Aaron's 100 mile bike for MS

This weekend Aaron completed one of his goals:  Bike 100 miles for Multiple Sclerosis.  We are so proud of him!  It was held in Logan, UT on Saturday June 23. 

We drove up the night before and were able to stay in the USU housing dorms... twin beds for everyone!  The kids thought that was great!  We all got up bright and early Saturday morning and headed down to the starting point of the race.

Aaron was riding with our good friend, Lincoln Judd and the Hilti team.  Here they are ready to go.

And.... They're off!

While Aaron and Lincoln were riding we were volunteering.  The kids opened all the medals.....

Handed out the medals to the riders as they crossed the finish line......

Sprayed the riders down with water at the finish line....

 

And ate lots and lots of these:

We were so excited when we saw Aaron come around the corner and cross the finish line.  Abbi was more than happy to award her dad with the medal and Alex and Adam made sure to spray him down really good with the water misters.  

Way to go!  We are so proud of our men!  100 miles!

Aaron is now ready to take on a triathlon and maybe a half ironman.

Happy Birthday to our princess!

 Happy 10th Birthday Abigail!

Abbi was quite spoiled for her birthday this year, but turning 10 is a huge deal!  I mean, you are now in the double digits!  

She received A LOT of presents:

Cooking utensils for her cupcake maker,

clothes,

jewelry,

a date night with Dad at Chick-fil-A,

accessories for her doll,

a spa pedicure,

oh, and more clothes.

What more could a ten-year old ask for?  Besides an Ipod touch.  (We said "no" to that).

Abbi,

We love you so much!  You are the sweetest girl and we are so blessed to have you in our family.  You have such a tender heart and truly care about those around you.  You are a sweet daughter to us and to your Heavenly Father.  Never forget your eternal worth!  You are a daughter of our Heavenly Father, who loves you!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Challenge #4--Playtime!

When you have a few minutes or a few days, what do you like to do in your “play” time?

As a mother of 3 busy kids, a wife of a self-employed entrepreneur, and the owner of a home staging business, I've come to realize I don't have a lot of "play" time.  I keep thinking when Alex goes to first grade, I'll finally be able to have more time (I'm SO over this half day of kindergarten thing), but time will tell in a few months if that is true.  To be honest, I'm a little nervous about having all my kids in school all day.  What am I going to do with all the time I will acquire?  Is this a mid-mom crisis?  I guess I'll have to wait and see... In the meantime, these are the things I like to do in my "play" time:

• Browsing different blogs in blogland and dreaming of completing many DIY projects.
• Scrolling through Pinterest - also dreaming of completing many DIY projects or making yummy desserts for my family
• Reading a book
• Shopping - not grocery shopping though, that is not fun.
• Vacationing - I LOVE going on vacation even if it is just for a few days.  I especially love vacationing when it is just Aaron and I.  It's nice to be together without the distraction of kids and work... well, kids at least.  We all know how Aaron will go through withdrawals if he can't check in with the office.  
• I love cooking - but I hate the whole meal planning/grocery shopping thing.  I need someone to do that for me.
• Watching TV.  When I get overwhelmed or need to decompress, I love "zoning" out for an hour in front of the tube.
• Playing card games with the neighbors on a weekend night

So, there you have it.  My list of what I like to do in my "play" time.  Nothing grand 
or even very exciting, but comforting to me nonetheless.  

Challenge #3--Always Something There to Remind Me...

Challenge #3--Always Something There to Remind Me...

A fill in the blank challenge this week: Whenever I ________, I ________.

Whenever I walk through the front entrance of Disneyland and make my way onto Main Street, I get teary eyed.  Okay, maybe I actually cry.  I just love Disneyland so much and get so excited.  It is a completely different place.  I mean, where else can grown ups wear cartooned-out shirts and a big Goofy hat without ridicule?


Since I'm a creature of habit, whenever I go to Baskin Robbins, I ALWAYS order a single scoop of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  Also, whenever I go to the Training Table, I ALWAYS order the #24 turkey sandwich.  I'm afraid that if I deviate from what I know I like, I might get something I hate and then I would just be wishing I ordered the usual.  


Whenever I hear a fire engine drive by our house, I remember when Abbi was little and she would freak out when she heard the sirens.  She could be completely asleep for her nap and as soon as the sirens came around the corner, it would wake her up and she would come running to find me.


