Gary Joe Marshall

December 10, 1961-August 27, 2009

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face But until that day, we'll hold on to you always I know the journey seems so long. You feel you're walking on your own But there has never been a step Where you've walked out all alone.

(Jeremy Camp-There Will Be A Day.)

Back to school, back to school

Our sweet Hunter started 8th grade this year!!! I remember the night before HE started kindergarten, putting his name on all his supplies and getting his backpack packed up for his big first day! Now he is going to 8th grade and MY baby started kindergarten!

Hunter gettin' some love from his dad.

Who is taller????

Our handsome Hunter!

The Tuesday before school started Nanny and I decided to tackle a rather large paint project...the master bedroom! Since Steph was REALLY struggling this week after chemo, she stopped by and grabbed the boys before she headed over. You must think we are crazy to paint with DARK brown paint and FOUR children ages five an under! Truth be told, it's easier to have these four than just two. They play great together. They usually pair off and we never have any problems!!

Claire pulled Levi into the bathroom in one of her totes from her shelf!

This is the outside of our shower. Being a smart...you know what...I decided to poke fun and the random light fixture. Later, as I tried to paint over it, I found that it wasn't such a great idea. You can still see it. Oops. Sandpaper here I come.

Just a little note.

This is how you do lunch in a house with no carpet....and not much furniture.

Levi and Coco playing trains.

The little boys got a bath in our new bathtub!!!!

Claire showed off her new skill...NO TRAINING WHEELS!!

Thursday August 20, 2009...THE BIG DAY!!!! My baby was off to kindergarten!

Here's our big girl ready to go! Please note the bruised shins. She bruises easy, is riding a bike with no training wheels and has a new house full of wood stairs!! Need I say more!

I have 12 of these pictures of me and Jarad EVERY year on the first day of school. The tradition continues!

Claire insisted on taking this fake mouse to school. I told her he needed to stay in my purse because we didn't want to scare the other kids!

Claire finding her cubby.

Daddy took charge....

and this was about the point I broke down!

To keep myself busy, I took Cohen for a haircut...BYE BYE CURLS!!!! Then we headed to Nanny's to surprise her...she didn't even recognize him!

I felt bad not having Claire here! I was counting down the minutes until I could go pick her up!!

Cohen and Levi on our new back deck!

So THIS is what he does with Nanny!!!

Our big girl is home at last!! She had a great day and couldn't wait to go back the next day because they were having P.E.!!! (The artwork on the wall has a story...I will explain later!) She loved music class too. She said she sat with a friend from our old neighborhood at lunch. She also got to play with 3 other of our old neighbors at recess.

Drew went with me to pick her up at school. Sitting in the car line was absolute torture!!! I could NOT wait to see her little face! When she jumped in she was very excited to see Drew and even looked excited to see me! Drew said, "Claire, you should have heard your mom. She just talked about you ALL DAY LONG!" The smile on her little face was priceless.

Here I am with my babies! (paint samples on the walls...we are using neither color!)

We went that evening to get Claire's new glasses. We talked about how important it is that she wear them ALL the time. That night she was watching T.V. in her room and I heard her glasses case snap shut. I went in and saw her rolling over to go to sleep. I thought it was so funny! The next morning she came shuffling in with her hair all over the place and already had her glasses on! She is being so careful and responsible with her new specs!

Miss Smarty Pants!!

It seems like just yesterday....

she was discovering her shadow for the first time.

And now here we are...


the night before she discovers the wide world of kindergarten. I pray that I have prepared her. I pray that she finds comfort in the special lunch that includes watermelon and cucumbers (her favorites!). I pray that she makes friends like I made in kindergarten, the ones I can still count on today. I pray that her classmates are kind and she is kind in return. I pray that her teacher understands that she is shy in new situations. I pray that she also appreciates her sense of humor when it finally makes its appearance. I pray that my sweet girl feels God's presence tomorrow as she jumps into this new chapter of her life. I pray that I make it through the whole day...without my girl.

Whoa Nelly!

