MartineauCrew

This Smile

2011-07-02T17:50:00.003-07:00

It's hard to capture pure joy, but when Pace's first ebay purchase arrived, I got it! Just look at this smile!!

Thank you, Lego Emperor!

Anna Sophie Martineau

2011-06-03T21:31:00.002-07:00

Eric and Jeff go way back to Jr. High. Together they've shared a bazillion stories, crazy adventures , embarrassing moments, life changing talks, you name it. If anyone knows Eric, it's Jeff. Friendships like that are what friendships should be like. I'm glad their lives are still connected in so many ways. Cherie is Jeff's wife, and she is soooo talented. She took these beautiful pictures for us. Anna is one week old.

Anna's Arrival

2011-05-15T12:46:00.001-07:00

The morning of May 12th, I went to my OB doctor for my weekly check-up. It was 2 weeks before our baby girl was due. I was hoping Dr. Huish was going to say, "wow, it looks like you're going to have that baby today!" but I was very disappointed leaving his office. I was still only dilated 3cm and 80 percent effaced (pretty much the same as my visit the week prior). Ugh, I thought! My boys were both 2 weeks early, and I was sad thinking that I was going to be pregnant longer!

Eric had his eye on this bike on the other side of town that he wanted to go buy. It was about an hour drive to get it and an hour drive back. He was waiting to see what the doctor said before he decided to make that drive. These are our texts back and forth (Eric was at work) on May 12th.........
12:14pm
Eric: How are you doing?
Me: No contractions! Doing great! Go get the bike! I'll let you know if anything changes.
Eric: I'm NOT going to get the bike.
Me: Seriously, babe! I think you should!
3:12pm
Eric: How's it going?
Me: Good. Just go! You'll regret it if you don't!
Eric: Steve volunteered to go to the hospital if I get stuck. (Steve is a guy Eric works with)
Me: Does he do home deliveries?
4:15pm
Me: What did the bike guy say?
Eric: He didn't answer his phone.
Me: Are you just going to wait for him to call you then? I'll let you know if I need you. I hate this waiting game! I'm having lots of contractions again, but they aren't strong enough to be labor ones. (I have tons of braxton hicks contractions throughout my pregnancies)

Eric called me at 4:45. He had just stopped at my brother-in-law's house to borrow a bike rack, and was headed to the freeway. He was going to go get the bike. I told him to go ahead, but that I felt like I was having more braxton hicks than normal. He said, "I'm coming home!" I was hoping that I wasn't making him come home for nothing......

We drove to the hospital a little after 8:00pm, with my contractions coming at about 3-4 minutes apart. I was so ready for an epidural once I got there, and I was given one at about 10:00pm, but it didn't work. I had to deliver my baby girl without any drugs! The absolute worst pain of my life! I'm so thankful that I have small babies, and that I'm in good enough shape to push my babies out fast (it only took 3 pushes, the same as my boys).

Anna Sophie Martineau was born at 11:32pm on Thursday May 12th. She was 6lbs 7oz, 19.1 inches, and beautiful!

Welcome to our family, baby Anna! We already love you!

37 Weeks

2011-05-03T13:26:00.005-07:00

Getting closer!!

Just a few photos at 37 weeks.......

My cute family!

Me with my beautiful sister, and sister-in-law (it's so fun being pregnant at the same time)!
Brooke is 27 weeks, Janae is 35 weeks, and I'm 37 weeks! Big Bellies!

33 Weeks Pregnant

2011-04-05T14:24:00.010-07:00

Oh, wow! I can't believe I am so close to having child #3! I've been horrible, and haven't written anything down about this pregnancy! Let's see what I can remember......

Time.....

It took Eric & I about 5 months to get pregnant with this little one (not too long, especially when it took us 3 1/2 years to get pregnant with Pace).

Sickness.....

My first trimester left me feeling more sick, and more tired with this one than my last two pregnancies. I was nauseated all day long, but would usually only throw up first thing in the morning (water) before I would head out for my morning run.

