Martinez Moments

Getting Sentimental...among other things...

2011-12-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

Settle in for a long winter's blog...

Since I've only been blogging once a month or every month and a half it seems like I always have a million things to say. You may remember my last post at the beginning of November. We had had a somewhat difficult fall and were all pretty worn out. I am glad to say that things have been better around here for most of us!

For those of you who didn't know I am expecting a third little miracle July 4th. It's been a rough pregnancy so far, but we are nearing the end of the first trimester and I have hope things will get a lot better in the next month.

Jonah is feeling 110% better and is back to his crazy cute little self. He views the world around him as his own personal jungle gym. I am amazed at his acrobatic skills every day. He isn't afraid of anything (with the exception large dogs)! His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds every day and I love to hear him talk!

Liam is as smart as ever. He cracks us up all the time with the things he has to say. And he is so helpful. It has gotten to be a lot of fun doing things with him, taking him places and experiencing the wonder of the world again through his perspective. One of my favorite changes in him is his recent realization that Jonah can be fun! They play together all the time now. I hear them giggling about everything. and Liam now knows that Jonah will copy almost everything he does. This, I have found, is very dangerous!

Today was Liam's first participation in a Christmas program, or any type of program for that matter. I had been really looking forward to it, but I didn't expect to be so emotional about it! I helped lead worship this Sunday so I was there to see the program in the first service (Liam was only in the program for the second service). As I watched all the cute little kids I couldn't hold back the tears.

Most of you know that we went through 3 1/2 years of infertility before we conceived Liam. There were so many moments that I would be completely overcome by grief during those years. It would hit me at the most unexpected times. Today, all of the sudden, I was instantly transported back to a Christmas program about 5 or 6 years ago. I remembered so clearly sitting in the seat next to Edwin, watching all those cute little kids and my heart completely broke for the thousandth time. I was overcome with the realization that I would probably never get to sit in that seat with a huge grin on my face watching MY little boy or girl sing her heart out, or pick his nose, or just stand there like a statue. I actually had to get up and leave in order to go and compose myself.

Flash back to today and I was overcome with wonder! There I was watching the program, knowing that my little Liam, MY precious miracle would be up there in a little over an hour. That I would get to wave at him from my seat. That Edwin would be running around the sanctuary with a video camera trying to capture what would be to most people the most boring video they'd ever seen! God has been so incredibly good to us. He has given us more than we ever deserved. And this moment was such an overwhelming reminder of His grace and goodness.

So, without further ado (and mostly for the grandparents, because no one else will think it's interesting), Liam's inaugural performance...

And here are a few pictures of what we've been up to the rest of December.

We have had some MAJOR transitions. Edwin's parents and two of his cousins and their entire families all moved to the area on November 30th! We went from having very little family close by to having a ton of family close by. The cousins are all up in Vancouver and I took the boys up there a few weeks ago to begin getting reconnected. Here are just a few of them.

And this is Edwin's nephew Irie. Edwin's parents are raising him full time right now. Hopefully we'll all be able to help each other!

Meeting Santa and Christmas tree farm

Doesn't Jonah remind you of that kid in The Christmas Story with that poofy red coat?

Seeing the lights go on on the Christmas tree for the first time.

Watching Charlie Brown's Christmas

Discovering Nutella

Out to see the Lights Of Christmas at Warm Beach Camp with the Brennans

The crash after all the fun

It's been an interesting fall....

2011-10-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't had ANY desire or energy lately to take pictures, let alone get a blog post up. But I thought I should make a little effort here for those of you who don't get to see the kids in person very much. The truth is Jonah has been sick for most of the last three months. And not just a little sick, he has been really sick. So, we haven't been out of the house much or done anything very picture worthy. Poor Liam! He and I are going insane with all this social isolation. It can wear you down pretty quick!

