Baby Carlie...

This little squishy bundle of cuteness was born April 9, 2012. The plan was for Carlie to become the newest member of the Marshall family, but after 2 weeks of bringing smiles, love, and lasting memories to Nick, Paige, and Josh, Carlie's birthmother changed her mind and Carlie was returned to Tennessee. Although our hearts are broken for Nick and Paige, and know there is a baby just waiting to join their family for Eternity, we are sure glad we got to meet Carlie and love on her awhile. She is a total doll!

We love you Marshall's!!!

Oh Snelly.....

Snelly showing his great balancing skills while mom is getting a new house ready

Snelly, is our little snail pet who was found on a brick wall while Kason and I were on a Sunday walk 2 weeks ago.  I thought the kids might like to see it and really had no intention of keeping it, but it landed in a mason jar with rocks, a straw to climb on, a wet cotton ball and a chunk of banana (we googled snails and learned they like fruit!) and a name, so now we HAD to keep it! Snelly has really been fascinating to watch.  He likes to poke his head out of the air holes and extend his little antenna eyes out and take a look around sorta like a periscope.  He's paid a visit to the Butterfly and Bumblebee classes with Tanner and Camrie and is amazingly still alive.  He gets a new fruit every week and is due for a house cleaning.  I think he is a pretty invincible little guy.....

Super League Baseball 2012

Braxton was invited to be on the Whiptails super league baseball team again this year.  This is his little league team from last year, that on a last minute whim, post seaon entered the super league -  which is serious baseball! They are more organized this year and started practicing the middle of January for the season.  Although we are early into the season and are winless, the kids have improved a ton! They love it and that's all that matters.  They have played some tough teams from around Southern Utah so far and every Saturday until July we have double-header games and tournaments.  

Braxton takes his turn in the outfield, and last night got to pitch the last inning.  I knew he was nervous of a line drive back at him because his pitches barely made it to the plate...he can definately throw harder than that, but good experience nonetheless.  We do love baseball at our house!!

A little surprise....

So this is what I'm taking home with me tonight from work in exactly 3 min....my kids will be so excited! Well, Braxton will be sad it's not a lizard but he'll get over it.  I give up on trying to get the image to rotate, so just cock your head to the side :)

Pinewood Derby

This week was Braxton's 1st Pinewood Derby.  He was so excited and had lots of fun putting his car together with his dad.  His car came in either 1st or 2nd place in all of the races and he ended up getting 2nd place over all along with the 'sleekest design' award.  He had lots of fun and is already planning next year's car.  Way to go Braxton, we are so proud of you!

1st and 2nd place winners: Kobe Robinson and Braxton

'Sleekest Design'

Spring Break

Troy and I actually had a whole day off together during spring break, so we loaded up the car and the kids and headed to spend the day at Pipe Springs in Fredonia, AZ.  The last time I went there was for an Easter trip with my family when I was 7, I remember bit and pieces about the place and the last few times I've driven by I have wanted to take the kids there.  We went on a tour through the fort and learned all about how the pioneers would protect and provide for themselves while at the fort.  The 1st telegraph in the area also began at Pipe Springs.  We went on a short hike that was very steep and rocky, Tanner kept saying "Mom, I just love this trail!" The kids had fun finding all the pictures on their Junior Ranger paper, and Kason could have stayed all day and watched the ducks in the pond dive upside down looking for food.  We had to keep a tight hold on him, or he would've ended up in the pond with them!  We ate our lunch out on the picnic tables and then headed over to Kanab and to the sand dunes.
At first, we were the only ones out on the dunes, and the kids loved it! Except for when they wind would blow hard and blast us with sand.  We climbed up onto one of the tallest dunes and Tanner ran all the way up....Braxton decided it would be fun to run all the way down....I wish I had been recording him....he ran all the way and then biffed it so hard at the bottom and probably slid a good ten feet, face down in the sand! That right there was worth the drive over, and my very first bee sting I got as we were leaving! His eyes, ears, mouth, and nose and every other crevase was full of sand, we laughed so hard and Tanner asked him if he would do it again!
It took Kason a bit to decide just what he thought about the sand, but he loved it and probably consumed a small handful everytime he'd pick up a little snack he had dropped. 
We were tired, full of sand and little sunburned when we got home, but we had such a fun day and can't wait to go back and play again!

Had to have a picture of the sand packed booger on his face!

Practicing our walking skills...won't be long before he takes right off!

I have to document my very first bee sting.  I don't know if it was an African sand bee or just what, but it got about twice this size and when the redness, itching, and hard bump left  a week later, it left behind a nice little bruise!

Your are invited to our 'Upside down, Backwards party!'

It's been a few years since our last backwards party so I decided it was time for another.  We all turned our shirts backwards, walked to the table backwards, ate with the table upside down, and had our ice cream first! Even Kason's clothes were backwards and his highchair was down as low as it could go. We had a fun time, and  Tanner wanted to have a backwards party every time we sat down to eat for the next several days, and would just turn his shirt around in hopes I'd proclaim it to be another backwards party! I guess we better have them a little more often!