Andreapalooza

Andreapalooza (n): A week-long birthday celebration of Andrea's 32nd birthday.

It all started on Sunday, April 18th when Aaron and I substituted Alex's Sunbeam class. The primary presidency somehow knew it was my birthday that week so they invited me to stand in the front so the primary could sing "Happy Birthday" to me. When I sat down I jokingly told Aaron "I guess this is the start of my birthday week." I had no idea he would actually take me serious. So, here is how Andreapalooza played out:

• Monday (the 19th): Aaron came home with a single rose - How sweet!
• Tuesday (the 20th): Aaron came home with 3 more roses and a coupon book filled with lots of coupons for me to redeem. One even included a dinner without the (cell)phone. I am definitely going to be using that one!
• Wednesday (the 21st - my actual birthday): I woke up that morning to find several handwritten post-it notes placed strategically around the house. I was then given an envelope and told to go to a destination at 2:30. I dropped Alex off at the office and headed to my secret place. It ended up being a day spa where Aaron had booked me a wonderful 90 minute massage followed by a pedicure. It was heaven! After being relaxed and pampered for 3 hours, Aaron picked me up (he even lined up a babysitter) and whisked me off the Flemings for a delicious steak dinner and chocolate lava cake for dessert. When they rolled us out the door, we headed home where I had yet another surprise waiting... 2 dozen red roses, and a beautiful heart-shaped diamond necklace! Aaron had picked it out himself and let me tell you, he did a great job!

• Thursday (the 22nd): I thought Andreapalooza was over seeing as how my birthday was over, but Aaron had other plans. He brought me home a bouquet of my favorite candy bars.
• Friday (the 23rd): My favorite treat in the whole world is chocolate covered strawberries, and this is exactly what Aaron brought me home. They were delicious!
• Saturday (the 24th): Aaron gave me a box of Cummings Chocolate Truffles.
• Sunday (the 25th): The final day of Andreapalooza was spent celebrating with my family at our house.

Whew! What a birthday week. I don't even want to know how many calories I consumed and I am not ashamed to say I ate every last one of the yummy treats Aaron surprised me with and didn't give in to the whines of my children to share with them. I did, however, share the chocolate covered strawberries with Aaron because I am nice like that! Thanks Aaron for making me feel very special, very loved, and for being the best husband ever! I think 32 is going to be a great year!

A conversation with Alex

Here is how todays conversation with Alex went:

Me: "Alex, what do you want for lunch?"

Alex: "I want to go to In-n-Out Burger."

Me: "No, we went there yesterday. We are going to eat at home today."

Alex: "But if it is busy, we can eat outside."

Me: "Not today. Do you want tuna?"

Alex: "No."

Me: "Do you want a corn dog?"

Alex: "No."

Me: "Do you want chicken nuggets?"

Alex: "No."

Me: "Well, then I give up. What do you want?"

Alex: "In-n-Out Burger." (Giggle)

This, of course, was followed by me chasing him around the kitchen, catching him, and tickling him.

Our easter celebrations

This year the Easter bunny really tricked the kids by hiding their baskets in their closets. He must have know they never go in there by how dirty and disorganized they are. They thought that was pretty tricky!

We also made resurrection rolls for breakfast. The kids were so amazed how the rolls turned up empty. I think we will make this a new Easter tradition. It was really fun!

The best thing about this Easter was that in coincided with General Conference. So not only were we able to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior but we were also able to listen to teachings of our Prophet Thomas S. Monson. It was a great day!

12 Fabulous years

This year, Aaron and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has been 12 years already. I look back at our wedding photos and realize just how young we were when we got married - I was 19 and Aaron was 22 - so young!

