Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Vacation
Our 2010 Marten Family Vacation was a combined trip to Disney World, a cruise to the Bahamas, and a visit with family in Florida. Everyone was so excited! It was Madison's first time on an airplane, and she insisted on sitting next to the window the entire way there. I was worried she would be afraid of the noise and turbulence of the airplane, but she loved it.
We arrived at the Hotel Plaza in Orlando on Friday night, December 10th. When Chase saw the hotel, he was, like, "Whoa!" I guess he was impressed! We spent all day Saturday at Disney's Magic Kingdom. We could see Cinderella's Castle from the Ferryboat that we took to get to the park. It was absolutely beautiful up close later that night! There was a Peter Pan show underway on the stage in front of the castle when we arrived. We went on almost every ride. I think Chase and Shanna enjoyed Space Mountain the most. We used the "Rider Swap" because Maddy was too little to ride, and so the kids got to ride twice in a row. We are still singing the tune from Tomorrowland's Carousel of Progress ride, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," which has been the music since the ride was originally introduced at the New York World's Fair in 1964.
McKenna was so excited to ride on the tea cups on the Mad Tea Party ride. We practically ran all the way to get there. Madison loved "It's A Small World”. I am going to have to download that song soon just for her. She even got to see Mickey Mouse right away, which was very important to her, and she was on the lookout for him the rest of the day. The kids really liked the Main Street USA Electrical Parade that night...Well, okay, I was the one who liked it the most. It was really cool! We ended the day with my favorite attraction, the Haunted Mansion. Madison kept her eyes closed through most of that one. We stayed at the park until it closed, at 1:00 am! All in all, a great day, I have to say!
Okay, so the thing the kids were super excited for was the cruise itself. They love the food...all you can eat ice cream cones around the clock. They have access to the Kids Club, where there are a million activities for them to do. Yeah, even Shanna was at "the club" until after midnight most nights. She came away from the trip with a few new Facebook friends. Matt and I loved the entertainment, like the shows in the evening following dinner. There wasn't a lot of opportunity to use the pool and waterslide, since it was chilly outside. Chase went once, and snuck into the steam room, which I was thinking is probably meant for the adults.
We were pretty disappointed to find out that we couldn't stop in Freeport, Bahamas on Monday, due to weather conditions. Just one more 'Fun Day At Sea,' right? Luckily, we were able to go to Nassau, Bahamas on Tuesday. We planned a fun excursion for the family. Interacting with Dolphins at Dolphin Cay at the famous Atlantis Resort. We got up close and personal with a Bottlenose Dolphin named Echo. It was awesome, if a little cold. I wish it had been warmer that day. According to the locals, there are about ten really cold days in Nassau, and it turns out we inadvertently chose to be there on one of them. Oh well! We made the most of it. Besides Dolphin Cay, the Atlantis Paradise Island also boasts a huge water park and Marine Habitat. We spent some time wandering through the 'Lost City's' collection of exhibits and snapping pictures of the exotic sea creatures that live there. Of course, we had to do a little shopping on our way back to the ship. We were tourists, after all!
Back on board Carnival's Sensation, we were able to get some nice photos to take home on the formal evening. The Holiday Show was a new experience for us, since we have never cruised during Christmas before. There was even a special visitor...Who could it be? Santa, of course! Maddy sat on his lap and posed for her photo op. So cute!
We got off the ship Thursday, and were lucky that the day was somewhat nice. We were able to take advantage of the water park at the hotel we stayed at in Kissimmee, Florida. I especially enjoyed the hot tub! Ah, I could have stayed all day! We made plans to get together with Matt's grandparents for dinner Thursday night. I do believe we spent approximately four hours at Outback Steakhouse. I really wish we could have spent more time with them than that. We are thinking of making the trip to see them and the rest of the family in Wisconsin in the summer. We would have stayed even longer, but we had to get the kids in bed early. We set our alarms for 4:30 am the next morning in order to catch our flight. It seriously took all day Friday, with two connecting flights, to finally arrive in Salt Lake City. We had fun, but there is nothing like home, sweet, home!!!
We arrived at the Hotel Plaza in Orlando on Friday night, December 10th. When Chase saw the hotel, he was, like, "Whoa!" I guess he was impressed! We spent all day Saturday at Disney's Magic Kingdom. We could see Cinderella's Castle from the Ferryboat that we took to get to the park. It was absolutely beautiful up close later that night! There was a Peter Pan show underway on the stage in front of the castle when we arrived. We went on almost every ride. I think Chase and Shanna enjoyed Space Mountain the most. We used the "Rider Swap" because Maddy was too little to ride, and so the kids got to ride twice in a row. We are still singing the tune from Tomorrowland's Carousel of Progress ride, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," which has been the music since the ride was originally introduced at the New York World's Fair in 1964.
McKenna was so excited to ride on the tea cups on the Mad Tea Party ride. We practically ran all the way to get there. Madison loved "It's A Small World”. I am going to have to download that song soon just for her. She even got to see Mickey Mouse right away, which was very important to her, and she was on the lookout for him the rest of the day. The kids really liked the Main Street USA Electrical Parade that night...Well, okay, I was the one who liked it the most. It was really cool! We ended the day with my favorite attraction, the Haunted Mansion. Madison kept her eyes closed through most of that one. We stayed at the park until it closed, at 1:00 am! All in all, a great day, I have to say!