I was 9 weeks pregnant when I ran the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay with a bunch of girls in my ward. It was a total blast, except for throwing up while running. Yuck! My first leg of the race was 9 miles (I threw up two times). My second leg was only 4 miles, and I wasn't sick at all. My third leg was the biggest challenge. I wasn't able to keep any food or water down from the moment I finished my second leg until I was done with my third leg. I was so dehydrated, and my body didn't function the way I wanted it to during my last 6 miles. My muscles started cramping and by mile 3, I lost complete control of the muscles in my arms (I couldn't hold my own arms up anymore; the weirdest sensation ever!). Thankfully, my legs kept going, and I was able to complete it! The thing I remember about that finish line (or exchange) was that the hot cocoa was to die for! I'm sure anything they would have had for me to eat or drink at that point would have been 'to die for'!

I still have an occasional morning where I'll throw my water up before my morning run, but my second and now third trimesters have been really great. I can't complain!

Cravings.....

One of the best things about being pregnant is the cravings! Nothing will ever taste as good in life as it does when you have that craving! I try to enjoy that about pregnancy. With Pace, I craved carbs! Waffles, pancakes, and movie popcorn, to name a few. With Cade, nothing! And with this pregnancy, only dark chocolate. Believe me, I eat way more dark chocolate than any human should!

Weight Gain.....

Ugh! I think we all hate this part! I normally gain between 20 and 25 pounds during my pregnancies. This one seems to be about the same, except my thighs and butt are way bigger with this one. I can't fit into any of the pants I wore in my previous pregnancies (really frustrating). I've still only gained about 16 pounds so far (I currently weight 134 pounds). My big butt and thighs must be due to all that chocolate I've been eating!

Exercise......

I love to run! It really is my sanity! I am such a better mom, wife, sister, friend, etc., if I've gotten a run in. It's no different when I'm pregnant. I'm so thankful that I've been able to run through all of my pregnancies. I'm currently running 4 miles 3 or 4 times a week, and on the days I don't run, I do a boot-camp class at the park for an hour. The hardest part is my 5am wake up each day to get my workouts in before the kids are up for the day! Who needs sleep anyway, right?

Gender.....

I was 17 weeks into this pregnancy when I had my first ultrasound. And then 22 weeks along when I had my second ultrasound. Both confirmed that we are going to have a girl! Eric and I are both in panic mode! We really are nervous to do the girl thing. I'm 33 weeks now, and I just barely brought myself to buy some onesies. Oh boy, I need to get busy! But really, I'm sure she won't mind sleeping in a boy room and wearing boy clothes, will she? I am a horrible mom! I'll do better, I swear!

Ragnar Las Vegas

2010-10-25T13:11:00.002-07:00

This past weekend, I ran the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay (195 miles) with a great group of girls (most of them are in my ward at church). It was so freaking hard! On top of no sleep, the course was super hilly, and at night we froze (it was about 40 degrees)! I'm so glad I did it, but I'm so glad it's over!

I posted this picture first because..... dude, the guy is running in a speedo! He has a great body, but still, a speedo?
There were 12 of us on a team, but this was van 1, the group I ran with all 31 hours that it took us.
Here are just a few of our exchanges.......

Sherry and Linda.
Linda, rocking her first 9 miles!
Rachel and Dana.
Allie made every run look so easy!
A couple of me on my first 9 miles, yikes!

This was the only picture I took at night. It was so cold, I couldn't even function! This is Juli planning on riding her bike next to Dana.
Early the next morning. Dana handing off to Allie.
This is Sunshine's sister in law, Erin, running a 10 miler! She really was amazing!
And the whole bunch of us after we finished our 195 miles in 31 hours. We placed 11th in our division of just girls (there were only about 30 in our division). There were 1000 teams, but most teams were combined girls and boys.
Anna and Jamie after the race.
Sunshine and Juli.
Dinner late that night at Macayos.
Ear candling in our room Sunday morning. We set the smoke alarm off and......
.......finished outside!

One crazy weekend!

Schnepf Farm

2010-10-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

What a fun night we had with the family out at Schnepf Farm! Just some of the highlights!

