Bongo Bear

Justin got to bring home Bongo bear from Kindergarten on Friday and boy let me tell ya, it's as though the President has graced our home with his presence. I've never seen that kid so excited about a stuffed bear. We went to a birthday party with kids from his kindergarten class on Saturday and it was as if Justin was royalty as he was the chosen one who was able to bring him home. Jack is periodically allowed to look at Bongo bear and has once been able to touch him! Shock!

Bella's Love Den

One ten month old puppy + heat = 1 puppy in heat. Our little Bella is growing up and boy, oh boy is she ever looking for action! I found her under the couch last week with Jack's stuffed dog. I have a don't ask, don't tell policy so I don't know what was going on under there and I'm not sure I want to know! She has found a boyfriend in the form of Gunner, a German short haired pointer who lives next door. Yeppers, I must say the two are in no way "compatible" if you know what I mean. She is 10 inches tall and weighs about 7 pounds, he is about 4 feet tall and weighs way more than I can pick up....yep, not exactly a good fit if you know what I mean. So between my neighbor Cindy and I, we have commensed an all out assault aiming at keeping the two of them seperated. John has pulled out every concievable piece of lawn equipment that we own in an attempted to block off any escape paths under the fence. Our backyard looks like the Sears outdoor show room. So far we are not very successful so we may bring out the barbwire and electric fencing next and I have a call into Homeland Security to see if I can get some officers posted at the border. I'll keep you posted.

The Ball with.....Jay Leno!

The most fun we have ever had at a fancy event! We spent an evening with Jay Leno! It was a ton of fun and was a lot like being in the front row of the monologue at the Tonight Show! Okay I've never been to the Tonight Show...but I can imagine that's what it was like. Now mind you our goal....okay, truth be told, MY goal was to get a photo op with Mr. Leno. Well, turned out to be a little tougher than I bargained for! It was truly a Paris Hilton type of paparazzi event! I have never seen women in heels and fancy dresses run so fast! Poor old Jay probably is half blinded by now from all the flashing bulbs! So I, being the polite self I am.....ha, ha, stayed at a distance so here is a list of people who I did get a photo op with!

• The English bartender named Emma, she was delightful!
• The usher who, finally, dismissed our table to go eat
• The commander
• The other commander
• The caterer
• The S.W.A.T. team....sorry! Can't post that photo but believe me, it's a goody!
• The manequin...he was a toughy to track down, but he finally gave in and posed for a photo with me.
• Somebody else's autograph....my autograph es su autograph

And yes, judging by the really giant smile on my face I may have indulged in a couple too many peach schnaps and orange juice, but hey, give a girl a break! It was Jay Leno for crying out loud!

A Crown, A Glove, A Gorilla and a book on Presidential Leadership

Leave it to Justin to end the evenings with hilarity. I find this kid in our bed continually with the oddest things. He may have a Buick in there next week, you never really know!

Disneyland!

We are offically in love with one giant mouse who wears pants....didn't know mice needed pants, especially those with suspenders and large buttons, but apparently they do and he is awesome! We went to Disneyland to celebrate the twins turning five and hey for that matter, who really needs an exscuse to go to Disney. It was mine and the kids first time ever and it truly surpassed all of our expectations. We went with one very goofy grandma & grandpa which just made it all that much more fun. We can't wait to go back....Disneyland for Christmas anyone?

Twins are a whole hand old!

In the spirit of continual updating here's some pics from back in May when the youngest of the group turned five. One half of the terriffic twosome spent his birthday happily at home while the other half spent it in the hospital during a five day stay at the hospital. Jack managed to contract some odd bacteria which caused horrendous headaches and continual vomiting. 7 IV attempts, brain scans and 500 popsicles later. They did a spinal tap and he ended up with the spinal headache from that procedure, so was unable to sit up for four days. Joy. He was a trooper though once they got all that pain under control and bounced back 4 pounds lighter and one birthday later. His last day in the hospital was his birthday so we brought the party to him. Jack opened presents and Justin ate all of his hospital food so everyone was happy. :)

More Cuteness from HoTah...

Just too many cute smiley faces to share, here's some more! They sure are adorable when they are not bickering with each other, asking me for even MORE food right after dinner and/or arguing about who is better.....Cards or Cubs.

