Carnies

Halloween was a busy day in the Martinez home: Bible Study for Daddo, a soccer game for Maddo, a stint in the "Snackerball" for Mama, pumpkin carving, costumes, and the Harvest Carnival. Were it not for this ridiculous time change, I don't think we would have survived through Sunday.

We also realized that this is the first time we have carved pumpkins since we had kids. I guess it makes sense that we waited until they were old enough to help, but I still have a hard time believing that we, the on-top-of-it Martinezes, have been such slackers.

Poised to attack!

I promise that I do occasionally brush her hair and wipe her face.

Scalping the pumpkin

Fifi did her requisite and customary 97 seconds of actual work before she retired to her chair to suck her thumb and supervise.

Madeline showing off a Siamese pumpkin seed.

Pumpkin splat - this is what the girls kept calling the innards.

Always good to have a Daddo on hand to finish up with the messy/ hard jobs that nobody else really wants to do (i.e. cleaning out pumpkin splat).

As ever, the boy child chooses the most inopportune time to throw a hissy fit. He likes to make it extra dramatic by laying his gigantic cranium down on the floor and kicking his foot behind him.

She is a cartoon character.

Madeline's wild facial expressions sent Fi directly into SYTPYN mode.

Much deliberation went into selecting the size and shape of the jack-o'-lantern's facial features.

Fiona casts her vote. It is seconded and unanimously approved.

Ready for carving

A snotty upper lip makes a convenient storage area for puffs until you are ready to eat them.

Guided by Daddo, the cutting begins.

Fiona + weapon = RUN, PUMPKIN! RUUUUNNNN!

The big girl wanted to do "the straight parts" all by herself.

Such intense concentration.

Our masterpiece is complete!

Fifi and Maddie proudly pose with their first ever jack-o'-lantern

And again, in costume. In case you are wondering, Sally and Lucy from the Peanuts Gang. Obviously.

The Charlies Brown

En route to go be carnies at the church Harvest Festival. We were in charge of popcorn. Another job for our tireless Daddo.

The gang's all here - Peppermint Patty, Lucy, Charlie Brown x 2, and Sally.

Sally before 30 plus minutes on the bouncy slide undid the effects of 17 gallons of hairspray.

When Fiona first saw herself in the Lucy wig, her little brain could scarcely comprehend what she was beholding in the mirror. I think it tweaked her a bit mentally.

Chachi and Daddo were livin' it up at the popcorn machine.

We picked up a couple of Tinkerbells along the way.

Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown, together at last

Again, giant vats of candy at every turn makes children most happy.

"Hmmm, what has the most sugar?"

They get candy even if they don't make it. I'm not sure if I approve of this celebration of failure.

"Damn the rules and your lines of tape on the floor. I do what I want!"

Action Sally

Daddo likes to get close-up, artsy shots of the kids faces. The Blomquists aren't the only ones around here who can take artsy photos!

And on to golf, as Fiona watches idly by, of course. Great tongue-in-cheek form!

"I gotcha!"

More arte

Grease paint and some hyper, sugared up kids - sounds like a great idea to me.

Insanely tired, you can always see it in the eyes.

We brought our jack-o'-lantern to decorate the popcorn machine. Snoopy is guarding it against theft or destruction. You know how church folks get.

Madeline playing duck hunt with her advisors, McKenna and her hot dog, close by to tell her when to shoot.

That look is frightening.

Maybe if I let her carry a weapon around all the time, she would listen better. It seems to be the only time she is able to concentrate.

It's 9:00, do you know where your kids are? The girls and Miss Josie are still rockin' the HC. Chachi was partying on elsewhere at the event, probably with his twin, Daddo.

Charlie is 9 Months Old!!!!

