Martin Moments

Idaho

2010-11-15T00:01:00.008-05:00

We were able to make a last minute trip to visit Jeremy's family in Idaho!! It had been too long and was way over due. We have had a great time and it even snowed just for us the entire week we were here. The kids loved it and sure did look cute in their snow cloths, but can I just say I am glad that we don't have to dress like this everytime we need to play outside in Florida. We had a wonderful vacation (we even came all this way to swim, hahaha)and we can't wait til next time.

Fall Fun

2010-11-14T23:46:00.004-05:00

I love the Fall!!! Everything about it from the pumpkins to the parties! Fun, Fun, Fun Times!!

Favorite Girl in the World

2010-11-14T23:39:00.004-05:00

I can remember bringing home my little girl from the hospital, and it is hard to believe that she is now 9 years old. Each year that she gets older my heart breaks a little because my baby girl is going to be a young woman before I know it. Yet I can't wait to watch her keep growing. She is such a great girl!!! I can honestly say that she is my favorite girl in the world!!!!

3 and loving it!

2010-11-14T21:28:00.004-05:00

My Brice turned 3!!! He was trying to get his fingers to 3 in the pictures above and it was too cute! He would try until he got it.He is so much fun and has such a unique little personality. It is Brice's way or the highway. He is always antagonizing his brothers and sister, but is quick to give them love. Everything he does is to get a response! It is fun to watch until the fun turns to screams from his siblings. Brice loves life and I love him and wouldn't change him for anything!! Even if he is just a "boy", which is what he calls himself "mom I just a boy", and I say in response "yes but you are my boy!!"

2010-11-14T21:28:00.001-05:00

funniest things

2010-10-04T10:37:00.004-04:00

My Hayden is one of those kids who always has something to say, and has a logical reason why he should or should not do something. He always has the most of-the-wall things to say. Like the other day when I was in the car and he was roaring in the back seat, finally the noise was getting to me and I asked him to stop. He told me he couldn't because he was "scaring his hicups away." Sure enough he was hicupping. His new favorite saying is after I have asked him to do something is to tell me "my knees are asleep I can't do it." I love all the things that tumble out of his little mouth, even though sometimes I know I should be upset at him I just have to laugh!

Blessed

2010-10-01T21:11:00.004-04:00

I have been very blessed in my life with two wonderful sisters who I consider some of my closest friends. Words can not begin to express how much joy and comfort it brings me just knowing they are there if I need them. I meant to do this post on Jodi's birthday as sort of a little gift to let her know how much I love her and appreciate her, but as you all know life gets in the way, but hey things only get better with time, so this should be fabulous. I am so very lucky to have Jodi as my sister. I have no doubt each day if I need her she will be there. That if I need someone to be honest with me all I have to do is call.There are few people in this world that I can be completely honest with no matter how bad it makes me sound or how weird the words that are coming out of my mouth are, and know that they get it and get me. Growing up I was the little sister, so I am sure I got on her nerves, but I am so grateful that as we have grown that we have become friends, not only friends but the best of friends. There is nobody in this world that has a bigger heart than her---NOBODY!! She cares about all- even those she does not know, but especially those she loves, she genuinely feels their pain or their joy. My babies are blessed to call her their aunt and I am even more blessed to know that she loves them as her own! She would take them in a heart beat if I would let her (and sometimes I do, so I can have a mommy break). Again words get in the way of expressing what I feel in my heart, but I am lucky to have such wonderful sisters even more than that, I am blessed to have such wonderful friends!

We have an on going joke in our family about having "Aunt Jodi" morning hair. Her hair is just perfect chaos when she wakes up in the morning. The kids a while back went to a petting zoo with their dad an saw this bird and all of them said "Look it has Aunt Jodi hair"!!! Sooooo funny! We love your hair and we love you my sisiter!!!

Watch out world

2010-10-01T20:23:00.006-04:00

Will just had his hair cut for the first time. Unlike all of my other babies he has had a bunch of hair since he was born. So his first hair cut came earlier than any of my others. Lets just say he didn't like it too much.

I can remember doing a post on Brice when he was about the same age as Will is now. In that post I told how Brice was so patient and loved watching his older siblings play. I joked that he was just sitting back taking notes on all that he wanted to do as soon as he could move, and oh was I right!!! Brice now almost 3 is all over the place and into EVERYTHING. Will on the other hand has done no sitting back and is already all over the place and into everything. He started crawling a little before 6months and hasn't stopped moving since. He can't stand to sit still and wants to be on the go every minute. He is such a happy baby, with a sweet and fun personality. He just like all my other babies has a smile that can make your heart swell just seeing him. I just can't imagine if he is into everything now, what he is going to be like at 3. Watch out world if you thought Brice was something here comes Will.
Brice

Will

And it begins...... Again

2010-09-01T11:43:00.004-04:00

I look forward to school beginning all summer long. The kids love going to school, but this year it was harder for me to let them go. I had a bunch of fun with them this summer and it went by too quick. Don't get me wrong I still like having a little bit of "free" time (if that is what you call it with 2 still at home), but now I am the "bus" again, and the homework starts, along with all the extra curricular things. Oh--- the fun of being a mom. They did look so dang cute on the first day of school though!!!

7....

2010-09-01T11:37:00.002-04:00

My baby boy Ethan turned 7 while we were on vacation. I can not believe how big he is getting! He is such a great kid and I am so blessed to be his mom. He makes me laugh constatly and is so much fun to be with. He does have a little stubborn streak, but don't we all. I love my little man and am so proud of the little guy that he is.

The most wonderful time.....

2010-09-01T11:10:00.005-04:00

The Martin family needed a Vacation this year and we loved every minute of it!!! We just relaxed on the beach all week and focused on all that really matters in life-- each other!! The kids loved playing in the water and sand. There was a calm that surrounded us while we were there we called it our "zen" state of mind. We are so blessed to be able to go each year (thank you so much mom and dad!!!)!! Reality came crashing back hard as soon as we were welcomed home by nasty neighbors, but escaping was really fun while it lasted! And I am determind to keep a little of the "zen" with us no matter what comes our way! Just look at this beautiful family of mine, what more could I ask for??? Seeing a smile on their faces is all that matters, and we always see that smile at the beach!!! (hey maybe we will just move there!)

Kids College

2010-09-01T11:05:00.002-04:00

Just a couple of pictures showing what the kids did while at kids college. Ethan loved the legos and archery class he was in, and Ashley and Taylor couldn't get enought of the crafts. The kids really enjoyed themselves, we are sure to do it again next year!!!

Fun Times with 7 kids

2010-07-14T21:53:00.004-04:00

Jodi's girls have been spending a couple of weeks with us while Taylor goes with Ashley and Ethan to the local kids college program. We have all had a bunch of fun being together. You can tell the girls miss their mom and dad, but each day has been an adventure and we have really loved having them. Some of my favorite times are in the pictures below, haha, just kidding! They are too cute!

Those are some cute kids!!!

2010-07-14T21:36:00.003-04:00

All I can say is that those are some way cute kids!!!

The Captain and The Kid

2010-07-14T21:13:00.003-04:00

While at my parents house Brice and Grandpa developed a great relationship, they became daily playmates while the rest of the kids were at school. Brice knew how to push Grandpa's buttons and grandpa knew how to push back. The funniest of these is my dad has a chair that everyone knows is where he sits, if you are sitting there when he comes in the room he will nicely remind you that it is his chair, and prompt you to move. Well Brice decided that any time grandpa would come into the room he would make a beeline for the chair and not move no matter what dad would do. Finally my dad figured out that he could hold the cartoons (Dora) hostage, he would change the channel and wouldn't put it back until Brice would move. It worked the first couple of times, but Brice's will power grew stronger and he normally wouldn't move no matter what he was tempted with ( food, soda, candy, toys, ect..). The funny thing is when grandpa wasn't around he could have cared less about the chair. It became a game to him, one that he and grandpa could play together, (one that he won most of the time). Brice (The Kid) loves his papa(The Captain, and they will forever be playmates.

