Thanksgiving Weekend 2008

We enjoyed a really wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, full of fun, festivities & tradition - and got to spend it with some of our closest friends!

On Thursday, we woke up bright and early for a hearty breakfast, the Macy's Thanksgiving parade (a tradition since I was a little girl), and to look over the ads for Black Friday. We headed to the Lupcho's for Thanksgiving dinner at about 3ish, after spending the rest of the morning preparing the stuffed mushrooms and mashed potatoes that we were in charge of bringing. While Al and Chad watched the football game, Stacy and I... and Tylar finished up the last minute details for the dinner. The dinner and deserts were awesome, and we all had a great time visiting while we were there! After letting dinner settle for a little bit we headed over to see Kimberly & Mike, and Janell and John to enjoy more desert!! It was great to see so many of our very best friends on this Thanksgiving day!

On Friday (at MIDNIGHT), Stacy and I headed to the St. Augustine outlet mall to begin our Black Friday shopping!! We found some really fantastic deals, and after a 4am breakfast at Denny's headed back out for more shopping until about 7am!! I know it is crazy, but I LOVE IT!! And I am not the only one - I got a call from my sis-in-law Marisa at about 7ish my time, she, mom and Vycci were just starting their shopping!!

On Saturday, we headed out to get the martin family Christmas tree. Last year was the first year in a long time that we got a live tree, and fell in love with that fresh tree smell... so we did it again this year. While we didn't have to hike to a tree farm like last year for this one, Tylar ended up picking out the perfect tree at the Home Depot lot! We got it up and decorated Saturday night while sipping on hot coco and listening to Christmas music.

And on Sunday... I got to enjoy a tradition that I came to love very much living in Jacksonville - the annual Christmas Made in the South craft fair. Stacy and Addison Lupcho and Caitlynn and I went this year, and once again enjoyed seeing all the creative gifts and tasting all the yummy food that was a part of this year's event.

Now the weekend is almost over, and while I am sad that there are only a few short hours left in the day, I am so happy that the holiday season has started - it is MY MOST FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR!!

Check out more snapshots from this weekend... http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.3ygo6n70&x=0&y=9tr2fg&localeid=en_US

Brandon's Hunting Adventure

Brandon wins Battleship

Papa and Brandon on a mountian in Colorado

What a beautiful view... see any deer Brandon?

Freezing in the tent perhaps??

Brandon had his first hunting trip with papa and uncle Mike at the end of October, and dad sent along a few great pictures from their time in the mountians of Colorado... and Brandon sent me a short story of thier time together! Enjoy -

From Brandon...

"Well we set up camp on Friday, October 31st. The first day was just relax and kick back before waking up early in the morning for the first day of hunting. Me and my uncle Mike played football to help pass time. One day we played football for about an hour and wouldn't stop till one of us got a behind the back catch, I was the first to do it of course. Battleship was another thing I had to upset Mike and Papa in. I tried not to make 'em cry. Our house (i.e. tent) was pretty warm and comfortable until the third night in. It started to rain but it didn't bother me at first, but where I was sleeping the rain would bother me. I was sleeping under the stove vent which happened to be a little open. I was woken up by a splash of water right on my face, it was the rain pouring in through the vent. So me and papa had to shift my cot to the middle of the tent, then move a bucket under the dripping water and I was suppose to sleep next to that. But all in all I had fun and already ready for next year."

Election 2008 - a Family Event

What a memorable and historic time we've just experienced! While I can appreciate the impact of this election, I have to be honest in saying that Chad and refrained from talking politics in the home. However, the kids really got into the election this year - and we had a blast supporting their curiosity and excitement around the event!

It was very cool to see what Kenny and Ty were being exposed to at school and how their teachers were taking advantage of getting the kids to learn about American government using the election as a real example.

• Tylar is in student council this year, and as a part of his duties for his class he helped with the school-wide mock election. At first Ty was a McCain supporter, but switched a few weeks before the election to support Obama. I think the boy goes with the popular vote :)!


• Kenny didn't have too much going on structurally at school with the election, but had no problem engaging in conversation with Ty about who he was supporting. Kenny was Obama all the way - and if you ask him why, he'll tell you it was because "He told me to vote for him in his commercial". Kenny has always been good at following specific directions! Another funny story about Kenny... as you'll see from the pictures, the kids all had a blank map of the US that they used to fill in with the red and blue states as the election results came in. They weren't up late enough to see all the results come in, so when Kenny woke up this morning his map was about 1/2 way filled in. He asked me right away "WHO WON MOM??"... and I shared the news that Obama was going to be our next president. He was quite confused because he then brought me his half filled in map and insisted they were "tied"... OH KENNY???!!!


