Yes, I jump off the couch too. because I'm a cool mom like that.
We are still alive after the holiday craze! This year we had little sickies in our home so inevitably, we had a low key, yet richly wonderful Christmas.
We tried as much as possible to stay close to home, and keep our little guys comfortable in hopes of beating the bugs off quicker! It seemed to have worked though some of the elders got sick in the process too :(
Enjoy the pics from traditions of old and memories of new!
There is something about having a Christmas tree in our home that makes all the little moments so much more extragavant - just about the twinkling lights in the background and all the decorations...so, enjoy a walk through our December month in this album!
Our Christas was extra special this year and we are so grateful for close family and friends with whom we can celebrate the birth of our Lord together.
and we also wish you a Happy New Year!
The Martiniuc family
On a warm and breezy November Saturday, we decided to head on outdoors and burn some calories in preparation for the holiday season.
Much to our surprise, we found a beautiful, local botanical garden! As our eyes and minds indulged in the delicious scenery - Lucas had us hiking, jumping and running in no time. Secrets were shared on hidden benches and kisses were stolen during our outing.
It was a beautiful time. Since, mamaia was able to join us, we were able to finally get updated photos of our family of 4 in one frame.
As tradition stands, mamaia has given all of her grandchildren a bath...and Seth was next in line! So, you'll see pics of this tradition in this album too.
God bless you during this holiday season.
This is an album of pics from around the house and Adi's birthday. We went away for a weekend to celebrate my most amazing husband's birthday. He rocks my world!!! We had a wonderful weekend away, while Seth stayed back with Grandma.
You'll also see tidbits from Grandpa's weekly date night with Lucas. Lucas totally looks forward to these nights that are full of playtime. I can't wait until Seth joins in on the activities, too...though we'll see how L will feel about sharing grandpa's time.
EnjoY!
I could totally venture to say sunny So Cal routinely experiences Indian Summers. This year, we decided to exploit it by accepting a fun invitation to hang out at the beach with the grandparents in October.
Part of the Redondo Beach adventure for Lucas is to take a train ride from one end of the tracks to the other end. This time, I decided to join in on that ride and experience it again...something I haven't done since the first time Id been on that train with dad; I was 13 years old.
Time with gram and gramps is always fun as all of us are given the royal treatment. For example, several months ago Lucas asked if we could go to Hawaii. I said, sure we could go but first we need money. And he said, well if you need money thats easy, just ask Grandpa!
He thinks Grandpa has a never ending supply of money in his pocket. But my parents also spare no expenses when it comes to our little guys. How very blessed we are!
Enjoy the pics from our beach adventure and drool over the deep fried goods..
God bless you.
As we bid adios to summer...we're preparing for fall by bringing out our scarves and warm clothes and room heaters!
In this album, you'll also see a special date Lucas went on with just mommy and daddy on a boat ride and then having lunch together while visiting a firehouse and sliding down the firemen's pole! All of this while grandma graciously accepted to babysit Seth. Lucas is so much fun these days and can make you belly-laugh like no other.
Seth is still our blue-eyed boy for now...though hints of my brown are starting to appear in his eyes. From start to finish, you can almost see him grow before your eyes in this album He is amazing - he sits quietly wherever you put him until he catches your eye...then he giggles with glee and captivates you with his cooing and aahing. He is a dream-baby.
Enjoy the pics!
"For this child I prayed, and the Lord granted my petition."
On August 21st, we dedicated our son to the Lord. We were feeling blessed to be able to bring Seth before the Lord, and to be surrounded by so much love.
Afterwards, close friends and family warmly accepted our invitation to help us celebrate this major milestone at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton.
We are very grateful for the support and encouragement we have from each of them, and are feeling beyond blessed at the love that was shown towards us, and specifically Seth.
May God bless each of them.
Seth, may the Lord give His angels charge over you to guide you in all your ways.
Love, mommy and daddy
Also, there is a live version of Seth's dedication where you can also hear Caleb's special song dedicated to our little man...it was so heartwarming and perfect 'God will take care of you'. The link is here and it starts around the 25th minute: http://www.livestream.com/bethanyromanianbaptistchurch/video?clipId=pla_64316760-9462-438d-8852-7d714c2a35e1&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb
In this album, you'll see Seth meeting cousins Jen and Ben for the first time. It was so obvious they were firstborns...they made sure Lucas didn't lose his place in their eyes...L was enthralled. You'll also see our babe meeting the Barbu clan. Emma said, "I dont know why, I just feel like telling people that Lucas is my cousin." So, that makes it official :)
We also went to the 'rocket ship' factory, aka grandpa's work. My dad gave Lucas and I the royal treatment with a 30 minute tour of the facility. Lucas got to ride on tall machinery, get weighed (he weights 34 lbs if ur curious) as you'll see...and he saw lots of huge pieces of 'rocket ships' and other humungous pieces of equipment. It was cool, I was fascinated too...I forgot my dad works with such big tools.
To top that off, they have their very own 'Lucas room'...where all the machines have the name Lucas written on them - how cool is that?!?
To end that tour, L got his very own 'astronaut badge'. He wears it proudly and said he wants to work there too when he grows up - so cute.
We recently went to a wedding where my mom so graciously accepted to babysit Seth while the rest of the crew went and had a blast. We had so much fun, we lost track of time...and arrived back quite a bit later then we originally thought.
My mom didn't flinch and thanks to her patience, we made a ton of memories we otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to do so. It was incredibly delightful!! Enjoy some of the memories we made from that day.
During bathtime the other night, Lucas asked my why baby brother was growing so fast. I told him that it's what healthy babies do. He responded by saying he didn't want his baby to grow anymore because he is so cute! After which, he proceeded to cry..hysterically.
If only he knew I felt the same way...about both of them.
Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
We were finally able to introduce Seth to family.
He got to meet not only the locals, but family from Florida too.
What a blessed little guy, and what a great time we had!
Our peach tree this year yielded an overwhelming amount of fruits. One of my long time goals was for Lucas to pick organic peaches from his own tree. Last year, we had some yard 'visitors' that unfortunately helped themselves before we could. This year - we outsmarted them and finally ate of our own labor - the peaches were delicious!
Seth is doing swimmingly well. Adi and I could sit and hold him and watch paint dry on the walls and we still don't get enough. We squeal and giggle at all the funny faces and if one of us isn't around to witness a new 'face' or smile...you'll be sure to hear us call for the other. The one that is missing in action will typically drop whatever we're doing, except playing w/ Lucas, to see the 'show' Seth puts on. I could just eat him up.
Lucas is enamored with Seth and continues to think his little brother is cute. He's unbelievably gentle w/ the little guy and often wants us to position Seth so that Lucas can show him his toys or cool new tricks. He gives Seth tons of kisses and constantly wants to help change diapers and feed him. Lucas continues to amaze me at how much of a big boy he is becoming and how quickly. His new trick? negotiating...everything.
