Happy birthday, Rob!

Blow out your candles!

Man, they're tough to blow out!

Hey! Something's off about these candles!

They're TRICK CANDLES!!!

Rob's First Stitches

All he wanted to do was make the cats a kitty palace.

He asked me for cardboard boxes and a utility knife. For a moment, I almost told him "no" to the knife, but I'm trying to be better about giving them opportunities to gain independence and hands on experiences. I have trusted him with cutting up food in the past, so I thought this would be no different. We went over the "safety guidelines" and he went to work. About ten minutes later, I heard the scream.

I ran to him and saw it. All the blood. All over him. All over the knife. All over the carpet. So much blood. I started to panic, but remembered to stay calm, because he was definitely panicking. I quickly grabbed a paper towel and held it the source. After composing myself and calming him, I took the paper towel off to inspect the damage. What I found was about an inch long slice into his calf. Then I had to play that game that every parent dreads: Stitches Or No Stitches. It was too deep and too long. Definitely stitches. I commend him on making it a nice, clean cut, at least. Must be supportive and all.

I quickly call Matt as we load into the car and head to Immediate Care, trying to keep things light along the way. Thankfully, Drew is being helpful and sympathetic to his brother for a change, and he helps him in and out of the car. We hobble in, gaining the curious looks of the receptionists. It's then I realize that Rob is still covered in blood. Oops?

We sign in and wait, joking about the incidence. I'm pretty sure the ladies there think we're sick, twisted souls. They're not entirely wrong. As we're walking back to see a doctor, I excitedly (and sarcastically) look at Drew and say, "Hey, maybe they'll amputate his leg!" In the corner of my eye, I see one of the receptionist's head drop to the desk and the other one is giggling.

The nurse gets Rob comfortable on the bed/table thing and I can see that he visibly shaking. So, we start talking about making up some crazy story to go with his wound. He's all over this. "A pack of ninjas! No! Raccoons! Zombie raccoons!" The nurse gives me a funny look and quips, "You must have an interesting household." You have no idea, lady. Before leaving us in the room, she asks Rob, "Have you ever had stitches before?" His panic level goes right back up. Sigh.

In walks the doctor. He asks Rob all the same questions as the nurse (why do they do that?) as he's setting up his tools to clean and stitch the wound. I can't read him. He wasn't the friendliest, but he wasn't a total jerk. Even threw in some jokes once in awhile. Thankfully, he chalks up Rob's accident as just that and doesn't give me a guilt trip or call CPS (I feel bad enough). Then here comes the syringe with the numbing. Rob isn't having it. He starts to cry and wail. I hate seeing them in pain. I wrap myself around him, trying to comfort him without losing it myself. He's a tough kid, and after three "sticking sessions", he's finally numb. The doctor stitches up his leg, griping at the nurse the whole time about the surgical kit he was given. "It's missing X. Why does that keep happening? Why is it even on the shelf if it's missing X?!" Good grief. Can't this wait until we're gone? I'll BUY you a X if you promise to shut up about it! Finally, he gets over missing X and finishes. He gives me the low down (bandages for 4-5 days...stitches come out in 10...no water fun, etc.). I ask him, "Do you think I could remove his stitches? I'm 90% confident I could do it." I'm a farm kid, dude. I've seriously seen this done a million times. Dog, cow, human -- flesh is flesh. He pauses, smiles, and looks at me sideways. "I'm just recommending that you bring him back in. I can't control what you do or don't do." Oh, I'm so doing it myself, Dr. Chuckles.

The nurse is nice enough to clean up the rest of the blood we forgot. "I don't want to freak people out," she says. She has a point. We tell the receptionists goodbye on our way out (they were probably happy to be rid of us at that point) and we stop for ice cream on the way home. Because I kind of feel like crap for not preventing it. But we have survived our ordeal. Take THAT, Friday the 13th!

**HERE COMES THE GRAPHIC PART. SKIP IF YOU'RE A WUSS SENSITIVE TO MEDICAL TYPE IMAGES.**

Here's Rob's wound on Sunday, after a shower. No pain or signs of infection. Together, we're doing what we can to keep it clean and cared for on a daily basis. The kid has to settle for a farm kid for a mom instead of a nurse, but I think it's healing quite nicely.

I kind of feel like my days are numbered, with Matt's finger incidence (October 2016), Drew's broken arm (November 2016), and now Rob's stitches. Bubble wrap for everyone!!!

Drew's Spring Piano Recital

The master pianist himself. He worked hard, practiced every day, and rocked his recital pieces. So proud of him!

Drew with his amazing piano teacher, Miss Melissa Kunkel. She is the best!

What a nut! XD

And here is the video (shot and edited by Matt) for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Easter!

We haven't had an updated family photo in SIX YEARS. SIX. For shame! =) Happy Easter from our family to yours!

Drew is EIGHT!

He wanted a big birthday. We gave him a big birthday.

Thanks to help from family, we all chipped in and bought him his very own piano keyboard with a stand and bench. He was so surprised, he almost cried. Seriously.

Playing us a tune for the first time on his new keyboard. We also got him a Star Wars song book and he's really looking foward to learning how to play it.

His current favorite color is purple, so he asked for a purple chocolate cake with strawberries. I scoffed, but Matt found him a purple chocolate cake with strawberries at Fred Meyers! Score!

Happy birthday, Drew!!!

Adult Prom...Again!

We danced and danced and laughed at the drunk people. Good times. (Enjoy our awkward, last-minute photo -- just like real prom! XD)

Music Monkey Productions

Here's a photo of us actually dancing at the prom.

Torrid

This was my dress this year. It was definitely outside my comfort zone, but I loved it! The lady at the bar did, too. But I'm pretty sure she just wanted tips. =)

15th Wedding Anniversary

Our anniversary isn't until the 14th, but we're horrible at waiting to exchange gifts, no matter what the holiday is. So, we decided to on Saturday.

Instagram: jsmarshall

 I made him a card (including a robot, which is a bit of an inside joke between us) and created a LoveBook (www.lovebookonline.com) of the story of how we met.


And then he presented me with his gift and completely blew mine out of the water. I was completely gobsmacked and bawled through the whole thing. It makes my gift look super lame. :\
We plan on getting some dinner out on the actual day and then spending the following week together (his vacation), which will include an overnight date minus kiddos. Can't wait!

Charlotte: A Sudden Goodbye

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.