• Caitlynn followed her big brothers lead in all these events, and if nothing else really enjoyed saying BARACK OBAMA :). She also enjoyed the coloring in of the states, although after a few red and blue states, she decided to switch to pink. Oh well!

In any event, it was a fun thing to experience with the kids at the age they are now... these are times I am sure that they will also remember - or at least I hope!

Take a look at all the pics...http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.7jl3cfb0&x=0&y=-q85d8t&localeid=en_US

Halloween 2008

Ty the rockstar, Caitlynn the fairy, Kenny the doc

Caitlynn and her funny face pumpkin

Ty getting his hands dirty with pumpkin guts

Picking the perfect pumpkins

We had a pretty drizzly Halloween this year, but in place of snow... we'll take it!! We started our Halloween festivities this year by going to a local pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkins for carving! Each of the kids picked out their own pumpkin, knowing they were going to have to be an "active" part of the carving process... none of the kids too much like the digging out of the insides! They did great though, especially Ty who really got into it! He did his whole pumpkin including a really cool carving of wolves howling at the moon. Caitlynn chose to do a funny face, and Kenny chose to do a spider with a web, which Chad ended up finishing because it was so intricate. He did a great job with it though, all three turned out great and were all very different!

For trick-or-treating festivities we headed to the Schmidt neighborhood. Kenny was a cardiology doctor, Ty was a rock star and Caitlynn was a fairy ("because Monica LOVES fairies")!! They collected a ton of candy and had a blast going door to door.

Check out the link for some more pics...http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.2np8eymk&x=0&y=5oy5bj&localeid=en_US

The only thing missing this year was not having our Brando here to come along! He is spending his Halloween with Papa and Mike hunting for the first time in the mountains of Colorado. I am sure he is having a good time... and hopefully I'll get some pictures and a story to post in the near future about that new adventure!

Orlando Trip with the Sandovals!

Caitylnn & Marina as minnie brides

Kenny, Issac, Tylar with Buzz Lightyear

All the kiddos at lunch

Last weekend we loaded the family into the van and headed to Orlando to spend time with Danny, Vycci, Issac and Marina before they started their Disney week vacation. We had such a great time with each other, and the kids had a blast getting to know and play with their Colorado cousins!

On our first day, Saturday, we met up at Bahama Breeze for lunch. It was a beautiful day, and we got to eat lunch on the outside patio. Then we all headed to the hotel to check in and get settled before going to the movie theater to see High School Musical III. The kiddos LOVED it, and the adults (for the most part... CHAD) enjoyed it also. That evening we took the kids to the pool and ordered pizza for dinner.

Sunday morning we all got up and had a yummy Village Inn breakfast, and spent the rest of the day in Downtown Disney. I had no idea that there were so many things to do, so many shops, so many restaurants!! The highlights, for me, were the Once Upon a Toy toy store and the prehistoric times themed restaurant where we had lunch. The toy store was set up so that the kids could assemble some of the most popular toys; light sabers, Mr. Potato Head, princess jewelry boxes, and so on. Lunch was very fun - the restaurant was set up to have sections that were themed around prehistoric times... including a huge ice glacier in the middle of the restraint. A suprise for us was that they did a meteor shower show about every 20 minutes... and if you know our Kenny - he doesn't do too well with flashing lights and darkness. When the first show happened he shot over to my lap so quick, and Caitlynn hid under the table! Once they both realized it was all just a show, they were fine for the rest of the time.

After our late lunch we had to get on the road to head back to Jacksonville, and Danny, Vycci and the kids had to head to their Disney hotel to meet up with Danny's folks. We had such a wonderful time with them, and only wish we could have spent more time together!

Check out the link to more pictures...http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.9qvmghwk&x=0&y=-quosz0&localeid=en_US

Caitlynn's Pre-K Pics (4 yr old)

Take a look at the fun pics of our 4 yr old Caitlynn

Martin Fam Updates!

So, I've been behind the ball in getting some family updates posted... and decided to try to put them all up at once!!

