Graham Crackers Houses

So we've been trying to do something Christmasy each night with the kids. I was in the store one day and saw those Ginger Bread House kits and thought it would be kind of fun so I got it. Hum, not so good. The walls were broken and the icing was bad and the kids ate a lot of the candy before it cold even go on the house.

Luckily I had some graham crackers and so now they decorated square graham cracker houses. They still had a good time, in between crying and fussing about how much candy each other had. I didn't realize making these houses would be so emotional! :)

Trey's Baclofen Pump Surgery

AHHHH, pain meds!

Day 3 in the hospital - happy to be back in my wheelchair for a few minutes.

Trey had surgery on Wed. November 17th at Primary Children's Medical Center. The surgery was to put in a baclofen pump, which in short is a device that administers baclofen medicine continuously into his spinal column. The baclofen medicine helps relax his spastic muscles. He has been on oral baclofen for years now but it was time to go the pump route.

November, 26, 2010 - It has now been 9 days since the surgery and Trey is still recovering. The last day or two is really the only time he has had much to drink or eat. He is perking up a bit and acting more like his happy Trey self. He is missing the Thanksgiving dinners with both the Marshall's and Meanea's but I told him I would make him his own feast in a couple of weeks when he wants to eat all the good stuff. Right now he is only eating creamy potatoes and chopped up strawberries.

CornBelly's

The Gang at CornBelly's

Brett, Jessie, Trey, Xavier, Sammie, Cerella, & Ellie

Who would have thought a pit full of corn would be so much fun?

Brett at the pumpkin canon.

Brett trying the rock wall. On the other side I was climbing all the way to the top! Yeah me!

Thanks to Grandma Marshall once again for a great fall activity!

Halloween

Alice in Wonderland, My Knight in Shining Armor, & the Clone Trooper from Star Wars!

What a bunch!

Halloween was fun as always. Our Church ward does the trunk-or-treat thing and this year it started out ok but then a storm front moved in quick and sent everyone scrambling to get in the gym at the church house. Good eats, good friends and good candy!

San Diego Vacation Part 3

Welcome to the Zoo!

FYI, that is a fake giraffe.

Jenny, the orangutans, was sure interested in the kids.

Yes, I do get to be in some pictures.

Help, someone, my neck is all stretched out!

Yummy carrots!

Hey, I think I see a way out of here!

The San Diego Zoo was good but I'm sure glad we did it the day after Sea World. The zoo covers a huge area and then some of the terrain is crazy steep. Pushing Trey, carrying Ellie, and pulling Brett up steep hills was not fun. It is always fun to see different animals, and they probably say the same thing when they see us.

So cute and oh so tired.

Snuggle Boys - Brett likes to sit with Trey and watch TV.

This was truly the vacation that Paul and I had been dreaming of for so many years. Everything worked out well, I think we were well prepared and thought things through with the kids, etc. Paul spent a lot of time looking at the best area close to the parks and beach. The kids did great traveling and while we were in San Diego. No melt downs! I think any parent can call that a success. Paul and I were just as happy as the kids and everyone had a great time.

We never know what the next day will bring when it comes to Trey. Sometimes the smallest little thing can throw him off and he won't be happy. But we went for it and he traveled good and did good sleeping in strange surroundings. He loves to be out and about, outside, watching people, but it can't be to chaotic or he won't do good. That is a big reason why we chose Sea World and the Zoo and not an amusement park. He really did good and he really had a good time, an answer to my prayers.

I'm just so happy that we finally did this. :)

San Diego Vacation Part 2

This was the walrus and otter show. It was fun and they do some neat things.

I think the highlight of Sea World was the Bat Rays. The kids touched them and even got to feed them a fish. I tried it and it was just too weird and I dropped the fish. The Bat Ray was probably happy that I dropped it so it wouldn't have to deal with me trying to feed him.

The Bat Rays will splash you pretty good and we didn't know this until they soaked Trey. He love it. He got splashed not once but twice!

Here is my fearless girl feeding the Bat Ray.

The Shamu show.

"OK, I'll take this chunk of ice if I can't toss you around."

Here comes the splash! They splash big but we didn't get wet where we were in the Special Trey Zone.

"Ta Da, aren't we neat!"

Now you need to say the Jaw's da dan't when you look at these pictures.

"Look Mom, it's a shark!"

Brett deciding if he wants to go into the polar bear cave or not.

No Way!

There are a couple of rides there at Sea World and at the end of the day the kids wanted to ride them. So Paul took them on the rides. Look at Ellie's expression on the above picture. She truly loved these rides.

It was such an amazing day. Sea World is such fun and the kids were awesome. Paul and I had just as much fun if not more, than the kids did.

San Diego Vacation Part 1

It finally happened, we went on our very first family vacation. What after almost 10 years of marriage and Trey is 8?! Yeah, I know. Yes, we've been camping and to some places for family things but never truly a family vacation.

Our destination: San Diego, CA

We left on Sunday the 26th of Sept. and spent the night in Las Vegas. We thought it better to break up the drive than to go straight through. I know we did the right thing for us and the kids in that decision.

Monday late afternoon we arrived in San Diego and checked in to our hotel. Paul hooked us up in the Homewood Suites and we had a living area and two bed rooms. Great room for Trey and his chair and Brett and Ellie to move around.

We got dressed in our swim stuff then headed out to the beach.

The kids loved the beach. Ellie mainly enjoyed playing in the biggest sandbox very, but Brett liked being out in the water wave jumping. Trey even got in the act. Dipping his toes in the water then getting a wave up onto his stroller.

Trey's New Ride

This is Trey's new wheels and we are so happy with it. He needed a new chair, he had his other one since he was 2 1/2 yrs old and he is now 8+ so it was time.
Dad gets the credit for the awesome color and style. It arrived a week before we left on our vacation so it was nice that he didn't keep falling over to the side in the car like he would he old chair.
He looks for comfortable and I think he likes the way it feels.
Doesn't everyone wish they could be as cool as Trey? :)

New Park in Spanish Fork

There is a new park in Spanish Fork, sitting on the same land where there was a park before, it was torn up for retail land, then a new park put in. Confused? Me too. Tear up a park to put in a park. Well, whatever the thinking the city had me and the kids think this new park in the bomb!

There is a splash pad!!!!!!!!!!!! How cool is that? And the playground is really neat, and there are lots of swings and even some swings with special seats for the special kiddos in our lives.

In the video Ellie is playing with a little boy that I don't know then in the back ground Brett and his buddy, Brady, are running around. It was a hot day and I went out there for a few minutes to play and get cooled off a bit.

My Boy is 5!

Yep, that's what I said, 5! When did this happen?!

The week before his birthday he had a party at Grandpa and Grandma Marshall's where he got breakfast, specifically chocolate chip pancakes, for dinner! He got some great gifts and Paul and I gave him his new bike then too.

Then the day before his birthday we celebrated as a family. We ate Padawon Pizza, Yoda Sodas, Vader Chips, and Askoka cups. He loves Star Wars right now, thus the theme lunch.

I made him a light sabar cake made out of twinkie's. We love our boy and look forward to this next year of his life.

Soccer

I put Brett in his first year of soccer this fall and he is having a blast. He loves to just run around, look at us on the side line, and bump into others.

These little kids are so much fun to watch and you get a good laugh. He has just two games left and he has made a few goals, but really the two girls on his team are really good and pretty much take care of things while Brett and the other boy play around :)