More Birthday Fun!!!

Since Gav's birthday was on a Wednesday night and he was kinda short-changed being rushed through his celebration due to Matt having mutual, we decided it would be fun to take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday. We invited an uncle (Joshua) and a couple cousins (Andrew & Spencer) to come play with us.

Preston meets the Chuck Meister!!

Then on Sunday, he got to open gifts from Gma & Gpa Palmer and Gma & Gpa Hamilton. Guess what he got???????????????????

LEGOS galore!!!!

We spent the next couple days putting them all together. Blake helped and I helped. It's rather relaxing to sit and put together a Lego dump truck! ;) Frightening pic, I know.

Gavin is FOUR!!!

This morning when I went in to wake Blake up for school, Gavin instantly sat straight up in bed and asked, "Is it my birthday?!!!" Then he announced that he was bigger now that he was four. Blake called him over to measure up to him and confirmed that Gav is indeed taller! ;) Love those boys!

I whipped up some pancakes for breakfast, at Gavin's request. I stuck a {pink} candle in his short stack and we sung our birthday wishes to start the day off. He was all about that!!

Originally, I had planned to take Gavin to the zoo, but when I asked him, he said he didn't want to go. So we ended up at the neighborhood park with other mommies & playmates from the ward. :) Gav picked McDs for a gourmet lunch of chicken nuggets, french fries, apple dippers & chocolate milk! All he cared about was that he got a "short, fat one" (aka Theodore) as the toy. :)

Before we left for the park, Gavin opened a bday card from his great-grandma Hamilton and received a $10 bill. I decided we'd stop by Target after lunch and let him pick out something to buy with his monies. He picked out Bakugan (surprise!) and handed over his money to the cashier. When we got into the car, he FREAKED out that he didn't get his dollar back!! Mommy had to give him a little lesson on the spot about exchanging our money for things. Easy come, easy go, right?! ;)Time to open presents!!!

Gifts - Star Wars dudes, Leapster game, Lego car, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs DVD, Little Einsteins matchbox cars, Tinkertoys and the BIG surprise, a Toy Story foldout couch!!

Guess who thinks he owns the couch? ;)Makin' his wish..... for a BIG WHALE!!!! That's what he said, LOL!! But of course!I love his smile here! And those ears..... oh boy.

This past Sunday, Gavin went to SUNBEAMS for the very first time!!! He was more than ready since he was practically four already! He's the oldest in his class. What a handsome dude!

Gavin is a very sweet, lovey boy. He's a good boy, too. He loves his big brother and wants to do what Blake does and have everything Blake has. Gav also likes his space and enjoys being at home with me during the day. He's definitely a homebody!! He has a small obsession with Legos & Bakugans. The kid detests shoes and socks and hardly wears clothes at home. I love his freckles and his Superman swirl in the front of his hair. I'm so glad we have Gavin as a part of our family!!!

Then~2006Now~2010
Love you, Bean!!

Back to the Break

After Christmas and New Years were over and we had a few days to relax and try out our new toys, here's what we spent our time doing:

Lego creations

Easy Bake OvenCrEePy CrAwLeR OvenPlay Doh
Wii, Wii and MORE WII!!!

All day long!!

I've found myself these last few days actually looking forward to summer break! I love sleeping in (kids included), not getting dressed if we don't have to, not going anywhere if we don't want to. Or going where ever we want to. That's saying a lot for me because I'm usually ready to push my kids out the door back to school after a break, but we survived this last one! The kids were pleasant for the most part. We'll still be busy with our extracurriculars during the summer (karate, dance and hopefully swimming lessons!) but I'm looking forward to lazy days! Now, I might be singing a different tune while we're in the thick of it. ;) But at this moment, I can't wait to enjoy summertime with my kids!

Out with the old, in with the new!

New Year's Eve we celebrated BRAZILIAN style with some friends. Several of the guys (and even one of the girls) had served their missions in Brazil so it was fun for them to relive those glory days for a bit. Matt even said the blessing on the food in Portuguese! I almost couldn't contain my giggles. We feasted on churrasco, fried food, rice and beans and guzzled Guaraná, which, by the way, contains 3 TIMES the amount of caffeine as coffee!!!! Whew! No wonder it tastes so good! ;) LOL! Matt MADE me wear one of his soccer jerseys from his mission, but that didn't last long.We had a great time chatting, playing Guitar Hero and laughing our faces off. Of course we rang in the new year with a kiss and some bubbly - Mormon style with Martinellis!

~~~Welcome 2010!!!~~~

For record-keeping purposes, I'm gonna be brutally honest here. I know many people, including lots of those close to us, have struggled this past year. But it was a stellar year for Matt & I!! For the first time in a long time, we've been able to live comfortably and pay forward the generosity we've been recipients of in the past. We definitely have a LOT to be thankful for; our wonderful family & friends, a beautiful home, our health, a stable JOB that Matt loves which provides for our needs and then some. We are ultimately grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and his plan of happiness. We're ready for the New Year, to see what adventures await us as a family! I only hope this year is better than the last!

I have a few goals that I want to get out there so I can hold myself somewhat accountable:

Health: Get myself in better shape, lose 15ish lbs., maybe even conquer a "run" (5K, 10K?)

Personal: Carve out more time for ME, to develop a talent or hobby that I can be passionate about. Treat myself to pampering more often.

Home: Create a warm, cozy environment for our family - my domain!! Finish decorating a few rooms completely. Do a better job at keeping on top of the cleaning; 3600 sq ft is a little daunting!! De-clutter AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

As a Mother: Make sure each of my children KNOW that I love them and genuinely care about them. Spend more time laughing and playing, living in the moment. Be involved. Teach them to be more self reliant and pitch in more around the house. Patience is a virtue.

As a Wife: Flirt {with my husband} more. Date {my husband} more. Less micromanaging. ;)

Bring IT!!!