Very sad night at the Marshall Household. The neighbor dogs (three large Rotweillers) broke through the fence and poor, sweet Charlotte was attacked and killed. (I'll spare you the gory details. Just trust me when I say that it wasn't pretty.) Thankfully, she was at peace and didn't struggle or cry out. Matt had the horrible task of relieving her of her suffering, but we're pretty sure that she passed just before he actually did. I hate to throw around the word "traumatizing", but that's really the only word that truly fits what we went through. The only blessing we can glean from this is that we're pretty sure she had cancer and would have suffered more from that in the near future. God was sparing us worse heartache, I think.
As a farm kid, I have seen lots of death -- not so much for my husband and kids -- but experience doesn't make it any easier. We will all grieve her loss. She was very loved and will be sorely missed. There's a small, furry void in our house, now.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Marshall Boys!

It was a quiet day for us. The boys got up, made us coffee, and attacked their stockings while Matt and I dragged ourselves out of bed. We then started breakfast and the boys opened gifts (Matt and I open our gifts to each other the night before, after the boys go to bed). They made out like thieves, as usual. I had a headache most of the day, and Matt had to work the next day, so we just kind of laid around and relaxed. Had a ham dinner and then went to bed. It was just perfect.

Drew's First Piano Recital & Rob's Baptism

Today was a super busy day! First, it was Drew's first piano recital at church, then the Christmas Children's Program, then Rob's baptism. Later that day, Drew had a SECOND recital at another church. Needless to say, we all slept well that night! What a blessed day!

Rob's baptism was so sweet. This kid has been persistent and inquisitive about his salvation for at least a year or two. By the Grace and Work of God, despite us, he got saved this summer and has been pestering us to get baptized for months. It's so special that Matt got to baptize him.

Drew started piano lessons mid-November and picked it up FAST. He loves it so much!

Matt's Headshots

Did headshots for Matt today. He's trying for a spot as an extra in a local independent film. Wish him luck!

Edit: He didn't get chosen, but I still love these photos of him. *SWOON*

Halloween

Superman and Batman went to Main Street to rid this city of its candy! We celebrate a little early, opting for a daytime event downtown instead of door-to-door. Then the boys get to enjoy handing out candy to other kids on Halloween night! Don't they look epic?!

First Day of School

It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas. THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! WOOT!!! =D
Okay, okay. I love my guys. I do! But it's been a crazy, busy summer and I'm a little...spent. Hanging out with them 24/7 does that to me. We had a great summer, but it's just time, you know? Here's to a great year! 2nd and 4th grades -- WOW!!
These two. They crack me up!

Idaho Falls Air Show/Blue Angels

We drove all the way to Idaho Falls to see the Blue Angels! It was super hot (and I almost ended up with heat stroke -- seriously!), but it was totally worth these pictures and the awesome experience!

Rob's Ninth Birthday

NINE?!?!?! HE'S NINE?!?!?! How did that happen?! I blinked and now he's NINE!!!

Since we had a big birthday bash this past weekend, we didn't have huge plans for his actual birthday. His only request was to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant so he could get whipped cream shoved in his face. We obliged for mostly selfish/ornery reasons. The staff put a sombrero on his head, gave him fried ice cream, sang to him, and then creamed him. He was absolutely thrilled!

You can watch the video here. You'll want to hear Drew's laugh when his brother gets creamed.

The boys also had their first swimming lessons today, too! Thanks to Aunt Janice, who "sponsored" it all. They learned how to safely enter and exit the pool, how to blow air out of their nose under the water, how to float on their backs, and how to jump in. We'll be going twice a week for four weeks, which is awesome for both them and me -- it wears gives them something to do and it wears them out!

Family Get Together/Joint Birthday Party

Since my family lives far away, we rarely get together for birthdays. So, my mama and aunt flew up from California and we had a big birthday bash for both boys! We played games, ate tons of food, and laughed lots. It was a super fun day!

Kayaking?!

Matt and the boys got to go KAYAKING this weekend! I wasn't sure if my fluffy frame would fit in a kayak (and I wasn't prepared to make a total fool out of myself, potentially), so I stayed home. Seeing how much fun they had made me more than a little jealous! Maybe I'll be brave enough to go next time. And I've been informed there WILL be a next time -- they're hooked!

Going under the Perrine Bridge, they got to see BASE jumpers!

When they made it to Pillar Falls, they stopped for a break.

Swimming in the Snake River.

All three "boys" slept so good when they got back! What a fun day!

(Photos by Matt)

4th of July

It was a weird/off day, but we made the most of it. Blowing stuff up helps. We had grandiose plans of hanging out with friends, but it kind of fell apart. I'm still not sleeping well and the boys were still getting over their post-VBS colds.
We attempted to go out and do some Pokehunting, but had to head home after Matt's phone decided to start doing the Bootloop of Death. Ugh. Not long after we got home, the power went out as we were cooking dinner (finished it JUST in time). We decided to head outside when the house started getting warm (it was still 90 degrees outside) and start a few fireworks. We're never able to afford many, but thankfully the boys are easy to please and they enjoyed themselves very much. That's all that matters.
P.S. LG, you suck. This is the second phone that's done this to us! :-P

Snake River Canyon Stroll/Photowalk

Got to take a lovely (albeit HOT) stroll along the canyon rim this evening. Matt and the boys Pokehunted while I shutterbugged. It felt good to get out and do that again.

Our California Trip

After a really tough winter, we definitely were ready for a warm, fun vacation. So, we headed south to visit Nana in California for a week! As usual, it was quite the adventure and lots and lots of fun!

 The first stop on our trip was San Francisco. Matt wanted to explore the city more thoroughly than we had time for last time, so we ended up spending two nights there. Crazy city!

After a decent night's sleep, we headed to Pier 39 to see the Aquarium of the Bay, which was Drew's request. This was the first time the boys had ever been to a real aquarium. The touch pools and tunnels were a definite hit.

After finishing the aquarium, we ate lunch and continued down the pier. Near the end, we did the 7D Experience and rode the carousel.

When we were tired of walking, we boarded a tour bus and rode it ALL over the city -- even over the Golden Gate Bridge TWICE!

Per Rob's request, we went to Ripley's Believe it or Not! Interesting place.

The next day, we drove the seven or eight hours down to Nana's house. We were still so pooped from our San Francisco adventure, we just sat around the house the next day.

After getting all rested up, we decided to go explore Balboa Park in San Diego the next day. We barely scratched the surface and definitely want to visit this place again next time! SO BEAUTIFUL!

We stopped for lunch at a fun little Mexican restaurant in San Diego. We all really loved this city and want to explore more of it next time.

We topped off the day with a quick trip to Coronado, where we walked on the beach and saw the famous Hotel del Coronado.

The next day, we all piled into Nana's car and went to Knott's Berry Farm! Even Cousin Dana joined us. The boys got to ride pretty much any ride they wanted, so they did!

We decided to take it easy the following day, so we ate a quick lunch at In-N-Out and headed to Oceanside Beach. It's our favorite!

We decided to stay one extra day so we could spend it with Aunt Janice. We all went to La Jolla to see the seals. It was stinky and crowded, but still a neat place to visit.

The next day, we had to head home. It was a long, boring drive through Nevada and we were all pretty sad to have to say goodbye to Nana. But we had another super fun trip and can't wait for next time!

Drew is SEVEN!

Happy 7th birthday, Drewser!!! 

Rob may be the resident pickle lover, but Drew is definitely the taco equivalent!😂 I think he likes it.

He saved up all his birthday money and bought his very own Kindle Fire. He is thrilled, to say the least.