Life is Good

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2011-09-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

Tyler is playing tackle football this year! The season started a month or so ago but Tyler was "recruited" this week by a co-worker of Josh. So he started on Thursday and had his 1st game on Saturday. This is his first time ever playing football. He did really well and even went in for a tackle a time or two.

Tyler plays for the Craven Jaguars.

There he is on the field - #15!!! Go Tyler!!!

There is one of the hot coaches I just had to get a picture of! Oh and he is my husband too!!

Tyler plays left end and linebacker. He also played on special teams - front line blocker. I don't know if I am saying that correctly. I don't have a clue about football!!!! Don't get me lying!
I think that is what Josh said though.....

I wish I would have been on the other side of this "action". Josh is giving his "best player" 5.
Are you ready for some football? The Martin family better be because now we are committed to practice 4 hours a week and games on Saturday (some are as far as 2 1/2 hours away!!). It's all for the love of the game! AND Daddy/Son time!!!

Tyler's Baptism and the Ouzts Get Together

2011-09-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to have most of the Ouzts family (we missed Jason and Hannah!) come to our house in August for Tyler's baptism. We tried to make the most of it and sneak a beach trip in the weekend as well.
There were some really awesome tidal pools at the beach. The kids had a blast in those! There were also many jellyfish in the water that day and they would also end up in the tidal pools. Luckily, no one got stung!

Uncle Danny was a good sport and let the kids bury him in the sand. It was pretty fun. I think he felt violated after it was all done!! Love the goggles!!!

After the beach, the kids came hom and jumped in the pool and on the trampoline! That made for a lot less sand in the house!!!

You should have seen all the Ouzts's packed into this house! Have you seen my house? It's not that big. We fit 21 peeps up in this house. They were EVERYWHERE! But it worked!

And of course Josh and I had our sanctuary in our room. I know that isn't fair, but what can you do?

Here are all the beautiful Ouzts cousins. Grandma and Grandpa, you should be proud of this crew.

The baptism was at 3:00 after church, August 7th. Here is Josh and Tyler getting ready for the big moment. I am so proud of Josh for being able to use the priesthood in our home and for our family.

Happy parents....

And Grandparents...

And a happy boy!!!
We are so proud of our Tyler, who is growing so fast!

The Cutest Thing in the World!!!!

2011-07-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our little Oliver, a.k.a. Ollie Boy (as we fondly call him)...

Ollie will be 8 weeks old on Monday (July 25th). Guess what - he was born on my birthday...May 30th!!!! That makes him even more special to us!!! We first saw Ollie when he was 3 weeks old. We knew we just had to have one of the adorable puppies. My kids asked me EVERYDAY when we could go get a puppy. Finally last week we went to go get him. We had to choose between him and one of his cute sisters. Most of us were in agreement about him. Madison wanted the girl but she soon warmed up to Ollie and now is okay with our decision. He is seriously the cutest thing ever!
I think he is going to be okay...Bella gave him a hard time at first because she was jealous but now they are sharing food, a bed and entertaining us greatly with their wrestling matches. Ollie can really hold his own. He sneaks up behind Bella and goes between her long legs, bites her ears and stands on his back legs to bat at her with his little paws. And his bark - it's so cute. He yips really lightly. It is so faint but he means business. He only barks when he is playing (for now).
Anyway, everyone is in love with this little guy. The kids are doing pretty good taking him out to the bathroom (I am at this moment telling Tyler to go take him out RIGHT NOW....you know how that goes).
Welcome to the crazy Martin Family Ollie!!!

Pioneer Day

2011-07-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Day was super hot but super fun!!! Here are a few pictures of the fun....

The kids doing watermelon spitting contest. Madison Miller and Tyler won in their age group. Woot Woot!

Super Cute Pioneer Girls...Jamie, Gabbie and Skylar. They have been waiting all year for this!!!!

Here is Josh...he won the watermelon spitting contest for his age group. (old man group..heehee)
Yes, we have some spitters among the Miller-Martins!!!

Tug of war! What fun. Blake and Tyler are somewhere in the middle.

Our cute missionaries....Elder Guinn and Elder Cahoon. These guys are so fun!

Check these fancy girls out...

When Pioneer Brothers Attack....

Little pioneer children listening to the speakers.

Here is the latest fashion for a pioneer pocket - a cute puppy!! Way to work it Jamie!

Here is our family at Pioneer Day. What a great time we had!!!!

Fabulous 4th!

2011-07-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

We had a very nice 4th of July. It started with a wonderful breakfast at a friend's house, some much needed yard work, and a dip in the pool.

The kids LOVE it when Josh gets in the pool to play with them.

The pool has definitely been one of our best investments for the kids. They jump in when they want and we rarely have to go anywhere for entertainment. It is a pain to keep it clean but oh so worth it!

Most of the time we have lots of kids in there so the pool shakes like a bowl full of jello!!

Later on we went downtown for the festivities. Well, all the festivities were money suckers so we walked back over the bridge to our cars. On the way, we saw some of our friends on their boat. Good timing!!!

Back at "camp", we had homemade banana ice cream, pie and lots of fun!!

Here is the view of New Bern from where we sat.

We also had sparklers for the kids and they LOVED it!!!

Sparkler dance by Maddy!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Martin

Carla let the kids do a whipped topping eating contest. That was fun!

And my favorite picture... the kids sitting quietly and enjoying the beautiful fireworks.

Do you like Blake's head phones?? He was afraid of the loud noises - pretty typical of our family!!

Happy 4th!!!

I finally figured it out!!!

2011-07-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Okay - it has been a long time since I blogged and I really couldn't figure out why it wasn't posting all my different posts. I finally got it!! So don't get too excited, but maybe JUST MAYBE, I can post a little more....
:)

Flying High This Summer

2011-07-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yah for summer!!!!

A weekend to remember...

2011-04-03T08:49:00.001-07:00

The Miller-Martins went to Wilmington for the weekend in February.

Here are a few of the pictures from a fabulous weekend.

An Unexpected (yet priceless) Gift

2010-12-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

This year I received many presents from my little 1st Graders. I opened most of them in front of the group (which I will never do again to avoid hurt feelings!!). They were all very sweet and nice - ornaments, mugs, a book, bath and body products, a pen, a candle, etc. I "oohed and aahhed" over them all and let them know how special they all were to me.

The very next day a little boy comes up to me with great big eyes. He had a "surprise" for me! He even wrapped it himself and it took him ALL morning!!! As you can see he has it labeled, "Mis Mrin". ;)
It was so precious, I just didn't think I could tear it open!

He was watching me every second as I opened this layering of paper. He just couldn't WAIT until I saw what was in the package for me!! I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this treasure. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw this half eaten, fuzzy and sticky candy cane stick. But I kept it together and just went on and on at how great it was.

But wait...that's not all!!!!

He wanted me to have my very own gingerbread man. He drew one for me and included the directions....1. color(colr), 2. cut (cott).

There was another picture he drew for me too. He colored that one so all I had to do was "cut" that one.

He was tickled and proud of himself over this gift.

Yes, the candles, jewelry, candy, mugs, pens and ornaments were great but this gift......

Well, this is one gift I will not ever forget!

It's definitely not the most glamourous or traditional gift a teacher could receive but this one came straight from the heart of a sweet little 7 year old that wanted to get something special for his teacher. This is what it's all about!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

(Don't be too shocked over my posting Melissa! I have a few days off from work!! haha)
We have had a wonderful Christmas!! The joy and anticipation you see in the eyes of your children is such a blessing. I try not to think about how different Christmas will be when the kids are older teenagers and we have to drag them out of bed to see what Santa has left or when they are grown and gone. I am thinking it won't be nearly as exciting! I am trying to savor and treasure every moment (crazy or not) with these little ones!
Our Christmas morning started with Blake "quietly" (uh huh, right!) coming into our room at 6:30am and asking if he can sleep with me. I said sure. Josh turned on the bedside light and Blake started shouting, "Santa brought me my training bike!!!" We all had to get up after that and witness Blake's Christmas miracle.
We cover everything with a sheet so the kids don't get carried away and start running from one thing to another. Everyone has a designated sheet that has all their Santa goodies under it and we start with a family prayer. Then the youngest child "unveils" their Santa gifts. We get to marvel and "ooh and aah" over each one.
Here is Blake with his training bike.....

After we saw what Santa brought, Josh and I went back to bed for about an hour. When I got up again, Blake was still riding his bike around the house. I think he rode for a total of 4 hours!!!! IN LOVE with his bike!!! Tyler got a light up wheel and spark throwing scooter. You'll see this fun gift a little later.
Here he is with Dad - they are both sporting their Philadelphia Eagles paraphernalia. He also got a green nerf football that he can't wait to throw around with the neighborhood boys. Football is definitely his thing right now.

And Madison's thing is Barbies and baby dolls. I love that although she is almost 9 years old, she still asks for toys for Christmas! I LOVE it!!! Please don't grow up too soon!!! She got this totally cool Barbie furniture set along with some Barbies. She also got a Twinn doll baby with several sets of clothes. She is in the playroom now playing with those Barbies. We had to compensate for the Barbie house that she asked for!!! I pulled my 30 year old Barbie house from the attic about a month ago to show her she didn't really need a new house. It is a little yellow and rustic but she was really happy with it. Now she has rocking furniture to dress it up!

Does this look like a Tween's Christmas or what!!! Money, clothes, jewelry, light make-up, fluffy pillow and an Ipod Nano is what brought a smile to this sweet girl's face.

On a side note, Jamie turned 12 a couple of weeks ago. She had a fun sleepover birthday party. She started Young Women's and now she is just totally a pre-teen! She got braces about a month ago. She is doing pretty well with that. The first few days were torture and she was on a yogurt and applesauce diet but she lived through that. She even made it through a bracket popping off and getting it repaired. Now she has a major sore in her mouth and is learning that wax is her new best friend.

The boys got a fun electric race car track. This takes me back in time to watching my brothers play their "Dukes of Hazard" race track. Oh yeah. Bo and Luke.

Josh did a great job stringing the lights up on the house. This is new this year. We were getting tired of the same old decorations. We were going to put up the wreaths too but never got around to it. Maybe next year!!!

You can also see Josh's big Christmas present sitting in the driveway. 2010 Toyota Tacoma 4-dr, long bed truck. Merry Christmas Baby!

Here is Blake sporting his new bike. Yeah, it's calling for snow tonight and yeah, Blake is riding barefoot. Don't judge. It was only for a minute. Really.

I love that little grin!!!!

You can see the sparkly wheels a little bit but he is doing a great job throwing those sparks! He rode his fun scooter most of the day. My bet is that those fun sparks will be gone by Monday!!!

One of my favorite gifts came from Jamie. She had Carla help her get pictures of my children and print them off to put in frames. This just melted my heart and I cried!!!! Now I know how special those sweet gifts are to moms and grandmas that come from their daughters. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I love this time with my family and close loved ones. I am truly grateful for our Savior and his birth. He is the greatest and only gift that we truly need.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-15T07:59:00.001-08:00

I know, I know, I know!!!!
It has taken me forever to blog!!!
I am lucky to brush my hair and teeth these days!!
Back in September I started working again after staying home for 8 years.
I am teaching 1st grade and I do love it. Blake is going to his "school" at a near by daycare. He seems to be enjoying it. I can't really tell these days because he is now 3. Every other minute he is having a serious meltdown. We are taking this day and cuddling on the couch though. Madison and Tyler are sick today. So if I am only able to blog on sick days, that is just how it will have to be!!!
Let's enjoy this moment....

Here is our little Bella. She was an injured cheerleader. The injured part was not planned. The cheerleader was last minute idea (and not a very good one due to the injured part). We just wanted to have fun with our little Bella Boo. I was going to take her with us to the church's Trunk or Treat but she wasn't feeling so well and I kind of just forgot. I was busy getting the kids and candy out the door. When we got home, she was crying. I hurt her ear putting all the cute little hairbows on her. So sorry Bella! She was okay after a little while. Next year I will stick with a "Boo" t-shirt from Target!!! The Miller/Martin's Halloween pose....
Blake was a pirate - aarrrrggghhh!!
Tyler was Mario (Madio).
The girls were characters from Alice in Wonderland.
Jamie - Mad Hatter
Madison Martin - Cheshire Cat
Madison Miller - Alice
Anna Miller - Red Queen
Gabbie Miller - White Queen

This is the Bat Wagon. :) Scary, right???

Alice in Wonderland Crew - Carla and I were Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

Guess which one I was????

We won the costume contest at the Trunk or Treat! (the whole Miller/Martin clan)

AND Troy won the chilli contest! We took home all prizes that night. (thanks to the help of Madison Miller voting 12 times for her Dad!! haha)

One of the highlights of Halloween this year was a story I read to my 1st graders "Junie B. First Grader, Boo and I Mean It!"

Junie B is scared of Halloween because of the 5 secrets that Paulie Allen Puffer told her.

