50

Yesterday my dad celebrated his 50th birthday. He is one of the finest men I know, and I love him dearly. Here he is as a baby, a five year old, in the 2nd grade, and as a senior in high school.

4 Years

Four years ago today Sean and I got married. It was such a wonderful day, and I love thinking back on it. Although, we won't get to see each other for our anniversary we are looking forward to two weeks from today when I get to go visit him. I love you Sean.

New Things

Both of my kids have been trying new things lately. One of them has been more successful than the other, but I am confident that all will work out with my eldest child. Jack has become my little eater. He seriously loves food, and gets so excited about it that he wants to just dive into the bowl. Here my man is sitting up in the high chair and Grandma Moultons house. This one is out of order, but he looks so sweet in it that I will keep it here.

Trying peas for the first time. I think he looks good in green!

If I'm not going fast enough he will just grab the spoon like he wants to feed himself.

And here is my beautiful June. We are in the process of potty training, and it is not as easy as I had hoped it would be. Some days are good, and others not. She has the ability, but she just can't be bothered by going to the potty when she is doing something that is more fun. Perhaps I just need to be more persistent. I would gladly welcome any advice.

Thanksgiving 2009 in the Dixie Sunshine

Thanksgiving 2009 was quiet lovely for us Marshalls. We made a trip down to St. George to celebrate with the Rammell side of the family at my aunts house. The weather was wonderful down there, and the company was even better. We really did have a fabulous time - the only thing that would have made it better was if my husband could have been there.

These pictures are in reverse order, but that's OK. On our journey home we stopped in SLC to go see the lights at Temple Square. Little did we know that we happened on to the first lighting of the season. We were only there 5 minutes before all the beautiful lights came on. June loved it, and is telling me right now that she wants to go back.

This is my dad, his two sisters, and their mother - my Grandma JoAnn.

All the Rammell's that were able to make it. We are such a good looking family!!!

The girl cousins (minus two).

My mom preparing her famous rolls.

June, Augustus, and Ryana watching a movie together.

My Jack man being beautiful

The week before Thanksgiving we headed up into the mountains to get a Christmas tree. We found a good one. Too bad my dad only had a bunch of women to help him haul it down. He was missing all the men that usually come along.

And last of all my sweet princess girl getting ready to go for a ride in the sled. She loved it until her hands got cold.

November

It seems like I blinked and November is almost over. We have been so busy moving and getting Sean ready for his new job that it seems like Thanksgiving has snuck up on us. We are all moved out of our house and me and the kids now call Rocky Top our home and Sean resides in New Mexico for the next few months. Here are some pictures that recap that last little bit.

I was trying to get June to smile, but Jack thought his mom was pretty funny. Isn't he such a handsome boy!! Halloween was fun, and we went out trick-or-treating three night in a row (Boo at the Zoo, Trick or Treat Street, and Trunk or Treat). Below are June and her cousin Sadie being princesses.

The whole family at Trick or Treat street.

Sean and my little JACK-o-lantern

June and our pretty pumpkins.

Making a snowman with Rose.

Learning how to make snow angles. Do notice the bags tied around her feet - we need to be making a trip to the store to find new snow boots.

While we were up in Spokane dropping Sean off, June and I got to go explore the area. This is in Couer de'alen at a restaurant called Paul Bunions - I just liked the giant sign.

June by the lake. It was very pretty there - I wish I could have gone out on a boat tour.

And last but not least - packing up and moving away from our first house. It was so sad to say goodbye. Sean and I have lived there since we have been married - I brought both my babies home to this house - There are so many memories. Needless to say I was a bit of a cry baby when we left.

Change

On Monday Sean called me and said, "Guess who I just talked to." I said, "the Border Patrol" and he replied "yes."

We have been waiting for some time now for this call, but when it came we were still shocked. For one, Sean was told that he needs to report for orientation on the 16th of November (that's next week). Number two, we also were informed that it is mandatory dormitory style living and that families are not encouraged to move to the area. With that said, we had a big decision to make in one day (the Border Patrol guy gave Sean 24 hrs to give him an answer). I was excited and scared all at the same time. This is our life, and this decision will effect our family forever. We love where we live - all of our family is pretty much right here. We grew up here, and this is what we know and where we feel comfortable.

I think Sean and I both knew what our answer was going to be. We both thought about it all day and came to the same conclusion - we were taking the job! The days following have been a bit of a whirlwind. We now have to pack up and move. Sean will be moving down to New Mexico to the Border Patrol Training Academy, and me and my kids will be moving in with my parents until Sean is done with training in April (yes, that is a very long time to be separated from each other :( ). After training our next stop will be Yuma, AZ for about 10 months and then up to Northern Idaho!! We are excited about the places we will be stationed. It will be a huge change for us, but we look forward to the challenge. After all, this life isn't always about being comfortable - we are here to grow, learn, and become better people. We are taking a giant step forward into a place we have never been, but we have faith that this is the right move for us, and that good things will come out of this. Wish us luck!!!!

