A Masterpiece

Ever since the start of pre-preschool, Golden has been addicted to painting. Right now, he's working on his "Pooh Bear Masterpiece" :o).

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn

We've had three days of Halloween and we are done with all this candy and sugar. Mom and Dad can't take anymore "sugar highs" and "tantrums". But boy, did we have a fun Halloween this year. I got to go "trick or treat" with Golden for the first time since last year I was sick with Brynn. It's just the funnest thing to watch and do together as a family.

Golden's first tantrum was at our ward Halloween party. We've never experienced anything like it before with him but I about pee'd in my pants watching it.

The cutest chick I've ever seen! Love that we can recycle our costumes from one child to the next. Isn't she darling?

Golden dressed up for his 2 year old pre-preschool class as Winnie the Pooh in a pumpkin.

Here's Golden rolling play dough into a snake.

Golden LOVES school! Here are some of his classmates in their costumes.

Golden has been on a sugar high since Thursday. It's been three days of straight Halloween at our house and it's driving us nuts! Way too much sugar going around.

Brynn turned 6 months yesterday, hooray! And she is starting to sit up. She's discovered that the world is a whole new place when you're sitting upright.

Two peas in a pod. Brynn is so easily amused by Golden. She always loves to watch him play and spaaazz out.

Golden loves blocks. This is a version of "Golden's house" that he built all by himself.

He did a mighty fine job I'd say!

Golden's fancy somersault's

Awhile back Nate taught Golden how to do somersault's and ever since then, Golden loves to do them. It's hilarious to see him go across the floor rolling and rolling.

Brynn loves the "bouncy bounce". She doesn't quite "bounce" yet. But she's a pro at sitting and gliding.

Golden with his buddy "Spot". He's had Spot for two years now. They are super tight!

Brynn is just learning how to stand and balance. She does pretty well for about 15 seconds before she ends up on the floor.

GO FISH

Over conference weekend, Grandpa McMurtrey took Golden fishing for his very first time. Let me tell you, Golden raved and raved about how much fun fishing with Grandpa and Daddy was. It was a wonderful learning experience for him. He held the fishing poll all by himself and his favorite part of the entire adventure was reeling in the fishing line over and over again. His catch of the day was a big fat catfish! Thanks Grandpa for a wonderful time and for capturing it all on film for us!

I love love my cute kids

We love Brynn's "hedgehog" hair. I don't bother putting anything on it to hold it down. I love it the way it is.

We call her "smiley" because she is always always smiling. And it's not just a half smile, it's a big laughy smile.

See what I mean? She's so happy to be a baby.

Golden loves his choo choo train. See how he lines the "houses" (it's what he calls them) all along the train track?

Peek-A-Boo

This is such a cute video of Golden playing peek-a-boo with Brynn. She just loves him! I can tell they're going to be best buds.

Brynn rolls over

This video is a bit long (must be a mom thing) but I just couldn't stop recording Golden riding his tricycle :o).

Cute photos of Brynn

I came across photos of Brynn that I never posted and would like to share.

This was taken when Brynn was about two weeks old.

Golden

Golden loves bubbles!

Golden does what Daddy does.

Golden loves the spray bottle.

And Golden loves his tricycle.

Golden doesn't go anywhere without his super cool sunglasses!!

We love the pool!

Family: Together Forever

I love my family. This Sunday afternoon we took Golden to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple to walk around it's beautiful grounds. Golden just loves it at the temple. He points to the Angel Moroni and says: angel. By the end of our visit, he was able to say: Angel Moroni. We can't wait to attend the Oquirre Temple dedication next week.

My beautiful boy. Even at such a young age, he recognizes the spirit that dwells at the temple. We sang I Love to see the Temple with him for the first time and since then, he will ask us over and over again to sing it. I think he feels the spirit in the song like we do.

Slip -N- Slide

We had a neighborhood party that included yummy scones and a slip-n-slide. It was a blast to watch the boys go racing down the hill.

Our very own Spider Monkey...

This is a must see video of Golden climbing at the playground.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy AuNt SuE!

Golden loves his Aunt Sue. We had fun celebrating her b-day at Gecko's.

Sisters forever!!!!!!!

Birthday Kisses. Golden doesn't do anything half way!

Awwwwwww.

BRYNN

Brynn does not like her tummy time one bit.

But she sure is cute when she's angry.

Hello there!

She can roll to her side. Soon, she'll be on her stomach.

Fun times with Sydney

We love it when Sydney comes over!

We play dress-up.

We play in the ball-tent!

We pose for the camera!

We love to color!

And we LOVE LOVE to swim!!

We Love Grandma Day!

We had Grandma Day up in SLC at the Discovery Museum. I absolutely loved the place and so did Golden. It had a little bit of everything for each grandkid.

Driving solo???

It was also Adalynn's 6th birthday today. Golden loves his cousin Addy! They're good buddies.

Golden is obsessed with water! Any chance he has to play with water, he takes full advantage. In fact, his favorite activity was, of course, the river of water.

Baby Brynn just hanging out like she normally does. She's a good little baby.

Thank you Grandma Mary for a fun day!!!

Mommy's Girl

Can I just tell you how much I love Brynn? She's just a happy baby; happy to be a part of our growing family.

The "Golden" Dance

Golden loves to dance and is very very good at it! Watch and see his moves.

Sprinklers...

Our cute neighbor boy Zach spiked Golden's hair while they were playing in the sprinklers. It was so cute. A group of us were standing there laughing "at" Golden while he thought we were laughing "with" him.

Elmo's First Kite Ride

Golden finally was able to take is Elmo Kite out for a ride this evening. There's nothing to it...just "hold the rope" says Golden.

BEAR LAKE

We had a blast at Bear Lake with the Jones Family. A few of our favorite things about Bear Lake: boating, beach, kayaking, bike riding around the lake, hiking to Bloomington Lake, rope swing, cliff jumping, burgers, and raspberry shakes.

Nate Wakeboarding

Bear Lake Slideshow

Brynn's Baby Photos: 2 1/2 months

Summer is Here!!

Golden and I love to go swimming! We go twice weekly since the sun has returned. Yippeeee!

Golden turns 2!!!

My family...aren't they cute?

Golden blowing BUBBLES!! He LOVES BUBBLES!!

So my sister through this nieces/nephew party (the rest are from Mark's side) at her apartment and the kids got to make shirts. Isn't she the best??? Golden is pointing to his shirt...too cute!


Another cute photo of the kids.

Mark and the kids eating PIZZA! Yummmy!

HaPpY 2nd BiRtHdAy GoLdEn!!

We Love You!

HaPpY 29th BiRtHdAy NaTe!!!

A Friend.

A Teacher.

A Son's Hero.

In tribute to my hubbie's 29th birthday (June 13th), I put together this lovely list of 29 reasons why I love him. I thought of so many but had to condense it down to twenty-nine. I hope you get to know Nate as I know him. It will be pretty apparent as to why I fell in love with such an amazing man.

**29 Reasons Why I HEART Nate**

1. Nate is an amazing father. This is in fact an understatement. There are no words for the kind of father Nate is to his children. I melt everytime I see he and Golden play together and when he holds Brynn.

2. Nate loves to learn. He is constantly seeking for ways to increase his knowledge. You can always find him at the library or book stores. One of our favorite dates in Hawaii was to go to Borders in Honolulu.

3. Nate is SMART. It comes from his love for learning. There is nothing he doesn't know and if he doesn't know it, he will "google" it :o).

4. Nate has a great sense of humor. He is so much fun to be around because he will always bring humor to the table.

5. Nate is compassionate. I can always count on his compassion to get me through sad times.

6. Nate loves the gospel. I fell in love with Nate's testimony before anything else. You know how much Nate loves the gospel just from being around him.

7. Nate love sports. It's nice to have married a man who is good at every sport there is.

8. Nate is a hard worker. He is very driven and very diligent.

9. Nate loves to be active. Our funnest times together are when we are outdoors and being active. Being healthy is a priority to him.

10. Nate doesn't like to shop. He lets me do all the spending :o)

11. Nate is an excellent teacher. I've learned more from Nate than you could ever imagine. He has become my greatest teacher.

12. Nate is a great speaker. I've always enjoyed listening to Nate's talks at church. They are always filled with so much wisdom and testimony.

13. Nate is a softy. He likes to pretend he's rough and tough but he is mooshy in the inside. My most precious times with Nate are when we are cuddling.

14. Nate loves chick flicks and girl music. He will never admit it but he does love to go to chick flicks with me plus I've never heard a guy belt out to girl music like he does.

15. Nate has a little bit of "nerd" in him. He's the most attractive nerd I've ever met.

16. Nate is a good singer. I'm probably the only person who has ever heard Nate sing. He sounds amazing. The majority of the songs Golden repeats are ones Nate sings to him.

17. Nate is a peacemaker. Everyone loves Nate because he can just get along and be "cool".

18. Nate is tall (6 ft. 3"). Our children have a 50% chance of being taller than 5 ft. 4". HOoRaY!

19. Nate is a good provider. I have the blessing of staying home with our children because Nate works so hard to ensure us a stable and modest life.

20. Nate is frugal. The best advice Nate has ever given me is that it doesn't matter how much money you have, it's how much money you save.

21. Nate is romantic. He always lets me know and shows me that I am loved.

22. Nate knows computers. When our computer goes wrong, Nate is there to diagnose the problem and fix it.

23. Nate still likes to hold my hand. It's an action I hope will never fade with us.

24. Nate is goofy. He has these goofy mannerisms that I just adore.

25. Nate doesn't like to work in the yard. Neither do I so it's extremely easy to get out of it!

26. Nate gives good advice. He has lots of wisdom for such a young lad. He is the person I go to for quick answers.

27. Nate loves my family. No matter how different my family is from his, he has always been very accepting and kind. My parents just adore him!

28. Nate has an amazing relationship with his parents. A very attractive quality. I know he will assume the same relationship with our children.

last but not least,

29. Nate is my best friend. There is nothing we can't get through together. I am the luckiest girl in the world!!

I love you a million Merky!

Happy Birthday

We had a fun dinner for Nathan's pre-birthday with my sis. I made a yummy asian meal consisting of spring rolls, seafood kabobs, and Thai Peanut noodles. It made me miss my parents delicious cooking.

Handsome Golden..we sure love you.

Yummy cheesecake for everyone...

Mark can't wait to bite into my special seafood kabob..mmmmm :o)

Dad came to visit for the weekend. It was super fun times!!

Brynn hit 1 month..yeah! Can you believe how fast time goes? My little girl is growing up too fast :o(

Golden's most favorite thing is jumping on the trampoline. He is crazy in love with it.

He will literally jump all day long!!

We celebrated my sister's boyfriends birthday over the weekend. His mom made a birthday cake made of cream puffs...way cool!!

A birthday party is not a party without my sister's "hand made" pinatas.

Golden doesn't quite know what to do but to hold on real tight!

Golden loves anything furry and smaller than he is.

WeLCoMe BaBy Brynn!

Brynn McMurtrey

Born on April 22 @ 6:13 a.m

7 lbs. 18 1/2 inches

We Love You Baby Brynn!

Golden loves to hold his new baby sister. Oh so sweet!

Hangin' out with Dad.

I sure love my toddler!

We just love being back at home!!

Golden's already helping out his little sister by putting money in her piggy bank. Thanks Golden!

Where did the ball go?

Sue and Mark and Brynn

Lovely Aunt Sue.

I am finally updating the blog with photos. Ever since Nathan took our computer in to get fixed, it doesn't allow us to download photos from the camera so now I have to take it in and put it on CD. What a hassle eh?

HaPpY EaSteR

Golden had lots of fun Easter egg hunting at his cousins house. I didn't think he would understand the process but surprisingly he did. That's why he has a Halloween bucket instead of an Easter basket.

He found lots and lots of eggs on the lawn.

Probably because they were just sitting on top of the grass. Dad didn't really "hide" the eggs. He "layed" them.

Taking a photo break with Mom.

Golden's cute cousins Noah and Ava. Thanks guys for a fun Easter afternoon!

My beautiful sissy...

My lovely sister and her boyfriend Mark came to visit Easter evening. It's always so nice to see them. They are the "happy couple".

Golden is whinding down from his big fall at his cousins house that afternoon.

It was a long scrape across the cheek from his "billibop" (lollipop).

He's usually more excited to sit with Aunt Sue and Mark.

Why so angry?

Just a few random things...

Golden went through a phase where he had to wear these super cool glasses everywhere and even during his nap. Notice how he put them on "up-side-down?" and also the pile of things he has to have during his nap...."both blankets, both bears, car, and toy" he will tell me.

Cool dude!

Golden LOVES his bath time.

...and he also loves to get ready while Mom gets ready.

I had to share this photo. Although, I know Nate won't be too pleased. See why I'm dyin' for my little girl? It's just too cute!

CoNGrAts Golden for sleeping in your big boy bed the whole night through! Nate and I are so proud of this little guy. What a huge accomplishment...yipppeeee!

Big Boy Bed

Golden loves his new big boy bed. And if you were to see it, the bed is truly BIG in comparison to this little guy. He takes up about 1% of its capacity. The bed has been in his room and ready to go for quite some time but mommy didn't want to deal with it just yet. But with the new baby coming sooner than later, she had to give it a go. There had been two attempts that failed but last night was the big winner. There were no cries for mommy or "daddy hugs". We read, prayed, kissed, lights were out, and door was shut. Things were great up until 3 a.m when I awoke to a whimpering cry. I found Golden in a fetal position on the floor whimpering, probably because he didn't know exactly where he was. He either climbed out or fell?? Most likely, fell. I wanted to break into hysterical laughter but thought it would be highly inappropriate. Back into the crib Golden went and we all had a restful night sleep. I congratulate Golden for taking this big new step!

Celebrating Mommy's B-day

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my family...especially my boys--so handsome they are!

Looks like Dad and Golden got hold of the candy.

So sweet...

...oops! Spoke to soon!

Love the face Golden!

About one month left...is there still room in there?

Dad's naturally have that special bond with their sons. Priceless.

Happy Birthday Katie!!!!

I know the rules - blogs are for wives and programmers with nobody to talk to.  But since blogging costs me nothing (only pride), and I'm such a cheapskate, I thought I'd jump on and tell everyone 3 reasons why I love my wife.  

Kate is compasionate

  When a someone is in pain or need, Katie feels that pain as well.  She has many friends simply because of hear ability to listen without judging, something I am trying to learn from her.  She remembers faces better than anyone I know.  We've ran into old friends in NY, DC, CA, all because she has the ability to remember people so well, a product of her abiltiy to love others.     

Kate loves being a Mom

  The Kate I know today, has grown so much from the beach beauty I fell in love with (insert pregnancy joke here).  And much of that evolution is from Kate's relationship with Golden.  She spends countless hours playing, feeding, teaching, reading to, and spending time with him.  And I don't know how many times she has said, "I just want my girl."  (only one more month!) .  She loves being a Mom, and it shows!

Kate is my best friend

  I love spending time with Kate.  We talk, read in bed, go for walks, exercise together.  Most of the time its less about what we're doing, and more around spending time together.      

So Katie - Thank you for being my wife.  I can't believe you're 28!  We've got so much ahead of us - "the best is yet to come".  I love you!

Nathan #42

I'll try to enable comments on this blog thingy - so if you anyone would like to leave their reasons for loving Kate, please feel free to post.  

Golden

Golden has become a wonderful example in our family. As we sat down this morning as a family to have breakfast, Dad started to eat before Golden said, "pray"? I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my little son who reminded me the importance of blessing our meals before we eat and expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father. Thank you Golden for your sweet spirit and example.

What's new with McMurtrey's? Well, we had a spectacular Valentine's Day weekend that started out with V-Day breakfast at Kneader's and ended with "Twilight" the movie. Yes folks, we finally saw Twilight and really liked it! All day and weekend I just thought: I love my hubbie. We'll be going on 4 years this March and wow, it has already felt like 10 because my love for him has increased immensely. I love you Nathan!

Golden continues to bless us in every way possible. He can now count to "nine" before going back to "two". And if you really use your imagination, he can say "A-B-C" by himself. It's too cute and I just love it!!! His vocab is sky rocketing and not a day passes by when a new word pops out of his mouth. We are looking forward, more than ever, to our new baby girl so that we can start this baby cycle over again.

I love my naptime!

I went in to check on Golden after having napped for about 2 1/2 hrs. No wonder he sleeps for so long...he just looks so relaxed and comfortable. Who wouldn't want to nap all afternoon?

I just love that he sticks out his feet.

Welcome back sleepeeee head!!!

Jump!

Golden loves to jump of his firetruck. What a ways down huh??..wink wink ;)

Go Fish!!

Grandpa McMurtrey ran into Golden at the fish section of Walmart and insisted on purchasing fish for Golden. It was so thoughtful of him and of course, Golden didn't mind one bit. We walked out of Walmart with a cute fish bowl, rocks, fish toys, food, chlorine remover, and three cute goldfish. It was quite the investment!!

Look! Can you see all three??

This is a photo of Golden waving hello to the fish. Everytime he leaves the room it's "bye-bye fish". In the morning it's "hello" fish and it's time for "breakfast". He absolutely loves giving them their fish pellets.


Isn't this a beautiful fish bowl!? Thanks Grandpa McMurtrey for taking Golden for his very first "fishing" trip!

Grandma Stevenson

Nathan's grandmother passed away the evening of January 10th. Both Nathan and I agree that Grandma Stevenson was one of the most compassionate and selfless people we had ever known. She devoted her entire life to the gospel and to her family. I've never met a woman who sacrificed more for others and loved like she did. How blessed Nathan and I were to have her perfect influence in our life. We miss her and know she is skipping and dancing in Heaven. We love and miss you Grandma!

