Family | McKenzie Sue Makes

Another project I did one night alone during my Ju

Another project I did one night alone during my July social media hiatus - I finally made @thecraftersbox candles! And they’re so cute! Do you ever craft alone and then wish you were doing it with friends but then once you craft with friends you just want to quietly craft alone? No, just me? 🤪🙈 I still have more wax and next batch will be a beautiful evergreen color! So someone come and make candles with me because I really do enjoy company during my projects! ✨

Posting #jamesryangrew update from July: James is

Posting #jamesryangrew update from July: James is 9 months old! He is a total mamma’s boy, his favorite place in the world is the sink bath, and he will grab your phone if it’s in reach quicker than anything I’ve ever seen before! Two bottom teeth and one top came in. With these new teeth he bit my phone so hard I had to get my screen replaced 🤪. He is starting to babble and he is still the happiest boy on earth!

Instagram has felt very pointless for me as of lat

Instagram has felt very pointless for me as of late, so not quite sure what to do about it. In the meantime, I guess I can show whatever photos I like. This one is back from July when Ryan, Hazel, and I painted one lovely Sunday afternoon. The olive branch is a symbol of peace and I desperately hope you can find whatever peace you need - in your communities, your families, and especially inner peace. Looking to God, the Prince of Peace, is a good start. Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend!

Words cannot describe the wonderful Godly love and

Words cannot describe the wonderful Godly love and terrible grief we have felt the past 2.5 weeks. Our nephew Grant passed away after a very full 10 years of his life. Throughout this month, our family has experienced many mini miracles and answered prayers — too long and precious to explain in a little post. Grant's funeral service was uplifting and honored him perfectly. His parent’s resilience and eternal perspective is admirable and inspiring. Grant is a leader; he is righteous and dutiful and good to his core. I remember watching Grant read the last verses of the Book of Mormon at the end of the year and celebrating with him reaching his goal that he made as an EIGHT year old! He’s determined to tell you what he knows is right (and it’s usually completely justified) and he is unashamedly bold about it. I continue to learn from his amazing example. I had the honor of creating a video celebrating Grant and while looking through the hundreds of photos of him, it is obvious he cares more about his connections with his family and friends than much else. Okay, maybe catching frogs and lizards and fish and ducks too ;). But there were photos after photos with his arm candidly over a friend, sibling or cousin. Ryan and I had the amazing blessing of living near him for the past 6.5 years and he was always the first one to run over and give us a hug. He and Ryan are the best of buddies and I am honored to have witnessed their relationship and bond grow so strongly (as well as my own). — Continued in the Comments —

This month I finally made this little matching gam

This month I finally made this little matching game and Hazel played it every morning for a week! Until it was no longer a novelty 😉 (although it still sits on her little table and she plays with them in her own ways). As random as it is, it has been on my list to make this for quite some time. I had all the supplies and for some reason deleting Instagram gave me just enough momentum to actually do it! Just grab a few little containers (I got these at good ol’ Savers) and put in dry beans or any items you have at home. I left the lids unglued so I can grab one item to match, but I think I will eventually glue them shut to avoid any accident or purposeful spills. I got the idea from @montessoriinreallife and was making them to be sound shakers but Hazel really enjoys it as a matching game!

Hey guys, it’s been a while! A whole month. I to

Hey guys, it’s been a while! A whole month. I took an Instagram-hiatus and I loved it so much that I really debated even getting back on it this month. Today, however, I didn’t get a chance to bear my testimony at church and so I want to put it here. This past month I deleted my Instagram app and never have I ever feasted upon the scriptures more in my life. I didn’t realize I was so thirsty until I started drinking from the Living Water! I read multiple church books, all the magazine articles, listened to dozens of talks and church podcasts, and read so many scriptures. All that time I usually spent scrolling was diving into the word of God. They are all treasured up in my mind and soul and I feel like bursting! Section 84 is a newfound top 5 favorite of mine and I just have to bear my testimony of its truth. There are many things I do not know or fully understand so I can only bear testimony of what I have come to know from the Holy Ghost bearing testimony to me. And what I know is that God gives us bits and pieces of his light and truth through His Spirit. I have felt that light sink into my heart and that truth radiate through me. I know that God has revealed a portion of His priesthood for each and every one of us to covenant with Him and receive ordinances for, so that we can in turn behold His face on that great and (not so dreadful) day. I know that the sacrament is an ordinance we have the privilege to partake in every week to declare our loyalty to God. He promises to be by our side, on our right hand and our left, and I know I desperately need Him and His Spirit there with me daily. I know that God answers our prayers. I have seen that multiple times in my life from the most simple and humblest of prayers to the deepest longings of my heart. So many prayers have been answered (many not that way I anticipated but nonetheless answered eventually) that I cannot deny that there is a God listening to me. — more in the comments —

James is 8 months! He has 0 bad days, maybe 1 bad

James is 8 months! He has 0 bad days, maybe 1 bad hour when his first tooth poked through. He is ALL smiles and giggles and this happy light bursting out of his precious blues. He loves all things food and can make watermelon disappear in seconds. He eats a 4oz container of baby food, then a full meal of solid food shared with Hazel (maybe even eat her leftovers), and then finishes with an 8oz bottle...times by 3 per day 😳. No wonder his arms are already sporting a good arm roll tan! He loves clicking his tongue and wiggles in excitement when you make eye contact. My new obsession is his little tuft of hair on top. It’s pretty clear we love this guy. ❤️❤️ #jamesryangrew