the murrays

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Katie gets glasses

So this happened!!! We knew all our kids would need glasses eventually--and it begins! I feel like I'm looking at teenage Kate, or young me; either way it's a little unsettling! My cute glasses-face Kate. Oh and she chose purple ones with some bling on the sides. 🤓

Basketball!

This year Whitney played basketball in an all-girls league in Spanish Fork, and it was AWESOME. So much better than Salem's mixed league. Also it helped that Eric was her coach, and he was SO so much better than her "coach" last year.

I am horrible at taking pictures with my phone. But here are a few of Whitney. She improved her ball skills a ton.

And actually made baskets in all the games, I think!

Cute Eric and Whitney during practice,

and Coach Eric with his team. He is super cute with them. Motivational, encouraging, funny.

In her last game Whitney's team creamed their opponents, (she had a good team) and Whitney scored a season high of 7 baskets! She had fun.

And then we got a basketball hoop to put in our dead-end side street! We don't use it a ton yet, but I am glad we have it so the kids can grow up learning how to shoot a basketball.

Running AKA my first true winter of running in my life!

facebook post:

Shout out to my sister Katrina Craven for signing up for a winter half marathon with me!! It has forced me to train this winter and has led to so many firsts/mosts! Such as: most miles I've run in December EVER-- I usually train very little! First 7-miler in December. First 10-miler in January. First 10-miler in 22* weather (brrr), and as pictured, first time ever drinking a Capri Sun on an icy trail, aka trying to open a Capri Sun while wearing gloves and not being able to feel my icicles, I mean fingers. Good times.‪#‎notreallythough‬ ‪#‎dreamingofsummer‬ ‪#‎nexttimewearskimittens‬

This is what it looks like to be prepared to run in 8 degrees. Early morning dark. It was totally lame and hard but it had to be done. #winterhalfmarathontraining #whydidithinkthiswasagoodidea?

It makes me shiver even now, and shudder, to think of it! 2 shirts and a sweatshirt, warm pants, 2 pairs of socks (one THICK!) scarf, hat, tightened hood, and 2 pairs of gloves. Oh and the mini fanny pack to hold my phone so I didn't freeze my hands holding it, and the reflective vest for safety. It took forever to put it all on! Just to go run 3 miles up and down my street at 6am.

But it was totally worth it when we got to go here for my race!!

To lovely St. George!

It was so much fun to run a race with Katrina. And see her cute family we love them!!

super cool path down a narrow canyon for a few miles in the middle of the race:

I was SO HAPPY to be running in a short sleeve shirt and shorts! People thought I was crazy dumping water on my head at the aid stations! I was like I'm not from around here, I'm used to running in 50 colder weather!

Katrina did awesome, I just felt bad she didn't know where all the mile markers were so she felt like she could have gone faster.

I on the other had was told by my phone each mile that I was going super fast! I need to figure out how to put my splits on here... oh here's a screen shot of my mapmyrun from the race! I got a 30 second PR from my steep Nebo half!! It was awesome, I definitely noticed the lower altitude. Great times. I can't believe all those 7 minute miles, and my last one was a 6:44?? After running 12 miles? I am awesome. Haha.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Funny Maris

She tries to give long kisses on the lips, saying "mmmmmuah!" She copies absolutely everything we say and everything Owen does! For example last night at dinner Owen was dipping pieces of food into his water cup before eating them, so she was trying to take off the lid of her cup so she could do the same! Then he got out of his chair and was eating standing by the table so she did it too! Silly.

She loves to try and do chores if the kids are doing them. She wants to put on her own shoes. She says "sorry mom!" if I ever say ouch for any reason, and if anyone seems upset she goes up to them and pats them and says "iss okay, iss okay." She calls bunnies "bummies" and her favorite game is motor boat "butter boat" and Eric purposely asks her to say those things all the time because he says he "never gets tired of hearing it."

She is pretty much an adorable ray of sunshine.

Here she is riding a horse-- for a couple of weeks she would do this for at least 20 minutes a day, slowly walking around and a round the main room, so funny.

Sometimes she is just so dang cute that a I have to take a picture of her immediately. She is getting good at this cute smile for pictures.

And apparently I think she looks cute in that shirt because here is another one haha.

She has also started grabbing a big book and sitting real close to someone who is reading/playing on a tablet/watching something and "reading" outloud to herself. So cute.

First Quarter Random

We finished this "mud room nook" project in the laundry room and I LOVE it.

The kids listening to Grandpa Jamie tell stories when we saw him briefly in January.

Owen and Maris having a snack and being cute.

Our early riser! Whitney was always up before Eric left for work this winter! Until he started going at 6am in February. Then we missed him!

a quick getaway in Salt Lake as part of a work retreat.

The day I learned that Maris could use a gluestick :) (at preschool)

Aunt Jenae visited since she is at BYU Idaho now!

One day the power went out right when we were about to watch a movie, so they watched somethingon the tablet, and this is how they ended up. So adorable.

the park on a cold day.

I asked Eric to cut a piece of PVC pipe into 3 pieces for relay batons. He eyed it for about 1 second, made his cuts, and the batons ended up IDENTICAL in length! He's like "how's that for engineering skills!" It was so funny.

That one time when the kids were hapily doing chores without being asked! Whitney chooses to do her own laundry even though she's not 8 yet because she doesn't want to help sort everyone's. Which is awesome for me!

And Katelyn loves to clean the bathroom, hooray! And bonus, she thinks it's fun to let the little kids "help" her, which keeps them entertained for me! It's the best thing ever.

FIrst rainstorm of the year that was worm enough to play in, and they were out there!

We were randomly invited to go with our neighbor to the fire station, it was awesome!

Owen LOVES fire trucks!!

during "March Break" we went on our first bike ride/run on the river trail of the year, and fit it all in the van, yay!

Super Owen's Birthday

These pictures tell the story of Owen's birthday. He is getting so old and grown up. He loves to play fight with any kind of weapon. He sings his "theme song"- of which there are several versions- when he is playing really hard or when he's on some sort of mission. It is the cutest thing ever and I'm sure that's one of the biggest things we will all remember about 3-4 year old Owen!

He is also a goofball, he likes to say random things like "toothpaste pizza?!?" and then laugh hysterically at himself, and in the process he makes us all laugh.

He is mostly still super sweet to Maris, and he is learning surprisingly quickly how to deal with her stubborn almost-2-year-old-ness when they do start to fight. I only have to tell him something a few times, like "Just distract her with another fun toy and she will give yours back" and he learns the trick. And since he is so nice to her, she is learning by example to be a compassionate and shareing person. Win, win, win.

Anyway here's his birthday morning present opening: