a HUGE update

Alright folks, sorry it has been SO long since we have put anything new up on our blog. June was a super busy month for us and hence, the blog was put on the back burner. So, here is what we have been up to these last few weeks...

Marshall's First Haircut...

As you can tell from these pictures, Marshall was in need of his first haircut. Richard had been wanting to cut it for a couple of months, but I kept stalling. I just loved all his blond fluff, but as you can tell, it got to the point where it was looking a little crazy!

So, on June 19 we said good-bye to Marshall's hair. I held him while Richard used the clippers. We were nervous about how he would react to the noise of the clippers, but he did great. He just ate some snacks out of my hand and sat so still and quietly the entire time; we were very impressed!

Here is Marshall just moments after his first haircut. What a good lookin' kid, but he's not a baby anymore. : (


Visit from Grandpa Bob and Grandma Becky...

Richard's parents were able to come out for a week-long visit in June. It was so much fun to have them here. They have made quite a few visits to Milwaukee, but they have always been short, usually to fix a car, and Richard has always been in school. But this time we didn't have to worry about any of those things and it was wonderful!

Marshall especially enjoyed all of the attention and had lots of snuggles with Grandma Becky and lots of playtime with Grandpa Bob.


We did lots of fun things while they were here, including a trip to Lake Michigan. Bob and I actually waded in the water, it was freezing! But, I love water, so it was all worth it!









Isn't this just a sweet picture?! I love it; my two boys. :)




We also took a trip up to Green Bay and visited "The Home of the Pack", Lambeau Field.









We didn't have time for a tour, nor did we want to pay the money, but we did visit the pro shop and introduced Marshall to a cheese head...



We also found Brady Poppinga's jersey. Richard was disappointed that they didn't carry it in children's sizes, oh well, I guess the picture will have to do.








Harry Potter Exhibit...

We also made the drive to Chicago to see the traveling Harry Potter exhibit. The exhibit is only going to be at four museums across the country, and with Chicago being one of the stops, we couldn't pass it up. It was a great exhibit and they had so many original things that had been used in the movies-what a treat!

Thanks Grandpa Bob and Grandma Becky for the visit! We sure enjoyed having you here-we love you guys!

Trip to Utah...

The day after Richard's parents left Marshall and I hopped on a plane to Utah to visit my family for a week before my brother left on his mission. We had a fun time and Marshall once again enjoyed all the attention.

This is Marshall with the amazing Uncle Jordan. Jordan did just about everything for Marshall the whole week. He played endlessly with him, fed him, took him on walks, and baby-sat. He did everything besides change diapers, but who can blame a 13 year old boy for not wanting to change a poopy diaper?!

And here's Marshall with Uncle Kevin. Kevin hardly had anything to do with Marshall at Christmas, but now that Marshall is a little bit older, Kevin decided that he was a little bit cooler to play with. :)

Hanging out with Uncle Danny, and being tickled by Stacie-what a great afternoon!

We were able to be in Utah for Father's Day (sorry again about that Richard) and me and my brothers gave my dad a great card. Marshall also loved it, here's a clip...

One afternoon we drove up to Mueller Park and roasted hot dogs and made smores. We had a fun time and Marshall had his first experience with a cold mountain stream.

Now here's a funny story. One night my mom was feeding Marshall his dinner and my dad walked up the stairs that lead into the kitchen. When he got to the top of the stairs, he looked at Marshall, raised his fist in the air and said "Marshall!" Well, Marshall stopped eating, gave my dad a huge cheesy grin, and raised his fist in the air. We all cracked up laughing as they both repeated this process for close to five minutes.








We also spent an afternoon at my aunt's house while her daughter and grandson were visiting and she was also baby-sitting her granddaughter. It was a fun afternoon, but an exhausting one as all three kids almost always wanted the same thing at the same time!

Marshall, Will, and Kate Leigh all learning how to share. And Erin, trying to read to three kiddos, what a good sport!











Here's Marshall and Uncle Danny moments before we dropped him off on the curb at the MTC. What a cute uncle Marshall has!

