New Bikes

Michelle and I have been talking a lot about getting bikes so we can take the boys for rides for awhile.  Michelle already has a road bike, but she wanted something a little more versatile and I didn't have a bike at all.  We finally made up our minds about what we wanted and went ahead and purchased them from a friend of Michelle's that has a bike shop.

Michelle's aunt and uncle had an old kid carrier that they let us have.  All it needed were some knew tire tubes and we were set to go on our first family ride around the block.  Don't worry we are planning on getting helmets for the whole family.

Drew wasn't a huge fan of having Braeden leaning against him, but Braeden is still working on being able to sit up on his own and Drew didn't really have a choice.  I am sure that Braeden thought his older brother's shoulder was nice and comfy.

My sister Rachael happened to stop by and was lucky enough to ride Michelle's road bike along with us and take some pictures for us as well.  We hope to get some good exercise and enjoy some quality family time together while the weather is nice this summer.

Planting Flowers

As the weather gets warmer and the grass gets greener it is a reminder that we need to take care of some yard business.  We decided that we would plant some more flowers this year around our trees and walkway. 

Braeden just chilled while we did all the work.  It was so nice outside that he didn't even need any clothes.

As usual, Drew couldn't wait to get his hands on the hose and try to get us wet, but what he really wanted was to get wet himself.  We didn't mind taking care of that.

Let's hope that the yard work doesn't get too much out of control and we can keep up with all that needs to be done so we don't look like the abandoned house on the street.

Braeden's Six Month Stats

Braeden had his 6 month appointment today.  I can't believe it has been a half year since he was born.  Time is flying by so fast and he is getting bigger and bigger by the day.  These pictures are from the second time we weighed him.  The first time my phone died so we had to do it again and take pictures with Michelle's phone.  The weight was the same both times.  Here are his 6 month stats.

Braeden's Six Month Stats

Height: 26.9 in (61%)

Weight: 17lbs 0oz (34%)

Head: 17.7in (79%)

When Michelle first got to the doctor's office Drew was really hesitant to go in.  Obviously he remembers all of the fun times that he has had there.  Braeden was happy as his usual self.  He passed with flying colors in terms of his health.  We still need to work with him to sleep better through the night.  I will leave that up to Michelle because she is most of the problem.  She just can't let go.  Braeden couldn't stop moving, but the doctor was able to see everything that he needed to see.  Braeden's smiles stopped when he had to get his shots, but he didn't cry that much.  Luckily he won't get another shot until flu season as long as he remains healthy.

4 Happy Years

It is crazy to imagine that four years ago today Michelle and I knelt down at the alter and were married for time and all eternity.  Four years later we have two amazing boys, a home, and continued love for each other.  I am so lucky to have her as my wife, friend, and as the mother of my children.  I am proud to be called her husband and the father of our children.  Here's to four great years together and here's to many, many, many more together, like forever baby.  Michelle you are my rock-star and I love you and hope you have a wonderful 4 year anniversary.

Wyatt Reed Peterson

Yesterday, Michelle's youngest sister had her first baby.  Wyatt Reed Peterson was born on April 14th, 2012 weighing in at 6 lbs 13 oz and measuring 19 inches long.  Chelsea did great during the delivery and the whole family are doing well.

Michelle and I were able to visit them today and see for ourselves just how much hair this little guy has.  He is definitely a cute kid and we are happy for the both of them.  Congratulations Chelsea and Darren!!!!

New Stairs

Ever since we moved into our house we have wanted to replace our stair railing.  Our current one was not up to code and there were some spaces between balisters that were too wide.  We procrastinated at first because of cost and by the time we thought about it Drew was old enough and good enough not to mess around on the stairs, but when Braeden started getting older and is a little closer to crawling we thought we better not press our luck.  It took us a few weeks to get some quotes, but we ended up finding someone that we liked in terms of their work, their general personality, and thier price.  He did a quick and fast job of everything.  It only took 2 days for him to finish 99% of the work and then he had to come and fill in a few things that he didn't have.

