HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

WOW!!!! Where did 2008 go?

We have really been blessed this year and we are continuing to be blessed with all the grandchildren and wonderful people who come into our lives.

Sherri is officially finished with her Masters Program and will now get more money from the school systems. Horray for education and money!!!! It will pay off.

We are so excited that Patrick and Adrienne have had our newest granddaughter, Bella Murray. She looks like she is quite the combination of both parents. She does have wavey hair and I am so excited to know that she is here finally. Now we have to wait for Kelley and Drew to have their baby this summer.



Mike and Amber have been getting ready to move. They had the packers last week and are in a hotel until they leave Alaska. They are planning on driving back to the lower 48 and we are all ready for them to join us in the lower 48.

Drew is back and school and Kelley Anne is looking for a job last time we heard from them. They are really excited about the baby coming and are also looking for a new apartment. A larger apartment where they will have room for all of the Smiths to live more comfortably.

Shawna is back at school and so busy. She seems to keep things moving and so we do not hear from her very often.

Katie is back in Provo and is finishing up her work with Bon Losee Cosmetology Academy so that she can begin her internship at DisneyWorld the end of this month. She will be there for about seven months. We are so excited for her and her new opportunity to fulfill her goals and career.

Bill is planning on losing weight so that he can come back into the military for another two years to retire with 30 years in the US Army. I hope that he gets his wish but at the same time I wish that I could move closer to family.

Again HAPPY NEW YEAR! WELCOME 2009!!

Katherine's Big Shebang!

This is Katherine posting for her wonderful mother while home for Christmas. :D we've all been really busy and just having a LOT of fun...mom's finished her masters and i've made a trip up to the Atlanata Temple and have been able to hang out with friends and family since i got home. it's been really nice to be home again and can't wait for the day to be able to come home more often! Time just flies by so i hope i can do everything that i want to do...finding time for everyone is the hardest thing. But i love being home and hope everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! :D

I am so thankful for being able to finish the Master's program. The Lord has really been with all of us. Having Katie home for such a short period of time has been wonderful. We are looking forward for her to be at DisneyWorld for the seven months she is interning there. We will be trying to see her and be there to encourage her. She will be in the Orlando area and hopefully will make new and wonderful friends during this experience.

Sad news!

Today we had to put our oldest cat, Miguelina down. She had been ill for months but today she was really bad and I could not watch her suffer anymore. She weighed about three pounds. She was with us for 18 years and so she was part of our family. She is probably on the otherside wondering why Hercules is licking her face. She really disliked to have him do that to her. I will try to bury her tomorrow with Hercules. It really depends on how my day goes. I will truly miss her.

What joy our pets bring us! We do not realize that they bring us joy sometimes until they are gone. I will have to treasure her memories in my heart for a long time. She and her beautiful kittens. What memories! Kids, remember the time she hid the kittens in the box springs of Daddy's and my bed? Or how about how she had her litter of kittens in Daddy's side of the closet? Her tiny face and little body compared to the other cats we have had will always be there. Dr. Farris, the vet, almost cried with me because she has a whole house full of cats. She was really sweet about the whole thing. Remember the joy and fun things she has brought to our lives and we will have joy eternal. She will be waiting for us! Now we need to live worthy to be with her.

Katelyn Ashlee

Since Mike and Amber do not have a blog. I thought that I would share our newest addition to the Murrays!

Katelyn Ashlee Murray, 7 pounds 13 ounces, 20 inches long and 13 cm around the head. She is pretty and pink!Sarah Autumn with Katelyn Ashlee. They are a cute pair.Katelyn Ashlee and Lily Anne - Momma said I had to be nice.

The three youngest Murrays.

Sarah, Katelyn and Lily

We are wondering if she is going to stay with the darker hair or if she is going to be a red-head with her sisters.

We are growing in leaps and bounds now!!!!

Thanksgiving Gratefulness

Happy Thanksgiving!

This has really been a wonderful Thanksgiving for the Murray Family.

Katelyn Ashlee Murray was born on November 26th at 4:48 a.m. She weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces, 20 inches long and her head measured 13 cm. She has dark hair which is different from her two older sisters, who are red-heads.

The second blessing this Thankgiving is that Kelley Anne and Drew are expecting their first child around the end of July or first of August. The Smiths will have their first grandchild but this will be the Murray Clans' fifth grandchild. We are so excited for the newlyweds and the new adventure that they are enbarking upon.

We are thankful for our family and friends and for the gospel of Jesus Christ that enriches our lives each day.

Thank you to one and all who have made us a happy and wholesome year.

Sherri

Graduation is Coming

Graduation from University of Phoenix is coming soon. I can hardly believe that I am about to start the last class. The class that I am in right now ends a week from today and I start the last class then. WOW! Where have 15 months gone! It seems like yesterday we began this tour.

A new tour is beginning in January when I go back into the program at the University of Phoenix for two years. I will be working on a second masters. This time it will be in Special Education. I am really grateful for all that I have been able to accomplish. I can hardly believe that we are all growing daily and how we have all been able to learn and grow.

Hope for the future!

Today is really a sad day for America. We are walking into a very dangerous situation and I am not sure that we are going to come out the victor. I have so much to be grateful for and yet we really have so much to lose. We are a free and independent nation who may be headed into slavery of a government who does not know how to allow people to use wise and humble knowledge.

For the Murrays, I am so very proud of each of you and hope that you are taking the time to read this blog and see how we feel about you. We are praying for each of you and your success. Please continue the wonderful work.

May our Heavenly Father bless all of you and yours. We have to be even more obedient to make this time a successful period of time.

Sherri