The train ride (before they made it a haunted train ride).
The Carousel of course! A lousy picture! You can sort of make out my 3 boys on the left.
We normally let the kids ride the ponies, but I didn't want to stand in line, so we just watched.
Eric & Pace coming out of the slide.
We sat and watched the pig races. My hot mom and sister cheering them on!
Carrie took my sweet Cade on the Honey Bee ride. He loved it (and I think she did too). Giggle
Eric & Pace on the roller coaster (in the front)!

And, face painting!

Family Night

2010-09-20T21:55:00.001-07:00

We were so excited to have Eric's parents for Family Home Evening tonight!

We had a great lesson on The Prohet, Elijah. Where Naman had to wash himself 7 times in the Jordan River, to be healed of his leprosy. It stuck in Pace's mind, because this morning while getting ready for preschool he said, "If the prophet tells us to take a bath, we really need to take a bath!" I love it!

After the lesson, we had ice cream cones out on the trampoline; and then hunted for Scorpions with a black light, my kitchen tongs, and a jar. We caught eight of them! Gross!

Scorpion

2010-09-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Pace & Cade were playing on the back patio barefooted this morning. This little sucker stung Pace in the foot.

We killed, and then kept the scorpion in case Pace had any ill reaction to the sting. We wanted to be able to show the doctor the size and type. I think the pictures make it look bigger (it was the size of my thumbnail).
Pace did great! No reaction at all, except for the initial trauma of it.

A Tender Heart

2010-08-18T13:47:00.003-07:00

Pace started Preschool this week, and the first day went without a hitch. He loved it! Today, (his second day) not as smoothe. When I picked him up, he ran to the car with a smile, but as soon as he climbed up into the car his expression changed. As I was buckling him in his seat, I asked him if he was ok, and then I could tell he was trying to hold back the tears. I told him it was okay if he needed to cry, and then the tears started to come. I was holding up the car line, so I gave him a hug and and a kiss and jumped in my seat so we could drive away. On the drive home, he said that he had a hard day! Through his tears he explained that when they had play time, he lost his shoe under the trampoline (Miss Allison has an underground trampoline, and since it's so hot still, she has the kids jump with their shoes on). He burned his foot and had to go without a shoe the rest of school. Miss Allison's husband recovered his shoe in time to go home, but the embarrassment he felt in front of the friends that he's only known for a day, was almost too much for my sweet boy to bear.

My sweet Pace, I love you so much, and I love that you have such a tender & sweet spirit!

A Hidden Talent

2010-08-12T14:58:00.018-07:00

So, my sweet Eric has this hidden talent...... He's a master balloon twister (or whatever they call those people)! I never really believed that he could do it, because I've never actually seen him do it, until now! Whoa, buddy! He's got all sorts of talents, this boy! (Grin)

The man, in action!
Noah, Pace, Kyra, and Cade..... in heaven!
Janae got one too!
And a flower, for me?! Oh babe, you shouldn't have!
Noah getting lessons!
Pace, showing off his monkey!
They provided hours of playing time!
Swords & Parrots!
Let's just say.... Eric is going to be a busy boy at all my kids' birthday parties in the future!

Homecoming

2010-07-12T13:32:00.004-07:00

For the past 3 years, my in-laws have been serving as the Mission Presidents for our church in Puerto Rico. It has been so fun having them in such a great place to vacation, but it's so great to have them home now too!

Waiting at the airport.....
First few moments off the airplane. (I didn't have my camera at the airport, so I'm lacking in pictures, and the one's I do have are a little lousy!)

As a family, we decided that we wanted to steal Stan and Susan away, before they got too busy, and just do a family get away with them. We decided on spending a few days at the Whiting Homestead (near Springerville, AZ).

On our trip up there, this is what happened! Super scary! Ray, Stephanie, Stan, Susan, Johnnie, and Brigham walked away from this accident, unharmed! Truly a blessing!
After a very long day of traveling, a flat tire, and a car accident, we all made it to the homestead safely!
These are some of the fun things we did while we were there.....

Fruit by the Foot eating contests!
Jumping rope!
Crawdad fishing at Donut Lake!
All it takes is a hot dog, and they come by the dozens!
Hiking 'slippery hill'! (Pace named it, and it stuck)
Quad riding!
Eating! We seriously ate sooo good while we were there!

