christmas with cousins

I did not get a good Martin family picture this year, which is so sad.
But we did Christmas with Adam's family on the 26th this year.

His sisters and their kiddos were all in town for several days after Christmas, and despite all the fun, I did not get a good cousin picture.

But one night everyone was at our house for dinner and Adam snuck in the play room to see why it was so quiet and all the cousins were sitting on the couch watching Toy Story.  We put the baby on the couch, too, and snapped an iPhone pic.  Not the best quality, but a memory nonetheless.  :)  It's not too often that six kids sit still at one time!

I am so thankful for cousins.  I want Luke to grow up knowing and loving and making memories and mischief with these guys!

christmas day with honey + cramer

For Christmas Day afternoon we went to Honey and Cramer's house to open gifts, eat a delicious lunch, and play with our new toys. 

Our little man was spoiled rotten.  :)

quiet christmas morning

We had a lovely morning at our house on Christmas Day.

Complete with Adam + Jen time over coffee in the wee hours, homemade cinnamon rolls, snuggle time with our boy, opening presents, and playing with lots of cars and trucks from Santa. 

We wouldn't have had it any other way.  Merry Christmas. 

merry christmas 2012

For unto us a child is born

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Love, the Martin Family

Adam, Jen, Luke & Baby #2

christmas eve with pops + marley

Tradition in my family is to spend Christmas Eve with my dad by going to church and then out to a fancy dinner, then back to his house to open presents.

Though our tradition has changed a bit with my own growing family (we no longer go out to a fancy dinner!) we still spend that evening with him.

This year, Pops and Marley grilled steaks and we watched Luke open presents.
This was the most magical hour for me - watching my little boy understand what it means to open a gift and receive a toy.  He had so much fun.

We put Luke to bed over there and spent a few hours of quiet adult-time before heading home so Santa could come.  :)  

Here's a little recap, instagram-style.

1.  Christmas Eve "Eve" service at our wonderful church.
2.  Luke opening his stocking at Pops' house.  He would take out a gift and say, "more! more!" and then take out another one.  Priceless.
3.  Unwrapping.  He got the hang of this quick and once he got started it was hard to stop him!
4.  "Driving" his truck ornament through the air.
5.  Loving his new tractor.  It says, "caterpillar power!" over and over and over and over.  :)
6.  Bath time with Marley's special candy-cane bath confetti and his new sippy cup. 

haircut anxiety

Luke had his first haircut just after he turned 1 and he did great. 
But he's had several haircuts since then and I swear they've gotten progressively worse.

This little man has the worse haircut anxiety in the world.
Soon as he sits down in that chair he starts screaming and shaking and crying and reaching.
It's miserable.  Miserable for everyone.

After the last haircut I called my friend Melissa crying, swore that I'd never do that to him again.

But I was taking him to a local barber that's more meant for adults. 
So today, we took a little family trip to the overpriced just-for-kids joint at the mall.

It was horrible.  Terrible.  Awful.  No good.
He screams like he's terrified.  He refuses suckers, toys, movies, cookies. 
The poor girl giving the haircut did the best she could but he does not make it easy. 
And by the time we leave, I'm swearing that I'll never do that to him again.

But his hair will grow.  And since he won't let Adam or me cut it, either, we'll have to go back.
And that thought gives me haircut anxiety.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

19 weeks

It's as if I blinked and BAM! we were here. 
Almost halfway through and I have no idea where the last few months have gone.

Here we are, baby #2 and me, getting bigger every day.  :)

And for the most part, this thing is going off without a hitch.  ;)  Pretty easy and uneventful for now.

I felt this baby kick so much earlier than with Luke, and now movement can even be felt from the outside, which means Adam has gotten to feel the kicks, too. 

We'll find out if this is a BOY or GIRL in less than 2 weeks and I am so excited!

This little one is excited too - but he doesn't really know why.  ;)

jesus and jesus in the manger

I picked Luke up from school the other day and he met me at the door with his craft. 
His teacher was kind of laughing and I could tell there was going to be a good story.

Of course they are focusing on the story of Jesus this season and on this day they made little mangers out of paper sacks and then added hay and a "baby Jesus" made of a sock with a tiny blue blanket.