Okay, so the thing the kids were super excited for was the cruise itself. They love the food...all you can eat ice cream cones around the clock. They have access to the Kids Club, where there are a million activities for them to do. Yeah, even Shanna was at "the club" until after midnight most nights. She came away from the trip with a few new Facebook friends. Matt and I loved the entertainment, like the shows in the evening following dinner. There wasn't a lot of opportunity to use the pool and waterslide, since it was chilly outside. Chase went once, and snuck into the steam room, which I was thinking is probably meant for the adults.
We were pretty disappointed to find out that we couldn't stop in Freeport, Bahamas on Monday, due to weather conditions. Just one more 'Fun Day At Sea,' right? Luckily, we were able to go to Nassau, Bahamas on Tuesday. We planned a fun excursion for the family. Interacting with Dolphins at Dolphin Cay at the famous Atlantis Resort. We got up close and personal with a Bottlenose Dolphin named Echo. It was awesome, if a little cold. I wish it had been warmer that day. According to the locals, there are about ten really cold days in Nassau, and it turns out we inadvertently chose to be there on one of them. Oh well! We made the most of it. Besides Dolphin Cay, the Atlantis Paradise Island also boasts a huge water park and Marine Habitat. We spent some time wandering through the 'Lost City's' collection of exhibits and snapping pictures of the exotic sea creatures that live there. Of course, we had to do a little shopping on our way back to the ship. We were tourists, after all!
Back on board Carnival's Sensation, we were able to get some nice photos to take home on the formal evening. The Holiday Show was a new experience for us, since we have never cruised during Christmas before. There was even a special visitor...Who could it be? Santa, of course! Maddy sat on his lap and posed for her photo op. So cute!
We got off the ship Thursday, and were lucky that the day was somewhat nice. We were able to take advantage of the water park at the hotel we stayed at in Kissimmee, Florida. I especially enjoyed the hot tub! Ah, I could have stayed all day! We made plans to get together with Matt's grandparents for dinner Thursday night. I do believe we spent approximately four hours at Outback Steakhouse. I really wish we could have spent more time with them than that. We are thinking of making the trip to see them and the rest of the family in Wisconsin in the summer. We would have stayed even longer, but we had to get the kids in bed early. We set our alarms for 4:30 am the next morning in order to catch our flight. It seriously took all day Friday, with two connecting flights, to finally arrive in Salt Lake City. We had fun, but there is nothing like home, sweet, home!!!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Madsion's Birthday!
Maddy is officially a three year old! Of course, if you were to ask her, she would tell you she is six years old. We went to lunch at McDonald's that afternoon. She was so excited to play with Judith in the play land. Madison chose a Dora themed birthday, everything Dora! She goes around singing the theme song all the time now. Her Daddy brought home a gigantic Dora balloon that plays the tune...loudly! I hide it when Maddy isn't looking.
Madison did a great job blowing out the candles. I told her to make a wish, and I am sure she did, but, of course, since wishes don't come true if you tell anyone, we'll never know. From years of experience, we were very careful not to let anyone burn their little fingers.
Grandma Roxanne left a special present for her little "Gracie" when she was in Utah visiting. It was a beautiful princess carriage snowglobe. Now we'll see if this one actually stays in one piece!
Grandma and Grandpa Axmann came to visit Madison and brought her a Littlest Pet Shops set. Now that she has her very own, perhaps she'll stop stealing McKenna's? Not likely! Just more to add to the collection we are starting, I suppose.
I can't believe my little girl is already three! She is such a blessing to all of us and I cherish the time we are able to spend together, just the two of us, while Matt is at work and the other kids are in school.
Happy Birthday, Madison! I love you!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Halloween
Our three cats, Zach, Cody and Boston, were just so happy to get dressed up in their Halloween costumes this year. Okay, it was a tad difficult to pose them all together for a photo. In fact, our fourth cat, Quincy, didn't make it in with the other cats at all, since he was being a sour puss. We had to sneak a picture of him when he wasn't looking.
Shanna hosted her annual Halloween Party. She was a pirate this year. (Of course, I will be sporting the hand-me-down pirate costume next Halloween.) The guests wandered through our neighborhood
in search of items for the scavenger hunt. The house was decorated so well for the party that it almost felt like we were living in a Halloween store. Creepy!
McKenna was dressed as a witch and Madison had decided she wanted to be a Halloween Fairy. We started off trick-or-treating in the afternoon at the assisted living facility Grandma is staying in. There were tons of kids! It wasn't long before we realized that we could make a few rounds through the building undetected, collecting candy. The elderly residents completely forgot that we had been there just minutes before. Of course, we only took advantage of that once, or maybe twice... The kids didn't let the rainy weather prevent them from filling up their bags with candy. Matt took them door-to-door with umbrellas and coats. They returned home with lots of chocolate for mom to eat. Yummy! I was able to persuade the kids to take a picture with me. All but one kid, that is. Chase always manages to dodge the camera, leaving me with nothing but a lasting image of his retreating figure, as usual. Well, Happy Halloween!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Homecoming Dance 2010
Richard asked Shanna to go to the Homecoming Dance with him. She, naturally, accepted. They spent nearly that entire Saturday together. First at the movies, then with friends, then they had dinner at Olive Garden before going to the dance at Fremont. Shanna looked beautiful! Of course, Matt had to take
at least a million pictures of his little girl...
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
My kids
Shanna Chase McKenna Madison
They are connected by more than the hands they hold. They share countless joys, sorrows, secrets and memories. There is a bond between siblings that cannot be broken.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Let's Play Ball!
Matt took Shanna, Richard, Chase and McKenna to the Ogden Raptors Game. Chase always gets to know the mascot and usually gets a Raptors hat and other freebies to take home. Such an attention getter!
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