A Disney December

WARNING: This post has a lot of pictures in it...

Oliver has started smiling...

Tally and Oliver watching Aricin sing and play his guitar

Dude?

Our little Rock Star loves his new guitar

Aricin and his buddy Jovie in Visalia (They're 3 months apart)

Tally and Beckham (They're 3 weeks apart)

Evangeline Apple and Oliver Finnegan or Eve and Oli

(They have the same birthday) It was soo good to hang out with the Blairs while we were in Visalia.

Grandma Julie brought them to get gold fish for the big fish tank at her house

They loved naming all the fish

3 months old already!

Our sweet boy

How many kiddos can you fit on a kiddie couch

Sword fighting with Grandpa Rick

Playing in Grandpa Rick's truck

The girls and the kiddos

Great Grandma Alicia and the kiddos

Christmas Morning at the Ramos house

The kiddos and Grandpa, I mean Santa

Tally in her snowboarding chick outfit

Hanging with the uncles

Oh Trader Joes

It's a small world after all

Aricin watching the Disneyland Parade

Tally watching the Parade

Oliver watching us

Fun with Grandma Diane and Grandpa Bob

Sticking your tongue out always helps me focus too

The Princess Castle

Disneyland!!!

Daddy teaching Aricin how to swing properly???

Peek a boo

Rock Climbing in California

Hanging out

Watch out he can climb anything

Tally and Grandpa Bob

Aricin as a Shepherd for his pre school performance

Bath time... love baby buns

Fun dry erase project i found on pinterest

The aftershocks of "No Shave November" Aaron having fun with his facial hair.

We'll call this one "the pencil stache"

More remnants of "No Shave November" this one's just scary we can call it

"The Crazy Cowboy"

Funny faces at dinner time

Ewww Gross i know!

And like that 2011 was done. December was so fun. From Christmas parties to catching up with friends and family I didn't want it to end. We drove out to California this year and the kids did surprisingly Awesome and by the grace of God we didn't encounter any snow. (Big praise after last February's roll over on the black ice) We started our trip in Glendale- spending a few days with Aaron's dad and Diane. They brought us to Disneyland, the kids had a blast and liked the finding Nemo ride and small world the best. I of course doubled Aaron's score again in the Buzz Light year shooting game (He claimed a faulty gun- maybe next year hunny). We then trecked to Visalia and hung out with the fam for a couple days before heading to the coast to hang out with Aaron's brother Andy and his wife Star and their kiddos Attison and Ayla. It was great for the kids to play together and fun to hang out before we headed to Santa Barbara. In Santa Barbara we got to catch up with our friends the Bancrofts before celebrating Christmas Eve with Aaron's grandma and the family. We were also able to visit with my old roommate Zoe and her hubby Jason. It was soooo good to be back in SB and see the sun go down over the ocean. We still want to move back someday but for now really feel like Colorado is where we're supposed to be. I told Aaron if it weren't for our friends and church in Highlands Ranch i'd be tempted to want to move back. Darn you Colorado friends! But really i was reminded of how special the community we have here is. The depth, vulnerbility and intimacy in our small group is pretty amazing and I can't imagine leaving it. We were able to stay in Visalia for another week or so before we took off. Which reminds me, Visalia is like twice as big as it was when i grew up there- it's grown so much and yet still smells the same (from all the local diaries) The kids got spoiled for the 2 weeks we were out by all of their grandparents and other friends and family.

Now we're back home which feels nice. Jeremiah managed to cut his lip while we were gone and as a result stole all of our christmas money. Silly dog. I'm getting back to a somewhat normal routine with the kids, we're still trying to get over colds and Aaron has dove back into school mode teaching Spiritual Formation and the Life of Christ this semester. He's also busy trying to finish a progression paper as he's hoping to fly back to Edinburgh next month to present it to a board.

The Marshall Annual Christmas Ode 2011

Hi friends, here’s a little note from us to you,

Filled with love to share what’s new.

In January we headed up to Breckenridge for some rest

We hit up the Ice Carving Festival, it really is one of the best!