Highlights from Charlie's 9th month:

• He says "mah-mah" on command. Melts my heart! He also does quite a bit of babbling and squealing.
• He is experimenting with his voice and likes to gasp as he sucks his breath in. He also does a fair amount of screaming and screeching like a baby dinosaur.
• When he gets angry, his cry is very piercing. It sounds like a grown woman screaming.
• Charlie has a new favorite food: yogurt!
• He's crawling! Chachi finally put it all together and is a speed demon crawler. His knees and ankles are always black from crawling around on the floor.
• He is starting to cruise the furniture a bit. He will let go of one object and cling to one nearby. He is VERY pleased with himself about the whole thing.
• The third tooth it making its breakthrough. Top left middle.
• Dude attended his first trebuchet competition.
• Charlie got to take his first trip to mama's favorite place: The Pumpkin Patch.
• This dude loves his dad like no other baby has.
• He is ALL boy. He is into anything that moves: dogs, birds, running kids. And, he LOVES balls. He bats them around the house and then chases after them.

He's the number one lover man in his particular postal district.

He likes to tickle the ivories.

Showing off his new skillz. His favorite destination is the bathroom, where he attempts to climb into the toilet.

Charlie usually sits in his saucer and plays while the family eats dinner. That is, after Daddo feeds him on the table top in his Bumbo.

Dude loves to hang out in his saucer outside with his Daddo.

Another favorite destination is the fireplace hearth. The hard brick and heavy wrought iron grate are particularly attractive.

Chach loves to tear down my stack of magazine recipes and scatter them about the kitchen. As you can see, he is rather pleased with himself.

At the trebuchet competition.

A perfect day for the pumpkin patch at Underwood Family Farms!

My dudes.

A pensive moment

Our little family

Oh.my.gosh. Can you get any cuter?

Yes, he can!

Just one more.

Or two.

Last one.

C'mon! This kid just can't take a bad picture.

Hey, Huck Finn! How's that straw taste. Chachi hangin' out at the haystack at the end of the VERY hard corn maze.

Mas Punkin Patch

Because going only once a week is just not enough. I think Daddo not-so-secretly likes the Pumpkin Patch as much or more than the kids and I do.

Well, it wouldn't be a trip to the Pumpkin Patch, a class picture, or Fiona if there wasn't some totally unnecessary crying. Mrs. Bradley was very kind to hold Fiona on her lap. She has gotten quite accustomed to the dramatics.

Dad is thoroughly enjoying Farmer Russell's pumpkin lesson.

Year after year, Farmer Russell delivers. This guy has really perfected his act. I'm not kidding; he is an artiste!

Fiona is captivated, as well.

As if Tay wasn't cute enough already, let's throw in a couple of cowboy hats. Adorable!

My chariot awaits.

Jaden was soooo excited when the wagon took off!

Fifi always wants to hold my hand. It's so nice!

The girlies.

Mr. Chachi is sprawling out, getting comfortable on Daddo's lap.

Two hayrides in one week?!?!?!?! How can one person be so blessed?

Carefully picking her sugar baby.

Fifi and her pumpkin. Much better than the decrepit little one she picked last year!

Miss Maddie on her pumpkin hunt!

Found it!

Proudly displaying her selection

She's quite the farm girl!

After about 5 minutes of trying to get a nice shot of my three children together, we began to realize both why we don't try to take pictures of the three of them together and why Patrick no longer makes his living photographing small children.

I do like that Fiona is looking at Chach very lovingly here.

The best of the bunch, even though Chachi's eyes are closed.

Charlie got tired of sitting around in the stroller, so he just went ahead and did a pull up on the handle to hoist himself out.

Punkin Patch, Ya'll!

We teamed up with some other socially isolated homeschoolers to check out the local pumpkin patch. And, by the way, I love the pants Maddie is wearing - $6.99 at The Children's Place!

I love that around 20% of our photos of Madeline are full actions shots in which neither of her feet are touching the ground.

The child never stops moving.

The Cool Kids

M' Dudes

Mama & Fi

Perfect Pumpkin Patch weather!

An occasion such as this calls for a self-portrait

The hayride is THE best 15 minutes of my year. Here are some pretty sunflowers we saw along the way.

