::Merry Christmas!::

::hands down my most favorite picture of our Christmas celebration!::

::it sums up my trio::

::my big guy so handsome in his tie, desperately trying to keep it all together, smiling through the pain with a death grip on his brothers::

::my middle man, making silly faces and trying not to smile::

::and little dunc, ticked off at having to do anything not on his agenda and not afraid to show it!::

hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

fordisms

"Mom, is Santa nocturnal?"

::the BIG 5::

::ford is 5!!!::

this blows my mind!

five is BIG.

i love this kid something fierce.

he's super smart, hysterical and sly as a fox.

::he's OBSESSED with legos::

would eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches 3 meals a day.

favorite show is Wild Kratts.

wants to be just like his cousin, Parker.

::he's got a precious heart.::

easily memorizes scripture.

loves to ride his bike.

can whine with the best of them.

can't wait to go hunting with Uncle Clayton.

::has his mama's heart in the palm of his hands!::

::we love you, Ford!::

happy birthday, big guy!

ahoy!

::this merry band of misfits had a blast trick-or-treating and fall festivaling!::

ford said his school's fall festival was the greatest night of his life!

duncan got sent home early when he tried to climb in the corral with the miniature ponies.

and luke stuck close to granny's side...he was slightly overwhelmed!

::have you missed us?::

::we're still here!::

just CRAZY busy!

the boys are out of school for the summer,

and other than VBS next week,

we have no big plans.

but this mama still has a job...

and no childcare...

so things have gotten even wilder around the martin casa!

i've rearranged my work so i have every morning free

and then work every afternoon.

we're all adjusting and my plan is just to

wear them out every morning so they're content

to stick around here in the afternoons!

{i may or may not have resorted to bribery a few times

with a happy hour slush from sonic}

::and this guy has decided to make things interesting and cries ALL.DAY.LONG::

bless his little heart...and mine...and his brothers'...and anyone else

that is forced into contact with him.

for some reason, he seems to snap out of it when daddy walks in the door.

crazy, right?

he just has a gift:)

::duncan's 1-year stats::

weight: 21.13 - 30%

height: 30 inches - 55%

head: 75%

he was down a pound from our last visit, so if it weren't for that pesky stomach bug, i think it would have been in the same percentile as his height. and he's carrying on the martin tradition of having a big ol' noggin!

ONE

::my baby is ONE::

i am still in shock.

this year has gone by in a blink.

after delaying his party due to a nasty stomach bug,

we finally got to get our cake on last night.

---------

it was also our 7th anniversary,

& i can't think of a better way to celebrate.

i asked joseph if he thought we'd have 3 kids in 7 years.

he said, "maybe, but i sure didn't think we'd have 3 kids in 3 years!"

----------

this little boy is my heart.

he brings so much joy to our family.

-----------

and he sure can TEAR UP some cake!

he started out slow, not sure what to think.

but once he got a little taste and knew it was sweet,

he was all about it!

::we LOVE you, duncs!::

{stuck}

::i broke a pretty big parenting rule the other day.::

i handed my baby to a stranger.

a perfectly nice stranger, but a stranger.

we were at the chick-fil-a playground and my middle man

would not come down.

not with bribes, not with threats, nothing.

ford tried holding his hand down the slide,

then with my permission pushing him down...

nothing.

so i turned to a nice-looking lady and said,

"i know you don't know me, but will you please hold my baby?"

{who had a diiiiirty diaper and smelled like spit-up}

and i shimmied up the playset and retrieved my rascal of a son.

those things are not made for people in their 30s.

people didn't know they were getting lunch AND a show!

i'm sure we were quite a sight.

we won't be going back any time soon!

happy birthday, kate-kate!

happy 2nd birthday, sweet girl!

we love you so much!

{a reminder}

::even though ford is only 4, he's always been the "big" boy::

he was only 20 months old when he became the big brother,

and had just turned 3 when it happened again,

so he's always seemed so big in comparison to the little guys.

-------------------

::every once in a while, i'll get a reminder he's still my baby too::

today, he asked me to carry him upstairs for rest time.

he wrapped his arms around me, squeezed me tight,

and put his head right in the crook of my neck.

and he felt just like my baby again.

--------------------

::and then he tooted::

right on my hand.

3 times.

he laughed and laughed,

and said, 'gotcha!'

