November 2016

Lincoln's New Year's Eve sign, just to be prepared!

Sometimes I give my children electronic devices to make it easier for me! This day, I was making dinner. Lauren didn't seem to last long. She fell asleep right on the floor. I knew she was tired, but not this tired.

My mom came for Lauren's birthday weekend! We went to Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America and enjoyed the rides. My parents are really good about being a part of special days in their lives. 

Three monkeys laying in a bed

Aunt Carrie, Uncle Joe, and our cousins from Georgia sent Lauren this mermaid blanket for her birthday. To say she was pleased is an understatement. I had been looking at getting one for her for a long time, but hadn't. It was a perfect gift. She loves to pretend her legs are a mermaid tail:)

Kate has had a growth on her head that I first noticed right after birth. It was tiny, but continued to grow. After several months of it not disappearing, her pediatrician referred her to a craniofacial specialist. He was pretty sure it was a dermoid cyst, which is not that uncommon. Her surgery wasn't until 1 or 2 pm, so she was SO HUNGRY AND THIRSTY. She was a little hesitant with her new surroundings, but she did great. Above is her waiting for her surgery.

Waiting and waiting

Kate was distracted by the super cool and new (to her) toys. 

I was away from her for about an hour. It was a generally minor surgery, but handing Kate over to strangers was hard. I knew she was safe, and the only thing I could do from pacing and fidgeting was turn on some comedy skits on youtube to enjoy, which was my perfect distraction. When she woke up, she cried and cried, and she of course refused a bottle from the nurses as usual. They came and got me soon after and we were so happy to be reunited. She was obviously sleepy for a while. Now her cyst is completely gone and she has a little scar as a badge of honor.

This is the second year we attended Christkindlsmarkt in Excelsior during Thanksgiving weekend. My kids were less than amused by the real reindeer, but we still got a photo of them standing by him.

On the trolley ride! Last year Santa Clause was on the trolley ride. This year it was Belle from Beauty and the Beast, which sufficed. This trolley is beautifully decorated and carries some strong history. It was originally built in the early 1900s (1909?) and recently restored.

While Lincoln is at school, it is great to have time with just the girls. But we miss him and Vance so!

October 2016

Because we rented our home for the Ryder Cup, we stayed with my parents for the week. After church, Lincoln and Lauren rode home with my parents. They were waiting for us in the driveway, half way through the roof. This was probably their first time experiencing a sunroof. They thought it was so funny!

Art time on Mondays with my sweet Lauren. It's something we enjoy on non preschool days.

One thing I love about Lauren is her endurance. She can walk and walk, go on long hikes, and never complains. She just keeps going, even if big brother Lincoln asks to stop, or for a ride in the stroller. 

Vance and I went on a fun date golfing and then shopping at Target. All his idea!

Years ago we bought our home through Edina Realty. Each year, we get invited to a big Halloween festival with lots of games to play, bouncy house, and more. Plus, they get to pick out a huge pumpkin.

They laughed and laughed while playing "horsie."

Three of our greatest blessings. We love these children so much. I'll take the rough days with the great days. All the laundry, Cheerios and cracker bits on the floor, sticky messes, tantrums, bruises, band aids, endless meals to cook, dishes to clean, are all worth it. Our children bring us so much joy! I love Lauren's high, little voice, and her giggle. Kate has more of a grunting, growling laugh right now. I love Lincoln's nonstop creativity and motivation. He made a New Year's Eve sign in October, and writes love notes to Vance and I regularly. 

Lincoln asked one evening to make dinner ALL BY HIMSELF. So he thinks he did, although I helped a little. He decided on a vegetable, and he picked frozen peas, found a dish and heated them in the microwave. He picked some pineapple also, and for the main course.....homemade biscuits! He measured all the ingredients, mixed, and rolled them almost all by himself. He turned the oven on, put them in, and took them out. I was so proud of him.

Halloween 2016. Lauren was a ladybug (wearing this costume for three years in a row), but this year finally branched out and was a princess. She dressed up as Cinderella. At our ward's Halloween party, the kids had a costume parade in the gym and walked around all the tables a few times. All of the sudden, as she passed us, she was crying so we pulled her from the parade. She said she lost her shoe! Our very own Cinderella lost her golden shoe. We found it pretty quickly:)

These kids worked hard getting all this candy. Vance said when he was a child, they'd pour all their trick or treating candy on a cookie sheet when they returned home, so that's what we do. I am in awe again this year with the incredible amount of candy and chocolate they received.

September 2016

Frog Pond Trail near my parent's home

Finished our hike around the pond. So many great memories on or around the water here growing up.

After church one Sunday, found the kids on top of one of the cars. 

Lauren had been there for every single drop off and pick up for Lincoln's two years of preschool. It was finally her turn to start. Here she is on her first day of preschool!

It was a fun summer with all three kids home, but I was really ready for a routine. So we :)welcomed kindergarten and preschool readily:) 

Just me and my baby girl Kate while the two older kids are at school.