I feel like I left Cade out of all these pictures, so here's a few of him......

Cade loved swinging!
And, I caught him stealing someone else's fishing poles! (I had to get a picture, before I returned them to their proper owners)
He's such a momma's boy, so we snuggled a lot!
And one last one of him and Aunt Emily!
We made some great memories!

Preschool Grad!

2010-06-08T14:50:00.006-07:00

A week ago, my sweet three year old graduated from preschool! He had a great year! Not only did Pace grow physically, (2 inches and 5 pounds since September!) but he has grown socially as well! He is everybody's friend! He has also learned to write his name and is beginning to read! I am so grateful to his amazing teacher! Thanks Miss Caroline!

Pace was so shy at his graduation and wouldn't sing or do the actions to most of the songs he learned, but when he was at home, he would sing his songs so loudly he was practically screaming. I thought I'd post just one video clip from his graduation......

Pace, I'm so proud of you, and all that you've learned over the last year! Just think..... only 2 more years of preschool to go! (It's going to be a long 2 years!)

The Backyard

2010-06-07T11:06:00.013-07:00

We moved into our beautiful new home (with a big, but ugly backyard) almost 3 months ago. Anxious to play outside, we decided we needed to landscape the backyard, and put off decorating the house for a bit. The yard turned out great!
The bike track.
Ahhhh... just in time for summer!
Ummm... I probably should have picked up and raked before I took this picture. (Giggle) But then it wouldn't look like we use it, right?!
My teeny tiny garden and my one lone citrus tree. I'd like to expand on the size of that sometime soon! =)

And the fun has begun!!
My Niece, Kyra, and my little Cade! Ya, we don't really believe in wearing clothes! =)
Noah, helping my boys get around the track.
Eric is such a good dad. He sleeps out on the trampoline with the boys, and will even use pink blankets! =)

And the pool!! So fun!

Zoo Fun

2010-03-27T19:39:00.003-07:00

I took the kids to the zoo yesterday, and it was so much fun!! The weather couldn't have been better and neither could the company! Thanks Janae, Noah, Kyra, Brian, Brooke, Ryah, Heather, Kali, and Alivia!

Some shots of the animals....

And, some shots of us....

Janae can't be apart from Brandon for long, or things like this happen....
All of the kids at the new Komodo Dragon exhibit.Kali really likes Pace. :)
All of us (except Brian, Brooke, and Ryah) in all of our cuteness. :)
Noah showing the camel who's the boss! Pace got too scared at the last minute and wouldn't ride.
Awww, what a cute family!
Brian is so good with my boys!
"Whoa, that's a big elephant skull!"

These two boys were just crazy! I don't know who they belong to! :)

I think this was their "Mad Face"....And this was their "Crazy Face"....

Founder's Day

2010-03-21T20:25:00.013-07:00

This weekend was such a fun one! Janae, myself, and our kiddos went to Joseph City to spend time with my mom. It just happened to be Founder's Day as well, which made for even more fun!

We had to stop and give the kids a break on the way to Joseph City. Hard to believe there was this much snow in the middle of March!
Our first attempt at canning chicken. It went very well, and my pantry now has a good supply of chicken!Janae and I ran the Founder's Day 5K! It was freezing (21 degrees)! So much fun though!We took the kids across the street to the Tractor Show. The kids had a blast!We had yummie BBQ at the firehouse.Such a good time in JC!

12 Women, 2 Vans, 204 Miles

2010-03-02T22:34:00.004-07:00

About a month ago a friend of mine (Kimberly Harper) called me and asked if I would take her place in running the Ragnar Relay. I'm so grateful for that phone call! I had an amazing experience! Go Team B.L.I.N.G (Better Late Instead'a Never Girls)!
My first run, 7.1 miles at a 7:30 minute/mile pace.Hanging out in Skull Valley waiting for our van's turn to run.
Some of my teammates (wish all their faces were showing). We had the coolest shirts and the coolest team!A few girls from a Joseph City team. It was super fun to see some old friends out there on the course!
Something really tragic happened during the race.... A 17 year old boy was hit by a car in the middle of the night (he ended up passing a couple days later). Due to this, the route of our race was changed and some of us didn't get to run our second leg (mine included).