Dance, Dance, Dance
Our BUG is in dance class! She is registered in pre-K ballet at her school, and has class every Tuesday morning. She absolutely loves it, and is absolutely adorable in her little pink leotard and tights :). Her lessons the past few weeks have been on the basic feet positions in ballet. My favorite to watch her do is "happy feet" (or first position)! Check out the pic -



Tylar, Chad & Football
Chad and Ty had the opportunity to go to a Jacksonville Jags game a few weeks ago, and had a blast! Tylar enjoyed his special time with his dad, and has now become a true Jags fan - against all of our best advice to stay true to his home town Broncos! Oh well, I guess we all choose our own way... and boy is he commiteed - he even cheered AGAINST the Broncos last weekend when they played the Jags. I seriously thought Chad was going to kick him out of the house for the night :)!! Check out the pics from the game -




Visiting Brando
In Chad's recent trip to Colorado he was able to spend some time with our Brandon! It was just in time for his 17th (yes... 17!) birthday, so shopping was also involved. Chad and Brandon had dinner at his Grandparents house in Westminister with his mom, Marisa & Marcus (and all thier kiddies), and Clayton. Caitlynn, the boys and I were all very jelous that Chad got to spend time with Brandon and the family, but were very happy that everyone seemed to have had a good time! Chad got a great shot of Brandon and Lilli -

Goodbye to our Timmay

Special friends, special memories...

The boys - 80's party 2003
Mardi Gras 2003
New Years Eve 2006
New Years Eve 2006
Redneck Party for Chad's B-day
Brian's Bachelor Party
Tim's Goodbye to Colorado Party
Guavaween 2003
Mardi Gras Party 2003

This week was very difficult for our family and for many of our very close friends, our Florida family, as we lost a very dear friend way before his time. Tim Erzinger departed this life on Wednesday, September 24th.

As many of you know, Chad and I were incredibly blessed to have met a wonderful group of people, including Tim, about a year after we moved to Florida… folks that were also from Denver. Having that, and the fact that most of us worked at the same place, in common brought us together and before too long we became family. Over the past 7 years we’ve been together through birthdays, holidays, many weddings (& some break-ups), and even had 3 babies join our special extended family. And while it is almost unreal to know that Tim will not be here on this earth to share continued life experiences, we also know that he is with our Heavenly Father now and that he will be with us in spirit.

It is unfortunate, but tragic events like this force us to realize just how fragile life is and sometimes causes us to take pause and reflect on the people and things that we value most in this life. I wanted to share a story about something that I experienced just yesterday that really strengthened my belief in knowing that we have to live this life fully and faithfully.

It started last Sunday when I was having a conversation with my mom Rolayne, talking about the trials of being a mother and how I was having a hard time with some things where my kids are concerned. She and I have always shared a special relationship, and this conversation was not unlike any other ending in a sharing of her testimony of our faith and advice to me to pray sincerely and specifically about the things I was struggling with. I guess there was one slight difference, as she told me about an article she read in a recent church publication about parenting. She told me that she was going to put the magazine in the mail so that I could read it.

I was gone for the better part of last week on a work trip to Boston, and when I came home yesterday the package with the magazine was at the doorstep. That evening I picked up the magazine, and before I opened it up to read I did pray. I prayed for not only being able to receive the fullness of the message of the article on parenting, but also for peace in my heart and mind about my good friend Tim’s death. As soon as I opened to the first page another article caught my eye titled May We So Live. More specifically, a passage jumped out at me that said – “How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, “What are we doing with today?”” As you can imagine the article was about death, but more importantly it was about living life. There were many wonderful things in this article about how to live our lives more fully, but what struck me most was the message about how this life is full of opportunities, and many times we procrastinate what we can (and should) do today. How simple this message, how wonderful the implications of acting on it! I also read a comforting passage, something that I want to leave with anyone who is reading this blog, especially to my Florida family - I love you all so very much and hope this gives you peace and comfort.

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of god; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father – That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. This is the knowledge that sustains. This is the truth that comforts. This is the assurance that guides those bowed down with grief out of the shadows and into the light. It is available to all.”

Brandon's Summer Job

Brandon has been quite busy at Nana and Papa's over the past 6 weeks... mowing GiGi and Nana & Papa's lawns, going to school, and as of late - helping Papa to rebuild the deck! For anyone that has been to my parents house, you know that the deck they've had in the back yard has been there since we moved in... BEFORE Brandon was even born! It's been around for family picnics, birthdays, graduations, and was always there to relax on while having a nice drink of sweet tea on a hot afternoon!

