Ragnar 2010

After experiencing Ragnar last year even with how crazy hard and exhausting it was, there wasn't much question if we'd do it again! The out of control pure nuttiness of it, you can't help but want to be a part.

These are the girls of this years team.These are the great guys of our van! This is some of our team waiting for Andrea to come hand off. As you can see we were the Cereal Killers. We all had different names! They entertained many as they danced and had their talented rhythm going!

A big treat this year is that I got Sandra to join. Not our team, but she was able to go with another team. We were running the same leg, but they had started earlier so when I got a call from her she'd just finished her first run and I was about to start she said it was so easy and that I only had two tricky hills. As I was running and had counted my 5th tricky hill I came to the conclusion her definition of hill is different than mine. If it is larger than a curb in my book it's a hill! It was a treat to meet up at one of the rest stops. She caught the bug and is trying to recruit for a family team, watch out! Sandra is amazing, I loved having her along to understand the absurd fun this race is!

At the end you meet with both vans and run across the finish line. We have a great team!

Super Stition Farm Field Trip

Carter had a field trip to Superstition Farm and it was such a treat to go with him. I love watching his excited expressions when he gets to do new things. He was so excited to have me there that he made sure I was right next to him or close, I was shocked but he sure knows how to make his mom feel loved. It was a lot of fun. The people at the farm were so good with the kids and taught them so much!
He's a natural!

They kept things so clean that the cows didn't even stink!

Valentines Day & Chinese New Year

Last year Mom & Dad did a Chinese New Year Dinner that was sooo good.

This year Chinese New Year & Valentines were on the same day so Dad & Mom invited us over for a fun Valentines Dinner.

Mom is getting so creative now that she has been introduced to blogs and other things on the computer. She found this cute idea with a Twinkies, it was quite a hit!

Then Sandra takes creative to a new level. Instead of taking Valentines treats to people she made them Chinese New Year treats since they fell on the same day. Isn't this soo cute, it's sushi made out of rice crispy treats & hi hos.

Skiing

Neil & Chad Jones took to the slopes after all that crazy rain & snow. They had a blast, I think they both came home a little sorer than they hoped, but had a good time.

Home Again

We love to be home! Not much figured out during our stay, but things aren't worse. Gotta love it! Here are a couple pictures from our little stay.

Sydney loved the stethoscopes. A couple sweet nurses would give in and she'd keep theirs for a while. No worries, her knee has a great heart beat along with her feet which she checked hundreds of times a day!

Sydney found if she propped herself on the back of the coach she could watch out the window at the construction of what will soon be our private rooms next year.

We had packed up to leave one morning and an hour later were told we weren't going anywhere. The thing that kept that change of plans bearable was that we were off restrictions. We were allowed to leave the room to roam the halls and play in the play room!

YEAH FREEDOM!!

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you to those that helped, visited, and kept us in their thoughts. As much fun as we had, we are hoping for a long break before we visit our wonderful nurses again!

Back in the hopsital

Sydney came back to the hospital on Sunday morning. I think she missed a couple nurses. She is doing good, she has an infection in her intestines. We were packing to go home this morning, but had to change direction when the Dr. wanted her to stay. Which as much as I didn't want to she ended up waking pretty dehydrated after less than 24 hours off IVs. So, we will be here a couple more days. Again thank you thank you for those that have called, helped with Carter, popped in for sanity checks and that have had Sydney and our family in their prayers. Sydney is as lively and happy as ever. She leans over the end of the coach and yells "hi" "hi" over and over and over to the nurses out the door. I am surprised they haven't shut her door yet. We were taken off precautions today so we were able to leave the room!!!!! With a tool skirt a nurse brought her she has painted all over her and I and covered the hallways on the push toy. In this situation it is such a blessing to have her being so great, having her happy & lively is exhausting, but makes the days wonderful! Unfortunately due to the season Carter isn't able to visit, but is having a blast with Dad. Thank you to all of you that are giving him extra hugs!

2 Additions to the Family!

We were thrilled to put our tire swing back up in the tree. We had to take it down 6 months earlier after a heavy rain made the tree start to uproot. We jacked the tree up and it has been propped with wood. Swinging is still hard with the wood there, but it was fun to be able to play a little in it.

Here is the first turtle, Carter named him BOB. He is the larger of the two, but seems to get plowed over constantly.
Then we have Sydneys, we call him Little T. We figured she may be able to call him "T" and say his name eventually. She gets a kick out of watching them walk around.
We didn't know if Sydney was going to kiss the turtle, or try to nibble a little, but good thing Carter has fast hands. Shortly after this she tried to shake the turtle out of his shell, we have cut back a little on Sydney holding the turtles.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at Grandmas is always a highlight. It was different not having Grandpa there, but I think he was in all our thoughts. It is a tradition to have enchiladas followed by an acted out nativity then watch Luke II (which hasn't worked the last couple years) before heading home to prepare for Santa.

