My Best Friend, My Best Day!

So I am finally reporting on our trip to the beach! Glen and I decided we needed some time together, so two weeks ago, the two of us hopped in the car and drove out west! Can you believe it? Glen and Jen being spontaneous? Well, it happened and here are the pictures to prove it!

So how do you make an Infiniti fly? Here is a list of journaling prompts I had printed for a Young Women's activity. I grabbed a copy just before we hopped in the car and next thing we knew, we were in L.A. ! This was the best part of the trip. We laughed a lot, and learned a lot more about each other than we thought we could after 17 years!

Funny things can happen when you aren't practiced at spontaneity. Like... you can buy tickets for Six Flags online, then drive 5 hours only to find.....it's not open on Tuesdays in October!
It worked out great though. We hit IHOP and headed to the beach instead. A little more my speed. (Guess where Jeffrey is going for his birthday - lol)

Remember Cherry Coke before it came in a can? This was one of our favorite parts of the day we spent at Huntington Pier . Everything was just perfect! The weather was beautiful. We sat on the beach watching the surfers, and we rode a BICYCLE BUILT FOR TWO for an hour and a half up and down the beach (to work off last night's "Great Wall of Chocolate").

Even the Dolphins and Sea Lions showed up to say hello, they were playing right off the pier. It was so fun to call Berkeley up and tell him what we found! Mostly, we just really enjoyed our time together. It was fun talking, eating, planning, working out, and making out. I just love this guy I married, he's my best friend!

Mr. Darcey

I am utterly heartbroken to announce the passing of Mr. Darcey.

When I came in from taking Jeffrey to seminary this morning, I went to get him out and found that he had died sometime last night. He was fine yesterday evening, it was a total shock and a terrible blow. We are really going to miss him!

"BOOK-Lynn"

I can't keep her nose out of this book! She has already finished 76% of her literature for the school year, and somehow she finds the time to just read for fun! Where does she get that from I wonder?

When BrookLynn does the Laundry....

Well, that's how it is around here. We have butterflies EVERYWHERE! They are swarming outside, and now thanks to Berkeley they are swarming inside too! BrookLynn was helping me get things cleaned up this evening, and when she picked up the boy's bath towels, this guy was hiding inside.

Still Brushing!

Catch of the Day

I just LOVE this one!

Cute as a BUG!

Friends - The Daniel Edition

"Hey, I'm on the blog!"

Apparently you are important and loved once you have been blogged by the Martineau family, so tonight we bestow this honor on Daniel Butters.

Well, we DO really like the guy, he was one of our first friends out here in the desert. Today he came by to show us how Halloween cookies are made, and gave me a much appreciated break. He also gave a nice little piano concert, and taught us all to DTR - that's "Do The Right" . Although he was telling funny stories, the little kids were listening and I don't even know if he realized he was being a good example.

As you can see here, Jeffrey has also been a good example for Daniel. Here he is eating his first scorpion!

Moving On

I may not be moving this year, but I'm moving on. I have been released from my calling at church as a Young Women's leader. (WHAHA!) It's been a tearful week! I just loved being with the Young Men and Young Women, we have some AWESOME kids! I especially love my Beehives (12 and 13 year olds). They have reminded me to have fun and made me feel like every Wednesday was girls night out! I am going to miss them lots! (Lucky they still know where I live....)

So what now? Well I am now a Cub Scout Den Mother for the Bears (9 year old boys!) Dawson is sure excited about it. It also means I have a lot more time at home, so I have been tearing up the place (trying to make it all resemble a day spa) and getting around to all those things that just weren't getting done (like trimming the rose bushes, and planting flowers out on the patio).

So, tonight everyone is at mutual and I'm feeling a little blue. I thought I'd just blog my pain, clean out my closet, and try to just look forward to the kids and parents I am going to get to know in my new position!

Waiting

Don't you hate it when it's 6:30 at night and your "fuzzy hug" is still not dry? We tried putting on a movie to help the time pass, but while we were watching, Berkeley slipped into the laundry room to see if watching might help his blanket to dry quicker.....Ahhhhh! Look, he nearly fell asleep standing up once he got his WARM, CLEAN hug.

Laundry day is all about enduring to the end!

"Revived"

For everyone who thinks I dropped off the planet....I did!

Earlier this week Glen and I took a fun trip to Southern California (post coming soon). When we got back I was more than overwhelmed with life. I also have had a hard time getting a grip after being released from Young Women's and put into Cub Scouts. Saturday morning, Glen asked me to write a list of what I needed to get done, then he put me in the car, drove me to North Phoenix to the JW Marriot Desert Ridge Resort and Spa.............and left me there!

