Totally Thirteen!

In the year 2013, on the 13th day, our millennium baby Amber turned the age of 13!  

We had the great privilege to celebrate our daughters birthday yesterday evening with family.  At her request, we made sliders with brie cheese, mac'n cheese (by grandma) and TT made some great carrots with an amazing salad.  It was a fine meal in honer of our young jewel turning her first teenage year...

Amber got her wish of spending the day with her mother and her Aunt Debbie shopping for one of her favorite things, stylish clothing.  When she arrived back, she insisted on having me sit so that she could show me everything that she purchased with her own money.

Her is a stunning picture of my teenage daughter Amber - she is indeed a precious jewel and gift...

Over the past year, Amber has been exploring and practicing her gift of singing and music.  We chose to gift her a recording mic so that she could continue more effectively in that.  It was fun and enjoyable to listen to her belt it out last night.  

Did I tell you that my daughter turned thirteen this weekend!?  You are my little girl Amber, no matter what age!

I am so grateful to God for the giving of this wonderful daughter.  She is so full of life in everything that she does.  She is a a leader, a giver, friend to many, and gives her best efforts at everything she does.  We delight in watching her grow.  

Your family and friends love you dearly Amber and grateful for the way your life has touched us all.  We wish you a very Happy Thirteenth Birthday and many to come.

Double Digits!

Our beloved son is ten years of age today!  It has been a delight to watch him grow and we cannot believe it has been ten years already.  All birthdays are a celebration but we believe 10 is a big one.  We had the joy to celebrate with family this past evening with his favorite meal -  tacos.

After dinner he received his first coming of age gift in the form of a .22 caliber rifle (Marlin Model 60).  This is a Martin tradition and the next steps is firearm safety and then some respectful use and training of how to fire it...

We love this young man dearly.  He loves to read, enjoys adventure, surfing, fishing, the natural world, and he has always wanted a firearm of his own.  He now gets his chance.  Looking forward to the time together and the instructions on this.

Happy Birthday Seanyboy!  Your family loves you!  God bless you and keep you always!

Da Wifeys 40th

My beautiful wife turned 40 on December 21, 2012.  Had a great weekend celebrating her special day with dear friends and family in tow.

My niece was kind enough to help bring in the celebration by creating a video of some special photos that tell a story of Jenn.

See this video, celebrate her with all of us...  We love you Jennifer and thank the Lord for the amazing ways you have touched us all in your life.

Amberito turns 12!

Wow - our millennium child has grown.  I cannot believe that 12 years has passed since our little gift of Amber came into the world.  Our daughter is a delight, full of life, and fun to be around.  A precious jewel, that is her name...

Amber had a great birthday yesterday and got to spend some time the night previously at Cal Poly and then to a sleep over with her friends from school.  As is tradition, she was woke early by prayer in her room along with signing her happy birthday.  I wonder what her friends thought about this being woke like that...  Then as part of the tradition, to the kitchen for a pancake breakfast!

As part of the fun, Jenn took Amber and her friends to Forever 21 for a little shopping with their season and birthday gift cards.  Both Jenn and I did not know that Forever 21 Owners shared their faith on their sales bags.  Did you know they place John 3:16 on their bags?  I appreciate those in their faith that take risks and share their joy of the Gospel.  Very cool...

We were delighted to treat her to a meal on her birthday which included grilled pork loin, julian vegetables, and homemade mac'n cheese.  We topped it off with celebration in the house along with homemade Cold Stone style ice-cream treats, karaoke, and fellowship with visiting family.

The girls at the CP basketball game on Thursday (from left to right:  Jamie, Bella, Amber, Liz, Boo, and Kinsey)

The birthday girl pancake breakfast

Shopping at Forever 21!

Amber belting it out...

Loving my daughter - I appreciate my relationship with her.  I love dancing with her on her birthday...

So grateful to God for this great gift.  God bless you always and keep you my birthday girl...

Nines! Happy Birthday Seany Boy

Our young man Seany Boy clicked another year this morning - nine years of age.  In fact, as I write this post, I am close to the actual departure date to the hospital that morning nine years ago.  Seany is not much for sleep overs and we have not really had any big boy celebrations for him.  But this was his wish this time and the last 24 hours has been a celebration indeed.  Let me share his birthday wishes, which became reality since 12 noon on Saturday...

12pm - the boys showed.  Sam, Kyle, Marcus, and Ian showed ready for fun with sleeping bag ready for a sleep over.  As Sean asked, the following events unfolded:

• Run to the downtown of Arroyo Grande.  No idea why, but he wanted to have a jog to the village.  They ran all the way there and met me and John (my brother in law) where we were fueling the boat for the next part of the adventure.
• Kids loaded, headed to Lopez with fishing poles, food, and a hunger for adventure.  Got there, fished, hiked, sped the boat and watched these boys be the adventurers they are...
• Back to the house for pizza by the fire with treats of smores, and then Amber's amazing chocolate cake (thank you Amberito!)...
• Bed by 2130 and then waking them at 0630 for the family tradition!