My dad and mom have been talking about wanting to rebuild thier deck for quite some time, and I am so happy that they were able to make it happen before this summer came to a close! In the last update I got from my dad, he says they are "...a few screws away from it being all done!"

It looks BEAUTIFUL! Check out the before and after snapshots!

Kenny's Bowling Day

Kenny, along with his and all of the Duval County ESE classes, got to kick off their Special Olympics activities with bowling today! Kenny was looking forward to this event for the past week, reminding Chad and I every day that it was coming up... and every morning checking in to see "is it Saturday yet?... is it my bowling time yet?" Usually Saturday mornings are pretty lazy around our house, but not today! Kenny had to be at the bowling alley this morning at 8 o'clock to register, and he was up at about 6 (dressed in the same thing he wore yesterday) to make sure he wasn't late!

Chad volunteered to take Kenny, and I stayed home with Tylar and Caitlynn. We wanted this to be Kenny's special time, and I think he really enjoyed being able to do something where he was the only and center of attention!

There were about 100 kids at the bowling alley, and each child got to play 2 games with about 5 kids on each lane. Playing without "bumpers", Kenny had a golf clap worthy 37 in the first game, and came through in a clutch in true Elway form, with a 62 in the second. Overall Kenny placed 2nd on his lane, being awarded a red ribbon for his accomplishment! Chad says that if it wasn't for "Johnny" pulling out a strike in the last frame, Kenny would have placed 1st. Oh well... if you take a look at the picture, he is very proud of his red ribbon!

Back to School

After a very busy summer, moving and all, the boys are all back to school! While everyone started school on August 18th, Kenny & Ty had a bit of a bumpy start missing the last part of their first week due to the storm.


Tylar is in 5th grade, and is very much enjoying being the big man on campus in his last year of elementary school! Tylar made a lot of new friends in our new neighborhood, and many of them go to his school... making for minimal first day jitters. Tylar's teacher's name is Mrs. Hartless - a very unfortunate name for a school teacher... but I am happy to say that she doesn't seem to be one who will live up to her name. We attended Tylar's back to school night the other day and learned that he has several fun activities planned for the year, with the finale being a trip to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure in Orlando at the end of the year. The only catch is that he has to meet his 25 book reading assignment for the year and be "in good standing" with conduct and grades. What a great incentive to keep the kiddies on track with that to look forward to! Also, check out Tylar's class blog located in our other blog list.


Kenny is in 6th grade, entering middle school this year! He was so excited to start school, hoping that he'd recognize a few of the kids that he met in school at the tail end of the year last year. Good news is that there were a few familiar faces... bad news is that middle school doesn't have a playground!! Kenny's teacher's name is Mrs. Caldwell, and she seems like she'll be a wonderful teacher for Kenny. Already she has sent notes home saying what a joy Kenny is to have in class. Who wouldn't love to be around that sweet smile every day!!??

Brandon started his Junior year (YIKES) at Thomas Jefferson in Denver this year, and from what he says it sounds like things are going quite well! He is taking a few advanced classes for extra credit, and is in a weight lifting class that he seems to like quite well. I can't believe that he'll be graduating next year... where in the heck did these past almost 17 years go!!

Rain, and Wind, and Tornadoes... OH MY!!

Stuck in the bathroom... waiting out the potential tornado!
Driveway... or maybe now a shallow lake??!!
Chad's feet in the parking lot, water is about 2 in deep - uhhh, gross!!
Maintenance people checking out the damage.

Well Tropical Storm Fay blew through Jacksonville this week, with the most volatile part of the storm coming through today!

We got quite a bit of rain overnight, and unfortunately woke up to some leaking in our apartment. No damage, thank goodness, but was annoying to keep up with ensuring all is kept dry until our maintenance people can get out and fix it. Even more unfortunate, is that it seems the leaking is coming through the roof and down into the sides of the wall both upstairs and downstairs. So... we'll see what happens, but for now it is a bit worry some.

So being stuck in the house can be quite boring, and that's been the case for the past three days. I think that the kids finally had enough when we had to go into full TORNADO warning mode and pile into the hallway bathroom on the first floor (see picture). That's right, we had a tornado sighting about 10 mi south of our apartment complex - which was actually quite scary! We gathered up a few pillows, blankets and our cell phones and camera (not a necessity... but how can we NOT capture that action), and hid out for about 15 minutes. The best part of our close family time together was Kenny's comment about 5 minutes in... he said "Mom, can't we get some food or something?". Guess I should have prioritized that over the camera! Lesson learned :)

Enjoy the pictures from the storm rain aftermath... and hope everyone is doing well!