This is me on my last leg, bringing it in to the finish line! ( I pushed it way too hard, I thought I was going to pass out, but I averaged a 7:15 minute/mile pace.)My family was there waiting for me!Brooke & I. It was so fun to run into her out there as well! Maybe next time we can run together!

London's Run

2010-01-30T15:48:00.001-07:00

I dragged my poor husband along with me this morning, and we ran the London's Run in Queen Creek. I love when Mr. Martineau humors me and goes on these little (6.2 miles) runs with me, even though I know he secretly hates it (he'd never admit it). I love him for it!

The Babe Is One!

2010-01-24T21:15:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it, but Cade turned one today! Ahhh! Can I still call him my baby? And, does time go by faster after each child, because this year flew?

He was so stinkin' cute! He clapped after each present he got!
Happy Birthday my sweet baby! I love you!

Sweet Noah

2010-01-21T21:16:00.004-07:00

Noah is Pace's favorite person in the whole world, (even if he is 6 years older than him) and I overheard the sweetest thing from Noah when Pace had him over for a sleepover the other night and thought I should record it.

Pace has recently been having 'Night Terrors', and this night was no different. He woke up screaming around 2AM; when I made it into his bedroom, Noah was trying to comfort him. He said, "Pace, do you want me to say a prayer with you, and sing 'I Am a Child of God'? That's what always helps me when I have bad dreams." He continued by just saying, "If you cry again, I'll wake up and say a prayer with you and sing 'I Am a Child of God', okay?"

What a sweet sweet spirit my 9 year old nephew has! Love you, Noah!

Big Brother

2010-01-13T21:46:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity to visit with Pace's preschool teacher today at the park. She said, "Beth, I have to tell you about Pace yesterday at school." "We did this activity called, I'm special because..., where we passed around a mirror and the kids had to look in the mirror and tell the other kids why they thought they were special." "Instead of looking in the mirror and saying, I'm special because I have blue eyes or a nice smile etc., Pace said that he was special because he's helping his little brother learn how to walk." "What a sweetheart Pace is, Beth!"

Pace loves being a big brother!

Christmas Time

2009-12-28T21:42:00.001-07:00

We spent a few days at my mom's for Christmas. Here are some highlights......

Snow!
Not a lot of it, (not even enough to rake together a snowman) but it was a blast!
Riding the quads! If you ask Pace about it, he'll complain that it was... "so cold and bumpy." It really was cold! We would usually wake in the morning to a frigid 6 degrees, and the warmest part of the day was about 35 degrees. Ouch!
I don't know what it is about a piano, but it's a baby magnet! Ryah, Cade, and Kyra love grandma's piano!
Christmas morning, yikes! We all wish we could look as good as Cade in the morning!
Cade's favorite present. He loves to be able to walk around, but can't quite do it without the help of furniture, walls, or someone. He was cruisin' everywhere and lovin' it!
Pace didn't have a favorite. He had two... his dinosaurs, and his train.
Eric had a favorite gift too.... Call of Duty, Modern Warfare! Ugh! It's my least favorite gift of his.
I was the one taking the pictures, but someone managed to sneak one of me too.
Brooke loved her video camera.
I don't think pants could have been Brian's favorite gift, but it was the only picture I had.
Carrie got an iphone!
Janae got a laptop!
Brandon got shirts with his new 'Avid Offroad' business logo!
And my sweet mama.... she wasn't feeling very well. Sorry for the lame picture mom, but I had to post a picture of you on here too!
The day after Christmas, Pace joined my mom on the sick wagon.

Thanks mom, for such a fun Christmas holiday in your home!

Three

2009-12-18T23:06:00.022-07:00

We celebrated Pace's birthday tonight! I can't believe he's three!

Pace loves Lightning McQueen!

We all wore party glasses instead of party hats!

We played 'pin the tail on the donkey'. Noah got the closest of all the kids....

......but the adults had more fun!