Gillian chillin'.

Elijah and Kaya - These two were doing everything they could to fall out of the wagon.

A pensive moment

The patch in all its glory.

Beauties! McKenna and Maddie

Our little familia

Wisdom from Fiona: "That's not a scarecrow; it's a happycrow!"

Madeline is rebelling because I made her put Fiona down.

C'mon! Can ya get any cuter?

Yes, you can!

Ok, last one.

Well, maybe just one more.

Or two.

This is getting ridiculous. This kid can't take a bad picture.

That's some big hair, ma'am.

My brood (and Mia)

Our friends

My girls. I wonder what Davy is thinking?

He would not let go of that straw!

"Cheez!"

"I give a wonderful profile shot."

She's ready to take on the world. So is her thumb.

The Fabulous Ladies of Little People Art and Lit. (or Art and Glitz): Hailey, Mia, Riley, McKenna, Gillian, and Madeline

At the end of the corn maze. We really should have warned our friends upon entering that it is actually a VERY difficult maze, and it is possible to spend upwards of 30 minutes finding your way out. We kept coming up to dead ends and Fiona would proclaim, "This is a dead way. Let's go back."

Hey, Huck Finn! How's that straw taste?

Ethan, Maddie, Kaya, and Fi behaving like animals!

Fiona was very apprehensive about riding the ponies. She only agreed to it after one of the girls working the ride offered to walk along beside her the whole time. Even then, she was on the verge of tear for the duration of the ride. When she came around to wear I was standing, I would encourage her with something like, "You're doing great, Fiona!" She would then force a smile and grip even more tightly onto the saddle.

Somebody get this girl a lasso.

Fiona's tension is visible even from clear across the pony corral.

One last pic of me and my girls before we call it a day.

A Morning at the Theater

Another of the many benefits of homeschooling: I get to take my daughter to fun stuff, like plays, in the middle of the morning, and I don't have to tell anyone where I'm going or why. This is great! We went with a group of our MOPS friends to the Nova Scotia Mermaid Theater production of Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Madeline's review of the play was, "It was FUN!" It really was. I was kicking myself for not keeping Fiona out of school and bringing her along. She would have LOVED it.

Maddie and her sweet friend, Elise outside the theater

Elise and Maddie inside the theater

Me and my girl. She sat on my lap for nearly the entire play. It doesn't happen often that she sits on my lap, so it was a real treat for me.

The set for Goodnight Moon was all black light and special blacklight paint that glowed in the dark.

The puppeteers demonstrating how the black lights work during the question and answer period at the end of the performance.

I've Been Told Their Wives Are Not Expecting Them for Dinner...

My husband and his cohorts are fabricating a giant device (aka- trebuchet, ancient weapon of war) to launch pumpkins so that they can get together with their other cohorts and see how much damage can be done.

A medieval touch. I predict someone will lose an eye.

Under construction

The foreman

Some sort of caucus, no doubt it involves making the device more dangerous.

Charlie is fascinated by the entire process. Of course, it could just be that he thinks his dad is the coolest person EVER, and is totally entranced by everything he does.

A little too pleased with himself if you ask me. I detect a hint of madness.

"Get back to work, you!"

Charlie is 8 Months Old!!!!!

Highlights of Charlie's 8th month:

• He's in crawling position! He's not quite sure what to do when he gets up on all fours, but I'm sure he'll figure it out any day now.


• He can pull himself up to standing position! But, he doesn't quite realize yet that he can't walk, so when he turns around to leave he falls down. Not so fun! Lots of bumps and bruises on the noggin'!


• Charlie and his sisters play in his room every morning when he wakes up. The girls climb into his crib, and I can hear them giggling and screaming until I can drag myself out of bed.


• He got his second tooth.


• Charlie went to Disneyland for the second time!
• We like to call him The Chach, El Chacho, or Mr. McGatch.
  

Dude likes to grab the wheel from Daddo and try his hand at Mario Kart.