Whenever "You've Got Mail" or "Sweet Home Alabama" is on tv, I always have to watch it; even if I have seen it a hundred times.


Whenever I sit in the chapel of the Oquirhh Mountain Temple, I remember the time I was there for the dedication with Adam and we met Pres. Monson.  He shook Adam's hand, talked with him and gave him a hug.  It was an experience I will never forget!


Whenever I see someone fall, I laugh.  I can't help it... it is an automatic instinct.  It's not that I think it is funny, It is automatic.  I can't help it!


Whenever my kids are happily playing with each other, I smile.  It makes me happy to know they are getting along; even if the moments are brief.


Whenever there is laundry to be done, I make piles in the bedrooms and then bring up each load one at a time.  Aaron on the other hand, likes to pile all the laundry at once in the laundry room.  Drives me crazy!


Whenever I see the trees blossoming in the springtime, I always sing "Popcorn Popping" in my head.


Whenever I drive by Salt Lake Community College's campus on 3900 S., I remember the feelings of morning sickness I had with Adam.  Aaron and I were taking a Business communications class together when I was first pregnant and I remember being so sick while sitting in class.  Sometimes I would leave and go sit in the car with the windows down.


Whenever Aaron is out of town, I have a hard time sleeping in our bed alone.  So, I stay up way too late watching late night television and infomercials.  The ShamWow! is pretty amazing!

Happy Birthday to me!

I remember my Grandma Burch talking to me about age and birthdays and telling me that once you hit a certain age such as 83 you turn the numbers around and they become 38.  She thought she was pretty clever and at the time I gave her the ha ha laugh and thought "crazy Grandma."  Now that I am getting older, that conversation keeps coming to my mind and I realize she wasn't completely crazy.  Not that I can turn my age around because then it would be 43 which I am so not ready for, but I've come to realize that I will be forever 25 in my mind.  It's funny; my kids get older and every year I think, "How am I old enough to have a ____ year old?"  It feels to me like I just graduated high school.  I guess you are only as old as you feel, which is what I think my grandma was trying to tell me in her own little quirky way.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think 34 is old at least until Aaron told me that next year I would be 35.  35?  I'll be halfway through my 30's already.... augh!  Oh well, that is an entire year away.  In the meantime, I have been thoroughly enjoying my day about me!  I woke up and spent an incredibly lazy day hanging out in bed watching a movie on the TV.  When I finally decided to get up out of bed and move to the computer, Abbi and Alex surprised me "breakfast" of Apple Jacks cereal and a homemade cupcake decorated in purple frosting.  It was delicious!  Especially since I didn't have to get it myself.  

After breakfast, Aaron took the kids and told me to go get a pedicure.  It was so relaxing to sit and be pampered.  Mid-way through my pedicure, Aaron called and told me to not come home until 4:00.  To which I quickly said "OK" and went off to shop all by myself.  I browsed through the racks of Ross and TJ Maxx and slowly made my way through both stores and I didn't have to stop once to take someone to the bathroom or to tell them, "No, we can't go look at the toys."

When I got home, I was surprised with this lovely sight:  Flowers, a birthday cake and an Ipad 3.

I was so surprised!  Mostly about the cake.  Aaron is not a cake-lover and in 15 years of knowing each other, this was the first cake he had ever bought me on my birthday!  I loved every last bite of it!

The kids quickly lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday and told me to make a wish.  They were so excited for me.  They were so cute!

After blowing out the candles, Aaron and I went downtown to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  We had a yummy steak dinner and I even got a yummy apple pie a la mode for dessert.  It was delicious!

We ended the night by catching a movie at the theater.  I had a great birthday and felt loved by all my family and friends.  

Conversation with Alex:


Me: "Do you want spaghetti or tacos for dinner?"
Alex: "Neither"
Me: "What do you want then?"
Alex: "It's your birthday."
Me: "So what does that mean?" By the way, my b-day isn't until Saturday
Alex: "You shouldn't have to cook on your birthday. Don't worry mom, we'll go somewhere and you don't even have to drive - Dad will pay."


His wife is going to love him.  I'm teaching him right!

Marshall's Mad Science lab

This year was a birthday party year for Alex and he decided to have a science-themed birthday party.  I had a lot of fun planning and shopping for the party.  Thank goodness for pinterest.  I found lots of great ideas and science experiments.

Here is our entrance into the lab.  Don't forget to scan your hand for entrance!

