The Murray Adventures

Best Year EVER!!!

2012-01-30T19:49:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HYRUM!

Blaine and I had a conversation the other day about how this year has honestly been the best year of our lives. And it's all because of one little man named Hyrum. I never understood before I was a mom how wonderful it could be to see a smile from my very own baby! Below are some pictures of my favorite moments from this last year. At the bottom are pictures we took this weekend on Hyrum's first birthday.

To The Love of My Life...

2011-12-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Blaine,
Today, December 20th, 2011, I have been married 3 years to you, my sweetie! I appreciate so many things about you. One thing that especially sticks out in my mind is this: You helps my dreams come true! I have always dreamed about being a great performer and playing on a large grand piano in a black dress. Well, yesterday, even though I wasn't wearing a black dress, and I wasn't the only performer, my dream came true. I had to practice a lot, and you were always happy to watch Hyrum and help me find time to practice. This is just one of a million times that you have helped me to go for my dreams. I pray I can do the same for you!
Happy Anniversary my love! I am glad we have eternity together.
-Your Martha Mae:)

Whose Who at our Halloween Party...

2011-10-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

The scarecrow, the Brave Baby Lion, and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz

The Hawaiian Snorkling Couple

The Rodeo Clown, and Santa's Twin

Miss Cellaneous and The Grudge

Flynn Rider, Tangled, the Cameleon, and Tangled's Mama

All of the Party Guests at the "Trick or Treat" Relay

Pumpkin soup bowls for the party guests

A favorite King treat: Brownies, Festive Orange Vanilla Ice Cream, and Homemade Hot Fudge

Goodbye Summer Days...

2011-09-15T08:08:00.001-07:00

No homework, Stargazing, Family Reunions, Movie Parties, Splash park playing, Picnics, Naps...these are just a few things that described our 7-week summer vacation from school. I am excited for fall...the pumpkin scents and the crisp autumn nights. I am excited to be in school again with my true love. But I will miss perfect summer evenings like this at Bear Lake playing with my family. Until next summer...

Blessings...

2011-03-16T22:52:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for Blessings! Today was Hyrum's Baby Blessing! It was also the day our new nephew was born! What a wonderful day! Besides the actual Blessing being a Blessing, I was reminded of the Blessings that are all around us. Some of the biggest Blessings Blaine, Hyrum and I have are the awesome people that we are lucky to call family! Sunday was one of those amazing days that you just don't want to end. At the end of the day, I thought about President Monson's quote, "God gave us memories so that we could have June roses in the Decembers of our lives." Today was one of those "June Rose Days!"

Hyrum was blessed in a beautiful outfit made by his Grandma Sherri. The pants and vest were made out of the same bolt of fabric that was Blaine's blessing outfit was made from. The tie was made from the leftover scraps from my wedding dress! Blaine's mom is amazing!

Hyrum's Blessing blanket was made by Nicole Albertson, my cousin! She is so talented!

His little booties were made by our good friend, Michelle Willis!

Hyrum and Auntie Hollie

Auntie Hollie and Auntie Melissa

My family

Grandpa Dave

Enjoying a Sunday nap together on Grandma Munn's Counch

Grandma Sherri and Grandpa Kevin

Auntie Jamie

Rylee Sue, Paige and Eli-Hyrum's cousins

Silly Hayden, one of Hyrum's Cousins, put on this wig during the luncheon and I just couldn't resist :)

To Quote My Life...

2011-03-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

I used to be a Father of the Bride finatic! Although I am not as crazy about it as I once was, there is a quote from the movie that has always stuck with me. The quote is this, "Life doesn't get much better than this."

There are so many times when I have to get up with Hyrum at night, or wake up to Blaine and Hyrum in the morning that I think that same thing. "Life just doesn't get much better than this!"

I am so blessed and I am the luckiest gal to have the two most handsome boys in my life!

Little Blowout!

2011-03-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

I am surprised that it took a month for this to happen, but today was the day! Let me give you a few clues of the event that took place today....

There was a loud noise!
There was a stinky smell!
There is a little more laundry to do!
Hyrum felt much better after this took place!

Look at the pics to see if you guessed right

The stain

Pee-You!