Attacked by the pink wig!

He's working out a plan on forward motion.

Charlie loved riding in the backpack on our First Day of School hike in Wildwood Park.

This is one of his favorite places to pull himself up (and fall down).

With Aunt Beenie at the Avon Walk for The Cure.

Making mischief with big sister after naptime.

"I LOVE YOU, MOM!"

Two handsome dudes waiting to ride Nemo again.

"This ride is delightful!"

"Word."

"I Love It's A Small World!"

"What?"

This is on the Winnie the Pooh ride. I would love to know what they are so entranced by.

Handsome Dudes waiting for the girls to see Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore.

Tired kids after a day at Disney with the Blomquist girls. Charlie is getting his neck pinched by Fiona.

Maddie's 1st Day of Kindergarten!

Yeah, yeah. We started school on Labor Day. It couldn't be helped. The child would have positively burst had we put her off even one more day.

We had school in our PJs, because we can.

Working on her letter F collage. My favorite part about preparing for our first week was getting books from the library that centered around the letter F. Madeline would bring a book to me and, not so quietly ask, "Mom, does this book have an F-word in it?"

Fiona wanted to join in on the fun. Her big accomplishment for the day was gluing her paper to the table.

The teacher stayed in her PJs as well.

The proudly displayed completed "F' collage.

Our counting calendar

We interrupt this school day for a hike. Why not? We joined the Reimers at Wildwood for an outdoor adventure. Children who whined or complained of being tired may or may not have been threatened with abandonment and/or consumption by wild animals.

My little Chachi. I love him! He really enjoyed the hike, probably the most out of anyone. It didn't hurt that he got chauffeured around in the backpack the whole way.

A concerted effort to bring down the fence. Who says homeschooled children don't have access to team sports?

Hikin' along, hikin' along...

Cactus, obviously.

This picture is under official protest, as it will only further add to the confusion about which children/ spouses belong to Martinez or Reimer.

A flushed Fiona holds on tight atop Mama's shoulders. About halfway through the hike, she cried out, "My yegs awe tieyohd, and my tummy ees tiyohd too!"

Checkin' out the creepy crawlies in the creek with Daddo.

The stream was full of minnows and crayfish. Madeline also learned what cattails are.

Our big kindergartner!

Nearing the end of our long, hot journey.

Overall, I am claiming success for our first day of homeschool!

Baby Fi's First Day of Preschool

Today is Fiona's first day as a preschooler in Mrs. Bradley's Young 3's class at Bethany Christian School. She is not really that into going to school. Every time I ask her if she is excited about starting school, she says "No." There was also some crying when we left her in the classroom, which was hard for mama to take. But, I think once she gets into the groove she will really love it.

She was super excited to have two braids. I have no idea how I scraped together one braid, much less two out of her sparse amount of hair.

She's groweds up, she's groweds up, and she's groweds up!

"Me and my enormous ba-a-ack-pack

On her way out the door with her gigantic backback. "What ever is in such a big backpack?" you ask? Lunch and an extra set of clothes in case she has a wee-wee accident.

Breaking the parking lot rules on the first day

Fifi, Chachi, and Daddo

Big sister was there to show her the ropes. You can't see it here, but she just yanked Fi's thumb out of her mouth. Nice.

Oh, this one breaks my heart. She found her name all by herself and hung her back pack up on her hook, just like a big kid.

Chachi is rarin' to go!

"Cupcake anyone?"

So many things to do!

Me and my big kid, Fi.

"What?"

Charlie is 7 Months Old!!!!!

Highlights from Charlie's 7th month:

• Charlie FINALLY gets to meet GrandpO.
• Chachi claps his hands together.
• He got his first tooth - bottom left middle.
• He is eating fruits and vegetables now: apples, bananas, carrots, squash, green beans
• Charlie is sitting up unsupported for short bursts before toppling over.
• Little Dude had his first trip to Disneyland, and he LOVED it.
• He went on his first camping trip to the beach.
• He is starting to scoot around on his belly and army crawl to where he wants to go.