Danny has also been a great uncle to Marshall during the two visits they have had. It is weird to think Marshall will almost be three before he sees Danny again, by then he will be running around and talking up a storm!

After we dropped Danny off we stopped at the cougar outside of Lavell Edwards Stadium. At Richard's request, Marshall needed to have some pictures taken with the cougar, after all, that is his middle name. :)



Marshall and I were able to get together with my sister-in-law, Aubri, and her little girl, Marshall's cousin, Katelin.








Katelin is about five months older then Marshall and one cute little girl. These two have only been together twice, but both times Katelin has made Marshall cry. Katelin likes to scream at the top of her lungs, not a mad scream, just an energetic one. Well, poor little Marshall does not like it at all and burst into tears on quite a few occassions during our dinner. I tried to tell him that he needed to be tough, after all he is a boy, but he still cried. But, despite the tears, we still had a fun dinner!

Marshall and I also spent some time with my grandparents. It was so good to see them and Marshall loved exploring a new house with a very long hallway!

The last time we saw my grandparents was at Christmas time. Marshall sure has changed a lot since then. He wasn't even four months old and was just barely learning how to roll over-now he's crawling everywhere and starting to talk! Time flies!

Marshall Cuteness...
One of Marshall's favorite things to do now is to look at his books. We just keep a basket of all of his books in his room and he can actually entertain himself for quite a while looking through all of his books. I just love it and thinks he's so adorable!

Also, referring back to the cute arm thing he started doing in Utah, well he still does it, but now he uses both arms. It is so funny. He usually does it while he is eating or after his bath when he is on the changing table. Here's Superman!
















My little helper...well, not quite yet, but its still a great picture!

Multiple times a day Marshall makes his way over to the stove and proceeds to pull down the towel, his bib. As you can tell, it makes him so happy, look at that smile!





Marshall has recently become very attached to two of his blankets. They are both fuzzy and very soft. He likes to snuggle in them for a few minutes after waking up and will drag them around the house when he is awake. He will even come take them from us when we are holding them. Hmmm...I wonder where he gets his love of blankets...Richard?!






And last, but not least, a very cute growling video...enjoy!



4th of July...

We had a fantastic 4th of July. We began the day by attending a parade. Richard wasn't too thrilled about the whole ordeal, but we ended up having a fun time. Marshall did great and enjoyed all the new sights and sounds. This was the only picture that I took of the actual parade, pretty sweet little car!







After the parade, Marshall's little friend, Kaden, came over to play. Kaden's mom, Lynn, is Marshall's baby-sitter when I go to work, so these two are good buds. But, with summer vacations and all, its been a while since they have been together. Kaden is three months older then Marshall and is walking, but Marshall did a good job crawling to keep up with him.

That evening we had our annual cul-de-sac 4th of July bar-b-que. It was a fun evening and by the end Marshall was filthy, but happy!











Now, let me preface these next few pictures so people don't think we're crazy. Our neighbor had brought out sidewalk chalk for some of the older kids to play with. They enjoyed it for a little while, but eventually moved on to other things. Well, Marshall and Kaden discovered it and proceeded to get their clothes all chalky. So, we stripped the boys down, and then got the idea that we might as well continue to make a mess and here's what followed...

"Hey, what are you doing to me?!"











"Oh, that tickles!"




"I am Super-Baby, Marshall Man!"







"Kaden's turn!"





"Super-hero buddies!"



















Swimming at the Splash Pad...



There is a park just a few blocks away from our apartment that has a little kitty pool that is FREE! How great is that?! On Monday we got together with some friends and enjoyed an afternoon at the pool. The water was definitely not heated, but it was warm enough outside that it felt good. As you can see, Marshall definitely enjoyed himself. I am sure you will be seeing many more pictures of Marshall in the pool this summer as we hope to make this a weekly outing. Hooray for swimming!


I am finally all caught up! I do have one more hilarious video that I need to put up, but it is kind of long, and has had a hard time uploading. But, I will keep trying, and hopefully you will see it in a couple of days!

What Marshall Has Been Up To...

