December in a Nutshell

As always, December has come and gone. With all the activities we had going on it flew by so fast and now we are left with the memories of Christmas 2009. The kids were off track for the entire month and we were able to do some fun things. We....

Decorated our annual gingerbread house

Notice Abbi's face? This is due to the fact that after we were done decorating, Abbi thought it would be a great idea if she took her cinnamon-apple flavored hand lotion and decorate some more. After "spicing" up the back of the gingerbread house we caught on to what she was doing and told her that was not edible. She was a little embarrassed but it all turned out okay. When it came time to eat the house, we just threw that part away.

Attended Abbi's Dance Recital and Harmony Concert

She did a great job on both accounts and it was fun to attend her events as a family. Plus, it always gives us an excuse to visit Leatherby's for some yummy ice cream sundaes.

Held our annual office party

I have been bribed to not release any further pictures or video that may or may not have been taken. All I can say is, we had a great time with a great group of people!

Aaron and I went to San Francisco

Celebrated Christmas with family

Christmas morning, the kids (Adam and Abbi) woke up at 3:30. I could hear them rummaging through their stockings so I went down to find every light on and their excited faces as they saw what Santa had brought them. I told them to turn off the lights and go back to bed. They did, but I'm not sure they slept. At 7:00 the tearing of paper and merriment could be heard from the Marshall house. It was a great holiday; complete with visiting all our family and sharing in the joy of the season!

And a quick trip to West Yellowstone for a little rest and relaxation

(Abbi took this picture with her new camera)

We packed and headed up to West Yellowstone where we spent 4 days relaxing, eating, watching movies, playing games with the kids, and of course, swimming in the indoor pool. It was fabulous. One day, we actually ventured out of the condo to take the kids sledding. After walking 1.8 kilometers to the snow hill, every one was tired, cold, and cranky. We sled down the hill 2-3 times, called it good, and hiked out another 1.8 kilometers to the car. Good in theory, not so much in reality. Memories! We also took some family pictures while we were there.

So, I think that about sums up our December. We had a great season and hope you and your family had a great one as well. Now it's time to gear up for the new year and the many experiences and opportunities it will bring.

Happy New Year!

A Few of My Favorite Things

In honor of this joyous time of year, and the fact that I don't write a lot about me, I decided to write down just a "few of my favorite things." Can't you just hear Julie Andrews singing along with me while we twirl around on flower-topped hills?

• My family
• Goodnight kisses
• Hairspray - (not the movie or play). The more the better!
• Chocolate-covered strawberries
• Hot showers
• Reading a good book
• Autumn
• Target - I can always find something I "need" there
• Mineral Foundation
• A clean house
• Movies - I love watching movies - mostly at the theater but I'll take cuddling up on the couch with popcorn and a blanket too. There are some movies that no matter how many times I have seen them I can still watch them over and over: Back to the Future, You've Got Mail, French Kiss, Christmas Story, The Notebook
• Summer rain
• Spending time with great friends

San Francisco

Aaron and I decided this year for Christmas we wanted a get-away with just the two of us. The place? 4 fun-filled days in San Francisco. We had so much fun together. For four days it was a non-stop sight-seeing, picture taking, eating, football cheering, trolley riding, shopping, fun time. The first night in San Francisco we bought tickets to see "Wicked" for the second time. I absolutely love this play and could see it again and again - well, I guess this year we actually did! But it was fabulous! We also got to go to a 49ers game while we were there. That was a blast. We boarded the Candlestick express bus and off we went. The bus was packed full of 49ers fans- I mean standing room only. On the way to Candlestick Park, the bus stopped suddenly and I, in my panic, grabbed the thigh of the teenage boy sitting next to me and squeezed for quite some time until my mind caught up with my actions and I realized what I was doing. I was soooo embarrassed and I think he was too. I told Aaron what I did and we couldn't stop laughing - I think Aaron was a little jealous! The game was so much fun. Nothing like 49er fans. We had fun high-fiving the fans around us and watching the team win the Arizona Cardinals 24-3. Go 9ers!

The rest of the time was spent catching trolley's to take us around town. We went to Pier 39 and walked through the shops, ate lots of yummy seafood - clam chowder in a soup bowl - YUMMY! and watched the Sea lions lounge around. The time went by so quick but Aaron and I had a great time being together. We can't wait to do it again.

Enjoying our Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate while we waited for the trolley.

Mmmm.... Clam chowder in a bread bowl.

Fred's Diner. Aaron got the "Hot Mama" burger

After all the walking we did in 4 days, this picture is about how we felt when we were done.

"All I want for Christmas is the Earth and Sky"

Friday was Abbi's Christmas dance recital and she did AWESOME! I love watching her up on stage and always get a little teary-eyed because I am so proud of her. She did a great job and all her hard work paid off. They were also able to perform their dance at the Festival of Trees. Way to go Abbi - You looked great!

