Marchbanks Mania

A Week of Cousins and Craziness!

Alaskan Adventure!!!

We had a wonderful time last week as we boarded a cruise ship with all the other McDaniels and headed out for an Alaskan adventure. After flying to Seattle to board the ship, we cruised to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan, Alaska. Our last port was in Victoria, Canada.

The scenery was outstanding! Glacier Bay was breathtaking and wonderous! It is so amazing what God can create! The huge, icy glaciers, wildlife such as bears, dolphins, and whales, and enormous snow capped mountains- WOW!

In Juneau (the capitol of Alaska), we shopped, visited the Alaska state capitol, saw Sarah Palin's house and office, and enjoyed the sites. In Sitka and Ketchikan we shopped and took in the wonderful outdoors. What a sight! Canada was a quick visit. We were only in port for a few hours, so we walked around and shopped a bit.

The cruise was great. We ate and ate like crazy. I think Garrett (newly named Mommy's little moose) gained a few pounds in particular. The programs and shows were good, and we enjoyed our time with my parents and Retti. Drew absolutely loved the kids program, Club Hal. He would skip dessert at dinner time just to get there earlier. If you know Drew, that means a LOT! The weather was absolutely beautiful. Usually the climate there this time of the year is foggy, dreary, and cool. Luckily, it was bright, clear, and around 70 degrees the entire trip! A wonderful change from the near 90 degree climate at home!

We loved it, are looking forward to another adventure (not that everyday in our house isn't one), and are grateful for the time we could spend together. THANKS RETTI!!!

Class of 2009!

MDO graduation 2009! Drew graduated from preschool today with a great performance of "He's got the Whole World in His Hands" and the Alphabet song. While most of the kids were loud, silly, and goofing around, Drew stood stoic and solemn (very un-Drew like). Nana, Gran, Grandma, Trey, Garrett, and Kelli all attended. We are so proud of him and expect great things in the year's to come.

Hoppy Easter!!!

Happy Birthday Drew!

Our Drew turned 5 this Thursday with lots of excitement! He spent the day at school with his little buddies celebrating with cupcakes. Then for dinner he chose Chuck E. Cheese, so we spent the evening playing games and eating pizza. He opened gifts and had lots of fun with with the family, including the Marchbanks grandparents & Nana.

Then on Saturday, Drew went sledding for his party... Yes, in Texas, and yes, in April. He spent this morning with his friends and family at Mount Aggie. It is a big hill on campus that is covered with astroturf where the University teaches snow skiing classes. The wet turf is a slick surface for skiing and sledding. We all had a blast! It was sooo much fun!







After the festivities, we went to eat at Beefmasters with the family. It was such a great day!

I can hardly believe my baby is 5 and will be starting kindergarten in the fall! He grown by leaps and bounds this last year. He is so inquisitive and loves to explore everything- especially everything mechanical. He has started reading simple words and doing simple math. He is going to LOVE school. He thrives on playing outside with his neighborhood friends and loves going to school and seeing his buddies there. He has become empathetic, caring, and concerned. He is a wonderful brother and likes to "help" Garrett (when they aren't torturing each other, that is...). We love him and we thank God for our sweet blessing.

The Best Ice Cream in the Country!

We all ventured down to Brenham this morning to visit the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. The wait was long but Blue Bell had complimentary water and jumping pits for the kids while we were in line. We saw how the ice cream was made and packaged, and then we were able to eat a scoop- YUM!

We were also able to take our yearly bluebonnet pictures. Since Drew was born, there is only 1 year we have missed out (we were in Lubbock). They are such handsome guys!

Church Retreat

Last weekend we and the boys went on a retreat out into the country with our small group from church. We had lots of fun fishing, playing on the slip-n-slide, shooting foam rockets, playing with bubbles and play-dough, and fellowshiping with lots of other friends.

The Birthday Boy!

Our sweet Garrett turned two last week! I can't believe how quickly he is growing. He topped the scales at nearly 32 1/2 lbs. this week at his check-up. He is such a sweetie- as long as nothing comes between him and his food. Cookies and ice cream are some of his favorites! He loves to eat, giggle, play with his best pal Briley, torture his brother some, and throw and smear his food everywhere! He loves Sunday school and Wednesday night class. He just laughs and giggles constantly! He has started warming up to others, but his heart still belongs to mommy!

For his party we had a barnyard theme. Lots of family and friends came over for cake and ice cream, an abbreviated jumping pit time (it rained), and to play both in the backyard and inside.

Garrett's Cake

Happy Birthday Garrett!

Drew enjoying the party

Post Birthday Bubbles!!!

Holiday Catch-up

Wow, it's been a long time since I have blogged about my boys. There has been sooo much going on and we have been sooo busy! So here goes.

We had a great Thanksgiving. We spent it here in College Station with the Marchbanks. Trey "fried" a turkey with his new grease-less turkey frier, and it was delish! Better than the the real deal. I made chocolate pies, pumpkin pies, pecan pies, and corn casserole. Everything was great! Then on Thursday evening my parents drove up and Mom and I went shopping on Black Friday. Wow- you wouldn't bleieve the lines at Kohl's at 4 am! We followed my parents up to Austin for another round of Thanksgiving, this time with the McDaniel clan. My grandfather has been in poor health for sometime, so we were fortunate to be able to spend another holiday with him. The boys enjoyed playing with cousin Shelby and other McDaniel relatives.

About a couple of weeks later, Grandad went home to be with his heavenly Father. We drove to Austin again for his memorial service on a Monday. It was a long, hard day for everyone. The next day Trey left for Atlanta and the boys and I spent a few days by ourselves at home. They were great, and I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with my guys alone for awhile. On Thursday the boys and I drove to Houston for the last memorial service for Grandad. Trey flew in and met us there. The boys were glad to have Daddy back with them. The memorial service was very nice, and the church was so nice to serve our family lunch as well.





As Christmas came around, we celebrated Trey's 31st birthday with him as we went out for steak with the Marchbanks. I made a New York Style Marbled Cheesecake that was good, but unfortunately was left in the car during a warm spell in the weather. Needless to say, we didn't get to eat much of it.

Trey's aunts, uncles, and cousin Joseph came in to town for a weekend over the holidays. We had a great time with them and the Marchbanks. Drew and Garrett spent lots of time with cousins and family. Garrett had never even met his great-aunt and uncles! They stayed out at a bed and breakfast of a friend's, and Drew was able to ride a miniature horse and bail hay. He had a blast!

For Christmas, we spent an absolutely WONDERFUL Christmas at home! Trey had not been at home for Christmas since he was born! We opened presents with the boys and looked in stockings. Drew got a new bike and some more games and trains. Garrett got a bubble mower, and a little race track. We thoroughly enjoyed the day!

On the 26th we went to Houston for Christmas with the McDaniels. We opened gifts with Nana and Paw-paw, Aunt Kim & Chad, and cousin Shelby. The boys made out like bandits again! Then that evening we had another celebration with Retti. On the 27th we celebrated Paw-Paw's birthday, and our last Christmas celebration with Grandma Sandy on the 28th. It was a wonderful Christmas!





We have had a great new year so far and are looking forward to a wonderful 2009!

Thanks Gran-Gran!