for doctors that "follow their gut" feeling and do what they feel is best.  Because of that, my son was only in the hospital for 8 days instead of months (we were told it would have been a LONG time if they hadn't done surgery).  

 

This is the day that he finally had no tubes.  His feed tube had come out and everything.  It was just before Thanksgiving too.  The week of.  Love it.

Thankfulness Day 13

Today I'm grateful that we have a car that can accommodate our entire family, and is safe.  This picture is from Istagram, so it's not great quality, but it's the best I have.  :) 

Thankfulness Day 12

While I'm not so thankful for the endless laundry piles I seem to be folding ... I am. :) I'm thankful that all 8 of us have clothes to wear each day. I'm happy that the kids all have socks, pants, shirts, jackets, etc. I'm grateful that Dale and I do also. It's a huge blessing. I try to keep that in perspective as I fold laundry. I'm happy that we have it to fold ... even if the task is daunting. :)

Thankfulness Day 11

I am so thankful for our home.  It's been a huge blessing in our lives to have a comfortable place to live, play, sleep, and be safe.  I'm grateful that we have a home that can accommodate our large family size as well.  I am also thankful for a wonderful neighborhood that we get to live in as well.

 

Thankfulness Day 10

Today I'm thankful for my crochet hook, and that after several YEARS I was able to become good at it.  It took me a LONG time to even be able to make a pattern correctly.  It was very, very frustrating for me.  I finally found a pattern that I did right.  I have no idea why, or how or what happened, but it all worked together.  Now, I can even make my own crochet patterns, and it's super fun.  Of these 5 pictures, I actually created 4 of them without patterns, I just came up with them.  The Zebra hat is a pattern I tested for another crocheter friend.  :) 

Thankfulness Day 9

I am SO grateful that there is a NEW temple coming to a town close to me.  Our family has LOVED going to visit this temple from the time it was just a temple site with dirt, to after broke ground, to seeing a frame, to seeing the entire outside finished, to the Moroni on top.  We will continue to go see it, and we are anticipating the day that we can take the kids inside to see it before it's dedicated.  It is a BEAUTIFUL temple, and I feel so blessed!!

This picture turned out SO well.  This is the back side of the temple that you don't see from the road that goes right by it.  So you can see the parking lot, and the maintenance building on the right hand side.

Thankfulness Day 8

I guess I'll go off from my last post, and do something I wasn't anticipating or planning on.  I am so grateful for Nauvoo.  :)  Oh, how I love that little town.  I have the fondest memories walking the streets as pumpkins lined the streets and were lit up.  I loved trying the little restaurants, and visiting the little shops to see what treasures there were inside. 

I LOVED living across the street from the temple where I was so often reminded of the love that my Savior has for me. 

I love that I got to meet Dale there and share so much of our experience together. 




I love that my testimony of the early saints of our church grew and that I was able to find a true love and appreciate for all of them, but especially for Joseph Smith and the early apostles. 

There is such a special spirit and felling in that town, and it's surrounding, and even in the temple.  Oh how I miss that temple.  The smell of that temple is amazing (it has a amazing amount of wood work, and smell of beautiful wood).  The connection that is felt to those that once built a temple similar and lost it is SO prevalent when you're there.  It's incredible. 


I must stop though.  I get "home sick" for Nauvoo if I linger on it too long.  I'm forever grateful for that opportunity.  It was fabulous.


I'll leave you with some pictures of sunrises and sunsets.  ALWAYS amazing.  Oh I have so many of these. 

Sunrise the last week I was there.  My roommate and I woke up early to go watch.  It was incredible.

Sunsets on the Mississippi are amazing every night.  Loved them.

Thankfulness Day 7

I must now tell you all about my amazing husband.  He helped make the first 6 days of Thankfulness possible after all.  :) 

I'm so grateful for Dale and all that he does for me, and for the kids.  He comes home from long days at work, and is willing to round up kids, clean up messes, help with dinner, change diapers, and the list goes on and on and on.  He will help where ever I ask him, and where ever he needs to. 

I'm also grateful that he frequently lets me know that he loves me.  He makes me smile, and laugh, and we have so much fun together.  I'm SO happy that we were able to have the experience of living in Nauvoo together.  I have such a special place in my heart for Nauvoo and the amazing spirit that is there, and I love that he understands that. 