The Culprit-A much happier camper after the event :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

On my first Valentine's Day, I decided to be festive! I got some awesome gifts, including clothes and a puppy, and thought there was not better way to celebrate than to dress up and show them off. I had mom take some pictures after I got dressed up. Since Valentine's day is all about love, I decided to include a list of some of the things I love:

1- Lunch.

2- Lunch time naps.

3- My bouncer.

4- Bright lights.

5- Walks outside with mom.

6- Being warm. (I detest cold situations such as baths, cold wind, and having my diaper changed.)

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Love,

Hyrum's First Photoshoot

2011-02-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

A little over a week ago, we had my sisters come and visit us. My sister Melissa is amazing and so talented! I don't think there is anything that she can't do. She brought up her camera and turned our apartment into a little photo studio. It was fun to spend time with them, and the results are these wonderful pictures of our little Hyrum. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Baby Murray has arrived!

2011-02-05T22:14:00.000-08:00

On Thursday January 27, one week past our due date, we met with the midwives and they felt like it would be a good idea to be induced the next day. Our Hospital adventure began Friday morning at around 7:45 am. Pitocin was administered, and we were on our way.

Kristin in her smokin' hospital attire. This is her last prego picture.

The labor was a journey for sure! We are grateful for our time without medicine and we are also grateful for our time with medicine as well. The whole day was so amazing. We look back on it with such fondness. Our new little baby was born at 8:15 pm on Friday January 28th, 2011. He was 8lbs. 1 oz. and 20.5 in. long.

Here's our little man posing for his first picture; his first of many!

We decided not to find out the gender of our little baby but both had feelings that it was a little girl all along. Boy were we surprised, delightfully surprised, to hear the words, "it's a boy!"

This picture kind of seems awkward. The purpose of it is to show his giant hands. His great-grandpa Munns has similar hands!

Because we thought it was a girl we had thought of plenty of girl names before the birth. When our baby came out a boy, we were especially glad that we had thought one lone boy name. After looking at him for a few minutes we decided that our name we chose was a perfect fit. So our new baby boy was named Hyrum King Murray. Hyrum after Hyrum Smith and King after Kristin's maiden name, a tradition with both our families.

Our new little Hyrum, wide awake right after his birth.

Mother-son bonding

The guys

Besides the surprise of Hyrum coming out a boy, we were also surprised to see how much hair he had!

Getting used to the lights

Healthy little baby boy

After we all got cleaned up, we headed to our recovery room and got ready to introduce Hyrum to our family and friends. At 11:15 that night, some of our family members came up to meet Hyrum and to celebrate his actual birthday. We sang happy birthday twice; once for fun and once for the camera!

Proud Grandpas

Hangin' out with grandma, grandpa, and aunt Jamie

Meeting cousin Juliana

Aunt Jamie and Aunt Bre

Our dear friend Jessica Hale aka Kristin's long lost twin from another mother!

Our hospital journey was amazing. We had great nurses, a great midwife and a perfect little addition to our family. We found out that love doesn't divide with more family members, it multiplies!

Our first family picture: Daddy, Mommy, and Hyrum

Gettin' Ready for Baby Murray!

2011-02-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

We were so excited for our little Bambino to come! Here are some fun facts/things we did before BMurr came. We made cupcakes and froze them so that we could take them to the hospital for Baby Murray's Birthday party. Auntie Sarah came up before she left on her mission and read BMurr a story and sang him/her a song because she wouldn't be able to do that for a while. For the last couple weeks, the only way I could sleep was on the couch, on what we called my pillow bed. Blaine was so cute. Each night he would pull out our mattress so that he could sleep next to me! This is a picture of the day we had BMurr. Blaine is laying on the pillow bed one last time before we put our bedroom back together :) This is the last prego picture we took at home :)

Ultimate Guessing Game!

2010-12-30T15:42:00.001-08:00

You are invited to participate in the Ultimate Guessing Game of 2011...

"Weight, Date and Gender!"

For all those Allens out there, or those who are affiliated with them, you know that the best thing about the Allen Family parties is the Guessing Jar. Blaine and I tried to think of our own "Guessing Jar" of sorts to get all of you excited for the upcoming arrival of Little Baby Murray!

