Alyza's favorite present

Santa baby, Cowboy star, and Toothless

On the 17th day before Christmas, my true loves gave to me...

1 Santa baby
1 cowboy-basketball star
and a toothless 5 year old boy!

(He was SOOO excited to lose his tooth, has been anticipating this for a LONG time!
...and YES my pictures are ALWAYS out of order, it's too hard to figure out.)

Merry Christmas!

GREAT giggles!

My Favorite Child and Her Brothers

Shay looks cute in glasses too, he tried on Garrett's old ones

Garrett and Shay thoroughly enjoyed making Dracula's Dentures, Lori's tollhouse contest entry-- after 2 helpings, Garrett's blood sugar was only at 160--I was relieved!

Alyza is a pretty princess

Happy Halloween!

More Famous Lori

Lori got to be on the news for her "Dracula Dentures". I couldn't quit smiling, watching it. Check out her blog, she has the videos on it:

www.fillmorefun.blogspot.com.

In other news, Rachael's baby boy #2 will arive Monday via C-section. Can life get more exciting?

Amazing Chef Lori

Hey, my sis is so cool. She entered in her delicious invention to a Nestle Spooktacular baking contest and is a top 10 finalist. She could win $2500 if she gets the most Facebook votes. I told her she should give everyone who votes for her $20, but I don't think that is happening. You can vote once a day till Oct. 28. Check it out!

Here is the link:
http://apps.facebook.com/nestlebakingactivity/contests/60612/voteable_entries?ogn=facebook

Good luck Lori!

She will also be on the news tomorrow morning, KPVI. Her interview is at 6 a.m. I'm not sure if she will sign your baby though. You'll have to ask her that yourself.

Deep Question

Elder Hales visited our stake in June and asked every family to dedicate their homes, by the power of the priesthood.

I have been studying "dedication" in the scriptures, and when a temple was dedicated it was often accompanied by a sacrifice.

That made sense to me--if we want our homes to be dedicated to God, there are certain things we must sacrifice--but what?

Coarse language, PG13 movies, computer time--what do we need to give up to keep our homes dedicated?

A penny for your thoughts?

Shay 3rd B-Day Whovillation

Top pic, #1: Our neighbor kids, the Gibbons, who walk w/ Garrett from school to home. Garrett's best friend is "Little Sammy" (who is really not so little, we just call him that so we don't confuse him w/ Uncle Sam).
#2-4: Shay's B-day bash. Had an all day celebration beginning with candles in pancakes and M&M's on them. Later, bought a bag of balloons and had cheap entertainment with them--although one popped when he fixed it w/ his tools. Went to lunch w/ Gpa Boyd, had his favorite dinner of taco meat and chips, and was soooo excited for cake and gifts with everyone. Got great gifts including a few toys that can be used for garages for all the wonderful things he loves: motorcycles, his new combine, etc. He also got the soundtrack for 7 brides for 7 bros. Garrett got the movie for his b-day and they both LOVE it. It is hillarious to hear them sing the songs. This is why I video-ed Shay and Garrett singing "Sobbin Women" today. I am going to try to upload it, but it is long, so it may not work.
Last pic, #5: Cute Alyza.

Diabetes Walk Pics and More

Thanks for all the support we had for Garrett and the diabetes walk. It was sooooper fun. It was great for Garrett to see that many people deal with what he deals with. I also included a few fun pictures of Alyza, and one of Garrett's big catch last weekend.

Sweet Baby Lou

We cannot seem to stay away from nick names at our house. Alyza's first week home, her name evolved to "Lou" or "Lou Lou." Anyway, just thought you might enjoy seeing what she is like.

The latest "up to's..."

A table runner I sewed, because once in a while I sew something easy to make myself feel good, and feel useful. How do I bind it by hand once I have turned it inside out without making it look crappy? Anyone? Mom?! My poor mother, having to still try to teach me to sew. Here was where I got the idea, I plan to make the pumpkin one too, check out this site: http://www.lovetosew.com/autumnsmallrunner.htm



The bee-ootiful Lake Cleveland, we came here for family night on labor day.



Shay's main concern when we go fishing is what he can throw into the water, or roll in this case. He also does a lot of reeling.



Garrett's main concern is to stay far away from Shay, because Shay scares the fish away. We made no catches--we never do unless we go to a stocked place.