Of all the things

2010-07-14T20:52:00.004-04:00

Of all the things in the world that I am thankful for my family is right at the top of the list. During our transition time of moving we were blessed to be able to stay with my parents. It was a wonderful experience! Moving all 7 of my family into my parents home had me a bit nervous, then for it to last close to 4 months had me even more nervous, but it really is a time in my life that I will cherish. I have always been close with my parents, but living with them now as an adult has truly made them some of my closest friends! Not only my friends, but Jeremy's and the kids too. It was so great to get to see them everyday and to watch them with the babies. We laughed daily with them, and so many great memories were made. As much as I miss living in the Carolina's, being close to my family and getting to see them on a regular basis, makes my heart happy.

10 years

2010-06-09T21:01:00.007-04:00

With each passing day I love him more. I can remember the first time that we each told each other that we loved the other after maybe a month of dating. What I feel for him now is so much stronger than that it makes me laugh at what I thought was love then, although real, nothing to what my heart feels now.I am so very blessed to not only still be madly love with him after 10 years, but to honestly say that he is my best friend and that I would not trade one minute of the past 10 years for something else, each trial and each joy has brought us closer. I am so excited to see what the next 10 years brings us!

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-09T20:50:00.006-04:00

We are finally settled into our new home. It has been a battle to get here, but we are now proud to call Florida our home once again, Yalah, Fl. to be exact. Our new house is beautiful and just what we were looking for. I being the spoiled girl that I am, now have everything I could have ever asked for in a home provided by my fabulous husband. He let me do some renovating that has turned into a nightmare of a project, but hopefully in the end run of it things will turn out great!! Things are coming together now and we are loving it more and more each day. Now if we could just figure out what to do about some of our neighbors things would be great. I will post some more pictures when I remember to put batteries in the camera and take some.(It may be a while, haha)

What a Blessing

2010-02-23T10:10:00.004-05:00

Words can not begin to express what a blessing Will is in our lives!! Here are a few pictures from his Blessing day. He is too cute!!

My Hayden is 4!!!

2010-02-23T10:00:00.004-05:00

Oh how I love this little boy!!! He is such a light in my life. Every day he makes me laugh and his smile is contagious! He knows what he wants and how he wants it and is never shy to share how he feels. He gives the best hugs and loves with his whole heart! I love you my Hayden!!!

Christmas

2010-02-23T09:49:00.003-05:00

The one thing I didn't want to happen while we were getting ready to move and with the Birth of Will was for Chirstmas to get lost! We did our best to be prepared and had a wonderful Christmas with our babies!!!

Florida Bound

2010-02-23T09:27:00.007-05:00

We have moved!!! After Christmas was over, the packing and our move back to Florida began!!! Jeremy took the whole week off and our friends were incredible with all of their help with the kids and food for the week, so that all we had to do was focus on packing and getting the house ready to go. It was hard watching my things disappear out of the house little by little. Every day a new room would be gone. I tried not to think about it, but I was getting sadder by the minute to leave my home and friends. The only comforting thing was that we were going to be moving closer to family and that we knew it was what our Heavenly Father had planned for us. As soon as the huge semi truck was loaded (we have a ton of stuff!!) and our house was empty the camping began in the house. We stayed for a week after our stuff had already left so that Jeremy could finish work. Lets just say that living out of a suitcase and on a air mattress for 6 days with 5 kids, one of them a newborn, is no fun, but a memory we will never forget!!! We loved our time that we lived in the Carolinas, and have made friendships that will remain in our hearts forever, leaving there was really hard but we are very excited about all that the future has to hold for us here in Florida!!!

This is how we felt every night after packing and painting!! Jeremy worked so hard everyday! It is no easy task packing a 3600sq ft home almost all by yourself, but that is exactly what my Jeremy did, while I took care of the baby! I love him!!!!

Always a Miracle

2009-12-26T13:09:00.013-05:00

Anyone who says that they do not believe in Miracles, has never had a baby!!!You would think that after having 4 children, the entire act of child birth would be routine, but it never fails to amaze me the miracle that it truly is. Tears come to my eyes as I think of it, that we are trusted to teach and bring up our Heavenly Fathers children. We go through life never knowing that something is missing until that vacancy is filled. I didn't even know that I wanted little Will, but I can not imagine my life without him and he has only been here one week. He is such a sweet baby and fits right in with our family. It is like life is a puzzle and we can see what a beautiful picture we are creating, we just can not tell if we have all of the pieces yet to make our picture complete. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for all of my blessings, those I can see and those I can not. I am so blessed to have my children in my life all 5 of them (well 6 if you count Jeremy)!!!

Just what was needed!

2009-12-26T12:22:00.020-05:00

For Thanksgiving my parents treated all of us kids to a getaway in Gatlinburg. It was just what we needed with the stress of the upcoming move and all the events that were about to occur in our lives. It was so nice just to escape it all and spend time with the family. Not to mention the fabulous luxury cabin that we stayed in, surrounded by beautiful mountains. I have never been a morning person, but I loved waking up every morning to the sun coming up over the mountains. Even now when I get caught up in the anxiety of everything, I think back and remember our time there.

Can't Believe ...

2009-12-26T12:08:00.005-05:00

I can not believe that my little girl is old enough to be baptized! It was such a special day and we are so proud of the choices that Ashley is making. She has such a sweet spirit and really wants to learn so that she can choose the right. I hope and pray that she always keeps the desire to stay close to her Savior!

Its great to be 8

2009-11-05T11:02:00.003-05:00

If it was hard to believe that my 2 year old turned two than it is crazy to think that my baby girl just turned 8. Ashley had a good birthday, although she was home sick we had a good day taking it easy and being together. She now gets to celebrate all week long, with a family party, cupcakes at school, and she'll finish it off with a party with friends. Ashley is such a blessing in my life. She is so smart, such a good helper, and so much fun to be around. I look forward to watching her grow and being one of my closest friends. We girls are going to have to stick together in this household of boys. She is anticipating her baptism everyday, and is full of questions about life. She is such an Angel in every since of the word.

When its quite

2009-11-05T10:57:00.002-05:00

As a mom I have learned many things, but one of the biggest lessons I have learned throughout the years so far is that it being too quite when the kids are around is never a good thing, especially a 2 year old.

For no reason at all

2009-11-05T10:51:00.003-05:00

You know you have it good when your husband who has been stressed out beyond belief with life and work, takes the time to notice how much he loves you and brings you flowers for no reason at all except to let you know that you matter. I am so blessed to have him!! It is the little things that count!

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles

2009-11-05T10:38:00.005-05:00

Every year since we have lived in the Carolinas we take the kids to the local amusement park Carowinds for their fall festival. The kids love picking a pumpkin and riding rides, but their favorite part has to be the bubbles. When else in you life will you be able to play in a big thing of bubbles and just be a kid. They love it, and we love watching them! Fun, Fun, Fun!

Fall Fun

2009-11-05T10:15:00.006-05:00

I have always loved the fall, but now that I have kids it is definitley one of my favorite times of year. Especially here in the Carolinas where the air gets a little bit of a chill and the leaves begin to change on the trees. The kids loved decorating their little pumpkins and helping us carve the larger ones. The only sadness came when Jeremy rubbed some of the pumpkin "guts" on Ethans face,but Ethan was quick to get back at him with some of his own yucky hands. The kids got to go to 3 trunk or treats throughout the month and even did a little bit of trick or treating on Halloween. We now have enough candy to last us quite a while.

Swine Flu

2009-11-05T09:57:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my Ethan came home from school sick, and we decided to take him to the doctor just in case, the diagnosis "Swine Flu". Just the words alone freaked me out, then they proceeded to prescribe medication for the two littler boys and myself since we are high risk, and already had coughs. I of course went to the internet to try and find out all that I needed to know, but quickly decided that it was better just to discover as I go than to read all of the info on the internet, because everything said something different. Jeremy was great through the entire weekend and needless to say my house was more sanatized than it has been in a long time. Lysol became our quick friend. As illness goes this one was pretty mild, I guess it can be bad, but in our case it was mild and way better than the stomach flu, strep throat, or any of the other yuck things my kids seem to bring home. The words "Swine Flu" still stress me out, but we are now vacinated so I feel a little more at ease, unless what some of the groups say about getting sick from the vacination is true, then we are all in for it. Oh well!!