Playing in the bathtub. As of last week, Marshall is no longer using his baby bathtub. He was just getting too big so we decided to put him in the real tub. He absolutely loves it and bath time is a hit.










Playing with Luke Rabe. A couple of weeks ago my friend Jill needed a baby-sitter for her two boys for a couple of hours. Nolan is two and fortunately slept the whole time I was there and Luke is five months. Luke slept for quite a while so I just had Marshall to worry about. Marshall was pretty excited to see Luke and these two little tikes had some fun together. Everything went smooth until near the end when they both needed bottles at the same time, so after some screaming from both of them, I got their bottles made, sat in between them, and held a bottle in each hand!

Getting into everything! Now that Marshall can move he is all over the place and our apartment is in a permanent state of mess. Marshall is so curious and just wants to grab everything and make noise with it all! While it definitely makes more work for us and at times can be frustrating, I just remind myself that I'm glad he can do all these things-it is a blessing!

Standing. Alright, I know this is a random picture, but I just love his little fat feet and chubby legs. so I had to take a picture. Marshall loves to stand against the couch and tap his hands on the cushions.

Playing with rings.

Supporting the Cougars.













Sleeping great! Marshall is consistently sleeping 11 to 12 hours at night and usually two two hour naps every day! I am loving it, mostly because I have had some very big work projects and it is so handy when he is such a good napper! And, as noted by the picture, he is also a very cute sleeper, this is one of his most frequent sleeping positions-I just love it!






Brushing his five teeth! That's right folks, his fifth tooth just broke through a couple of days ago. He now has three on the top and two on the bottom. Not even nine months old yet, and he's got a mouth full of teeth!




Smiling for the camera-what a happy guy!










Playing with a new toy-a rummage sale purchase! So I live in a cul-de-sac with a bunch of rummage sale loving women. I don't get all that excited about these things because I would rather just go to a store knowing that they have what I am looking for instead of trapsing all over the city trying to find what I want. Well, a few Saturdays ago I went running with some friends and we ran by a rummage sale and they had this toy that I have been wanting to get for Marshall for a while. It is in great condition and guess how much it cost me-$1!!! My first rummage sale purchase-I was so proud of myself! I don't know if I am truly converted to rummage sales yet, but at least its a start!

Practicing his push-ups!

And a Memorial Day trip to Michigan! Marshall and I took a little vacation to Michigan to visit my grandparents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins on my dad's side of the family. It was a wonderful weekend full of fun, relaxation, and of course, lots and lots of great food! Marshall also had a blast. He was constantly entertained and loved every minute of our stay.

Marshall and Jenna
Marshall and Jace
Marshall's crazy hair one morning...this is how he woke up, time for a haircut? Not quite yet. :)
Marshall and my cousin's son, Joel, who is five months younger then Marshall, but just as tall!
Marshall and my Aunt Michelle
Jenna and Marshall in a game of "Hand to Foot"
Marshall and Grandpa Toney just relaxing.

Playing with doors. Marshall has developed a fascination with doors. Anytime I open a door he scoots his little body over and swings the door back and forth and gets a kick out of it-ah, simple pleasures!

Playing with his cougar, good old Scar!

Clapping and talking!

So that's what Marshall has been up to, here's just a couple notes on what Richard and I have been doing. Richard took his last final as an M2 two weeks ago so of course we had to go out to celebrate. We went out for dinner with three other couples and had a wonderful time! It is crazy to think that two years have gone by already; we're growing up!


And now to close the longest post in the world...a couple of weeks ago we had our annual branch talent show and I performed a hip-hop dance with some of our great Relief Society sisters. We had such a fun time practicing on Saturday mornings and we rocked the show! We are already starting to think of new ideas for next year!

Leake Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology

We Have a Strong One!

So I don't know if most babies do this, but I for one am quite impressed, so I thought I would share...

Mother's Day

I've decided that this blog, along with our weekly family emails, pretty much constitutes my journal. So, before more time passes me by, I just wanted to jot down a few notes about the joy motherhood brings me.

