Martin Family

San Diego Zoo

2010-04-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the zoo. It was such a beautiful, sunny day!

Find us here

2008-10-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

web.me.com/martinfamily3

Family Love

2008-07-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

One last time...

2008-02-27T17:14:00.000-08:00

Okay, here is the link that should not only take you to our website but also allow you to make comments. This has been such a pain! It seems that the pesky "M" in Martin should be lowercase. You may need to re-type our link for it to work from your link list.

http://web.mac.com/martinfamily3

It worked for us but let me know if it worked for you :)

Problem solved

2008-02-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

I believe our “comments dilemma” has been solved! Part of the problem is the link that I posted below. It shouldn’t have “www” in it. So if you have the time, please change our link to this http://web.mac.com/Martinfamily3 and then try to leave us a comment. It should work now. A blog just isn’t as fun without comments!

Something new

2008-01-01T21:58:00.000-08:00

a new year + a new computer =

a new website
www.web.mac.com/Martinfamily3
Check it out and update your link for us.

Welcome 2008

2007-12-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

Put on your party hats and let's welcome in the new year!

Goodbye 2007 and welcome 2008.

We are so grateful for all our blessings and the addition of Nathan to our family in 2007. We look forward to more good times in the new year. Happy New Year!

Ho Ho Ho!

2007-12-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our "Christmas card photo shoot" last Sunday. We only took over 200 shots! :) Nathan looked so cute in his new red pajamas. He has quite the range of facial expressions but his "new face" seemed to appear a lot throughout the photo shoot. We thought it might be his new smile.

This is intense!

So sweet yet silly at the same time.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Nathan's new face

2007-12-16T15:04:00.001-08:00

This new face started as of Saturday and he continues to repeat it...sometimes with a funny nose-breathing sound. We're wondering where he came up with it.
I think these pictures captured it well.

Kevin's 27

2007-12-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

Kevin's birthday was Thursday, December 13th. Kevin and I enjoyed a nice dinner date...just the two of us. It's been awhile since we've done that.

My boys
Happy 27th Birthday!

Trip to Nashville

2007-12-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Kevin enjoyed his weekend in Tennessee with the Chow Family. He enjoyed good food and a good game. (The Titans won!) He made it home safely Sunday evening.

The game
Kevin and David taking a picture with Mike Williams
This is a flashback to last year's Tennesse trip. Kevin and David getting a picture with Vince Young.
Kevin on the sidelines right before the game

Next year we're planning on making it a family trip. I've never been to Nashville so I think it would be fun.

Thanks Chows for the fun weekend!

For Britt

2007-12-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

It was good visiting with you last weekend. This post is just for you!

6 months

2007-12-01T11:34:00.001-08:00

Yay! I'm half a year old!

Nathan had his 6 month check-up on Wednesday. He had to brave 3 more shots. He now weighs 19 lbs 13 oz (90%) and is 28 1/4 inches long (95%). He is such a happy baby. We enjoy making him smile and laugh. This is such a fun age.
He won't be in this infant carseat much longer!
We started solids the beginning of November. He is a pretty good eater. So far he's had rice cereal, carrots, sweet peas, sweet potatoes, bananas and pears. Yum yum!
- Our big boy sitting up in his crib -
His latest trick is pulling himself up from sitting to standing using the crib railing. I was shocked to see him do this. He's a strong little boy! He is making efforts to crawl and has started to scoot backwards.
Last weekend Nathan was very interested in his laundry hamper. Kevin put it over his head and Nathan seemed to think it was pretty neat. Who needs toys when you have a laundry basket?Nathan tried out his piano skills at Grandma and Grandpa Carter's house. Just look at that focus. Kevin and I would love for him to take lessons...when he's older of course.

Happy half-year birthday! We love you!

good things

2007-11-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy and tiring week. But as I sat here, enjoying a few moments of relaxation, I began thinking about the good things in my life.

Here are a few:

I'm done with report cards! I know you may be thinking "how hard can 1st grade report cards be?" but trust me...they are a pain and take way too long to fill out. So, it is good to be done with report cards.

It is good to be married to someone who makes you laugh and you can be silly around. It is also good to be loved as "mama."

It is always good to enjoy yummy food. This is from Thanksgiving dinner at my family's house. Nathan was ready to sample daddy's food.

It is good to see a smiling face. It is also good to get a break from a busy boy who happens to be napping right now. (Nathan is enjoying his play center for the first time here.)

It is especially good to be home right now on this rainy day. I took a half day off work since Kevin is leaving for Tennessee for the weekend. I wanted to be home with Nathan. It worked out well. Not only do I get to enjoy time with Nathan but I avoided being inside the classroom with 20 first graders for a whole work day. (Actually, they were very good this morning.)

Oh, the good things in life!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone enjoys this day with family, friends and good food.

Gobble, gobble, gobble.

Zoo Field Trip

2007-11-21T08:03:00.001-08:00

Yesterday all the first grade classes went on a field trip to the L.A. Zoo. Kevin, Nathan and Sandi met us there. This was Nathan's 1st trip to the zoo.

As we walked in we found Reggie the Alligator...he's pretty famous around here. He was captured and taken to the zoo the day Nathan was born.
Nathan: Hello Reggie!
Nathan was more interested in his pacifier holder than the Komodo Dragon staring at him.
I was so excited to learn that the Gorilla exhibit is finally finished! (We go to the L.A. Zoo every year with our first graders and it's always been a work in progress.) The gorillas were amazing...they didn't even seem real.
This one was roaming around making for some great photo opportunities. I thought this was a cool shot.
Someone's getting sleepy...
My favorite zoo animal is the giraffe. The baby giraffe was adorable and only 3 days old. We even saw him run around which was cute because he was a little wibbly-wobbly on his legs.
Unfortunately Nathan fell asleep right before we came to the giraffes. I thought he would like them since they are so tall and big.

He woke up in time to see the elephant pooping though...whoo hoo! He seemed to like the elephant.

There was all this beautiful bamboo by the elephant so Sandi took some family pictures.

Just look at that sweet face!

The mama and baby orangutan were a crack up. At this point the baby was in trouble and being taken away by its mama. But then they cuddled up together and the baby started nursing. It was very cute.

One last picture near the pretty (but very smelly) pink flamingos! Next we found a spot for me to feed Nathan while Kevin and Sandi ate lunch. It was a very fun day.