Brice is 2

2009-11-05T09:32:00.007-05:00

My baby boy recently turned 2.It is hard to believe that much time has passed since he has been in our lives. We celebrated with a family party with monkey cupcakes, since we call Brice our little monkey. All the kids loved the geo trax trains that the grandparents got for him, and play with them everyday. It was nice to keep it small and simple with just us, but I guess there are enough of us to make it quite the party. Brice is such a fun baby, and is all personality. He loves making people laugh and he knows just what to do to make his brothers and sister sqirm. You would think being the baby he would let them do whatever they want, but he is the one who runs the show and he knows it. He is such a sweet boy and loves to cuddle. It is amazing how you live life without each child, but then as soon as they are here you can't imagine life without them. I definitley could not imagine my life without my Brice, he makes me smile.

Butterfly Garden

2009-10-20T11:22:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago the two younger boys and I went on a bit of a fieldtrip with some friends of ours to a local Botanical Garden. The kids love running and playing and they really liked the butterfly garden. Brice wasn't too sure of the butterflies getting too close, but he enjoyed seeing them and Hayden loved getting as close to them as he could.

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers and more Diapers

2009-09-27T13:27:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to express my apperciation to the inventor of the disposable diaper. I have been changing diapers for 8 years straight now, with I am sure another 2-3 years to go and I can not imagine if I had to use cloth diapers that I myself I had to clean out and take care of. Changing some about kill me when I am able to get rid of it right away into the trash can. So again a huge THANK YOU goes out to the disposable diaper man or woman, you are right up there with the chocolate man.

And it Begins!

2009-09-27T13:10:00.004-04:00

I thought that with the end of summer I would be getting a little bit of a break with the 2 kids in school all day and 1 in preschool two days out of the week. I don't know who I was kidding because now is when the real fun begins of homework, and all of their extra activities. We put Ashley in Cheerleading, Ethan in Flag Football, and Hayden in a Beginner Soccer. Ashley and Ethan both started piano this year also. Although seperatly it doesn't seem like too much, when you put it all together I can not even keep my own name straight let alone the schedule of their games and practices. They all love what they are doing, and I love watching them!!! It is tons of fun to watch them grow and develop even if I feel like I have run miles by the time I am done getting them there and entertaining the others while we support the one who at the time is developing a talent. We only have a about a month of the sports season left, so I was telling Jeremy that it really isn't a big deal and we can make it work, when it dawned on me that this is just the begining. Imagine what is will be like when all 5 of the kids are involved in different things. I guess this is where divine intervention will come into play and it will all work out, so for now I will just take it day by day and enjoy watching them grow!

Wonderful time of the year

2009-08-19T10:01:00.003-04:00

We had a great summer with the kids this year, but as school approached I found myself, like the commercial on tv, singing "its the most wonderful time of the year". Don't get me wrong I love having my babies at home with me, but by the end of the summer they need school!!! They need someone else to entertain them because I just plain start running out of ideas and energy. They were so excited getting all of there new school cloths and supplies. We did our annual fashion show for daddy, and I was busting at the seams at how cute they are. This morning they were ready to go and it did make my heart ache to realize that my little girl is already in second grade and that my little boy is no longer in kindergarten. They each had no reluctance as we walked into their classrooms, Ashley didn't even need me to help her unload all of her supplies. Each one was still eager for a hug goodbye, which I cherish because I know that too will most likely pass with time, where they don't want to love on me in public. Hayden made me feel better by telling me "mommy your my teacher and my school is at home with you." I am anxious to see them when they each get home to see how their first day at school went.

Camping Again!!

2009-08-19T09:25:00.009-04:00

Each year a bunch of members from our ward go on a camping trip. This year even though our previous camp out of the summer was crazy we decided to go. We had a bunch of fun and not even one trip to the doctor or even bandaide was needed this time. We spent some time our first day driving trough the beautiful mountains and doing a little hiking, we decided to stay away from one trail because of the wording on the sign, we knew it wasn't for us or should I say for our kids we like them a little too much. You can read it below. We finished with a trip to some local waterfalls, the kids loved playing in the water at the base, and Jeremy loved sliding down. Click on the link below to get the full effect of my big kid and to see how big the falls actually were. Lets just say that my heart was pounding as I watched him climb up and "slide" down. All in all we had a great time!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZrAJniniAw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeEfqStNk_o

My 6 year old stud!!!

2009-08-19T09:20:00.002-04:00

My Ethan turned 6 this past week and had a wonderful birthday. It was the first time that his actual party was on his birthday and he loved it! He is such a fun and loving kid, I am so proud to call myself his mom and to see a little bit of me shining through him as he grows. Doesn't he look like such a little stud muffin sporting his new suit? He decided that he like the star wars shirt with it best and was very sad when I told him he could not wear it like this to church.

From the mouth of babes...

2009-07-07T13:40:00.003-04:00

Jeremy and I have been keeping a secret for quit awhile, one that we only shared with family and just recently shared with our kids. We knew as soon as we told the kids that the secret wouldn't last for long, but decided to ride it out as long as we could, well it all came out this Sunday right in the middle of sharing time in primary when Ethan decided that he would announce to the world that we were going to have a baby at Christmas. I have never turned so red in all of my life, and I was thankful that Jeremy just happened to be in primary this Sunday too so he got to share in the embarrassment with me. We are very excited about the new addition that will join our family this holiday season, it took us by surprise, but we couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift! So I can now vouch for the phrase that truth flows from the mouth of babes and can give the advice to anyone that if you don't want the world to know, don't tell your kids.

Let Freedom Ring

2009-07-07T13:28:00.002-04:00

We had a great time this 4th of July. Jodi and her family came up for the weekend to get some furniture, so they stayed through the 4th. Every year our church throws a big bbq with activities for the kids and adults, tons of food, and they finish it off with a really good show of fireworks. We all had fun. The kids loved the water games and fireworks, the only one who wasn't too sure of the show was Brice, so Jeremy covered his ears with his hands and the poor little guy eventually fell asleep that way. He was so cute, all of the kids were. The fun of fireworks now for me is watching all of their little faces light up with each new bang.

Great Men!

2009-07-07T12:14:00.002-04:00

I have been very blessed in my life to be surrounded by great men! I never had to wonder growing up or even now if my dad loved me. He was always quick to say it to each of us kids, and the words that always followed were how much he loved my mom. The influence this made on me was one to my very core, it let me know how important family is, but at the very heart of the family is the marriage of the mother and father, and that we should always put that love first. My dad is the best I feel I had an advantage of being the youngest to get a bunch of one on one time with my parents. I love just being with them and joking with them. My dad is quick on his toes with advice and words that make it seem better, always bringing things into an eternal perspective and helping me realize what really matters. I feel eternally blessed to call myself his daughter! It is his example that led me to the man that I now share my life with.

There are no words for how much I love Jeremy, but more than that there are no words to describe how happy it makes my heart to have him be the father of our beautiful babies. He is absolutely an incredible father. I love watching him with each of them. Their little eyes light up when he is around. He makes each of their days better just by being their dad. He is a wonderful example for them and always puts us first in his life. Even when he is pulled in a million different directions we know that we come first. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for having him in my life. I know Jeremy is the man he is because of the example of his father who is also a great man!

My father-in-law is one of the most loving men that you will ever come in contact with. He shows so much love to all those around him.He has such a great sense of humor and it makes you happy just to be around him. I know that all the things I love about Jeremy as a father he learned from watching his dad, and by taking his advice and council.

I know it may be a little late, but I want to wish all 3 of these great men a Happy Father's Day!!!!