Alyza (A.J.) chillin' at the labor day breakfast we had with Matt's family. Speaking of Matt's family, his sister Katie found out today she is having twins. TWINS!! Did you hear that, TWINSSS!!! I still can't believe it, I'm so excited, and so glad it's her and not me! (I mean that nicely Katie.)

Also, next week we are excited to support Garrett in his participating in the "Walk to find a Cure" for diabetes. I wish someone would find a cure! It would be much easier sending him to school! But one thing I know, when you think something is hard, there is ALWAYS someone who deals with something harder! Anyway, if you want to support him, look back a few posts for the info. on how to donate.

First Day of School

Garrett's first day of school--
Top picture: walking home with the neighbor kids
Middle: Shay and Alyza waiting for Garrett to walk home
Bottom: The first day pose
He said he was a little nervous, but when he got home told me he'd had a GREAT day. They played blocks, heard a story, he went to the bathroom (they had weird looking toilets on the wall), saw the computer lab, did a finger check at school, and got to walk home with the neighbor kids. He is way too big for his britches already, what will I do when he really is smarter than me?

Good bye Summer! (tear)

End of summer pictures. This time of year I always feel a little sad, because I love summer and I don't know where it went. The fall nip is already in the air. Here's some pictures of the kids, and a few of the Martineau family reunion in Malad. We had a great time, Garrett was so dirty I didn't know who he was until after his shower. The one of me and my sisters was us doing a Brady Bunch song, "Keep on Movin". We did good for the nerd talent show, but I think our Bingham cousins booted us out of #1. They had a great number, and they dance like black people in white bodies. And the "grown up" boy cousins did a ribbon routine to make fun of our last year dance, and I think they are better than us! One of them did the splits even. We did the bunny hop through their ribbon dance and tried to take away their crepe paper ribbon sticks, but really--they were pretty good!

Walk to Cure Diabetes

Last year, my sister participated in the juvenile diabetes research foundation's "walk to find a cure", a fundraiser for diabetes research. It is going to be Sept. 18 in Idaho Falls. We are participating this year too. I think it will do Garrett good to see all the people there (old and young) who deal with diabetes, and see others who wear pumps. He has his hard days. The other day I had to change his site (where the insulin goes into his skin through tubing) because it wasn't in very well, and his blood sugar was high and he was grumpy. He yelled, "I am not having diabetes anymore when I am 6!" It may not be age 6 when he can get rid of it, but hopefully some day.

If you want to donate (any amount. $1 even), then check out this link! Thanks! Annie

http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=87730841

Family Pictures

We had a great family picture experience with Ashley (Wall). She is just starting to pursue this hobby and with great results. The pictures were taken in the BYU-I gardens. I am so pleased with them. We didn't get one of Alyza smiling, but what we gots fits her personality. She is always eating her dresses. Enjoy the rest of summer, it's going too fast!

Yellowstone, fishing, and swimming

We had a great trip to Yellowstone last week, and Garrett and Shay had the best fishing trip ever at Mack's inn--they got 15 little fishies over the bridge. This week we have cousin Courtney here till Thurs. But we may not let her go, we're having too much fun and she is super helpful with the kids. They started swimming lessons today. Courtney was promoted from level 2 to level 4. Garrett is doing great in level 2 even though he can barely touch. I guess he has to learn to swim in that case. Shay was doing fair until he looked to see where I was and couldn't see me, and his swimming teacher told him I left. Thanks swimming teacher. He was bawling and finished after that. Hopefully he'll try again tomorrow!

Short trip to Seattle

Our short trip to Seattle--we got to go see Matt's Aunt Ann be sealed to her husband Bill. So cool! He has made such a turn around--he quit drinking and smoking after a life time of doing so, accepted the gospel and was baptized last year, and is now a ward missionary! We went to a kid's museum in Bellevue that had awesome hands-on things for the kids to do--lots of water models that reflected things in the state of WA like the locks (bottom pic). There are temple pictures and family pictures. One of Garrett and Matt's cousin Anna who is also diabetic. One of Shay and funny Uncle Ed (who is now famous--he got to be on Jay Leno for the ability to close his mouth over a tennis ball). There is a picture of Matt and the kids by the locks in Seattle, a canal that fills and unfills, raising ships up and down so they can go either to the Puget Sound, or the ocean. Fun trip, too short! I know my pictures are out of order from the way I narrated--I am a blogging loser, so you all must accept my faults.