1. Real witches and monsters go trick or treating on Halloween. Only they don't even wear costumes. On account of everybody thinks they're already dressed up. BUT THEY'RE NOT! THEY'RE WEARING THEIR REAL ACTUAL FACE AND CLOTHES! 2. Don't carve pointy sharp teeth in your pumpkin. Or else it will roll into your room while you're sleeping and eat your feet! 3. Bat's like to land on your head and live in your hair. 4. Black witch cats can claw you into shreddle. 5. Candy corn isn't really corn.

And if Junie B. told anyone these secrets, a witch would turn her head into a wart.

Can I tell you that when I was reading this book out loud to my 1st graders, I had to stop and laugh and laugh and laugh!!!! We were all hysterical. I especially love the point teeth in your pumpkin!!! hahaha

My kids thought that was funny too but not as funny as I thought it was!!!

Happy (Late) Halloween!!!!!

A Trip to Caswell

2010-07-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was spent in Caswell County, NC. It is where I grew up and where generations upon generations of my family is from and a lot still live there.
We went to see our family and to celebrate my neice's baptism.
Here are some of the fun things we did (unfortunately, not in order but oh well!)...

My kids think they have done it all now! They got to spend an afternoon with Aunt Angela cruising on the mini bike and 4 wheeler. We don't have any motorized ride-on toys so this was an extra special treat. They all think we should buy something fun like that. No thanks. We'll just borrow the fun from Uncle Danny and Aunt Angela and their 12 acres of adventure!!!
Tyler decided after riding the mini bike (with a little help) that he was going to be a BMX star one day. The dreams of youth... (I think he meant motor cross???) Jamie got a wish come true. Not only did I let her ride a 4 wheeler, but she even got to drive it. It must have been her lucky day!!! Here she is with her cousin Ashton and friend Makenzie.

Even though Lanie is only 8 years old, she drives my kind of speed - grandma style. She drove Madison and Kaden around.

After Jamie got comfy with the 4 wheeler, she decided to fly solo on the mini bike. She did really good. I think she is one of the few people that has not wrecked it!!!! Madison gave it a try too!!! She did really good also!

We decided to tame it down a bit and hit Grandma's farm on the golf cart. LOVE the golf cart. That is the best thing Grandma and Grandpa have gotten for their farm!! True, it doesn't till the ground or water the plants but it can haul 8 people around the corn field!!!!

Here we are making our way up the hill back to Grandma's....

And here is our little 11 year old professional driver at the wheel again!!!

Don't worry, Jack's gun isn't loaded. He was just getting prepared in case we ran into any more skunks in the garden!!!!

We got to go with the cousins to see the fireworks at the Burlington Park. That made me a nervous wreck!!! It was fun once we got there and sat down but Mom and I had 6 little kids walking amongst thousands of people. I was so afraid of losing someone!!!!

We sat right in front of the band that played patriotic music during the fireworks show.

Here is Tyler at the show.

Another great thing about the 4th of July show was that it really wasn't too hot!!

Usually we are sweating through the whole thing but this year it was a treat to have cooler weather!!

Jamie, Ashton and Jack getting ready for the show...

On Saturday, we went to Lanie's 8th birthday party. All the cousins were there. Uncle Danny and Aunt Angela had set up a nice big slip and slide....

This is Grace. She is a smart girl. This is where I would have been had I gotten on the slip and slide - at the bottom soaking up the water trickling down!!! What a cutie!!!

I was shocked that Blake would go down the slip and slide. I didn't even put his swimsuit on when we got there because he has never liked sprinklers. He was all about this slip and slide!!!! We threw a little baby oil on for just a little more fun!!!!

I think Danny and Angela really did a great job rigging up this giant slip and slide!!!!
Here comes Tyler doing the "penguin" slide (hands to his side and head first).

He did that all afternoon until he hit a nail that gashed open his knee. Ouch. He was a trooper though. I really thought he would freak out way more than he did with all that blood. 5 days later and we are still going through tons of band-aids but hey, I am still impressed!!!

Here is a pile of cousins at the bottom (or somewhere in the middle??) of the slip and slide!!

And here is Lanie who turned 8 and was baptized this weekend!!!

She and Madison have always been great friends.

I didn't get any copies of the baptism pictures but they were very sweet. Madison let Lanie borrow her white CTR towel that she got at her own baptism. She was very sweet waiting for Lanie in the bathroom ready to help her dry off.

Congratulations Lanie!!

On the final day of our visit in Caswell, we went to our cousins' pool. The kids have been asking for a long time to go swimming there. They have a fun slide!

It only took minutes for Blake to go down.

The following pictures Blake has on water wings but he has decided that he doesn't really need them anymore at the pool. He swam most of the day with no water wings. He is a really good swimmer!!!

Madison and her fancy jump!!!

Blake usually yells, "cannonball" when he jumps.

Here is Tyler coming off the slide. He spent most of the day reenacting one of our favorite shows - Wipe Out.

Here is a nice jump from Jamie...

It was a great trip and we were so glad to spend time with our family in Caswell.

It was a fun mini vacation!!!

Take Me Out to the Baga....

2010-06-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

Did you see that America's Funniest Video where the kid is singing (at the top of his lungs), "Take me out to the baga, take me out to the game"???
We saw that years ago and we still can't hear that song and not sing it like the 3 year old!
So FRC-East (Josh's official place of employment or is it the dept. of the navy, or is it the Federal Government....I don't know???!!!)
Anyway, FRC-East had a family night at the Kinston Indians ballgame.
It is tradition for us to go every year.
This year we got a special treat and got to hang out with Iron Man for a little while. Yep, Josh's friend, Aaron went with us to the ballgame. And while he really is an iron man :), we also got to see a man in an Iron Man costume. Blake couldn't tell if this was a good thing or not.... We were also quite entertained with Scout - the mascot. We love watching for him and watching him do crazy things.

Madison actually wanted a hug from "Scott" this year and wasn't scared out of her mind!!!

Age 5 - Madison wants to go to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday and ends up hiding under a table with her hands over her head because Chuck E came out to greet her! Something about those big costumes.....

Age 8 - she is okay with it!
By the 2nd inning, the kids wanted to know if it was almost over. We had already eaten the hot dogs, chips and most of the drinks. They want more.

Tyler spots a giant hand/finger thing and is begging for one of those.

The girls spot Dippin' Dots and want that.

So decisions have to be made and the choices are either the giant hand/finger thing or Dippin'Dots (since they were both the same price - $5).

Here are Tyler and Blake with the decision they made....

Yah big hand/finger things!!!!

Madison's choice - Dippin'Dots.

Jamie and Josh's choice - Dippin'Dots. Hmmmmm.....

My choice was the Maola cookies and cream ice cream. (fyi - much better price for anyone going to the ballgame this summer!!! $2 a cup vs. $5 for Dippin'Dots)

It was a fun family night. Would have been even better if we had not sat in front of drunk and loud engineers!! AND if I had not sweated from 7-10pm. I am not a big fan of gettin' all shweaty!!

The best part of the night (and this tells you how hot it really was) - we are walking to the car and Blake says, "I have water in my butt." This translates to "it is HOT and there is sweat running down my butt!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! That is pretty bad for a kid that has on super absorbent diapers!!!

Dads' Tent Creations for the Kids

2010-06-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe you should check out the other blog of the kids' creation first....
The kids had so much fun last week creating a tent house that they decided to do it again. Oh well, I never did repair the linen closet from the 1st attack.
Josh (our favorite engineer) decided to help them with their tent house today. It came equipped with hallways and rooms for every kid.
I especially love the "entrance" sign on the big red hand that is pointing to the entrance. Here is Madison close to her room. She loves her room because she was lucky enough to get the a/c vent!!! Oh yeah!
Yep, that is a mattress above her head.

I was even able to squeeze my big ole butt through the "hallway" and into the tent house. I am requesting a "reading room" next time. Of course it needs an MP3 player, little fridge and a Keep Out sign. :)

At first Bella was not allowed in to the tent house because she didn't read the signs but then Tyler grabbed her and let her come in for a while. (Maybe he read the signs to her???)

Look at those long skinny legs on that dog!!!! She got a good shave this week to keep her cool.

Here is the tent house architect.....

JOSH!!! Thanks for making the best tent house EVER!!!!

And on another side note, look at Madison's front teeth growing in!!!! I thought she would never get those teeth back. They were gone for some of 1st grade and all of 2nd grade!!!!

Welcome teeth (please behave and don't require braces!!!).

After 3 hours of the tent house, the kids are still in the playroom hanging out.

Josh and I are sitting in the quiet living room enjoying QUIETNESS.

Yep, life is good!

Kids' Tent Creations

2010-06-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

There was one day that we didn't go anywhere (at least not until 5pm that night) and I thought the kids were going to lose their minds. They actually had to get creative and come up with some of their own entertainment (thank goodness they put away the remote and video games!!!).
This is Tyler's blanket house....
Doesn't that look fun and bring back memories of the "good ole days"???And don't be judging that poor little plant in the background. Can I just tell you how much I love that plant and I just CAN'T throw it out even though it looks so pathetic. This is the peace lily that Josh brought up to the hospital when I had Blake. I just don't know what to do for that poor little thing. Any suggestions??? I tried a bigger pot, fertilizer, different room for different lighting...??? Help!!!

And this is a picture of Tyler with a paper that says "I made this". Just in case there were any questions!!!!

Jamie and Gabbie (with Tyler's help) made this house. It was equipped with everyone's own room. There was even a room for Tyler and Blake.

This took a LOT of chairs, blankets, sheets and pillows. I had to give in to my OCD ways and let them pull everything out. There is still a closet in my house that is in desperate repair of refolding sheets. Oh well - it was worth a great afternoon of imaginative fun!!

Brittany

2010-06-27T15:51:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the sideways photo but............ We have a new little friend. Her name is Brittany. :)
Jamie and Madison love to dance with her and dress her up.
Look at those leg and arm extensions.....Wow! I'm impressed.

Wait a minute..... She kind of looks like my girls!!! What's going on here????

I know those eyes!!!! And that face is constantly yelling at me to fix some chocolate milk!!!!

OOOOHHHHH - it's our Blake!!!

Blake wakes up in the morning begging to "play Brittany". So the girls put him in a leotard and fix up his hair that would make Grandma Deanna proud. Then they crank up some tunes and get their groove on.

It'll be so funny to see his reaction when he is about 12 and he sees these pictures.

This really takes me down memory lane because when I was Madison's age, I would put bonnets and hairbows in my brothers' hair and make them put on a show. We do have pictures for proof!!!! (and to clarify - it was my younger brothers - Keith would NEVER let me do such a thing)

Don't let his "Brittany" act fool you. Blake is really ALL boy - cannonballs in the pool, making any and every item in the house a gun for shooting, stomping in the puddles, constantly driving little cars and planes around the house - ALL BOY! :)

Just don't tell Josh about this - oh never mind, he is the one who took the pictures!!!!! HAHA!

Summer Days with Crazy Hair!!

2010-06-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

We are having a BLAST swimming and going to the beach everyday since the start of summer. Josh has been in Taiwan the past two weeks so we have just been hanging out trying to stay busy. It's so much easier for EVERYONE when we are busy!!
Here is little Blake who loves swimming around in the pool. He thinks he is just as big as everyone else! He loves swimming. All the kids do! Here we are at the pool. Between Carla and I, we had 10 kids at the pool (11 and under). She was taking care of a friend's child and I had Nic and Taleia with us. Looks like we have a daycare class with us!!! It's always an adventure!!!! They have fun together!

Before we left the pool, the girls gave us a fashion show with some fancy hair styles!!!! Grandma Deanna would be proud (or scared...). I was laughing so hard. Madison Miller is such a ham! They all are!!!

They proudly called this their "George Washington" style.

Here is Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.....

And last, but not least we have James Madison and John Adams.

Who knows what is next??? Stay tuned....

Mammoth Zucchini!

2010-06-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

My neighbor gave us lots of zucchini and squash yesterday. She has more than she knows what to do with from her garden!!! I thought, "why aren't we getting all that?" Well, her garden is twice as big (maybe we'll expand next year...) and she probably checks her garden everyday. I have to admit that since it has gotten hot, that garden is on its own!!! We do water it everyday but the sprinkler is in place and we don't even have to walk back there to turn the water on. So today I went to check the garden out and boy oh boy, check out what I found.....

That is one big zucchini. I may not have A LOT of them but one of ours is like 4 or 5 put together!! I passed that big boy on to Carla for her family. She is going to make zucchini bread. Yummy!!! I hope she shares!!

Here is all that we were able to pull out of the garden today....

We are so excited to the see the "fruits of our labor"!!! I have a Garden Vegetable Pasta dish I am going to try out from a Pampered Chef recipe book. It includes all of our garden veggies we are getting right now. I wish our pepper plants would have come up because I just about cried yesterday when I had to pay $1.78 for a red pepper!!!!! Ouch.

The Growing Garden

2010-05-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Our garden has really gotten off to a good start!
It's fun going out to check on our little project everyday. There is always something to do - weed, stake up the tomatoes, weed, water, stake up the tomatoes, weed, water and so on... We are thinking about expanding it next year, based on how well it goes this year. This is our "trial" year to check it out.