A Blue Ribbon Day

The best thing about living in CA? Baseball, all year round. We have about a 2 month break between the end of Fall Ball and the beginning of Little League and these boys love it! I have to pry the glove out of their hands everynight before they go to bed. No, you may not take a shower with your glove on. No, your glove is not a member of the family, thus it may not sit at the dinner table with us. No, you may not trade in the twins for a new glove....but nice try. These are some pics of this season's big win. The boys won their division and moved on to the Tournament of Champions where they won the first game and then were met with a team filled with 26 year old men pretending to be 10 I am convinced of it. Those boys were giant strapping young lads so our little guys.....well, let's just say they lost. J and J were both selected for All-Stars Tournament bracket as well so that added another month to the end of the season. Coached all the way by their dad! These kids are going to pay for their own college yet!

The funniest thing EVER!

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=97759aa27a0c99bff671

This is the most hysterical thing I have ever seen in my 29 years of life. You have to check out this video. Click on the link above after you have safely gone to the bathroom and taken some Advil for the stomachache you will have after watching this from laughing so hard.Don't say I didn't warn you! This video has become a staple in our home and is played nightly at which point four very white Martin boys attempt to dance.

It's a GIRL!

We have a daughter to announce! I shall be alone no more in the great battle against testosterone! I have called in renforcements! I am oh so proud to introduce to you....drumroll please.....BELLA BASEBALL MARTIN! She's cute, she's furry, she likes to lick herself in odd places....and yeppers she is most decidedly female!

Vacate to Lake HoTa!

So with my new venue I have to update you on so many things! I would be remise if I did not mention our summer vacation to Lake HoTa.....and for anyone over the age of 5 it is known as Lake Tahoe. The twins however, hmmmm, not so much they could not get that to come out right so for the duration of the vacation the large mass of water in NorCal was affectionately known as Lake HoTa.

Anyhoo, a great time was had by all. We have never seen water so blue. You can see straight to the bottom, truly amazing. We rented a cabin up there for a week and had a ball. No bear sightings to report but we did entertain a fox on the back deck of the cabin the final morning that we were there. Now mind you , by entertain a fox, I really mean we watched from behind a locked door and window in the dining room. We may be tourists but we are not dumb tourists! :) We lost a kid or two in the sand but somehow they managed to resurface, must have something to do with the tide coming in and out.

To cap off our visit we took a 4 hour raft ride down the Truckee River. 5 of us managed to stay safely in the raft at all times and 1 of us managed to launch himself out of the boat when we hit a big rapid....that person shall remain nameless as I wouldn't want to embarass Justin that way.....ooops! Now in order to fully capsilize this traumatic event you must picture a beautiful picturesque day with most of the family on the raft, one kid in the water, one dad holding on to said kid in the water by one ankle, one mom standing and screaming with horror as said child also is freaking out trying to get back in raft while said father is still holding on to one ankle. And yes, there sit the other 3 children probably becoming traumatized from the event watching the whole episode take place silently from their wet seats. Justin may never look at an oar or a big blue boat the same way ever again. Poor little dude.

September Suddenly Surpasses Summer......Sigh.....

Ahh... fall is just about upon us....the smell of freshly sharpened pencils has filled the air. Gone are the days of muddy footprints all over my house.....from my boys and boys from blocks around trudging in and out of that pool in the backyard. Hello 6am wakeup call and four little boys in uniforms coming downstairs. It still cracks me up looking at two twins in two tiny little uniforms everyday....could they BE any cuter?

Our evenings are filled with dinner(thank you dream dinners! check em out on the web at http://www.dreamdinners.com/) homework, baseball and perhaps a game of UNO or a visit with our 5th son.....SpongeBob SquarePants. He's cute and yellow, and a little square but we love him anyway....and BONUS! He doesn't cost us anything to feed! Yippee!

Here are some pics of the first day of school 3 weeks ago already! Wooo-Hoooo, 81/2 more months and I can stop doing fifth grade homework! Oh, and for any teachers that are reading this.....I don't actually DO the homework, I just help......for all of my real friends out there.....yeah, we do it.....only one problem here or there....ahem.....really, only one or two! :)

Welcome to our blog!

So after many requests for more somewhat funny emails containing random philosophies on life through the eyes of a mom and dad trying to raise four somewhat smelly boys we have gone the way of the information superhighway and created our blog. Which hopefully will bring both joy to those who read it as well as a sympathetic nod of the head every now and then as those that have gone down this path before remember all the little things from days gone by.

So may I be the first to say, "Welcome to our Blog!" Get ready to be entertained and to see more pictures of our kids than you ever thought possible.

*A note of warning!* Some material may be inappropriate for users to view if they have not gone to the bathroom in awhile as excessive laughing may cause.....errrr...leaking if you know what I mean. Martin family INC. will not be held liable for any underwear disasters.