My little men fill this cottage up with many wonders.
We went to the park for July 4th for a family outing, though I was still recovering and on the sore side...it was wonderfully refreshing to meet up with everyone and be outdoors together. Lucas was glad to spend some one on one time with everyone, too. He didn't stop talking about it all for days.
Summer sure is fun when little boys are around.
After a two and a half week stay in the hospital which consisted of bedrest, childbirth and recovery - we finally made it home as a party of four!
We welcomed Seth Andrew into our world on June 17th at 10:09 pm. He joined us screaming his little lungs out, and weighed a tiny but mighty 4 pounds and 13 ounces. He was 17 inches long.
He is a joy to be around and he amazes us. God amazes us. Seth is nothing short of a miracle and everyone loves him more than we could imagine our hearts ever could love.
The first few days at home were wonderful - it was great to be reunited! Daddy took Lucas on a special outing for good behavior and they went to an airplane museum. Lucas loved the one-on-one time with daddy and felt like such a big boy.
More pics to come soon. Seth is growing and changing daily...while Lucas is an amazing big brother.
Love, the M's.
My lack of updates is due to spending all of our downtime together or lazying around on the couch. As you'll see, I've hit my 3rd trimester and its showing BIG time.
This spring has kept us really busy - but it's been great. God has blessed us with great health, wonderful weather, caring family and friends, and each other. We're so very grateful for all of these blessings and most importantly for the gift of salvation which we were so beautifully reminded of this Spring.
Enjoy the subtitles I put on the pictures - since there are so many, I figured that'd be the best way to document gardening, baking snacks for cubbies, painting Easter eggs, royal weddings of our very own (where Lucas proclaimed himself the King and mrs. Gherghel was his princess), mother's day 2011, celebrating birthdays and enriching family bonds, napa valley, first haircuts (before and after), and quality time with his grandparents (aka getting spoiled).
We hope you love the 101 pics, the M's
There's no way i can keep this post short - there are 89 pictures for crying out loud. Bear with me.
We are SO grateful to our heavenly Father for giving us the opportunity to celebrate Lucas on his 3rd birthday! He is such a joy to be around and is the light of our lives.
The party celebrations started with a special gift and phone call from geoffrey the giraffe from toys r us (u'll see the gift - a vacuum, as Lucas routinely 'cleans' our living room now).
Then, we celebrated with cupcakes and a great time at AWANA with his fellow cubbies. The upper grade class, Sparks, popped in for a special time of singing Happy Bday to our man. How thoughtful!!!
This was followed by a trip with mommy and daddy to Chuck E Cheese..where a kid can be a kid.
We had a small, yet meaningful, celebration of his b-day close to his actual birthday because I couldn't let the opportunity slip us by...! So, grandma agreed to throw him a 'sprinkle' at her house and he sure didnt mind skipping nap time for that party where he scored something he's been eyeing for quite some time - a new Ford F150!
On his birthday, Adi and I took the day off and headed to disneyland! OH MY GOODNESS it was a BLAST!!!!!!!!! 'Tusi Mari' heard the news and couldn't resist the temptation, and was able to join us! What a blessed time we had together, with perfect weather and smaller waiting lines than usual.
The decision was obvious that we had to end with a bang - with one last BIG party! Lucas had been looking forward to this one specifically for months. He had been sick for a couple of weeks, and so one of his favorite past times was to grab his cell phone and make phone calls to remind people of his special day, to not forget to come to see his toy story cake and also to open presents. It was adorable! So, family came by on a busy Saturday night to make Lucas' night extra special. They showered him generously not only with gifts, but with loads of attention. I think most of them got muscle fever from lifting him and doing the 'upside down show'! (and dont forget to check out the surprise twists the inside of the cake contained! beautiful)
May God bless each and every person that came to the party and set aside time to celebrate the wonderful gift God gave us. You made our night, and our son's night, and we are very grateful to have each of you close by and so genuinely interested in our son's happiness!
I can't end this without thanking all of you who made a special phone call to our little man right on his birthday. He LOVED listening to all your messages and even asked me to play some back. A couple were from friends nearby while most were from family that is far away - thank you, you guys made his day. We so wish each of you were closer. That was Disneyland day, he was pooped and upset that he had to leave..so the messages perked him up!
Lucas - you are the apple of our eye. We love you to infinity and BEYOND!!
We typically like to head up to apple valley at least once a year for some delicious apple dumplings and/or french crumb apple pie. Ever since we had Lucas, we also started to hit their local petting zoo...though I think he and I equally have as much fun feeding and petting the animals.
Of course, grandma typically provides toddler entertainment while the rest of the crew enjoy their desserts. Then, during the zoo time - grandpa is the holder/supplier of the animal food. We've formed a great team!
Also in this album, you'll find father and son hard at work putting together Lucas' big boy room. It was completed in one weekend - thanks to my hard working husband. The room came out GREAT. Lucas was ever so eager to help, so with his 'Handy Manny' tools in tow, he was tied to daddy's hip. Although the 'helper' probably slowed things down a little bit, daddy was ever so patient to explain every step of the way and allow the apprentice to try things out on his own.
May every night slept in your new room bring you sweet dreams and restful sleep, little one!
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Party 3 took place at the Martiniuc Cottage. Last year, we started a tradition of celebrating
Christmas morning in our own little nest, with just us. It is such a meaningful time that is kickstarted in pj's, by daddy reading the Christmas story. After which, we open our love presents that we give to each other, just as God gave us His love by offering us a Savior. This time together is so very dear to my heart. Party 4 took place with my dad's side of the family at tusi Rodica's gorgeously decorated house. They had pressies for Lucas which required quite some effort to put together - we're talking 3 grown men trying to figure it out! And then required physical effort to entertain L on it - I think Unchiu Luta worked up a 2nd round of appetites after the pushing around. Come to think of it, that was probably only due to the delicious tastes and smell of food in the house - yum!
Great, great times.
By New Years, we hadn't had a chance to recover from our Christmas parties marathon - and so decided to turn down any invitations to attend NYE parties. We celebrated just the 3 of us, made delicious 3 course meals and had the party of a lifetime. Enjoy the before and after pics.
-The M's. |
Four back to back parties in 2 days, with a toddler. Call us 12 kinds of crazy. Yes, we agree.
The first party was the traditional Christmas Eve party at Grandparent's house. This is where my mom makes a feast for the eyes and tummy, decks their house up, fills the living room with presents, and we all enjoy each other's company celebrating the birth of our Savior. Lucas favorite pressie from them this year was the drumset. We could barely pull him away to open his other presents...and with every other one he opened he would say 'wucas are SI drumbs'..so cute! Wouldn't trade this tradition for the world.
Next stop was off to church, then to the Olariu's for the big dinner with both immediate and extended family. The atmosphere was fabulous, and fun. Lucas, of course, got more than his share of presents here, too. He was the star of the evening and had lots of playmates - he's so blessed to have so many aunts, uncles and cousins who desire a close bond with him. Even so, I'm not quite sure Grandma got too much of a break - the joys of grandparenting what can I say.