We were SO EXCITED to see this awesome squash!!! The kids were excited too! We all went out to the garden together to take pictures and then pick the goodies! We were able to pick one squash and one zucchini (what do you do when you have 3 children that want to pick the vegetables and only 2 veggies to pick!!??). I cut them up, rubbed them with olive oil, threw a little salt and pepper on them and grilled them. They were my birthday present to myself today!!! The whole family loved it and the Millers got to come over and share them with us too. (Yes, one squash and one zucchini went a long way!!)

After a little more digging around, we saw a cucumer. I didn't even know we planted cucumbers. Yah! A yummy salad treat! We'll let him keep growing for a while longer though. We also have lots of tomatoes that are working on ripening. They are going to be delicious (and good, as my kids would say!!) Now if we can only take care of the blossom rot problem!!! :)

Let the good garden times roll! (Look how big that corn is getting!!!)

A Day at the Farm 2010

2010-05-06T16:26:00.001-07:00

We took our annual trip to the farm today!
I can remember doing this with my older kids and now it is so much fun to take Blake. He was looking forward to his "field trip" all week. We went with lots of our friends.

Blake really liked the fluffy bunny. He wanted to hold it and so he "helped" to hold it. I can tell by his facial expression that he is so excited!!! He was making some crazy faces today!!
There were no baby calves to feed but this sweet little goat was fun to feed! He was really gentle to feed (compared to the baby calf).

We were amazed at this really big pig!

And finally, the hayride was a big hit. I was instructed by Blake to keep my arms tightly wrapped around him the whole time. This picture of him cracks me up because this is his "I am not going to smile at you" face. We get this a lot!

Our farm trip was a blast! So glad we could go!

The New Bike

2010-05-06T16:17:00.001-07:00

Josh got a new road bike a couple of weeks ago. He really loves riding his bike. He rides his bike to work when he can. It is around 28 miles round trip. Here is a picture of Josh coming home.

Look at those beautiful clouds!...and my hubby on his bike having fun and getting a great workout!!!

The School Play

2010-05-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday the 1st the 2nd graders had a performance at school. They sang a few songs for the parents. The theme was "Unsung Heros". The songs were dedicated to all the heros at school that don't always get the thanks they deserve - the secretary, the nurse, the bus driver, the cafeteria workers, etc. It was really cute! If you look closely, you can see Tyler on the right side of the closest risers. He is on the top row. This is a really bad quality picture. I am having a hard time downloading pics tonight so it will just have to do...Anyway...
Here is Tyler getting ready for the performance.

Madison was "Anna" who got a sunburn in Aruba. She was so cute in her swim gear. She was super excited to get an "actor" part in the play.

Here is our "Anna" with a major sunburn!!!

Oh the joys of elementary school!!

Our Garden

2010-04-11T17:09:00.001-07:00

The Miller-Martin crew has started our first garden together! All our kids (plus one neighbor girl) helped to plant something in the garden. It seems fun now but we'll see how fun they think it is when we start picking weeds in the dead of summer!!

It is definitely a "city garden". We won't be planting an acre of corn and an acre of beans but it gives us something to start with and learn! We have peppers, onions, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, basil and watermelon. Josh worked so hard to put up our fence so the bunnies don't eat our food before we do. Everyone did such a great job!!

And of course, it can't be all work and no play! I have a feeling that the daily watering of the garden will never get old! We'll update our garden adventures as the spring/summer continues!!!

Our Annual Beach Trip

2010-03-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

It was our annual trip to the beach this weekend.
We go for rest (of course we don't get much of that), relaxation and the pool!!!
The kids had so much fun in the pool. They went 3 times within 24 hours. HOURS at the pool! Strike a pose Jamie!!!

This almost looks like we cropped Madison in the picture sitting down in the air!! :)

She was doing a fancy jump though!!

Tyler doing a "cannonball" - with a picture perfect smile!

Our little Blake was so funny! He was a little reserved about getting in the pool on Saturday morning. He didn't want you to let go of him at all and he had real anxiety about being in the water. When asked if he wanted to get in, he said, "no. I said no!" After an hour of being in the pool, he warmed up to being in the water. By that night, he was Mr. Independent and jumping in the pool with his water ring. I was so afraid he was going to slip right out of that ring but he never did. He was great entertainment for us to watch!

Here's a picture of the Pool Dominators! We can out swim, out last and out splash any one! Just ask all the other people that tried to come to the pool while we were there! It was kind of funny to see other people come and quickly go after a little taste of the Miller-Martins.

It was a gorgeous weekend to spend at the beach! The weather was perfect! It's hard to believe that a month ago we were playing in the snow!

The kids were building a large fort and it kept them occupied for the longest time. We finally had to tear them away from it so we could leave.

This weekend has given me summer fever! Let's skip spring and head right into the lazy days of summer! (except you can keep the summer electric bill!!!)

We ended our short and FUN trip to the beach with seafood and DQ!! Yum!!

PERFECT weekend!

Goodbye beach! I shall miss you until we meet again this summer....

Madison's Special Day

2010-02-28T16:53:00.001-08:00

We are so proud of our Madison! She turned 8 this week and she was baptized this weekend. We had such a great weekend with our family visiting. It made the day even more special!
Here is Madison in her beautiful white dress (side note - $6 two years ago at JCPenny!! - I planned carefully!! :) ). Madison was truly blessed to have Dad baptize her.
Look how tall she is getting compared to Dad!!!! The time really flies!!

Her Primary leaders gave her a special CTR towel to use after her baptism. She really loved it! She was so filled with excitement that she had the chills before her baptism so it worked out really good for a blanket too! Thanks for the towel fantastic Primary leaders!!! :)

Madison's favorite part of her baptism was actually being baptized in the water - even though the water was FREEZING cold!!

It was such a special day with our friends and some of our family there (we missed everyone who couldn't be there!!).

We are very proud of Madison and her decision to be baptized. She is such a sweet little spirit that tries so hard to do what is right.

We love you Madison!

Playing with the Millers

2010-02-14T12:24:00.001-08:00

Since we were going to be cooped up all day with the snow, we decided to trek out to the Millers and be cooped up with them.
The kids had so much fun going in and out, in and out...
building snowmen, igloos, eating snow (but watching out for the yellow snow!!) and of course having a HUGE snowball fight!! Madison, Madison and Anna "cleaning" off the car to make their snow collection.

Here is the winner of the snowball fight - Blake. He followed me the whole time saying, "Mom, watch out." And then BOOM - I would get smacked with a snowball. He thought it was hilarious!!!

There were snowballs in faces, ears, underwear and countless other places!!!

Here is the Miller Family snowgirl. She is ready for summer!

Here is the Miller-Martin creation - "Rose"!

What can be better than being snowed in together with a huge pot of vegetable soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, cookies and then for dinner - a "mama" pizza from 37th street!!!!

It was our best day in a long time!!

We had planned to have a grown up Valentine's Date but....oh well. This was actually better! We'll find time another day for a kidless date.

Snow Day

2010-02-14T12:03:00.001-08:00

Here are our snow day pictures of Feb. 13, 2010.
We had such a great day!!!
"Charlie" was a great collection to our family (until he melts!!!).
We had a lot of fun driving around and looking at everyone else's snowmen!!

It's not everyday that we get to play in the snow!! This is the most snow we have had since 2003. It was sure fun but I wouldn't want it everyday! It is very messy and the loads of laundry are CRAZY! Definitely worth it for one day though!

Our Greatest Gift

2009-12-31T10:04:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas was filled with joy. Good food, good times, great company with friends and family. I love the excitement that Christmas holds through the eyes of our children. I know it won't always be this way so I try to enjoy these precious moments. Our Christmas joy and greatest gifts are....

Tyler

Blake

Madison

and Jamie

We hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.

We love our Savior and are very thankful for His birth and life here on earth. We are greatful that He lives today.

Merry Christmas

and have a very happy New Year!!!

Christmas with our Family!

2009-12-31T08:28:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas fun continued as we went to the Ouzts's for our family get together. As always, we had a lot of fun!

Here is Bella (with the red eye evil look) all decked out for Christmas in her little Santa jacket! The girls enjoyed making Peanut Brittle with Papa. It was very yummy!

The kids and Josh had fun playing Foosball. They were in the basement playing and you could hear Blake cackling so loudly with laughter all the way upstairs. He thought it was just so funny to see the ball rolling around and getting hit.

Let the fun begin! The cousins are at the "cousin table" in the laundry room. I love how they fill their plates with food, take a bite and then run off to play. They will put 20 pizza rolls on their plate, eat one and then they are done. It is just too busy to eat when you have so many cousins to play with!

Or some don't find time to eat because they are hiding under tables holding "their dog". My nephew, Brock, was told not to hold Bella until after he ate. He REALLy wanted to hold her right then so he snuck under the dessert table and held her for a long time. ( I really wish I could get a good picture of Bella without the evil eyes - I am too lazy to actually edit the picture!! :) )

Our annual family Christmas picture by the tree - minus hats and reindeer antlers this year!!!

The Ouzts grandkids - 13 in all!

This is really what it usually looks like....

The cousins put on a musical for their Great Grandma and Grandpa Aldridge this year. Jamie and Maddie played the piano, then they all sang a variety of Christmas songs for them. There really is no better present than that!!

Grandma Aldridge had her big family get together on Sunday after Christmas. Those of us that were there had a great visit! We have to meet at the church for our get togethers now because it is such a big crowd! (13 grandkids and 21 great grandchildren - I think?)

I cherish this family time that we had together!!

Basketball Season

2009-12-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

Tyle is participating in YMCA basketball right now. He is really enjoying his season. To ensure that he had the best coach possible, I signed Josh up to coach Ty's team. Josh is so good to do this for basketball and soccer!! He is really good at it too! He is the best coach ever!! Of course, one of Tyler's favorite things to do is run! He thinks it is a race to get to the other side of the court before his other team mates. He is pretty fast!

Tyler made the first basket this past Friday night at the game. His cheering section went wild (me, Blake, Jamie and Madison). Although a few things have come up and I haven't been to every game, I really do enjoy going to the game and watching Tyler and Josh in action. It's fun to see them enjoying themselves.

A Great Day

2009-12-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

On Nov. 21, 2009 one of our very best friends, Carla Miller, got baptized!! We are so excited for her and her family! She has been coming to church on and off for about a year. She started taking the discussions in October and decided to be baptized. She has such amazing faith.
Here she is with her beautiful family and of course the best missionaries in the world - Elder Stanfield and Elder Oslund. Here are the Martin/Millers....life is BETTER for the Millers! :) Inside joke with them...

Congratulations Carla!

Halloween!

2009-11-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

We started the Halloween weekend off to a good start with the annual Preschool parade downtown. Jamie stayed the night with a friend so she didn't join in the fun but our friend, Taleia, was with us. We had lots of fun seeing all the other cute kids and our friends! On Halloween night, we had a Trunk or Treat at the church. The kids played games before going outside. Our cheerleader, Madision, is playing Musical Chairs...

Here are the Martin-Miller girls - Madison, Anna and Madison! Where else (besides Hawaii) can you go and wear a cheerleader's uniform and not be cold on Halloween? Gotta love NC!!! (Last year we were in jackets but not this year!)

Jamie is playing the BEST GAME! Donut eating - hands free!!!

Here is Grandma Dee Dee with our little puppy Blake! Poor Blake, as I mentioned before, it was hot so he was a little toasty and cranky in his doggy suit. For trick or treating in our neighborhood, a halloween t-shirt is what he wore!!!

Puppy Blake checking out Grandpa Martin's kitty Elwood. Grandma and Grandpa Martin were the hit of the show with the kitty!!!

Our fearless football player and puppy trunk or treating!!!!

Gabbie, Skylar and Jamie at the trunk or treat!

Our Indian and gypsy girls!!! (Gabbie and Jamie)

Even Bella got to participate in the Halloween fun!! She was, as you can see, a very cute witch (that hated her costume and ate a hole through the hat before Halloween night!).

Bella usually rides with me to pick up the kids from school and this was her in the carpool line, waiting to make her debut as a witch!!!

We had a fun Halloween with lots of fun, many treats, a few tricks and way too much candy!

Happy Birthday to My Baby!

2009-10-19T17:55:00.001-07:00

I don't know how this happened but my baby turned 2 today!

Time goes by faster with each passing year!

Blake is such a joy to have in our family. I remember thinking for a while we were "done" having kids after #3. When we felt impressed to go for #4, I was so overwhelmed with the thought of having 4 kids. My pregnancy was good, the delivery was good (but crazy fast) and Blake has been such a good child since he was born. We have loved every minute of his little life! (well, most of them anyway!!)

Blake is really growing so fast! I guess he just watches all these other big kids in the house and wants to fit right in. In a way, it is really nice. In another way, not so nice because he is my last baby and I know these days are numbered and ticking away!

He is already sleeping in the bottom bunk bed. He does great staying in bed too! We haven't had to "lock" him in his room for coming out yet. (YET...) The only issue we have is when he decides it is okay to come out of his room at 5:30am. I have tried telling him that Mommy is still sleeping when it is dark outside and don't wake me up please. (yeah right) BUT a few days he has actually stayed out in the living room. One day last week I even saw him laying on the computer room floor by the dog crate - asleep! What a good listener!