Thanks for being wonderful Dale!!  I love you!!  :) 

Thankfulness Day 6

Naturally, my baby comes next.  :)  I sure love my Emma Jane.  She is such a sweet little baby. 

Emma started walking on October 26th, and she was 15.5 months old. I'd been anticipating it happening for weeks.  She practically tried to run when she help your hand to walk when she was still figuring it out.  Every one of her siblings is totally in love with her.  She is a bright light in our family.

One of my favorite things about Emma right now, is that when people are grumpy, and they make their grumpy noises, and she's close she totally LAUGHS out loud at them.  Which is awesome, because no one can be mad when she does it.  It's so hilarious. 

Emma is also starting to talk.  She totally talks in her own little language, but fluctuates her "words" and she's totally saying something, but no one knows what.  However, she CAN say everyone's name in our family, Hi, Bye, Drink, More, Want ... that's all I can think of right now.   I'm so grateful she's my baby.  She's just way too much fun.  She's just growing up so quickly, and I know I'm going to miss her littleness far too soon. 

Thankfulness Day 5

Today I'm grateful for my 5th baby!  Oh she's so sassy, and silly, and cuddly, and crazy.  :)  Our family would be WAY more boring without our Hannah Elizabeth. 

Dale has given her the nickname of "Hannah Banana Cupcake" and she loves it.  She loves it so much in fact, that if you ask her what her name is she says, "Banana Cupcake".  :)  If you ask her what her "real" name is (including her middle name) she tells you she can't say it.  Elizabeth is a REALLY tricky name for a little girl to say.  It's adorable when she tries.

Hannah loves to play house and school with any of her siblings that will play along.  She really just loves to play pretend no matter what it is.  Hannah also LOVES to sing and dance.  She frequently makes up songs, and she's also great at memorizing lyrics to songs.  I'm grateful she's my little girl, and still insists that she is little.  :)  Love her.

Thankfulness Day Four

Jack, Jack is my day four.  The fun part about this day, it that today is my little Jack's GOLDEN birthday!!  It's November FORTH, and he is turning FOUR!  I'm so grateful for him.  I sometimes feel like I express my gratitude for him more out right than I do for my other kids because of all that he's been through.  I think having a few really, really, scary days with him, and knowing what COULD have happened, makes me appreciate the miracle of what DID happen.  I'm grateful that he's here, that he's like any other 4 year old, and that he taught me so much at just 2 weeks old.  I feel forever grateful and in debt for the life lessons I learned so long ago.

Anyways ... on to Jack, Jack.  Oh goodness.  Jack is HILARIOUS.  He knows it, and he loves to make people laugh.  Jack is really, really shy if he isn't sure about a situation or person, or if he doesn't fully understand or anticipate what will be going on.  Jack totally hates doctors too.  Any kind.  I just wonder if it stems for all the doctors visits he had when he was little.  Jack loves to tackle people -- I think he must show his love that way, lol.  People getting tackled, really don't appreciate it  .... like ever, or at all.  :)  However, he's four (as of right now) and so we're still working on it with him.  He and Hannah are a team for a lifetime that can get in all sorts of trouble.  He loves to play with her, and be with her.  He also has a special little love for Emma.  I love it.  He's a sweet little boy who when he gets hurt just wants to cuddle up in my big rocking chair and sit and snuggle.  I love it.  He's crazy, and jumps everywhere, and is funny, and loving.  I'm grateful for Jack, and so glad he's number 4.  Happy birthday buddy!!

Thankfulness Day Three

Naturally, Spencer would be next.  :)

Spencer with his A paper from school.  I HAD to take a picture
because Abby is our babysitter, and he was so excited to pick
her name for thier class A picture that day.  I had to text it to her.  :)

This kid is great.  Spencer is quite at times, but knows what he wants. Spencer LOVES school, and LOVES learning, and recently he's learned that he LOVES to color.  It's great for him to have something he really does enjoy.  I learned when Spencer was young that he is silently stubborn person.  Lately, he's not been so silent about it and makes sure we know when he wants something or isn't happy about something that's happened.  It kind of cracks me up because it's just not a side I'm used to seeing from him.  Spencer can also be very loving and kind.  He's totally 1000% a mama's boy though.  I think he often feels like "the middle child", and feels the brunt of things at times.  He usually takes it pretty well.  Spencer loves to help baby Emma, and really has a special little connection with her.  It's fun.  I'm so grateful for Spencer and his quite love for life.