If you're wondering where my students were all this time, they were with parent chaperones in small groups. I had so many parents come that I didn't need to be in charge of a group which left me free to be with my family. I just wish I could have drove home with my family. I could do without the bus ride.

Good bye zoo!

Shirt and Tie

2007-11-19T20:53:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from Sunday evening:

Nathan in his "white shirt and tie"

and sweat pants.

(It's all about the comfort!)

He's been chomping on his hands a lot lately.

(Is it teething or just hunger?)

What a Sunday!

All Aboard!

2007-11-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hop aboard the animal train
Come on everyone.
Learning about animals is really lots of fun!
Colors, sizes, what they say, if they're fast or slow
Learning about animals there's so much to know!
Kevin and Nathan went to Babies R Us and came home with this new toy. Nathan loves it! Kevin and I have all the songs pretty much memorized by now. The words above are from one of the amazingly catchy songs. Choo-choo!

On my mind

2007-11-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

"What?!"
"I am completely aware that my paci is on my head."
I was changing Nathan's diaper and his pacifier popped out of his mouth and landed on his forehead. It balanced there for quite awhile. Of course I had to get some pictures.

Halloween

2007-11-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

Here I am leading my first graders in the costume parade at school. Kevin brought Nathan so that he could join me for the parade. He stole the show!
You can see one of the moms taking our picture. I was so happy to see Kevin and Nathan...it made the costume parade fun for me. (Unfortunately I wasn't able to get the Minnie Mouse costume.) My students were so excited to see Nathan too. In the evening, we stopped by my family's house for a Halloween hello. I told Nathan to get some Swedish Fish for me. It was a little tricky with the gloves.
Then we stopped by Kevin's family's house. J-Lynn and Benjamin were there too so we got all the kids together for pictures. Here's Princess J-Lynn holding Nathan, Ben the Monkey and Taylor with his beads. This was quite the photo shoot!
And of course we had to get a family picture. Just look at Nathan's silly smile. We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Just a little off the top please

2007-11-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Kevin made a haircut appointment with Sylvia on Tuesday. She's been wanting to see Nathan and offered to give him his first haircut so all three of us went. Sylvia just loved Nathan and wanted to hold him rather than cut Kevin's hair.
Here's Nathan before the trim.
Goodbye, cinnamon swirl! (That's my name for his little wispies on the top of his head.) Look at him smiling...I think he enjoyed the haircut.
Dad, how do I look so far?

What a good-looking haircut! I know, it's a big change. :) He looks bald but he does have short peach fuzz all over...it's very cute.

M-I-C-K-E-Y

2007-10-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

M-O-U-S-E !

We went to my family's ward Halloween Party on Saturday. Nathan was able to try out his whole costume. (He just needed a little black dot on his nose.) We sat him down in this picture spot and he sat there happily, for a very long time, while the "baby paparazzi" went wild. It was hilarious. He even left his little white hands alone. I thought for sure they would go straight into his mouth or get pulled off.

Nathan with Aunt Rebecca

Uncle Ryan standing him up for a full body shot.

We even got a little pumpkin to take home.

The Martin Family

Halloween is only 1 day away!

Five months

2007-10-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Nathan has grown and changed so much recently!

He's getting pretty good at sitting up.

And he's becoming aware of the food mommy and daddy eat.

"What is this stuff?"
"What? I can't eat this yet?"
He's definitely going to be ready for solids in a few more weeks.Just within the last few days, Nathan has become such a little rolie polie! He rolls from his tummy to his back, then back to tummy and on and on. He can now move across the floor which makes me a little nervous. He also is starting to make crawling motions.

I just love my little boy!

A new look

2007-10-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I enjoyed a nice shampoo, head massage and haircut. It was long overdue since my last haircut was before Nathan arrived!

Yes, I look a bit tired but I got myself a new look!

Some of the reactions I received today from my first graders:

"You cut your hair, Mrs. Martin?"

"Oh, Mrs. Martin, you got a new look!"

"Nice haircut!" (boy)

"I like your hair!"

"I didn't even recognize you at first."

The compliments just kept coming...such sweet students I have.

Nathan....you're next. Can you see his long wispies at the back of his head? He's scheduled for a little trim in the near future.

Our Weekend Happenings

2007-10-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Since my mommy hasn't had time to update our blog I thought I'd help her out.

So here's what we've been up to this weekend...
Friday night we went up to the Palos Verdes mall. Mom wanted to stop by the GAP to look around. My parents put me in a hooded sweathshirt, stuffed me in the carrier and then wrapped me up with my blankie. (It was cold that night.) They thought this hat was hilarious. I couldn't really move so what else could I do but let them put it on my head. What do you think? Then we met up with Aunt Sandi, Uncle Matt, Grandma Shelly and Grandpa Scott at Red Brick Pizza. This is my parents' favorite pizza place. The pizza did look pretty good!
These are my new jeans from GAP Kids.

On Saturday we went over to Grandma Karrie and Grandpa Jim's house. We spent time with Uncle Taylor while grandma and grandpa went to dinner. Check out the new car they bought me!
How do you start this thing up?

Today we attended our new ward. We were in the Riviera Ward but it was dissolved so we are now in the Torrance 1st Ward. There were still many familiar faces. But no matter where I go I always have admirers.
This evening Stephen and Julia came over to hang out. We played a new game called "Pirate's Cove." They seemed to have fun with this game once they figured out how to play.

All in all it was a good weekend.

Is it a frog?

2007-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

No, it's just Nathan sitting up on his own.

I was surprised by how long he balanced like this. He usually topples over right away.

Welcome to Room 2!

2007-10-01T21:45:00.001-07:00

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Welcome to Our Room!

Just a glimpse into 1st grade with Mrs. Martin

Sunday in San Pedro

2007-10-01T21:08:00.001-07:00

We went to the San Pedro Ward on Sunday to visit with friends and family. Afterwards we went to my grandparents' house for lunch. We took some pictures in their front yard. (I'll post the family pictures later.)

Super Baby!

Sweet little boy

Book Worm

2007-09-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

This morning Nathan was very interested in a book he spotted next to our rocker. I handed it over to see what he would do. He really knows how to enjoy a good book!

He took in each page....

enjoyed the colorful illustrations...

and even tasted the yellow bananas. (hey, they smell good!)

