Share a memory

My sister-in-law (that sounds so formal - I just think of her as Rodi) did this on her blog and I loved the idea.
1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I have together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Grandma Bait

Here are some picts of Jakey-Bo-Bakey 'BF' and 'AF' ("Before Feeding" and "After Feeding") I would like to take credit for the pruney mess on him but he is the grabbiest baby. He did most of that all by himself. So Grandmas what is more adorable than a messy little baby?! Seeing him in person!! Come visit!

Choo Choo Chattanooga...Here we come!

The 4th of July holiday we took the clan to Chattanooga Tennessee. We heard that they have a great aquarium there and being the lovers of fish that we are, we decided it was time for a Marshall 'vacation' (an over-nighter in a hotel). Chattanooga is only 2 hours away so it was a decent little trip that our family could handle in the car. We really had fun! Thursday, the 3rd we went to the Tennessee Aquarium. They have 2 different buildings there; one with ocean fish and the other with river varieties. I think Ty's favorite were the sharks. He was going crazy yelling 'shark, shark' every time he saw one. They were swimming right up to the glass. One of them glided right past my face and couldn't have been more than 5 inches away, including the 3 inches of glass. YIKES! That night I took AHA (Alex, Hayden and Aubrey) swimming in the hotel pool where, of course, Aubrey makes a little friend who is almost twice her age and half her size. She does love people. The morning of the 4th we made our way back downtown to go to the Children's Discovery Museum. Unfortunately (and I'm still angry at myself for this) I left the camera in the car. It was really a great children's museum, probably the best one we've visited, except Boston, but Steve and I went there before we had any children so it is hard to compare. Steve and I joined in the fun playing with their water channels stream, the art room and on the kiddie stage (complete with costumes, lights and sound effects). I think the other parents there realized why we have so many kids -- we are still kids ourselves. Probably the most memorable part of the trip though (and the other activities were hard to beat) was the game that we played on the ride there and back. Steve used to play the 'ABC' game with his grandmother on trips to the desert, so we started with that one, but Steve is so dang fast at it, it is hardly fun to play (especially while I am driving and trying NOT to kill us) So Aubrey suggested let's do numbers! At first blush we were placating her but then we realized we could continue into double digits and beyond. The rules are you have to find the numbers in readable order but they can be separated by letters. Most times we found them on the side of big semis in their registration numbers or on billboards in telephone numbers. We often slowed down next to the semis to read the numbers. I'm sure they thought we were nuts! It was a BLAST! We even took a different exit home so that we could find 99 and 100 before we arrived at our house and as a bonus found 101! All-in-all an excellent adventure! (no telephone booth required)

Cone Head

Typical day at the Marshall household. Some kind of food-stuff is hurled across the room and imbedded into someone's cranium. Okay, truth is, Steve was just acting like a crazy man and the kids were eating it up (pun intended).

Superhero Revealed

It is about this time of year that my mild-mannered self evolves into a brutal evil-fighter. I transform into "Raid Girl". Armed with bug spray, silicone caulk and a fly-swatter I attempt to wage war against Georgia's most sinister crew -- the ant. I can hardly put a complete thought together without thinking "Where are they now?" "What is their next move?" I hunt them, pursue them, destroy them. I wish I could say I was completely victorious but given the fact that I have 5 very talented crumb-spreaders at my house (no, make that 7) and given the sneakiness that embodies the evil enemy I am left to daily wage this war. So if you are black, 6-legged and have a thorax -- BE AFRAID! BE VERY, VERY AFRAID.

Late night thinking...

In the pre-dawn hours of today I came back to my bed, after feeding the baby, to find that Hayden had taken my warm-spot. After trying to push and pull him out of my divet with no luck I was left to cuddle around him on the small wedge of bed that he so graciously left me. As usual for me, at that time of morning with things so unnaturally quiet, I cannot get my mind to stop thinking. My thoughts are louder than ever and I start having practice arguments with Steve, debates with the attorney general, or tirades with Oprah. This morning I was trying to think up more witty retorts to my most commonly heard comment, "Are they all yours?!" I've only come up with a few. How about : "No, actually they are all my husbands'" (but that one might be taken the wrong way); or "Actually my sister died and left me all her kids - but thanks for bringing that up"; or " No, I run my own daycare and we are having a field trip"; even "Well yes, I'm making my own clone army." Obviously I could use some help. My second favorite comment is "Boy, you have your hands full" . Now this comment just drives me crazy. It is neither positive or negative. What exactly are you trying to say? Am I just too much of a woman and must think that people have some actually meaning as to why they say things, or shall I just think of it like a man and realize they probably didn't mean anything by it. (One of Steve and my favorite Jerry Seinfeld quotes: "Women, do you want to know what men are really thinking? I'll tell you......Nothing.) So maybe its a little of both. Maybe from now on if its a woman that says, "boy, you have your hands full" I'll assume she is thinking, "my goodness are you making a clone army of yourself, woman?!?" and if it is a guy I will just assume he was just saying, "Hmmm, her hands look full."