Caitlynn's 4th Birthday

Our Caitlynn turned 4 today! It's hard to believe that just 4 years ago we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. She is growing up faster than we can keep up with, every day is something new (see previous posts!!!).

We had her birthday party at the house, and invited over our closest friends to help celebrate. I think Caitlynn really enjoyed the day... even before the party started she kept telling Chad and I that this was the "best birthday ever". The theme for her party was PRINCESS... go figure??!! She had pink princess decorations and even her birthday cupcakes had little princess tiaras on them. I LOVE that she is such a girlie girl!!!

I wanted to do something to remember some of her favorite things at this age, so I did a little Q&A with her... this is what she said:

• Favorite Color - Pink & Purple & Yellow (she couldn't pick just one)


• Favorite Food - Pancakes


• Favorite Toy - Dora Doll


• Favorite Book - Dinosaurs


• Best Friend - My brothers


• Favorite Song - ABC's & Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

She is so much fun at this age... I can't wait to compare lists next year - this just may have to be a tradition on her birthday!

My Pixie Girl

There is a little girl name Caitlynn Reese
Who to my heart she holds a very special key
With big brown eyes and rosy cheeks
She’s the cutest darn thing you ever did see

One thing about Caitlynn as a baby and a tot
The hair on her head was so sparse and so few
When it’s all said and done it wasn’t a lot
But over the years when she finally turned two, the hair on her head, it finally grew

Caitlynn enjoyed her long locks, and as her mom so did I
We’d curl it, and style it, and braid it to play
But all was for not, I can’t tell a lie
For the long hair on her head, she cut it all off this past Thursday

A rite of passage I’ve heard, and maybe it’s true, that all girls learn in this very special way…
And now I have a little “pixie” who will never forget her 4th birthday!!

Caitlynn's new hairDO

Well, the fun and excitement never ends with my children!!... Ms. Caitlynn decided that she needed to give herself a haircut last night. And this wasn’t the typical “rite of passage” short bang haircut – OH NO, she decided to start at the front and stopped just short and left herself a nice long mullet!!

So, this morning I took her to a stylist to see if they couldn’t work some magic, and as you can imagine… a pixie style was about all they could do for her! While I haven’t loaded the pictures up yet… I am definitely “documenting” this event & will share! Can you believe it… we wait 2 years for that little girl to finally grow some locks, and just 2 years later… as she has enough to flip around she cuts it off!!

We are thankful that she didn’t hurt herself with the scissors, and hope that she’ll never ever do it again. Good thing she has those killer dimples and big brown eyes!!

We’ll remember this upcoming 4th birthday for a long time!!!

Brandon... Colorado Bound

We are going through some very difficult times right now as a family. I am hoping that sharing my thoughts in writing, and asking for all of our friends and extended family’s prayers will help bring peace into our hearts and minds.

Today I had to say goodbye, for now, to my oldest son Brandon. He is moving to Colorado to live with my mom and dad, as he is trying to make some significant changes in his life for the better. It broke my heart to see him off on the plane, but I have to believe that the choice we are making with this arrangement will help all of us become a stronger family in the long run.

For about the last 4 years Brandon has been struggling in school and with some life choices that have put him in some pretty bad situations. Adolescent choices and the situations that naive ones can put us in are never easy; I as his mom know just how difficult that can be. I know now as a parent that all we really want for our children is for them to be happy, healthy, and to have a full, meaningful, and successful life. Unfortunately, when one bad choice leads to another we sometimes find ourselves in a hole that seems much too dark and difficult to get out of.

During times like this I can’t help but look in the mirror and ask… “What did I do wrong?”, “Am I doing and saying the right things?”, “Am I setting a good example?”. I’ve been racking my brain for months reliving the past few years thinking that there must have been something I could have done differently to have helped Brandon feel more loved, more appreciated, and more self confident – so that we wouldn’t have ended up at this day.

When we moved from Florida to Rhode Island in the summer of 2006 Brandon was very upset with me, as he was very attached to the life we made in Jacksonville. He was 14 and if I think back to that point in my life, I would have been SO MAD if my parents lifted me from the life I knew and loved. However, we hoped that Brandon would have been able to make a fresh start with new friends in new surroundings. While Brandon was never really happy to be in RI, things did go well for a short while. Unfortunately, the poor grades picked up and troublesome friends found their way yet again into his life.