Anyway, I'll spare you the details (mainly because I am so sick of the whole thing) and get right to the few pictures we have taken. We went to the pumpkin patch a few times this month (we live super close and it is really cheap), once with Daddy and once with the Brennans. We didn't get many pictures, but at least you can see what the kids look like these days!

This one was taken right after Jonah took a face plant in the sand, running around. He was so crabby this day to begin with. Poor guy was still feeling pretty bad.

Liam couldn't care less about the pumpkins, he just wanted to see the animals. He still LOVES animals.

This is how Jonah spent most of the day.

Pumpkin patch take 2: Feeling a little better (but not much)

I am learning more and more that little boys need to get outside no matter what the weather. Good thing we have a great place to put on the rain gear and get crazy! I thought they'd end up a lot dirtier, but Merritt and Morgan were ready to head inside pretty quick. We might have to start calling them "the city kids". Liam and Jonah would stay out there all day if I let them.

Well, sadly, those are the only decent picture I have. Here's to hoping we have a much more fun November!

Shifting Into High Gear!

2011-09-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Jonah is officially walking! He started about a week and a half after his birthday and is getting faster and faster every day. This video was taken about two weeks ago and he is a lot more steady now. Never a dull moment!

Liam decided one night a dinner that he really wanted to sing and sing he did! I LOVE it when he sings, it makes my heart so happy. And I think he has pretty good tone! He does, however, forget the words to most of the songs, but what he lacks in precision he makes up for in creativity. He kind of reminds me of my dad that way. I don't think I've ever heard my dad get the lyrics right on any song!

Finally, these are some of the shots taken on Jonah's One Year Birthday shoot. He is hard to get a picture of because he NEVER stops moving, so he gave the photographers a run for their money! But I think we got a couple of good ones.

Happy Birthday Sweet Jonah!

2011-08-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

You are sweet and cuddly, crazy and aggressive, funny, super active, cute, charming, curious, adventurous, and I ADORE you!

We had a great birthday week with Jonah. It started off Tuesday with a one year photo session (I will post some of those photos as soon as I get them). Then Wednesday, Jonah's actual birthday, we celebrated just our little family. And Saturday we had friends and family over for a party. It was so much fun! The weather was great, the food was amazing, and the kids had a blast. I am so thankful for my community and how they love on my kids so thoroughly!

Sorry for the media blitz, but I got a lot of great video throughout the week! The first is a slide show of the pictures from Jonah's party and the second is a video of the party. The third and fourth videos are from Jonah's actual birthday. In the third one I had blown up the pool to see how big it was and the kids thought it was the greatest thing ever. It was a little tall for Jonah by the time I blew up the third level so it turned into more of a wrestling ring. And I had to put the fourth one on because Liam made me laugh so hard. It's a great example of his incredible negotiating skills and his pure joy over birthday cakes and celebration! Enjoy

Untitled from Nina Martinez on Vimeo.

Annual Vacation with the Brennans!

2011-07-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our annual trip with the Brennan family. This is one of my favorite trips every year and they are getting better and better as the kids get older. Merritt and Liam LOVE spending time together and Jonah and Morgan are getting to be more fun as well. The adults don't get as much down time as we'd like, but we have a ton of fun anyway. It's so fun to see the trips evolve as our families evolve and every year we dream up what we're going to do the next year!

This year we went to the bustling town of Cle Elum, WA. Why on earth did we go to Cle-Elum? Good question! With four kids at 3, almost 3, 1 1/2, and 1 it made more sense to find an amazing house with an amazing yard to spend all of our time at and Cle Elum had just the one with an amazing price tag to boot! And as it turns out there was a lot to do there. We found some great parks, went on a beautiful hike, toured the neighboring towns, hit the mining museum, rented some quads, and really enjoyed the house and it's amenities. So much so, that we didn't get a whole lot of pictures or video this year! But I put together a slideshow and video with some of the good stuff.

Oh, and I almost forgot, Jonah started taking some steps on his own! I know, we are in BIG trouble now! We got the first few on video the night before we left. There is also a picture of Liam and Edwin at Larabee State Park and the boys playing around in the Galaxy the day before we left. Enjoy!