For our anniversary, Aaron and I spent the morning attending a session in the Jordan River Temple. It was so great to sit with him in the peace of the temple and enjoy the spirit we felt there. We followed that up with a quick trip (the kids were at home and Aaron had to go back to work) to Starbucks for a strawberry smoothie and an apple fritter. Since it was a Thursday night, we decided to go out on Friday. On Friday, we went to Flemings and had a truly yummy meal and went to see a movie. Granted, our dates usually consist of dinner and a movie so how was this different? Well, for one, it was Flemings, and two, we had tickets to the Michael Buble concert just a few days away. So, in Marshall family fashion, our anniversary was celebrated for an entire week.

On Wednesday, we went to see Michael Buble in concert with our neighbors, the Grahams. This was our third time seeing him in concert and he never disappoints. It was fabulous! The only disappointing thing was when it ended. So much fun with good times, good fun, and good company.

Well, Hon, I love you! I am so lucky to have you as my husband and I look forward to the next 12 years and beyond!

SOLD!

The Riverton House sold in 7 days with a full price offer!!! It just goes to show that price and condition (staging) are so important in selling homes. What most people don't realize is that their home is the biggest asset they will ever have. It pays dividends to put the time and effort into doing the little things to get that home ready to sell quick and for the most money. Many people, selling their car, will clear it all out of the personal items, take it down to the local car wash, detail it inside and out, and do everything they can to make it shiny and new. However, when it comes to selling their home, they don't put the same thought and energy into it. WHY? The amount of money to be made from the sale of the home is so much greater than the sale of a car. I am a firm believer in Staging a home to sell. 7 days!

Adam's Pinewood Derby

Last night was Adam's pinewood derby. We had a great evening and although he didn't come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd overall, he still had a great time. He had a great time making the car with his dad and racing against his friends. He came in 1st on the first run and 2nd on the second, third, and fourth runs. We even had some yummy twinkie derby treats found here.

What a great evening... we are proud of you, Adam!

Staging Project

Aaron and I bought a home in Riverton to rehab and re-sell. I think it has turned out great and my mom and I actually got to stage it. We had so much fun renting furniture, shopping for accessories, and staging it. I think it turned out great! I don't have any initial pictures of how it looked when Aaron and I first bought it - believe me it was bad - but here are the after pics.

Family Room Before

Family Room After

Dining Room Before

Dining After

Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom After

Bathroom Before

Bathroom After

Kitchen After 1

Kitchen After 2

This is a great home in Riverton with all the upgrades: Granite countertops in Kitchen and baths, New cabinets in Kitchen and Bath, New carpet, New 2-tone paint, stainless steel appliances, updated throughout. If you know of anyone looking for a move-in-ready 3 bedroom / 2 bath home let us know.

Alex turns 4

Alex turned 4 years old and boy was he excited for his birthday! He got to go to the radio station with Aaron and they gave him a Happy Birthday shout out on the air. He loved that! When they got home, we gave him his birthday presents. His favorite was his new Disney Cars bike. He couldn't wait for us to put it together. He put on his helmet and off he went down the street to show it off to the neighbors. His big grin was priceless! Later that night, Aaron and I took him to In-n-Out Burger (his choice) and the Jazz game where we fed him icecream and popcorn. It was a great day!

Alex at 4 years old has become quite the jokester. He loves to play tricks on people including hiding things behind his back, locking people out of the house, playing hide and go seek, and trying to scare his family. He loves to give me kisses and is not satisfied until he has kissed me on both cheeks, both eyes, both ears, my forehead, nose and lips. I'm not complaining... I love those kisses. He loves practicing writing his name and I love as he draws the "A" he always says "down, down, and make a bridge." He thinks he is big and should be able to do many of the things Adam and Abbi do. These include: playing with friends, wearing shorts in winter (thanks Adam), playing with legos, helping cook, giving himself his breathing treatment, and even injected himself with his epipen (long story). Alex can always make me laugh with the things he says. The other day, we were standing in line at Costco with Allison and Nixon. Alex spotted a lady in front of us who was quite short; I'd say she was only around 4'5" tall. Alex points at her and says "That Lady is Little." Luckily Ali was standing by him and people thought he was her child.