In April of 2008 we received great news when I got a new job offer with the opportunity to move back to Jacksonville. Thinking that this would provide another “fresh start”, and would get the whole family back to the place that we grew to love and enjoyed living, it was only a few short weeks before our life was in disarray. Without sharing details, we realized as a family that we had to make some drastic life changes if we wanted Brandon to turn things around.

I suppose we won’t know for sometime if the choice we made was right… or even the best decision we could have made. So, in trying to pull my beautiful and gifted son out of his dark hole, I send him off with all of my love hoping and praying that he will be able to make positive progress and will return home to us soon.

As you can imagine, Chad, Kenny, Ty & Caitlynn (even our Jack dog) are also very sad that we will not have Brandon be a part of our daily lives. Each expressing in their own ways – Kenny made me smile when I really needed it today, as he always does in his oh so special way, when he said “I wish we could all go live with Nana and Papa because they love all of us.” He is so right, and I know that above all Brandon will be loved where he is. Afterall, in addition to Nana & Papa, his aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma Rolayne, and even his great grands are all within a hug distance :)!!

Meanwhile, I continue thinking about all the choices I am making and pray that this life lesson will help me to be a better mom. You know, it would be so much easier if there was a handbook... Wait - there is, I just need to get back to reading it!!

Chad's 34th Birthday - July 14

Chad turned 34 today, July 14th... and we celebrated his birthday all weekend long!

When I was trying to decide what to start this blog out with, I thought I should do a little research on his zodiac to see if I could provide a little insight into his "crabby" Cancer being. I found one line in the many webpages I looked at, and felt like this one summed it up pretty nicely...

The essence of the Cancerian personality can be boiled down to one word, sensitivity, when examined is a maze of winding roads that can lead anywhere and everywhere.

The other interesting qualities that I found when looking at the Cancer sign included; Patient, sensitive, romantic, sociable, and maternal. All of which describe my husband in 5 perfect words.

Celebrating the big 34

We had a big Jimmy Buffet style birthday party for Chad on Saturday night, and celebrated with a few of our closest florida family friends. We grilled hamburgers on the bbq, served frosty margs and played lotts of card games. Sunday was a relaxing day, most of which was spent at the pool! Then today, his actual birthday - Chad wanted blueberry pancakes, biscuts and gravy, sausage, eggs and peach/lemonade smoothies. And yes, he got his birthday wish - there was WAY too much food, but it was really yummy... and it was nice to have his birthday breakfast with the whole family!

A Florida 4th

Happy Independence Day! We are truly enjoying our long weekend by doing a whole lot of rest and relaxation! We started our long holiday weekend with a pancake breakfast and then loaded the whole family, even Jackson, into the van and headed to Jax beach!

I'll admit that while the beach thing is most certainly one of my favorite things to do, it isn't so much for some of the other members of the family! I had to do some convincing with Chad, Brandon and Caitlynn (who still isn't so sure about that BIG ocean :)). Kenny and Ty love the beach scene just about as much as I do, so there was no talking into with them. In our drive on the way there, Tylar had the 'martin quote of the day' with... "The beach is the most popular thing on the planet, next to watermelon and candy." - I'd have to agree!!

We ended up having a really great time, even Caitlynn who FINALLY got her feet wet... literally! It took a little bit of coaxing from Chad, who told her that if she is afraid of the water all she has to do is "kick it away". She totally went for it and after a few karate kicks, she was just as happy splashing around as the rest of the kids all around us! The water temperature was wonderful, and the waves were perfect for the boys to do their boogie board riding. Chad and Ty tossed a ball around a bit, and we even built a few sandcastles before the day was over.

Brandon and Jackson weren't as into it... guess going to the beach with your folks isn't the "cool thing to do". And poor Jackson was pretty warm, despite his 3 bowls of water that he drank! Oh well, guess I can't win them all! After a few hours playing in the sand we decided to head back home and jump into the pool. By 2ish we were a waterlogged group, and everyone took a few hours to nap and relax.

What would the 4th be without fireworks!!?? We ended up meeting up with Nelly & John and Mo & Dave to watch the downtown fireworks display right at the banks of the St. John's river! We saw three displays going on at once, and at the finale Janell and Mo serenaded the group with "Proud to be an American" :)... who could ask for anything more patriotic!! We plan on spending the rest of our weekend at the pool... big surprise, right!!?? Love to all, and hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend!