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."

"Why is your forehead leaking?"

Today after exercising and working up quite a sweat, I sat down to put in my food information. Alex came up to me and rubbed my forehead, which was wet with sweat. He said "That feels weird." To which I replied "It's because I am sweating." He continued to watch my forehead as sweat continued to drip down for a few more minutes and then asked "Why is your forehead leaking?" Ha!

A Gentleman in the making

One of the things I am trying to teach my boys is the importance of being a gentleman and treating girls with respect. For example, I make Adam hold the door open for me and Abbi at church. We will then walk through and wait for him to get the next door. He does a great job at this and has even, on occasion, helped me out of the car by getting my car door. Since Alex is a bit younger, I haven't really emphasized these points with him but yesterday while driving home from St. George, his loving actions towards his sister told me he is learning.

While in the car, Abbi kept complaining that she was cold. She had her own coat on but said her legs were freezing. I picked up Alex's coat that was sitting on the floor and handed it to her and told her to put this around her legs. She put the coat back on the floor saying the coat was too cold to use. Alex, the little gentleman he is, took off the jacket he was wearing and said, "Here Abbi, my jacket is warm and you can use it." Oh, my heart melted. What a sweet little gentleman.

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."