Mother of 6

2009-07-07T11:12:00.004-04:00

My sister Jodi spent most of the month of May moving, so I decided that I would help her out by watching her two girls for a week, knowing that my kids would love it and that it would give her one less thing to worry about as she finished her move. We had a great time for the week and I must say that we handled all six fairly well. Even the 6 hour car drive to take them home was pretty good. We had a fun filled week and would love to have them back anytime!

Our trip to Plaza Fiesta, a huge indoor playground, that my sister Jodi absolutely hates, so I decided I would spoil her girls with an outing to play there.

Dinner out at Arby's! We handled it well and only got a few odd looks from the other people having dinner, and all the kids were on their best behavior. Everyone loved it except for poor Kaitlyn who looked like I had just placed raw meat in front of her, but she did good and ate enough to get a chocolate shake for desert.

Another fun day at Monkey Joes an indoor inflatable play ground. We had to keep them all busy so that they would sleep good at night!

My friend Natalie went to lunch with her husband for her birthday, so at one point I had a total of 11 kids. They were all great and we even conquered lunch together! All are in the picture, but one who was sleeping.

What a fun week for the kids!!

Always an Adventure!!

2009-06-11T18:37:00.006-04:00

We decided to surprise the kids with a last minute camping trip to celebrate the beginning of summer. Jeremy was very excited and as a good wife I decided that it would be fun too. As we began to drive the 2 hrs towards the camp ground this is what the view out of the car window looked like.

Jeremy called ahead and they said that the rain had passed the camp site and that the skies were now clear. As we pulled into the camp ground the sprinkles were still falling, but we decided to stay, the rain now not our biggest challenge. The camp sites were right on top of a small river, I didn't get pictures, but it made this mama of two who can't swim very nervous. I had Hayden and Brice both in life Jackets and Brice tethered to a pole away from the water while we set up. The rain and camp sites were just the beginning of our camping adventure. Later that night After we were all settled in and Jeremy was putting out the fire, I was laying on the air mattress and Brice was jumping besides me, well he decided it would be fun to jump right on mommy's face. I cried for Jeremy because I thought he had broken my nose as the blood gushed into my hands. Luckily it wasn't broken, but there is now a nice small little knot on the side.

You would think that all of this would be enough adventure for the Martin's, but the next day turned out to be even better. We slept great through the night, got cleaned up and decided to visit Chimney Rock a local attraction. As we got to the top of the mountain we were getting out of the car to get the kids and I don't know how, but I slammed the door on my hand. Again I cried for Jeremy, with terror in his eyes he rushed around the car to help me. All I could think about in those minutes was the time my mom shut her hand in the car door and the door jammed on the hand. It took forever for them to work it open. Thank Heaven the door opened right up for Jeremy and my fingers didn't look too bad, that was until we noticed the blood dripping on Jeremy's pants and turned my hand over. Now I have never been one to get queasy or faint, but I almost lost it on my poor husband. He said that my face went completely white ad I needed him to lead me back into the car with the air blowing full force while I breathed deeply. Jer looked at the finger and decided that it was more than he should deal with. He ran inside the gift shop to ask for directions to the nearest medical facility. Lucky for us there was a doctor office right there in town that said they could see us. So down the mountain we headed to the doctor. Lets just say the ride up the mountain was much more fun than the ride down.

This is the doctors office. On the outside everything looked just fine, but walking inside was like stepping into the twilight zone. If there ever was a small town doctor this is it. The office was very old and the doctor reminded me of the old doctor off of the movie Doc. Hollywood if you have ever seen it. He had to be in his 70's with coke bottle glasses and was wearing a one piece tan jump suit with a silver belt. He and his two little old lady nurses were very nice and fixed the finger right up, using medicine and ointment right out of one of the older brown glass medical jars. But the best part is when they pulled out a type writer to give us our receipt and take our information. I wish I could have gotten a picture, but one of my fixed finger will have to do.

With my finger fixed and me feeling much better, we returned to our days activities. We had a great day everything considered. The kids loved the top of the mountain, well everyone but Hayden. His little face shows exactly how I feel about heights too. He wouldn't climb the stairs to the very top of chimney rock, but I am very proud to say that I forced myself to the top. I hated every minute, but I did it.

Hayden waiting while the others climbed to top.

After we saw the Chimney we decided to hike a couple of miles to see some waterfalls. The hike was good and the kids loved it, but I think Brice had the best deal of all getting to ride the whole way.

Jeremy took Ashley and Ethan to play in the waterfall. They loved it and ended up getting soaked, they stuck their heads under the falls. It made the mommy very nervous, but their daddy was right there with them. It is things like this that make him way more fun. Hayden didn't think it was a good idea either, he stayed with his mama.

We had a great trip, one that will never be forgotten!! Lets just say that when the Martin's do something it is always an ADVENTURE!!!!!

Schools End

2009-06-11T10:34:00.004-04:00

As school comes to an end we get to see all that the kids accomplished through the year. We started the activities with a breakfast and awards ceremony for Ashley. Ashley was so excited to have us there, and loved showing off Brice to all of her friends. I felt bad for the little guy as she toted him around as if he were her doll., but he loved it and she loved being the big sister. As her teacher handed out the awards Ashley's was almost the last one and it fit her perfectly, she got the Leadership award. Her teacher later said that she could always count on Ashley to lead the class if she had to step out, that Ashley never had any problem telling people what to and not to do. It sounded just like Ashley at home "my little mama" as we call her, she loves telling her brothers what to and not to do. She had a great year in school this year and excelled in everything!! We are so proud of her and love watching her grow and grasp new concepts. Her mind is amazing.

Watching my babies graduate from kindergarten is always a little emotional. Ethan was so cute and did such a great job getting his diploma. We were worried at the beginning of the year with him being the youngest in his class, but he did great throughout the year. The kids also received an award in class like Ashley and Ethan's was just perfect for him too. He got the Carefree award. We laughed so hard knowing that it was his teachers way of nicely stating Ethan's calm, collected and SLOW way of doing things, like he has nothing else to do that day and no problems or worries weighing him down, it is probably his way of dealing with his sisters leadership skills. We love him so much and are so proud to be his parents, he makes us laugh and our hearts happy.

Not quite a theme park

2009-06-11T10:11:00.002-04:00

We recently took the kids to the zoo in Colombia. We had a good day, but were a little disappointed in the entire experience. When you are use to the Orlando theme parks like Sea World and Busch Gardens or Disney's animal kingdom, it takes a little getting used to just walking around looking at animals in their cages, with no shows or anything and most of the animals were sleeping. The kids enjoyed seeing the animals and we will be giving it another try since we now have a years pass.

9 years and counting!!

2009-05-19T09:46:00.004-04:00

Today my heart is very full as I look back on the past 9 years of my life. Growing up and even now I wouldn't say that I believe in soul mates, but looking at the man by my side, my heart knows that he was created just for me. He makes everyday a better day just by being here with me. We have had a wonderful 9 years of marriage!!! The journey has been a fun and full one, not to say that we haven't had our tough days, but like I said before having him by my side has always made it better. We have 4 beautiful babies who are the lights in our lives, and prove to us each and everyday that our love is a real and powerful thing. I could not ask for a better father for my babies, or a better example for me. I love being Mrs. Jeremy Martin and I hope and pray that the next 60 years of our marriage is as good as the first 9.

Spring Break

2009-04-25T09:41:00.004-04:00

We had a fantastic time during our spring break. We were lucky enough to spend it at my parents condo at Panama City Beach, lets just say it is exactly what we needed. The weather was great it was sunny, with a little bit of a chill in the air. The kids would huddle up in their towels to keep the wind from getting them, and would lay on the warm ground after getting out of the pool so they wouldn't freeze it was so cute to watch. My sister KC came up for a couple days with her daughter Amber and the kids loved having them there. They were a great help and we even got to have a night out without the kids. Talk about the perfect break from life. We love the beach and would go back everyday if we could.