Here are some of the before pictures.  If you notice it is all made of wood, with some rather big spaces in between.  There is also carpet on all of each stair.

The day before the guy came to start I decided to get things ready and rip up the carpet on the stairs.  The carpet was so dirty.  We do vacuum,but it isn't enough to get all the dirt out. 

Here is the beginning of the process.  He worked pretty fast and it was interesting to see what he was doing.  Before he started it was hard to imagine what it would all look like.  We had a vision in our head and even with that vision I was a little apprehensive about making the change.

Here is the final product.  Like I said before it didn't take him that long to finish.  We love the color and it isn't as dark as we thought it would be.  The space is large enough to handle the contrast and we are pleased with how it turned out.

We are glad we have a railing that is safe enough for our kids.  Our next adventure is the paint all of the rooms up stairs and then replace all of the carpet for the stairs and in the bedrooms.  It seems like a lot, and it is, but we will be so happy when it is all done.

Easter Weekend

Since everyone's families are getting bigger and it is harder to get together on the actual day of a holiday we decided to have a Martin Easter celebration the day before Easter.  That morning Drew had already gone to an Easter egg hunt at the local grocery store and then was taken to Home Depot by his uncle Darren to make a bird feeder.  After I got off of work I headed down to Orem to join in the festivities.  We first had the little kids dye Easter eggs.  The hardest part was making sure they didn't drink the dye solution.

Grammie had her kiddie pool out full of her corn.  It is a little easier to clean up than sand and a lot less messy.  The kids had a lot of fun throwing it around and pouring it into dump trucks.  Drew then wanted to go on the swing and then play with the little Easter scene that Grammie had set up as decoration.

While the kids played outside a few of us stayed inside to chat.  Rachel's mother and sister were in town for the weekend and were able to join us for the party.  Jill also was in town for a BYU nursing reunion with her littlest one, Steven, so we were happy to be able to spend time with them.

After dinner it was time to play one Grammie's fun games she likes to put together.  This time it was darts.  She had a board with balloons that we wanted to try and pop.  For each balloon we popped we got a treat.

Everyone was given at least two rounds of 4 darts each.  Even the kids were able to participate, but most of us kept our distance because you never know where the dart might end up.  Not everyone's aim was a straight shot.

As usual, Michelle is the life of the party and gives us something to laugh about.  She always makes these funny faces when she is doing these types of games.  Just look at her form.  She follows through with a straight arm.  Unfortunately, I don't think she hit a single balloon.

After our games we prepared an egg hunt for the little kids.  By this time Drew was a little tired and ready for a nap, but I forced him outside and got him a little involved in the hunt.  He didn't go crazy, but he did end up having fun.

When I was growing up we always got our Easter baskets on the Saturday before Easter.  Since I was working and Michelle was down in Orem for the Martin party on Saturday we didn't get Drew his basket till Sunday.  Michelle waited till I got home from work to set them out.  When I did get home Drew was asleep, but Braeden was all ready in his rabbit ear Easter outfit.

Before long I heard Drew in his bedroom.  He didn't seem very happy.  It took him a little while to calm down, but soon he made his way down the stairs.  I kept telling him he had a surprise waiting for him.  Even after seeing his basket and gifts he didn't have a smile on his face.  That didn't come until we broke out the little golf set for him.

Drew won't be going on any PGA tour any time soon, but he did love trying to hit the ball one handed.  We will work on that later.  He mostly used the club as a sword, but that is how boys are.

Later in the day we had Rachael, Steve, and our cousin Jean-Jacques over for dinner.  It was fun to be together and we had some good food as usual.  We thought about going away from tradition and using some of our beef, but Michelle had a last minute change of mind and we decided on a good old ham.  The day turned out great and it was nice to be with family and remember the resurrection of Christ.