The wild men at Lopez!

The boat ride madness - glad John had my back!

Part of the fun - running wild as the bear chases!

So glad that the tough young adventurous boys have tender hearts - pray it never changes!

The tradition of waking with prayer to a pancake breakfast...

Happy birthday my son.  You are a gift from the Lord and we are all grateful to Him for you!

God bless you always, and keep you.

Jenn's B Day

The kids and I enjoyed an opportunity to celebrate Jennifer's birthday with preparing her a great meal and dialing in the house chores.  She spent the day in a spa with her mother and Diane and returned relaxed and pampered.  To top it off, the kiddos played her a tune for an after dinner treat...

We love you wifey....

Happy Birthday Dear Mother.  You are one amazingly lady at the age of 69!

The family and I had the pleasure to dine at the Full of Life Flatbread in Los Alamos, Ca.  Started with some pea soup, and then some amazing flatbread pizza.  Pepperoni, prosciutto, potato, egg, onion, avocado, and many other goodies on the flatbread for our delight.

The desserts were over the top!  Brownies, creme brulee, and date ice cream...

It was an awesome time tonight and seeing my parents so encouraged in the time together.  Had a great time together tonight. 

Jenn caught the wine in the foreground of the picture with the label of Kummu - meaning family.  Perfect wine for the time...  God bless you mom and happy birthday.

Eleven in 2011!

Amber turned eleven!  This precious jewel is such a joy.  We love her zeal for the life that God gave her - our singer, athlete, and academic.  We are having a blast watching her grow.

Happy Birthday my dear daughter - we all love you very much!

Crazy Eight!

Seany boy turned another number this morning.  Tradition was held this morning.  Prayed over him as a family as he slept at 0630, only to awaken him with a happy birthday greeting.  Only kids could love that treatment and tradition...

Finished the morning birthday tradition with cowboy style pancakes with a candled light!

He is about to take on the day - with a new basketball, a new surfboard bag, and leash.  The man is equipped!

I thank the Lord greatly for this gift in our lives.  Thank you God for the privilege.

Bless you son and Happy 8th Birthday!

Jeffery Davis Martin - 70 x 70

We had the pleasure to spend the day riding with the cycling guru of the family.  Dad (JD) spent the afternoon peddling 70 miles through Ventura and Santa Barbara as a celebration ride on behalf of his 70th Birthday.  Very cool.  The boys had the delightful and memorable opportunity to share in the fun which included:  Sean, Korey, Rudy, Mike, and yours truly.  Dad rode strong, smart, and showed that he is not just some normal dad at 70.

Heading south near East Beach. 

Up the coast and yours truly drafting dad.  Illustration of both me and Seans life...

Mike and dad popping a climb near SB...

Great finish and a great meal in the end.  We got to gorge on burgers and shakes after earning every penny that day.  Appreciate my dads commitment to fitness and cycling and paving the way for our family activities.  Dad - your effort that day was a joy to watch and we appreciate the fellowship together.  Sean and I both thank the other men who helped make the day a memorable event and thanks to Korey, Rudy, and Michael for making the ride.  But especially thanks to Dad for training and making this day an important event in his life.  We all love you dad and praise God for you. 

Jeffery Davis Martin 7.0 (circa 1940)-Part I

Cannot quite describe May 8, 2010 and the absolute celebration for my dad who was born Mary 8, 1940. More to follow on that amazing celebration complete with pictures and the fun stories.

But the video for dad is a must watch. Grab some popcorn and enjoy a life story in pictures. Thank you father God for this great man, father, husband, and friend.

More to follow...

Amberito turns 10!

Everyone knows the Martins have a few birthdays in January. On the the 13th, our y2k gift turned 10 - Happy Birthday Amber!

As everyone likely knows already, the celebration started at 6am, a prayer for the day, and sang happy birthday to wake her (they will likely grow out of enjoying this...). Then pancakes abound. Nana and papa joined us and presented Amber with her first BB Gun (pink daisey red rider). She also recieved a desired cash gift from her parents and TT and Korey.

Importantly, this was Ambers 10th birthday and it was important to demonstrate a right of passage and celebration. 4 years earlier, after denying earings to my daughter, her mother and I were delighted to present the opportunity. She now has beautifully pierced ears!

Ambers pierced ears!!! Light blue to match her beautiful eyes.

We ended the day with a family dinner with the Carrols, nana, papa and the rest of the fam. We did some dancing and horsing around the rest of the night and stayed up late on a school night!

The kids getting funky with TT in tow!

Amber - your name is so fitting. You are truly a jewel to us all. We thank and praise God continually for the gift of you sweetheart. Happy Birthday Amberito!

Seven!

Seany boy is again turning another corner in age - lucky 7!

We really had a blast in the last week with Sean and his birthday celebration. It started in Friday morning at 500 am when Jenn and I woke to take on the day. We had some coffee, grabbed a few of his gifts, and had Amber join us in getting ready for our tradition for birthdays in this house...

Amber, Jenn, and I went into Seans room and prayed for Gods blessing on his birthday. Next we woke him by signing happy birthday. What came next was even extra special. I asked Sean if he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart and he smiled and said "yes!" We then, together, repeated a prayer which gave Sean the opportunity to profess Christ as his savior and his family had the delight to witness it. He did it with confidence and humility...

As we all went downstairs we did our usual and prepared pancakes as part of the tradition. And yes, place a candle upon the stake of hotcakes and again sang his birthday out.

Gifts we presented from everyone and very special ones: his own tackle box for fishing, his first knife, and a red rider bb gun presented from the grandparents!

Sean unwrapped the BB Gun!

Ready to bust out a few shots!

We are so grateful to God for the precious gifts in our children. God bless you little man. We love you dearly and Happy Birthday!

Happy 50th Tamara!

In 1959 there were some considerable introductions to the world. The BIC pall point pen introduced in the US, Barbie was introduced world wide, Alaska entered US statehood, and many other important events seem to hit the US headlines. But these little pieces of US history simply meant nothing to our family. One of the best decades of our country was coming to an end and our family enjoyed one last piece of blessing from the 1950's. Tamara was born to the world... God really blessed us all with her and we are grateful that she is in our lives. Tamara, meaning spice and in some cases palm tree, is a very fitting name because the beautiful and tasteful ways she has impacted all our lives.

This past weekend, all the siblings and children drove to Borrego Springs to celebrate her 5oth birthday and the weekend did not dissapoint. Her husband Brad and her introduced us to their new ranch home in which they are responsible for - a very profound and old organic citrus grove tucked in the upper valleys above Borrego in the San Diego County side just above the imperial valley. The desert oasis setting was stunningly beautiful and the ranch in which they reside has been there since 1940. They gave us tours and it was a blast.

The birthday day was spent at a SPA poolside with everyone having a blast poolside watching the kids and cousins go for it in the pool. The balance of the adults spent time fellowshipping and enjoying Tamara's company in this hot desert and 100 degree plus setting.

The evening was spent getting ready for dinner and a drive into the town of Barrego. To all of our surprise, we were greeted with a WWII armed forces carrier truck and we enjoyed a music filled tour of the Barrego Springs area as family together in the back of an elevated truck body with comfortable seats. The warm breeze, music, laughter, and smiles from everyone was an amazing experience and we all seemed to enjoy the unique aspect of our evening. It was something you could not have planned from an area outside of Borrego - Big thanks to Brad for this evening. We landed at a restaurant that hosted the Hollywood elite in the 50's. The building was a modern type of architecture built in a very desolate desert setting complete with pool, suites, restaurant and bar. Christina and Vanessa (Tam's daughters) set up the pool deck with memorabilia, cheeses, wines, and other enjoyments to make the birthday celebration all the better. The evening was filled with cheer, fellowship, sharing, tons of laughter, and overall a family appreciation and celebration. In this case, Tamara was center stage.

What a great time and we are all indeed grateful for Gods hand in all of our lives and the faithfulness in keeping us all together in our life journey. We will continue to make our family fellowship an important one.

Papa and his grand kids and great grand kids...

The beautiful girls: Jenn, Debbie, Cheryl, Shawna, Donna, TT, Tamara, Diane (the mom and grandma), and Amber. Have no idea why Vanessa is not in the pic?

The Gents: Korey, Jeff, Seany boy, Richard, Kenyon, Jeff (dad and granpa), Sean, Kevin, and Brad. John was missing and left to Taiwan on business. He was missed.

All aboard miss birthday girl!

Brad and Tamara at Dinner. Thanks to Brad, Christina, and Vanessa for putting on such a memorable evening...

Amberito turns 9 Today!

Amber Nicole Martin celebrates her 9th birthday this morning!

As is tradition in the last few years, I am about to walk upstairs with Seany and Mom and pray for her as she sleeps. We will wake her with sound of singing happy birthday. Sure glad she actually enjoys this...

We are so thankful for the gift of Amber. She is a great child full of life. She is doing so well in school, loves to read, play her piano, sing, and now the guitar that she is learning. This is in addition to basketball (which she rocks!), games, and countless other activitities. She is constantly moving and enjoying life every breathing minute of the day...!

We all look forward to many more birthdays together.

Time to get the pancakes rolling as well as part of the tradition.

God bless you Amber and Happy Birthday!

Seany Boy - Rocking The World Since 2003!

Seany Boy turned the age of 6 today.

We are so proud of the little man. He has really been making great efforts in school and has learned to actually do some chores in the house. Over the past week, Sean and I have spent time building a crane from his erector set - about half way through.

Sean wanted to wake early and celebrate his birthday together with a pancake breakfast. We are going to rally for Sean today to celebrate his birthday.

We love you sean. You are a delightful gift in our life and we wish you a very happy birthday this morning!