Tales of a Misspent Youth

This is the sight Joseph and I woke to the day after Christmas! A brand new shiny Volvo in the lot they just cleared next to us! Come to find out, it belongs to some kid who got it for Christmas and was taking it out for a joy ride Christmas night and somehow ended up in a mess! The kid and his dad came to clear his stuff out that day, and I swear the boy didn't look older than 12...what is he doing in a brand-new Volvo that he obviously doesn't know how to treat with respect??? He told our contractor he was trying to turn around...I'm not buying it, considering we live in a circle! And instead of knocking on our door or the house next to the lot, he somehow managed to climb a 10-foot fence, walk across a huge field, avoid 6 BIG dogs, and knock on the door of the house far behind us. Hmmmmm....

Thanks Becca for the Christmas pajamas!!

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! This was about as good of a picture as I got...which isn't really saying much! Ford got lots of fun toys, books, and puzzles, which has made his mommy very happy to have new things to occupy him! I've moved my office to our house, so I'm interested to see how we manage once the holidays are over.

Ford is officially walking as of two weeks ago, but he's a very reluctant walker. He'll only do it if you set him down and not give him a choice! That kid would much rather crawl everywhere, which has inspired me to keep the house clean since the knees on all of his pants are looking a little rough!

We've had some hard days in the Martin home. Nothing major, but Ford has just been incredibly fussy, has been up at night coughing, and his eating has not gotten any better. We went to the doctor this morning, and he has a double ear infection and she was really concerned about his weight. He's only gained 2 ozs since his birthday 2 months ago. Every meal is a battle with us. Ford just screams when we feed him, and really the only things he'll eat with any consistency are yogurt and cereal bars. If he feeds himself, he'll put the food in his mouth, chew for a little bit, and then spit it out without swallowing. I think we both dread lunch and dinner time. Dr. Young prescribed him Zantac this morning, thinking maybe he has reflux or heartburn. I am PRAYING this is the answer. She said we probably won't be able to tell a difference for a couple of weeks, so I'll keep you posted! Please say a prayer for us if you think about it!

A Few House Pics

Here are some pictures of the kitchen and the backyard! I LOVE my kitchen! I haven't done much more than use the microwave up to this point, but I LOVE it! The kitchen is the only finished room thus far, so it's the only one I'm sharing. Sorry the picture is so dark, I couldn't get my flash to work.

View from the butler's pantry, which connects the kitchen and dining room

The cabinets are a work in progress. The painters splattered the chocolate glaze all over the cabinets on the right, so they're coming back after Christmas to fix them. They just covered them in plastic like I wouldn't notice...um, yeah, I noticed.

The patio and deck - we have doors that open from our bedroom and from the kitchen.


This is the area where we'll put a swingset for Ford this summer.

The dogs have made themselves right at home! They weren't happy at being left outside the other day, so they dug a few holes to get back at us. They've never been diggers before, so if anyone has any tips to make them stop, let us know!

This is Ford after he got his hand popped for playing with the candle. I'm determined to not clear my coffee table and everything else in the house. He's a pretty obedient little boy, but he likes to test his limits! I know this might not work, but I'm willing to try for now!


Ford and his best buddy, Jack

Sweet Jack just lays there and lets Ford climb all over him!

We've been a little busy...

Sorry for the lack of posting...we've been BUSY!! We are in the new house - HOORAY! I'll do a moving post when I have a little more time, but I thought I'd post a picture of Ford for now. Notice his little feet - and not the one shoe on, one shoe off - that's how he sits in his booster seat, with his sweet little legs crossed! Adorable! He's adjusted quite well to the move. All he wants to do is climb the stairs and watch all the big trucks outside. He'll stand at the window in the dining room with a dog on either side and watch all the trucks go by. They've started clearing the lot next to us, so we'll have free entertainment for a couple of months!

Girls' Weekend

Me, Ashley, Lenz, Allyson, Molly, and Allie


The Hostesses & the Guest(s) of Honor

Ashley and I hosted a girls' weekend in honor of Lenzie and Knox this past weekend! It was so great to have time with just the girls, thanks to my super-fabulous husband taking care of Ford the entire weekend. Thank you, Joseph!! Molly flew all the way from Ohio to be here! We ate, shopped, talked, and laughed a lot. It makes we wish all these girls lived right around the corner from me! I love all of you tons...and I am so excited to meet little Knox Lane! I hope you enjoy your papasan swing and bouncy seat as much as your buddy Ford did!

It's Crawdaddy's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Crawdaddy! My dad is truly Ford's most favorite person. Everytime my dad walks into the room, Ford starts laughing and waving his arms and bouncing up and down. EVERY single time! It's so cute! And I think the feeling is totally mutual. Crawdaddy loves his namesake (my dad is CrawFORD, which is Ford's middle name) and apparently everyone thinks Ford looks just like him, which my dad LOVES to hear. My dad tells anyone that will listen that Ford has totally changed his life! We love you, Crawdaddy!

A Thanksgiving Post for Papa and Dede

Sorry this post is so delayed...I've been crazy busy finishing up a calligraphy job and making our Christmas cards! We spent Thanksgiving in Charlotte with the Rays, and then we went to Atlanta on Friday to spend some time with all of Joseph's Dad's family, minus his dad and Debbie:(...Papa and Dede, I'm posting lots of pictures for you so you can feel like you were there with us! Katie, if you have any pictures from Atlanta, please send them my way! Thanks!

Ford all alone at the Thanksgiving table...where's the turkey, guys??

Clean cousins!

Ford and Maryn really played together for the first time. It's so funny to already see their personalities coming out! Maryn is definitely going to be the boss!

This picture looks so sweet, but I think Maryn was actually trying to rip the bottle from his mouth! Speaking of bottles, they are no more in the Martin home! And it was so much easier than I thought it would be!

Cooks in the Kitchen...I wish I'd gotten a better picture of the 3 girls cooking - Jennie and Mark invited their friends Shawn and Andrea to share in our Thanksgiving feast and we had a great time! Andrea is one of the sweetest, funniest people I know, and she has the best accent! Joseph tried to read all the road signs in her voice on the way home and it didn't sound nearly as cute coming from him. At one point, I called Jennie (who was following us to Atlanta) and asked if I could please switch places with Mark so I wouldn't have to listen to it anymore! That pretty much stopped the accent!

And brought to you by request from Darby Stickler...the little pup in the corner is Max the War Eagle Beagle! He's not on Jennie's "Favorite Things" list right now due to his obsession with food and the lengths he'll go to get it, but he's the 2nd cuddliest dog I know (right behind his cousin Mac). Max, I hope you enjoy your blog debut!

We had Christmas while we were there and it was great! Ford got some fun books and puzzles, Parker got a Thomas train wash that he played with for 10 hours in one day, and Maryn got a baby stroller and a Cabbage Patch Kid (inspired by Paige and Carol...thanks Darby!)!!

Hours of entertainment...Parker got major air jumping onto the beanbag! The babies would try to get on the beanbag and he would get so annoyed!

Ford loved pushing around the popper. He has a push toy at home, but we only have tile and I think he really liked being on the carpet!

And a quick update on our lives...we are scheduled to close on our house December 14th! Praise the sweet Lord! Joseph claims the first thing we're moving in is the Christmas tree...we'll see about that! I'm thinking more along the lines of furniture and the millions of boxes that have been in my parents' basement for 4 1/2 months! Also, we took Ford to the doctor yesterday for his 1-year shots and check-up, and his weight has dropped pretty drastically, from the 50% percentile to the 10%. Our doctor wants him to come back in a few weeks for a weight check to make sure he's gaining. It's not a big deal yet, but we'd appreciate a few prayers for Ford to eat! A boy cannot survive on graham crackers and yogurt alone! He actually ate a good bit of turkey potpie last night, so that gave me a little more peace of mind about it.

I hope you all had a terrific Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for such wonderful friends and family the Lord has blessed us with!

Ford's Pictures!!!

Oh my goodness, I have a new favorite person! Ford's "photo shoot" was this morning, and Sharon, the photographer, was AMAZING! She made it so easy! I'm posting the link, but you should take the time to go to her website and see all of her beautiful pictures. It is well worth the drive if you're in the market for an incredible photographer!

Ford's pictures