You can participate in one, two, or all three of the categories of this competition. The instructions are simple. Just click into the comptetition you would like to participate in and post your name and guess as a comment. You must post your guess before the *birth of Baby Murray. Soon after Baby Murray is born, we will post the winners of the competition along with a picture of our little Bambino! The three competition prizes will be delivered to the doors of the winners, or sent through the mail. Hurray! Time is running out! Only 3 weeks until Baby Murray is scheduled to come! May the Best Guesser Win!

*See the rules for each specific competition below

Guess the Weight...

2010-12-30T15:41:00.001-08:00

It is time to guess the Weight of Little Baby Murray. Please post your guess below in the comment section along with your name. Your guess must include pounds and ounces.

If no one guesses right on, the closest guess, higher or lower, will be the winner. If no one guesses right on and there are two equally close guesses both higher and lower than Baby Murray's weight, the one who gets the closest without going over will be the winner. For example, if our Baby is 15 lbs. 9 oz. (I sure hope not :) and no one guesses 15 lbs. 9 oz., but two people guess 15 lbs. 8 oz. and 15 lbs. 10 oz, the person who guessed 15 lbs. 8 oz. would be the winner!

Because there could be more than one correct guesser, if there are multiple people with the right answer, they will then be entered into a drawing for “The Weight Competition Prize!” Good Luck! May the best guesser win!

A few helpful hints: (Take them for what they are worth)

The midwives predict our Baby is between 5-6 pounds right now. These predictions are based on how my stomach feels. I have not had an ultrasound since I was 20 weeks along.
I have gained the normal weight accompanied with pregnancy.
My stomach has always measured right on in centimeters with how far along I am in weeks.

Guess the Date...

2010-12-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

It is time to guess the Birthday of Little Baby Murray. Please post your guess below in the comment section along with your name. You must post your guess before we call our families to let them know we are in labor.

If no one guesses the exact day, the closest guess to the day will be the winner, whether that guess is before or after our baby's birthday. If we don't have an exact guesser and there are two close guesses both before and after the birthday, then the guess before our baby is born will be the winner. For example, if our baby is born on January 25 and no one guesses that day, but two people guessed January 24 and January 26, then the person who guessed January 24 would be the winner.

If there are quite a few people who guess the correct birthday of Baby Murray, those guessers will then be entered into a drawing for “The Birthday Competition Prize!” Good Luck! May the best guesser win!

A few helpful points: (Take them for what they are worth)

Baby Murray is due January 20, 2010.
The midwives say that we are measuring right on schedule.

Guess the Gender...

2010-12-30T15:29:00.000-08:00

It is time to guess the Gender of Little Baby Murray! Please post your guess below in the comment section along with your name. Because there could be more than one correct guesser, if you guess right, you will then be entered into a drawing for "The Gender Competition Prize!" Good Luck! May the best guesser win!

A few helpful hints: (Take them for what they are worth)

Our Baby is really active. I have no idea if one gender is more active than another, and I know every baby is different, but I feel our baby all the time, and when I say all the time, I mean our baby is kicking me all day long!
My stomach looks more like a basketball than a football.
I haven't been sick at all. I have felt great.
My blood sugars have a little too high with this baby.

Christmas Baby Belly!

2010-12-29T18:13:00.000-08:00

Our little BMurr has grown a lot in the last month! Only one more month until we get to meet our little Bambino!
Fun Facts About BMurr:

Our baby is probably about 5 pounds right now! Crazy that there is a little human inside of me!
Our baby moves around a whole lot! I will be surprised if our baby isn't really active when he/she is born!
In the last 2 months, our baby has grown about 5 inches taller than they were before!
We can't wait to welcome our little baby and smother them in Baby Magic and kiss and love on him/her a whole lot!

Happy Birthday Chums!

2010-12-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

This is a special Birthday Shoutout to one of my bestest friends and sisters, Hollie! I feel so lucky to be her sister! Here are some things I am so grateful for about Hollie:

She makes you feel like you can accomplish anything! She makes you want to go for your dreams!

She makes you feel so special when you are around her! I always feel like a million bucks!

Hollie is so herself, and liberates others to be themselves also!

Hollie is such a good listener!

Hollie is so fun to talk to!

Hollie teaches me all the cool new, (or old) abbreviations like NBD.

Hollie is the best bargain shopper and gets so excited about all her good deals! The excitement she has for the little things in life is so contagious!

For all these reasons and so many more, I love you Chumsy-pooh! I am so happy you were born 20 years ago today!

