As seasons change...

As we move from summer to fall the Martin household is getting busy! October always brings with it finally getting into the routine of back to school, beautiful FL weather, and birthdays, birthdays, birthdays!!

October 4th... Brandon's birthday is today! Another milestone in his life, he has reached 18! It is very hard for me to believe that my first born son is this old :). He has been through many changes and ups and downs this past year, and I am so happy that at this point, on this special occasion, he is doing very well! When I asked Brandon what he wanted to do for his special day he said that he wanted to celebrate at home with our friends. So, we invited our "Florida family" over on Saturday night and did what we always do best ~ food, drinks and board games!! We had such a good time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. On Sunday morning he wanted to go out for breakfast, so we packed up the family and headed to Mimi's Cafe for some yummy french toast and pancakes!! Karol, Brandon's sweetie, also joined us. Brandon had country fried steak and eggs... AND a chocolate chip pancake! Check out the link to pics from his party and b-day breakfast!

October 15th... Kenny's birthday! No sooner will Brandon's birthday end that we must begin to plan for Kenny's 13th. We will officially have 2 teenagers in our household ~ YIKES!! Kenny hasn't yet decided exactly what he wants to do, however he DOES know that he wants to celebrate with his friend Gerald and I think that bowling and McDonald's will also be involved.



October 24th... Stacie's birthday! Turning 34 this year, still not sure what we'll do for my day - Hopefully Chad has something up his sleeve :)



Hopefully I can start to be regular again with my blogging... with so much going on, there will certainly be stories to tell!

Summertime!

I've been so terrible about posting any new news that even my dad in GA is prompting me to get with the program :) - love ya dad!!... so I am going to try my best to do justice to all the happenings in our household!

Starting with most recent - our little bug just turned 5! I can hardly believe that our littlest one will be entering kindergarten in a week. She certianly is acting her age, probably even more like 15 than 5, but what a riot she is. We celebrated her birthday this year with two parties - one with just the family, and today with her and our bestest friends. On Monday, which was her birthday, me, Chad, Brandon, Kenny, Tylar and Brandon's girlfriend Karol took the kids to Adventure Landing. This is a local waterpark/arcade/mini-golf place that the kids LOVE! We did the waterpark, and it was perfect because it was near 100 degrees this past Monday. I think the best part was that all the kids, with the exception of Caitlynn, are finally old enough to scatter to the winds and enjoy the day "doing thier own thing". AND, they were all old enough to ride every waterslide! Today we celebrated with her and our friends. When I asked Caitlynn what she wanted to do for her birthday party with her friends, she said she wanted to go to the "nail place" with the big girls and little girls! So, that is just what we did... and it was SO MUCH FUN!! She invited Olive and Kylie (two of her best friends from church.... who also happen to have birthdays in August, and are all turning 5). We also had Monica and her niece Anna come with us, so between Mo and I and the little girl chatter, we had quite a fun girls afternoon out!! Check out the pics to view the fun. After the "nail place" we headed to the house to meet up with all the boys and open presents, eat some pizza and ofcourse the cake!

Summer Vaca - schools out...and almost back in again! School was out in the beginining of June, and since that time Brandon has been watching all the kiddos to earn some summer cash! They've spent many afternoons at the pool, it's been a pretty hot summer. Tylar did have to do a few weeks of Summer School, but is heading into 6th grade as a result! School starts again on August 24th, and this year everyone is in school! Caitlynn will start kindergarten, Tylar and Kenny are in middle school, and Brandon is planning to finish his GED and hopefully get enrolled for some courses at the local community college.

Other summer highlights -

...Kenny was ordained a Deacon a few weeks ago! We are so proud of our little man, he so loves the church and is so excited that he finally gets to "pass the sacrament". We call him our little missionary, as everyone he meets he has to tell that he is able to do this, and asks them if they'd like to come to church with him to see. It is awesome!! :)

...We were able to host Dad and Cindy over Cindy's birthday which was really fun! We had a long weekend together and did a ton of local stuff.

