Still Kickin'

Here is a brief note to let you all know that we are still here and doing well.

Aaron just completed his first year of his masters degree in Ashland, OR, through Sam Huston State University and is currently in Virgina Beach, VA at the US Army School of Music completing his training. His address is:

SPC Marshall, Aaron
US Army School of Music
1420 Gator Blvd. (JEBLCFS)
Virginia Beach, VA 23429-2617

Hopefully when he gets home I can get him to post about his flight getting to VA, it was very long with a lot of interesting twists and blessings.

Alexis is our next birthday, and I can't believe that we are so very close to having a five-year-old. She will be starting preschool and couldn't be more excited.
She is growing like a weed, just recently her size 4 Capri's have become too big around the waist as she just recently went through a growth spurt. She loves to sing songs and listen to music. Every song that comes onto the radio is 'her' song. Today I smiled as she swept the kitchen floor with a toy broom singing the song from Cinderella (with her own lyrics) "Clean, Sweep, Nightingale, Ahhhh..." you get the picture. It was adorable and amazing at how much she remembers.

McKenzie just turned 2 in July and hit her 'terrible two's' about a month early. She loves to be a big girl and does EVERYTHING her big sister does. Sometimes this is good, other times, it could be better. She loves playing pretend in her kitchen and making food master pieces for all to enjoy. She love to help with anything you are doing, and loves to share. Yesterday we were watching a movie and eating popcorn. I was feeding Elliott and I wasn't able to reach over and get popcorn to eat, so with out asking or saying a thing, she brought me one piece at a time so I could have popcorn too. She doesn't pronounce everything correctly, but she is getting so much better. She loves Elliott and watches out for him like a hawk. She is my little mommy. She too loves to sing, especially her primary songs that she also sings in nursery.

Elliott is eight months old and is HUGE! At over 18 lbs. he is my biggest baby still and somehow I don't see him being short or petite like my girls have been. There is a good chance that he is going to be taller than all of us, daddy included. He has two bottom front teeth, and one upper K-9, and the other is not far behind. About a month ago, he decided that mommy wasn't good enough food and insists on eating solids, even if I just fed him. I'm not offended, it's just something that has to happen. He loves to MOVE, and MOVE he does. He won't stay any one place when I put him down, but prefers to follow me and be where I am, or at least not where I want him to be. Just recently (about two weeks ago) he started no longer being satisfied with crawling and has started pulling himself up on everything as well. He crawls on boxes, into open suitcases, and over everything in his way. He loves to sing and 'chat' and I just can't get enough of his amazing smiles that are always present.

I am surviving, it has been a long summer, but shorter than last summer. I am very grateful for family and friends that have helped and continue to help me when Aaron is gone. I have spent a great amount of time in Boise, and even though the schedule isn't quite what I would love to have, I love being around family and giving my children the opportunity of being around G. Grandma and Grandma, Madison, and Aunt Lisa. McKenzie hasn't always been the closest with Grandma, and just this trip has become a lot closer. These are somethings I would never change. I don't ever seem to get a whole lot done, but the time together is still worth it. I am already thinking about Christmas, the ideas are coming with every craft store that I enter, and when Aaron gets home and I have a little more time to work on projects, I should have a very FULL plate; hopefully this year I will actually get some of them done.

Thank you all for your prayers and support, you are all in our thoughts and prayers.

Love,
The Marshalls