Thankfulness Day Two

Oh my Miss Kate.  She's my day 2.  She's such a fun person.  

Kate LOVES to take my phone and take pictures, video, and her absolute favorite is to talk to Siri and ask crazy questions.  Kate is so great at playing with her younger sisters (and brothers sometimes too).  Hannah just adores Kate.  Kate has a big heart and is so loving.  She's defiantly the oldest girl though.  :)  She knows what she wants and will try to get things to be her way.  Kate is a people pleaser and hates to upset people.  She will always try to set things right in the end.  Kate loves playing with friends more than anything.  She's becoming a great artist, and really loves to draw and color.  She loves to help the younger kids any time she can.  She also loves to copy Will any time she can get away with it - however, Will often changes his answer, or tries to get her to make a choice first, so she can't copy him, lol.  :)  Love this girl, so grateful that she's mine.

Thankfulness Day One

Hi!  Yep, it's been forever.  I decided I really wanted to do the 30 days of Thanksgiving.  I've never participated before, but wanted to.  However, I decided I wanted to do it here, instead of on FB, or Instagram, or other social media.  I want it here on my little (forgotten at times) family blog.  It's important enough that it needs to be here, for me at least.  :)

I would like to start with Willard.

Will & his beyblade - his favorite toy.

My first born.  He's so wonderful.  He's so in love with science right now, and wants to be a scientist SO badly!  He wants to inspire people (his words).  He can't get enough of learning about it and wanting to try new things.  I'm so grateful for that.  He is kind, and tries so hard to be a good big brother.  He loves his little siblings so so much.  Even though they often argue, he, Kate and Spencer really are great friends, and I so appreciate the fondness they have for one another.  Willard is silly, and can do all sorts of funny tricks, and sometimes just can't sit still.  However, his heart is so kind, and his excitement for life is wonderful.  I'm grateful for the example that he is, and his desire to do good, and to be good.

Photo Galore

These are random happening around these parts.

We took a LONG FABULOUS trip to WA state, and there are a million pictures,

so I'll post those eventually.  Until then ... enjoy!

Hannah got a hair cut.  

She's had one before.  

This was big though.  She still had her baby hair hair style.

Before.

After.  She's such a sassy pants. 

Silly kids on the slide. 

Emma discovered my yarn stash. 

And innocently made a mess.  Lol. 

This girly started first grade (what?!?).

This kid thought he was big enough to start third grade!  Whoa! 

They were both really excited. 

Kate was Queen of the Day the 2nd day of school -- first one picked.

She was SO excited.

We decorated her crown, and she got to put her favorite things in the bucket to share with her class. 

I finally accomplished a 5 year goal to run a half marathon.

I nearly died (okay, not really).

I am still unsure if I'll ever do it again.

My time was horrible.

But I finished, so whatever.  Hooray! 

We took a little visit up to Logan and everyone loved the TV.  Lol. 

Emma grew a lot of hair (overnight it seemed).

She often sports this awesome bed head in the morning. 

We all love it. 

Spencer started school a while after the others.

He got to decorate this shirt that told about his favorite things.

BYU, Captain America, Logos and pizza. 

Then Spencer decided he could start Kindergarten.

It was sad ... he's my buddy. 

Good thing he's totally in love with school though.

Wonderful teacher ... adorable kid.

We're having fun. 

While the kids were all at school,

I decided these littles needed to learn how to properly eat an Oreo cookie.

We got a glass of milk and learned the art of dunking.

Hannah dropped hers and ate it with a spoon b/c it was soggy.

Guess we'll need another lesson.  Lol. 

Then my mom came and helped me can these pears. 

Emma wanted to help make Jam.

Eventually we finished ... we got a LOT more jam than we anticipated.

We got a lot pears too. 

Hannah was so excited her BFF, Lucy, was coming to pick her up to go play at her house.

She had to wait on the step she was so excited. 

We're always crazy and always busy. 

But we always try to have a little fun.