Next up, parties 3 and 4 coming soon (probably next weekend).
Even though we are in February, we still pray that the joy of our Lord's birth fill each of your hearts and homes.
Love, the M's.
Soon after our arrival back to reality, from Hawaii, Grandma and Grandpa decided they wouldn't let no vacation top the good times they can show Lucas. And they were right!
Grandpa took some days off work and off to the tennis courts they went so that L could show off his newly learned tennis skills - and of course Jerry came too.
Minigolf - that is L's new favorite sport. Apparently, Lucas decided he wanted to steal the show in golfing - so the rumor was that he didnt let Gma nor Gpa puck! They were a great audience. As you can see, Grandma taught L the real way to play - just walk up to the hole and hit the ball in! Smart!!
Although these dates happened back in December, Lucas still recalls the details of the day, including playing the arcade games and getting 'kickets' and then eating chicken at a restaurant.
He loves his grandparents so much and they sure know how to spoil him rotten. ...what a blessed little fellow!
Enjoy the pics!
In December, we had the wonderful opportunity of visiting a place that for sure had to have been a mirrored image of the Garden of Eden. Hawaii never fails to disappoint us.
We spent a week playing in the sun, making sand castles, running across the shakey bridge at our pool, being mentally rejuvinated by the waterfall outside our room, being healthy, pigging out and worshipping God along with the beautiful nature just shouting out to Him.
We thank God for this amazing vacation and for showering us with His favor and allowing us to enjoy ourselves to the bone.
Look out Hawaii - we'll be back soon.
The M's.
Here are a few pictures from Lucas' tennis lessons and then practice sessions with my dad! My dad was also patient enough to start teaching Lucas how to ride the skate board..this is a rough task for your back. Lucas loves his Grandpa and squeals with delight anytime he hears grandpa is coming over. Its all fun and games...
Since I last wrote, we had a fabulous tasting Thanksgiving lunch at my multi-talented Tusi Oara's house. The Turkey was so delicious I ate left-overs for days and days afterwards, and my mouth was drooling just looking at the pic. She and Unchiu Viorel totally outdid themselves and though of every detail including gravy and gifts for Lucas! They are amazing, and Lucas loves their Iphone...he works it better than me. We are so very thankful for them and grateful for their love of Lucas. I don't know how they managed to escape the camera this time, though.
We also got a wonderful sampling of Sergiu's masterpiece - empanadas. Believe it or not, those were the only things I could eat while enduring morning sickness. If you live around here, you have GOT to try his empanadas.
But the party wouldn't have been complete without the socialite - our Unchiu Luta! Yes, yes many of you know and recognize his hilarious sense of humor - but few are lucky enough to see him in his true, no reserves shape and form of a party animal (..who let the dogs out..) So, I decided to let you in on one of our family's little secrets - the unedited version of my dear uncle. BTW, I didn't ask permission...and you're welcome! He's the best for doing wild things just to get a hearty laugh out of Lucas.
And even though it was his birthday - he and Tusi Rodica didn't want Lucas left out so what did they do - they brought HIM presents!! So spoiled that little one, I tell ya...but he loves them and calls Tusi Rodica 'tusi dica'...its adorable.
My mom, bless her heart, didnt get much of a break and spent most of the luncheon at the park with Mr. L. He's lucky to have such an energetic grandma that loves him so much - and I'm pretty sure he knows it.
I have lots of catching up left to do now that the holiday rush is over, and now that my first trimester is also over my energy levels are starting to pickup! Its going great! I'll be back soon.
Yours truly.
My dear husband completely dislikes a lot of hoopla on his bday. So, every birthday requires a little coaxing, but this year Lucas made it easier for me....as ever since he realized daddy's birthday was coming up (hmm I wonder who told him) he would wake up saying 'burrday parry fer dadddddy with burrday cake!' How can you not resist but indulge the little fellow.
But once the whole family's gathered around, and good times begin to roll...there have never been any regrets and we always look forward to the next time we can get together.
Honey - you rock my world! You are amazing on many levels and are wise beyond your years. I love you! Happy Birthday.
The pictures from this album are from our 'everyday life', with the exception of a special visit from my aunt and uncle from Florida. Their stay was all together too short for our tastes.
Lucas still adooooooores tennis, and seriously, no joke, the kid is good. So, we decided to let him join a class but the instructor said that they dont take them til they turn 3. However, the head coach was willing to give Lucas a try, and guess what - much to everyone's surprise (not mine), he passed the try-outs!!! momma's proud, momma's proud... As you can see, when the lesson was over, L had to be torn away from the courts. He loved it.
Sorry for the hiatus. The Martiniuc cottage has been undergoing some major remodeling. Before and after pictures to follow pretty soon.
In the mean time, it was my wonderful father's birthday. So, in this album are some special pics with him. Dad - you are my hero and I love you. I hope you know this and that I meant every single word I wrote to you personally on your birthday card.
We also went to a wedding and had pre-arranged seating and it was WONDERFULLY thought out. We got seated with family - TOTALLY awesome thinking Alex and Adriana! We had a fantastic time and I dont think any of us enjoyed the company as much as Lucas. He adooores family and prays over each member in the evenings with his daddy and thanks God for them and prays for protection of them. He loves them, and I'm so glad to see that affection blossoming. I hope he never, ever takes these things for granted.
I promised to keep these posts short, and stick to my word I will.
-Patty
The fair was completely awesome this year. We got smarter and went with empty stomachs...and then stuffed our stomachs through out most of our stay at the Fair. Of course, we did the traditional fried twinky (ok truth be told, only I (patty) did that fried twinky)...
Lots of fun! Can't wait to do it again next year!!!!
Yes – we made it to our yearly traditional Cherry picking this year, despite our month-long vacation. We made it the last weekend of the season, but what matters is that we made it!! And we found an organic cherry farm just overflowing with luscious, red, juicy cherries.
Lucas lost NO TIME in figuring out how to pick those succulent little balls, bite, take the seed out and continue eating. His favorite activity by far was running from tree to tree with the bucket. It was a race as to who could find the tree with most cherries on one branch. Fun!
I love that we’ve picked up this as a tradition…it is an absolutely great time. This year it was warm, and perfect for being outdoors, getting some natural Vitamin D and spending time with our little ray of sunshine always brings smiles to our faces!
After cherry picking, we typically have lunch at a local Mexican restaurant who has deeeelicious food, but this year was slightly different due to a mishap that happened at our house. Our fridge had been acting up, so in a day’s notice we had to rush out and buy a new fridge. Well, we had so much fun at cherry picking that we slightly lost track of time and were running behind the time the new fridge was supposed to arrive. My mom graciously offered, last minute, to go to our home and wait for the delivery truck….so, it goes without saying that we didn’t have lunch as usual. But the memories of cherry picking were still made, and Lucas still talks about cherry picking and the bucket…so it was a great time had by all!