Luke's manger looked like this.

His teacher told me that he insisted that his manger had two babies.  She tried to tell him that there was only one baby Jesus, but he just shook his head and told her "nah nah" (no no) and put a second baby in the manger. 

I'm not really sure what to think. 
Other than ... he's pretty darn cute.
And stubborn. 

happy monday

Could he be any more beautiful? 
Every day that passes I am more in love with this child.

Oh this boy makes me laugh and he brings out a love in me that I never knew was possible. 

simple season

This season, I am most thankful for a simple life.

The other day, I listened as a friend talked about the busyness of her day-to-day.  She has three school aged children and she was not complaining one bit, but between school and homework and extracurriculars, they are jam packed.

It occurred to me then that our life right now is so opposite.  Don't get me wrong, we certainly have things to do.

We fill our days with work, speech therapy, specialists appointments for Luke and OB appointments for me.  We have play dates, church and community group.  Adam and I are both consistent about working out.
 
But we move slow around here.  We are rarely in a big rush.  There are almost always enough hours in the day.  I rarely wonder how I'll get it all done.

Adam comes home at a decent hour every night. I only work two days a week.  We are home by seven every evening, when Luke goes to sleep and Adam and I have several hours to ourselves.

After the chaos of graduate school, it's a welcome pace.  Truly, it is.
I wouldn't trade these slow, simple days for anything.

Playing with cars.

Hanging out at the park (pun intended).

Snacking (seriously, always).

And waiting for daddy to come home for lunch (our favorite). 

I know there will come a day when we've got one in soccer and one in ballet.  When we eat dinner on-the-go and breakfast on our way out the door.  And I will try to see the beauty in that season, too.  But today, I am just so thankful for this one. 

we're expecting baby #2!

Yes, yes.  Luke has a little announcement.

His only child status is expected to expire May 18, 2013 and we are so excited!  We used this t-shirt to tell our families several weeks ago, but I've waited to tell the cyber-world until just now.

We found out on the morning of September 8 when I was just barely 4 weeks pregnant.  A faint little line lead me to believe it was positive, and a digital test confirmed our news.

I took the test alone early that morning while Adam was out for a ride and Luke was still sleeping.  I'm surprised that I didn't wake him up with my giggles and squeals.  I was absolutely ecstatic. 

My plan was to tell Adam that night, at a romantic dinner for two.  But when he walked in the door from his ride later that morning, I just couldn't contain myself.  I actually forgot all about my plan to wait, and I just  blurted it out!

He was shocked.  And excited.  And a little overwhelmed.  :)

I am 14 weeks now and feeling pretty good.  I was sick through the first trimester with Luke, so this pregnancy has surprised me with far less nausea and just a little bit of tiredness.  Glad to have rounded the corner, though, and entered that blessed second trimester.

We've gotten to see the baby on ultrasound twice and hear the heartbeat several more times, thanks to a doc who's keeping a close eye on things.

I've craved snow cones and beer, but due to the season and something called fetal alcohol syndrome, I haven't been able to indulge either.  (Except once!  We actually found an open snow cone stand a few weeks ago and ahhh! it was wonderful!)  (Oh, make that twice.  I actually forgot I was pregnant for a few moments and ended up drinking about 1/3 of a Shiner Bock sometime around 8 weeks.  Yum.  And oops.)

I started showing much earlier with this baby than with Luke, though I feel like since I've popped out I haven't grown much.  Still in regular jeans, but today I had to use the rubber band trick because they were too uncomfortable buttoned up.

Here's a pic at 14 weeks.

whole roasted chicken

I've got my friend Kelly fooled big time, but the truth is -- I'm not a very good cook.
I love to cook, and I love to eat, but I'm still learning my way around the kitchen a bit.

Since I had Luke and have become a mostly-stay-at-home-mom, I've become more and more adventurous in this department and I enjoy cooking more and more.

The other day I was in the meat department at HEB and they had their whole organic chickens on "manager's special," which means they're about to expire so you'd better buy them now.  The chicken was a great price so I put him in the buggy and took him home.  I usually just cook with chicken breasts, so I thought it would be fun to spice things up a bit.

I've never roasted a whole chicken before, but I've done Thanksgiving turkeys several times, so I figured - how hard could it be?