I think I have a book worm in the making :)

Four Month Check-up

2007-09-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

Our healthy 4-month old!

Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz (95%)

Length: 27 inches (100%)

As always, Nathan was very cooperative and happy during his check-up. And then came the shots...he actually did pretty well considering it was 3 shots in the leg plus 1 oral vaccination. Here he is the following day. You can see 2 of his "boo-boos" on his chunky thigh. Poor little guy. (He's feeling much better now.)
Our little cutie
He's been working on sitting up. He usually leans forward like this but it's amazing how strong he is getting.
One of his new tricks is pulling his pacifier out of his mouth and then trying to put it back in. He's still working on the letting go part. He usually pulls it right back out of his mouth.
Nathan has also been squealing the last few weeks. He loves exploring with his voice. It's so fun to see (and hear) him develop and discover new things.

Work it!

2007-09-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Nathan was in such a happy and talkative mood when I came to pick him up at my family's house. We were having fun just watching him. Then my dad brought out the "big" camera. Nathan really knows how to work the camera. He began his photo shoot sitting up on the couch but then fell to his tummy. He pushed up with his hands and smiled right at the camera and all of us watching:)
He then started to twist and turn and, of course, smile right at the camera. It was very cute. After the "photo shoot" he just talked and talked. He had a captive audience between my parents, Ryan, Rebecca and me. We have so many fun "conversations" now.
Once we got home, Nathan needed some down time. Here he is just relaxing with his teddy and paci.
What a day!

The finished product

2007-09-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

How cute is this little hand and foot print? I love it!

Decisions, decisions...

2007-09-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming and we have some big decisions to make...

To be Nemo

(this costume is hilarious)

or Mickey Mouse?

I thought Nathan would make a great little chipmunk (just look at those cheeks) but I haven't come across such a costume yet. My mom and Rebecca picked up these 2 costumes last weekend for Nathan to try out. I'm leaning towards Mickey Mouse. Plus a teacher I work with has a Minnie Mouse costume I could borrow.

What do you think?

Back to School...

2007-09-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

means back to work for me.

Well, I survived moving to a new classroom, unpacking and getting the room ready for the first day of school. The first 7 days have gone well and I have a great little class. But I do miss Nathan! We're very lucky to have both grandmas close by and willing to watch him while I'm at work. My mom even brought Nathan by a few days last week during my lunch time. That was a nice surprise.

I'm happy to say that I've been leaving school around 3:30 pm each day. (This is a big deal since in the past I usually stayed at work until 5pm or later.) I'm learning to be very efficient with my time during the day and it also helps being my 5th year teaching 1st grade. I'll post a picture of my class soon.

Last night

2007-09-12T19:43:00.001-07:00

Funny faces before going to bed
We had Nathan sitting up and he was playing with his soft blocks. He has become more "grabby" and aware of his hands within the last few days. His latest thing is he likes to scratch his fingers on the back of couches and chairs...they make some interesting noises.

Rub a dub dub

2007-09-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Nathan loves bathtime! Don't forget the cozy bath robe and slippers.

(I think the robe is a tad bit short...he's a growing boy.)
Nathan sitting up with a little help from mom...work those abs.

Hot seat

2007-09-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Nathan tried out his new little seat the other night and as you can tell it was a hit. This was his immediate reaction to it.

We were cracking up because he looked so funny sitting up in his seat. He even put his arms up on the "arm rests".

Just hanging out

Such a serious face...but notice the arms. He looks pretty comfy.

The Carter Crew

2007-09-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had an early birthday dinner for Kelly before she left for BYU. Since we were all together my mom wanted to get a family photo. (Thanks Grandma Carter!) I think it turned out pretty good for being a spur of the moment photo shoot. Just look at the symmetry...we organized ourselves very well.

A safe return

2007-09-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

Here's Nathan surrounded by all the Carter girls. What a lucky boy!

My parents and Ryan and Kelly returned home from Europe last Tuesday. We went by to say hello that night. Unfortunately their suitcases didn't make it with them so we couldn't check out our souvenirs just yet.

Nathan is bummed that he can't sample the yummy chocolate. But he received some cute outfits and shirts from Germany, France and Italy. And a children's book en francais.

Too much of a temptation...he had to attempt a bite.

I'm getting closer...Well, it was worth a try!

Bitten

2007-08-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

If you love great deals then you may be interested in checking out BITTEN, a clothing line designed by Sarah Jessica Parker. I first heard about it on Oprah and was looking forward to checking it out because every item is under $20! The philosphy behind the clothing line: "It is every woman's inalienable right to have a pulled-together, stylish, confident wardrobe with money left over to live." Sounds good to me! I was disappointed when I found out that the clothing was only sold at a store called Steve and Barry's... never heard of it.So of course I was excited to find out that there is a Steve and Barry's not too far from us. On Saturday we went to Garden Grove with Kevin's family to eat at Perry's Pizza. Why did we go so far for pizza? Well, it's thick-crusted, square-shaped pizza that Kevin's mom loves. There use to be one in Torrance. It is very yummy. (I actually meant to get pictures at the pizza place.) After our pizza dinner, Kevin and I decided it would be fun to walk around The Block at Orange, which was close by. It's an outside shopping mall with a bunch of fun stores, including a Steve and Barry's. I was so happy to finally check out the clothing line.Kevin and Nathan hung out while I shopped. I grabbed a bunch of stuff to try on and came away with a floral top, 2 pairs of jeans (I couldn't resist $15 jeans) and some plum ballet slippers. I will definitely be going back for future shopping trips. Check out the clothing line here.

While the parents are away

2007-08-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

While my parents are in Europe, Rebecca (my youngest sister) has been staying with us. She's a great little helper. We've been having fun hanging out together.

Playing b-ball
Rebecca is so good with Nathan.

I love Nathan's pose in this picture....he looks hilarious.

Rebecca scrapbooking a page all about Nathan.
Thursday night we had Matt, Sandi and Rachel over for dinner. Kevin and Rebecca made a delicious dinner of Chicken Cordon Bleu, rice pilaf, broccolini and rolls. Yum!
Nathan napping during our dinner.Aunt Sandi with Nathan
Nathan relaxing in Rebecca's arms this morning.

Totally comfortable.

We spent some time at the pool this afternoon. Rebecca went swimming while Nathan and I relaxed in the shade. It's been warm the last two days but it felt nice and breezy out by the pool.