I LOVE being a mom! I can't think of better things to do with my life then to be a wife and a mother. Marshall has been such a blessing to us and I am SO grateful that he is our my son. I thank my Heavenly Father every day that he is here with us and that he is healthy and learning new things every day-what a blessing!

Now its true, not every day is wonderful. There are definitely frustrating times, long nights, and personal sacrifices every day, but it is always worth it. I love every minute that I have with our little guy. I love all his laughs, smiles, cuddles, and silly little things that he does; he is wonderful! I am definitely blessed!

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

I think it is safe to say that spring has finally arrived in Wisconsin! Flowers are blooming, the grass is green, and life is great. Marshall and I are definitely enjoying this great weather, and we have to take full advantage of it because in five or six months we will be back to the indoors. : (

Last Saturday was a beautiful day so with Richard in Chicago we went out for ice cream (well, to be honest, I was the one who wanted the ice cream) and then headed to the park for more swinging. As you can tell, Marshall had a blast. These "big boy" swings are much more exciting then his baby swing at home!

We also just got a jogging stroller. This is something I have wanted for many months now and with it finally warm enough, we made the purchase and I love it! I must admit that I was a little bit nervous to get out and start running again. It had been 18 months since I had run anywhere, so I was expecting a rough return, but it actually turned out great! I was a little bit sore the next day, but it was a good sore and I was back at it again today. Anyway, the stroller is wonderful. It handles really well and Marshall seems to enjoy it, at least I think he does, you tell me. Here's the before picture...

Sitting forward, checking everything out, and ready to go.
Here's the after picture...

I must admit that I was a little bit nervous when I saw him like this, but this morning he fell asleep on our run. So, I've concluded that the motion is just soothing to him, like the car, and he was just relaxed and enjoying the ride. When Richard saw this picture he said it looks like Marshall was the one who had just finished running and pushing a stroller for two miles-I guess I wore him out. :)

On Wednesday afternoon we went outside for Marshall's first experience with flowers. He loved them and I snapped some cute pictures.

This poor tulip...it isn't standing straight anymore. :)

Marshall Update

Well, its been a little while since I've updated the blog and with Richard in Chicago and Marshall down for a nap I thought I better take advantage of some free time. So, here's what our little guy has been up to...

Last Friday it was 84 degrees-it was wonderful! We put Marshall in this cute little BYU romper and enjoyed the afternoon at the park with some other friends. We had a fun time and can't wait to do it again.



Marshall has also been doing quite a bit of teething.









The poor kid has three top teeth trying to come in. We thought they were so close a few weeks ago, but they still haven't appeared. Hopefully any day now they will pop through!

A few mornings ago when I was getting Marshall dressed we had to stop after I got his diaper changed to say good-bye to Richard and get him off to school. So Marshall spent a few minutes in just his diaper and of course I had to snap some pictures-look at those arms!















So thoughtful...and cute!

On Wednesday afternoon I had to go into work to get a project done so I just took Marshall with me. He did great, but he didn't get his afternoon nap and then on Thursday morning he woke up at 6:15 and wouldn't go back to sleep. Well, at 8:30 I was in the shower and Marshall was in his exersaucer in the hallway. He was getting kind of fussy so I was talking to him and singing songs to try and calm him down. Well, I definitely calmed him down and this is what I found...




What a sweet little guy. He was so exhausted he just fell asleep in his exersaucer. After I snapped a couple pictures I put him in his crib and he slept for two hours and woke up much happier!







And here are just a couple cute pictures from this morning...







And now, for the best part...the videos! About a month ago we bought Marshall a stuffed animal, of course, it was a cougar. We let him do whatever he wants with it and it has since been slimed plenty of times. Anyway, we have named the cougar Scar. I know, probably not the best name for a little kid's stuffed animal, but it fits. Marshall loves Scar he just laughs and smiles anytime we pull him out. So, here's a video from a few days ago, enjoy the laughter!

Next, Marshall has become quite the little mover. He can't crawl yet, but he manages to get anywhere he wants by rolling, scooting, and now this latest developement...doesn't look very comfortable does it...

And lastly, Marshall is a talker now and his head bop is back-hooray!