In February my brother, Jon & his girlfriend visited;

we snowboarded Copper- the conditions were nice

On our way home we rolled our car on a stretch of black ice.

By the grace of God we walked away from the accident all o.k.

But I think it’s fair to conclude we won’t ever forget that day.

In March we flew out to Tennessee for a mini Talbot

(Aaron’s Grad school) reunion near the peaks

Good times with friends, we realized 3 couples were preggers

and our due dates were within weeks

In April Aricin turned 3 & celebrated with a super hero party.

He’s inquisitive; loves to learn, explore, climb, jump, play

and his sweet smile is hearty.

In May we spent a weekend in Mesa on the Western Slope

From boating to biking to hanging out with family

our time there was dope.

In June we flew out to Cali for a sweet summer

Santa Barbara vacation

After a week of the beach, the Zoo, & paddle boarding

we were ready to make it a staycation

In July Aaron spent a week on a trip with Impact edVentures

in the Bahamas

My brother, Jasun & his friend came out to help with the kids

and were more fun then Llamas.

In August Aricin started pre-school & Aaron’s brother,

Andy came out with his family to see us.

We hit up the Denver Zoo & The Aquarium

with our memberships- so fun! …the kids didn’t fuss.

In September we hit up the Colorado Springs Hot Air Balloon

Festival as my belly got big.

Oliver Finnegan came 2 ½ weeks early weighing

7lbs 6oz-he’s sweeter then a fig.

In October Talia turned 2 and kept busy in her tumbling class.

She loves to cuddle, play with her dollies, help with Oliver,

and be a sweet lass.

In November we started getting more sleep

and feeling alive again.

Life with 3 kiddos age 3 and under is nuts and great

all at the same time- kind of like the name Finnegan

Aaron’s busy as head of the Bible Department at

Valor Christian High School

He loves teaching Ethics-

showing kids how to think on their own is such a great tool.

Aaron’s also working on Impact edVentures-

a non profit he started with two of his buddies

They take people on character building trips around the globe

opening their eyes beyond normal studies.

Aaron’s also still working on his PhD in Education through

the University of Edinburgh in Scotland

We plan to return to the U.K. this summer for more research

and plan on having more fun then a band

The kids are growing so fast and we’re trying to embrace

every moment

Knowing soon they’ll be gone and we’ll just have

each other to torment

We still love life out here in Colorado; it just feels right

The weather is grand and all four seasons are quite a sight.

Looking back at this last year we feel immensely blessed

by God’s provision

As we look ahead we are excited to see what God has for us

all under his grand supervision

Life is a journey and lasts but a short while

Stumbling, we try to live beneath God’s smile.

So that’s our year so much to tell

We hope all of you are happy, healthy, and well

We wish you peace, love, joy, and blessings this holiday season

And invite you to visit anytime for any reason.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Love,

Aaron, Janay, Aricin, Talia, and Oliver

Nuances of November

I love baby feet... and they grow so fast

Fun with Grandma

Made these for Aricin's preschool class

Someone gave us this book and we love it!

The fashionista

Nap time for the boys

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. November has been a blur for us. Aaron just got back from California- he flew to San Francisco for a few days for a conference and my mom flew out here to help with the kiddos. We had a great time with grandma- she spoiled everyone and was a huge help! Aaron had a great time at ETS (Evangelical Theological Society) and was able to reconnect with a bunch of old friends in the city. Something new for us for November has been a cash only budget (sigh) hubby tells me this will be a good discipline. I think he's right but ugh it's soo not fun to feel restricted. It's been a challenge to make things work on our new budget but as much as I whine and complain about it, I know it's a good thing. Oliver continues to grow he's up to 10 pounds now and loves to smile back at us, which makes my heart melt. Aricin is growing up to fast and LOVES to talk pretty much all the time- we laugh he surprises us with words like Cornucopia. Tally is also blossoming and is pretty much addicted to chap stick. She's talking more and more and asserting herself to everyone around her. They both love to help out with Oliver and dote on their younger brother. Thanksgiving is in a few days and we're looking forward to spending it at home with our each other and our kiddos. There is soo much to be Thankful for- as we reflect on God's goodness and grace.