Cousin Fun

2011-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a really fun trip to London, Ontario, about 2 hours outside of Toronto. Edwin's cousins, Pablo and Ceci both live there for the time being with their families and we flew out to spend a week with them. We all had a great time, but Liam was in heaven! The whole week before we left he talked about his "cousins" non-stop. I don't know if he knew exactly what he was in for, but he enjoyed every minute. The traveling there and back was a real bear with Jonah, but it was well worth it!

We stayed with Pablo, his wife, Mady, their son Alek (who is three days older than Liam) and daughter, Mia (5 months older than Jonah). It was a packed house, but full of fun. Ceci and her husband, Julio, also have 2 boys, Sebastian, 5 and Julian 2. The boys played really well together which left a surprising amount of time for us to enjoy the adults. We REALLY miss them and are hoping they might find themselves in Vancouver, BC soon (Edwin and I have been working on importing as many family members to this area as possible over the last several years and our efforts have not gone void!). Liam and Alek really have fun together and Sebastian was incredibly loving and sweet to all the younger kids as well. They are all so different and it was really fun to see their unique personalities. We didn't get a ton of must see video, so I put together a quick on of Liam and Alek having fun and also a slide show of our time down there. (Don't forget that you have the option to watch them full screen)

In other news, the boys continue to change at the speed of light. Liam's communication capabilities are off the charts! He never stops talking and what he has to say is so adult sometimes. I think Edwin's cousins got a kick out of Mr. Chatty. You have to spend more than a few hours with Liam for him to warm up, but once you do you cannot get him to be quiet, so most people don't believe me when I tell them he talks...A LOT. Here are a few of his recently acquired sayings:

In answer to anyone asking him to do something he doesn't want to do, "Not today," or "I don't think so."

When really wanting someone to listen to him, "Do you understand?"

"Mommy turn the music down, I'm talking to you!"

When talking about things he knows he'll finish his sentence with, "Did you know?"

Jonah is on the move and he never stops moving! He will try anything and has NO sense of risk! He has gotten to be quite the trouble maker, but he is so stinking cute! He has started to stand up on his own in the middle of the floor and has pretty good control when walking with any kind assistance. I am pretty sure he is on the verge of walking and that TERRIFIES me! I have no doubt that he will run just moments after he figures out how to walk and our lives will be high energy ALL the time! I can't take my eyes off of him for even a second as it is. Below is video of proof!

The Monthly

2011-06-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

I think I may rename my blog to something like "The Monthly". It seems like every time I write a post I am apologizing for the time that has passed since the last post! I guess thats what having two kids means for me, less time to post. So I'll just continue to cram tons of random stuff into one and maybe someday I'll get more consistent!

June FLEW by! I cannot believe it. And I think the rest of the summer is going to fly as well, since we have a lot of fun stuff coming up. The best thing about this last month is how much time we got outside despite the weather. I suppose it's all relative. I mean, I know the weather this last month was disappointing, but it was A LOT better then the month before it. So, that's something to be thankful for, right?

Here are a slideshow and a video of some of what we've been up to. I'll let them speak for themselves! And just as a reminder (for those of you who don't spend a lot of time on the internet) You have to click the title of the blog post in your email to see the media and if you want to see either of these full screen just look for the button on the bottom right that looks like four arrows all pointing outward ;)

How are you doing last night?

2011-06-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome, June. Please don't rain all month. We really need some sunshine! It felt like a really long May. The few days that the kids and I were able to get outside were so blessed. But the rain always came back and it starting to get a little oppressive! So I don't have a whole lot of fun pictures and video, I think we just hunkered down and tried to survive the last few weeks. But here is a little glimpse of what we've been up to.

We headed out to Edwin's family's place in Birch Bay a couple weeks ago and got to do some kayaking. I think Liam had more fun thinking about it and getting ready to go do it than he actually had in the kayak. But we had a good time none the less.