We played 'Go Fish', one of Pace's favorite games.

Here come the cake and gifts......
Cooke dough ice cream cake! Yum!

We had a great time! Happy Birthday my sweet Pace!

Great Grandma

2009-12-09T23:34:00.001-07:00

We made a trip out to my grandma's house tonight to take her a Christmas present. These are just a couple shots of our little one's with their great grandma Frost.
Noah, Ryah, Kyra, Cade, and Pace

Cade wasn't sure what to think.

I always feel so good when I make it out to see her, why don't I do it more? I love you grandma, and I'm so thankful for the wonderful son you raised (my dad)!

Saturday Fun

2009-12-08T15:48:00.011-07:00

We had such a fun time out at Troy's house on Saturday. He has pretty much every animal you can think of, and lots of land to play around on. I took lots of pictures up until the time the horse stood on my foot! Here's some of the fun we had.......

Pace, riding a motorized four-wheeler.

Troy, teaching Pace how to ride a horse.

And then Pace rode alone! Honestly, I can't believe Pace wasn't afraid, because earlier that day, he screamed in terror at the sight of Santa Clause at our ward party! Santa must be scarier than a horse?

Even Cade enjoyed riding!

Brian and Brooke looking hot!

Ryah didn't enjoy being a cowgirl too much!

It's hard to pull Noah off the horses. He loves it!

Eric and I. Notice the smile on my face; it was just minutes before the horse planted his foot on mine!

Troy, showing off!

Thanks Troy for sharing your fun house (and animals) with us!!

Cousins

2009-11-27T22:07:00.008-07:00

Holy moly, my boys have a lot of Martineau cousins! We get together the day after Thanksgiving each year with all of Eric's siblings. What a fun time for our kids, when they get to hang out with all their cousins!

The kids all get to open a gift (pajamas)! Half of them end up wearing them the rest of the day because they are so excited!

Yep, my boys had to wear their new pajamas too!

Turkey Trot

2009-11-26T21:53:00.001-07:00

This Thanksgiving we ran the Turkey Trot again. We normally run this race as a family (it is a day to be with family after-all), but this year, I left my sweet husband behind. Eric pushed the boys in the jogger and I ran ahead. I finished the 6.2 miles in 47 minutes 52 seconds and Eric finished in 110 minutes. And even though it was a hot and miserable November day (81 degrees), our boys did awesome!

Full Moon

2009-11-24T19:47:00.003-07:00

Pace was reaching to get an apple slice off the counter and......

.....exposed a full moon! Priceless!

Field Trip

2009-11-24T19:25:00.011-07:00

Today, I was able to go on a field trip with Pace and his fellow preschoolers to Superstition Farm. These are a few of the pictures I took while I was there.

From left to right..... Pace, Kayla, Tommy, Brayden, Lizzie, and Grant

Going through the hay maze.

We got to hold this friendly chicken.

The kids took turns feeding the horses, carrots, but Pace was too afraid. We just stood for a picture instead.

He wasn't too afraid to brush the goats....

..... or pet the rabbits.

We ended with a hayride to see all the cows (we even saw a baby cow that was only 1 hour old; and the mom had the umbilical cord still hanging out, she hadn't delivered the placenta yet).

All in all, it was a great time!

Family Pictures

2009-11-04T21:52:00.018-07:00

Halloween

2009-11-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween this year was spent at Disneyland! We had a great time at Mickey's Trick or Treat Party!

What a good-lookin' family, don't ya think?

Cade was a green monster.

Pace was Max from 'Where the Wild Things Are' and Eric was a Monk.

I love this picture of my boys!

My sister Carrie, the mobster.

My sister Jennifer and her kids. We don't see them often, so it was so nice to spend time with them at Disneyland.

So, little Kyra isn't showing in this picture, but I had to post this one because Brandon looks so good! The following picture includes Janae's little girl too.

My mom was there too! Not dressed up, but so glad she was there.

Brian, Brooke, and Ryah as Fred, Wilma, and Pebbles Flintstone.

This was the only shot we got of our kids in front of the castle. Oh well, at least you can tell Pace had a fun-filled time!