Well these posts have surely started to take on a life of their own! And it’s becoming harder to manage this site with these long posts – so until I find a more effective way to share picture albums and post more ‘reflections’ – I am going to have to revert back to the original format that shutterfly supports – and that is, picture albums with short comments about the album. I hope you’ve enjoyed these longer posts, and if you haven’t – I hope you just ignored them J But we’re going back to the golden days…so this is the last long post and this change should make navigating this site that much easier (hopefully). Enjoy!!! And God bless each of you!
Love, the M’s.
My mother (a post pondered upon a few weeks ago)
It’s my mom’s birthday and I’m in Florida! I hate missing birthdays…I just hate not being around. But this year, this trip was far beyond my control. And although I’m only here for about 3 nights, one of those happens to be my mom’s birthday! What are the odds…(and I’m itching to get back home!!)
So dear mom, since its your birthday, I want to take this opportunity to remind you again how much you mean to me. It’s often said that its too bad we only limit these kinds of thoughts to special occasions. Its too bad these affirmations and constant reminders don’t happen in day-to-day conversations. As is so typically observed, we get caught up in the business of life – what’s on the menu for breakfast/lunch/dinner, how much did lucas eat, is he too hot, too cold, did he have fun, who did he meet, how long did he sleep, whats the schedule for tomorrow, when is the next church or family event happening, what event should we invent so we could have an excuse to get together more, what should we cook up, help with, serve…and by the time we’ve addressed all of life’s necessities, almost like a business transaction…we’re both left with about enough words to merely say goodbye, I’ll see you tomorrow.
So, I’m very thankful that I have this birthday to celebrate you. The wonderful woman you are. I’m so glad you are here, by my side, and I am able to let you know that I love you and am honored to be called your daughter. I’ve never been a daughter before, so I have nothing to compare with! But if I dare venture out to say – to me, you’re the best mom in this world. I love how you just know when to run by my side and offer strength by just standing there, or when you know that you need to offer words of encouragement. I love how you understand me and have helped me to understand what unconditional love means, which helps to further develop my relationship to my Heavenly Father.
I love hearing that you are proud of me, that I make you happy and knowing that I’m accepted by you even when I don’t make the wisest decisions. I love how you choose to let me learn on my own skin sometimes, even though I know you’d love to take my place or stop my fall…I admire the wisdom you have on when to step in and when to step down.
And most of all, I admire your optimistic spirit and up-beat attitude about life. Your boundless energy still amazes me, and I swear that even though you are twice my age, you also have twice the amount of energy that I have. You are part of an amazing heritage of strong and beautiful women, and I’m proud to claim that I come from the same line of women.
I pray that God blesses you with continued strength and stride in your step alongside dad, wisdom in your day to day dealings with those around you, and overflowing spiritual riches, including all that your heart desires.
Happy Birthday mom! With much love, hugs and kisses, your daughter J
Bragging Rights
Shortly after we arrived back from vacation, I was doing some comparison shopping over at Toys-r-us. I had a few of the items I needed in my cart, and as usual, we headed over to the bicycle section so mr. boss can scope out the latest models.
He usually studies them, pushes them, rotates the wheels, spins the pedals, etc..until he feels he mastered the bike. Then he’ll attempt to mount it and ask to be pushed around. But this particular time, I was so into reading the contents of the packing slips of what I was shopping for that I didn’t realize he was already at the stage of being ready to get pushed around (either that, or it really did happen faster this time).
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice this little guy on a bike turning the corner at the end of the aisle. I thought for sure he wasn’t pedaling…he must be pushing with his legs on the ground! When I reached him, I couldn’t believe it! Lucas had figured out how to pedal on a big boy bike!!
We rushed home to share the news w/ daddy. Shortly thereafter, all 3 of us headed out to toys-r-us to check out the new milestone and as Adi and I were beaming with pride (what can I say, our son’s a genious..) we decided we wanted to see more of it! Well, not only that but Lucas made it clear he wasn’t leaving that store a 2nd time without ‘his’ big-boy bike. Especially after putting on such a grandiose show for daddy at what he is able to accomplish.
So, we went to pick out a helmet, bought the bike…and brought it home. And ever since then, my little toddler has really transformed more into a little boy…and next it will be to a big boy and before I know it we’ll be talking wedding plans (yeah.. …but time flies!)
Adi has taught Lucas how to ‘break’ and as it is, Lucas is pretty cautious not to go too fast…but at least now when he goes ‘too’ fast he breaks (vs calling out for one of us to come catch him…he would yell out ‘pici pici’ – as in falling, falling…meaning that he’s falling…and that was our “q”). So, now, that I don’t have to chase him anymore…I have to figure out another work-out routine.
These are my proud mommy moments (so much for keeping the posts shorter)…enjoy!
-Patty
These are the last set of pictures I have from the end of our European vacation in 2010. I guess I really should more seriously consider a true blog rather than a picture-sharing site, especially given the next set of posts I have lined up – Lucas’ first real bike, my mom’s birthday and cherry picking!
In any case, the last few days were rainy in Romania..the weather accurately reflected how we were feeling on the inside. Vacation was waaay to nice to have to end ALREADY! Sure, it was a month long..but time flies when you are having fun.
The last few days were most spent indoors due to the cold rain, and with that, Dan’s family came over to have the celebratory ‘farewell’ meal…and just hang out. Lidia hand-made some beautiful sweaters and vests for us that I’ve already sported on several occasions. She does awesome, awesome hand-work…I think it is such an art. It also reminded me of the many tops my grandmother made for me during her younger years…made with love. This is an art that I think will soon completely disappear from our generation, much to my dismay. As for Dan, Lucas loooved him because of his overall peaceful demeanor and outlook on life. You can sense it from the moment you meet him, and Lucas practically jumped into his arms from the first time Dan walked into the door.
But one cannot forget our very own and famous ‘Johnny Cash’…also known as Sergiu. Sergiu plays the guitar, and as you all know, the guitar is hands-down Lucas’ favorite instrument. So, he was in utter awe of his cousin Sergiu who was cool as can be with a guitar in hand! Sergiu even snuck in some guitar lessons for Lucas…sheer bliss for mister boss.
And with this, I conclude the sharing of our memories from our Euro trip. After this, it will be a game of catch-up on all we’ve done since we’ve gotten back!
Stay tuned.
While on vacation, we ate nothing but the best of mamaya's food, anad so breakfast, brunch, lunch, supper, dinner and snacks were always consisting of novelty foods. And most days we ate each of the meals mentioned above....how in the world we didn't gain 100 lbs...I.do.not.know.
Lucas loved his mamaya and she sure has a gentle and special touch with kids. It was fantastic to watch the bond between grandmother and grandson bloom with every day that passed. She always bought him goodies, and taught him to eat sunflower seeds (he calls them 'beente' from 'saminte' and snap peas which he calls 'geeen bolshh' (green balls), just to pass time.