Jonah is still very adventurous. He is ALWAYS finding something to get into, or some way to get in trouble. He's creative, fast and won't take "no" for an answer! Here I was cleaning out his little drawers and he had some ideas of his own...

And he's always super happy after bath time.

Liam continues to change at the speed of light as well. His vocabulary has sky rocketed. My favorite is when he uses new phrases that he has learned but doesn't quite get them right. Like "how are you doing last night?" and when he is heading upstairs from the shop he says, "I'll be right back down stairs!" He still loves letters and counting and isn't very into things like his bike or motorized tractor. He's also in a phase where he doesn't entertain himself very well. He spends most of his time following me around and if I'm not paying attention to him he gets naughty! But he is sweet and very helpful and funny and so very cute!

Aww... brothers. If only they acted like this all the time! Jonah loves to be anywhere that Liam is and follows him around the house. But he is also very bad about trying to get into whatever Liam is doing. Liam doesn't show a ton of love to Jonah, but we're working on it and praying about it. He is just recently starting to get that Jonah can be fun, especially when there's nothing else to do. But the toy thieving and aggressiveness is a little frustrating.

This is Liam and his buddy Merritt at the Ski to Sea Parade. They loved it!

Forced to pose for a picture, but Liam was really patient and did his best to hold Jonah up!

With Grandma and Grandpa

And Mommy and Daddy

Jonah Jokes

2011-05-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

Jonah has the funniest little laugh and the one person who can make him laugh the hardest is his big brother, Liam.

(reminder - the videos don't show up in the email you get so you have to click on the title of the blog to watch it on the blog itself.)

Semana Santa

2011-04-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a trip to Guatemala for Easter week. It was a long trip down and back but our time there was wonderful! Liam hasn't been to Guate since he was 5 months old and this was Jonah's first time there and meeting a lot of the family. Usually when we go down we spend a lot of time working and driving, so it was really fun for me to get to stay in the city and spend the whole time with family. We had some kind of family fiesta every day and I think I ate enough food to hibernate the rest of the year! Oh well, back to the gym tomorrow.

Liam and Jonah had a great time. Liam got to play every day with his cousins and there were a ton of things planned for them to do. The communication was definitely somewhat of a barrier, as was the fact that he's so tall! None of his older cousins could figure out why he seemed so behind since he's the same size as them. But they all have a least a couple of years on him! And Jonah was just...well, Jonah. He's everyone's friend. He'll go to anyone and he smiles all of the time. You can't help but want to have him around!

We didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked with Edwin's parents due to some unfortunate circumstances, but hopefully we'll get to see them again soon. We did get to spend quite a bit of time with Edwin's grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and their kids, so all in all it was a very precious time.

Here is a slide show followed by a video of our time down there. Remember, if you want to see it full screen you can just click the box in the lower right had corner that has arrows pointing outward. Enjoy!

The Toy Bin Trend

2011-03-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

Jonah is getting more and more active by the day! And as is true with ALL kids the toy bin continues to be a huge hit. It didn't take long for us to get some video showing Jonah's enthusiasm similar to Liam's when he was that age.

And here is a picture of my little cutie playing in the clean laundry.

Keeping up!

2011-03-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well, February and into March was a wild ride! We started to potty train Liam on the 11th of Feb. We did the 3 day potty training method and I am happy to tell you it only took Liam 3 1/2 weeks! Oh, it was awful. Edwin left for Guatemala just a few days after we started, so it was just me and there were many times when I would have liked to throw in the towel. But the day after Edwin got back it finally just clicked and we haven't had an accident for a week!

This trip for Edwin to Guatemala was my hardest yet. It seemed like everything that could go bad went bad. Colds, stomach flu, broken appliances, migraines, teething, weather, potty training rebellion, terrible twos, no sleep...I could go on. I was physically and emotionally spent most of the time that he was gone, but we are all doing a ton better now that he's back. And we did have some fun times while he was gone.

