Bedtime Stories

Love them

January (in a nutshell)

Are there any rules out there in blog world that prohibit writing about an entire month in one post?  Yes, I have been completely off the radar for the entire first month of 2012.  I actually considered calling it quits with my blog, thinking  the end of a year would be a nice clean cut.  But I didn't want to disapoint my 3 or 4 readers, plus I knew there would be some grandparents out there that might be upset with me.  So here are some highlights from January in the Martin household:

* Taking advantage of Daddy's last days of vacation, we headed to Kidspace Museum in Pasadena!  Lots of fun activities indoors and out for the little kids and the big ones. *

* This little girl turned 5 1/2!  Zoe, you are turning into a beautiful young lady.  We are so proud of you! *

 

Who could resist buying Girl Scout cookies from this adorable little Daisy?!



* This crazy monkey is now 20 months old, and keeping us busy!  Madelyn, you are so much fun to be around, we love watching you explore the world around you! *

* The girls and I took an unexpected trip back to PA after my Grandpa had a stroke.  I am so thankful that I was able to see him, hold his hand, and tell him I love him.  So many of our prayers have been answered and he is now in a rehab center working with a speech therapist.  The truth is that he will never live his life in the same way he did before the stroke, but we are thankful that God has given us more time with him.  *

We love you, Grandpa!

So that was January, it has flown by for us.  Hoping to be a more loyal blogger in February!

Christmas Day 2011

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve

Another sunny and warm Christmas here in Southern California!  We began our Christmas Eve by attending our church's early service (3pm and it was in the high 70s- I am ridiculously hot in my sweater but it is the only thing I own that is red) which was followed by a short photo shoot...

Merry Christmas!



Getting creative..



Finally caught them both looking and sort of smiling!

 

...then a fun fondue dinner with steak, shrimp, veggies, cheese, bread, and Granny Smith apples.  Not completely up to par with The Melting Pot, but we all enjoyed it. (We skipped the chocolate fondue and ate our homemade Christmas cookies instead).

Last but not least, the girls got to open one gift each on Christmas Eve...



Both girls loved this ark animal sorter from Grandpa and Grandma Martin and Aunt Danielle

After spreading the reindeer food outside, and setting out milk and cookies, the girls were off to bed to wait for Santa!

An early present

We were so excited to have Darryl's brother and family visit us right before Christmas. 

We spent two days in Disneyland and the rest of the time here in Moorpark.  It was so great to see them and share some special memories together!

The Maryland Martins and the California Martins at The Rainforest Cafe



All three kiddos (and the moms) playing at the Lego store.



That's one big lego!



Uncle Brett taking Zoe and Gibson for a ride



Posing with Dumbo



Having fun in Toon Town

Some shots from Malibu Creek State Park....



 Thanks for coming to see us!  We love you guys!

Jingle Bell Hike

The Jingle Bell Hike is a great holiday activity put on by the Thousand Oaks Rec Center.  The kids get to play games, participate in holiday songs, make crafts, drink hot chocolate, and most importantly, hike through a decorated woodsy area to see Santa.  Last year Maddie was still a baby so she spent most of the day in the Baby Bjorn, but this year she was really able to enjoy it.  We weren't sure how she would react to sitting on the big guy's lap, but she didn't cry and happily shared his lap with her big sis.  Zoe, of course, absolutely loved all the holiday festivities!  Now if only it wasn't 80 degrees out, it might feel just a little bit more like Christmas!



Maddie is concentrating hard on decorating her reindeer antlers!



Zoe added lots of stickers!

Both girls jamming to some Christmas tunes.

Waiting patiently for our turn to see Santa.

Visiting with Santa!

Signs of Christmas

Clockwise from top left: Christmas countdown tree, Zoe concentrating on the gingerbread house, Chippy the Elf, our completed gingerbread house and the advent Nativity Scene, Zoe working on holiday crafts (watch your mailboxes, Grandparents!)