He is also going to the potty pretty consistently. I have to admit that it is nice to not have to change so many stinky diapers!!! Oh yes!!!

Here is Blake trying to put up 2 fingers - which is harder than it looks!! We were so excited to get "Elmo Cupcakes" today at the store! He couldn't wait to get his hands on them!! We also found an adorable Elmo balloon! He loves it and came right in the door to show Bella. She growled at it for a while and then had fun playing with it today too!

Blake had to wait until everyone got home from work and school to open presents. He opened his Elmo doll, bubble blower, new coloring notebook (his "homework") and ball. Then Tyler went in the back room and rolled out on his new bike - a Hot Wheels big wheeler. He ran right to it and it was love at first sight!! He cried when we pried him off of it to go to dinner. I knew I should have made dinner at home!!!! Oh well. There's always tomorrow...
We had fun taking goofy pictures at the restaurant. We went to a new mexican restaurant close to our house - El Zarape. It was really good! He wasn't trying to stick his tongue out in this picture, we just were lucky to get the cute shot!!!

Another lucky and cute shot of our birthday boy!!

Daddy's boy - so cute!!!

Happy Birthday Blake - we love you!!

2nd Annual Cousin Campout

2009-10-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

What a weekend we just had! When we finally were able to leave the house (3 hours after we planned) and get Blake out of the hot locked car (terrifying!!), we had a great weekend with our family! We had a Cousin's Campout on Friday night at Mom and Dad's. On Sunday, we had family pictures made (as you can see a glimpse below). We set up camp behind Mom and Dad's house in the field behind their big barn. It was perfect, quiet and great area for a big fire (I think Mom threatened to burn the barn down at one point to get rid of it...?? heehee). Here is Tyler getting the tent ready for the night - but don't let him fool you. He and Madison didn't even try to sleep outside. They were too scared. As Madison says, "we are not happy campers". Oh well.

Here are the older girls (Morgan, Jamie and Ashton) in their tent. And they did try to sleep outside but ended up coming in the house around 5am due to the down pour of rain! Jamie's pillows were soaked! Ewwwww!!! Still fun though.

These girls also got to experience their first "snipe hunt". Ethan and Jason took them out to catch snipes. They were super excited leaving but came back to camp crying their eyes out!! They got really scared being left out in the dark to "catch" their snipe. They have sworn revengence on those 2 guys!! Beware!

We all played a fun game of tag that Grandma calls "Ain't No Boogers Out Tonight - Papa Killed Them All Last Night!" It's pretty much a game of tag played in the dark! Very fun!

Grandma was a chaser :) and everyone had to get back to "base".

We had our very own "country drive-in" at the barn! My brother Danny projected a movie onto the barn for everyone's viewing pleasure! :) We ate popcorn balls and enjoyed the show (atleast 10 or 15 minutes of it anyway!!)

Movie time!

Here is Grace, ready to get it started!!! She couldn't have been more thrilled that we were watching a movie!!

And don't forget the s'mores!! After roasting hot dogs, we made s'mores. When I told the kids we were making s'mores, Lanie wanted to know "some more what"??

The kids all did really good cooking over the fire!

Just hanging out by the fire with Papa....

With 13 kids, 8 dogs and some mighty tired adults, we made some great memories!

We hope to have many more at future Cousin Campouts!!!

Conference Weekend

2009-10-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful General Conference weekend at our house AND I have discovered yet another reason why I LOVE our new playroom!!!! We decided to put up a "conference tent" for the kids to watch conference. We put it in the playroom. We explained to the kids that in the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin taught his people from a tower so everyone could hear. The people gathered around the tent with their families and put up tents with the door facing the tower to hear King Benjamin. Josh put the tent door facing the tv so they could hear the prophet (and other church leaders') words. They also had little "conference packets" with mazes, bingo, connect the dot, fill in the blank, etc. And their favorite tradition we have is the little bowl of candy we pass around.
Today was especially fun because our friends, the Millers, came over to enjoy conference with us. Amazingly, they were all quiet enough to hear and listen to most of the talks. I wish I would have remembered to get a picture of them all in the tent. Very fun!!! Josh and I were able to watch conference in peace and quiet in the living room while the kids did their conference activities in the playroom! It was great!! I love that room!

We look forward to doing this fun family tradition again next April!!!

Back to School

2009-08-28T12:11:00.001-07:00

It's every mother's dream come true....BACK TO SCHOOL!!!
Don't get me wrong, we had a fabulous summer. We enjoyed every beach trip, pool swimming, movie going, friend playing moment together. But when nothing sounds fun anymore - the beach, pool, friends, movie, watching tv in the new playroom - it is time for a routine and schedule! I love staying home with my children and feel so blessed to be able to do so.
Playing all summer was fun but so is the excitement of a new year. I get to relive all the excitement and nervousness again through each of my children.
I am looking forward to spending time with Blake (who is at this moment climbing in my lap and demanding me to color with him). I am also helping at school with the PTO as secretary. I am hoping to go in to help in the classrooms when I can. I also stay busy with meetings and things to do with church. I plan to get my house more organized (drawers, closets, etc.) and catch up on my photos - not just scrapbooking but ordering and organizing photos from the past 1 1/2 years. Anyway, enough about me...........here are my kids!!! Jamie
I can't believe it is her last year of elementary school!!! It was only yesterday, it seems, that she was running out to the bus for her first day of Kindergarten (and she was so sad that she could not ride it that day). She has always done well in school and has never cried or complained about going. I imagine that if I were a teacher, she would be the perfect student to have!!!

Madison

Madison is in the 2nd grade this year! She is growing in every way. She is such a sweet girl and loves to meet new friends. She gets really excited about boys - especially one little boy on the bus! We have had the "you can't have a boyfriend until 16" talk but she doesn't care. She thinks life is a party and I wish I had that same enthusiasm each day!

Tyler

Tyler is in 1st grade. Tyler is my "home boy". Really, he is. He loves to stay home. I have to literally force him out of the house when we need to go somewhere. This is not so good when he knows he can't stay home all day because of school. He would be happy to be home schooled! He cried when I woke him up the 1st day of school - yippee. And then he cried getting on the bus on the 2nd day of school. 3rd and 4th days of school have been just fine. He is in the same class as our neighbor friends - Kierlan and Sarah. He has been surrounded his whole life with girls and he doesn't seem to know the difference! AAhhhhh...innocence.

Blake

At the beginning of the summer, Blake was one cranky boy trying to figure out what was going on in our house. We had lots of his cousins plus his sisters and brother in our house and it was caos. It was crazy for about 6 weeks before school got out and it didn't seem to slow down! He didn't know what to think I guess. Finally school has started and it's very quiet around the house. Probably too quiet. Now it's just us and Bella. He has to take a nap everyday (which he is doing in the trundle bed!!!) instead of running off to the pool. I think he prefers the routine and schedule too but he sure misses the kids!! Today he started playing with Bella. First I pulled them in the laundry basket....

and then he pushed Bella around the house for a while. Bella was a good sport and didn't even try running away. She thinks it is too quiet around here too!! Somehow, we will manage....

Cheer Camp

2009-08-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

The girls participated in a local high school cheer camp this week. They had so much fun! Madison has been begging me for ages to let her be a cheerleader. We may look into doing one of those Upward programs at a local church but I don't really want to get her involved with competition, etc. at this age. Just for fun!!!

Here is Jamie getting ready to hoist one of her team members up...

And you can see her BF Gabbie to the left getting ready to be hoisted! There they are!! Gabbie in the middle!!! Jamie was so strong to hold someone up and the girls were so brave to do it!!!!

This is Jamie and Gabbie's group getting ready for their cheer...

Here is Madison getting ready to do her thing. She didn't even tell me she was the big stunt girl on her team!!! Before I can grab my camera, she is turning cartwheels down the line of girls!!! If you know Madison, you know that was right up her alley!!!! She loved it!!!

And she SO LOVED the attention of the high school girls!!!! Oh yeah....she was all about that!

The fun thing is that the girls get to participate in the pep rally before the first home football game and then do a show during half time!!!

Sounds like we are gearing up for fall season of football! Yah!!!! Not that I am a big fan of football - just fall!

First Day at the Groomer's

2009-08-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pictures of Bella after her day at Doggie Spa (not really...Terrific Pets is more like it). But she really did get the works!

Bella did pretty good at the Groomer's today. They said she was a complete sweetie but really not interested in grooming at all. That's probably why she had such long hair on her paws!!! She smelled so good and looked so cute!! We were really excited to pick her up. The kids of course were fighting out of the store, on the way home and when we got home as to who was going to hold her (which she is not a big fan of being man-handled by the kids but will tolerate it b/c she is so sweet!).

Day 3...

2009-08-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

I have to make another post and let you know that we had a good day. You know how the first 24 hours is the hardest with a newborn baby? Well, the same goes for a puppy!! We are getting more used to each other.
Bella is getting quite playful. The kids don't know really what to make of this. Sometimes they like it, sometimes, they are scared and hide in the closet!!! I think sometimes they like her crate more than her because a lot of times when I come in the room, they are all taking turns sitting in the crate. Hmmm....
Bella had one accident today. The kids were supposed to be on "Bella Watch" but she was sneaky. She does get credit for the 4 times she has been outside today. It's a lot like potty training a 2 year old. You don't ask them if they have to go, you just watch the clock and take them out A LOT.
Who do you think does the most with our little Bella...it is Tyler! He loves to walk around holding her and take her out on the leash for a walk. He is really good with her.
Tomorrow is Grooming Day so I'll post pictures of our little cutie!

Day 2 of Life with Bella

2009-08-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

I'm tired. 6am - potty break
6:45 - walk around the neighborhood
7:45 - potty break
and the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on....
and we still had to clean up pee and poop in the house.
I'm ready for bed.......
Still love her and she's still cute but I am tired.

Welcome to our Family!

2009-08-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today we surprised the kids and got a family pet - a shih poo dog. We got her from a friend of a friend. She seems to be very mild tempered, a little shy (who wouldn't be in this zoo?), snuggly and sweet. We are going to have her groomed this week but her previous owner had her shaved. We just want a little trim on the ears and feet and to get her nice and sparkly clean. I have been reading a lot about this particular breed of dog. They are hypo-allergenic and naturally clean. Smart and easy to train. They have real hair and not fur so they don't shed. yeah!!!

The kids really like her. Blake is getting used to her. He cried at first when she even looked at him. Tyler keeps calling her "shih poo" and forgetting we named her Bella.

The kids took her out front to play (out back is where we are trying to house train her). We are trying to get her used to the leash. She played and ran with the kids. They loved that!

Run Bella Run!

Then we all came in and "she pooed" all over the new rug. Sigh.....why did we get a puppy after just getting new carpet and a rug?? Oh yeah...it's all about the life experiences we enjoy. And although we don't like cleaning up the poo, we will have fun sharing our love with little Bella. And by the way, Josh cleaned up the mess!!!! Thanks Sweetie!!

Wish us luck in our new doggy adventures and especially house training!!!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!

2009-08-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our Tyler is 6!! Time really does fly!
It feels like we have been celebrating Tyler's birthday for a while! And we have...when Mom and Dad were here a couple of weeks ago, they gave him some legos and SpongeBob pjs. He lived in those pjs and played with those legos nonstop for days!!!
Then he got money from Josh's parents and off to the store he goes to pick out a transformer. He couldn't get enough of that either!!! Then Saturday came (day before his birthday) and he chose to go to Arturo's Mexican Restaurant and Dairy Queen for dinner. Then Sunday came and it was really his birthday. I made him a cookie cake and he got to open presents. Another fun day! Then Monday he got to go spend more of his money and he bought more legos. THEN today (Tuesday) he had a few friends go with him to the new city pool for his birthday. My goodness. Needless to say, he is acting a little rotten now so the good times have got to slow down!!! Too much for him to handle I tell ya! My baby!!!

Tyler opening some presents from the family - puzzle, legos, lunch box video and a big remote control car.

Cookie cakes are a big hit on birthdays at our house. I just get the large package of cookie dough, spread it in my pan and bake. Then I decorate it with icing and viola - birthday magic!!! Easy and good.

A little out of order. Oh well. This is the monster r/c car that Tyler got for his birthday. It scares Blake to death when it is zooming about. I don't blame him - it is not easy on the toes!!!

Tyler and Taleia at the pool - best buds since babies. I used to babysit Taleia when she was less than a year old. These two have been good friends ever since. When it was Taleia's birthday, she had her party at a ballet studio. She wanted Tyler to come to her party. I asked if she was sure she wanted him to be there since he would be the only boy. She said, "Ms. Amy, I have got to dance with my prince!!" She wants to marry him when she grows up!! So cute!!

Go Tyler!!! He did awesome on his swim test and then got to go down the waterslide!!

Cute birthday boy!!

Blake, Josh and Jamie - Blake is taking the leap of faith to Josh. He is a water baby for sure! He is not afraid of the water but is cautious enough not to worry me to death!!