Tataya was also very prized in Lucas' books because he always figured out a way to fix things. When Lucas broke one of his favorite toys, tataya came to the rescue by figuring a way to patch things up...and after 'the fix' Lucas bolted into our room proudly displaying his 'new' old-toy playing with it for hours for the remainder of our vacation.
It was precious to see them interact, and most awesome to see their eyes light up whenever they saw each other.
Enjoy the pics from 'dracula's castle', the Peles castle, and the old fortress in Brasov among the other fantastic places we visited during our trip! Take a mental trip, as I did once again, while massaging these memories to update them on this album. Coming up next are pictures from our last couple of days in paradise.
God bless you - The M's.
Of the thousands of reasons I love vacations, I have a few that make it on my top 10 list. Things such as unlimited free time with family, breaking away from the hustle and bustle of every-day life, not having to face your bills every month (who likes giving away money if it doesn’t return some good clothes, presents for others, or a good meal....eeeeech), clearing your mind, renewing your energy, and most importantly being reminded of how magnificent God is and reconnecting. It all gives me a fresh perspective on life and makes me feel able to conquer the world!
Mornings in Romania were slow-paced…wonderful..just my style. It would take us a couple of hours to get through breakfast and sipping coffee (or milk/tea for Lucas and I). We’d discuss the plans for the day, and just how much fun the said plans are going to be. We’d pack up our gear and excitedly head out. Lucas always made a special invitation to Emi. A L W A Y S. She was his travel buddy. Not only did she have great ideas to keep him entertained, but she fed him, held his head when he nodded off in the car and his head kept falling thanks to the wonderful roadwork in the country side, made sure he was always comfortable, clean, and with smiles on his face.
There are so many things left to say on this topic, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves..and save myself many thousands of words.
Stay tuned for the next post, with the remainder of the folks we spent most of our time with and sharing of a few more memories we made while on vacation a world away.
-Patty and co.
Romania is amazing! A lot has changed since we were last there 8 years ago. At least in Brasov, tourism has definitely picked up, customer service has made a 180-degree turn, people in general are much more welcoming, and spending time with family was just exceptional.
At any time of day, Lucas had an audience – a minimum of 3 people any given time of day. He was completely and utterly excited to put on a show for whoever was watching. Every day we visited at least two parks (except when it was raining) and his favorite playmate was Dori. He was SO proud to have a ‘big girl’ escort him and help him cut in front of other ‘babies’. He wouldn’t let go of her hand. She was a complete doll, extremely gentle and wise beyond her years with handling our little fellow – who always had an agenda of his own. She is an amazing little girl. May God bless her for all she did for Lucas and for always making sure he was happy and had everything he wanted.
Lucas was also in awe of his other cousin – Seby – who had everything Lucasdreams about – roller blades, a bike and a skateboard. Seby was generous enough to build a skateboard for Mr. Boss and even met us in town one time and took Lucas for a ride w/ the roller blades…oh man, the ride of his life.
Stay tuned for more pictures and more on the rest of the folks Lucas talks about every day.
-The M's
To say I loved London would be, by far, an understatement. Our first stop on our overseas adventure was London, England. Our hotel was in the heart of Westminister London, on the South bank across the bridge from Big Ben. Every morning, our view consisted of seeing the beautiful golden clock from our window at the café. Our hotel room faced the Waterloo train station, and that was a humungous hit with mister boss. I can’t tell you how much he spent watching the trains stroll back and forth, and the first words he’d say everytime he’d wake up were “choo choo tein”. Adi did a GREAT job in landing that hotel room. It was huge, luxurious, with soft pillows, comfortable bed and the fluffiest goose-down comforter I’ve ever wrapped myself in. I was sooo sad to leave that hotel…it was gorgeous.
We visited most of the highlights, but there is SO much to do there, I don’t think we saw half of everything that is important. Among the things we saw were St Paul’s Cathedral, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace (and caught the changing of the guard on a Sunday – great show), the cutest little bread bakery in the world (in my opinion)called “Paul”, several Royal Parks (our favorite being Hyde Park), the London Eye, Covent Garden Market…just to name a few..
I sure left my heart in London. Adi promised me we will go back to get it…some day! Til then, I will forever treasure the wonderful memories we made, and anxiously look forward to going back to a city that far surpassed my expectations.
Stay tuned for the second part of our trip – Romania.
-Patty
We’ve been having technical difficulties with our computer imaging software, so it may be a couple more weeks before I could get pics updated on this site. But I did want to go ahead and publish a new post I did on my grandfather, who turned 80 on april 29th. We celebrated his birthday, together, as a family, and pics will be up soon (I hope!)
I’m really glad that Lucas has had the blessed opportunity to meet his great grandfather. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I, myself, feel a sort of pride that when I was young – I had met two great grandmothers and 1 great grandfather. It reinforces my heritage, and find it neat that my relatives have the ‘long-life’ gene!
As I looked at my grandfather on his birthday, I often wonder what his younger days were like. I know this may sound strange, but I find it very odd that he was born just around the time that tv’s were invented. It is highly probable he actually grew up without a TV – what does one do with all that spare time?? Cars had just been invented for a few years, so I’m sure that in Romania he probably didn’t find the sight of them very common! When I asked him once how he met my grandmother (to which he had been married to for 50 years, before she passed away), he told me that he was with some other people in a carriage and passed by her street and noticed her. In a CARRIAGE folks – I can’t wrap my head around that. How awesome to have experienced those days!! I would LOVE to see some random pictures from those days…what every day life was like.
Fast forward to the early 90’s where he finds himself in America – the land of dreams – complete with computers! Hello culture shock!
And now, in his ripe age of 80, my dear grandfather has settled in – very well – into this new high tech world. He is very independent (yes, he drives – alone!), lives on his own, owns a computer! And surfs the internet!! My 80 year old grandfather, who was born into a world where almost everything was manual (I guess..at least that’s how I imagine his life was..for some reason, I also imagine everything was black and white –is that weird?) has now astonishingly embraced the new ‘commodities’ this life has to offer.
The concept that 80 is an old age is nonsense. At least from the angle of using the term ‘old age’ as a derogatory term. When are we old? From what I see, it’s a relative term. My grandfather is at a stage in life where he has accumulated enough experience to become master over stress, the participant of pleasure and sheer enjoyment of joy and beauty.
On top of all this, he is a strong man of God. His prayers over me and my family are powerful, and I’m sure they make the devil and his demons shake in their boots. May God bless my dear Grandfather.
And just as the party was coming to an end, I was in the hallway with Lucas and my grandfather was around the corner. I could hear him talking and I leaned in a little closer to see if he wanted to tell me something or what, and I overheard him say in our native-tongue ‘so the luncheon is finished, and it was for me. It was all so nice, so very beautiful, I really enjoyed it. Yes, I did.’ And with that my heart felt full of joy at understanding that he continues to prepare for life, not death, and that I’m very grateful for the God-based legacy he continues to form for our family.