12 weeks

2007-08-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

Nathan is 3 months old today!

He's still wearing 0-3 months clothing but not for much longer. He responds to us with lots of smiles and coos which is so much fun. He loves to watch ceiling fans, his star mobile and the TV. He is a great sleeper at night. He continues to amaze us each day with every new little thing.

Insert hand in mouth

2007-08-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Since birth Nathan has enjoyed sucking on his hands and fingers although he depended on luck in the beginning to bring them to his mouth. But now he's able to bring his hands right to his mouth for slurping satisfaction.

Here's the one-handed chomper. Sometimes he tries to get both hands at once...pretty funny. I'm wondering if we have a thumb sucker on our hands.

Sunday Best

2007-08-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Someone was very smiley this morning while getting dressed for church. I'm sure it helped that he had a full belly and a clean diaper. :)

I missed all the real big smiles.

I think he looks very GQ here with the shirt tucked in and all.

The sweater vest was a little bulky but he still looked adorable. The shoes didn't last very long but they sure were cute. I was excited that he could finally fit into this outfit.

Daddy and Nathan

Mommy and Nathan

And off to church we go...we were even a minute or two early today!

Tummy Time

2007-08-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Here's Nathan enjoying some of his tummy time.

" To lift this head takes strength! And once I get it rocking there's no stopping me from rolling over."

(unless I get stuck )

The halfway rollover

Nathan surprised us by rolling from his tummy to his back around 7 weeks old. I missed it because I was in the shower at the time. I actually have a video of him rolling over but I have yet to figure out how to get it onto my blog.

Sometimes you just need to take a break...

Nathan's buggy playmat...he loves the butterfly that plays music and lights up when you touch it.

"I think I'm ready to crawl now."

Tag....I'm it

2007-08-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

A few facts about me

Jobs I've held:
1. Mom
2. 1st grade teacher
3. Carter's Services (working for my dad)
4. BYU Catering
5. Retail- GAP and Express

Movies I can watch over and over:
1. Tommy Boy
2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
3. Pride and Prejudice (the long version and the current one)

My Guilty Pleasures:
1. Sweets (candy, ice cream, cookies...)
2. Blogging
3. Reading

Places I have lived:
1. Torrance, CA
2. Provo, UT
3. San Pedro, CA

Shows I enjoy:
1. The Office
2. Heroes
3. Lost

What were likely the 1st things you thought when you saw your significant other for the first time?
1. "I've seen that smile somewhere before"....well, I didn't really think that. I first saw Kevin at a Saturday's Warrior play put on by a nearby Stake. I did think "he looks familiar...is he in my stake?"
2. "I hope that cute guy asks me to dance." We officially met at a church youth dance.

Places I've been on vacation:
1. Lots of camping trips growing up
2. Utah
3. New York City and Rochester, NY
4. Oahu and Maui

Favorite Foods:
1. Lasagna
2. Terriyaki chicken and rice
3. Ice Cream

Websites I visit daily:
1. Friends' Blogs
2. Hotmail

Body parts I have injured:
1.fingers-those darn paper cuts
2. stubbed toe-ouch!
3. ok...so I have no real injuries to report. I consider myself very lucky.

Nicknames I've been called:
1. Ambie
2. Am
3. Amberger
4. Schpaloney

Now I get to pick 4 blog buddies to do this. Tag...you're it!
1. Amber T.
2. Lacey
3. Lanna
4. Rachel

Who tagged me:
Jodi Howe

Impressions

2007-08-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Fashion Island Mall. My mom had seen this cart that does cute hand and footprints in clay so that's what brought us to Newport Beach.

Here's Aunt Rachel and Aunt Rebecca with Nathan. They were fighting over who got to push Nathan's stroller throughout our mall trip. This little boy is very loved.
This is just after Nathan had his hand and foot squished into clay. The lady did a great job and was very quick. The cart is called Impressions by Donna...very cute ideas. I'll have to get pictures from my mom of the actual process to post later.
Since we were in the neighborhood we stopped by to visit my Aunt Kris and family who live in Huntington Beach. Some of us went for a swim in their nice pool. Nathan decided to just keep cool in the shade except for a few pictures under the sun.
Too cool for words.

Happy 5 Years

2007-08-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

A walk down memory lane

(I had fun looking through our wedding photos and remembering our special day.)

We were sealed in the

Los Angeles Temple

on August 3, 2002

We look so young.
I love this shot of the temple and the beautiful surroundings.

It's amazing how the days, weeks, months and years just keep on going. It's been a great 5 years and I know the fun is only just beginning.

I love you Kevin! Happy Anniversary!

A Harry Potter Fan

2007-08-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

I finished book 7 today! This was the longest it's taken me to read a book in this series but I'm glad because it made the final book last a little longer. I must say that I loved this book!
What an amazing imagination J.K. Rowling has...thanks for the great reading over the years!

BBQ Hunt

2007-07-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I have been talking about buying a BBQ for quite awhile...basically ever since we moved back in late January.So today we took a family trip to Lowe's in search of a BBQ.
Nathan assumed his usual shopping mode.
Here is the one we chose after checking out all our options. We also bought a few grilling tools."You OK dad...that box looked heavy!"
The amazing part of this whole shopping experience was that the BBQ and stroller both fit perfectly in the back of our car. (Of course we didn't think to take out the water bottles and 2nd car seat base box beforehand so those moved to the front seat.) Kevin's next project: putting together our BBQ.

We look forward to our first yummy meal off the grill!

Ouch!

2007-07-26T17:17:00.001-07:00

Nathan had his 2-month check-up yesterday. He was very happy during the visit until the s-h-o-t-s. He received 3 shots in his legs plus an oral vaccine. Tears were shed but he was OK once I picked him up for hugs and kisses. He was a little sore but is doing much better today.Our little guy weighs 14 lb 4oz (95%) and is 25 inches long (100%). He is growing so quickly!

Muscle man...he is one tough little guy!

Under the weather

2007-07-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Nathan turned 8 weeks old on Friday...I can't believe it's been 2 months already! We also paid the doctor a visit on Friday because he seemed a little under the weather. He has a cold so there's not much to do for him other than nasal drops and suctioning out his little nose. (By the way, he weighs 13 lbs. 13 oz. now!) Friday night he didn't sleep very well. But last night he slept much better and he seems to be feeling a little better today.