Tyler enjoying cupcakes and presents from friends. He had such a great time and is thankful for all his toys (even though he is a little rotten right now!!!) and friends!!!!

Happy Birthday Tyler - we love you!!!

Pioneer Day Fun

2009-08-04T16:09:00.001-07:00

New Bern Ward Pioneer Day was a blast this year. Some people dressed up, there were lots of games and activities, there was a trail to follow to listen to people tell stories of past pioneers, dinner and family pictures.
I am so glad we had this activity at church. It was sad to hear my children say, "What are pioneers?" Now they know.
Pioneer Day is celebrated on July 24th to commemorate the early pioneer settlers who entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. I admire their faith and determination! A big group of girls played Ring Around the Rosie together for quite a while. It was really neat to see the older and younger girls play together a game the pioneers probably enjoyed!

Madison and Blake with their "gold" - the kids got to pan for gold with a sand sifter, painted rocks and pool of water.

The girls panning for gold.

Our silly girls!!! They wanted to take an "old timey picture" so they had to have a serious face! Anna Miller, Madison, Gabbie Miller, Jamie and Skylar Savitz.

Jamie and Gabbie sewing buttons.

Tyler was so tickled with all his gold!!!

Our old timey photo - Tyler, Madison, Jamie and Blake

Our family picture (with our adopted children for the night - Gabbie and Anna)

It is Done!!!

2009-07-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

When we got home from our Farm Vacation, the kids discovered that we got our carpet! We were so excited!!!! They ran in the room, dropped to the ground and started doing "carpet angels"!!! As you can see, we were really excited to get the carpet!!! Josh got all the furniture moved in while we were gone (and that cost him....he hurt his back pretty bad). We have started putting our room to good use already....see the toys all in there??? Here is the view from the living room to the new room. The curtains that are up are just up for privacy. We still have to get blinds, curtain rods, etc.

The kids' bedrooms look good too. We got all the toys out of their room and it looks so much better and less cluttered. I also have to get a picture of the new color in the boys' room! Another post....

Anyway, that is it!!! We are excited to use our room. We converted it last night from playroom to guest room. We put the futon down and got our double high air mattress out for my parents to sleep in. I think they liked having their own space. Dad did so good creating his guest room!!! I'll get pictures of that soon! :)

Farmin'

2009-07-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last week the kids and I went to help in the garden with Mom and Dad at Grandma's house in Caswell. It was an all day adventure! The kids had fun riding their bikes on the dirt paths, through the fields and through the yard. They also had fun driving the tractor. Even our 7 year old Madison got some driving education from Papa. She did good after she almost threw everyone out of the trailor by lifting up on the clutch too fast. But come on, she is only 7. She'll get better!!! No one was hurt. Kind of reminds me of the times I almost killed my brothers on the tractor and trailor. Especially the time I pinned my older brother Keith under the trailor. Aaahhhh...good times. haha These are the brave souls that opted to ride in the trailor with Madison at the wheel. My kids and my brother Keith's kids.

Jamie is a natural driver. She gets lots of practice on our lawn mower. She really does a good job. Dad is a good teacher too.

We saw so much corn that we were just really sick of it by the end of the day. We worked as true farmers do - well, okay not quite they would be up at 5am. We worked 9:30-6:30 doing 40 quarts of corn. We really only did a tiny bit of the garden work compared to everyone else that has been working all summer watering, weeding (yuck!!!), watering, planting, watering, pulling, watering and canning. They really haven't been blessed with as much rain as we have here in Eastern NC. But it has provided enough to store some food. As Grandpa Aldridge would say, it's better than eating snowballs!!

The kids and I had a good time on our vacation. Some people go to the beach, amusement parks, water parks, etc. for vacation. We go to Farm!!! And it is was great!!!

Sizzling Summer, Savings and Staining

2009-07-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

This summer has started with being consumed in home addition!! No one has been to my house for a whole week now to do work and that feels really weird!! It is nice settling down into a fun summer routine with the kids. Josh and I are still really busy doing things here and there and checking off our "to do list" but that is just home ownership, right?

Can I just tell you how much I love saving money? I do like to spend it too!

This past week we took a trip to Harris Teeter. We don't usually shop there because their prices are outrageous! However, they have GREAT sales and when you combine that with their double coupons (and triple coupons every now and then), you can save big time! The most exciting things this week were ...

Gillete Fusion Shaving Cream - normally just over $4. I got it for 50 cents!! On sale and then I used a coupon that they doubled!! Rock on!

The next cool thing was dental floss - regular $1.59. I got it FREE!

The other really exciting things were a lot of Lysol cleaning products - regular $4. I got them all for 70 cents each!!

I tell ya, I get so excited!!! My favorite websites are couponmom.com and pennypinchingdiva.com. There are more but those are my fav.

It's a good thing I can save on those items since our electric bill is CRAZY!!! I guess it is a sizzling summer when your bill is $334!! Hopefully now that all our extra company is gone with their power tools, it will simmer down!!!

We are having a fun summer. I am not sure who took this picture but I love sleeping kids!!! :)My girls with their best buds...the Miller girls. (All the kids are called Martin/Millers. When out in public, we just yell "Martin/Miller kids, let's go!!") The girls are together so much they could be sisters.

My cutie Blake at the beach!!

Madison and her cousin Lanie. Fun at the beach!!

Me and Mom...fun at the beach of course!!!

Okay...I still have painting to do in the house but I needed a little break from that. I decided to take this week to work on a fun project - besides saving money at the "market" - a Natalie word. :) I decided to refinish some furniture. It started with this little end table a friend gave to Josh. It was a little wobbly and the wrong color for our decor but we took it b/c it was free and decided to play with it a little. After tightening the screws and applying some Gorilla Glue - wow, that stuff works!!! I stained it a cherry color and now it makes a nice little addition to the end of our couch. We have been so long with no end tables or coffee table! I think it drives my mom crazy! :) We never wanted to take up space for the coffee table because that is always where the kids played. Now we will have to reconsider a coffee table since they will have another room to play in! yah!!! It's the little things....
That table was so much fun to do (exept for the immense sweating from working outside!!! ugghhh!). I think I like staining because you can see dramatic differences in a short amount of time and it isn't too difficult. Since I was having so much fun, I decided to refinish our table in the entry way. Josh put in cherry hardwood floor in the entryway a little over a year ago. This table has really been bugging me ever since because it just didn't fit quite right. Too light.

That is so much better! I can't wait to put the finishing coat on it and get it into place!!! It is amazing to me what a little stain can do!!! I am now looking at all the furniture in my house with big plans!!! :) Especially the kitchen table......I'll keep you posted!

Dad and Jason rolled out with all their trucks and trailors last week! I can't even believe the addition is done. Maybe it doesn't seem real because we still don't have carpet and therefore can't really use the space we created!!! Hopefully it will be in soon! Here is the outside...we are also still waiting for the gutters on the new section. The window is in the boys' room. It is new.

I think they did a great job. Other than the shrubs and the roof that will eventually fade to match the current one, you can't tell it is an addition, right?

If you look back in the blog from April when we "broke ground", you'll see just how far we have come. It's been an adventure, that's for sure!!!!

What a life!!

2009-06-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

All I have been doing is house updates the last 6 or 7 or 9?? weeks??? I guess you can tell what is consuming my time!!! I am not complaining (though it will be nice when it is all over with!!). Last week was fun. The kids finished school on Wednesday. My brother Jason already had his two boys here. My dad and another brother Danny came on Thursday. Danny brought his 3 children. Altogether...9 kids. 9 cousins. 9 playmates. What a time they had! I know they made a lot of fun memories!! On Thursday it rained just enough to make it muddy outside. That was Tyler's invitation to go jump in the mud (and he has done that everyday since then! - he got yelled at today to STOP PLEASE! - but what do you do - he is a 5 year old boy!!). All the other cousins (and siblings) wanted to do it too. So on went the swimsuits and out came the sprinkler and kiddie pool. We decided to make a water slide!!! Our neighbors, Mairi and Matt, decided to join the fun so we had 11 little bodies out splashing around! What a party house I tell ya!!! There is always something going on here!!!
In the meantime, the guys were working and I was supervising the water park.
On Thursday night, Mom came to my rescue. :)
On Friday, Mom and I took all the kids (minus the neighbors) to the beach!! Can you believe that? We were a little nutty! We kicked it into "daycare mode" and did a LOT of head counting that day!! We really did have a great time and it got the kids out of the house. I know the plumbers were happy about that!!! My kids had so much fun with the cousins!!
Okay.... so back to the update.
This is the closet. I love this closet. Look at all those shelves!! Good job Josh! I can't wait to use this closet. I have been thinking and planning on what goes where. This could very well be my favorite part of the whole new addition!!! :)

Well, the bathroom is going to make a close 2nd!!! We have a totally functional bathroom now! The plumbing and electrical are all complete. It was like a regular water park for my kids tonight! I just told Josh that we have to get a picture of the inside of this shower! Holy cow! You can definitely fit 2 or 3 people in there, easily. It has 2 seats in there and Dad hooked it up with an awesome shower head. :) The only problem I see with the bathroom is that my kids are going to take way too long in the shower from now on!! Tyler was in there sitting on the seat, water beating down on him, belting out a Red Hot Chili Peppers' song. The girls had fun too!

The vanity light is casting a funky light on the walls. They aren't golden. They are green.

This shows it a little better but you still can't see the faux finish very well. You also can't see all the mistakes I made (especially near the ceiling!!). The walls, tile, vanity - everything ties in well and we love this bathroom!!!

The carpet was supposed to be in yesterday but when it got here, it was the wrong carpet! Boo! Oh well, I would rather wait for what we really want instead of getting something that will be ruined next year!!

Tomorrow's agenda...paint the new window sills (me). The guys - siding, fix the deck and ??? I don't know??

It really is going well. Dad, Jason, Danny and Josh have all done so well!!!!

House Update

2009-06-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

We have done so much since the last update...we have just been super busy with end of school fun, painting and life in general. The dry walls were finished last Thursday and I naively assumed I would just walk in and start painting...heehee...never been through this before!!! After cleaning the fine dust off the walls and floor for 4 hours (not to mention the boys' bedroom), we had some other pressing duties and I couldn't get back to the room until Friday evening. At that point, Josh and Troy painted the ceilings (hard and not fun!!! ) We painted ALL weekend. I didn't find out about the whole priming your wall before painting until Sat. morning. Yet another trip to Lowe's!! After fighting with the painter's tape (we were trying to go too fast and taping too soon!) and having to repair a few damages, we are almost done with the paint. Here is the look....
The main room is a taupe color.

The bathroom is a pale olive color with a darker olive faux finish on it. We loved the pale olive so much that we decided to put it in the main room as an accent wall.
There is really no good way to get a nice picture of the bathroom paint job. This picture is actually just half way done and it is ugly in this picture!!! :/

But here is what I did...

I painted the room the pale olive all over for the base coat. After it dried, I mixed a darker olive, glaze and water and painted that on to the wall in 3 foot sections. I took a specific brush (don't remember the name??) and did vertical lines straight down. That all had to dry overnight. The next day I painted horizontal lines with the paint/glaze mixture. I then took the brush and made horizontal lines.

In the end it looks like a weave design. The vertical and horizontal lines mesh.

All in all, there are mistakes of course but I like it. Come see it!!! I will try to get a better picture when the lights are installed.

This picture is just the vertical lines....
My brother, Jason, has been working so hard all day to get this tile floor in!! It is now 9:18pm and he is thinking about starting the grout!!! The white circle is where the toilet will go. My kitchen floor is seriously jealous of this new bathroom floor. We may have to update the kitchen next! Sounds like another fun project!

For those of you wondering, Josh did finish the play gym for the kids!!! They LOVE it! It has been very accomodating to our little ones while we work so hard getting the new room done! The long hours (by Josh and Aaron) were worth it! (atleast in my point of view!!) It made 9 little kids happy today (or maybe more...I lose track!!). Since the picture was taken, the monkey bars complete with a ladder swing have been attached.

Next update...how Josh wacked a snake out of the tree that was eating a baby bird and then proceeded to rip the snake's head off its body - all in front of 7 little kids!!! haha!!!

Fun in the Sun

2009-05-31T14:54:00.001-07:00

We had a BIRTHDAY BASH for me at the beach this weekend!! So much fun!! It was our first beach trip of the year. We weathered out a little rain at first and then had a GREAT day!!! Jamie and Gabbie are such great friends!!

Blake was hilarious!! He grabbed a pair of pink goggles and wore them for most of the day!!! He really liked the beach yesterday....just not actually getting in the water. And can you believe he got stung by a jelly fish!!!???? The girls were catching little fish in a net. They caught a jellyfish and he quickly grabbed it and then started screaming!! Luckily it was small and the sting went away after a little while. Note to self...put the "afterbite" in the beach bag!!!!

Thanks for making it a great day and going with us Carla!!!

ANOTHER project???

2009-05-31T14:47:00.001-07:00

We must be crazy!!! Josh has spent the whole weekend putting together a new play set for the kids. He and Aaroon have done a great job. What a time consuming job it has been!! They are doing great and should have it up soon!!!!