Liam now likes to do EVERYTHING himself. Commence instant meltdown if you try to do something for him that he wants to do. But it has its good sides too. He now likes to do things like "help" with the dishes.

For half the time Edwin was gone I went to my parent's house in Spokane for some help. I am so grateful for all the energy the put into the three of us! It was really a relief. And they had a lot of snow, which Liam loved. He doesn't really need to play in it, he just wants to eat it. But he humored Grandpa long enough to help build a snowman.

I love it when I go check on him and he is sleeping in some strange position. He is using the giant Tweety bird at my parents house as a pillow.

Jonah decided to do all of his growing up while daddy was gone. He is now just 7 months old and he cut two new teeth, went from rolling to swimming to crawling across the room, started sitting in a high chair and eating some foods on his own, started sitting up and saying Mama. Now he is starting to pull up to standing a little bit. He's a little daredevil too. He's getting into and trying everything which makes for several bumps and bruises. And he's still the life of the party. He is always smiling, and chatting and giggling. I catch him laughing at himself a lot! I love that about him. And the best part about him is that he is still a fabulous snuggler. Poor little guy, though, gets left on the floor to fend for himself a lot in this busy house. I fight the guilt that I'm not doing as much with him as I did with Liam. I need to read books with him more, sing songs and play games with him more. Liam tends to suck up a lot of the time I have to do those things!

Here is the little guy crawling through the exersaucer.

And here is a little video of my funny baby...

Catching up with Jonah

2011-02-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

My little guy is growing up so fast, too fast! I am constantly amazed at how big and strong he is and how he is blowing all of those little baby milestones out of the water.

He started rolling over from his tummy to his back in December and then hit a little lull. But by mid January he perfected his roll over both ways and hasn't stopped since. Today he is making his way all around the house, devouring solid foods like a starving wolf, exploring everything and anything and lighting up my world with his sweet, easygoing, humorous nature. Jonah is such a fun baby and it just kills me that he won't be a baby for very much longer!

Here's a little video of some of his milestones from the end of January to now. Remember, if you're reading this on the email, you have to click the blog title to go to the actual blog post in order to see the video.

And here is a picture of Liam, just because it's funny. He could care less about the Lincoln Logs, but the Lincoln Log container was a TON of fun!

A Decade Ago...

2011-02-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

we got married on a sunny day, just like today, and I am so GLAD! Happy 10th Anniversary to the perfect and only man for me! We can't be old enough to have been married for 10 years already, can we? Of course, we did get married when we were just babies, so I guess that makes sense.

You know I can get really wordy and sentimental sometimes with my cards and posts, but I decided in honor of our 10 years AND it being our golden anniversary (ten years on the 10th day of February) I'm just going to sum it all up with my top ten favorite memories and/or things I love about you!

10. I have been married to you for 10 years and I am still finding out new things about you. Most recently, how creative with designing things you are.

9. Your sense of adventure and desire for the spontaneous. I can't imagine how boring I would be without you!

8. That we literally built our own home together, with our own four hands.

7. Surfing with your for the very first time in Hawaii, on our honeymoon, and the excited, proud look on your face when you saw me get up for the very first time.

6. Your ability to love people, no matter who, no matter what. People are constantly drawn to you and your incredible nature. So much so that I have to pray sometimes that we don't run into anyone we know when we go out together and I want some privacy!

5. How life is more important than time to you (this one is a little love/hate :) ). It doesn't matter if you have a whole list of things to do, you will always slow down and give the best of yourself to the kids and I. Like the time you had a million things to accomplish in the shop and yard, yet you patiently allowed Liam to help you put the table together, even though it took 10 minutes to screw in each screw.

4. That you are so in tune with the needs of people around you. You anticipate what someone will need even before they need it. And you make yourself available to serve so that everyone else around you can just relax and enjoy themselves!

