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!

Uncle Jordan, This One is for You!

My youngest brother Jordan was so jealous that my mom was able to come out to Milwaukee to visit us. Jordan LOVES Marshall and is a great uncle. So, in an attempt to keep Jordan happy until Marshall and I go to Utah in June, here are some great Marshall videos...enjoy!

A crawling lesson with dad...

Marshall and his lizard tongue...

Fun in the bath tub...

More lizard tongue...