It's a Room!

2009-05-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

Some guys came yesterday and put up the sheet rock. It is amazing how much it looks like a real room now! (messy room but still a room!! :)

It's Going Good

2009-05-30T06:08:00.001-07:00

Papa says, "Peace"! All is well.
Dad had a dr. appt. on Friday (29th) and then Mom took him home for a week. We really did enjoy having him recover here. The kids were quick to help out and be sweet. I know that he will enjoy being in his own bed though!! That always makes things a little better! He is taking next week off because we are having the sheet rock hung and completed. After that, we are painting!!! (hopefully next Saturday!!!) Can you believe that!!???? Let's look at what has happened this past week!

Random picture of our shower that we are all really excited about!!!
The new addition with the roof completed and waiting for siding (to be done in a couple of weeks).

Plumbing, electrical, heating/air and insulation were all done this past week. All ready for sheet rock now!!

We are moving right along!! We got to pick out tile for the bathroom, vanity light, ceiling fan and paint colors this past week. A lot of details but so much fun to create something for yourself. Speaking of creating something for yourself....Dad and Jason helped us install a nice dual receiver satellite box to all our t.v.s (including where the new one will be in the new room), we have a nice 5 ft. shower with the type of glass door and faucet that Dad likes, a toilet meeting Dad's standards and lots more nice extras. Must be pretty cool to build your own "in-law" room at your daughter's house, huh? :) Everything Dad likes is fine with us. We are glad he is putting special touches to the room/bathroom. However, I don't know how he will like the futon we will be getting for the new room!???? hmmmmm

We appreciate Jason and Dad's help so much!!!

Papa Update

2009-05-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

Papa's Best Medicine....

Dad is doing better. The pain comes and goes depending on the last dose of percoset. He was able to get himself in and out of bed by himself today so that is a HUGE step!!! He is in good spirits and ready to do the house job as a consultant. He and Jason are already in the process of lining up other jobs in this area. So if you need something done in your house, let me know! :)

The roofing is done and looks nice. Next week should be a hopping good time - the heating/air, electrician and plumber will be out on Tuesday. LOTS of excitement!!!

Have a happy Memorial Day weekend!!!

911!!

2009-05-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today has been the craziest day EVER!!!
Unfortunately I have no new pictures to add to the update. This is because my dad ended up in the ER!!!
They had been working for an hour and Jason comes in to tell me he is taking Dad to the ER. Dad fell off the ladder (3rd rung up) while removing some scaffolding. He tore the muscle in his knee and had to have surgery today!!!
Needless to say everything else felt crazy today!
Thanks so much to everyone for helping me get through this day...kind words, a pot of chili, staying with dad in the hospital so I could take care of the kids, etc.
God is definitely watching out for us!
Dad should be here tomorrow so he can oversee the project from bed!!!! :)
Plus, it would be way too painful to travel back home at this point!!!
I'll keep you posted!!

House Update

2009-05-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

This is the boys' room. It is a "before" picture...

Now we are getting to the good stuff....the messy stuff! The windows were taken out today. I really couldn't think of a more perfect weather day for this...not too hot or cold for outside air to come in. It actually felt really good. Jamie is learning young to work a power tool! She is drilling the dry wall to patch up the window. How do you like that gorgeous white with that very dark blue? Can you imagine how dark the room is right now with that dark paint and NO windows??? Pretty dark!! I am going to lock myself in there tomorrow for a nap!!! :)

Papa (my Dad) is showing Jamie the trade. She was really good about wanting to be a good helper today.

They took the existing windows that were cut out and put them in the new room. Obviously just one was put up today.

The shingle work for the roof was started today. The shingles should be done tomorrow.

It is coming right along. I even managed to have 8 kids running around the house and yard today and no one got lost or hurt!! :) It's a miracle!!

I won't bother posting what my yard looks like right now. Not good. After the last 4 days of rain making the yard all nice and soft, a BIG HUGE truck carrying a crane came rolling in today with a delivery. It rolled and rolled and rolled....all over the yard!! (it seems) Dad promises that the yard will be fixed when we are all done. Okay........it will be worth it!!! :)

Congratulations to Jamie!

2009-05-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

Jamie wrote a story called, "My Own Special Bridge" at school for a writing contest. She was one of the 12 from school that was selected to receive the Young Author's Award. Today we had a reception to honor all those who received this award. To make this day even more special, Jamie received this award with two of her best friends, Gabbie and Maddie.

Jamie is so confident walking across the big stage!!

Our Young Authors received a published book of all the Young Author's stories and a certificate.

Jamie is truly a budding author!! She has quite the imagination and receives all that ability from her 2 grandmothers!!! She got a double dose I guess!! We are so proud of her accomplishments and love her very much!!!

13th Wedding Anniversary

2009-05-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Happy 13th Anniversary!

I can't believe we have been married 13 GLORIOUS years!!

They really have been amazing! Of course we have had the good with the bad but we have made it through together. I know that is because of our faith in the Lord and each other.

13 Reasons why I love my dear sweet husband...

1. He is a great father!!

2. He is sweet and tender.

3. He loves my family and his family VERY MUCH!!

4. He supports me with whatever crazy thing I have up my sleeve!

5. He works so hard to support our family. Thankfully he has a great job and that allows me to stay home with our children.

6. He is smart. He does all kinds of ridiculous math every day at work as an aerospace engineer that makes my head spin.

7. He is a good missionary.

8. He serves others. Some of the greatest and sweetest memories I have of our marriage is of him serving others, our family and ME. This is definitely my primary love language. He speaks it very well! :)

9. He goes without new things so that his family is taken care of!

10. He helped me SO MUCH through 4 painful child births. I could not have made it through without looking in his eyes and hearing him say, "You can do this."

11. He loves me despite my weaknesses and annoyances.

12. He is a gentleman.

13. He loved me enough to take me to the temple and seal us TOGETHER FOREVER!

I love you with all my heart Josh. I could have kept going and going on this list (even with the kids screaming because they are hungry. :) )

More changes

2009-05-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the kids had a BLAST with their homemade rope swing. They attached a rope to the tall ladder and then came out the little access from the new room to jump down and swing. They were out there most of the weekend. It was really fun for them. Here is a picture from Wednesday. It has come a long way since then. I am amazed at how fast this moves!! I am sure we are approaching the "slower" stuff soon and that will be hard!! Here is the new roof attached to the existing roof...

Here is an "aerial view". (sorry about the butt shot Dad! - I didn't do it!!)

The roof is now prepared for shingles and the windows are cut out. Next week the existing windows will be moved to the new room. Here comes the real fun (and mess!).

The heating and air crew will be coming out to hook up the new room. Everything will be sealed up. The plumber will come out and start that new work also. The shingles will be put on the roof. Wow!!

The heating and air guy has already been a lifesaver! We told him we haven't been pleased with our system and he took a look at everything. He found our problem...a big gaping hole in the return in the attic!! The super hot heat (and cold in the winter) from the attic was coming in our system!! Could that explain our $300 electric bill?? Probably! Uuuuggghhhh! I can't wait to see the difference in the electric bill now! So worth that money!!

Raise the Roof!!

2009-05-10T16:43:00.001-07:00

On Friday, the rafters went up!!! Raise the roof boys!! I had to go to school for a Mother's Day program and missed all the action of the hauling up of the rafters!!! Apparently they used ropes.

One picture of the inside...looking at the bathroom and the closet. The rafters and sheeting are up...

We have to get pictures of the kids playing on the ladders, ropes, trailor, Papa's truck, etc. Who knew a construction site could be so much fun!!! The kids really have been so entertained with all of this the past few days.

We had a break over the weekend but my Dad and brother (Jason) will be back Wednesday through Friday. Check back to see what all the changes will be by then!!!

Most of the wall is up...

2009-05-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

After a VERY RAINY morning, the guys got the sub floor glued and put in by the afternoon. Josh came home from work just in time to help put up the first wall. We were so excited about this first wall!!! We took a million pictures of this one wall! heehee Before we knew it, more walls popped up.
I bet this is one project the guys will never forget. I wander if they have ever had 6 kids running around on the job site and then couldn't leave the job site at the end of the day. Interesting for all let me tell ya!

Despite threatening warnings of tornado/thunderstorms, the guys grabbed a bite to eat for dinner and then went back out for more work. They were able to put up the sheeting.

In this view, you can see a little of the floor plans (thanks Josh for climbing up on the ladder to get this shot!!). The window on the far left will be the doorway into the new room (the other windows will be closed up). You walk into a 3 foot hallway and the bathroom is on the left. Looking at this picture, the bathroom will be on the left and a closet will be there on the right (where you can now see a window). Dad picked out an awesome 5 foot shower for the bathroom today. I told him to just get the smallest thing possible that wouldn't be very expensive. He opted for a nicer shower since more than likely he will be using this room for himself on future visits. I guarantee it will also have a ceiling fan and satellite tv connection as well. :)

Enough for now...trying to get 11 people showered and to bed....

Floor Joist are In!

2009-05-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

We hire only the very best to do the work!!! (Tyler, Cousin Jack and Cousin Ben) The truck load made it to New Bern! (despite the fact that the trusses swayed back and forth on the trailor going 60 mph!!) Yikes!! We were so happy to see that load pull up at our house!!

Jason and Danny starting the floor.

Josh joined in the fun (in between work and cub scouts).

Dad was working too all day but he happened to be off on an errand when Jamie shot these pics. We have the joist up and waiting for a morning inspection to keep it rolling!!!!

The party has officially begun!!!

Here We GROW!!!

2009-05-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

The footing was dug this week!!! We have officially started the FUN!! The footing, inspection and concrete went in with no problems!!

I was so proud of the kids for not jumping into the wet cement!! :)

As of today (Saturday) the foundation is complete!! Yah!!!

My dad and 2 brothers (and maybe some "mini-helpers" - nephews) will be coming on Monday to start on the subfloors, walls and roof. My dad is hauling all the trusses on a trailer to our house (3 hour drive). Good luck Dad! Be safe!!!

Now we just pray for good weather for the next week!!!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun this Easter season. The kids hd spring break the week before Easter so we did some Easter crafts, went shopping, had a picnic at the park with Josh and just really enjoyed sleeping in every morning and being together. Here are the kids dying their Easter eggs.
They made beautiful eggs that we put all around the house. Hopefully we will find those eggs before they rot and get stinky!!!! haha

The kids helped with the Easter dinner (that we had early on Friday because my mom and dad were here then) by helping with the Easter cake. They asked if we could make one like the one Grandma makes...white cake, white frosting, green grass (coconut) and jelly beans. After burning our first batch of "grass" in the toaster oven, everything came out great!!!

Yummy cake!!!

The kids enjoyed a nice time at the church's Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. They got to help plant flowers outside the building. Now they have had practice, they can come do my yard!!!

The primary also set up an Easter photo booth for the kids. They got to choose Easter hats and headbands. They were all really cute!!!! Here is Blake sporting the Easter Bunny look.

Jamie and Gabbie planting flowers....

This was Blake's first Easter Egg Hunt that he participated in and he really had fun!!! In fact when it was over, he kept running to find more eggs. He didn't even know they had little treats inside them! What a bonus!!! The older kids ran WAY TOO FAST to get a good picture of them hunting eggs. Oh well...maybe next year!!!

Our Family on Easter Sunday....

I hope you enjoyed your Easter and had time to ponder on what it truly means. We are so blessed to have a Savior that loves us!! He died for us and was Resurrected! He lives today and loves each of us. Josh and I were able to give talks at church today. There were so many people there...it was a little scary but truthfully I was happy to share my testimony of a Savior that has done so much for us!!!

You can visit lds.org and see a beautiful Easter message by one of our living apostles - Jeffrey R. Holland. He shared this message last week at General Conference. His message is combined with wonderful footage from church movies and pictures of Christ. Hope you enjoy it!

It's always fun at Grandma's house!

2009-04-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

We spent the first weekend of April at my Mom and Dad's. My brothers, Keith and Danny, and their families came over on Saturday. We missed my youngest brother Jason and his family. Hopefully we'll see them soon!
Grandma made cute Easter Goody Bags for the grandchildren. And hid them in the front yard. They were packed full of good stuff! My kids LOVE their cousins!!! We also had fun flying kites on a totally windless day! The kids had to work very hard to keep their kites in the air. Even Blake gave a try and was so cute "running", until he got tied up in the string!!!

A trip to Grandma and Papa's house means getting to hang out downstairs. Papa has a whole room dedicated to model trains. This has been a big hit for many years. It is fun to see the "train room" grow! The latest addition was a table cut down for the kids and a Thomas the Tank Engine track set up for little hands to play with. No wonder my boys LOVE trains! They get it from their Papa!

Josh took us on a nature hike by a local lake. He likes to take his bike and ride the trails. It was beautiful!! The end result of the trail was enjoying the lake.

This was a fun wooden bridge on the trail. Josh likes riding it with his bike. We had fun on the trail! The kids really had a good time except when they were scared by a deer running out behind them!!!