Shelly has been adopted by the family. It is a treat to have her join the fun! She is sure we are fully supplied with delightful ice cream cakes!

Every other year Sandra & Whit rotate, we so missed Whit and family, but enjoyed having Sandra's clan. Carter is always happy when Dallin is around!

Doesn't Neil make a great angel in a costume made for an 8 year old girl. Everyone is a good sport when it comes to the nativity! Carter & Ella made a great Mary & Joseph

Merry Christmas!!!

This is our poor excuse for a Christmas card this year! But it comes with so much love and appreciation! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year! You have all touched our life in one way or another and for that we appreciate you and your families!

Merry Christmas from the Marshalls!

Time Well Spent

Carter & I have talked about making a gingerbread house all month. With craziness it never happened. But yesterday we finally had a couple hours to spare and had so much fun creating. We decided every year we would get better. We were going to sprinkle coconut all over for snow but it crumbled a couple minutes after this picture. Next year!This year I wasn't meant to make our ward and neighbors Christmas treats. I attempted these wonderful apples, they ended up getting the name of cellulite apples, but they tasted good, and then I don't know what I did with the Carmel corn. How wrong can one go with sugar and butter, but it was a disaster. For all those that didn't get treats from the Marshalls, it was attempted we will have something wonderful next year!

The walker is our friend!

Trying to convince Sydney that the walker is her friend has been tricky. But in therapy Tera got her to stand and us it to play. It is a start!

Paul Christmas Party

Mom & Dad invited us over for a full night of Christmas fun! Mom had made all the girls these little shirts, so cute!

The kids frosted cookies . . . well, they frosted a cookie, licked the frosting off and re frosted it again. The neighbors that were receiving these treats will love their cookies!
Growing up every year we would go caroling around the neighborhood. It was so fun as we started getting the neighbors to come and we'd come back for treats after. They was kyboshed a couple years back but it was fun to go with our little clan. The kids could barely hold in their excitement as they ran and rang the bell before we'd even get to the door.
Before we put the kids down so the adults could watch a movie Grandma read one of our favorite Christmas books to the kids. They loved it!

It was such a fun night!

Our week at Phoenix Childrens Hospital

Sydney can trump my schedule and clear my calendar faster than anyone! Not that this would be her first choice of activities! She had gone in for IV's the previous week for dehydration due to a blocked up intestine. During our week she did a cleanse, which fixed the intestine but had little hiccups here and there. She also has been having some tensing of her feet and hands which causes a lot of pain. They are calling it possible distonia. We are still waiting for test results to figure out if we can learn exactly what is going on. In the mean time we are trying our best to keep her comfortable and happy.

Dads wonderful boss kicked him out when he heard about Sydney in the hospital and Grandpas death so it was a treat to have Neil come and play with us for a couple hours. I think it was the best visit and longest visit ever!!! We learned to appreciate it even more when Carter & Neil got the flu and were unable to visit us the rest of the stay! Whit was in town and came to visit one night, I don't think she realizes the help she was that night as Sydney had a tensing episode that went until 4:30 am with not much help from drugs. She brought me dinner and helped by holding Sydney and talking to me well into the night. Between her and Sandra bringing me clothes and supplies we survived another stay at PCH!
One day we were off precautions so we could leave our room. Sydney was delighted to be able to take a ride down to the play room. Unfortunately the next day we were back on room bound precautions. We got pretty creative with that wagon in a small room.

This stay was a little different when my Grandpa passed away the second day we were in the hospital. I have never left Sydney before, but with our two wonderful nurses that work with Sydney at home came and stayed with her so I was able to go to the viewing and the funeral. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I didn't worry at all while I was gone about how she was doing!

We appreciate all the love and prayers we received while in the hospital! It was an intense week, but hopefully answers will come from it. We are thrilled even though Sydney is unable to walk she is as happy as ever!!! She is a trooper!

Grandpa Farnsworth

How to sum up Grandpa and how wonderful he is is hard. No one loved all of us as much as Grandpa. He had an unconditional love and concern. Everything was always alright when Grandpa was around. He was Sydney's biggest cheerleader and optimist. I was so grateful to be able to go visit Grandpa a couple days before we went into the hospital. I was so happy to lay next to him on the bed and hold his hand. He expressed his love over and over. He lay in pain and so uncomfortable but asked about my family and Sydney. That was Grandpa!

My heart goes out to Grandma. He adored her and she adored him. It was a blessing over the years to see how sweet they were to each other. Grandma took such good care of Grandpa, especially these last years.

I was soo worried about going to the funeral with all the stress and emotion from the hospital and not really having the chance to internalise Grandpas death I was afraid I would loose all control of my emotions. At the end of the beautiful funeral as the family started to walk out from the back you hear mariachis playing. Grandpa wanted mariachis at his funeral. I think as soon as they started to play every one had to kind of laugh, knowing that's what Grandpa wanted and it was so odd and random! It was great!