Alex, you are such a joy to have in our family. We love you so much! Happy Birthday!

New Orleans

This year Aaron informed that the annual Keller Williams Family Reunion was going to be held in New Orleans, LA. I told him immediately if he was going I was too. I had never been to New Orleans and really wanted to go. Of course, he said "yes" and we quickly made flight and lodging plans.

We had such a great time in New Orleans. We stayed in the French Quarter and had so much fun walking around seeing all that the French Quarter had to offer. We ate yummy beignets and drank hot chocolate at Cafe du Monde; the original French Market Coffee Stand built in 1862. We took a horse and buggy tour around the quarter and learned some of the history. We shopped in the quaint stores. And we loved hearing the impromptu jazz bands that came out on Sunday. On our last day there, we took a "Katrina revisited tour" where they took us down to the lower 9th ward where Hurricane Katrina hit the hardest. Although most of the debris had been cleaned up, we were still able to see the devastation left behind. Some of the homes still had the markings of the rescue crews spray painted on the front, holes were still in the roof tops as a reminder of escape routes, front steps leading up to where a house should be still stood barren, and yellow water lines ran along houses and buildings showing just how far underwater they were. It was a great opportunity to remind ourselves how blessed we are everyday and to make sure we prepare our family for the unknown.

This was father/son duo. He was teaching his son how to make money as a street performer.

Not sure what this guy was doing but we saw him several times.

The hole in the roof was how the family escaped.

Throughout our 4 days there, since it was a Keller Williams convention, we had to squeeze in a few business items. Aaron was asked by Gary Keller himself to be on a real estate mastermind panel with Gary and 2 other real estate professionals. What an honor and Aaron did a great job! I was so proud of him. He also was on another panel with fellow REO (foreclosure) agents talking about how to break into the REO industry. It was fun attending these meetings with Aaron and brainstorming new ideas with him on ways to grow the business in 2010.

We had a great 4 days in New Orleans and was sad to see it come to an end. Just a side note: If you decide to go... don't let anyone give you a shoe shine. Just say "No." $30 later and a big smudge of shoe polish on my white tennies, we wished someone had shared this bit of wisdom with us.

"I am now a tween"

My oldest just turned 10! How is that even possible? My kids keep getting older, and I guess I do too, but the latter doesn't register in my mind. So, every time I stop and think "I have a ten year old," I get taken aback by the fact that they aren't the only ones getting older. Scary!

Adam informed me on his birthday that he was now a "tween." It's like he has come to a rite of passage and has changed overnight. He is still the same loveable, funny, smart, great laugh, big hugger, pre-tween boy I knew, however, it seems overnight he has grown so much. The other night I went to check on him as he was sleeping. I snuck into his room and couldn't believe how big he seemed in his little twin bed. I guess my "baby" is growing up.

This year for his birthday, Aaron and I were going to be in New Orleans for a Keller Williams convention; I know... horrible parents, but we definitely made it up to him. We gave him his presents before we left and he was so ecstatic to receive the ripstick he had been wanting. It took him no time at all to get it out of the package and run outside to try it out. He loved it!

Notice the tongue hanging out..... this is a family trait that both his dad and his grandpa do. Love it!

On his birthday, his Grandpa and Grandma Marshall, who so graciously watched the kids while we were gone, celebrated his birthday by taking him to Chili's for dinner. I called him and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He said "Thanks Mom" in his this-is-so-embarrassing-but-I'll-appease-my-crazy-mom voice. Gotta love those "tweens."

After Aaron and I arrived home, we took him and 6 of his best buddies to Classic Skating where we let them run wild for 4 hours. They had a blast playing laser tag, riding scooters, jumping on the bouncy houses, and shooting each other in the blast zone.

And then, you'd think that is enough partying, but not at the Marshall household. On Sunday, we got my side of the family together to celebrate one last time with more presents and an icecream cake from Coldstone.

All in all, Adam had a great tenth birthday! Now I just have to get used to being the mother of a "tween."