We always look forward to our trips to Mom and Dad's!! We wish they could be more often. We go every 2 or 3 months right now. In the summer we will be going more often so we can help out with the family garden!! We are excited for that adventure!

Here we grow!

2009-04-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

We are finally taking the "plunge" and adding on to our house. We decided in January to do this and it has taken a while to refinance and get it started. We are adding an 18x17 room to the back of the house with a closet and bathroom. We will use it as a playroom right now for the kids but eventually it will be the boys' bedroom. My dad (seen above with Madison) is helping us with this project. Lucky for us he is a general contractor. He lives in Burlington, NC but will come when needed to help with the house. A couple of my brothers will be helping as well. Especially with the framing and insulation.

We plan to "break ground" with the new foundation next week.

Dad, our kids and Josh have already cleared out the shrubs around the deck to make room. I saved our hosta and put it out front. We were able to replant most of the shrubs.

Lucky for us, we have a photographer documenting this fun family project (Jamie!!).

Dad and Josh hacked off some of the deck to make way for the new room.

To be continued.........

I Love San Diego!

2009-03-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Aaaaahhhhhh.....peace and relaxation. That is how I would describe last weekend. Josh is on a business trip in San Diego for a little while. I was able to escape North Carolina and join him last weekend. It was a pretty quick trip for me...48 hours in CA. Oh well, we had so much fun and good quality time together as husband and wife that I would have flown across the country for 2 hours with my husband. I love the way the coast is so different from NC coast. Directly across the street from our hotel is the ocean. You can't really tell in this picture of Josh but he is sitting on top of a cliff that is above the ocean. My first morning there I walked across the street and checked out the view. There were between 30-40 surfers in the water swimming very closely to some dolphin. It was so awesome!! I stood on the cliff and took it all in. In North Carolina, the coast is beautiful but it is really flat - no cliffs. It was fun to see the difference.

Shadow fun!!!

California Coast!!!

While in San Diego, we got to spend time with our dear friends, Addie and Kevin. We visited the San Diego Temple. It is so beautiful!!!

Yep, quick trip but so worth it!!! I would do the long flight, 3 hour time change, overnight flying and daylight savings in the air ALL OVER again!!!! :)

I love my husband and cherish every moment we spend together. We have fun with the kids but it is really fun to just be able to focus on each other once in a while.

Thanks so much to Mom and Dad, Carla and Kathy for helping with our kids!! They had fun with you too!!!

Happy Birthday to Madison

2009-03-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am a little late with getting to Madison's birthday. It was officially Feb. 23rd.
I can't believe my "Maddy Cakes" is 7 years old!! It seems like just yesterday the nurses brought her to us in the hospital with DARLING little bows in her hair after her first bath. She was so chubby and precious with all her dark hair. And her big sister Jamie just adored her so much. In fact, Jamie told me, "Mom, you have Dad and now I have Madison." They have been good friends ever since.

7 Things We LOVE about Madison....
1. She always wants to help and please others.
2. She says funny things, "Are you telling me Blake was hatched from an egg?"...long story
3. She is simple....same hairstyle, shoes, style of clothes, jewelry, etc. EVERYDAY. (I hope it is like that when she is a teenager!)
4. She has her own sense of style. She is who she is...
5. She is sensitive to others. (She cried her eyes out when Jason was rejected on the Bachelorette last summer.)
6. She is absolutely beautiful.
7. She always tries to Choose The Right.

Madison you are a very special girl and Daddy and I love you so much! We are glad you are ours for eternity!!!

Another Fun Weekend!

2009-02-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun visit this past weekend with Josh's brother, Jay, and his family. On Friday we went to Morehead City to visit my friend Kimberly's horse farm. Jay and Cristy have 5 kids and we have 4. Sweet Kimberly gave them all a ride around the farm on a horse. The kids really loved it! The little kids were really cute running after the horse. They had fun trailing along.

The kids in the hayloft...

After the horse farm, we went to Fort Macon. This is the funniest picture of the day...Josh being "shot" out of the canon! Jay and Josh were having a good time getting some fun pictures!!

I can't figure out how Josh climbed in the canon...hhmmmmm...?? :)

Me and my sweetie!

Part 2 of Weekend Get Away

2009-02-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

Fun At The Pool!!!

Gabbie and Jamie

The reason we go to the Sheraton on the beach is because of the indoor pool. Yep, it's all for the pool! The kids swam for hours and hours. We pretty much chased away all the romantic couples trying to enjoy a hot tub on Valentine's Day!! One guy even asked Josh how much longer the kids would be swimming.....for a long time buddy!!!!

Tyler and Madison

These pictures are just hilarious to me. This one is a little blurry but still funny - Tyler doing the pencil!!!

Flying high with Madison!

Weekend Get Away!!

2009-02-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Our family went on our annual weekend beach trip. We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel at Atlantic Beach. Not far from home but far enough away to relax and have a quiet weekend. We went with our friends, the Millers. We had so much fun being on the pier, looking for shells, swimming in the indoor pool and relaxing in the hotel room.

This was Blake's first trip to the beach since he learned how to walk. He was quite intrigued by all the shells and wanted to pick them all up and throw them in the water. Of course throwing them in the water meant throwing them 2 inches past his own feet.

The kids had so much fun finding ocean treasures - shells, crab legs, feathers, sand dunes, pelicans and dolphin with their best friends.

The Millers...Carla, Troy, Gabbie, Madison and Anna

We had the best time this weekend.

When we got ready to leave, we went to the pier for one last walk. Pelicans were diving for fish, dolphins were swimming close to the pier and we had the whole pier to ourselves to enjoy the show!!!! As my Great Grandma Maples used to say, "This was a perfect ending to a perfect day! I'll remember this 'til my toes turn up!"

Toady

2009-02-15T16:57:00.001-08:00

Just like all my other children, Blake LOVES our friend Toady. Toady is our friend at Toddler Story Time at the local library. We go every Friday morning with lots of friends. Blake is getting better at paying attention to the stories. With such a talented librarian, Ms. Pam, it is hard not to be entertained! There are stories, songs, puppet shows and of course Toady. One of the activities we do almost every week is "Hickory Dickory Dock". We say, "Tick Tock Tick Tock, Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse went up the clock......" Anyway, Blake likes to say that for the rest of the week, "Tick tot" he says and holds his little hands together.
Blake is getting brave and over his "star struck" nervousness. He actually goes in for the hug now at the end of story time!!!! Last week Ms. Pam let him walk around with Toady. He loves Toady so much and lately we have seen great big frogs in Wal-mart with the Valentine's Day stuff. We can't get through the store without Blake pointing and yelling, "Toey, Toey!!!" I love this fun way the children have to be introduced to literature. Thanks Ms. Pam!!!

Shoes

2009-02-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

This is Blake's "cheesey" smile. He likes to show off for the camera these days. We all love it (and him)!

This blog is dedicated to Blake's cute shoes. I have wanted to do this for a while but just keep putting it off. So here goes....
It is so sad how fast babies grow...especially out of their cute clothes and shoes! I am not very sentimental about "stuff" but all these shoes on the blog were so cute and I was SO SAD to say goodbye to these little shoes.
These slippers were given to Blake from our friend Nicole. She actually gave them to me when I was pregnant with Blake. They have been really fun winter slippers on a cold day when Blake refuses to wear socks.

These shoes definitely have a story...they were picked out at the store by Josh. They reminded him of beloved Vans. Blake wore these shoes A LOT - play, home, church, wherever. I didn't even tell Josh when I passed these shoes on to someone else. Ssssshhhhhh!

These little shoes were really the first pair of shoes that Blake wore on a consistent basis. We got these at the end of summer (I didn't even bother putting shoes on him over the summer when he couldn't walk). So cute....

I love these baby crocs!!! Luckily he does have a similar pair that he can wear now. They are great little shoes for big and little kids!!!!!

There...I have finally finished the "shoe blog" that I have been wanting to do for months now.

Snow Day!!!!

2009-01-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

Jamie trying to catch a big chunky flake!!
Blake is not impressed that this pretty white stuff is cold and wet.

Beautiful snow angel Tyler! Nice boots!

Madison is a snow princess!

Josh and our kids plus our neighbor Heather and her kids.

We finally got a snow day!!! And what a great one it was!!! We were a little worried that we would be disappointed just like the last 4 years but we lucked out!! See...it can snow here in Eastern NC!!!

My kids were THRILLED to say the least. We haven't had a snow day from school for over 4 years!!! They played outside from 10am until 6pm. We went through about 4 sets of clothes per child. It looks like we will be home for a few days. Blake was pretty impressed with the white stuff all over. He kept saying, "brrrrrrrrr". He wasn't impressed when he got all cold and wet!!!

We are going to have so much fun in this snow and then we get to say GOODBYE on Friday as it nears 60 degrees.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!!

Merry Christmas to You and Yours!!

2008-12-28T19:35:00.001-08:00

We hope that each of you had a very Merry Christmas. Our Christmas was very exciting with a lot of little ones around. It always is and we try to stress the importance of how blessed we truly are with all we have, especially our Saviour Jesus Christ. We know that our Saviour lives and loves each one of us. We are so thankful for His birth and life here on this earth. We love Him. We are grateful to live in this free country so that we can teach our children about Jesus and His plan for each of us. We have enjoyed the spirit of Christmas in our home and hope that you have all had your hearts filled with that same spirit as well this Christmas season.

An Ouzts Family tradition is acting out the nativity with all the cousins. With 13 children in the cast, this has become quite the production. Girl cousins are all vying for the part of Mary or an angel (we had a few angels this year). The older 12 year old cousin is praying he doesn't have to be Joseph for the 10th time. :) (He got to be the narrator.) It is a crazy time getting together with everyone at the Ouzts house, but we make the best memories!!!!

Sharing the sweet moments of Christmas morning with the kids is priceless. (If you are wondering about the sheets....I got the idea from Josh's sister, Jennifer. We cover everyone's Santa gifts with a sheet. That way we can ceremoniously unveil each child's gifts and do it one at a time to savor the moment. It also helps with children who might wake up before everyone else (which has not been a problem yet.)

Carrie, Carla, Heather and Amy

Spending time with friends and loved ones is one of the best parts of Christmas. We had a cookie decorating party and caroling in the neighborhood before Christmas with some friends.

Here are the kids showing off their beautiful cookies. We hope our neighbors enjoyed eating all these treats!!!! Spreading Christmas joy is the best!!!!

Merry Christmas to you!!!!!!

Riding at Island Creek, NC

2008-12-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Josh and his friend, Michael trail riding at Island Creek, NC.

Happy Birthday Jamie!!!

2008-12-18T05:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 10th Birthday Jamie!!!!We had fun celebrating Jamie's 10th birthday. The Saturday after her birthday, we had a little party with some friends at our house. Josh took the other kids out for a while so Jamie could have the house to herself with her friends. She had a really good time. We did some small family celebrations on her actual birthday. I can't believe I have a child that is a decade old!!!! How did that happen???

Jamie's favorite gift is her Fuzion scooter. It is a four wheel scooter that is much like a skateboard with handles. She LOVES it!! Josh says "no" on the electric scooter thing because he doesn't want the kids to be lazy. So, this is the next best thing. Big hit.

10 Reasons Why We Love You JAMIE...

10. You have a sweet spirit and kind heart.

9. You are willing to help out so much.

8. You are a good big sister.

7. You are very smart.

6. You want to do what is right.

5. You have ALWAYS been a good sleeper (you have no idea how great that was when you were a baby and toddler!!!) and not too picky of an eater. :)

4. You have amazing musical talents.

3. You are not afraid to be yourself.

2. You like spending time with your family.

1. You are our baby and always will be, no matter how old you get!!!!

We love you Jamie!!!

Jamie turned 10 on Dec. 10th at 10:02am. That was pretty cool.

We had a fun birthday celebration!

Our Little Gymnasts

2008-11-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

Madison and Jamie really enjoy taking gymnastics. They aren't at the competing level at this stage. They just started at the beginning of this year. They do enjoy learning new "tricks" and they are constantly doing cartwheels and flips around the house (especially Madison who can now do a one-handed cartwheel).

They get their flexibility from their dad!!!

This is such great exercise! I highly recommend gymnastics for all kids. It helps with coordination, concentration, fitness, etc.

They have so much fun!!!

Our little stars!!!!

Blake's First Haircut

2008-11-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend while my mom was with us, Blake got his first haircut. Josh was really anxious for him not to look like a redneck with a mullet any longer. I thought his little curls were darling! Away we went with the haircut!!! We are so lucky Grandma Deanna is a cosmetologist!!

This pictures sums up the madness going on during the haircut. Do you see all those little hands in their trying to catch Blake's hair as Grandma cut it??? They now all have their own little sandwich bag with Blake's hair in it. Jamie says she is saving it to show Blake when he is her age. I reminded her that she probably wouldn't even be living with us when he is her age. Then I had to leave the room because I was crying because I know that will be here in a blink of an eye.

Isn't Grandma Deanna so talented to cut a moving target with all those little hands around???

Blake did so great! No tears!!! Just patience.

Thanks Grandma Deanna for making me look like a toddler and not a redneck. heehee

We Are Thankful!