He is such a good little baby even with being sick.

I just want him to get well soon.

Today we're just taking it easy at home. We're also looking forward to daddy getting home from his weekend work trip.

Martin Family Reunion

2007-07-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

The Martin Family is all together this week. So far...

Most of the family enjoyed a day at Wild Rivers on Tuesday. Nathan and I stayed home so we missed out on the water park fun.

Nathan finally met his Great-Grandma Virginia (she lives in Washington). Lots of love and kisses:)

Wednesday we went to The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. It was a fun little outing. Nathan slept the whole 2 1/2 hours we were there. After the aquarium some of the family went down to the tide pools in San Pedro. Nathan was hungry so we skipped out on that part.
I'm so glad we got one good picture of the three of us. My camera battery was low so I was lucky to even get these few pictures.
Pretty but toxic fish...Nathan wasn't impressed I guess.

We ended the day with a yummy meal at Islands... Grandpa Marty's treat. This was also Nathan's first time meeting his Great-Grandpa Marty. My camera battery was dead by this point so I didn't get a picture.

It's been fun spending time with the Martin Fam.

Bonjour (ou Bonsoir)

2007-07-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

My sister Kelly is in France right now for BYU study abroad. I still don't know why I didn't do that while at BYU. Someday I'll make it there! Meanwhile I'm enjoying all of Kelly's fun pictures she posts online. I was also inspired to try out what's left of my french skills...it's been awhile.

Nathan is modeling his "escargot" gown that Kelly gave him. It has snails all over it...tres chic!
This is how Nathan feels about Aunt Kelly being gone for so long:

"Je suis tres triste."

But Nathan was happy to hear that Kelly is having so much fun and eating yummy french cuisine. (All your food pictures made my mouth water...especially the chocolates and cupcake!)

Je t'aime, Kelly. XOXO Nathan

Flowers make me happy

2007-07-14T10:37:00.001-07:00

Thank you Kevin...always a nice surprise!

Good Morning!

2007-07-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I heard Nathan waking up from his morning nap. I came in saying "Good Morning!" and received the biggest smile from him. I ran to get my camera hoping he'd smile some more for me. He did and I actually caught some of the smiles on camera.

I wish he always woke up this happy!

(same goes for me)

my happy little boy

I just love that big, gummy smile!

Chillin'

2007-07-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

I can never pick just one picture...Nathan is full of cute and funny faces and I want to share them all!

I'm realizing that collared shirts and babies don't really work since their little necks are non-existent at this point. (Not that it stops me from putting him in them though.)
" Bring me a pina colada! "
No neck, serious face
I just love my little boy and enjoy our time chillin' out together this summer!

Take 2

2007-07-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

I put Nathan in his blessing outfit yesterday and snapped some cute pics before church. I figured he may as well get another wear out of this outfit before he grows too big. He was being very cooperative for this photo shoot. What a good boy!

The hand pose
The full body shot
The simply sweet look
The glossy lips look

Are you done yet, mom? Yes, I'm done now.

Overall...very cute

2007-07-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

Nathan sporting his overalls for the first time.

Trying out his playmat at Grandma Shelly's house...he was really inspecting those hanging toys.
Just a cute smile for the camera... i'm loving all the smiles he gives me.

7-4-07

2007-07-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Fireworks
Waving the American flag

Worn out from all the festivities

Happy 4th of July!

Look at me...

2007-07-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

What a look! We propped Nathan up on a pillow and he was holding his head up and looking all around. He is a strong little boy. He's a total head bobber. If you hold him over your shoulder he's always holding his head up on his own...you just have to be careful because his head sometimes comes crashing back into you.

Baby Blessing Day

2007-07-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Nathan received his baby blessing on Sunday. He didn't even cry during the blessing which Kevin was grateful:) We were happy that so many of our family and friends were able to be there. After Sacrament meeting we went outside to get some pictures. (Poor Nathan was not very happy during the pictures...it was lunch time for him.)

Nathan is crying here...smile for the camera:)

Here's my side of the family.

Here's some of Kevin's family and friends. My mom, Nathan and me

My dad and Nathan

It was a wonderful day!

Six hours

2007-06-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

We made it to church for the first time with Nathan on Sunday. He was so reverent during Sacrament Meeting...ok, so he was sleeping. It was nice to be at church as a family.

Here's father and son after getting home from church. Nathan was ready to eat and about to cry which made for this hilarious picture. What a face!
We gave Nathan his 3rd real bath last night. He just loves the warm water...it's very cute. This is how his hair looks right after a bath...it sticks straight up once we dry it!
The big news: Nathan slept six hours straight last night!

I couldn't believe it when he woke up at 4 am and I saw the time. We'll see if that happens again any time soon. (I put Nathan in bed with daddy this morning so I could get ready for the day...just had to snap a picture of them.)

One Month

2007-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a big day! Not only did Nathan reach his 1-month mark but I ventured out into the world...just me and Nathan. It was my 1st time driving since giving birth. We visited my school to say hello to the staff. I also wanted to check out my room. (I'm moving classrooms so I needed to draw a map of where I want things to go....luckily my sub packed everything for me.) After being at my school, and Nathan napping in the stroller the whole time, we headed over to my family's house. It was our first time there and Grandma Shelly was very excited to see us. After feeding, Nathan was very alert. He even gave a few smiles to grandma.

It's just hard to catch those smiles on camera!
It felt great to be out and about and I realized we need to do this more often.

Pictures

2007-06-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

We ventured out to Macaroni Grill last Tuesday with my mom's side of the family. Sandi and Matt just moved from Utah and arrived that day. Here's Sandi holding Nathan for the first time.

(Nathan snoozed all through dinner.)

We're happy to have Sandi and Matt in CA now!
And here's Nathan with his eyes open. He definitely has been more alert lately...and napping less the last two days. (Thankfully he's taken naps for me today.)
Grandma Shelly holding little Nathan
He loves to suck on his hands and fingers when he can get them to his mouth.
I love the way he's looking up at my mom and how he's clasping his little hands :)

"Oh, Grandma!" he says.