My friend Ashley is a great cook so I called her and she gave me some tips for roasting this bird to perfection. 

I chopped up tons of vegetables, made a beautiful little bed for the bird, seasoned him up really well, stuffed him with lemon and garlic and other goodness, laid him in my dutch oven, and put him in to roast.  He looked and smelled wonderful.  I was so proud that I took his picture.

We sat down to eat and I proudly began cutting him up into servings.  I was heartily disappointed to discover that the chicken had no breasts.  He had legs and thighs but when I tried to cut into the top, salivating over the crispy-skinned well-seasoned hunk of white meat I was going to find, I just got bone.  There was no white meat. 

Damn bird.  Defective.  No wonder he was on sale.  The "manager" should have warned me.  I was so disappointed.

We ate the dark meat and the veggies -- which both had excellent flavor -- and it looked like we'd polished off the entire chicken.  I was a little embarrassed that my family of three had eaten an entire chicken, but hey, it was a faulty bird afterall. 

After dinner, I went to throw the thing away and as I lifted him up out of the pot something caught my eye. 

There they were - chicken breasts.

I had cooked that stupid bird upside down and the good parts were hiding underneath the whole time.
This might sound really ridiculous to all of you seasoned chicken roasters (no pun intended) but I had no idea. 

I think I'll stick to plain jane chicken breasts from now on.  That way, I'll always know where to find them! 

oilman 70.3

Adam is hanging up his bike for a little triathlon break, but not before he completed his ultimate goal.

In one year, he did a triathlon of every major distance: sprint, olympic, half ironman, and ironman.
Yesterday was the Oilman 70.3 race, a half-ironman distance.

He was rewarded at the end with a lick of watermelon sucker.  It doesn't get much better than that!
So proud of you, babe!  And looking forward to you taking some time off, too!  :)

our week in iPhone pics

I wish I did this every week.  But I most certainly do not.
And this week was one of the busiest of all, so don't ask me how I remembered to take pictures.

Last weekend Adam and I got a real date.  As in -- dinner, window shopping, dessert, and a movie.

We like to park at the movie theater and walk over to Hubbel & Hudson for some of this:

Yes! We make ourselves little goody bags and sneak them into the movie for dessert.  Yummy.
Have you ever had chocolate covered gummy bears.  Oh my gosh.  

Also this week Adam made Luke a "train table."  It's a knockoff of the one from PBK and we all love it.  I loved this picture because Daisy looks so proud like she helped or something.

I actually worked overtime this week (read: more than 16 hours, ha!) and missed my little man so much that Thursday afternoon was a Luke and mommy date!  We picked up cranberry slushies from Sonic which I've seriously been craving these days! and went to the park for some playtime.

Actually.  No.  I've been craving snow cones if you must know the truth.  But try finding a snow cone stand in October.  Funny thing is - it was 90 degrees on this day so I don't know why those places don't stay open year round in our state.  Anyway.  I settle for slushy.  

Last night I made cream cheese brownies and let Luke lick the beater for the first time ever.  He was in Heaven. 

And this morning we woke up to the season's first genuine cold front!  (Two days ago I was in a tank top!)  Our jog was freezing!  I made Luke "hot chocolate" to take in an insulated cup to keep him warm and he hated it!  He would take a sip and spit it out and look up at me like, something's wrong with this milk!

Happy Fall!  :)

seven acre woods

Adam completely surprised me by taking today off of work and staying home with us!
So this morning we went to seven acre woods with these adorable kids -

- and their adorable parents -

 - to enjoy an absolutely gorgeous day -

- by playing in the boat -

- and feeding a goat -

- and riding in cars!

What a wonderful last minute surprise family day!  Now Luke and I are going to take naps while Daddy works on a project outside. 

Next stop - date night!  What a day!

honey and cramer

My mom got married on September 15.  What a beautiful, special, amazing day.  I'd like to introduce Vickie and Cramer Hegeman.  :)

I really can't believe I'm just now posting this.  I think I was just so disappointed not to have any great wedding pictures to share.  Evidently, I was too busy dancing and forgot about my camera.

Thank goodness for professional pictures.  View them here!  :)

I did manage to get a couple of this little man though.  In a tux.  He was quite the hit. 