Hide and Seek

2009-04-25T09:33:00.002-04:00

While we were at my parents house for Easter my dad started a game of Hide and Seek with the kids. It started with him sitting in his chair shining a flash light on where the kids were hiding, but they soon had him up hunting for them throughout the house. The best part is when it was his turn to hide we found him almost under the kitchen table on the floor. The kids loved it!!! I guess you are never too big to play a good game of hide and seek. I feel blessed to have a daddy who will play with my kids like he is one of them. They love their Grandpa!!

Easter

2009-04-20T17:17:00.007-04:00

We were lucky enough to make it back to Florida for Easter this year. The kids love being with their cousins and it is so much fun to be surrounded by family on a day as special as Easter. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for my family and for the sacrifices that were made so that we can be together as a Family Forever! Easter is the perfect time to take a moment to reflect on the real purpose and importance of this life.

Poor little guy

2009-04-02T12:38:00.002-04:00

I debated on whether or not to post this, but since he is fine I might as well keep the memory. Brice has this little ride on car that he got for Christmas that goes down a small roller coaster. We have it in the kids play room and he loves to ride it down the toy and all over the halls upstairs. A few days ago he threw it down both flights of stairs so that he could ride it down stairs. I told him no, but kind-of laughed at his drive to get it where he wanted it. When I was telling Jeremy about it, I told him at least he didn't try to ride it down. Well I spoke a little to soon, yesterday he tried to ride it down. Thank goodness for the landing in between our two sets of stairs. I can not imagine how it could have turned out if he had fallen all the way, as is his little face is all scratched up. All I can say is there must be Angels watching over my boys, because they all are so adventurous and complete BOYS!!!

Boys will be Boys

2009-04-02T12:16:00.004-04:00

I recently left Jeremy at home with the kids while I ran a few errands, as I called to tell him that I was on my way home he replied, "Good and if I hadn't gotten such cute pictures of one of your kids, he may not have made it out alive." Knowing that it was most likely Hayden who had gotten into something I laughed and was thrilled when I got home that the daddy was the one that had to clean up and deal with this mess, and finally got a little dose of Hayden himself. I am constantly telling him not to play in this one little mud puddle in the yard, but as you can see he doesn't think that I really mean for him not to get dirty, and stand right in the middle of it. You have to love him!!!!

Yeah!!!!

2009-03-25T20:04:00.004-04:00

There are few things I enjoy more in this world than finding a good deal and now that I have discovered coupons you could say that I am in deal heaven. In Florida the stores don't double or triple coupons, so I have never really messed with them before. Some friends of mine have helped me get into the coupon world up here and it is my new obsession, hobby, or I guess you could call it addiction. It is amazing to me the deals that you can find out there. I have more free tooth paste, razors and shampoos than I know what to do with (don't worry I will find someone that can use it). It is really hard for me to pay full price for something. The other day Jeremy needed contact solution and I didn't have a coupon or deal for the type he uses and it was very hard to go and pay full price, but I finally gave in and have now almost recovered. Today was triple coupons at one the the local grocery stores and this was my haul (after making 3 trips) and the grand total was just about $100 and 3 free gallons of milk ( the one reason it was higher this time is because I got 6 things of chicken and 6 lunch meats that were on sale, but not with a coupon, plus the laundry detergent and dish soap raised it up too.) There is everything from yogurt to cheese and fruit snacks to chicken, and lets not forget the cereal, chips, and soap. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love a good deal!!!!!

Auctions!!

2009-03-25T14:57:00.004-04:00

I am so grateful for Jeremy's job for a number of reasons, but one of the things I love most about his job is that they do auctions for the model homes furniture when a neighborhood is closing out. We have furnished our entire house with things from these auctions. Our newest acquisition is new couches for our family room for the fantastic price of about $75. Can you say AWESOME!!!!

Our first attempt.

2009-03-25T14:29:00.003-04:00

We decided to do a garden for the first time. The kids are really excited, we all planted it together and it is going to be our family project. It was quite a task to get it planted, but we had fun. We will have to see how it goes.

Cousin Kaylee

2009-03-25T13:54:00.006-04:00

The kids were so excited when their cousin Kaylee called to say that she was coming to spend her spring break up here with us. They asked me everyday for two weeks when she would get here, they had a ton of fun visiting with her and her boyfriend Justin. I am not sure how exciting the week was for the two college kids, but hopefully they had some fun. They got to see Charlotte, do some snowboarding, shopping, and had a glimpse into what it is like to be a stay at home mom ( oh, how exciting my days are). We even took the kids with them to a drive through zoo called the lazy five ranch where the animals came right up to the car. They all loved it. We loved having Kaylee here and hope that she comes to visit more often!!!

Brice loved the animals, he called for them the entire time, pointing and calling see it to make sure that we saw them too. It was too cute, and reminded me of when we took Hayden at about the same age, he reacted much the same. He loved the animals!!!

Snow Day

2009-03-25T13:38:00.003-04:00

The weather has been crazy this year, so we were pleasantly surprised when it started snowing a couple of weeks ago. We have gotten a few flakes here and there, but this was a full blown snow day. The kids had several days off from school and they loved every minute of it. Hayden was so cute, when he saw the flakes falling he got all excited and started to tell us that Santa was coming. He thought that because there was snow it meant that it was Christmas time again. After a little convincing he finally started to understand that snow doesn't necessarily mean Santa. We enjoyed the few days of snow that we had, but by the next weekend it was 80 outside, crazy, crazy weather!!

For Grandma

2009-03-01T17:34:00.004-05:00

My mom asks me every time we talk if I have added any new pictures to the blog. I tell her that nothing has happened in our lives to blog about and she tells me that the kids are getting bigger everyday and that is always something to blog about. So here are some pictures just for you grandma ( grandpa too).

Can't beleive he is 3!!!

2009-02-05T16:17:00.017-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated Hayden's 3rd birthday. I can not believe that my baby boy is already three, even though it seems like he was two forever. Hayden is such a sweet boy. He is strong spirited, he knows what he likes and wants and is not afraid to tell you, but he loves just as strongly. He is my child who doesn't care where we are, he will let his voice be heard if his opinion is different than mine, but he is always the first one to give hugs and kisses, and to say hello to all those around him. I feel so blessed to be his mom. He has taught me so much, and continues to teach me everyday, we have so much fun (most of the time)!! Happy Birthday Hay-baby!!

We celebrated in many different ways! We first had a party with one of Hayden's favorite little friends Miles. Then on his actual birthday we took the kids to a fun indoor play place called Monkey Joe's, and finished the day with present, cupcakes, and Mikey Mouse of course!

Miles and Emma Brondum.

Our little family party!

He loved his present from grandma and grandpa!

Monkey Joe's Fun!!!

Brice's camera face, every time he sees the camera he makes this cute little smile. It makes me wonder what we look like while we are asking him to smile that he is trying to copy.

Ethan on his way down a big slide.

Ashley and Hayden on their way down. We were so proud of Hayden, it was hard for him to climb to the top, but he didn't give up and made it.

Ashley has perfected her cousin Lindsey's trade picture pose, without the poutty lip.

Say Cheese

2009-01-25T19:11:00.001-05:00

Every time I bring out a camera this is the face that Brice makes. He is such a good boy and is just like his brothers and sister, he loves being the center of attention and making people laugh.

I can do it myself

2009-01-25T18:58:00.003-05:00

As Hayden sat watching Ethan get dressed for church this morning, he must have decided that he was just as big as his brother, because when it came time for me to get him dressed came the famous words "I can do it myself", "I don't need help mommy". Now normally this would be fine with me, but as I watch each of my babies get bigger, I am learning that the time flies way too fast and that they are only babies for such a short time. But I was a good mom and let my baby do it by himself this morning, even though I want to freeze time and keep him little forever, I know that he has to grow. I was proud of him too, because no matter how hard it got for him, he finally got his pants pulled up, all by himself.