3. Our last minute trip to Disneyland, planned the day of, about 3 hours before we hit the road! Grilling burgers in the back of the pick up in the parking garage, driving all night, listening to tunes and talking about everything. This one is a definite repeat someday, but maybe we should go to Disney World next time!

2. Your incredible good looks, and the fact that you were kind enough to pass them on to our kids, who are SO CUTE!

1. The phenomenal father and teammate you have become in raising our boys. You are fun, sensitive, loving, stern, flexible, patient, and willing to learn. Liam and Jonah are so lucky to have you and so am I!

I know there are so many more and probably some that would rank higher even than some of these, but these are all precious to me in every way (and they were the extent of what I could come up with, with our two screaming blessings in the background!). I am humbled by you often and more in love with you than ever before. May God grant us many more decades and millions of memories in the years to come. I love you.

Back from Owie

2011-01-24T13:19:00.001-08:00

It's funny how you talk about a vacation, plan for it for over a year, and then your sitting on your couch looking at the pictures you took on your vacation, wondering if you were actually there. It goes so fast!

We just got back from a 10 day trip to Maui (or as Liam calls it, "Owie"). We spent half our vacation celebrating my brother, Jeff, and his new wife, Christine's wedding, and the other half playing with my parents. We were also sort of celebrating our 10 year anniversary, coming up in February. The weather was amazing, the people were a ton of fun, and the sights did not disappoint. I had Aunts and uncles and cousins to play with, we met the important people in Christine's world. All in all we made some great memories.

We started our vacay with a day on the beach followed by an incredibly delicious welcome BBQ hosted by the bride's family. The next day we toured around the area where we stayed and then hit the rehearsal. Sunday was the wedding and then Monday through Saturday we did whatever we wanted! We took our sweet friend, Heidi, with us to watch the kids during all of the wedding stuff. She did an amazing job and the kids love her. I wish we would have begged her to stay for the whole 10 days so that we could have gone out more!

There were only two downsides to the entire trip. Liam was terrified of the ocean, which killed our ability to hang out on the beach...in Hawaii...are you kidding me?!? It was so bad that every time we got in the car he started to panic that we might be going to the beach. His little eyes would go moist and his face would get red and he would start coming up with any excuse not to go to the beach. "Liam take a nap," "Liam stay in his seat," "Back to Owie house," "Back to Owie Condo," "Go to store." You get the idea. It didn't matter how much we tried to convince him we were NOT going to the beach, he wouldn't relax until we got where ever we were headed and he could see we weren't at the ocean. And then half way through the trip Jonah got a really bad cold, followed by Liam, followed by my dad, my mom, Edwin and then me. Again, are you kidding me?!?

But, those aside, we had an amazing trip. So much so that Edwin is now trying to convince me we need to buy a condo there and go all the time! He does this everywhere we go. Maybe we should wait awhile and see if Liam gets over his fear of the ocean. I would hate to live in Hawaii and not be able to go to the beach!

Here is a slideshow of some of our photos. Turns out we were having so much fun that we forgot to take pictures most of the time. I guess we will have to go back for more!

NOTE 1: The email will not show the slide show. You have to click the title of the blog post and that will send you to the actual blog with the full post. This is ALWAYS the case with video/slideshows etc.
NOTE 2: there is an icon at the bottom, second from the right on the slide show that looks like four arrows pointing in all different directions, making the shape of a square. If you click on that you will be able to view the slideshow full screen! And turn on your sound if you'd like to hear some tunes...

SNOW!

2011-01-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

We got some serious snow on Sunday and it was glorious! It was also Liam's first time really playing in the snow. He LOVED it! I put together a little video. By the way, I was recently told that when you get the emails for Martinez Moments you don't get the videos. No problem, just click on the title to the blog post and it will send you straight to the blog, which is better for viewing photos and videos anyway. The emails are only meant to be an alert that there is a new post.