To say that I am happy for her does not really explain.  I am happy. 
But I am amazed and thankful and proud and excited. 
I love her.  I love him.  And I love them together.
I love to see the way that the Lord has brought them together.
He is writing a beautiful story.  

Welcome to the family, Cramer.
Love you both.

oh yes i did

I pushed this clunky, loud, obnoxiously attention seeking buggy-turned-flinstone-car through Kroger today.  Just because it made him so so so so so so happy. 

first day of "school"

Let me just start out by saying that little man has something they like to call separation anxiety.

I'm not talking about a little fuss here and there when I leave him.  Oh.  No.
I'm talking serious screaming, like the kind that can be heard from the next zip code.
I'm talking it took us months for him to make it all the way through church in the nursery.
I'm talking - his Sunday School teacher said to me, he just doesn't give up!
Kicking screaming grabbing crying red puffy eyes fit.  
Serious separation anxiety here.

So I thought it would be really good for him if I took him to a place he'd never been, to teachers he'd met one time, in a room full of kids he'd never seen, with a nap mat he'd never tried, and leave him for four hours longer than he's ever been left in his life.

Mother's Day Out. 

And guess what?  He cried.  Kicked and screamed during drop-off.  'Bout ripped my heart right out of my guilt-ridden body.

And then.  And then he did okay.  He really honestly did alright.
Report on day one was that he cried off and on throughout the day, but had periods of contentment too.  He napped on a mat.  He ate some of his lunch.  He did a craft and went to chapel.

And when I walked in to pick him up, he ran faster than those little legs have ever run, straight into my arms.  

I think this is going to be good for him.
And for me, too. 

eighteen months

OH little man you are a year-and-a-half.  When I say that out loud, it sounds so old.
But when I look at you, you still seem like such a baby to me.

These last three months have held some challenges for us, little one.
There have been some rough days and mommy is learning so much about loving you better.

You are so smart, so sensitive, and so tender-hearted Luker man.
You understand everything.  You obey instructions well.
You do not like it when someone is unhappy with you.
You are cautious, shy, introverted, and not so much of a risk taker.
You are independent, though, and strong-willed.

You love brooms, trucks, school buses, keys, phones, remotes, blocks, and your Cozy Coop.
You love your daddy, and would choose him over anyone else.

You grab our fingers and lead the way to wherever you want to go.
You love going to get the mail, going to the pool, and going to the park.

You weigh 25 pounds and you're just over 33 inches tall and wear a size 5 shoe.
You're a great eater.  You love fruit of any kind, cinnamon-raisin bagels, macaroni and cheese, anything with peanut butter.  You're not a big fan of vegetables or meat, but that's okay.

You are running.  Praise the Lord because you are running.  
When I see your adorable little toddler run, with a little limp because of the splint on your left leg, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness.  You can run.

You are smart, Luke.  You're always trying to figure out how things work.
Buttons, latches, hinges, moveable parts, lids, holes, zippers, snaps.  You're memorized.
You are funny.

You say bye-bye, more, and you say mama and dada when cued.  You make truck noises and a few animal noises.  Otherwise, you talk a whole lot in your own language.   We're working on this and I pray that God puts words in your mouth so that you can tell me what you need.

You have transitioned to one nap a day and you still sleep from 7 (ish) at night until 7 in the morning.
You take a paci and hold your blanket to go to sleep.  And you rub your hair - always.
You love to snuggle before bed and we always sing the froggy song. 

I love the way you are all boy, the way your hair gets sweaty when we're outside, and the way you laugh when we're being silly.

Though you can be a bit challenging, you are truly amazing and I love you so much.   

picnic lunch

We're still surviving this hot Texas summer.  Pool play dates.  Park in the morning.  Evening walks to the mailbox.  And the occasional picnic lunch with daddy. 

We went out to Adam's community the other day with sandwiches for lunch and sat under a beautiful covered gazeebo.  Luke watched the lawn mowers groom this beautiful field, and then got out for some playtime. 

seven years!

ONE.  TWO.  I've been married to you ...

THREE.  FOUR.  Another year more ....

FIVE.  SIX.  Can you believe this?

SEVEN.  And counting!  :)