Love the 60s!

60 degree weather that is! This last week has been absolutely beautiful in Milwaukee. We have been sure to get outside every single day and Marshall is absolutely loving it. We walked to the park the other day and had a grand time.

We played on the swings and Marshall loved it.


Here's a picture of Marshall in the same swing last spring. He's grown up so much-it makes me happy and sad all at the same time!

Anyway, back to this spring...Marshall was completely enjoying the sun and warm weather, so happy!


Marshall has become enthralled with leaves this week. He tries to pick up as many as he can and just starts to laugh when he really looks around and sees how many leaves there are all around him. Ah, the simple joys and pleasures of childhood!


He carried his leaves all around the park until he found these nice big sticks and decided to trade.


After just a couple minutes of carrying these sticks around he tripped and fell and quickly discovered that sticks aren't so nice to fall on. So, he left them on the ground and promptly went back to his leaves. He actually ended up carrying these all the way home and we have had a leaf pile accumulating outside our front door.

Keep Out

Dear Sick Bugs,

Please pack your bags and leave this house. We have been your permanent residence since December and we are ready to move on. I am tired of checking temperatures, dispensing Tylenol every four to six hours, calling the doctor, and canceling fun plans with friends. Also, on your way out the door, kindly take the fog and rain that is plaguing Milwaukee.

Sincerely,

The Leakes

18 Month Stats

Marshall is 18 months old today-I can't even believe it! When they measured him at the doctor today they made the marks by his head and feet and when I picked him up I was shocked at how big he really is. Well, in actuality he is on the short side, but still, he has grown a lot and these 18 months have just flown by!

So, here are his official 18 month stats...
Weight: 22 lbs. 2 oz. (10%)
Height: 31 1/4 inches (20%)
Head: 50 cm. (95%-what else would you expect from those Toney genes?!)

His check-up went really well. The only thing the pediatrician is worried about is that he has had three nasty stomach flues during the last five months. That is just a little more than usual. He said if he continues to get the stomach flu into the spring and summer months they will do some tests, but for now, just pray for good health and be grateful that spring is around the corner!

As for what Mr. Marshall is up to at this great age of 18 months, here are a few things...

*He can say mommy, daddy, up, happy, apple, two, bye-bye, and Y all very well. He will also try to say any word we ask him to and just the other day he almost said his name.
*His current favorite cereal is Honey Bunches of Oats. Besides cereal he enjoys spaghetti, mac and cheese, yogurt, and sometimes fruits and veggies.
*He is a good helper and likes to keep things clean. This drives Richard absolutely crazy, but I love it. Just today we had a bunch of friends over for lunch and after everyone left I was cleaning up. One of the chairs had some chocolate crumbs on it and Marshall grabbed his washcloth and started wiping off the chair. I loved it and gave him a big hug and kiss and thanked him for being such a good helper!
*He is a very happy boy and keeps us smiling and laughing all day long!

Thank You Zephyr

On Friday afternoon I walked into our bedroom and found Richard arranging some of his BYU hats and clothes on our bed. He told me that Zephyr Hats would send him a free hat if he took a picture of BYU Zephyr hats with other BYU apparel-he was very excited. He then asked me if he should display all of his BYU clothing items; as you all know this is about 90% of his wardrobe. I told him he could as long as he put it all away-he quickly changed his mind. So he left it at a couple of hats and a few shirts, snapped the picture, sent it to Zephyr and selected the hat he wanted to receive.

So thank you Zephyr Hats for giving me one less BYU hat to buy for my husband.

New Videos

Well, what can I say, there are times when Marshall just cracks me up. I could take multiple videos every day and share them all! But, here are some of his best moments.

A great phone conversation, I don't think he picked this up from Richard...

Reading his scriptures-what a good boy.

And more dancing!

A Craft!

My Relief Society had their Super Saturday back in November. I signed up for two crafts, but of course, only got one done. This wooden nativity set has been sitting in a closet since November. Last week I finally set some time aside to do it and here is the finished product! I sanded down the edges, did two coats of black paint, roughed up the edges, put a sealant on it, and completed it with some raffia ribbon on the animals. I am very happy with the finished product. It was obviously very, very simple-but simplicity equals less frustration!

How Do You Eat Mashed Potatoes?

Marshall eats them straight from the serving bowl and very much enjoys it! :)

Overall Marshall is a pretty good eater, but he definitely has picky days. This night happened to be a picky one. He didn't want the pork chops, he didn't want the bread, he didn't want the green beans, but he LOVED the mashed potatoes. Once he finished all the potatoes on his plate he kept pointing to the serving bowl so I gave it to him. He ate all the potatoes and was very entertained with the big bowl. During this potato party Richard cleaned up the kitchen, and I snapped some pictures-a great way to end dinner!