We can take a shortcut on this trail from our house to the park, instead of going on the sidewalks. We love beautiful September days.

She loved the swing, but still seemed a bit too small for it.

Lauren dresses herself, which is a blessing, but it is fun to see what combinations she wears. This particular morning her outfit took my mind straight back to the late 1980s/early 1990's. Am I right? Rarely will I ever make my child change. Love her so much!

For a few weeks, all his homework was titled Mr. Lincoln Murray, or Mr. Lincoln Vance Murray. 

Lincoln before his first official race. He was SO EXCITED. 

He ran a 1 mile kids race. 

He ran one mile in 8:06. I was so surprised! The first picture I took he wasn't smiling, because he was so tired. But he recovered quickly. I have great memories running races with my dad growing up, so I loved the feeling of sharing the same experience with my own son.

Kate wearing a dress my mom made for my younger sister, Kelsey, decades ago.

Kate wearing the dress she made for me over 33 years ago!!

The Ryder Cup came to Chaska. Of all the places in the world, it came to our town. We rented our home out for the week, but before we left had to check it out. Vance is an occasional golfer, although he would like to go more often. He was in heaven here.

One of our friends gave us a princess dress they have outgrown. Lauren loved it and said "I'm really a true princess!" I am working on convincing her she IS a true princess, even without the dress. 

August 2016

My sister Kelsey drove all the way from Washington with her three kids to spend a few weeks in Wisconsin with my parents. On her way there, she stopped and stayed with us for a day and then we caravaned together the rest of the way. Jared, Norah, Lincoln, Rosalie, and Lauren. 

Lauren has a special spot in her heart for my dad. Whenever she sees him for the first time in a while, she and he have this quick, short step tradition right before they hug. 

When you are three years old, at your grandparents, on their backyard swing, with a giant lollipop you picked out from the candy store....not much gets better!

Norah is THE cutest. She's Kelsey's third and youngest. She has the sweetest voice. 

Something happened (we can't remember) and all three of these grandkids were crying, and getting hugged by my dad for comfort. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my mom from this trip.

One year in college I roomed with Rachel. We totally clicked and had a wonderful year as roommates!!! Since that time, she served a mission, we both got our masters degrees, married good men, and had five kids between the two of us. She has a little girl Kate, and named her daughter's middle name after her. This gave me the confidence to do the same with my Kate. Her daughter is Kate Rachel, and I've got a Kate Annalisa. Rachel, her husband, two kids, and mother flew to Minnesota this past summer to visit her brother and his family. We got to spend a day with them at the Como Zoo. It felt so great to connect with her again. I admire how positive she is about life, but is realistic as well.  She makes me laugh and I love her sense of humor! Hopefully it isn't another 8/9 years before I see her again.

We also spent a few days in the Duluth area. We had gone the summer earlier and fell in love with it! We had to make an afternoon trip to Gooseberry Falls. My kids and I love putting our feet in the warm water, stepping from rock to rock. Vance took the kids a little too close for my comfort to the waterfalls!! We love Gooseberry Falls because of the beauty and how relaxing it is. There are so many fun things to do and schedule in a short time in a vacation, which can often become stressful. But we just loved enjoying the outdoors.

Kate loved sitting in a shallow area until she slipped slightly...

We stayed in a camper cabin at Jay Cooke State park. Since we stayed in a camper cabin, I think we are hooked. Vance and I looove the idea of camping, but every time we do it seems our kids stay up all night, then are exhausted the next day, it rains, and we are all wet. That can still be a great experience, but since we've discovered these cabins, we realized everyone sleeps better, and with young kids, it is SO nice to not have to worry about the hassle of a tent.

Hiking at Jay Cooke State Park. It was incredible. We loved walking for what seemed like forever along the river, walking on rocks. Lincoln and Lauren had so much fun they didn't complain, which was pretty great.

We spent an afternoon one day at Chutes and Ladders in Bloomington, and took our next door neighbor Matt. He's a year and a half older than Lincoln, but they are the best of friends. I had taken all four kids, and then after traffic which caused a  45 minute drive home. Five minutes before we got home, Matt told me he forgot his glasses. We love Matt so much so we drove back all the way back to get his glasses that were miraculously in the same spot he left them. It was a hot long day with major traffic both ways.  Kate was so fussy by the end and hungry. But the kids sang lots of songs in the car and we (mostly me) were sooo happy to be home after it all. 

Lincoln started Kindergarten! He chose his own outfit. Can you tell?! His teacher is Mrs. Senden this year who we LOVE. She has a great amount of patience and enthusiasm. I truly believe there has got to be a special place in heaven for kindergarten teachers. His teacher told us at our fall conferences that he started at the highest reading level of any kindergartner she's ever had (she's been teaching for 21 years).  That makes us proud (probably too much since we are sharing this information), and we hope he can keep him humble and make sure to be a good friend, help others, deal with disappointment better, etc. He has a real hard time dealing with disappointment but we have seen a significant improvement. We are proud of him!

My three munchkins!