It has been a busy time around here. In the past 10 days I have:
-Sold a house.
-Bought a new one.
-Woke up to Claire COVERED in hives.
-Made a 2:30 am trip to Walgreens for Benadryl.
-Bought a new washer, dryer and refrigerator.
-Cleaned...A LOT.
-Unpacked 3 moving trucks.
-watched Big Daddy hang 3 new ceiling fans.
-Painted two bedrooms.
-Used front loading washer for the first time.
-Called Lowes to come get said washer because it was leaking MAJOR water from the bottom.
-Cleaned some more.
-Ate A LOT of take out.
-Took Claire to the endocrinologist and got a glowing report.
-Took Claire shopping for a few new school clothes.
-Took Claire to the eye doctor.
-Took Claire to pick out new frames for her new glasses.
-Cleaned.
-Used a gas stove for the first time...without burning anything.
-Had 578 power struggles with a little boy who has a new favorite word..."NO!"
-Went to the doc and am currently being treated for Strep.
-Got Internet at our new house!
-Saw my Grammy and Papa Tom for the first time in a LONG time!
-Watched my cousin get married to a REALLY amazing guy in my parent's backyard.
-Helped pack up after the wedding.
-Hugged my uncle.
-Cried.
-Watched my little girl ride her bike with NO training wheels...really fast!
-Cried.
-Prayed every single night and THANKED THE GOOD LORD ABOVE for my life and everyone in it.

I can't wait to post new pics of our house, but I haven't taken any yet. But what I DID do, is put up a new link on the right side of my blog. I am walking to cure Cystic Fibrosis in memory of our friend Jeff. Please consider donating. Every dollar counts! If you would rather, and are in the area, please join our team! Click on my link and you can find all the info! Now I'm back to movie night with my little sweeties! I don't remember The Land Before Time being THIS SAD!!!!

PS, I just read back over my post and wanted to make it perfectly clear that I did not do ALL of that stuff ALONE! I had so many helpers! Big Daddy, his momma, my parents, Jarad, Ashley, Steph, Scot, John, Robbie, Bill, Millie and of course all the little ones!

Sunday Morning Sermon

Halfway around the world, there are children who are experiencing the love of Christ in a very tangible way. They are feeling the hugs of Christians sent to love on them. They are walking with a bounce in their step thanks to new shoes...thanks to shoes...period. They are given medicine and band aids, a luxury that they have never known. They are learning about Christ love through a sermon of actions, not words. I am sharing this with you because two people on that mission in Cambodia are people that are very special to me. My cousin Amy and her husband Chad are on there for the second time, doing the work that the Lord has called them to do. You can follow their journey HERE. But here is a video from the blog. This is just too important not to share. I imagine this is exactly what God intended for His people. Compassion, hope and selfless love...it's just beautiful.

Cambodia Day One defeating injustice one step at a time from David Gadberry on Vimeo.

I also wanted to share some pics from her last trip in 2008. Amy, I hope you don't mind!!!

Busy times.

Things are moving at an astonishing rate around here. We close on our houses (the one we are selling and the one we are buying) in ten days. Oh dear. I have SO much to do in the next ten days. However, today I did NOTHING in the way of packing. My day was very focused on Claire. We started the day with a big breakfast and then took Cohen to Nanny's house. Claire and I had to go to the lab to have her blood drawn (which was the reason for the big breakfast) to check her insulin levels in preparation for her appointment with the endocrinologist on the 13th. Of course we headed straight over to Walgreens to get a little treat to reward Claire for her bravery! Only TWO TEARS this time! We headed back to the doctors office for her five year check-up. She has grown 3 inches in a year!!! She is now 4 foot 1 inch tall! Her hearing was perfect despite a wicked case of swimmers ear that she picked up on vacation last week. However, we did her vision screening...and she bombed. I am hoping it was just because she was tired. We scheduled an appointment with the eye doctor on the 14th so we will know more then!

We had a great vacation with Grandma and I hope to get more pics up soon, but for now...I gotta pack!

A few pictures.

And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY wish to our sweet Claire! It seems like just yesterday we were sitting in a hospital room, holding a stranger, wondering if what in the world we were supposed to do with her...and being so in love with her...that it didn't even matter.

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