Bee Incident

2007-06-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

What a Father's Day we had! We were planning on getting out to visit our dads for Father's Day but it didn't work out. Nathan decided it wasn't really a napping kind of day so I was just tired. The topper was the bee incident though. I went to get a drink and noticed a bee in the kitchen but wondered how it got inside...no windows or doors were open. Kevin took care of the bee but then I spotted another bee in the kitchen a few minutes later. Finally we realized they must be coming in through the air vent over our stove. We also noticed all the bees swarming outisde our kitchen window. What a fun surprise! We called our apartment manager and explained our emergency. Meanwhile Jim came over to help duct tape the vent so the bees couldn't make their way inside our kitchen. (Nathan and I were hiding away in his room.) The bees were also trapped inside the light fixture. Our apartment manager finally called to let us know a guy was on his way to take care of the bees. It was an eventful afternoon to say the least.

I wanted to get a cute Father's Day picture of Kevin and Nathan but that didn't happen since we never got ready for the day. Oh well...at least we're bee free.

27 Years

2007-06-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

My family watched Nathan tonight so Kevin and I could go out for my birthday. We went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner and had a nice evening out. I enjoyed getting out but I missed my little guy.

Here we are before leaving for dinner. I'm actually dressed and have some make up on...amazing.

Our waitress brought me a mini ice cream sundae after we told her we needed to get home to our little one and didn't have time for dessert.

Kevin had this cake specially made for me...he knows how much I love polka dots. The cake was delicious!

Who wants more cake? "I do!"

"Eating cake is hard work...time for a nap."

Happy 27 Years to me!

Dad

2007-06-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Happy 50th Birthday!

Love,

Kevin, Amber and Nathan

Happy One Week!

2007-06-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

What a sweetie!

Daddy time
A little smile...Funny face...I just love his little lips :)

Doctor Visits

2007-05-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Nathan had his first doctor visit. The doctor (who was my pediatrician growing up) said he's perfect. He weighed in at 8 lbs 5 oz. It's normal for big babies to lose a lot of weight initially. And today we had a 2nd visit to have him weighed again. The nurse was impressed that he gained 5 ounces since Tuesday. We said "that's great" and she told us it was more than great. We were relieved to know he's gaining weight. It's hard to know how much he gets from breastfeeding. I'm feeling better about nursing and Nathan's getting better at it too. It's a learning process.

Sleepy boy

2007-05-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

He does have moments of being awake but in all of these pictures he's sleeping:)

NATHAN'S BIRTH

2007-05-30T04:32:00.000-07:00

Here we are on Thursday. We were running a few little errands and stopped by our parents houses to say hello. It was hard to believe that we were going to the hospital that very night.
I was nervous about being induced but I can say I had a great birth experience. It all began at 9 pm on Thursday as we arrived at the hospital. I was hooked up to an IV (my first experience with an IV) and around 10:30 pm they put some gel on my cervix to help it soften. I didn't sleep much that night and did not like being hooked up to the IV and baby monitor. It was impossible to get comfortable. At 6 am Friday morning the nurse started the pitocin in my IV. My contractions began soon after that and became even stronger after Dr. Bhasin broke my water around 9:30 am. I was 3 cm dilated at the time. I was told I could ask for the epidural at anytime but I was doing OK so I wanted to wait a bit longer. It must have been 10 minutes later that I told Kevin "I'm ready for the epidural." The contractions quickly became more intense and closer together. Being a busy baby day at the hospital (30 babies were born that Friday and the average is 10 babies/day), I found out that the anesthesiologist was in the OR for a c-section so I would have to wait. That extra hour of waiting was the roughest part for me but Kevin was such a great coach and really helped me to stay focused and breathe. (We actually used 3 breathing techniques from our class!) By 11:15 I had the epidural and with it came great relief. I was able to relax and rest awhile. By 1:00 I was 10 cm dilated and around 1:30 I was getting ready to push. At that point I couldn't believe that soon we would finally get to see our little boy. Nathan was born at 2:28 after pushing for 45 minutes. My first thought upon seeing him was "how did he possibly fit inside me?" Even the doctor was shocked by his size. Her estimate was 7 1/2 to 8 pounds. It was unreal that he was my baby. It is such a miracle how we enter into this life. We are so blessed to have a healthy baby. We love him beyond what we imagined!

Here's Nathan after his first bath. He loved having his hair washed and feeling the warm water on his head according to dad. You'll notice his foot sticking out which bears his baby lo-jack band.
Just hanging out with daddy after being cleaned, checked, poked and all the other baby procedures they do in the first few hours after birth. He was very good during all that...what a tough little guy. I was happy to have my boys return from the nursery.
Looking at this picture I can see how much Nathan has already changed in his first few days of life. He only gets cuter with each day:) And here's mommy with her little love bug on Sunday. I finally showered and was feeling a little more normal. We came home from the hospital at 4 pm on Sunday.

And so begins our new adventure as parents.

Grandmas and Grandpas

2007-05-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

The first-time grandmas get their first peek at Nathan just after he was born.

Grandpa Scott gazing at his first grand-son.

Grandma and Grandpa Carter

Grandma Karrie

Grandpa Jim

Grandpa Dean and Auntie Faith
Great-Grandma Carter
Nathan is still waiting to meet his Great-Grandma and Grandpa Hansen who are in St. George right now. Nathan is lucky to have so many wonderful grandparents!

The Star of the Show

2007-05-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Introducing...

Nathan Jay Martin

He arrived on Friday, May 25th

at 2:28 pm

Our "little" boy weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and measured 20 inches long.

And here are the adoring parents!

We love this little boy and are so grateful he made it here safely.

More pictures to follow :)

Baby Time

2007-05-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

At my doctor's appointment we found out that I'm 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced. I was surprised to hear that. My doctor said at this point I am considered "inducable." So the decision was up to us...to be induced or wait to see if things happen naturally during week 41. We decided to go ahead with the induction which means I go to the hospital Thursday night at 9pm. Then Friday morning they will start the pitocin. I'm nervous about it but also excited to know that our baby will be here soon...I can hardly believe it!

How much longer?

2007-05-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

4 more days until the due date... and here I am. I had some back pain Sunday morning and evening but no real contractions. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment so we'll see how I'm doing and talk about induction if I go past my due date. Now that I'm so close to having this baby I sometimes wonder if it's really going to happen.

Just look at that belly!
Not much longer...we'll keep you updated.

