Addy's burden

One of the books the kids like to read over and over and over is the kids version of Pilgrim's Progress.  Addison came down the stairs this morning and said, "I've got a burden on my back."

A sad day in Emporia

Well, the day we have dreaded for the past few months has finally come. Emporia is losing a wonderful family. The Lees drove out yesterday and we said our goodbyes.

We know that we will stay in touch, but it is hard knowing that we are many hours away now instead of a 2 minutes. We are so thankful that God let our paths cross for these 3.5 short years, and that we were able to make these lifetime friendships.   Last night was WEW and it was so weird to not see Sandy there.  Maybe one day my teary eyes will dry, but for now every thought of the Lees turns on a faucet.

   They will be greatly missed by all the Marshalls and Flint Hills Christian Church.  Even Luke was sad to see them go.  He said, "I'm going to miss the Lees. I love Matthew and Andrew."   It will be weird to drive by their house and not be able to stop in to say "hi".  We are thankful for the many fun times we had and are looking forward to visiting Albequerque in June!!

Popcorn cereal?

Have you ever popped popcorn in a pan?  I never had, until tonight.  I saw a recipe for popcorn cereal and I thought it would be a fun thing that the kids would like.  So tonight before bed we went into the kitchen to start our breakfast for in the morning.  I have always just stuck a bag in the microwave and pushed the "popcorn" button, so I had to carefully follow the directions.  I guess I didn't follow them close enough.  The pan I used wasn't quite big enough and the lid was too small.  The directions said to heat some oil in a skillet and when one kernal popped then add the rest.  When that one little kernal popped it didn't just pop.  I popped up almost to the ceiling.  So I decided to pour the rest of the kernals into the pan. I knew that it would make a big mess, but I knew that it would also make for some really excited and giggly kiddos.  In a matter of seconds popcorn kernals were literally flying all over the kitchen and the kids were squealing with delight.  They were even thrilled that they got to gather all the kernals that were scattered throughout the kitchen and help mop the floor.  I wish I would have got some pictures of the popcorn party, but I wasn't quick enough.  Maybe next time.  By the way, popcorn cereal is REALLY gross.

My little puppies!

It was costume night at AWANA last night.  The kids had fun getting dressed up as dalmatians.  They were super cute with their little ears and tails.  Of course Brooke ripped her little doggie ears right off.  I don't know what happened to Addy's ears in this picture.  It was the last AWANA with the Lee's tonight too.  At bedtime Addy broke out into tears.  We didn't know why she was crying and finally when she calmed down a little she said, "The Lee's are moving.  I'm going to miss all of them."  And then of course I got teary eyed.

Excitement!

The kids were having some rest time and I told them after they cleaned up their room they could come down.  I guess they got distracted by the happy baby in the crib. 

A story from the middle of the night.

The past few nights have been rough at the Marshall house.  Brooke has been waking up some nights, but the nights when she sleeps all the way through it seems like one of the other kids is up for something.  Addy gets scared, Luke can't stop coughing and needs a humidifier, somebody falls out of bed.  Last night we were awakened at 3 am to something we had not experienced.  I heard screams from the big kids room. High pitched, loud screams like something terrible was happening.  Scott jumped out of bed and started shouting, "Hey, hey, you're okay, what is it."  Then I heard Luke, who was doing the screaming, say "There's something in the bed, there's something in the bed."  He finally calmed down a little and insisted that there was a black kitty and fireflies in bed with him.  I was afraid that Addison was going to get scared and have trouble sleeping.  She is usually the one that overreacts and gets scared at night.  But she just laid in bed the whole time very calm and quiet.  When Scott tucked Luke back into bed and was heading out the door Addy added, "He fell out of bed too."  Luke thankfully went right back to sleep, but he insisted that there was a black kitty and fireflies in the bed. 

Psalm 23

Addison has it down!  She loves to say it really fast.  Especially the second half.

Psalm 23

Of course little bro wanted to take a shot at it too.  He didn't do too bad.  A little hard to understand, wiggly, and some of the words run together. The first part is always tricky.

 On another note...we have been opening the windows at night to let fresh air in.  He likes to sleep without a shirt so he can "feel the weather".  He also loves sleeping with his special fuzzy green blanket next to his skin, smelling my hair before he goes to bed, and hugging and kissing me after we pray.  I think his love language may be physical touch.