Friday, January 28, 2011



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?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

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!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

++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!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

<>< christmas morning ><>

it didn't take very long for this...


to turn into this!

ford's favorite gifts were his police robot and his pillow pet. {why did i not come up with that idea?}...

luke's were the girls' new dollhouse and minivan...

and duncan's was sophie!


ford got a race track and luke got a thomas travel track...


joseph & mark were pumped about guitar hero to go with their new xbox's!




everyone was spoiled rotten, but i think the kids would have been perfectly content with just their stockings. it was a great lesson for me to learn...and to remember it's not about the presents. God already have us the best gift we could ever receive.

and this is how ford would have spent the rest of the trip if we had let him...playing his new leapster games. it's a good thing they're {slightly} educational.
we've definitely had to set a limit on screen time!


this kid is just like his daddy - after every gift he opened, he put them in a neat pile off to the side and then would go hug and thank the person it was from. a touch ocd with a heart of gold!

christmas in the mountains

we had the most fabulous christmas EVER!

papa and dede took all of us {that would be a dozen folks in all, 6 of them 5 and under}

to Cashiers, NC for the week of Christmas!
it was absolutely beautiful and the most fun vacation i've ever had. full of noise, laughter, great food, great wine, tons of snow, sledding, a constant fire in the fireplace, s'mores, gingerbread houses, cousins giggling, fort building, long talks, and making incredible memories.

thank you papa and dede for making our christmas 2010 one we will never forget!