With lots of respect and love – I’m honored to be called his grand daughter.
Til the pictures come – this post should keep your retinas bleeding…sorry it was so long! I couldn’t find an appropriate time to stop! …maybe I really should consider a blog rather than a picture album sharing site…
Til next time, Patty
Oh yes oh yes, beautiful weather has finally arrived!!! Along with this fantastic weather that makes you want to spend every waking minute outdoors, the hills are alive with GREEEEEN grass and blooming flowers. Our peach tree is in its prime with flowers and those will soon fade and give way to fresh, organic peaches. I'm especially looking forward to it this year, as I have been for many years, for my very child to climb up the hill to the tree and pick his own fruits. It will be fun.
We indulged in fantastic weather over the Easter weekend. We started off by going to Disneyland, of course... and ended on Resurrection Sunday by having a garden luncheon with our family. How I love garden lunches... We ate at our aunt and uncle's house, and as my uncle refers to it 'Tusi Rodica's house'...which we think is hilarious - albeit true. A woman's home is her world. ;) The tablescape was luxurious, the atmosphere was peaceful (until the earthquake hit!), the weather spoiled us, the food was so delicious I ate the leftovers allll week (so did Lucas!) He doesn't always do so good when his nap time is interrupted..but with all the beauty around us, he acted like a champ, ate like a champ, and at the appropriate time slept like a champ.
It seems that with every Easter, I am more and more emotional by the holiday. I find that every year I am more able to relate to how the women and disciples must've felt on that 'third day'. How joyful their hearts must've been, I dont even think words can describe it. The songs our church sing, the joy in the air, the giddiness of being loved THAT much...it all adds to such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the gift of salvation. I'm positive that is why I enjoy these Easter luncheons more and more with each year - the reason of the celebration is simply amazing. Thank you Jesus for dying for me, and for rising up again - yes, i know, My Redeemer LIVES! This is sheer bliss...and I'm so thankful for being able to celebrate this magnificent event with family.
For easter, the 'easter bunny' (read relatives) gave Lucas some brand new toys which added to all of the excitement of the day. How very lucky this little guy is... He also got some really cute spring clothing...pretty soon I wont be able to say 'cute' anymore...he's growing up SO FAST! I'll have to migrate into the area of referring to him as handsome. But for now, Ill bask in all his cuteness.
And as for other things - We are doing phase II of remodeling our house. You'll see mr. boss is always very eager to help...but the ladder isn't among his favorites. He would LOVE to help daddy paint up there, but somehow needs to feel secure at the same time and well...I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
Love, Patty
For Lucas' 2nd birthday, we wanted to take him some place special he had never been before. Since he loves 'hhheeessshhh' so much lately (during our weekly trip to Walmart, we aaalways have to stop by the heesh so he can tell us about each one), we decided to go to Long Beach Aquarium.
Much to our luck, there was a sea lion that was very much in a playful mood. He would come charging towards Lucas and then spin and spin and then start again...it was hilarious. Lucas squeeeealed in delight.
And for a change of pace, we headed up to Lake Arrowhead a couple weekends ago to celebrate the love of two dear friends of ours through their wedding. Being that it was so close to our own 7 year wedding anniversary, Adi and I decided to spend several days up there and celebrate our own marriage! While up there, one of the days we spent time with family during the wedding and Lucas loooooved the attention. He's such a little show-off, its adorable. Our family spoils the heck out of this little man, I hope he realizes some day just exactly how blessed he is to have their favor bestowed upon him. May God help him treasure it.
Our anniversary finds us happier, more deeply in love than ever, and joyful for all the things God has blessed us with over the years. We prize this time of year and have made it a tradition ever since we got married to purposefully get away for it...even if just for the weekend. God has blessed this wish of ours and has granted us this opportunity for every one of our anniversaries. And we cherish each one, and all the memories made together.
For Adi - God bless you, my sweetheart! With you at my side, every experience is wonderful!
with love, Patty
This year started off quite rough for the Martiniuc cottage. We had all caught very ugly viruses that we just couldn't shake off. January 31st marked the very last day of any of us taking medicine and was a turning point in both our health and the new year!
During the Christmas holiday, Adi and I both took some time off of work and just spent wonderful time together as a family. Actually, to say our time together was wonderful is a major understatement. Our days were full of fun, slow-paced mornings, airplane museum visits, snow play, bubble making, chit-chatting, jabbering, translating Lucas' increasing vocab, playing, raking, refilling-wood-chips-in-our-yard, enjoying the sun, enjoying each other, being thankful for our families,our health, our home, dangling conversations and most importantly remembering the wonderful Gift God gave us - His Son.
Over the past few weeks, Lucas has started to initiate his own prayer time before meals. We didn't realize he didn't make the difference between snacks and full-on meals...so one time after I gave him some fruits, he set his plaate and fork down on the table and much to my surprise started praying over his fruit! I thought - why not? Sometimes toddler's teach you some of lifee's valuable lessons - as we very much SHOULD be thankful for the nourishing fruit and the ability to eat! You'll see the picture of him folding his little hands at the table.
And last weekend, my darling boy turned T W O! YAY! We are SO SO SO very grateful to be able to celebrate our little's boys 2nd birthday all together with our nearby loved ones(minus Tusi Rodica :( ) We had a spongebob theme as that seems to be one of Lucas' favorite shows these days. We had italian food for the main course and yummy spongebob cake (pineapple flavored, of course). Our uncle decorated that cake to perfection...including sponge bob's indents...it looked amazing.
Among undivided attention from everyone, Mr. Boss (aka Lucas) received a ton of neat and fun presents. You'll see in some of the pictures, I don't know who enjoyed the presents more - Lucas or the adults! He also basically got a whole new wardrobe that should last us for quite some time - lucky him (and me, I LOVE switching up his clothes..he's so much fun to dress!) ahhh...the life of a 2 year old.....
Enjoy the pictures and God bless you!
Love, Patty and my nautical crew
During Thanksgiving, Lucas was battling a nasty cold (I was under the weather too, but not quite as bad while the medicine kicked in). Last minute, we decided his cold wasn't well enough to take him out - so for the first time in years, we did not join our entire family for Thanksgiving and my uncle's birthday. I was bummed, to say the least - but challenged myself to get into the spirit. Afterall, I lack nothing and have everything in the world to be thankful for. So, I wasted no time...I decorated our home, lit the candles and whipped up a thanksgiving lunch complete with stuffing!
When Adi came home from church, he came to a festive home, hot lunch and warm atmosphere - it turned out great! And a couple of hours later, my parents came over and brought food from the main family luncheon - complete with sarmale and cranberry sauce! It was delicious!!
In between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we took Lucas to Irvine Regional Park where they had horses. He calls them 'aboos'...no clue, don't ask...