...We had every intention of getting out to Colo this summer, especially with little Davis joining the Martin clan, but unfortunately were not able to make it work. However, Brandon will be coming out next week, for about a week, to visit his old friends and to get his Drivers Licence. He's held his permit for a full year now, and he's super excited to get the real thing!

I suppose we have been quite busy, and have had a really great summer!

Caitlynn's 1st Recital

Today, was Caitlynn's first dance recital... and what a fun, exciting and wonderful day it was! She started dance classes in about July of last year, and after 9 months of practice put on her first show!

The dance that her and her classmates did was a tribute to the NYC Rockettes... from the costumes to the kick-line they did so well! Her auntie Nelly and uncle John were able to join us for the show, and after the show we all showered her with bouquets of flowers (tradition for the performers after a show). Also, the show was done at the Times Union Center in downtown Jacksonville... a real theater!

I've attached pictures from before and after the show, unfortunately cameras weren't allowed in the theater. Needless to say, she is in love with dancing... and I can't wait to watch her grow with this over the years - SO FUN!

Hope all enjoy the pics :)

Love to friends and family...

So, usually I'll blog about family happenings and post pictures to help tell the fun stories about what we've been up to... As I sit down to blog today two special women come to mind that I wanted to "blog about". Very opposite sentiments, and both weighing very heavy on my heart and mind!

To my sister Vycci and family - without going into detail on this post, we want you to know how much we love you and how much we are saddened about what you are going through right now. I am very blessed to have you in my life now, and have been since very early on in mine and Chad's relationship! You are a strong, smart, loving wife, mother, sister and daughter, and are a model for spirituality - one that inspires my testimony more than you probably know. I will pray for your, Danny and the kids healing and want you to know we love you!

To one of my best girlfriend Monica - I am so happy for you and your engagement to Dave! Knowing you for almost 10 years now, I feel like we've been thorough just about everything two friends can go through! Through the ups and downs in our life, to changing jobs (both of us), to moving away (and back again) to watching my kiddos grow up, to the birth of my little bug, it really has been quite exciting :)!! I am so lucky to have had you come into my life just about as soon as we moved to Jacksonville. My very best to you and Dave, and I can't wait to see what the next 10 years holds!!

March Goodness

Hello family and friends! What a month to remember... March has been just that! We've had so many wonderful things happen this month, starting with the celebration of Tylar's 11th birthday on March 18th and ending with Tylar and Kenny's baptism on March 28th. In between our Brandon visited us along with Grandma Rolayne.


Brandon arrived on March 18th (also Ty's birthday) and we had a nice family dinner at Tylar's favorite Japanese Steakhouse, but the birthday celebration really got started that weekend when we packed everyone up and headed to the Nick Hotel in Orlando! The kids, and even Chad and I had so much fun. There were things for everyone, from the pool, to the arcade, to the Nick themed shows that happened poolside and in the evening at the studio - there was not a dull moment! We were even 1 of 4 families selected to participate in a the nightly show "Families Go Wild" and faced off against another family with silly challenges and trivia... we WON!! Tylar, our team captian, got SLIMED for the win. Check out the link to the extended pics here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.c4oivd8s&x=0&y=-uos4so&localeid=en_US


The fun continued with Grandma arriving on March 25th. We did lots of stuff as a family, including lots of beach action, bowling, zoo, watched movies, and many, many nightly games to pass the time!


Finally, the week came to a close with Kenny and Tylar's baptism on the 28th and confirmation on the 29th. Something that we've been ernestly working toward for a few months, we were so happy to see the boys take this very special step in thier lives... and even more blessed to have our Brandon and grandma here with us to celebrate! I thought I'd share the talk I gave to my special boys on thier day (below pics). Also see the attached link for extra pictures: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.4c4tt9ho&x=0&y=54d6ld&localeid=en_US




Kenny, Ty and the Sister Missionaries right before the baptism (Caitlynn snuck in there too)



Grandma and her grands at the Jax Beach fishing pier



The whole family after the baptism



Me and my Brando at the Nick hotel



Tylar getting slimed poolside!