It was a beautiful funeral service.

Grandma Stevenson at Golden's baby blessing 1 1/2 years ago.

KATE

Golden's new word is "Kate" which of course, is mommy's name. He called me Kate about three times the other day and I about pee'd in my pants. He must hear others calling me Kate instead of Mommy and can see that I respond to it.

Snow is Cold..Snow is Fun

Golden loves to fall in the snow. The snow is soft and fluffy for a soft and fluffy landing!

He's starting to pose in photos for me now..what a trip! He'll say "smile" :o)

My little boy is not so little anymore...he's grown up so quickly. Don't you just love those gloves?!

What a MESS!

Golden is not a big eater but he LOVES spaghetti. So when we have spaghetti he gets real into it. It's inevitable that he gets a big bath after he's done and that is probably why he loves it so much!

ChRisTmaS!!

A Very Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve morning turned out to be very unexpected as we woke up to clog pipes, wet carpet, leakage from the garage roof, and a flat tire. All events occured an hour before we were to find out the sex of our new baby. Needless to say, we have three of the four disasters checked off our list, found out the sex of our new addition, and are still having a wonderful Christmas holiday.

I don't think any disaster could ever trump the spirit of family and the joy we feel this time of year as we welcome a new baby girl. Nathan and I are most excited to celebrate the expansion of our family and look forward to a wonderful New Year of high's and low's, growth, a new baby, and most importantly, the spirit of Jesus Christ in our Hearts all year round.

Wishing you a Happy and Blessed Christmas !!

Knees & Toes

This is the profile view of our new baby girl.

Look! She's already playing "peek-a-boo"!!

Happy Feet

I wonder who she will look like? Nathan, Kate, or Golden?? May 7th is the due date...4 more months and we shall see!!!

Let it Snow..Let it Snow..Let it Snow...

Dad came home from work early to take us sledding!!! There's a great big park across from where we live and it's just perfect for sledding! We had soooo much fun!!!

We thought Golden would be scared but he absolutely LOVED every second! We counted 1-2- and Golden would say "3" before Dad pushed him down the slope.

Mom had to join in the fun as well! Wheeeeee!!


My handsome boys!

We had to shovel the driveway and walkway before any fun began. Dad gets it done much quicker than Mom!

Golden's thinkin' about helping Dad out..but..nah!!

I'm so proud of Nate for putting up our Christmas lights this year. And, I especially love our house when it's covered in snow.

First Snow Fall...

Today was our first big snowfall of the winter season and boy, did we take advantage of every second of it! I dressed Golden in his snow clothes and threw him out into the snow for the first time. He had a blast!!! He loved it so much that we went out twice!

He's learning how to manuever himself around the snow...practice makes perfect!

Not so great in this one...it's hard to stand up with all that padding!!



Golden is watching the snow-plower come through our cul-de-sac. He just loves big trucks!


He got stuck there for a second.

Peek-a-Boo!

This picture is too cute to pass up. I checked on Golden during his nap and his little feet was playing peek-a-boo out of his crib. Too cute!!

My first loaf...

I attended a breadmaking class with my mom-in-law and this was the result. I can't believe I can make bread...from scratch! It's become quite the routine in our house now. We no longer purchase bread from the grocery store. Instead, I make two loaves once a week which ends up being a total of 50 cents! Who can beat that??? Mmmmmm!!! Thank you Mary for taking me. It was life changing!

Don't you wish our babies could stay this little? This was Golden at 2 months.

Now, he's almost 18 months!!

Can I just tell you how much I love Golden? Not only am I madly deeply in love with my perfect husband, I feel absolutely the same way about this little version of him. Even though Nate is gone most of the day, I get to see him through my son who has emulated so much of his daddy's personality. I just love my boys and am most thankful for their sweet spirits in my life.

We Love San Diego!!

It was that time again to visit Grandma and Grandpa Vongsikeo. We had a great trip and enjoyed the sunny weather. I never appreciated San Diego weather until I lived in Utah. Although, it's definitely a bonus to be able to travel between both states! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a terrific trip!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is such a fun holiday. Not only does it come with yummy turkey and endless pans of pies, the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade is probably the highlight of my morning. For many years, the parade has marked the beginning of the beautiful winter season for my family. It seems like we are celebrating holiday after holiday once Thanksgiving hits and life becomes more busy and yet blissfully fulfilling. I hope to always feel the spirit of Thanksgiving in my heart. The same feeling I receive as I watch the parade.