We miss you, babe!

Just a little video to help you feel like you're not missing anything. We have such an incredible little family... We'll try to hang in there until you get back.

I love you.

Martineau Cousins...

Some pictures of my parents' grandkids. It helps that we live less than 10 miles away from each other. On John's side there are (I'm counting in my head, and I hope that I'm counting everyone...) 21 and 1/2?? Unfortunately, we're spread out in four states and it's tough to get everyone together. When we do, I'll post them as well. I love family!

Love this shot!

I told them to do "silly faces". Hmmm...

I stole this one from Lana's blog. Love it!

Happy times!

Hopefully John doesn't notice that I post this picture... :) I love him as "Lion Daddy".

Gosh, isn't that a great title? I wish that I had something equally exciting to elaborate upon, but alas, the happiest that I feel is from what you see in these pictures-- happy kids and big, fat grins. There is nothing like a big slobbery smile to warm your heart.

I can't believe how quickly Rachel has grown. She is nearly rolling over both ways, loves to sit up (although we still have to help her-- she's got a Martineau head you know), and adores her big brother (and I think that she's kind of fond of me as well-- I am her food source!)

Daniel is also loving his little sister. Each morning he'll ask, "Where did Rachel go now?" even when he knows very well that Rachel is in our bedroom-- ASLEEP! He is still talking up a storm and anxious to be into everything. He now uses his indoor riding toy as a stepping stool to get into a whole new world of mischief. I'm glad that we have a small home-- it's much easier to keep tabs on him!

Enjoy the pics!







Also celebrated Johnny's birthday... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABE!

Family Night at the Temple!

Daniel is obsessed with temples. We have a picture of the San Diego Temple in our bedroom (the temple that we were married/sealed in) and he talks about it whenever he's in our room. We took him to the Boise temple when he was just a week or two old, and we try to take him back often, even though he doesn't get to go inside quite yet. His favorite part of the temple is the water fountain. (Do all temples have water fountains on the grounds? I don't think that I've ever been to one that doesn't...)

For Family Night we went to the temple and we enjoyed the grounds once again. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time. There is such a peace at the temple, even when you're just meandering through the landscaping. It was a nice way to spend an evening with my little family. Enjoy the pictures! (I went a little picture happy...)

My little sumos...

Daniel at nearly four months...


Rachel at 11 weeks...

I love big fat babies! There is nothing like cuddling with rolls and rolls of flesh! (How often do you get to say something like that?) I have two naked pics of my kids-- aren't they adorable?? It's amazing how much they look alike. Daniel has Rachel beat on the rolls, but he is over a month older than her at the time of the photo. I miss all of Daniel's rolls. He's just really buff now! But it looks like Rachel might be a pretty formidable opponent before long! You go, girl! :) Gosh, I love them to pieces...

Then I thought that I'd add a couple more shots of the kids. I have to remember that my mom "Mima" and brother, Chey, check this often and they'll get sad if I don't update the pics... Enjoy!


one happy girl...


what exactly is he doing, you ask? nothing says love like a soft head butt...

Sweet little girl...

Rachel is such a doll. She started smiling a couple of weeks ago (but of course, she'll never smile for the camera) and I finally snapped a shot. Isn't she a cutie?? Note: five minutes after the picture was taken, Daniel accidentally threw a book at her face-- needless to say, the shot wouldn't have been nearly as pretty with the blue welt.

BTW, I realized that I haven't updated the blog on John's work situation. He got a job working for the State of Idaho, specifically the Idaho Transportation Department. Yeah! He's working in the Suspension unit (which John loves-- suspending licenses because of DUI's gives him quite the rush!) and is really enjoying the job. We're grateful to have a steady income once again. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

Rachel's Baby Blessing

Family and friends came over for Rachel's baby blessing on August 3, 2008. We were so grateful to have Mom and Dad Tomlinson drive up from Orange, CA, and Mom and Dad Martineau from Soda Springs, ID. Adam and Dana are just down the street so they were able to make it as well. In addition, we had Natalie Hurst, CBS 2 main anchor and previous co-worker of John's, and my old boss from Riverglen Junior High, Connie Buckley. John gave Rachel a very special blessing. It's always an emotional day for a mother. I am so grateful for John and his Priesthood authority to bless our family.


A shot of Rachel... I need to fix the lighting...

The Tomlinson family

The Martineau family

Natalie and our family

Twin Falls Open House

Twin Falls, Idaho, is about two hours from our home. A temple was just finished there a month or two ago and, as is customary with LDS temples, there was an Open House for anyone interested to enter and see what they're like inside. John and I thought that it would be neat to bring both sets of our parents (since they would both be in town for Rachel's baby blessing) to check it out. The temple was absolutely gorgeous. It is a "medium-sized" temple with really unique craftsmanship. Daniel LOVED it, and was perhaps a little bit more vocal than he should have been in some of the rooms. When he entered the Celestial Room he couldn't contain himself. Everyone was silent and then you could hear him say, "WOW". It was sweet. Even a small child can recognize the holiness of a House of God. I look forward to returning soon. (For those interested, Boise has a temple, so we are lucky enough to have one a couple of miles away-- but it's always fun to visit different temples.) Here are some pictures from the day!

Shoshone Falls

Just a couple miles away from the Twin Falls temple is Shoshone Falls, the "Niagra" of the west. It was breathtaking! Incredibly, Shoshone Falls is over 50 feet taller than Niagra! Daniel loved it and kept telling us that he wanted to "swim in the waterfall..." Needless to say, we kept our reigns a little tighter on him. The pictures don't do it justice.

Sibling bonding...

I am grateful that babies are so resilient because Rachel has been kicked, punched, slapped, head-butted, and squeezed by her darling big brother, Daniel. All incidents were out of love (for the most part), but Daniel just wants to love her to pieces! I can tell him "soft", "gentle", "not around your sister", "careful", "STOP IT!!!" until I'm blue in the face, to no avail... :) I love being a mama. Daniel really has been good with Rachel. He loves to give kisses and hugs and he makes sure to check on her every morning. It really is so sweet to see the two of them together. I can't wait until she's a little bit stronger (and more mobile) so that they can play together (and so that she can defend herself). Rachel is such a sweetheart. We love her smiles and coo's. I don't remember Daniel coo'ing nearly as much as she does. She is precious.