Thanksgiving "Break"

The Junior Olympics preparation put a major crimp in any travel plans we may have had for Thanksgiving this year. In order to participate in the nationals in December, our boys would have to run qualifiers in November. On the good side of that, they were close to home. On the bad side, we would be at home with too much free time on our hands. I think I have mentioned before the issues I have with taking on too many things from time to time.

 

Behold the builder's grade oak cabinets of our bathroom. Sturdy. Roomy. Certainly sufficient for our needs. Not the most attractive things you have ever seen, but functional. (Sorry if the pictures are sub-standard. Photography is not one of my hobbies. You get the idea at least.)

 

 

Feast your eyes on the still functional, yet even less attractive tub and shower. I know the shower is bordering on gross. I swear the stupid white tile no longer gets white anymore. Furthermore, the shower photo is even less revealing because of the small cave-like configuration. Anyone sense where this is going?

 

Let me digress and just tell you how much I enjoy Pinterest. If you are not on Pinterest, avoid it if you can. It can be addictive. It sucks your time. You may experience feeling of inadequacy from time to time. And it may lead to renovations you really don't have the time or money for!

 

That said...

 

Staining of cabinets commenced. Tile was busted out. Walls came down. The ceiling went up. All kinds of chaos ensued.

After much blood, sweat and maybe even some tears, I give you the new and improved master bathroom.....

 

 

 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I literally give thanks for my wonderful husband every single day! He is such a hard worker and such a talented man. Thanks, Theo for putting up with my remodeling schemes.





A Love/Hate Haul-a-day

Halloween and I have a love/hate relationship. I love candy way too much, and I hate that I can't stop myself from eating it if it is in my house! I love seeing my kids dress up in their costumes, yet I hate it when they change their minds about what they are going to be approximately 386 times before the big day. I love the idea of jack-o-lanterns glowing on the front porch, still I hate the mess they make when we carve them. I love all the cute little kids that come to our door, alas I hate that my kids are almost too big anymore to be anything more than candy junkies looking for a fix.

This is our boys with the more than 5lb. haul Bowen and Rex brought home!

Theo, reliving his hair glory days in the Target costume section

Pumpkin carving with power tools, yeah that's how we roll!

Apparently the urge to do bunny ears in any given photo is genetic (Allen Martin).

 

I love Halloween, and I hate that it is a whole year away until we get to do it all again!

Rockin the Climb

I am currently serving in the Amarillo 1st Ward as the Young Women's president. We have an awesome group of girls that are fun, brave, thoughtful and adventurous. I am so lucky to work with them, especially since I don't get much female interaction at home!

On the first Wednesday of the month, we have a combined activity with the Young Men. In October, the Deacons (12-13 year old boys) were in charge, and they decided we should do some rock climbing. Lucky for us, one of the leaders on the boys' side is an experienced climber, and taught the kids everything they needed to know to have a safe and enjoyable time.

What impressed me the most about these young men and women was their willingness to try. I know that not all of them would choose rock climbing as a way to spend an evening. That said, every single young man and woman gave it their best effort. They all tried it. And they were all successful in their own right. As they trusted the equipment, their training, their leaders and most of all each other, they rocked it!

This is such a great metaphor for their lives. We talked about that with them. I am thankful that my boys have the chance to participate in these great activities with these exceptional people!

 

Temple Time

 

As I mentioned, Bowen recently turned the ripe old age of twelve. In our church, this means he graduates from Primary, moves into Young Men, gets ordained to the priesthood and is old enough to go to the temple.

With Drake, we were able to make a special family trip for the first time. This was because we attended a larger temple with a more expanded schedule. With Corbin, we waited until our ward had a scheduled youth temple day. You can read about that here.

And so, with Bowen we would again wait until a scheduled youth trip to go to temple. It is a wonderful experience to do baptisms for those who are no longer able to do it for themselves. I am so grateful that we are blessed with a temple close enough to visit on a regular basis. Being able to be in the temple with my husband and three of our four boys is joy beyond joy!



To read more about why we do baptisms for the dead in our temples, visit here.

Triple Threat

This year, we have three boys that are running cross-country. Corbin was pretty excited to make the high school varsity team as a freshman at Randall. He worked hard all summer to earn his spot. Bowen started with the Westover junior high team under a brand new coach. And Rex has been busy training with the Amarillo Striders, a local running club. All three have done well and grown a lot.

Best Month of the Year

Have I ever mentioned before how much I love this girl? It is my big sissy, Michelle. In early September, she called up to see if by any chance we would be able to join them on their houseboat for a very extended weekend of fun and frolic. Who could say no to that?

 

I took a couple of days off work, yanked the little kids out of school and headed home to Lake Powell. Theo and Drake would join us a couple days later. And poor Corbin was left behind so as to not miss one of his cross-country meets.

 

Let me just say that if you have never been to Lake Powell in September, you are missing out! It is the most beautiful month of the whole year! The water is nice and warm. The days are hot, but not scorching. The nights are balmy with skies full of stars! Best month of the whole year!

 

Michelle and I congratulate ourselves for launching the boat on our own.

 

Tyler joined us, and kept all of the littles entertained until his big kid cousins could join us a day or two later.

 

Grandma and Grandpa Ross also joined us on the houseboat, and lucky day, we were able to celebrate Grandma's birthday while we were there. A yummy chocolate cake along with some soft serve we wrangled from the marina restaurant were just the ticket.

 

The weather was perfect! We felt especially fortunate as Page had been having an unusually wet end of summer with lots and lots of rain. The clouds swirled around at times, but never moved in on us. Best month of the year!

 

 

 

On the last morning of our trip, Drake had an extra special treat. John has recently acquired a small airplane and a pilot's license to help with his travels between Colorado and Utah. He got up extra early Sunday morning to take Drake on a flight over the lake. Drake was thrilled!!

 

 

Thanks John and Michelle! Until next time, Lake Powell!

 

Begin Again

Another school year is upon us, and as all the boys have had their birthdays now, they are all even ages, odd grades.

 

Rex, age 10, heads off to Greenways, the intermediate school. This means we no longer have a child in elementary school! Jinkies!

 

 

Bowen, age 12, heads off to the big kid world of junior high at Westover Park. This will be a nice departure from riding the bus since it is just down the street.

 

 

Corbin, age 14, is transitioning from big man on campus to little fish in a big pond as a freshman at Randall High School.

 

Drake, age 16, is our only kid returning to the same school this year. As a junior with a license he is all kinds of dangerous as he drives to school now! Look out!

 

 

Here is to the start of another school year. Good luck, Martin boys!