Once inside, they had to determine what their mad scientist name was.  We had names like Dr. Alex Marvin Chunks and Dr. Kaden Giggle Farkle.  The boys thought it was pretty funny!

Then they had to pick up the Science notebook.  These had all the experiments in them and they would have to write down or draw what happened during each experiment.

Safety first!  Don't forget your goggles!

These were the party favors.  Inside had a test tube full of m&m's, pop rocks, sour gummy worms, and other trinkets.

What science lab is complete without bubbling liquid?

Ready to go with the first experiment.  Color changing milk:  milk, food coloring, and dish soap... so cool!

We also did the disappearing penny, Ivory soap explosion, elephant toothpaste, Marshmallow masher,  Floating m's, Exploding sandwich bag, and our favorite.... Soda pop explosion.

Then, of course, it was time to open presents!

We had a great day in the Marshall Mad Science Lab!

Alex's 6th birthday!

Happy Birthday Alex!  We had such a fun time celebrating your birthday!  You got to go to Build A Bear and make your very own stuffed animal.  Although there was a lot of animals to choose from, you eventually chose a dog and named him Brownie.

 You had a lot of fun controlling the machine as the lady helped stuff Brownie.

And then, you and Nixon had a great time "cleaning" Brownie and getting all the stuffing material off his fur.

Here you are ready to go. 

Then it was off to Apollo Burger for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa McGee, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Ali and Nixon, Dad and me, Abbi and Adam.  Then, of course it was home to open more presents and eat your icecream cake from Coldstone.

You are getting so big and are learning so much this year in Kindergarten.  I miss having you home with me in the mornings and then next year you'll be gone all day.  When I ask you what I'm going to do while you are in school, you tell me I will work with Daddy at the office.  You're probably right!  You are so much fun to have in our family.  You love to make up new laughs and are constantly trying to make others laugh. We love you very much Alex and are so proud of you!  Happy birthday Alex!

Love, 

Mom and Dad

Adam's 12th birthday!

I don't think it is even possible that you are already 12.  It seems like yesterday that you were running around the front yard with your Superman cape, socks for gloves and your shades on ready to save the world.

This year for your birthday you wanted a Nintendo 3DS with mario kart, a day of snowboarding with your dad, new church clothes with a pink and purple tie, and money.  You keep saying your saving up but what your saving up for keeps changing.... a new skateboard, no a new bike, an Ipod Touch, no a (fill in the blank)!  I think you got everything on your list.  What a fun birthday week!

And, on Sunday, you got the best gift of all.... the gift of the priesthood.  It was a special day to see you ordained to the office of the Deacon.  And then to watch you pass the sacrament... I was so proud of you!  I remember 12 years ago, on your blessing day, thinking how great it is that my son will someday hold the power of the priesthood.  I hope you realize what the blessing of the priesthood is.

Adam, you are such a cool kid!  I love that you still hug me and want me to tuck you in bed at night.  I especially love that you will still hug me in front of your friends.  We are so proud of you and love the young man you are becoming.  We love you so much!

Love, Mom and Dad

This Is Me - #2. Choices

The Challenge: What are some choices in your life that affected where you are now?

We are faced with so many choices every day.  What to eat, what to wear, where should we go, what should we do.  Not every choice we make is going to be life changing or make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, but some are life altering, life changing, and crucial to our existence.  I have made millions of choices throughout my 33 years on this earth.  Some good, some bad, but all have made me who I am and where I am today.

I would say one of the biggest choices I made in my life was to marry my best friend, Aaron Marshall in the Salt Lake Temple.  I knew I wanted to marry him fairly early into our relationship and even though we had some ups and downs getting to that point I knew it was the right one.  I remember one time after we were engaged, we were having a "discussion" and I was about to hand him back the ring.  Suddenly, a thought came to my mind that that is what Satan would want to have happen.  Satan didn't want us to be married in the temple and to have an eternal family.  It was a strange sensation and after I shared that with Aaron, the feeling in the room changed and we were at peace with our decision.  I'm grateful for the promptings of the Holy Ghost!

