A week with the Murrays

The week of July 13th-19th was spent in Denver. After Sterling's baptism, Matt flew back to work for the week and I enjoyed some time with my family. We didn't try to pack too much in. I mostly wanted to relax and enjoy my family.

On Monday and Tuesday Jennifer and I went to Annie's house to work on a 4th of July craft while we talked and let the kids play. Monday evening we had a delicious BBQ at my parents' house. Tuesday evening we enjoyed dinner at Cat's house and celebrated her birthday (the 12th of July). On Wednesday Annie and I took the kids to Lollipop park. The kids had a great time.


Wednesday evening we picked peas from my dad's garden. We also went to dinner at Mimi's cafe, and enjoyed some Pinkberry frozen yogurt.


Thursday, we met Annie at the park, and continued our craft at her house. Annie helped to pull out Sheri's loose tooth. Yay! In the evening we enjoyed a Mexican themed dinner at Jennifer's house which was very tasty.




Friday we went swimming with Catherine at her rec center. This was the first time that Christian got somewhat comfortable with swimming, although he still didn't want to be without me.


In the evening we enjoyed a Asian themed dinner at Annie's house and celebrated my birthday (the 19th). Everything was delicious, especially the peach crisp and Japanese ice cream! Here is Cat with our finished craft that I gave her as a belated birthday present.


Friday evening Matt flew into town and we drove back to Omaha on Saturday. We were so grateful for the time we got to spend with my family!


We are always sad to say goodbye! Until next time . . .

Sterling's Baptism

We have been looking forward to Sterling's baptism for quite a while. It is always a wonderful opportunity to recognize all the blessings the gospel of Jesus Christ brings! There is also a special spirit at baptisms, especially when treasured family members share their testimonies and give their love and support.

Sterling has been a sweet boy from the time he was born. He has always had the desire to choose the right. He is at a time in his life when he is learning about what he wants and how that fits into God's plan for him. It has been wonderful to reemphasize the covenants that we make at baptism and renew each week during the sacrament.

Sterling has a good understanding of the gospel and has realized that this is his first step on the path of his discipleship. It is always a blessing to watch the kids' understanding of the gospel deepen each day. Although this is just the beginning, we are grateful that he made the choice to be baptized and continues to make good choices each day.

Sterling's baptism was held at the Frisco chapel in Colorado shortly after the Sabey reunion. Most of Matt's siblings were there (we missed Katie due to illness), and my family came to support us as well. Here is the outline of the baptismal program:

Sunday, July 13th
-Presiding: Bishop Allen
-Conducting: John Murray (Grandfather of Sterling)

-Pianist: Bonnie Murray (Grandmother of Sterling)
-Chorister: Jonah Smith (Cousin)

-Opening Song: "I Feel My Savior's Love"
-Opening Prayer: Matt Sabey

-Special Musical Number: "Said Samuel Within Five Years" by Emma and Joseph Robinson (cousins)
-Talk on Baptism: Marcelino Sanchez (Uncle)

Baptism of Sterling Ryan Smith by Matthew Ryan Smith (Father), Witness: Barton Smith, John Murray

-Special Musical Number: "By the Waters of Mormon" written by Bonnie Murray and Janice Kapp Perry, performed by Christianna Sullins (Aunt)
-Talk on Gift of the Holy Ghost: Jennifer Robinson (Aunt)

Confirmation of Sterling Ryan Smith by Melchizedek Priesthood holders

-Musical Number: "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" by the primary age cousins, led by Stacey Smith (aunt), accompanied by Rebekah Smith (mother)

-Grandfathers' comments: Barton Smith and John Murray

-Closing Song: "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus"
-Closing Prayer: Wendy Smith (Grandmother)

Those that contributed to the program brought a special spirit of love and support. I felt so grateful for all who helped! It was wonderful for Sterling to be surrounded by loving priesthood holders who could act with God's authority to bless him with the ordinance of baptism, confirmation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost! It was a joyful, landmark day!

Sabey Reunion 2014

This year the Sabey reunion was planned by Bart and Wendy Smith, Matthew's parents. We were happy with the timing. July is always a perfect month to visit Colorado and since it was so close to Sterling's baptism, we decided to have it there with all of our families.

We drove out Wednesday, July 9th and stayed the evening with my parents. This was especially generous of them since my mom was recovering from a surgery she had the previous Monday. We aimed to be very low maintenance. The next day, Thursday, we did some shopping and then headed up to Breckenridge for the reunion. We met at Carter Park around 3PM where there were various activities (flag football, volleyball, tennis, and a playground for the kids. I also went to check in early to get our things settled during this time. Dinner was at 6PM where we enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches and watermelon made by the Mel/Sandy Sabey family. We enjoyed catching up and setting up Rook teams for the tournament. Later we had dessert and a short family concert (Paul Sabey and boys, Marcelino and boys, and a group of primary age kids singing My Heavenly Father Loves Me).

We all stayed in various condos of the Blue Sky Resort. We were happy to share ours with Jeff, Stacey and their family.

Friday we had breakfast in various condos and switched each morning for variety. We then enjoyed a morning meeting about photography. Cary taught about landscape and Rachel taught about portrait photography. After that we grabbed sack lunches and set off for various hikes. We decided to try the Mohawk Lakes Trail. It was beautiful but we kept our pace leisurely because of all the young kids. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery.



Around 3 PM we went back to Blue Sky Resort and had free time. Christian napped, the others did swimming, Rook, and photo sharing.