My message to my boys about the Gift of the Holy Ghost
Kenny & Tylar, your dad & I are so proud of the decision you have made to be baptized today. You have made a decision that will put you on a sure path to eternal & lasting happiness. Our Heavenly Father is also so proud of you because he loves you so much and wants you to be blessed by following his commandments. You know that one of these commandments is to be baptized. In 3 Nephi 27:20 it says:
Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

Dad and I want you to know how much of an inspiration you have been to us in finding joy in this life, and in this church again. You have been like a special guide leading us to renewing our love in this gospel.

Both of you know that after your baptism you will be given the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift will be like your own special guide that will give you comfort through your whole life, as long as you remain true to your baptismal promises. There is a passage in the Bible about the special comfort you will have with the Holy Ghost. In John 14:16-20 it says:
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

It is so wonderful, that because you have made this decision and because you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, that you will always have this peace and the love of our Heavenly Father by this comfort.

Kenny and Tylar, there have been many times, since my baptism, that I have needed a special comforting, or a reassurance, or a guide. And in those times, when I was worthy to receive it, I know that the Holy Ghost was within me to comfort me, guide me and reassure me. I pray that the two of you will always remember how special this gift is and that you will always listen to that small, still vice to guide you. We have a promise given to us in D&C 11:12-14 that says:
And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good – yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my spirit. Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind which shall fill your soul with joy; And then ye shall know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto the things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

And finally, I want to leave my testimony that I know this church is Gods true church built here on earth for us in these latter days. I know that God loves each of us individually and has a specific plan for us. I know that in His love, he has given us many blessings to help us throughout this life so that we can come to live with him once again. I believe that there is a plan of salvation for each of us, that if we are in tune to the spirit, it will guide us through life’s trials. I am especially thankful for this gift! It is my prayer, for all of my children that you will all find comfort in the words of these scriptures and know that our Heavenly Father loves you & wants your life to be full of happiness.

March Already?...

Okay, so we've got 2 more days in the month of February, still I can't believe that we are inching our way to spring! I figured I needed to get on a blog a bit about family happenings since my last was about holiday festivities and closing out the year - YIKES!!

So what's new... as always, A LOT! Unfortunately I don't have any updated snapshots because I've misplaced our camera and I can't seem to figure out where it was lost. I suppose I'll take the updates person by person this time:

• Chad and Stacie... Chad continues to plug away at work, and for those of you that know he is working at Bank of America - that merger with ML is causing lots of questions about where processes and jobs will land once all the internal kinks get worked out. Prayerfully all will work out as it should; in the meantime we wait :). I am sticking with my personal training and exercise regiment, and still love it - I actually think I am addicted! I feel so much better, have a ton more energy, and the best part is that I am dropping the weight and inches where it counts!
  
• Brandon... will be visiting us for Spring Break, and we can't wait until he gets here! He arrives on Tylar's birthday on March 18th and will go back to Colorado on the 31st to get back to school to finish this year at TJ.
  
• Kenny & Tylar... I’ll do their update together as they have a very important event coming up in March! On March 28th Kenny and Tylar will be baptized, and we couldn’t be more proud and happy for the decision they’ve made to take this step and embrace the church as they have. As it so happens, Brandon will still be here… making it so special for us that our core family will be together to share this wonderful event!
  
• Tylar… has is 11th birthday coming up on March 18th! Our family will be heading down to Orlando for the weekend after Brandon get’s here to resort at the Nickelodeon hotel – something Ty has wanted to do forever! Should be great fun for all!
  
• Caitlynn… continues to practice for her dance recital that is coming up in May! The recital will be in the spirit of the famous NYC Radio City Rockets, which Caitlynn got to see when we lived up north for the Christmas Spectacular. I can’t wait to blog about that one… look for that after Memorial Day!