Me, Chums, and Sarah

The Best 2 Years!

2010-12-29T16:53:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, on December 20, I married my best friend for all eternity! Life has never been the same! Marriage is hard, but it is the best thing that has ever happened to me! This definately has been the best two years for me!

For our anniversary, we got to go and spend time in Island Park at our favorite spot. Here are some pictures from our adventure!

Above: Here is the man of my dreams standing in lots of snow! There is always so much up there this time of year!

Above: Look at all these beautiful pine trees behind me! Aren't they gorgeous! Isn't this so romantic?

Above: The view from the back porch

Above: The happy couple!

Above: Everything is so themed! It's all so outdoorsy!

Above: Even the light covers are themed!

Above: We went out and played in the snow for a couple hours!

Above: We felt like we were on the Chronicles of Narnia! It was a Winter Wonderland outside!

Above: Making Snow Angels

Above: Blaine made me the yummiest lunch and made me a cute dvd. He is so amazing! I love this man! I am crazy about him!

Above: This is the face I get to wake up to everyday! This is a little shout out to my sweetie!

He's the cutest in the world...

I really am the luckiest girl!

He's handy and handsome and quite a catch,

I am so glad that he is my match!

For all the wonderful memories we have made,

I wouldn't trade them for anything, even if I got paid!

We have so many wonderful years to come!

It makes me want to do a jig and hum!

This is a shoutout for the most wonderful man

Blaine Murray, I am so glad we're a foreva' fam!

Happy Anniversary Babe!

October Baby Belly

2010-10-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Just 3 months and one day til' our little bambino is due to arrive! I feel like the last week and a half I have really popped out! This is me on my birthday, and thanks to my sister Sarah, I have a cute purple fall pregnant lady shirt to wear!

Fun B-Murr Facts of the Day!

Our Baby is a kicker! Usually around noon or 1:00 in the afternoon, I will feel our baby get active and I will look down to see my stomack look like a bowl of Jello! My tummy moves all around and you can see our baby kick and punch me!
Our baby is able to hear now! Blaine sings to our baby and we like to read little B-Murr stories!

A Very Happy Birthday!

2010-10-19T14:19:00.001-07:00

I love Birthdays because I get to chat with so many wonderful friends! Blaine made my birthday so special. He does such a good job to make me feel so special. One thing I love about Blaine is that when it is your birthday, he not only celebrates the day, but the whole weekend before too! Birthdays are the best when you're married to Blaine, and have so many wonderful friends and family!

Above: The night before my birthday, we had a 10/10/10 party with Blaine's family. We celebrated our my birthday and our nephew Hayden's birthday too, (his birthday is the same day as mine.) We made pizza with 10 toppings, sang "Happy Birthday" 10 times, and opened presents. Blaine's family is so festive and fun!

Above: I woke up to a new piece of furniture in our front room! Blaine had set this book shelf up when I was asleep! I must have been tired, because even after him hammering in 42 nails, I still didn't wake up!

Above: Can Blaine get any more cute? I am not sure! He made me a delicious crepe breakfast!

Above: A designer crepe

Above: Blaine made homemade macaroni and cheese and steak for dinner with broccoli and sliced tomatoes on the side. These are all my favorite things!

Above: We made carmel apples instead of cake

Above: I got to make 2 wishes, because the first time we lit the candle, we forgot to get the camera! Double the Birthday wishes! What a stellar birthday!

A Birthday Surprise!

2010-10-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

Blaine recently surprised me over my birthday weekend and took me on a fun little adventure up to Mesa Falls. Mesa Falls is about between Rexburg and Island Park. We spent the day among the beautiful fall colored leaves, and had a most wonderful time! Blaine is so cute! He knows I love surprises, and he made the day soooo special! I feel so lucky to spend each day with my best friend ever!

Above: The view from the Lower falls

Above: Blaine packed the yummiest picnic lunch with my favorite childhoold field trip treats...fruit snacks and little mini cans of kiwi strawberry shasta!

Above: Blaine hiking down to the Upper Falls

Above: A very scenic Baby Bump picture from the Upper Falls lookout :)

Above: The view from the Top! This very spot is featured in Jack Weyland's book, Lean on Me. (If you remember this is where Amber drops the engagement ring over the falls!)