Idaho

2009-01-23T09:23:00.028-05:00

We were lucky to be able to go to Idaho to visit Jeremy's family for a couple of days. We had a great time and loved being with the family. The kids had a blast playing in the snow, and being with their cousins. We bundled them up and they played all afternoon most days. They even got to ride on some snowmobiles and sleds.

This is how we traveled through the airport. The kids loved the plane ride, and were really well behaved most of the time.

We are so thankful to have wonderful grandparents for our babies.

All bundled up and ready to play.

McDonald's play time in the warm playground.

Cousin Fun!!!

We wore them out!!

Big Shoes to Fill

2009-01-10T11:15:00.002-05:00

We caught Brice playing in Jeremy's shoes this morning. We tried to get him to smile, but he has been sick and really didn't want to. Smile or no smile, he is as cute as can be!!! Maybe he was just a little overwhelmed, because his daddy has some pretty big shoes to fill.

out wih the Old in with the New

2009-01-07T10:31:00.004-05:00

We spent our New Year's in an exciting way, we decided to take advantage of the year end sales at our local Toyota dealer. Mom and Dad were kind enough to watch the kids for us while we went car shopping. We ended up getting a great deal on a Sienna, but by the time we were done we were all tired, mom and dad from watching the kids and us from haggling with car sales men. We went to a nice dinner and rang in the New Year relaxing on the couch. We are really excited about our new car, especially since it sits 8 now and we can fit more than just our family.

It looks a lot like our old van, but is a bit nicer and a ton bigger, which is what our family needs!!

Our old van, it was a good car and will be missed!

Grandma and Grandpa

2009-01-07T10:06:00.007-05:00

Since we weren't able to spend Christmas with family, my mom and dad came to visit for a few days. We love it when they come to stay with us!!! We always have so much fun just being together.

While they were here, they were "lucky" enough to go to Sams with me for my monthly grocery shopping trip. That is a sight to see, two buggies with four kids full of food. I am sure that mom and dad won't forget it soon. We decided to get a poinsettia tree that was on clearance while we were there, but the problem was getting it into the car along with all of us and the grocery's. Lets just say that my 7 passenger van was packed to the max, with dad being the hero and helping it all fit.

Dad sat in the back seat holding the tree surrounded by all the babies for the 20min drive home. The kids loved it and he is now the person they always want to sit in the back with them.

Brice got a little bit of the tree on him as Grandma pulled it out of the car. Luckily he was sleeping and didn't even know it happened.

Short, Short, Short

2009-01-07T09:56:00.008-05:00

Ashley has been growing her hair out for the past year, but right after Christmas she decided that she wanted to get her hair cut short. I told her that she would have to talk to her dad about it, because he loved her long hair, but he gave her the ok and off we went to the hair stylist. She loves it and I must say it does look cute, but anything would look cute on her beautiful little face.

Christmas Eve and Chistmas 2008

2009-01-07T09:00:00.016-05:00

I love Christmas time!!! This year was different than any other year, it was the first year that we were all by ourselves. We missed all of our loved ones, but we enjoyed every minute of watching our kids excitement. It was such a great time, but as always nothing goes as planned when you have four kids.

Christmas eve started out with a trip to the doctor and 4 cases of Strep throat, (what a great gift for the mom) luckily we caught it early and the babies didn't show too many symptoms, so they all still felt ok. We were going to carol at a nursing home, but put that on the back burner for next year. Christmas Eve has always been my favorite part of Christmas and has been the time that my family takes to put the entire focus on Christ. I wanted to share this with my babies, so we did almost everything the same as we would have done if we were with family and added a coupled of our own traditions. We started the night by telling the story of Christ's birth and talking with the kids about it. It was such a good feeling to see Ashley and Ethan really understanding what happened and they were even able to retell the story to us.

Every Christmas Eve the kids get to open one present, and it is always pajamas. This year they got a robe to go along with it. They all looked so cute!! Brice looked like a little old man walking around.

Then came the letters to Santa that they left by the fireplace with cookies.

We sprinkled reindeer food on the lawn to help lead Santa's reindeer to our home, and so that they could have a snack while they waited for Santa.

Right before bed we looked to see where Santa was, and decided it was time for bed. They all went to bed fairly easy, except for Ashley. She was a little nervous about a strange man coming into the house. We had to keep reassuring her that he wouldn't come upstairs and that we were going to be right there if she needed us. She finally relaxed and we were able to get to bed at a decent time.

Christmas was great! We loved watching their little eyes light up at all of the goodies that they were spoiled with. We took they day easy, wearing our pajamas almost all day long and playing with toys. Jeremy would make fun of me because I would keep trying to pick up and stack the toys, and they would all find there way back out. It was like I was going in circles. Finally I gave up and it looked like a toy store had exploded in our house. Oh well, that is the fun of Christmas!!! Later that day we had some friends over for dinner. It was a perfect day,with only a few things or people should I say missing.

Cookies and Caroling

2009-01-07T08:50:00.005-05:00

We made cookies and delivered them to our friends along with a song this year. The kids loved eating the frosting, and decorating their cookies, but most of all the loved caroling at the different houses.

Playing Catch Up

2008-12-23T09:26:00.002-05:00

Brice has always been such a quiet, patient little one, and he still is, but lately he is coming into his own. It is like he has been sitting back the past year taking notes on his brothers and sister and now is putting all he observed to the test. Just look at that little gleam in his eye. He is so much fun and it is too funny watching him grow and come into his own little personal style. He is always on the go!!! His favorite new thing is to sweep or mop, if I have it out cleaning he will throw himself on the floor until I turn it over to him. I just hope this habit continues as he gets older, then my floors will always stay clean. Lets hope he is done playing catch up to his brothers and sister.

Tis the Season

2008-12-22T15:49:00.019-05:00

Tis the Season

We started off the Christmas season with putting up our tree and decorating the house. Each year we have a special dinner and the the kids get a new ornament to put on the tree. They love it and look forward to the night each year.

Trip to Visit Santa!!

We had tons of fun on our trip to see Santa. The kids actually sat on his lap this year and enjoyed it. After giving our wish list, we had a little free fun in the mall.

The kids love the escalators. They rode them several times, it was as if we had just payed to get them into some wonderful amusement ride.

Then outside all the leaves had fallen and we took time to let the kids pile them up and play in them. It was so much fun to just let lose and enjoy the moment with the babies. So much of the time we try to do bigger and better things to entertain them, but it is the small and simple things that they love the most, just being with us and each other.

Our Beautiful Gingerbread House

We made a Gingerbread house last night for a sister in our ward who is all by herself for the holidays. The kids loved eating the candy while decorating, and they really loved singing the Christmas carols as we delivered it. We practiced in the car on the way to her house and they sang great when we got to her door. It really impressed me how loud they were.

Someday

2008-12-16T16:10:00.002-05:00

When I was in college my roommates would always laugh at me because I was constantly saying "Someday". Someday my prince would come, someday I would get married, someday I would have babies, someday I would have a beautiful home, someday I would live happily ever after. When I met Jeremy I knew that my someday was here, finally my prince had come, and through this boy who had stolen my heart every other someday would come to pass. Little did I know at the time that I had fallen for a man among men. There is no better man out there than my Jeremy. Not a moment goes by that I don't thank my Heavenly Father for the boy that he put in my path for me to fall in love with. He is an incredible husband, father, and friend with such a loving and loyal heart that he would do anything for anyone and most of the time with a smile on his face. Today this man among men turns 31!!! I want to wish him a Happy Birthday and thank him for being my life, my love, my someday!!!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T16:29:00.022-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving vacation! There is nothing like getting together with family to remember all that we have to be thankful for in our lives. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day of things that it is easy to forget all of the wonderful things that those days are made of. I am so blessed to have our family near and far they are all such wonderful examples and people in our lives.