Jesus Loves Me

2011-01-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

I got my superstar on video the other day. He is singing more and more. And in the last few days he has been playing with his guitar constantly. I think you'll see from the video that he definitely has some show flare to go along with his talents!

And as always, Jonah is not to be left out. He is rolling over now. He's been rolling over from his tummy to his back and he rolled for the first time from his back to his tummy yesterday. I love the end of this video! Jonah pulls some moves that look like baby breakdancing! Maybe he'll have something to contribute to the family talent pool.

And these have nothing to do with anything, I just thought they merited a spot on the blog.

The sunset off of our deck on New Year's Day.

Isn't he the cutest?

It's a Wonderful Life...

2010-12-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

I was really looking forward to Christmas this year and it did not disappoint! I really wanted it to be calm and quiet and focused on Christ. I didn't want to fuss over making meals that take all day to cook and all night to clean up. I didn't want to have Liam whining about opening presents. I didn't want to be opening a million presents and then having to find a place to put a bunch of stuff we don't really need. I didn't want to go here there and everywhere, trying to see everyone one we know and everyone that they know. And I didn't have to do any of the things I didn't want to! Perfect.

We woke up late on the 24th (a Christmas miracle for my children!) and played around the house all morning just the four of us. Then Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) came late morning to liven things up a bit. Liam was in heaven. If all he got for Christmas was a visit from my mom and dad I think he would have been perfectly content. Edwin made a delicious prime rib for dinner and we ate early and then headed off to church for the candlelight service. Liam and Jonah were incredibly behaved all day and through the service too! Then we came home and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, had some cupcakes and read the Christmas story from Liam's Bible. I loved it!

Getting ready to eat dinner.

All dressed up for church

Liam LOVES to have his back and head tickled and it is not hard to rope Grandma into doing it! It's also a great way to simmer down before bed.

On the morning of the 25th we lingered over an incredible breakfast with four different types of coffee and then slowly wandered over to the Christmas tree for some presents. I know it won't always be that way, as the kids get older and start to really understand what Christmas morning holds! But it was so nice not to rush it this year, or have a million people to cook for and clean up after. After we opened up all the gifs we cozied up and headed outside for Liam's big gift this year. And then we relaxed for the rest of the day. Not one of us ever made it out of our pajamas! This is most certainly not common for my family!! Then we topped it all off with some crazy delicious wine and fondue. I am so grateful for every minute of it and wouldn't change even one thing!

Jonah is already very adept at opening gifts and he seemed very excited about his new onsies. See his little hand holding the wrapping paper...so cute!

He was also VERY interested in ribbons and bows.

Liam got some "Icky" Mouse PJ's

And an easel from Grandma and Grandpa. The easel is a big hit. He even enjoyed helping daddy put it together.

Here is some video of our two wonderful days together...

On the 26th we got to go down to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Everett where all of our Washington family gathered to celebrate Grandma Nancy's birthday and late Christmas. We had a great time catching up with all the family and even squeezed in some karaoke before everyone got there. All in all another fun and relaxing day!

Uncle Jeff showed up in the same shirt as Liam and Liam was pretty proud!
Here is some video of the karaoke. I, of course, could not help but sing a few, and am now convinced that I need my own karaoke!

So, what is my Christmas wish for next year? Please, oh please, let it be as great as this year!

Sing AND Play?!

2010-12-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a follow up to my last post with my amazing singers. Not only can they sing, they are also talented with instruments! I pulled out my guitar the other day to play and Liam loved it. Then what did I find the very next day while looking for a gift for little Morgan? A Liam sized guitar! I think you'll find he's a natural.

We had a ton of fun on Saturday. Uncle Jeff, my brother, came up to hang out and brought the boys some loot. A piano for Liam and a Jonah sized guitar! That just sealed the deal. next year we'll be getting the drums and a microphone for the band. After naps we headed out to see the "preedy lights" as Liam calls them. Then we stopped by a live Nativity scene down the road from our house on the way home. It is so fun to be making all these memories and starting new traditions during the holidays with my own kids!