So Silly!

2010-10-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

So recently, I bought a shower cap so that I could shower and not get my hair wet. I haven't worn a shower cap for about 10 years, and when I put it on, I couldn't help but make this face to go along with it!

Thank you Luke and Jessica!

2010-10-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

This is a little Thank you shout out for our friends Luke and Jessica! Thank you Luke and Jessica for setting Blaine and I up 2 years ago! We owe them a lot for this! They are still our bestest friends! Here are some pictures of a date we did with them not too long ago!

This is Jessica, a.k.a. Me! We keep finding all these things that are identical with both of us! She is my not so long lost identical twin from anotha' motha'!

Luke, Jessica, and Baby Lincoln! Aren't they soooo cute?!

I Love Fall!

2010-10-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite season! It is the most romantic time of year! I have always loved fall, but I love it even more because it is the time I fell in love with my Blaine!

Every time I walk by the Snow building on campus by these trees, I go back in my mind to the nights when I first met Blaine and he would walk me home from campus.

Go back two years from the very night that this picture was taken. Blaine randomly showed up at my Snowview Apartment and asked me to accompany him to an intramural football game. It was here when he pulled the line, "I think I found someone I want to spend my spare time with this semester!" I pretended I didn't hear him, because I wasn't sure I heard him right! I am glad I did hear him right! This is the field we watched the game on!

Carmel apples are one of our favorite things to eat in the fall!

For one of our dates a few weeks ago, we found pomegranites on sale for $.20! That's right! 20 cents! Blaine hadn't had one in a long time, so we got one to try!

As you can see, it doesn't take us very long to finish the carmel apples! This is what was left of the one that I was holding above!

A Baby First

2010-09-10T12:35:00.001-07:00

Today when I was sitting in the Math Building after my morning class, I looked down right when our baby was kicking and I could see it poke my tummy out. It was really fun, and Blaine got to see it too! I have been so excited for this, and it happened today! Just thought I would let you all know the exciting news!

The September Baby Bump

2010-09-08T14:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went to our 20 week ultrasound. I am 1 day away from being 21 weeks. We could have found out what we were having, but we want to have it be a surprise! We got some fun pictures that I will post soon of little B-Murr! Some fun baby facts are listed below! Also below is the baby bump that is clearly now a Baby bump! Yay! I have just felt like I was chubby for a little while, not fitting into any of my clothes, but I think now it looks like I am pregnant!

Some fun facts about B-Murr:

B-Murr is now about a pound big! Think of a package of butter, yep that's Baby Murray!
B-Murr is all healthy, as far as we know. I didn't know this, but ultrasounds can tell so much about the baby. If they can see the stomach filling up on the ultrasound, then they know the baby can swallow. If they can see the bladder, then they know the kidneys are working. B-Murr's were working just fine. It was really neat to see all the little parts of the brain and organs in our little B-Murr.

Some Exciting News!

2010-09-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

We have some exciting news for all of you! The pictures below show the details! We are so excited!

Isn't our little B-Murr Cute? We're calling our Baby B-Murr for short...(Baby Murray.)

Better pictures will be coming after tomorrow and we have another ultra-sound.

This is the first pregnant picture I ever took...back in May.

The June Belly!

The August Belly!

This is one of those awkward school dance poses that I always hated!

But now it's legit because I am pregnant.

Here are a few fun facts about little B-Murr...

Little B-Murr is due on January 20, 2010, which makes me 20 weeks along. It is crazy to think our Baby is coming in 20 weeks.
We want it to be a surprise what the gender is, so we aren't going to find out.
We are going to have a little guessing contest on the gender...winners will get prizes. Cast your vote today!
I used to get hiccups all the time with B-Murr. It's not as much anymore, but I used to get them 4-5 times a day.
Our little B-Murr is a kicker for sure. Blaine and I have so much fun feeling our little Baby kick and punch!
I get really car sick now. For those of you who know Blaine, this fact scares me. Does this mean we are going to have a house full of car-sick kids? Oh well. I guess if we do, we can take little 15 minute vacations away from home.

Stay tuned for more funny facts and Baby Murray details!

Utah Trip!

2010-09-06T09:45:00.001-07:00

This trip to Utah was almost a month ago, but I wanted to post some pics from the Utah adventure Blaine and I had with my family. It was filled with a hiking adventure to Ensign Peak, A Mad Tennis Match, Hanging out with Emmie and the fam, and a Photo Shoot. Here are some of my favorite pictures below! At the top of Ensign Peak with my sweetie!
Ensign Peak is where Brigham Young first went to look out over the Great Salt Lake Valley. This picture shows the cool view of the city.

The Mad Tennis Match!

Blaine and Emmie making music on the piano!

Isn't he the handsomest man ever?

My sisters and I

Papa King and his girls

More sister pics

Justin, Katie, and Emmeline

Delightful Fufu!

2010-07-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Tuesday June 28, 2010 was two whole years since I finished my mission in Ghana and returned to the United States. I decided to commemorate this day by making some real Ghana fufu, or at least as real as I can make it here. Kristin was a trooper and tried it with me and loved it enough that we had it again the next night! Just in case Justin is missing Ghana, he should know that we can hook him up with some pretty good imitation fufu and light soup!! Welcome back Justin!

Just so you know we don't eat AJAX soap. In Ghana when you eat at someone's house they bring out a bowl of water and soap to wash your hands before you eat. I was going for the real experience to truly commemorate Ghana.

Father's Day Weekend

2010-07-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day, I got to be some of the men I love the very most! There is my Blaine, who is the best husband, and will be the best dad. Then there's my dad, who is the best Papabonjio! It was so fun to see my Grandpa Max. He is such a stellar grandpa!

We love Afton!

2010-07-03T13:16:00.001-07:00

When we went to Utah, we got to visit with one of our favorite friends, Afton. She lives in my growing-up neighborhood. We got to go out to lunch with her and cruise the town in her spiffy car! (Notice the license plate!) This is one spunky, sassy, wonderful lady!

Blaine's Birthday!

2010-07-03T13:10:00.001-07:00

This post is a long time in comin', but these are some pictures from Blaine's Birthday last month. Happy Birthday Blaine!

Happy 58th Birthday Mom!

2010-03-25T14:04:00.001-07:00

Today is my mom's 58th Birthday! (She is the one on the left. Isn't she so pretty?) In honor of her, I have just a few wonderful things that I love about her....

She always had a stash of M&M's to share, hid in random places around the house.
She was always so excited to go take meals to people in our ward, especially when she got to visit the cute new babies!
She loved Jim Brickman music. Now everytime I hear it, I think of her and it makes me so happy:)
She was always wearing some kind of red apron! I loved waking up in the morning to her cooking muffins or scones and hearing her cheery voice!
She would always go borrow something from a neighbor and be there for like 3 hours until my dad would sent us to bring her home! She loved to chat!
She used to make the most delicious oatmeal cake with coconut frosting and walnuts, and I would get to take pieces in my school lunch.

I wish my mom was her today so I could tell her Happy Birthday! It makes me a little sad thinking I can't give her a big birthday hug, but I know she would want me to celebrate today with the ones I love the very most! I think I might just have to make some oatmeal cake and listen to some Jim Brickman music with my Blaine! I hope all reading this will find someone wonderful to share today with :)

Our Garden

2009-08-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

So since this blog is titled "The Murray Adventures" I decided that I can write too. I realize that Kristin is much more interesting, witty, charming, etc... that is why I married her. However, she didn't say I couldn't write on this blog so here goes with a highlight from our fairlytale little life.

Kristin and I have been doing a garden at my Grandma Munns house in Archer just outside Rexburg. We have been growing and watering and praying for this thing to work out. As you will notice from these pictures we have had a pretty good run at this first garden of ours as a married couple. I have had a blast working alongside Kristin as we have pulled weeds many hours under the hot sun this past summer. The garden also gave me such a stress relief during my Summer semester which ended July 24th. Dirt seems to be able to relieve tension for me, go figure.

My mom always is saying the phrase "there must be a gospel principle in that." As we have done this garden many lessons have come to us as we have experienced the ups and downs of a vegetable gardeners life. The first lesson we learned is that we need help! Although we both grew up in homes where gardens were grown, we both had to recognize that there is much we can and need to learn from others. We learned, in a hard core way, the law of the harvest. Both Kristin and I have used the lessons we learned in the garden in lessons and talks in church. I think above all we also learned that work can bring you closer to each other than almost anything else in this life. I am so grateful I got to be with Kristin as I did this. I love the crap out of her!!!

Enjoy our garden pictures!

Kristin and My uncle Lynn prepping the garden with a John Deere and a disk

Gettin' rows ready for seeds. Early May

Kristin and mama Murray planting seeds. Early May

Trench watering; tried and true. June

First signs of life: Beans!! Late June

First harvest- Raddish. July

Kristin, Riley (my niece), and myself in our towering corn. Late July

Again, this time facing the camera.

A skunk got into our corn one night so we had to take drastic measures. An electric fence was put up to keep the critters out.

Kristin's first time touching an electric fence. Now she's a real country girl!

This is the latest edition to our family... Little Bhuela Zucchini arrived on August 25, 2009 to a proud and loving mother. We decided to name her in honor of Justin, Thanks Manger.

Our first corn from the garden about to be consumed.

We Love You Grandpa Munns!

2009-03-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Grandpa Munns passed away unexpectedly. Blaine and I both loved Grandpa Munns so much! We are grateful that we got to have him at our sealing, and I am so glad that I had the chance to know him for a short while. At his funeral, stories of humor and kindness were shared, and I came to love him more and more. Grandpa Munns was such a good man, and he's one of those people that you can't help but just love when you meet him. He loved his wife and family so very much, and was always serving those around him. Just before he died, he had a church calling serving as a Sunday School Teacher at the local Jail. We will miss him so very much, and I hope I can be a little bit more like Grandpa Munns.

The Amazing Chef Blaine!

2009-03-04T19:07:00.001-08:00

Yep, here he is folks...Chef Blaine! I have always heard that when you first get married that you have to teach your husband to cook...I guess that isn't true. Blaine is always whipping up culinary masterpieces. Here are just a few of them...
This was what I came home to last Thursday. It was the best homemade crust I had ever had. I had spinach and sliced petite baby dill pickles...my new favorite topping on pizza.

We tried out a recipe we found on the internet for Creamy potato soup. We couldn't find soup bowls at the store, so we settled for some Barillo rolls that were delicioius!

This is one of my favorite thing that Blaine makes...rice balls and stew. This is a typical meal from Ghana. Aren't the rice balls so pretty?

One of our favorite breakfast foods is pancakes! We love to put peanut butter and maple syrup on top! Blaine can make the fluffiest, biggest pancakes!

Our Home Sweet Home!

2009-03-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome the the Lil' Mini Home Sweet Murray Home! It is just the right size for us two and we love it! It is great to be only a couple blocks from campus, and our ward is great! Hopefully these pictures will give you an idea of what our home is like! This is the view from our front door! The fridge is to the left and the sink is to the right. One funny fact is that if you have the fridge door open, you can't open the front door! It is so condensed that with one stationary and one pivot foot, you can get the food out of the fridge, cook dinner, wash the dishers and get something out of the pantry without ever lifting one of your feet off the ground! If you notice there is a Salt City Christmas Eve Candle sitting on our stove. We love the smell of this when we come home at night!
This is the view of our living room from the same spot in our entry way!

The Living/Dining Room

2009-03-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is our cozy little living area. I like the view from our living room window! Having a room so small makes me want to keep it cleaner, and more organized!

Our table from Brian and Wendy that we love!

A cute little shelf complete with a photo album and family Bible from our good friend Kyle Poll!

This is our Nauvoo end table with the most darling lamp in the world. A lot of times we leave this on at night for a while and it just makes use happy!

This is our china cupboards! Looking at it makes me feel like we're rich! I love the pitcher from Sarah Cook and the glass bowls from Aunt Leah! We use them on our fancy occasions!

I just love this corner of our kitchen! Seeing the picture of the Rexburg Temple brings me happiness!

The Bathroom

2009-03-04T14:30:00.001-08:00

This is by far my favorite room of the house. I know that sounds kind of funny...the bathroom being my favorite. But I just love it the way all the decorations coordinate! And it is the easiest to clean! This is the perfect place for that clock I have been waiting to use for forever! Thanks Cindy!
I think this artwork looks so cute with our towels that have an "M" embroidered on them from Aunt Vicki.

This is the shower curtain from Scott and Nicole that I look at every day and fall more in love with!

We are so grateful for all the people that gave us these gifts to make our home beautiful!