That’s about all the highlights about what’s new and shakin’ in our world. As always, much love to our friends and family – hope you enjoy the update!

Holiday Festivities & Welcoming in 2009

December was quite the busy month, filled with lots of good times & things that kept us going until we brought in the New Year last night! I've been behind on my blogging, but not for the lack of things to "blog about". Hopefully I can catch everyone up with this little monthly summary, accompanied by some pics on Kodak gallery....

Nutcracker Ballet
Caitlynn and I were invited to go to the Nutcracker Ballet with a group of girlfriends who all had little girls of their own! The ballet was at the University of North Florida, and was performed by the Russian Ballet Co. It was beautiful, something that I can't wait to do every year with my little girl!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.8n07tjno&x=0&y=jo3wmt&localeid=en_US

Winter Wonderland
In early December our family and the Carters went to the Winter Wonderland in St. Augustine, FL. There were lots of fun things for us to do, including; Ice Skating, roasting smores, sledding down a steep slide, and finally walking through an elf village and a candy cane forrest! We had a great time!!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.8x2ptsas&x=0&y=f0xtk0&localeid=en_US

Christmas Eve - A Florida Family Christmas
We celebrated Christmas Eve this year at the Carters with our very best friends... and in our best PJs! A tradition for us since we moved to Florida in 2000 and became friends with some of the most wonderful people you'd ever know, the group would get together every year at Christmas time to celebrate the season. It is amazing to look at these pictures and see how much our "family" has grown... we've added spouses, babies and more special friends to share this tradition with! This year we had great food, fun games, and ended the night with our annual Yankee Swap! The surprise of the night was a ring of the doorbell with a early delivery strait from the North Pole! The Polar Express delivered a new puppy to the Martin clan! Her name is Layla, and she is a great new addition to our house.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.8xybl5c4&x=0&y=p8epbg&localeid=en_US

Christmas Morning
We had a very relaxing and fun Christmas Day. We started the day before the sun came up, I think it was just around 6am... URGH, but the kids were so excited, as they always are, to walk into our living room and see what the big guy left under the tree. While the kids got their BIG present (puppy Layla) on Christmas Eve, they all still managed to do pretty well as far as present standards go :)!

• Ty's big score was a new guitar, which he's been dying to learn how to play. He got an electric guitar, a case, an amp, a tuner, and some picks. He is all set to go - now we just need to set up his lessons. Chad has a friend at work who is willing to give Ty lessons in our home, which is wonderful! Something to keep everyone posted with throughout 2009.
• Kenny's favorite was a new scooter! He had one when we lived in RI, that didn't make the move. He does pretty well on it, and has been riding at least 2Xs this past week!
• Caitlynn got a few very fun things from family - while Chad and I got her a ton of new clothes! She is growing like a weed, so they are much needed... it is a good thing the girl loves to dress up - the new digs were very well received!
• Chad and I treated ourselves to a new entertainment unit, and a new plasma TV. Chad's been researching TVs for months on end, and we waited until the one he wanted went on sale and picked it up! It is beautiful, and considering how much we love to watch movies and stuff as a family, it will be very nice to do so on such a nice TV! Plus the wall unit is much more to my liking versus the projection set we had before :)!! YAY!!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.43isltvo&x=0&y=-dn7hgx&localeid=en_US

New Year's Eve
We celebrated New Year's Eve this year at our house. The Carters, Mo & Dave all came over and we spent the night playing games - our new favorite thing to do with our friends. Boy are we getting old!!! We had a great time, especially playing our new game Partitini... highly recommended if you don't already have it!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=bqyul5jc.2t3rzyx0&x=0&y=bp2mdq&localeid=en_US


STACIE'S NEW YEARS RESOLUTION... keeping up on the blogging for all of our friends and family to stay close to Martin family happenings :) - OH AND, To be happy and healthy throughout 2009! Cheers to the end of this year and the new begining of the next!