::they sure do grow up fast!::

::the tie::

a couple of weeks ago, ford asked joseph when he was going to be a daddy.

joseph told him that first he had to fall in love, then he would get married, and then he would have kids of his own.

ford said, "daddy, i can't get married! i don't have a tie!"

so when i saw this little number when i was out buying the boys new khakis for duncan's dedication, i couldn't help but snag it! contrary to the picture, he loved it...mainly because he looked just like daddy.

and buddy, just because you have a tie now doesn't mean marriage is anywhere in your near future!

--duncan's dedication--

::we had the honor and privilege of dedicating our sweet duncan in front of our church family.::

we pledged to the best of our ability to bring him up in the love and admonition of the Lord.

the biggest and most important job of our lives.

these are the verses we've claimed for him and pray over him:

Ephesians 3:14-21: "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!"

our sweet families filled the first two rows; this little man is well-loved. i know God is going to use him in mighty ways...he already has in my life, for sure.

we love you, duncan! you are joy and sweetness and light and the biggest blessing from the Lord!

::save the trees!::

::we went to bid our fond farewells to our dear toomer trees::

it was quite a sight!

homemade cards, candles, signs, rolls of toilet paper...these trees are LOVED.

i know no matter what happens, the tradition will never die, but i'm sad that my boys won't roll the same trees i did growing up and in college.

we believe in auburn and LOVE it! war eagle!

{we did it!}

::i never thought it would happen, but i finished my 1st 1/2 marathon!::

i've NEVER been a runner...when i first started running in july, i would be gasping for air and feeling like i was going to throw up after 2 minutes.

::but with this little speedster, my 'hot to trot' running gals, and the grace of God, i did it!::

shealy had to talk me into it about 5 different times, even offering to pay the entry fee when i used that as one of my many excuses!

::it was one of the most emotional experiences of my life.::

it was the national run to cure breast cancer, so everyone was running for somebody...a friend, a mom, a grandmother, a coworker...we stood beside a lady who just finished chemo in

november and training for this race was what kept her going.

----------------

::tears were streaming down my face for the first 7 miles::

there was a little boy running beside me, probably 11 or 12, and the sign on his back said,

"i'm running for my mom...1959-2007"

i couldn't stop thinking about my boys.

----------------

there were so many people on the side of the road with signs that said

"i'm a survivor!"

and they'd shout

"thank you, thank you, you're running for me!"

::my mom, aunt, uncle & cousin were waiting for us at the finish line::

i'd never been so happy to see them in all my life!

shealy & i both ran the whole way without stopping once and we both beat our goal times, although hers was substantially better than mine! that girl is FAST! i tell myself it's because she's younger and because i have 3 kids, but really, she would have beat me if i was 16 years old and in the best shape of my life!
------------

i went into the weekend just wanting it to be over, saying i'd NEVER do this again.

but it was such an amazing experience that it {may} have to become an annual event!

although next year i'll be looking for a running buddy more my speed...it gets a little lonely running by yourself for almost 2 1/2 hours!

{25 years}

:: happy happy 25th anniversary, wade and debbie!::

that's a pretty big deal in our book!

the two of you are a great example to us on how to truly cherish your spouse

and love each other through the good times and the bad.

we love you so much!

::winter blues::

::the martin boys are READY for spring!::

it CANNOT come soon enough.

after a week of the stomach bug, an eye infection and general unruliness from being cooped up for TOO long,

we are totally over winter and ready to move on!

we've been bundling up every afternoon and trying to release some of this crazy boy energy...and we've turned duncan's room into an obstacle course! joseph put the twin mattress on the floor, so they jump from the box springs to the mattress, do a spin or two and then jump to the floor. even duncan gets in on the action by climbing on the mattress and letting the big boys bounce him...all 3 belly laugh and it might be the sweetest sound i've ever heard!

::this is what i've resorted to at lunch time every day...major bottle propping!::

this baby refuses to hold his own bottle and i'm more than happy to humor him in the morning and at night, it's about the only time he actually lets me cuddle with him. but mama needs both hands at lunch,

which seems to be the craziest time at our house.

so tupperware and a towel are put to good use!

::he's getting too big too fast...he'll be ONE next month!::

where did my squishy little baby go?