Hanging out in the yard with GrandpO, who was just back from China.

We could not resist getting the camera to capture Charlie's first-green-beans-face.

Sittin' up eating a bow from one of Madeline's birthday present.

Charlie's first trip to Disneyland was way more fun for him than we thought it would be. He really got into all of the rides and the characters. He DID have fun, even though Daddo got this picture of him scowling behind the map as if he hates Disneyland.

In line for the Alice in Wonderland ride. Chachi got to go on Alice, Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Finding Nemo.

Self-portrait in the Mickey Mouse house.

Little Dude waiting to meet Mickey.

"Is this giant mouse gonna eat me?"

The Dude with the new Hooter Hider. Someone stole our other one near the teacups. Boo!

They are soooo good lookin'!

All shiny and sunscreened up!

We went to Grandpa Les' and Grandma Sue's to celebrate Grandpa and Madeline's birthdays.

My little sleepy baby.

Sitting up by himself, playing with sisters' toys.

This is one of the few pictures we got of Charlie outside at the beach. When I went down to the water, I would strap him in the Snuggli to scale down the rocks. He would fall asleep and stay asleep in the Snuggli until we went back up to the RV.

Some friendly camping neighbors offered to take a picture of the three of us.

Birthday Celebration with Grandpa Les

We stopped at Grandpa Les and Grandma Sue's on the way home from Disneyland for some swimmin', BBQ, and birthday celebratin'. It was Grandpa Les' b-day on 8/2, so we had a cake for he and Maddo.

Getting ready to open her presents from Aunt Dondie. Fifi got a little something, too.

Their first Barbies (Despite the protests from Uncle Chris. He washed his hands of this gift on the grounds that Barbie is a hussy.)

My three amigos

I think that cake needs a few more candles...

Fiona and cousins Alyssa and Cody look on in anticipation of cake.

My Big Girl is 5!

5 years ago today, the Lord blessed me with a beautiful soul to care for and love. She is a joy, and she makes being a mother so much better than I ever thought it could be. She is smart, energetic, artistic, inventive, and loving. I pray each day that God will prepare her heart to accept the Lord Jesus as her savior so that she can use her wonderful gifts to glorify Him.

One minute old

The first year went by SO fast.

Where did all of that hair come from, two-year-old girl?

Our three-year-old loves her Daddo.

Our very expressive four-year-old geisha.

So stunning, even at age 5!

Happy Birthday to the beautiful Princess Madeline!

Hold the Green Beans, Please!

What can I say? The Dude does not like green beans. As if the furrowed brow, puckered mouth, and glaring scowl weren't enough of a clue to let mom know to lay off the green beans, each bite ended with a whole body shudder as he whipped his head from side to side trying to escape the offensive taste assaulting his palate. He remained in a sour mood for the duration of the evening, rarely cracking a smile or making eye contact. I think tonight we'll go back to peas.

Yet More Beach Camping

The muchacho got so mad that I abandoned him in his swing that he rolled right over and went to sleep. That'll show me!

Basking - SPF 50 can't even stop her from achieving a deep, golden bronze by the end of summer


Psalm 118:27 - The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us...

And, I'm pretty sure he made campfires and marshmallows, too.

"Whe cmm't t'k. Eeetn' msshhhmwwwohs."

A look of sugar-glazed satisfaction

Me and my Chach veggin' in my fave spot. I love to sit on the couch and watch the ocean. I love laying on the couch and watching the ocean even more.

He likes to chew his hand while meditating on the greatness of God's creation.

Maria, Will, and Jenae came to visit us, YAY!

Maddie and Jenae are heavily involved in some sand play.

Will and his belly are supervising Fiona.

I'll be submitting this shot to America's Next Top Almost Kindergarten Model.

The perfect spot for sorting one's rocks and shells.