San Pedro Shower

2007-05-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

I was happy to have a baby shower with all the ladies from San Pedro Ward. It still feels like my home ward since Kevin and I spent the first 4 1/2 years of our marriage in San Pedro. Thank you to Shawn for opening her home and giving such a wonderful shower! And thank you Lacey and Teesha for helping with the shower too.

All of the food was so yummy but I especially loved the cupcake tower. The cupcakes (with home made frosting) were so good! And here's Shawn and I right before I opened my gifts. I was surrounded by baby gifts...I felt a bit spoiled.

The dark blue outfit I'm pulling out was a little basket ball outfit complete with mini wrist bands. It made me laugh as I imagined Nathan running around in it with Kevin.

Here's some of the San Pedro ladies.

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with me! It was so fun to see all of you.

38 Weeks

2007-05-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today I am 38 weeks...only 2 weeks to go! This picture was taken last night after our Breastfeeding Class. It was late so that's why I look a bit tired.

Baby's Room

2007-05-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

Since I've been off work we really started to work on setting up the baby's room. Here's his crib with the adorable bedding.

I just love it!

And with the help of Jim (Kevin's stepdad) we got the letters up above his window. There's no turning back now after all the hard work and measuring it took to get those letters up:) Thanks Jim!

Here's a peek into our little guys closet. He's already acquired quite the collection of clothing, books and toys. One of the perks of being a teacher is that I was able to get a lot of great books through book orders using my bonus points.

This is a drawer of all the 0-3 months clothes we've washed so far. I can't wait to see him in some of these adorable outfits. Just look at those little shoes...I hope he can wear them each at least once:)

Tonight my job is to pack the hospital bag...I just want to to be prepared as possible. And tomorrow we meet with our pediatrician. Only 15 more days (give or take a few) until we meet our little guy!

A Busy Saturday

2007-05-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

My cousin Lindsay was married in the LA Temple to Matthew on Friday, May 4th. Their reception was Saturday evening. It was a beautiful reception. One of my favorite things was the candy table...I wish I had taken a picture of it! You took a little bag and filled it up with different candies in shades of green and yellow, which were their colors. How did I not think of that with my sweet tooth?! Here's Kevin and I at the reception...I'm looking mighty big.

Baby Shower

2007-05-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to have so many friends and family at my shower. Thank you to everyone who came! The food was delicious, we received so many wonderful baby gifts and I enjoyed spending time with good friends. I felt very loved. Baby Nathan was moving around like crazy during the shower! I think he knew that the party and presents were for him and he didn't want to miss out on all the fun. Here's a few pictures from the shower:

Thank you to the Wood women and Kelle for putting this shower together for me!

Farewell

2007-05-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 27th, was my last day of work! My class, with the help of many moms, threw me a baby shower. When we came back from afternoon recess the moms had tied balloons to my chair and set up for the little party. We had cake and strawberries, played a game (Guess-how-big Mrs. Martin's-belly-is) and then I opened gifts. The best gift of all was from the whole class. Each of my students made a special page that included a recent photo and a baby photo along with little notes or advice. I thought it was such a cute idea! Here are a few of the pages:
I will miss my first graders...I had such a great class this year! I keep thinking I'll be going back to work in a couple of days...it's hard to fully let go. But I am very grateful to have this time off. My body definitely needs the rest. So, here's to enjoying more days of relaxation and getting ready for this baby!

Happy feet

2007-04-24T17:31:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a pedicure to make

happy feet!

Since I took the day off, my mom treated me to a pedicure and lunch. It's always fun to get pampered. My poor feet were in need of some love and attention. The best part was the foot and leg massage!
After getting our toes done, we decided we were in need of some new sandals. We were careful to not ruin our nicely done toes as we tried on lots of shoes:) We both ended up getting two pairs. (Sandals are my standard footwear.)

Tired

2007-04-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

I must say that the effects of being pregnant are finally starting to get me. I am 35 weeks now. This last week of work was more tiring then usual. The extra weight is slowing me down and I have to pace myself. Saturday morning I woke up around 8 am but felt like a bump on a log until around 12 noon. I even had to lay down again for a little nap. Eventually Kevin and I went out to run some errands. We bought a few things for the baby which was fun. I was walking slowly the whole day though because my legs were a little sore and getting in and out of the car was quite the process:) Luckily this week is my last week teaching. I actually only have 4 days left since I'm taking Tuesday off. I'm really looking forward to my 4 weeks off before the baby comes! I hope I have enough energy to get some things accomplished (and have a little fun) during my time off before the baby.

Wicked

2007-04-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I saw "Wicked" yesterday. We went with my two youngest sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, my Grandma Carter and our friends Cameron and Jane. In case you're wondering, Wicked is the story behind the good and wicked witch from "The Wizard of Oz"...it definitely puts a new twist on the original. It is such a fun show, the characters are hilarious (namely, Glinda) and of course the music is great! There were a couple of real intense, loud music moments where the baby was squirming around like crazy...I'm not sure if he was dancing along or trying to jump out of my belly!
Here we are with Cameron and Jane after the show. There were way too many people all around but we managed to get a quick picture before moving out with the herd:)
I really wanted a picture of us outside but there was no way that was going to happen. So I had to just snap a picture of the signs and call it good. Such a fun afternoon!

Just Checking In

2007-04-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

At my last doctor's appointment my belly measured a llittle smaller for being 33+ weeks. (And the previous visit it measured bigger.) Our Dr. told us that she would like us to get an ultrasound to check the baby's size. She said the measurement being off could be due to my height but she wanted to be on the safe side and have him checked. Well, we had the ultrasound today and everything looks good! In fact the baby is measuring big for our due date...they said he's about 6 lbs. right now. So that means this baby will be 8 lbs or so at birth. This doesn't surprise me as all my siblings (including myself) were 8 lbs or more. We are just very happy that everything is OK and that our little boy is growing strong and healthy. It was fun being able to see him since our last ultrasound was back in December. Now I know which body parts have been kicking and poking me this last little while:)

We also pre-registered at the hospital today so that's one less thing I have to worry about. We were told that May will be a busy month for delivering babies. The time is just flying by...awhile back April seemed so far away and now we're in April with just a few weeks left before the due date. By the way, I've enjoyed my Spring Break this week and I'm very excited that I only have 2 more weeks left of teaching. I plan on getting some last minute things done during my time-off before the baby arrives.