For Christmas, we spent Christmas Eve at my parents house. We opened presents, had a hearty dinner and then hung out and 'played'...while Lucas learned how to ride his new tricycle! Christmas morning was spent at our house, and then Christmas lunch was spent with the whole entire family. It was a wonderful time and Lucas was well-rested, and as usual, a happy toddler makes for some happy and memorable moments.
May God bless you as we enter the new year and may He bring you and yours a wonderful New Year full of surprises and good things from above.
With love, The Martiniuc Family
Adi changed the prefix to his age recently, and will now be putting a 3 at the beginning of his age, for the next decade of his life. We had a great time with family, celebrating this 'milestone' and thanking God for giving us the opportunity to richly indulge in the enjoyment of 'togetherness'.
In this album you will also see some scenes of what the Martiniuc cottage looks like in the evenings, I would say around 7 oclock. You'll usually see a tent pitched up between two couches, where mom and son are spending some good quality time discuss the day's events and the pretty pink flowers on the "walls" and "roof" of our tent. Occassionally, we also read under there...but mostly we chat. I love those moments.
Til next time,
Patty
Disneyland!!
I am thrilled to the bone that Lucas LOVES LOVES LOVES Disneyland...it makes Disneyland just that much more magical! We saw a lot of characters this time around, and Lucas was a little weary of them...but then we got to the one and only - Mickey Mouse. He was enamored by the site of Mickey! He couldn't take his eyes off him and then when we got to him he started talking to him and kept wanting to hug him and touch his nose/ears/eyes - it was so cute! I wished we could take Mickey with us - but that's nothing new in my books.
As usual, when at Disneyland, he only takes about a 20 - 30 minute power nap...but he is happy as a clam before and after it! I think he'll follow in my footsteps in his love for Disneyland and how can he not..it is after all the happiest place on Earth!
In this album, you'll also see a shot of some cute house shoes he got from Australia..I can't get over how cute his little toddler legs look in those shoes!
Enjoy the pics!
Love, The M's
I generally consider myself a pretty typical California girl (although, I have yet to achieve the "local's" popular highlight of snowboarding in the mountains and surfing in the Pacific on the same day), this year was the first time I attended the L.A. County fair. Oh my and what a blast it was!!!
They had a maternity barn, where mother goats, pigs, cows, hens, lamb, llamas (to name a few off the top of my head) hung out with their newborns. We were also able to pet a wide variety of animals and I hope Lucas liked it as much as we did!
We also didn't realize exactly how much food these fairs have. We went there with a full stomach, but still couldn't hold back on authentic Mexican tacos, smoked/bbq'd turkey leg, flame roasted corn on the cob, fried twinkies, baked potatoes topped with the works...should I go on?
I can't wait to go again next year!
Patty (and co.)
WOW! Lucas attended VBS at our church this year and what a blast it was!
So you know, my big boy also shares daddy's Saturday morning coffee and is demonstrating his potty training skills like a champ! Where has my baby gone? Why, he's turned into the most adorable toddler ever, of course!!
For Labor Day weekend, we decided to load our car with family and go to a truly magical place - no, not Disneyland although that still tops my lists as magical - but in fact, a magic created by our Heavenly Father alone without the use of man - and that place is Sedona, Arizona.
We took a detour by the Grand Canyon where we saw an Elk in the wild! What a magnificent creature.
Then, we headed to our destination - Sedona. Mari cooked some delicious meals and kept our tummies constantly satisfied and that made each of us happy campers especially our little man. You know a happy toddler means a happy environment. With a full tummy, and long car rides that make for wonderful naps - Lucas put on many a shows for our entertainment purposes. He's such a ham! He continues to amaze us at how much he likes to travel and indulges in our undivided attention. He's incredible and I love every inch of his little self and kiss him and squeeze him and just can't get enough of him.
While we walked around downtown Sedona one night, Costi hung back to hear some live music where the guy performed Johnny Cash - he said it was quite the show and I know Lucas would've loved that..he adores Johnny Cash. But, Lucas didnt waste anytime regretting it, as you'll see...he was treated like a king by the rest of the crew that went a strollin'.
Oana was his best bud and saved the day with a beautiful necklace she had that Lucas couldn't get his eyes (and hands) off of. So, generous as she is, she let him play with it through our whole trip. It was very intricate and long with multiple strands and Lucas thought it was fascinating and he'd just study every aspect of it sometimes until he fell asleep. She was a lifesaver with that thing - I hope he didn't wreck it too bad!!
And as for Adi and I, we enjoyed having family around and loved watching Lucas bond with other family members and truly enjoy them and look for them. He ran back and forth between our hotel rooms and had a blast. And if Lucas is happy and content, we are ecstatic :)
Lucas is teething so he had a few bouts of fever which are never fun. But, you would've never known he is feverishly teething - the kid is always happy and ready to enjoy life to the fullest. Have I mentioned that he amazes me? Well, he does. He is simply amazing..
Take a mental break and check out the new pics of our trip and other activities.
God bless you!
Why, they suck it out of their grandparents, of course!
While mommy and daddy are out on date nights or away at work, Lucas doesn't waste any time enjoying life. Grandma and grandpa are among his #1 fans and it's SUCH a blessing to have them so close by!
Enjoy the new 'grandparents' pics that are now freshly posted...
I haven't updated in a while because our family picked up a new hobby that is quite challenging to photograph. Let's just say, it involves a fisherman's boat and large bodies of water. While most of our weekends are now spent at the said location(s), we do still enjoy plenty of time back at our cottage and celebrating special birthdays and just rough playing together as you will see in the new and updated pictures.
Lucas is growing SO fast! He LOVES to help out in every and any way he can. If we are peeling something (fruits, eggs) he will run over to us and take the peeled skin and toss it in the trash can. He vacuums with daddy, mows the lawn, washes dishes, and sweeps. Well, at least he *thinks* he is doing all of that so long as he can touch and be involved, he's a happy camper.
As for Adi and I, we are enjoying the last couple of weeks we have our evenings together before Adi goes back to school in the evenings. We're forever thankful for long summer days, and spend most of our evenings at 'the shoppes' a block away from our house - you'll see pictures of it to the right.
On this note, I'd like to wish my mom a wonderful and happy birthday! May God bless you, my dear mother, and know that I am extremely thankful for all your support, love and genuinely upbeat nature with Adi, me and our little munchkin. Happy, happy birthday and may you have many more to come. I love you.
Enjoy the pictures!
-Patty and co.
Last weekend, we introduce our little man to a family tradition - cherry picking! He was a pro!!! He not only picked a ton of cherries, but he put them in his own little bucket. He LOVED running from tree to tree and tasting the different cherries.
It was sooo much fun to go cherry picking with a little toddler...we can't wait to do it again next year.
This farm we went to also had horses. The black horse loved Lucas and kept tickling his stomach. Our little guy couldn't stop giggling with delight and of course I had to snap photos of the moment.