Christmas Craft

While reading one of the many blogs I follow, I came across this fun and easy craft and decided I needed to try it out. So off to the dollar store to get my ornaments and then to my mom's house where I met up with my mom and sisters. After about an hour of laughing, talking, and crafting this is how mine turned out.

I really liked how it turned out but the one thing I would change is to buy better ornaments. The ones from the dollar store are pretty flimsy in that the tops of them break easily which means they fall off the hanger. I think I'll wait for some great after Christmas sales to score on some better ornaments. But, in the meantime, I will enjoy my ornament wreath.

"I want some Mamma Mia."

Today I asked Alex what he wanted for lunch. He replied: "I want some Mamma Mia." I see you have the same reaction I did so I asked him: "What is Mamma Mia?" He then went to the fridge, opened it up and took out a package of edamame. "I want some Mamma Mia."

The Travelocity Gnome costume

Adam is funny when it comes to Halloween costumes. He never wants to be what I want him to be which this year, was a soccer goalie ghost. I got him to dress up as the ghost for his friend's halloween party last week, due to lack of having anything else, but I could tell he was not happy with it. A few days after the party he came to me and told me he wanted to be the Travelocity Gnome. Okaaaay! (note sarcasm). So, on to the internet I went trying to see if they even have those costumes. The answer to that was Yes - for $39.99. No way am I spending $40 on a costume for Halloween. So, I gave Adam two choices: 1. Be the goalie ghost (which I thought turned out awesome) or 2. I will make you a Travelocity Gnome costume. He begrudgingly chose the second option. So, I went to Target and purchased an oversized mens blue shirt and then went to Roberts and got stiff felt, red posterboard, and ribbon and came up with this (all for around $10):

Pretty good if I do say so myself. Adam was even impressed and that is hard to do.

Alex and Abbi were much easier to dress. Abbi decided she wanted to be a 50's girl and we found this cute costume at Walmart:

Alex changed his mind several times. Throughout Halloween day he went from being a Lego Knight to a pirate to Elmo. For Trick-or-treating he was this:

Carving pumpkins

We bought a fat orange pumpkin

The plumpest sort they sell.
We neatly scooped the inside out
And only left the shell.

We carved a funny funny-face

Of silly shape and size,
A pointy nose, a jagged mouth
And two enormous eyes.

We set it in a window

And we put a candle in,

Then lit it up for all to see

Our jack-o'lantern grin.

Happy Halloween!

My fabulous girls weekend in Disneyland

What can I say about 4 fun-filled days with my friends in the Happiest Place on Earth? It was a fabulous, entertaining, rejuvenating, happy, laughable, stay-up-all-night, laugh-till-you-hurt, free-fallin', good time. It was so nice to get away with Lori, Shelly, and Debbie and what a better place to go than Disneyland. We left our families Thursday morning with a kiss and jump in our step and made our way to the airport. After a short 2 hour flight, we skipped off the plane and headed straight towards Disneyland. From that moment on it was non-stop laughter and fun as we rode screamin', Tower of Terror, Madderhorn, Peter Pan, teacups (well I watched on that one), The haunted house, Midway Mania, Splash Mountain... well you get the idea. We hardly slept and by the end of our trip our stomachs hurt from laughing so hard everyday... Poor Armand (but that is a whole other story.) By the end of our 4 day vacation, we had ridden every ride (sometimes two or three times) and eaten our way through every churro stand. We were so sad to see it come to end but have vowed to make it an annual event. Thanks Ladies for being a kid with me again and for making our trip to Disneyland so much fun!

MMM, Churros!

Being Brave on the Tower of Terror

(Notice the death grip Shelly has on Lori and Debbie. She wasn't going to let them chicken out.)

Me, Shelly, Lori, and Debbie

General Conference Weekend

I haven't always loved General Conference - especially as a child but as I have grown "wiser" I have come to love and look forward to General Conference. To hear the testimonies and the counsel of our leaders is so motivating and uplifting and the spirit it brings into our home is amazing and peaceful. This past weekend was no different. I loved listening to the many talks and it never fails that one or two of the talks seem to have been written specifically for me. I can't wait to receive the Conference talk edition of the Ensign so I can re-read the talks.

One of my favorite things about General Conference is that it gives me a chance to get with my family and do some crafting. While the men went to Priesthood session, here is what my mom, my sister, and I did. It was so easy and so much fun. The idea and the kit for these cute pumpkins can be found here on my sister's blog. She is so creative!

During Sunday's session, Alex and I made yummy chocolate chip pumpkin bread while Adam and Abbi made scrapbook pages. It made for an enjoyable afternoon.