{this is what happens when daddy gets bored...

he ties his children's arms behind their backs just for fun!}

::the big guy has turned into a total word nerd!::

he LOVES trying to sound out words and is constantly telling us what words start and end with, almost rain manish! we were driving home from laredo last

night and joseph had to request silence for a minute just so we could have a break!

i always knew that 9oth percentile head was holding a big old brain!

my luke has been a late bloomer in the talking department, but he's really starting to take off! he calls chick-fil-a the "fry store" and would take salty over sweet any day of the week.

he's still a wild man and isn't overly fond of his baby brother,

but he thinks his big brother is about the coolest thing around.

so cool that he wants to wake him up at 5:45 every morning to play by turning ford's light on...not exactly an ideal wake-up call and has made for a few grouchy mornings!


and this lovely contraption is what i get to sleep in every night for my...BUNION!

can you believe it? my first running injury is a bunion.

i feel like a grandma, and not a cool grandma like my mom who can rock some skinny jeans and boots with the best of 'em, but an afghan-wearing, sweater-knitting maw-maw.
so now i have new running shoes with a "bunion window" that look a bit orthodic, a bunion shield to wear when i run, and the beauty pictured above. i got it in the foot care section of target, and it claims to be "podiatrist recommended", so we'll see if it works. total hotness, i know:)

duncan did great this morning and we were home by 8:30! praise the Lord!

the doctor said his ears were full of pus {although i wonder if they tell that to all parents} so we're so thankful to hopefully put an end to ear infections! woo hoo!

the big boys spent the night with my parents last night, so joseph and i jumped at the opportunity to eat out with just one kid. we went to chappy's {love their fries} and duncan was shoving fistfuls of my turkey melt in his mouth. the boy loves to eat, and at 22 lbs @ 10 months, it shows!

we talked on the way home about how relaxing dinner was and how quiet everything seemed, only to walk in the door and find the 2 dogs i had taken pity on and left in our bedroom so they wouldn't have to freeze outside greet us in the laundry room with VERY guilty faces. turns out they had very much enjoyed the pound cake i had made for the college ministry's retreat this weekend. the one that was completely wrapped up and pushed to the very back of the counter. i should have known better considering they did this twice during december. if anyone is looking for 2 lovable mutts with a sweet tooth, let me know!

and to end with a few fordisms...

yesterday we were waiting for the elevator at school and a cute little girl asked us if ford and luke were twins. ford looked at her funny and said, "no, we're not twins, we're martins!"

------------------

the two of us went to walmart this weekend while joseph stayed home with the little guys who were a bit under the weather. our conversation went like this:

me: "buddy, i sure do love you."

ford: "why are you always telling me that?"

me: "because i just want you to always know"

ford: "well, i love you too but you don't have to tell me every 5 minutes!"

how old is he? like 15?

tubes

this little doll face is getting tubes in the morning...praise the LORD!

poor baby has had an ear infection since the week before thanksgiving that we just can't clear up. ford had tubes so i know it's not that big of a deal, but there's just something about handing your baby over for surgery that makes this mama's heart skip a beat!

please say a little prayer for both of us in the morning!

++mountain fun++

how do you entertain 6 adults & 6 kids for a week in the mountains?

you build a campfire (or a damfire as ford would say) and roast s'mores...

you try to catch snowflakes on your tongue...

you play in the snow with your most favorite person...

you make silly faces at your silly aunt...

you marvel at the amount of gear a dozen people need in the winter...

you do lots a baking...


you read lots of books...


you feel very manly and chop lots of wood...


you have deep discussions about the meaning of life after the kids go to bed...

you build the coolest fort EVER...


you take naps wherever you can...


you have lots of tickle time with Papa...


you play on the rope swing...


and swing on the hammock with your cousins...

you watch a little tv...


you wear hideous hats but look cute anyway...
you put together a roller coaster...

you warm your toes {and bottoms} by the fire...

you make dede cry by surprising her with Christmas Vacation moose glasses...

you decorate cookies for Santa...

and gingerbread trains...

you wear fake mustaches...

you go sledding...

and you thank the sweet Lord for giving you such amazing in-laws!

wade & debbie, thank you, thank you, thank you for such an incredible week! i'd get snowed in with you any day! we loved every second, and this is definitely a trip we'll be talking {and laughing} about for years to come! next time, we'll all have 4-wheel drive!

and to these two, thanks for the late night talks, jam sessions, help with the boys, and all the laughs...especially jennie's "whip cream" song and "i don't want to eat dinner at waffle house"...you guys make everything an adventure!

we love you!