Time...time...time...

...It just ticks away!

We had a wonderful Christmas!

It started out with our Christmas Eve dinner...yum!

I made little notes for Lia, Hannah and Flavio (I will get Eva next year)

Then our girls opened their gift of pj's from Gramma and Grandpa!

Eva handled it like a champ ;)

After Santa came...

After the children came...

We then went to St. George after a 9:00 sacrament meeting...

We always have fun with Gramma and Grandpa!

Then we were off to Vegas for our sweet little Gracie's blessing!

I LOVE getting these girls all together!

The Martins' know how to have beautiful babies!

Isn't she just beautiful?!

Love,

Niki

Being Thankful...my top 20

I was inspired by all the posts, on Facebook, of, "being thankful", this month. So I wanted to make a list of my top 20 blessings I have in my life, "why 20? ", you may ask...that is only due to time constraints. I am sure I could list hundreds....

1. I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know he lives and I know he lived and died for me.
2. I am thankful for prayer. Without it, I would be lost.
3. I am thankful for my husband. He is truly one of the best men I have ever known.
4. I am thankful for my daughter, Hannah. Hannah is full of love and kindness. She is always there to remind me that kindness is the best way to deal with anything.
5. I am thankful for my daughter, Lia. Lia is my snuggle-bug. She always has a kiss and hug for me and she will let me hold and cuddle with her for as long as I want. I love it.
6. I am thankful for my daughter, Eva. She is my sunshine. Her little grin makes me so happy.
7. I am thankful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has given me light and truth in my life.
8. I am thankful for Temples. They are my solace, a place where I can truly feel God's love and the Holy Spirit.
9. I am thankful for the Book of Mormon. I would say that I have a deep and meaningful relationship with my Savior because of that book. I can say the same thing about the New Testament. I love both of these books.
10. I am thankful for my mom and dad. I know they love me. Knowing this, is a great blessing.
11.I am thankful that I live in the United Stated of America. Freedom to vote, speak, and worship what I may, are blessings that most of the people in this world do not have.
12. I am thankful for the opportunity to get an education. I love to learn, and it is amazing to know that I can study anything I want.
13. I am thankful for my husband's job. It is truly one of the best jobs we could have ever hoped for.
14. I am thankful for my warm home. I know there are millions of people who will never own their own home. Let alone live in one. This is a huge blessing to me.
15. I am thankful we can afford healthy food.
16. I am thankful I get to stay home with my 3 busy girls...it may be a hard job...but I know it will be worth it :)
17. I am thankful for good friends. I still have one from my childhood who I consider to be my sister. I love you, Rachelle.
18. I am thankful for a washer and dryer. I know this may seem weird, among the other topics I have chosen, but I can't imagine my life without them. I am not sure I would survive. ;)
19. On the same note, I am thankful for indoor toilets that flush. I can't even think about the alternative.
20. Last but not least, I am thankful for music. Music is something I would have a hard time living without. I love to play music on the piano, sing it with a choir and listen to it in my car or house. Music can change my mood for the better in a matter of seconds. I love music.


If you made it through my list, I want to thank you for caring about what I care about. I love this time of year, everyone seems to be a little kinder, more thankful and generous. May we all have a safe and beautiful Thanksgiving.

Lots of love,
Niki

Lia is 3 and Flavio is 30! Plus some Halloween cuteness

Flavio is 30!

Lia is 3!

We had a fun and busy October! Flavio turned 30! We had a little family party on his birthday, and were able to go out to a movie while my parents were here. Then our little Lia turned 3! I can't believe she is already 3! What a crazy year 2 was for all of us...I am just hoping 3 is a little easier on the tantrums. Last but not least, we had a fun and crazy Halloween! We had two little superheros and a little lamb!

our lia

So this is a couple of days late...but I wanted to do a little post of our Lia. She turned 3 this week! I can't believe it! We love her so much! She is smart, funny, crazy (with a capital "C") and kind. She loves to share (most of the time) and is so sweet with other children. In her pre-school class, her teacher tells me that Lia is the first one to go and comfort any child that might be sad. Lia is full of life and with that she is also full of drama...she is my drama queen. She is very particular...yes, OCD. She doesn't take to change very well...not many of us do. She has been my most challenging child yet...however, she is the first one to say, "I love you, mom." And she can't go to bed unless she has kissed all of us and given hugs. She says the most amazing prayers and gets herself dressed every day. She may make me tired, but I wouldn't change her for the world! We love that little girl and will be forever grateful that God brought to her into our family!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of our little Lia.

Love you, Lia!

We hope that 3 is a wonderful year for you!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Giving back

Go to this link to see how you can help stop children going hungry in Utah County!

http://www.nikimartins.com/general/making-a-difference-even-at-the-age-of-5/

Lots of love!

niki

October

So, I am going to try a new system for my blogging. I am having a hard time keeping up, so I will be blogging once or twice a month, each month...that way I don't feel overwhelmed and for anyone who wants to see what the Martins' are up to can :) I am not going to backtrack...I am just starting a new....

So here goes the first month: OCTOBER!

We love October, we have two birthdays and Halloween! Not to mention, it is the best time of year: Fall!

Here is what we have been up to this month (and a little of last month):

Hannah and Lia started school! They both love school and they both do very well. Hannah is pretty shy, which is strange for both me and her dad, as we were both known as class disrupters! :)

Our girls LOVE Family Home Evening...we read from the childrens' Book of Mormon and sing primary songs...

Lia and Hannah were able to go to a fun fairy festival with their dad...they had a lot of fun!

Hannah lost her first tooth!

Lia, Eva and I go walking almost every day together, while Hannah is in school...they make great walking buddies :)

Flavio, Eva and I were able to go to a fun spa retreat with Flavio's work in Midway. It was a lot of fun and I was able to get a great massage!

My mom, the girls and I went up to Sundance to see all the amazing colors this year. I didn't do anything to these images...they look fake, I know. :)

My mom and dad came to celebrate both Flavio and Lia's b-days. The girls LOVE when their grandparents come! So do Flavio and I, as we usually get a well deserved date night.

Here are the girls with Flavio on his REAL birthday...he turned 30! He looks so happy!

Last, but not least, we have been enjoying this:

Eva has brought so much joy into our lives and we all just adore her! She is 19 pounds of fun, cuddly goodness!