Disney World

2008-12-03T16:02:00.014-05:00

While we were down in Florida for Thanksgiving a friend of ours surprised us with some free tickets to all of the parks at Disney World. We were so excited and had such a great day! It was just what we needed and we had a blast. The kids were great, the loved every minute and almost lasted the whole day without falling asleep. Hayden gave in finally right as we were leaving the park. Like they say it was a "Magical" Day!!

Fall Festival

2008-12-03T15:53:00.003-05:00

The kids school had a fall festival and the kids absolutely loved it!! They had all sorts of different activities for the kids to do, but the favorite would have to be the rock wall. Ethan did great with a little help from his dad, and Ashley was amazing! She climbed half way up before I even realized she was starting to climb.

Ashley's 7

2008-11-05T09:18:00.005-05:00

I can not believe that my baby girl is 7 years old! Ashley is such a blessing in my life. I call her my little mama because of what a big help she is. She is always willing to help with her little brother's and does a really good job of it. Ashley loves learning and really understands most everything that we explain to her. Her little mind never stops working and it has happened more than once that she has proved her mom wrong on several things. I cherish every minute of her being little. It seems like the world would have them grow up over night. The other day I was in a store to buy her a shirt and the shirt size read 6 (tween). Is it me or when did age 6 become a tween? I am determined to keep my little girl, little as long as I can. I love her and am so proud of the little person that she is!!

Our new tradition is to decorate the kids rooms on their birthdays, so that when they wake up they have a little surprise. She was very surprised and loved it!!!

We surprised her and Ethan by taking them to see High School Musical 3. They thought we were going to run errands, but we ended up at the theater and they loved it!!! We even got them HSM shirts to wear and of course popcorn and nachos to eat!!!

We finished the day with a little family party and some ice cream. She loved all of her presents, especially her American Girl Doll bed from grandma and grandpa Watkins. Now it is on to her friends party on Saturday. They get to have a party every other year and this is party year.

Halloween Time

2008-11-05T08:38:00.013-05:00

Trick-or-Treat
Our family loves Halloween! Jeremy and I cherish watching our little ones get all dressed up. Their excitement is overwhelming and contagious! This year the kids trick-or-treated like normal and we had a little Halloween party to follow. It was great to get together with our friends!

Our little monkeys!!! Don't they all look so cute!

And this is why we have 4 kids!!! (Brice didn't even go trick-or-treating) The kids got more candy this year than ever before. Our bed is a king size bed and it took up the entire center of the bed. They even got some full sized candy bars!! I love being the Mom (i.e. keeper of the candy)!!!

Ashley was our little Jasmin genie

Ethan was our calm non- aggressive power ranger (HAHA)

Hayden and Brice were a rooster and a chick. It is nice that I can still torture them by picking the costumes for them.

My cute little rooster!

Have you ever seen a happier chicken?

Pumpkin Carving Time

Every Halloween we carve pumpkins sometime during the week ahead . The kids love picking their pumpkins and their designs. This year we had a ghost, a pirate ship, and the normal jack-o-lantern face. I didn't get pictures of the finished products, but they were great and we got comments from all of our little trick-or-treaters on how they were the best ones they had seen.

The kids weren't too sure of the "guts", but they dug right in to help out!

Twins

2008-11-05T08:35:00.002-05:00

I love this picture of my two boys!!! Look how cute they look with their thug hoods on.

Did you ever think...

2008-10-31T09:03:00.006-04:00

Imagine pulling into a gas station and seeing a man in his early 30's dancing around the gas pump, shouting praises in the air, and kissing fellow gassers. That was me this morning as I filled up for gas at $1.99 per gallon. I haven't been able to fill my car for less than $25 bucks for 2 years! I never thought I would be so excited for $1.99 gas, but I am. It will be great to be able to take Jamie to dinner or the kids to the movies again! Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Yahoo!

Happy Birthday Mommy

2008-10-26T21:11:00.005-04:00

Typically, Jamie does a great job of keeping our blog posted with the most current events in the Martin clan. However, today is a very, very special day...Jamie's Birthday, so I wanted to let the world know how very blessed we all are (especially me!!) to have Jamie in our lives. I am eternally grateful for the love that brought Jamie Currie Watkins into this world twenty something years ago. She is a wonderful person who brings out the very best in me. I am the man I am today because of her endless support of me and our beautiful family. She is optimistic and happy, spunky and fun, loving and humble. She is such a wonderful example to our children and to mothers everywhere. She makes our house a home and a refuge from the world. When we were married over 8 years ago, we picked John Michael Montgomery's song "Home to You." For those of you that don't know it, it is about the joy of coming home to a wonderful person after a long days work. Over the last 8 years, and especially recently, that song and its meaning have become alot more meaningful to me. What's amazing is that she does it all with 4 beautiful children in tow. She amazes me and I love her with all my heart. I do not know where I would be without her. I am so very grateful to have found my eternal companion and soul mate!! Jamie- I love you! I may be your someday, but you are my every day! Happy Birthday!

10 Years!!!

2008-10-21T20:47:00.008-04:00

While we were down in Florida for the weekend it was also my 10 year high school reunion. It was great to see all of my old friends and classmates. Everyone looked great and we had a bunch of fun reminiscing about old times and catching up on what everyone is doing now. I think I shocked them all by how many kids I had. If they had handed out awards we would have won the one for the most kids!!!! I must admit I am completely satisfied with where my life is. I can remember talking with my friends about what and where we would be in ten years and I have exceeded all of my old expectations. I have a wonderful husband and family, a degree , and on top of all that the most wonderful job in the whole world, I get to be a full time mom. This 10 years has been great, and I am looking forward to the next 10!!!!

They had a BBQ lunch on Saturday morning.

We loved getting dressed up! It is not very often we have an excuse for just the two of us to get dressed up and go out.

Two of my closest friends from High School Rachel and Adriene. The others could not come, but they were in our hearts!!

Brice 1st Birthday

2008-10-21T20:10:00.008-04:00

It is hard to believe that my baby is 1 already. I can remember the day that I found out that I was pregnant and to say it was a surprise would be an understatement. Brice is living proof that our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need in our lives. I can not imagine my life with out my sweet baby boy. He makes each day worth waking up for. His little smile lights up a room and warms my heart to the very core. We celebrated his party at grandma and grandpa Watkins house. Jeremy and I had some work to do on a rental house in Ocala. Lets just say the hi-light of our trip was definitely Brice's party, fixing the house was a nightmare. The family gathered together to celebrate and we love being with them. It is tons of fun to catch up with everyone and be surrounded by those who you love most in this world. I loved watching Brice dig into his first birthday cake. He devoured every last bit of it and was covered head to toe in the icing. He is so cute and I am honored to be his mom. There is nothing in this world that I cherish more than being a mom. I would have to say that the question I get asked the most from almost everyone I come in contact with is "If we are done yet?" Although it is a very personal question if we are going to have any more kids or not, I get asked it at least 5 times a day if I go out in public with my babies. It is also a very hard question to answer, and one I don't have an answer for because I love my babies, and it is the love that I have for each of them that makes me always want more. As I watch each of them on there birthdays I am excited, but also a little saddened at the fact that they are growing bigger and bigger with each passing day. They are my sunshines!!!

I let Ashley, Ethan, and Hayden pick out his cake. I think that they did a great job!!

Ethan was there ready to help with blowing out the candles.

He wasn't too sure about cousin Kaitlyn sneaking some of his cake.

He had the cake all over, especially on and in his ears thanks to uncle Tony who helped him out a little.

Kissing cousins!

Grandma enjoying the party, even though she and dad must have been exhausted from working the early morning shift at the temple. They even had to get up at 3:30am the next morning. Now that is what I call love to let us have a party at their house, with all of the family even though they had to get up so early. We love coming home and spending time with them. Even just a little bit of time is worth the 8 hr drive!!! The kids love every minute of being there, Hayden even cried half of the way home to go to grandpa's house (all the other kids call it grandma's, but not Hayden it is grandpa's house to him). The next trip is never soon enough.