I think Uncle Jeff will love this video of Jonah with his new guitar. He is also clearly a natural. I mean, he's only 4 1/2 months old and watch how he commands the instrument! Amazing.

And this picture is just because he's so darn cute and cheerful all the time!

My, what singers!

2010-12-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

Liam and Jonah have both found their singing voices and even in that they take after Edwin and I! I would have to say that Liam can carry a tune, just like his mommy...

And Jonah sings just like his daddy...

Here are some other random pictures from November. The ABC's are EVERYWHERE in our house. They have even made it to the bathroom. Liam just can't get enough!

Playing with Grandpa after Thanksgiving.

Learning to make good coffee with daddy.

Sleeping with Grandma.

Jonah found a new toy

2010-11-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

I think we actually posted a video of Liam a few years ago that is very similar to this one. I can't help it, I just think nearly everything they do at Jonah's age is so cute!

Peanuts

2010-11-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

So long October,

2010-10-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

I barely noticed you, you flew by so fast! Not much has been going on here in the Martinez house. Well, with the exception of Jonah. I can't believe how fast infants grow and change. With every other age you have to look back at video and pictures to notice the changes, but I feel like I can see Jonah changing right before my eyes! He is so amazing, I call him my little sunshine. The child smiles ALL the time. And he has started to giggle, which I adore. Anyway, here are a few pictures taken this month, for those of you who don't get to see us in person very often!

Snuggling up to go out for a walk

We hit up the pumpkin patch again this year. I think it is more for me than anyone else in the family, but they humor me. Remember this picture from last fall?

Look how much Liam has grown and changed! I think I will have to make this an annual shot.

Not quite tall enough yet, maybe next year.

Driving the old rusty tractor

Why do my parents make me do these things?

This is how Jonah rocked the pumpkin patch.

Mini handiman

Jonah's bed head cracks me up. Every time we give him a bath he wakes up from his next nap with some really funny style.

My little monkeys.

And here is a bunch of this months little video clips strung together so that you can seen the boys in action.

Family Photos

2010-10-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

Right before Liam's birthday in September we had our favorite photographer, Evantide Photography, come out and take some family photos. We had some taken when Liam was 6 weeks old, so we wanted to get some of Jonah at the same age. And since they were coming out we decided to get some of the family and some of just Liam at two years old. We did them all here at home and were so grateful for a perfect day of weather! I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves...

What!?!? Two!!?!

2010-09-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my biggest little man, Liam! I can't believe he is two years old already. Time has flown by. And I cannot imagine my life without Liam in it. He is an amazing little person! I am so in love with this little guy that sometimes I look at him and my heart literally hurts.

Liam is beautiful (of course, he does look a lot like me), intelligent (he knows all his ABC's, upper and lower case, can count to 16 in english and 10 in spanish, can spell and read a few words, and so much more!), thoughtful (he loves to give out kisses and share his things), observant, funny, obedient a lot of the time, and so much more! I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. He is just growing and changing so fast that I have to really focus on savoring every moment of his precious little life. He is now and always will be my miracle, my baby, a perfect gift from God!

To celebrate this year we threw a big party the weekend before his actual birthday. It was supposed to rain so we threw it in the shop. We created a big underwater fish theme to commemorate the fact that from 12 to 18 months one of Liam's only words was fish. Everything was a fish no matter how hard we tried to convince him otherwise. Here are a few pictures and some video of the event!

Today, on Liam's actual birthday we decided to make the day all about out little man. My aunt, Nancy came to watch Jonah for the day so we could give Liam ALL of our attention. We started off with some man-cakes, sausage and eggs, Liam's favorite breakfast foods, and then we took him to the Vancouver zoo. He loves animals so we thought he would get a kick out of the zoo. Here is some more video and a few pictures of our favorite animals.

In other news, Jonah has been periodically sleeping through the night, three nights now, though not consecutively. Wooooohoooooooo!!!!