It's Autumn Time

Autumn is in full swing, and I often find myself singing, "It Autumn time, its Autumn time, the leaves are falling down" to my kids. June, Jack, and I are having a ball just hanging out together and enjoying the outside when the weather permits. When we are inside the house June loves to watch Disney movies - Cinderella is a favorite (that is what she is holding up in the pic) Jack keeps growing and gets more sweet by the day. Morning times are my favorite with him. He just has all sorts of things to tell me, and is always full of smiles.

June likes to do whatever I am doing. Here we are making bread together. Wearing our aprons is probably the best part of the whole thing!

I have also been doing some canning. My lovely sister in law Lisa helped me can this beets one snowing day a few weeks ago. I think they turned out quite beautiful.

Over Conference weekend we took a quick trip down to Utah. We stopped in to see Brett and Margaret in SLC, and then headed to Provo and Spanish Fork. My dear cousin Kate let us stay with her for a few days and we had a great time.

More recently I got the good old Jumping Jack out for my boy. He has only done it a few times, but I think he is catching on pretty quick. June loves to help him - even though I try to convince her to let him do it by himself. Here she is giving Jack a little push. He doesn't seem to mind her "helping" him - Jack loves when she is around.

My sister turned 14 last week. I just love her, and my kids do too. She is growing up so fast. I remember the day she was born, and being excited to tell my 6th grade class about her. We have been staying with her for the past couple of days while my mom and dad are away and she is one busy girl. There is something going on every day!!!

And last of all is a sweet shot of my angel girl. I go in and check on June every night before I go to bed, and this is how I found her a few nights ago. I say - why not wear your church shoes to bed, some occasions just call for fancy.

Happy Birthday Daddy

Last week Sean turned 26. For some reason that sounds a lot older than 25 - good thing I am only 25!!! I made him a Transformers cake (yes that's right a Transformers cake for a 26 year old). I was a bit nervous to do it, but the cake turned out great. June loved to help her Daddy blow out all the candles and to help him open his presents.

My Jack man is as cute as ever and he is becoming so interactive. He loves when people get down and talk to him. He has been smiling for awhile now, but I finally caught one on camera. He also loves to blow bubbles and slobber.

I have tried him in his Bumbo a few times, but he's not quite strong enough to sit in it for long periods of time just yet. He does like it for the short time that he's in it though.

June impresses me with how gentle and loving she can be with Jack. She will sit down next to him and try to get him to stop crying, or just talk with him. It is so sweet to watch. How lucky I am to have her to help me.

Running the 5K

On Saturday morning my sister Rose and I ran in a 5K race. My dad is always looking for a new way to get involved in the community and he recently joined the board for the Snake River Animal Shelter and they are the ones who put on the race. It was called the "Mutt Strutt." Lots of people ran with their dogs, but neither of us have a dog so we just ran together. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we did it. We made it in pretty good time too (30 minutes). My mom and her friend walked the 5K and pushed my two kids in the stroller. June and Jack probably think their mom is crazy for all of the things I take them too. They are pretty good troopers though.

Flounder

Remember Flounder from the Little Mermaid? Well, June has a Flounder that she just loves that came with her Ariel Barbie, and lately the two of them have gone everywhere with us - including on our daily walks. This past Friday we stopped at the bridge over the canal just down the road from our house (we do this every day so June can throw rocks in the water). June had Flounder and Mermaid lounging by the canal side when all of a sudden she turned to me with a distressed look on her face and pointed down the canal and said "Flounder!" Sure enough, Flounder was floating away. At first I thought he was gone for good, but June was truly upset about it. Plus, knowing my daughter, I knew that I would never hear the end of it. I could just see her throwing a "Flounder Fit" and I didn't want to deal with that. I decided to go in after the little fish. I ran down the canal bank until I was in front of Flounder, ripped off my shoes, and took the plunge. I swam out into the middle and grabbed the run-away fish and then swam back to shore. I did lose both of my socks in the water, but I got what I jumped in for, so I'm saying I came out victorious. June was excited to have her beloved Flounder back as well. I had to walk the rest of the way home sopping wet, but hey, my June bug was happy and that's all that matters. In other news, our garden is doing quite well. We have enjoyed harvesting all of the vegetables. June spotted this carrot and dug it out with a little help from me. It is the biggest carrot we have had this year. Oh, and I love that June's shoe's are on the wrong feet in this picture.

And Jack turned 2 months old back on the 3rd. He is so sweet, and the best boy ever. At his check-up he weighed 10 lbs 5 oz and was 21 1/2 in long. He is in the 25% for both.

How can you not love this boy???