It's Official

2008-10-12T13:55:00.002-04:00

Today I spent my first week in the new ward as a pew widow. Jeremy was called to the Bishopric in our ward a couple of weeks ago, but because of General Conference this was the first week of him being on the stand and me alone with 4 kids in the pew. The kids did really great, there were only a couple of times my face turned bright red because of me constantly telling them to lower their voices and not take toys or crayons from each other. I have never been a mom to bring in a stroller to church, but today Brice spent sacrament in the umbrella stroller. He only fussed a little now and then, and it was much easier than attempting to keep him still while trying to control the rest of them from turning our row into a circus. I know Jeremy will do a great job. He is over primary again in this ward and I look forward to serving with him seeing as I was just called today to be a counselor in the primary presidency. I know that this seems like a lot, but we are both really excited. The one thing that we have learned in our lives so far is that where much is given, much is required and we are more than willing to serve where ever it is that our Heavenly Father has need of us, because he has blessed our lives immensely. Jeremy is such a dedicated man that I know the ward will benefit from him being in this calling, I just hope that I can give him the support that he needs, and that I won't be lacking too much in mine. Primary kids can be a hand full, but they are so much fun.

Is this weird or just me?

2008-10-12T13:47:00.003-04:00

We recently put up a swing in our back yard from one of our big trees. The kids love it and so do all of the neighborhood kids who come and play. I have gotten use to school aged kids playing out there since we put it up, most come and ask if they can swing, since it is in our yard and is our swing. Something different happened today though, I was fixing the kids lunch and 3 moms brought 7 of there smaller kids to swing. I don't really mind, but I thought it was really weird that they didn't even ask. I can't imagine myself going into someone else's back yard with my kids and playing on their stuff without asking. Is this weird or just me?

Super Powers!

2008-10-11T22:04:00.002-04:00

After singing to Ashley tonight at bedtime, Jeremy walked out of her room to see Ethan hanging out in the hall waiting for his turn. Jeremy commenced to go after him with a growling face, and of course Ethan ran to his bed. He half-hopped on his bed with his rear end facing the door and when Jeremy got close enough, Ethan fluffed at him, then jumped into his bed to hide under the covers. Jeremy approached the bed and Ethan looked at him, giggled, and said "That was my super powers!!!" Needless to say, Dad was proud and I couldn't help but laugh at the sense of humor of my 5 year old!! Like father, like son, right?

Perfect Saturday

2008-10-11T21:10:00.015-04:00

Today we were lucky enough to have a free Saturday with nothing to do, but spend time together, this may not seem like much to most, but it rarely happens to us. We always have one thing or another to do which isn't bad, but it is nice to have a day where we can take our time and enjoy being with each other. We decided to take the kids to Carowinds amusement park, and they loved it. We have had season's passes all summer, but today the weather was perfect and the crowds were small. They also had tons of fun fall activities for the kids to do on top of the normal rides. We let the kids guide the day, it was a blast watching there faces light up with smiles.

Brice wasn't too crazy about the group picture, the rest love the pumpkin scarecrow .

This is a Dora balloon ride, neither of the boys wanted to go, but we convinced them to join Jeremy and Ashley. Ethan loved it and Hayden was scared to death, (notice Jeremy holding his hand and Ashley stroking his head.) he cheered when it was finished.

The Dora sing-a-long show. The kids loved every minute and their daddy had some fun with the chicken dance too. What a daddy won't do for his babies,now that is a good man!!!!

The ghost bubble were the kids favorite. It was one of the fall things brought in for just this time of year, 3 huge ghost blowing tons of bubbles. The kids were able to play and almost swim in the bubbles. They absolutely loved it!!!!!

Hayden was so proud of all his bubbles. He was even brave enough to get in with the big kids.

"Hey, what's on my head?"

Ethan thought he was surfing.

Ashley was ready to jump right in. They were soaked by the time they were through, but at least they smelled good!

Brice found a good way to pass the time while the others were on rides by chewing on his shoes and shoe laces. It was entertaining and a little tasty too.

Ethan loves roller coasters, but he always makes this face on the first drop down!! It is the best!!

Ready to ride the Carousel. Brice loved just sitting there with Ashley, but as soon as it started moving he didn't like it too much and wanted his daddy.

Mom and Ethan are ready to ride too. He switched horses 4 times, it took him a while to find just the right one.

Hayden and Ashley our future pilots!

Potty Time

2008-10-11T20:51:00.003-04:00

Last weekend was General Conference and Jeremy decided that it would be the perfect weekend to try and potty train Hayden. I had absolutely no desire to even start, being as sometimes I feel like I am still potty training Ethan and it is the one motherly duty that I feel like I could definitely live without. I don't care what people say it is much easier when they are in diapers, you don't have to make the made dash to the bathroom in the middle of Target praying they don't have and accident on the way, and hoping that all of your frozen goods will still be frozen by the time you convince them that it is ok to use this foreign potty. With all of that said Hayden has done an amazing job. Sunday it seemed like there was no hope and I just gave Jeremy that "I told you so look", but as the week progressed he has done great!! He now wears big boy pants all day long!!! So I will give full credit to the daddy for this one, if only he was the one that had to go shopping with him all would be complete!

First Steps

2008-10-11T20:46:00.002-04:00

Brice is starting to take his first steps. Any day now he will be walking, and then running from me if he is anything like his brothers and sister. It makes me so happy to watch him grow, yet a part of me is a little sad with each new thing he does. Another one of my babies is growing up and it won't be long before they are all grown.

Ashley's Gymnastics

2008-10-11T20:41:00.002-04:00

Ashley started gymnastics this year and loves it. She has learned how to do a kart wheel and enjoys showing them off. She is so petite that it is the perfect sport for her.

Washington DC

2008-10-02T09:58:00.021-04:00

Jeremy had a business trip this last week in Washington DC and I was able to join him for the weekend. We had a ton of fun. I had never been to DC and loved every minute of it. The city was beautiful, but more than that it was amazing to see all of our country's history.

The night before I left I was rushing around trying to get things packed and the kids stuff ready to go to their friends for the weekend. I put the kids to bed and was down stairs getting things in the car, when I came back up to go to bed I found this wonderful note on my bed from my sweet baby girl. Lets just say that it made my heart swell with love and my eyes fill with tears. I am so blessed to be a mom, no other thing in this world could fill me with as much love and joy as my babies do. I miss them terribly while they are not with me, but I love being with my husband.

One of our first stops was two of the Smithsonian's, we went to the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum. They were amazing!!! I wish we had more time to visit all of the different ones.

The dinosaurs were our favorite. It is mind boggling to think that these massive creatures once roamed the earth.

Leave it to Jeremy to find humor where ever we go.

National Air and Space Museum

There is nothing like going to the temple. We had a day full of great activites, but there is nothing that even compares to the feelings of going to the temple, it really does put the things of the world into perspective and reminds us why we are here and what is really important in our lives. This was definitely the highlight of our trip. The DC temple is absolutely beautiful, it stood out above all else that we saw!!!!

Arlington Cemetery (If you can make out the words, take time to read the sign.) It was breath taking to see row after row of tomb stones of those who have fought for our country.

Pentagon - On the side of the the Pentagon is the memorial for September 11th, it was touching to see this since it is a day that I will never be able to forget.

I don't think that there could have been a better time to visit DC. With our country in the uproar it is now, it reminded us what a great nation we are blessed to live in. Visiting Arlington and the Pentagon memorial helped put all of the trails we are facing now into perspective. This is a great nation that we live in, with men and women who fight and who have fought for the freedoms we enjoy everyday. So many before us have paved a way for this country to prosper and it will prosper as long as we the American people remember what we stand for and keep believing in this great country.

Lincoln Memorial

National Cathedral, it was incredible. The architecture of the building and the stone work was beautiful. I loved the stain glass windows.

Jefferson Memorial

This was the funnest part of our trip. We did a 3 hr Segway tour and it was a blast. Learning to ride only took a little bit of time and then we zoomed through the city on them. The tour was just a bonus, we really did it just to ride the segways. Don't we look just great in our helmets??!!