Love,
The M's
A couple weekends ago we decided to go up to our local mountains for a change of scenery and fresh air. So, we loaded up the car with grandma and grandpa, too, and headed up to apple valley.
BOY WAS IT COLD!!! It was like wintertime. So, to warm us up we went inside one of their cozy restaurants and had ourselves some warm apple dumplings...yummy!
Then, we went to zoo where they had some baby goats that just thrilled Lucas - they were soooo cute and friendly (probably because they were hungry) and they kept nibbling on Lucas' little hands. It was cute.
We had a wonderful time together and Lucas decided we really need to hang out with grandma and grandpa much more - they are fun!
On the way down, we were all worn out from the fresh, yet crisp, mountain air...we all totally zonked out with the exception of the wonderful driver - Mr. Martiniuc...who promptly zonked out once we arrived at home. Thanks for driving honey! Nothing beats being rocked to sleep in the car!
Enjoy the pictures :)
-The M's
One of my aunts had a great idea of a family get together in deciding to celebrate the birthdays of those family members who had their b-days around the same general time - all together. So, armed with presents in hand, we looked forward to some good times together!
We had a great time eating a good ol' lunch outdoors, the weather was fantastic and of course it all was topped off with DELICIOUS desserts which will leave your mouth watering just from looking at the pics. They were D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.
After playing a little bit, we went back for second rounds of dessert - did I mention they were delicious??
On my actual birthday, my mom couldn't hold back and threw another party for me - with MORE dessert - yummmmmmy!! Good thinking mom!!
If family members are reading this - thank you SO much for taking time to celebrate our birthdays and for the AWESOME presents.
A good time was had by all, so enjoy the pics of the festivities :)
-Patty
I shot some sweet snapshots of my splendid spring staycation spent with my spunky little toddler. We spent endless hours in the sun, using the new water table, at the park, playing with grandpa and just hanging out! Lazy mornings turned into wonderful bonding moments, dangling conversations between my little man and I, and lots of laughing spouts. PERFECT southern California weather allowed times for rediscovering the magic of spring thru a toddler's eyes. Thank God for a week full of His grace, mercy and over-abundant blessings!
The pics are proof of God's goodness - check 'em out.
-Patty
We had the wonderful privilege of visiting Kauai for the past week. It is called the Garden Island, and it truly is just that. The scenery was splendid and we thank God for allowing us to view His creation and truly enjoy it while our eyes, minds and souls were reminded of His goodness as nature and the heavens truly declared His glory.
We were also VERY blessed with wonderful weather. Everyone warned us that Princeville (the resort town we stayed in) was on the rainiest side of the island. We were prepared to get soaked and enjoy the rain. God had different plans for us during our stay and decided to let us indulge in the sun's rays and have some real fun in the sun! It only slightly sprinkled on the first evening that we were there. Other than that, the weather was amazing!
The plane ride was a point we were a bit anxious of due to the cabin pressure..and toddler ears! But Lucas was a champ! His ears did bother him a little bit (we think) because he tugged at them during take-off and landing a little bit. But didn't wince once and enjoyed looking out the window on Adi's lap. During the flight he did amazingly well and even folks that were around us commented on how well-behaved our little man was during the flight! We thank God for giving Lucas an easy time on the plane...he did great.
We made tons of memories as a family during this trip and have officially left our hearts in Kauai and have already started making plans to go back. It has topped the lists among the most beautiful places we've seen to date, and just can't thank God enough for letting us indulge in the splendor of His works, and blessing us with great health so that we can enjoy our time together to the utmost!
Hopefully the pics give you a taste of our amazing vacation although we don't think they do the beauty of the island justice. It's a place you gotta see with your eyes to really believe (and even then, you feel you can't believe your eyes haha!)
Live, laugh and love :)
The M's
Today was a beautiful and crisp (for April in southern Cali) Saturday and since it was a long weekend for Adi and I, we decided to finish up on our chores on Friday and then take Lucas to the zoo on Saturday. It was a hit! We went to a local zoo where it had TONS of monkeys jumping around, putting on a great show. Lucas was intrigued.
Afterwards, it was naptime and we asked grandma to babysit so that Adi and I can go on a dinner date. Turns out Lucas had different plans. He was on his way to dreamland as we headed out the door, and then when we got back, my mom said he hadn't slept a wink and just wanted to go out and play the whole time. Silly boy... Needless to say, he went down earlier than usual tonight. After bathtime, he was wiped.
Enjoy the new pics and also the ones from zoo.
God bless you all :)
The M's
WOW! Where does time fly? We just celebrated Lucas' first birthday a few days ago and had a blast from planning to preparing to anticipating the guests and then having a merry old time together.
Grandpa and grandma were gracious enough to let us have the party in their beautiful yard and they decorated the place up with gorgeous white lights which made the whole scene so enchanted. Thank you so much for alllll the hard work you put in to make the party a success!! We couldn't have done it without you and pray that our Heavenly Father blesses you for every ounce of effort you put into making the party a beautiful and enjoyable one.
We had close friends and family over to help us celebrate Lucas' birthday and we thoroughly enjoyed or time with each and every one of them. They were so kind to drop everything they were doing on a typical, busy Saturday and come to make the most out of our son's first birthday. It meant so much from their presence to their thoughtful gifts and warm wishes for our little man. We are so blessed with the family God gave us and so thankful for the close friends He put in our lives. May each of them be rewarded ten fold for all they have given and done for us.
Here are a few pictures from Lucas' birthday and some random ones taken around the home.
Enjoy!
The M's
This past weekend we enjoyed beautiful and warm weather. We decided that as soon as Lucas woke from his morning nap on Saturday, we would head outdoors and go catch some sea breezes. We headed to Fashion Island and had a fun time by the pond and enjoying the fresh ocean air.
Sunday afternoon we headed to a local park to hang out and have some good ol' fashioned fun. We watched the ducks being fed and even attempted to chase a few. Lucas is becoming more and more courageous to taking steps on his own and so it was fun to let him practice his new set of skills outdoors.
We had a blast together and praise God for His wonderful creations and for allowing us to enjoy it, together.
This New Year's the Martiniuc family welcomed 2009 like no other. We spent the day (and night) at Disneyland! We didn't push our luck with Lucas, only kept him until it got too cold and then we took him back home where my parents graciously offered their grandparenting services. Adi and I headed back to Disneyland and had a blast with fireworks galore.
Taking a moment to spend some time with our Lord and thank Him for all of the gifts which we have been blessed with over our heads, we look forward to the great things He has in store for us in 2009. From the birth of our first child, to health, to stability during these uncertain economic times to the most important a personal relationship with Him - we pray that He will keep us close to Him and this year we will all grow a deeper desire to pursue Him and His kingdom and trust that everything else will be added unto us, according to His will and glory.
We want to wish everyone a BLESSED, healthy, prosperous and Happy New Year!
Love, the Martiniucs!