Genesis 1:6-8 (NLT) - Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

Madeline likes to play out in the water by herself. She goes out farther and farther by baby steps. With each measure of distance away from the safety of the shore, she looks back at me and waves, just to make sure that she is safe.

Watching them play together is one of my great joys in life.

She reminds me of a milk maid here.

Gotta get her reps in.

This was a "volcano" they were building

By far, my favorite picture of Fiona, ever. If only I had been holding the camera vertically. Doh!

And, she's spent.

Dude! Look at that gargantuan cranium!

And this is how the swing broke...

My tired out baby. Lately, when she starts to get sleepy, she says, "Mama, I am tieyohd owwwwt!"

Devastatingly beautiful

He likes to be spanked to sleep.

Getting ready to go watch the surfers at Mondos. We were gonna try to get a lesson for Maddie, but a tropical storm made the waves much wilder than we expected. Not great conditions for a brand new surfer.

The reason there are no pictures of Chachi on the beach is because he would fall asleep in the Snuggli as I scaled down the rocks to get to the beach each time. Rather than wake him, I would just let him snooze, strapped to my chest until we got back up to the motorhome. I don't think he spent any time awake on the beach.

Chachi is 6 months old!!!!!

It's been a banner month for our young dude! So many milestones, so much fun!

• At his 6 month checkup Charlie was 26 1/2 inches long, had a head circumference of 17 1/4
  inches and weighed 15 lbs. 7 oz.
• He is such a happy little guy! I like to call him Mr. Zest for Life. Everything just seems so exciting and pleasurable to him.
• He is a big flirt. He likes to make this half wink/half grin face that is so pimpin'!
• Another new nickname is Machachimuchacho. So fun to say! We also call him "The Chach." Fiona calls him "Tachi." She says, "He's my bwuva. I yuv heem."
• Charlie now rolls from his back to his tummy and back again.
• He can hold his head up at a 90 degree angle from the floor.
• He LOVES his exersaucer. He loves to bounce and play and eat the toys.
• He grabs EVERYTHING within reach. He has Go-Go-Gadget arms.
• He likes to sleep on his tummy or his side now.
• Madeline holds him a lot.
• He can sit unsupported for several seconds. Whenever he is in his carseat or swing, he pulls himself up to an upright sitting position.
• He has given up the catnap, and now he goes to bed at the same time as the girls. Praise the Lord!
• He will work to get to a toy or some other object he wants.
• He likes to yell, giggle, scream, and growl like a tiger.
• He was still fighting off his double ear, double eye infection, and may have had an allergic reaction to his 2nd round of antibiotics on the 9th day of taking them. He broke out in hives all over which formed into a nice welty rash all over his body. Not nice scaring mama like that!
• Aunt Rhonda babysat him for the whole day and evening, the longest he's ever been away from Mama.
• He finally got to meet GrandpO!
• He had his first beach camping trip at Rincon. There are no pictures of him on the beach because I would put him in the Snuggli to scale down the rocks, and he would fall asleep and stay that way until we went back to the RV.
• Charlie had his first solid food, rice cereal. He was very adept at eating right away, and seemed to find the rice cereal delicious.

He made it to his tummy, but he's not happy about it.

Chillin' with Sissy.

He loves to hang out with Daddo and watch TV or watch Daddo play Mario Kart.

Mr. Zest for Life

The kiddos and GrandpO right before he took off to China to see the eclipse with Aunt Athena.

The Chach in his swing with all of his toys. He got mad and then turned to the side and went to sleep.

Relaxing with Mama on the couch of the motorhome, looking out at the ocean and watching the sunset.

Little Dude and his Daddo

He likes it when I lay him across my lap and gently pat his bottom until he falls asleep.

My Dude playing in his saucer with Fiona with his super cute froggy hat.

Charlie had his first real meal at the food court after Saturday night church service. Mmmm, rice cereal. Maybe he did so well because he had such a large audience watching him!

"What's the big deal, kid? I eat food all the time. See?"

"That was delightful!"

Our muchacho in his Tigger bouncer.