Dinner was in Cary/Karen's unit, which was also delicious. Christian was quite attached to me during much of the trip. At 7PM we had a family meeting where we were able to hear mission reports from those that had recently returned or who were currently serving (Zach, Matt Sabey, Sage, and Hunter). We also got to learn about Heleman's mission call to Romania. I am so grateful for all these wonderful examples for my kids! The primary age kids sang "I Hope They Call Me On a Mission." Then the kids were taken up to our unit for children's activities and the adults had more discussion on Pornography: The Church's response to both dangers and protections, and Provident Living Made Simple. I was unable to listen to these and was very disappointed, but Christian was just not going to be quietly entertained there.

Saturday we enjoyed various breakfasts again and then met down at the local chapel for presentations on Family Tree and Family History indexing. Also, many of the in laws (including me)shared family histories. There was a beautiful spirit there as these stories were shared! We then got an entire family group picture as well as individual family pictures. We ate lunch and then went to the Breckenridge recreation center. There were lots of activities (yoga, tennis, racquetball, a climbing wall, swimming, basketball, etc). Rook continued throughout the various activities of the reunion until the champions were determined. We hosted dinner in our unit that night, serving Cafe Rio Chicken and Pork, sweet Mexican rice, and all the fixin's. It went very well for which I am grateful! In the evening we shared our photos in a slide show presentation and then had personal stories about Miracles, Tender Mercies, and Discoveries shared by Lisa (for Brian), Patty, and others. Then the Primary kids sang "Book of Mormon Stories", "Give Said the Little Stream", and "What do you do in the Summertime". Mar and a group of other males also sang. We also enjoyed 2 songs sung by Peter and Paul Sabey followed by dessert.

Sunday we had breakfast, got ready and checked out, and then met for a testimony meeting. These are always a spiritual feast for me! We also had closing comments by Grandpa Sabey. It is always so neat to hear from the family patriarch.

We then went our various ways, and many of the family were able to join us for Sterling's baptism. I will share more in my next post on that. I am so grateful that the Sabey family has this tradition of family reunions. It is a priceless opportunity to play, share, and learn from each other. The bonds of friendship and love are always strengthened! I am especially grateful to my mother and father-in-laws for all their effort and great examples to us!

Note: I hope to get more pictures from the Sabeys to include soon.

Cat and Aaron's visit and the 4th of July

Living far from family can be sad, especially around the holidays. That is one reason why it was so great to have my sister, Catherine and her husband Aaron come for a visit for the 4th of July! Catherine and Aaron are young and fun! They have lots of energy and excitement about new things. They really made this week so fun!

They flew in to Omaha on the 1st of July. We picked them up and went directly to the Bob Kerrey Walking Bridge. This bridge spans the Missouri River and crosses from Iowa to Nebraska. You can see the fun and energy that Cat and Aaron bring in these pictures.



We also enjoyed the spray park, and the Lewis and Clark Museum on the Nebraska side. By the way, thanks to Aaron for taking so many wonderful photographs. These days, it is difficult for me to take care of 4 kids and remember my camera!



We then picked up some lunch and headed to the Gene Leahy Mall and Heartland of America Park.



In the evening, we purchased fireworks. We enjoyed Aaron's displays in our own front yard just about every night of the week! There is nothing like the displays in our own neighborhood. This year was especially grand. It was fireworks in every direction. At first Christian did not like them, but by the end of the week, he was making a firework sound and getting excited everytime he heard one. He did stay very close to his mom though!

July 2nd, we went the Henry Doorly Zoo. (Travel website TripAdvisor named Omaha’s zoo the world’s best in its Travelers’ Choice awards for Zoos and Aquariums. The rankings used data from millions of user reviews to select 275 winners worldwide.) I know we have really enjoyed this zoo while living here in Omaha. We love the indoor Lied Jungle, the Kingdoms of the Night exhibit, the aquarium, the Imax, the petting zoo, and much more! Cat and Aaron treated the kids to popcorn and a Skyfari ride. How fun when the kids get such nice treatment - they felt very special! There were so many awesome things to see, I could never include them all in one post!



On July 3rd we went to Zorinsky water park. Sterling and Sheri were both tall enough this year to go down the slides. They were so happy!


And of course, we enjoyed more fireworks in the evening!



On the Fourth of July we went started by attending a little neighborhood parade.


It was fun, but just didn't impress. So we headed down south a bit, and hit a much bigger parade. It was much more entertaining. They even had Star Wars characters.


Here we are setting up for the big fireworks night! We had tiki torches, and red licorice. It was a spectacular night. I just kept praying for everyone's safety! :) It was a night to remember thanks to Matthew and Aaron!


On July 5th, we took the boat down to Branched Oak Lake. We had a great time even though it took some time to get going. (Me) There is always so much to prepare! By the way, the kids and I finished Harry Potter #6 in the car. This has been fun to share in car during the summers. Aaron and Cat both tried water skiing, giving valiant efforts. It can be tough to get it initially. Sterling made it look like a piece of cake, as did Matt. Many of us enjoyed riding on the tube and swimming in the water or on the beach. We also had lots of fun snacks and lunch in the boat. Fun!


Sunday was a nice day of rest and worship. I really do love church, and serving in my ward! Church was shortened due to a broken air conditioner. Matt flew out to work again and the rest of us enjoyed dinner and board/card games.

Monday morning Catherine and Aaron flew back to Colorado. We had a lot of fun and hope they will come visit us again next year. We were also glad that we would soon be able to see them in Colorado. But that is for another post! :) Thanks for all the fun Cat and Aaron!