At first I was a little uneasy there alone, with even minimal cell phone privileges, really alone. After spending some time learning to let go and be pampered, I started to enjoy my new planet. I spent three days reading, writing in my journal, getting spa treatments, laying in the sun, eating food I didn't prepare, and letting someone else make my bed! I really enjoyed it! By Monday morning I was really missing the family though. I just couldn't stand not sharing this great place with them, so when they came to get me we all played together in the pools and lazy river, and I introduced the boys to my duck friends (who I admit talking to quite a lot during my stay - hey I missed Mr. Darcey too!).

Well, now I am home, and happy to be. What a great family I have! I am so grateful for the recharge so I remember to take the time to enjoy the time. Thanks Glen!

Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday!

Well, against his will, Jacob did in fact turn five! Some will remember his determination to stay four forever...he even quit eating for a while earlier this year cause he didn't want to grow up anymore (yikes!). Eventually, the desire to have a party and a cake got the best of him and he decided to give into fate.
What does he want for his birthday? All he could come up with was a ceiling fan, yes really. Lucky for him, the siblings took things into their own hands, spent an hour at Toys R Us and came up with something a little more fun.
I think he likes it!
Sam has turned from baby to "little brother" He was/is very excited about all the fun things Jacob got for his birthday!
Funny, with all his obsession, I have never thought to get him Hot Wheels accessories! He really had a great day!


Jacob had "A LOT of important calls today."

Marriage between one man and one woman. Can it get any simpler than that? Prop 102 simply secures the definition of marriage through an Arizona constitutional amendment.
Prop 102 is 20 simple and clear words that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
A YES vote on Prop 102 does one thing and one thing only – defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman in the Arizona Constitution, the highest law in our state.
One man. One Woman. Prop 102. That's Marriage.

Be careful when you say........

"Apples are on sale for $o.59 at Fry's"

"What can we do for fun?"


" I need a wig for Halloween."

Really, thanks to Jeffrey and Christian for helping out this afternoon. It was really fun working with the guys in the kitchen, I think we should make it a tradition! (I still have one more bushel of apples boys!)

And the winner is........

This Cheveron car collection started with Jeffrey. He had and awful virus when he was 3 and had to have over 80 wart-like blisters burned off when he was 5. We pledged two Cheveron cars in return for extreem bravery. (This is the boy who had two nurses hold him down for immunizations.) Well Grandad and Grandpa saw how much he liked them and started to beef up the collection ($5 a car was way over budget for us back then). Grandad continued for years buying the newest car out. These cars have been a hit year after year, boy after boy.

The last couple weeks have found Samuel increasingly obsessed.

I just had to get these pictures posted along with some good 'ol historical documentation on the cars who have brought so much joy to the Martineau boys, and many appreciated moments of peace and quiet for Mom!

General Conference

It's the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"

We love General Conference! It's a chance to sit together as a family and listen to the prophet, apostles and other inspired church leaders. While the world seems to fall apart around us, we take comfort in the messages of peace and hope, as well as in the knowledge that the gospel of Jesus Christ remains constant and unchanging! We are so grateful for the restored gospel, and for a living prophet to "guide us in these latter-days"!

It always amazes me how even the little boys end up sitting through almost all four sessions! I always print them out "bingo" cards with pictures of words they might hear like, "tithing, blessings, priesthood, temples, prophet,..." and they color them or just mark the square. It really keeps them listening to what is being said, and they get really excited about it.

Sunday night we all talked about our favorite conference moments. Mine was a tie between Elder Wirthlin's learning to laugh, and President Uchtdorf's message about how hope and action go hand in hand. Here is a link to the Conference archives so you can listen and find your own favorite moment!

http://www.lds.org/conference/languages/0,6353,310-1,00.html

Olivia

This is our Olivia! She spends so much time here it is like she is part of the family, so I thought I had better introduce her to the family here on the blog. As you can see she fits right in, snakes and all.
Olivia is so sweet, always helping out. She always seems to be right there when I am in a crunch and there just don't seem to be enough hands to get everything done. She even cleaned out the school closet with me this fall...now that is angelic! She also spends a lot of time chasing after Sammy when he has worn the rest of us out, and he ADORES her! We love this girl!

This is a movie that has made a profound effect on my life. I makes me feel determined to face life with courage and faith. http://www.emmasmithmovie.com/ You'll want to own this one!

Brush, Brush, Brush

Sam has excellent Dental Hygene! He loves to hear that it's time to brush! I think I have posted it in the past, but he's just so darn cute standing there!


Those are nice little gravel pocks in his forehead from jumping off the bleachers at Brandon's baseball game last night. It looked a lot worse and bled pretty good. Don't worry about Sammy though. Once he got over being angry about his failed jump he was fine. I'll get the pictures off Jeffrey's phone tomorrow and get them posted.
ALL CLEAN!