2008-11-30T18:47:00.000-08:00

Who wouldn't be thankful for these beautiful kids?
This Thanksgiving was spent really enjoying time with each other as a family. No stress. No cooking..... We went to Golden Corral for a festive meal. My mom and dad were here and went with us. We didn't have to spend hours in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. We simply loaded up in the minivan and drove over to dinner. We ate lots of yummy things like turkey, ham, rolls (the BEST), pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, sweet potatoe casserole, banana pudding and much more. Well, I say "WE" but I mean the grown ups. My kids just ate pizza and mac and cheese. Whatever makes you happy on Thanksgiving!!!!
After dinner, we drove down to the river and had fun taking pictures.

Josh had a clever idea that we stand on some posts and be funny. My dad helped me up and held my hand for a second and that was fine. Then he backed away and I was flying solo on that 2 1/2 foot post. heehee This picture really has a funny story behind it - Josh and I were originally holding hands and that was fine but then he let go and said, "grab my foot". I started screaming, "I can't!!! I can't look down. I am going to fall!!!!" I was really terrified. I am still such a chicken!!! Good grief!

I am thankful my parents came to stay with us for a few days. When they come here, we don't have to share them with anyone else. With 4 of their own kids and 13 grandchildren, sharing is a must. So I am glad they were just ours for the weekend!!

I am also thankful that my dad got up at 4:30am on Black Friday to wait outside of Staples (that didn't open until 6am) with me. :) After getting really awesome deals (like this new laptop that I am using right now...finally a computer not from the stone age!!), we went home and traded shopping partners. He stayed home with my kids while Mom and I went shopping ALL day long. Talk about "shop until you drop"!!! After getting up so early, he took care of the kids for another 7 hours. Thanks DAD! And thanks for shopping with me Mom!!! Good times. AND thanks for going to work to "make the money" Josh!!!! I love you all!

Do you notice a theme with our attire?? Yes, it is Josh's favorite NFL team - Philadelphia Eagles. He has liked them since he was a kid. He is very loyal to his teams, whether they are having a good season or not. That's my Josh...loyal and true!!!!! Go Eagles!!!

I had a GREAT Thanksgiving letting someone else do the cooking, having fun with the family and shopping like a crazy person. Life IS good!!!!

Fall Pictures

2008-11-03T10:08:00.001-08:00

I love school pictures! It takes all the pressure off of having to go to a studio for portraits! I thought these pictures turned out nicely. What happened to my babies???

Jamie - 4th grade

Tyler - Kindergarten

Madison - 1st grade

This is how we roll....

2008-11-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

A dear friend from High School, that I haven't seen in ages but recently reconnected with (Yeahhh!!) asked what a typical Friday night at our house looks like....Here you go!!!

Having friends come over for games while the kids entertain themselves. This week the kids were dancing in the garage! Good times!

Well....almost all the kids. The girls always keep going strong, but Tyler and Blake usually pass out much earlier!!! Tyler was watching Transformers on the portable DVD player and then fell asleep. So cute.

Halloween Craziness!

2008-11-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween from the Martins!!!!

I don't think I have ever experienced a busier Halloween season! It was CRAZY but oh, so fun!!! We started the week at a Halloween Party at a friend's house. There was homemade rootbeer (BIG hit with the kids~all the "smoke" from the dry ice), caramel apples, spooky Aunt Edna (long story...just trust me...spooky!!), carving pumpkins (thank you Josh for taking so much time and effort to create the BEST jack-o-lantern EVER!!) and just having so much fun!!!!

Of course the kids had Halloween parties at school. I tried to go in and help as much as possible with that.

We also had the annual Preschool Parade downtown. One of my friends from the kids' school said she was jealous because she misses those little things from the younger kids' activities. I told her that is why you keep having kids - so you can keep doing all the fun stuff!!!! :) Blake was a cow this year for Halloween. We have been practicing for over a month now on what a cow says. For Blake, it is somewhere in between "moo" and "boo" - perfect for Halloween! He was a little shocked to see a BIG COW stand next to him at the parade! This is actually the first Halloween in a LONG time that we had to wear jackets at the parade!!! It was nice and crisp. Not hot and muggy! Blake and I had fun!!!!

Moo!!!!! His cow tail is the cutest thing about the costume! It sticks straight up when he crawls around. Thanks to my stupid camera and the flash not working, I couldn't get any pictures of that. Thanks Melissa for letting me borrow your camera at the party! I am going camera shopping this week!!!

After the parade and school parties, we went to the local library Spooktacular. All the kids had fun doing crafts, games, snacks and stories - except Blake who was just trapped in a stroller for 3 hours. Long day...but fun for the kids. Lucky for us....no school the next day on Halloween.

On Halloween we went to our church for dinner. The kids decided they would rather do the traditional trick or treating this year versus trunk or treating at the church. Since this was my first year in 6 years not in charge of the Trunk or Treating, we decided to go with the flow.

After dinner, we went to a big carnival hosted by another church. It had a ton of jumpy things and slides, pony rides, hot dogs, funnel cakes, cotton candy and lots more. Then we went trick or treating on probably the busiest street in our town. It was fun but we'll stick to our church or neighborhood next year - more light and less people.

Look Who's One!!

2008-10-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

This has been, by far, the fastest year of my life! Where does time go? My baby has been with us for a year now. We have enjoyed every moment of this year with him!
Blake makes being a Mom an easy job. He keeps me on my toes, but he is really good. He is generally happy and easy going.
We just adore this sweet little spirit that has been sent to us!
We had a fun birthday party with Blake. He enjoyed his cake, presents and balloon. Jamie, Madison and Tyler really enjoyed helping with the cake and presents. (And the balloon didn't even last 24 hours...they enjoyed beating it to death. Oh well.)
He thought that digging into his own cake was just hilarious! I think he ate the most out of any of our other kids. He really thought he was something!

Happy Birthday Sweet Blake!

2008-10-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Jamie has been taking piano lessons for over 3 years now. This is a video of her playing "Jamie's Song" written for her when she was a baby by her daddy. And then she plays some of her songs she is working on for piano lessons. She has a great piano teacher and she does a very nice recital each Spring. The first year Jamie took lessons she received a trophy for her amazing work for a first year student. I really hope she continues to enjoy it and sticks with it. I would love for her to be able to play for church. We need piano players so bad! You know we are hard pressed for players when anyone looks at me and asks if I will play the piano. This is one of the many things I wished I would have learned when I was a child. My mom tried (because she plays so well) but I resisted. Sometimes there are tears because Jamie has to practice the piano instead of going outside to play but I hope she will thank me one day! Go Jamie!

Mum Fest

2008-10-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

We thought we would go downtown and enjoy the Mum Fest this past weekend. We started our adventure by parking at the mall and taking the trolley to downtown. We had no problem getting right on at the mall. It took us down to the Farmer's Market where we met our friends, the Millers. There were a lot of things for the kids to look at but this one was the most amazing for the kids....Coastie the Boat robot. They really couldn't get enough of him. They were so amazed that Coastie could talk and move around. They knew he was real too because he knew what color shirt Jamie was wearing and that she had on a blue "Statue of Liberty" hat. Just amazing....
Coastie told them it was okay to give him a pat on the head. Nobody wanted to touch him though. As we were walking away, Madison stuck her hand out and poked him in the eye to see what he would do. It must have not bothered him because he didn't yell!!! ha ha
Checking out the race cars. And oh, by the way, did I mention it was pouring down rain at this point? Well, it was. The race cars had a nice big tent over them so we hung out here for a while. Then we decided it was time to get out of the rain for the day.......
We got in line for the trolley and of course it took A LOT longer this time to get where we wanted to go (to a nice DRY place)....40 minutes actually. We had to lighten the mood while standing in the rain waiting so we played with Blake and Josh's hair.
Can someone, ANYONE, give us a ride to our van??? Please? Can you believe we didn't get any offers??? Oh well. The trolley did eventually show up and all 11 of us hopped on board. What a day to remember!!!

Goodies at the Mum Fest

2008-10-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Fudge Marshmallows Anyone???We went to the Fudge shop downtown when we were at the Mum Fest this weekend. This is Madison with her friends Anna and Madison.
If you don't like the marshmallows, you can try a fudge covered rice krispy treat. That's what Josh and Jamie had.... Yum!

After a few bites, Madison handed me her goody and said, "I just can't take it anymore!" I guess you can have too much of a good thing.
Even Blake got in on the good stuff.

We love the Mum Fest (when it's not pooring rain!).

Plum Tuckered Out

2008-10-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

Okay...the other night the girls and I were out for a little while for piano lessons. Josh, Tyler and Blake were at home. When we got home, Tyler was still on the couch (he was sick that day) and Josh immediately called us over to the boys' room. While Josh was taking a shower, Blake and Tyler were hanging out in the living room. When Josh came back out, Tyler was asleep on the couch and he started looking for Blake. Where was he? Josh went to their room and right there on the floor, in the middle of the doorway, Blake had crawled there and just fell asleep. He immediately checked for breathing because it is so RARE that our kids fall asleep anywhere but their beds. Right after that the girls and I came home. After a slight heart attack and asking, "Are you sure he isn't dead?", I grabbed the camera. Poor little guy! He must have been really tired!!!! (Notice the way cute PJs! Josh loves the guitars!!)

Like Father, Like Son

2008-10-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Josh is a great pianist. He plays by ear and a little by reading music (he really could do it if he wanted, he is a natural unlike myself!).
We are learning that Blake is taking to the piano as well. He LOVES to sit with you on the piano and just play and play. If you won't sit with him (after yelling at you), he'll stand up on his own and reach for the keys. It is quite humerous watching his little fingers reach for the keys way above his head. I hope he gets his Daddy's talent of playing instruments!!!

It's the little things...

2008-10-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Blake loves to entertain his family!
When he thinks he may have a captive audience, he snatches the closest dish towel and throws it on his head. He then crawls around as fast as his chubby little legs will carry him and laughs hysterically. Of course, we all laugh along with him and this just encourages him all the more! He really is a funny little guy!

Calm After the Storm

2008-09-14T15:55:00.001-07:00

Lucky for us, Tropical Storm Hana was easy on us. We had some wind and rain last Friday night through Saturday morning but nothing really bad. We have had spring wind storms that have done more damage than this storm. Like I said, we were LUCKY and very blessed! Our hearts go out to those affected by Hurrican Ike.
Saturday afternoon, we went for a family walk/bike ride. You can see the cloud coverage of what was left of the storm. Here is a picture of Josh buckling up Blake for his first bike trailor ride. He loved it!!!

Here is Tyler on his new spiderman scooter. You can see the clouds here too. They were all but gone by the time we got back from our walk/bike adventure.
Here is our little Martin Train! We went for a nice walk and the kids were very hot and tired by the time we got back. They love getting outside and having fun!

Here is our cute little friend Harbor who came over with her family later in the day.

Blow Me a Kiss!

2008-09-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

I just love this sweet age when they learn new things and then "show off". Blake did a little bit right here. He is learning how to clap his hands, do Patty Cake and he LOVES "Wheels on the Bus". Coming up soon...I'll video Blake entertaining us with a dish towel! So cute!!

School Days!

2008-08-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Our Summer Fun

2008-08-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

We spent some time in July with Josh's brother and his family in New York. It was so beautiful! The cousins were all excited to spend this time together.
Our family in the Sacred Grove.
At the Hill Cumorah.
We had a fun day at the water park!
We had a great day at Niagara Falls!!!

It was a super fun trip. We were so glad to spend time with our family in New York and we appreciate their hospitality!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!

2008-08-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it has been 5 years ago that you came into our lives!!!! You have always been such a sweet little boy and a joy to our family.
Look at our sweet little angel! Aren't you cute???
For your 1st Halloween, you were a Hot Dog!!!
This was your first day of preschool when you were 3....
And now you are 5 and getting ready for Kindergarten!!!

Mommy is going to miss you when you go to school all day!

Some of your favorite things at age 5 are:

-the color BLUE

-Transformers, Spiderman, Batman, Superman (and all other super heroes!)

-cars and anything else with wheels!!

-making Blake laugh

-coming in Mom and Dad's room at night when you are scared

-sharing a room with your brother

-basketball and soccer

-Best Friends: Taleia and Mairi

-Macaroni and Cheese

-Burger King

Happy Birthday Tyler!

A Blake in the Box!

2008-06-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

One night when I had gone out and Josh was out doing the lawn, Jamie grabbed the camera and took a few shots of Blake. When I got home, I noticed the camera was out so I looked at the pics and here's what I found! It was really cute but being the "mother" I had to question how safe is a baby in a box on a piano bench? No one was hurt and we got some cute pics! Jamie is our budding photographer. I do have other kids, I promise. We just all take so many pictures of Blake because he is so stinkin' cute! :)

Baby Blake's First Day at the Beach

2008-06-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

Blake was curious about what we were doing and he was okay on the blanket....

Then came the sand and he didn't want to have anything to do with it!
Sensory overload!!!

ZZZZZZZZZ.....
Everything is better after a nap and some apple juice!!

But he never did like the sand or water.

Time will change all that!!!