Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Today is our 4th Anniversary! Sometimes if feels like we've been married for forever, and other times it's like it was yesterday! Joseph is my perfect match in every way - God knew what he was doing when he made this man for me! It's been the best 4 years ever! I love you, Jo!

Hunting for Eggs

We had Supper Club tonight and my friend Holly went all out! The guys got to fish, the girls got to chat, and the kiddos hunted for eggs! Holly had fun snacks in every egg, and I think as much grass as cheerios got eaten tonight! Thanks for a great night, Holly - our Irish meal was delicious!

A Visit from the Outlaws...I mean In-Laws!

"I'm not so sure about these cousins!"

Whew! What a wonderful week we have had! Papa and Dede, Joseph's dad and stepmom, live in Seattle. We don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like, but we make the most of our time together! Papa called about a month ago and said Dede had a conference in Orlando for a few days and they were thinking about making a trip out of it...as long as we could meet their heavy list of demands! So wireless internet and one new mattress for the guest room later, they were on their way! Dede had to be in Orlando Monday through Wednesday, and Joseph couldn't take any vacation days, so it was just me, Ford, and the Papa during the days. Now this might make some people uneasy to spend so much one-on-one time with their father-in-law, but Wade is not your typical father-in-law! We had a great time and I love that he got to spend so much quality time with Ford.

We somehow talked Jennie and Mark into coming down on Wednesday (conveniently picking Debbie up from the airport!) and it was nonstop after that! Six adults, 2 of them being pregnant, and three kids under three make for a little chaos! But we had the best time being together - it went by way too fast. My mom and Shealy kept the kids Thursday night (bless you both) and we had an amazing dinner at Warehouse Bistro in Opelika. Anytime we're all together, you know it's going to be fun. I've never known a family to enjoy each other as much as the Martins...I'm just so glad I'm one of them! Everyone left about 2 hours ago, and the calm has been restored, but I'd trade it anyday for a lot of noise and a messy house with my in-laws! You're all welcome back ANYTIME!

The new "middles" of the family

Parker made some masterpieces while he was here

Ice cream sandwiches on the front steps + a hot sun = a GIANT mess!

Mothers of the Year - Parker's sweeping, Ford's playing with a can of stain, and Maryn is carrying around a jar of spackle. We've got this mothering thing down, I tell you!

This little munchkin has her Papa wrapped around her little finger! She is such an angel!

And we're adding 2 more kiddos to the mix? What were we thinking?!? Five kids 3 and under is going to be quite an experience!

It's a...

We had the big reveal tonight with my parents, Shealy, and Clayton! I made them wait to come over until after dinner and I had pink and blue cupcakes ready for dessert. They had to pick pink or blue for girl or boy, and then Ford walked into the room carrying the 'right' color.

It's blue! That's right, we're having another precious little boy! We were VERY surprised...when the ultrasound technician said, "It's a boy!," Joseph just started laughing hysterically, I got the giggles (while laying exposed on the ultrasound table), even Sheilla started laughing! He looks perfect - healthy as can be! His name will be Luke Armistead Martin, and we'll call him Luke.

Armistead is Joseph's paternal grandmother's maiden name, and we just really like the name Luke. So praise the sweet Lord for another healthy boy! We are THRILLED - Joseph and I both confessed to each other last night that we wanted it to be a boy but thought it was a girl. I just think it will be so fun to have two little boys so close together in age. It's like a built-in best friend! And they have the best daddy ever to look up to and learn from. I couldn't be happier! And now I don't have to learn how to sew:)

Sick Day

My poor husband stayed home from work today...and if you know Joseph, you know he was S-I-C-K! I think he's missed maybe 2 or 3 days of work since we've been married that weren't a scheduled vacation. It's one of his many qualities that I admire the most, and one that we unfortunately do not share! I think I took a monthly "Mental Health Day" my first year of teaching! Boy, those days would have come in handy during my maternity leave - I took 60 days off but only had about 23 banked! Those paychecks were pretty slim!

Now here's the difference in my "sick" day and Joseph's "sick" day...I would be in bed, with a bell beside me, playing it for all it's worth. I would request some sort of carry-out for lunch (anything with an order of fries is working for me these days), a Brewster's run in the afternoon (my current favorite is a turtle sundae in a waffle bowl), and so forth, all while I stayed in bed with a good book (or three - I'm a very fast reader) and some gingerale.

Not my husband. This man can't stand to be still, even if he's knocking at death's door. He attempted to unload the dishwasher, do a load of clothes, and play with Ford, all while running a pretty high fever. I think the main reason he is sick is because he spent the entire weekend staining the outside of our fence, using an insect sprayer, a roller, and a paint brush. The man is amazing, and I am a very fortunate woman!!

It's looking a million times better, but Ford got his first facial injury last week! Our driveway is on a pretty steep slope, and he typically backs down it like he's going down stairs when we're playing outside. Not this time! He ran down that concrete hill and unfortunately his forehead took the worst of it. He already had a huge goose egg in the 4.3 seconds in took for me to pick him up, but he cried for about a minute and then wanted down to play! He is ALL boy!

Speaking of all boy, we have our ultrasound tomorrow! I can't believe it's already here. I was so excited with Ford, because all I really thought about was finding out if he was a boy or a girl. This time is so different since I know all the things they're checking for - I now really know that mothers mean it when they say all they want is a healthy baby! We had the final consensus with the family tonight, and almost everyone except for Crawdaddy, Clayton and Parker is thinking pink! We'll see at 1:30 tomorrow! Say a prayer or two for us!

What's wrong with this picture?

My little boy has been extremely squirrelly as of late. I never know what I'm going to find when I open a cabinet, a closet, a drawer...I've been guarding important items such as keys and cellphones, but luckily these things have not yet been of interest to a very precocious 15-month old.

I opened the refrigerator before lunch today to get out the ketchup. Lo and behold, my Salon Selectives hairspray, circa 1998, was on the door! I had it in a bathroom cabinet in my box of things I never use but can't throw away - I mean, who uses hairspray anymore? I think the last time I used it was for Ashley Collins' wedding in 2003, but you just never know when you might have a few fly-aways that need to be tamed. Well, apparently Ford got ahold of it and found it a new home! Maybe it intensifies the hold if chilled? I'll let you know one of these years...instead of throwing it away, I put it right back in that box!!

In his Sunday best...

These pictures are mainly for Jennie...I feel like it was just yesterday Parker was wearing this outfit! How does the time fly by? I'd better go...Ford's about to push his play table down the stairs! Little boys, little boys!