The choice to have children was another big choice that has shaped my life to where I am now.  Having children is probably the biggest life changer I will ever experience.  I went from being a wife and money maker to a mother, chef, nurse, taxi driver, kisser of boo boos, cleaner, comforter, and "the best mom in the whole world".  To say that this choice has been easy would not be the truth.  There are many nights I have gone to sleep with huge amounts of guilt that I should have done things differently during the day.  Did I spend enough time with them?...  I shouldn't have yelled like that....  Do they know I love them?...  Am I teaching them the correct principles of the Gospel?....  Am I being the best mother I can be?...  Yet, even with all that guilt and wavering on my role of mother, when they come to me and wrap their arms around me and tell me "You are the best mom in the whole world", I know I must be doing something right.  I love my role of motherhood.  As challenging as it is at times and even when I feel so unappreciated, I wouldn't give it up for anything.

"There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood."

-Elder M. Russell Ballard

This is Me - #1. 10 Modern Conveniences

I have been reading about "This is Me" Challenge for a while now and have finally decided to dive in and take the challenge.  My first Challenge: 

If you were forced to go back in time to the olden days, but were allowed to take 10 modern conveniences with you, what would you take?

Wow!  I can only choose 10.  That is kind of a hard one.  There are so many conveniences that we are blessed to have these days.  I mean, even when I go camping, we bring along the "condo on wheels" that has everything: a shower, heater, bed, stove, microwave, fridge, and even a tv.  So, if I went back to the olden days and could only take 10 modern conveniences......  I think they would be:

1. My car
2. My computer (how could I survive without blogs, Pinterest or Facebook?)
3. Contact Lenses
4. My bed
5. Indoor plumbing
6. Target
7. Microwave
8. Refrigerator
9. Washer and Dryer
10. Dishwasher

There is also modern medicine, the telephone, electricity, a heated home, accessible clothing, "girl" products (if you know what I mean), fast food, Diet Coke, the list goes on and on.  Yet, with all the modern conveniences that we enjoy and have that is supposed to make our lives easier, why does it seem like there is never enough time in the day to get everything done.  I wonder if the people that lived in the "olden" times felt that same way.  Was it truly a more relaxed, peaceful time or did they feel some of the same pressures that we do today? 

January Date Night

This year for Christmas, I wanted to give Aaron something meaningful and something he wouldn't expect.  I love spending time alone with him and wanted to incorporate that fact into the gift.  I thought about planning a trip.  We love vacationing together, but I wanted something a little bit more personal that would last the entire year.  I finally came up with the idea of pre-planning 12 dates nights (one a month) for an entire year.  I searched the internet and found lots of great ideas.  I narrowed it down to the twelve I liked and set about putting each date together.  I bought gift cards, made instructions sheets, created individual envelopes, scheduled the date nights on the calendar, and put everything together so all we had to do was pull the month's envelope and enjoy our time together.  This was definitely a labor of love and Aaron was actually surprised when he opened this present on Christmas day.

When Aaron opened up January's envelope this is what was inside:

We called up our friends, the Graham's and the Collotzi's, and invited them to go with us.  After all, bowling is much more fun with friends.  

We had a great dinner at Italian Village.  But then again, what's not to love about pizza benders and garlic bread?

And then headed to the bowling alley where we had fun bowling with the M&M's rules.  These rules included bowling backwards, bowling with an opposite hand, kicking the ball, granny style, and date bowl for you.  We had a lot of fun but our scores were very sad!  About halfway through, we threw out the M&M's rules and bowled normally.

Jeremy and Randi Graham

Chad and Celena Collotzi

Who won the 15 minute massage?  No one, we had to quit early to make it home by curfew.  We all had a great evening.  Can't wait until February to see what's planned next.

Behind the Myths Tour

Adam is a fanatic when it comes to Mythbusters.  He LOVES the show!  He recordes every episode and enjoys watching them as the bust myths.  So, when I got an email early in December letting me know they were coming to Utah in "concert" I knew it would be the perfect Christmas gift for Adam.  He was so excited when he opened up the present containing the tickets.  He had no idea!

Adam and I went together to the show.  It was a great date!  We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and then made our way up to the show.  It was a lot of fun!  They did several experiments and even called some of the audience members up on stage.

 They demonstrated how you can lie on a bed of nails without being stuck.  It had something to do with surface area.  They even cracked the cinder block on Adam Hyneman.

Using two ordinary phone books, with pages interlaced, they were able to lift Adam.  That was impressive!

Here are their Mini-me's.  This was hilarious!  They had audience members come up and do an obstacle course using the peephole out of a door.  They had to end up delivering a tray of milk to Adam and Jamie.  In the end, they quickly brought out these two to replace them.

This was Adam's favorite.  They brought out an audience member dressed in a suit of armor and proceeded to blast him with paint balls.