Our Branson Reunion

 We just returned from a wonderful reunion with my parents and sister in Branson, MO.  I wanted to share this for family who couldn't be there and also inspire any of you who have considered vacationing in Branson.  It was an incredible vacation due in part to the location but also to my big sis, Susie, who is an amazing trip planner.  She really should go into business with this gift!

I think the big thing that set this trip apart was renting this gorgeous cabin in the woods instead of having us all stay in some hotel, navigating rooms for our down time.  They were called "Amazing Branson Log Cabins" and they were so comfortable and beautiful, I almost didn't want to leave the cabin to see the sights!  Not only did it save us some money by eating most of our meals "at home" but it made for some cozy memories of cuddling on the couch with Grandpa, making yummy treats in the kitchen with Aunt Susie or enjoying the hot tub with Grandma.

By the end of the week, the kids were ready to move in - permanently! :)

PE class and Field Day

Well another year of PE has ended.  The university that provides our home school PE also planned a field day for the kids.  It's fun to see all the kids competing in races, jumping and throwing categories.  It was hard for Goose to bow out of her running and jumping spots due to her broken arm.  She naturally excels at them.  I had to remind her that it gave the other kids a chance this year. :)    You can see below that her big brother did alright as well. 

The biggest problem was that despite the beautiful spring we've had, it just had to be 37 degrees THAT morning!

Some other favorites that the kids enjoyed this year were learning floor hockey, volleyball, and tennis.  Those just aren't sports we get to participate in on a regular basis.   You can see they had  a good time.

Now that basketball season has ended as well, the kids are getting more unstructured sports time either riding bikes or shooting hoops at the YMCA.  I'm enjoying the flexible schedule. :)

Easter Weekend

I pray you all had a special Easter as you remembered God's great sacrifice for us and His unconquerable power over death and sin.  We watched the Jesus Film for Children with the kids on Good Friday and had some good discussion.  After they went to bed, we stayed up to watch the Passion by Mel Gibson.  If I'm honest, I really didn't want to watch it again.  Once, 8 years ago was enough for me but I wanted to share it with my man.  Even in my memory, that knew it was a hard movie, I forgot just how terrible it was.  What a humbling  reminder of what my sins have cost my Savior and how much He loves me.  I've never been able to watch much of the scourging scene but even with my eyes closed, I can hear the "stripes" by which I'm "healed" according to Isaiah.  It makes me sick.  How my Savior could endure something so horrible and all the while be motivated by love for His creation - His people - is incredible, but how He could offer that some love and forgiveness to those soldiers who mocked, beat and tortured Him is beyond my human comprehension.  He is worthy of ALL honor and praise.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed a Saturday afternoon Easter Egg hunt with friends and even though the youngest was Boo (at 8 years old), none of the kids felt too old for some fun and hunting.  I forgot to snap a photo of the kids dressed up on Sunday morning but I did catch this photo of Boo out decorating a bush that morning in her Sunday best and Dad's boots.  I don't think the photo captures just how difficult it is for a little person to walk in Daddy's size 16's but it was fun to watch. :)

God bless you and remember, He is risen INDEED!

Goose's birthday

Well I missed posting this when it was current but my big girl has turned 11 years old!  11 YEARS?  What happened to the little girl with pigtails who loved "zweebas"?  Now she's 5'6" and practically staring me in the eyes.  So time marches on....  Here she is with "Grandma Daisy" who brought her an ice cream cake and was just as surprised to see how tall Goose has become.

This year Goose opted NOT to have a big party.  She invited one friend over for a trip to the movies and a sleepover.  They had a great time together and even went to bed before midnight!!!  I'm still in shock by how easy the whole thing was on me. :)  Her big enjoyment came afterward when she got her new Kindle.  Now when she has her nose stuck in a book, I have a hard time figuring out which one it is. :)  Happy Birthday sweetheart!

My Basketball Stars

We are celebrating at the Murphy house!  Three of the kids are playing basketball this year on the 5th/6th grade homeschool teams.  After many weeks of practice, they had their first real game last night and they won!  As a momma, I was just so proud to see them show some confidence on the court, knowing how nervous they really were to go out there (especially the boys since this is their first year).  Above you can see Jaybird (#35) and Spiderman (#25) in the action.   Also special to me is that my man has been helping coach this year and I marveled as I watched his passion for the game and the boys come shining through.  Amazing!

Below you can see Goose working for a rebound.  She has made some great improvements from last year (and even scored 3 baskets last night).  I wondered how the girls would do as some of the strong players from last year were too old to play this year.  I suspect that it actually empowered them to know they had to stand on their own instead of looking to the older girls to carry the game.  Coach Chang has really done a great job with the girls.

With hungry kids in tow, we made a special stop at DQ for some good food after the game.  Eating out is a pretty rare treat for us so they felt quite honored to go celebrate with a hard earned, junk food meal.  Can you believe those proud smiles?  I can, I bet mine was even bigger. :)

Valentine's Day

OK, I know these aren't the best photos but we had a different kind of Valentine's Day this year.  My kids were all given the opportunity to have a special party as their basketball teams met to make Valentine's, eat snacks and then take the cards to a local nursing home to hand them out.  After passing out their special creations, some of the kids performed a mini-concert for the residents and the rest were able to sing a song or two.  I was glad to see the kids get the opportunity to serve others and make the day special for someone who truly needed it. 

As for my man & I, we took off that weekend for 24 hours without kids.  A hotel to ourselves, good food with no cooking, an exciting movie and sleeping in were some of the highlights.  Reminiscing about the many times, both good and bad, that we've shared over the past 16 years was the best part.  There is so much to be grateful for and God's faithfulness has been evident through it all. 

Hope you had a special Valentine's Day as well.

Mother Daughter Tea Party

Recently the girls and I were able to attend a special tea at church.  Each set of mothers & daughters was supposed to decorate their own table and enjoy a nice brunch together.  Now we're not the fancy type at the Murphy house (as you can see by the tie-dyed tablecloth) but the girls are all about special events.  We were blessed to get to sit with our "adopted Grandma & Great-Grandma", Donna & Paula.


We enjoyed some special music from our friends & their daughters and took a quiz to see how well we know one another.  As a special memento, our friend Jocelyn (in the above photo) was drawing on-the-spot portraits of each little group.  It was pretty amazing to see what she was able to do with us in such a short amount of time.

It was a fun opportunity to make a sweet memory with my precious girls.