Pumpkin Fest

2009-10-23T22:03:00.012-07:00

Last night we took our sweet boys to a pumpkin festival at Schnepf Farm. What a party!

Face Painting.

Family photo.

Pace LOVED riding the ponies!

Eric took Pace on all the rides. (I didn't get a picture of them on the roller coaster.)

Did I mention that I got my face painted too! We only had one face-painting wuss in the family!

The Post Puerto Rico Peel

2009-10-16T21:19:00.001-07:00

Puerto Rico

2009-10-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Eric's parents are currently serving as Mission Presidents in Puerto Rico. We had the privilege of spending the first week of October there. The following pictures are only a glimpse of the fun and adventures we had while we were there!

Pace, Maddie, and Peyton spent a lot of time with their critter catchers; catching snails and Coqui frogs day and night!

Cade would sit on Grandma's back porch and observe the critter catching.

Pace's Coqui frog got away!

Another critter that grandma caught!

We loved going to the beach!

A family shot, minus Cade, he was.....

...sleeping.

That red bump on Pace's head is from falling off the bunk bed earlier in the day.

Nudity at this age is okay, right?

Our group on the beautiful beach of Culebra!

Cade spent a lot of time sleeping and.....

...eating sand!

A classic picture of Maddie doing a hand stand on the beach.

I think I was drowning, while my husband just stood watching!

I love this man!

Somehow, Eric and Brad convinced the kids to give them mud massages!

We also got to go to the coolest castle!

Outside the castle, we were able to fly kites!

This Day in September

2009-09-17T09:47:00.005-07:00

I love running in the mornings with my boys! Today, I could feel a change in the air. A hint of fall (or at least the closest we get to fall living in Arizona); a little reminder of why I love living here.

Pace's Max

2009-08-14T21:16:00.016-07:00

Pace woke up this morning to a present from his Aunt Emily (it was Max, from the book 'Where The Wild Things Are')! Pace has loved that book, and Max for.......well, his whole 2 years of life! Thank you Aunt Emily! Max hasn't left his side today!

Max even had to eat breakfast with Pace this morning (and have a green bowl too).

This video clip is Pace reciting the book (which he has been able to do since he's been able to talk).

Preschool

2009-08-11T16:17:00.005-07:00

I can't believe I have a child in school! Okay, it's just preschool, and he is the youngest in his class, but I am such a proud mom! Pace had a great 1st day, and loves his teacher (Ms. Caroline).

The Fat One

2009-08-06T18:47:00.001-07:00

Cade had his 6 month check up today (I can't believe my baby is 6 months already)! Eric and I call him 'the fat one' because next to his older brother he really is a chunk. Today he weighed in at 21 pounds! He is in the 92 percentile for both his height and his weight (just livin' up to his name)! I love you my baby.....my fat one!

The Faith of a Child

2009-07-15T22:54:00.001-07:00

Pace (our 2 1/2 year old) has been in swim lessons and has really been struggling. And although he does everything coach Steve asks him to, he screams the whole time and begs me not to take him to swim lessons. It has been really hard on me, and I'm almost in tears most days by the time swim lessons are over and I've debated even giving up. Anyway, for Family Home Evening we taught Pace the story of Nephi and how Heavenly Father commanded him to build a boat. We explained that Nephi didn't know how to build a boat and that he must have been really scared and nervous. And we told him how Nephi prayed to Heavenly Father for help, and then he was able to build a boat and not be scared. We taught him that if he needed help with anything (like learning to swim) Heavenly Father would help him just like he helped Nephi. So....on Tuesday Pace was crying before we even left the house for swim lessons. While we were driving, I asked Pace if we should pray and ask Heavenly Father to help him. He said yes, and asked if we could pray that he could build a boat. After our prayer, Pace immediately stopped crying. He went through the whole lesson without a tear. He said Heavenly Father was helping him and he couldn't wait to call daddy and tell him! And today we said a prayer on our way again, and he couldn't wait to go. He was so sad when we got there :and discovered that lessons were cancelled because a kid puked in the pool.
Oh, the faith of a young child! And I am so proud that he's my child!