Completed

2007-04-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

We completed our 6-week Childbirth course this past Thursday. It was a lot of fun, very informative and we met some really nice couples. We all exchanged contact info so we can email our birth updates to one another and keep in touch. One couple didn't make it to the last class because the wife's water broke that very evening. The husband stopped by real quick to let us know how things were going. I realized that very soon Kevin and I would in the same situation as that couple. It's very exciting now that the due date is so close. I only have 7 more weeks to go! We have our next appointment on Monday.

My Basketball

2007-04-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

Many of the teachers that I work with refer to my belly as a basketball. So here I am showing it off! In this first picture I'm headless but I think it shows the roundness of my belly pretty well:)

Here's the classic sideview...my belly is definitely growing! I am 31 weeks now which means in about 2 months we will have a little baby boy here with us! It is both exciting and scary to think about. We still need to get the baby's room set up...which is the room you can see down the hallway. That is our main project for this month.
Here's a shot outside on our patio. Kevin is such an amazing photographer:)

Spring is here!

2007-03-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

We had a little rain here in Torrance...and I mean a little. It was actually a very dark and gloomy day...I would have preferred staying home in my pajamas all day to going to work. At the least the rain came after school was over...I really don't like rainy day schedule school days. Hope you had a great first day of Spring.

Happy Spring!

Preparing for Childbrith

2007-03-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

We had our first Prepared Childbirth class on Thursday night. It's a 6 week course and the class is 2 hours and 15 minutes. Kevin thought that was a little long but we had a great time at our first class. Our instructor is very high energy and keeps things interesting. The other couples in the class are a good mix of personalities...I think we'll have a lot of fun these next few weeks. The first class was mainly introductions of the couples and an overview of what we'll be learning about the next 5 weeks. We even did a little bit of relaxation and breathing at the end of the class. There were two other couples that had the same due date: May 25th. One of those couples we chatted with a little bit at the break and found we had a lot in common with them. We're both having boys (with the same due date), both of us teach, we've had easy pregnancies and we were even wearing similar outfits. It was just kind of funny...we're hoping to get to know them a little better as the weeks go on. It would be nice to have friends with a child the same age as our own. I'm looking forward to the rest of the class!

Sandi

2007-03-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

My sister Sandi came to visit last weekend....Thursday through Tuesday. It was fun having her down from Utah so we could spend some time together. It was her first time seeing me since I've been pregnant. This picture was taken on Monday. I took the day off and Sandi, my mom, and I went up to San Pedro, had lunch, and visited Grandma and Pa Hansen. It was a fun weekend!

Happy Heart Day!

2007-02-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

How did you spend your Valentine's Day?

We went to a Clippers game. My grandpa won 4 tickets and gave them to us to use. Cameron and Jane Chow joined us. Normally I wouldn't be that excited about a sporting event but we had really good seats. This picture was taken from our seats so you can see that we're only 6 rows from the court.

Here's us after the game...I was a bit sleepy by this time. I probably did more people watching than game watching but I had a good time. Happy Valentine's Day!

Desk Documentary

2007-02-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

Desk Building 101: Follow the instruction manual.

Use the proper tools. Make sure you have all the pieces. Don't work at late hours of the night. Getting close!To be continued...

It's a desk!

2007-02-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the desk completely put together...what a journey it has been:) The next step is getting all the desk supplies organized and put away.

Week 23

2007-02-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

110 days to go...I can't believe I'm over 5 months pregnant! I really started to pop out this last week or so. Here's a picture Kevin took tonight after the Superbowl.

Big Move

2007-01-26T16:02:00.000-08:00

We are finally in our own place! And thank you to all of our "moving crew!" I barely had to lift a finger:) We found ourselves a nice 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment in Torrance. We've been apartment hunting the past 2 months knowing we wanted to be moved by March at the latest...to have time to get settled in before the baby comes...and we came upon this place quite by chance. It's on a nice quiet street and it's a great location. We're 10 minutes away from both our families and from my work. As much as I enjoyed our 4 1/2 years in San Pedro I will not miss the 30 minute drive to work and family.
Right now we're working on getting rid of the new paint smell and getting settled in. Unfortunately I have been sick the past 2 days so I haven't been as productive as I would have liked. I had to take Thursday and Friday off from work but I am feeling better today so I'm hoping I can still get a few things done this weekend. I will post some pictures soon now that we have our internet up and running.

Oh, boy!

2006-12-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

We had our ultrasound Thursday, December 28th and found out we're having a boy! The doctor said that he looks healthy and is the right size for this time so we couldn't be happier. I'll have to admit I was a bit surprised to hear the words "it's a boy" because I always thought I would have a girl first. But I'm very happy and getting use to the idea of having a little boy. And of course Kevin is excited that he is going to have a son. This baby has made his presence known for the last 2 weeks...I guess I should have known it was an active little boy growing inside me!

Christmas Afternoon

2006-12-29T11:35:00.000-08:00

Here's Grandma Carter trying out the new Wii game system. She's playing the baseball game if you can't tell from her wind-up. She was having a great time and we all enjoyed watching her play!
Mom with Rebecca (my youngest sister) who was about to open her "big" gift. Can you see the anticipation? These are the only decent photos I have to share:)

Christmas Day

2006-12-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

We had a yummy breakfast at Kevin's family's house Christmas morning! Here is some of the action:

Here's J-Lynn with the Snow White doll Kevin and I bought her.

And here's Benjamin (and mom, Kelle) with his cool new phone from us. He's always stealing the nearest cell phone or remote so we thought he could use a phone of his own! Isn't he a cutie?

Kevin's mom couldn't wait to buy the baby something so she gave us a set of girl and boy onesies. Now I know we'll be keeping the boy set:)

Here's the family in front of the soon-to-be new fireplace. Kevin's family added a great big family room onto their house. It's not quite done but we still had to enjoy the room on Christmas day. We can't wait for this room to be finished!

Christmastime with Family

2006-12-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas with family and friends! We had a nice Christmas and I thought I would share some pictures from our holiday fun with family.

This is the Friday before Christmas with all of my mom's family: Grandma and Grandpa Hansen and sister Kristen Coppa and family. We enjoyed a delicious prime rib dinner, opening presents and just spending time together.

Here's Kevin with my sisters Rachel and Kelly.

Right behind Kevin is Ryker and then Blaize.

Kevin and Amber