A Martin Minute

MERRY CHRISTMAS! from the Martin Crew "Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!" Our nights around here are a little loud & crazy.  We go from soccer, to baton, to football.  Then we throw in some church time & Daddy has client meetings.  At some point we find some dinner & study for some A's.  We try to bathe & brush our teeth & then at some point we climb in to bed. It sounds crazy & those are just the hours between 5 & 9 PM. Life is good in this family of 6, but we definitely do not slow down. Well, maybe our princess slows down when she is reading a book - her favorite past time. She has started MIDDLE SCHOOL & loves it!  She rocks locker decorating & cannot make any grade below an A if she tried. "W" number 1 definitely does not slow down.  He runs up & down any soccer field he can find & I believe he talked his teacher into basketball in the classroom.  He runs from one outside

trying to ride in a big-boy seat "helping" with laundry He is our Baby.   He is the final installment, the caboose & the last hurrah. He is our wild boy forever. Lee-Lee, You know no boundaries.  You are fearless & always moving. You LOVE Paw Patrol & anything with wheels. You love to ride fast down hills. As I begin to write this you are re-arranging furniture to build something. Our family is better because you are in it.  We are so glad you joined the crew. Romans 9:33 "and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame." Luke 2:52 "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God & men." Happy 3rd Birthday! All my love on your next year ~ Mommy

I am thankful, I am just a few days late in writing it all down.  I am thankful everyday - I just don't always say it.  I know I should say "Thank you" more, for sure. I am thankful for the people that make messes in my house. I am thankful for the people who stand in the street with me & monitor bike races with me & eat fake food. And the little hands that make & serve said fake food. I am thankful for the LARGE family that gets a little loud. I am thankful for the people that show up in their "cool cars" to take a loud 2 year old to Chick-fil-A. I am thankful they can run & thankful that sometimes they are still. I am thankful for life & Bible studies & our church.

This is one of my favorite Christmas pictures. It was about 3 years ago  & there will be 3 more grandkids in the picture this year! "The Lord has done great things & we are filled with joy!"

Whitty, You are awesome!  You love your family, even though we are loud, & you love school & friends.  You also love when you can be by yourself.  I love your imagination & I love that I know about it when not many people get to.  You want to be  a role model & you love Baby Lee-Lee & you look up to the older kiddos. I love that you don't worry about what others will think - you just have fun. Whitty God made you just right for this family & we are so glad he put you in the middle of our crazy. I look forward to your journey & being a part of this adventure that He has planned for you. I love being your Mommy!  Thank you for being you. Love, Mommy

One of my favorite game day pics! They are more grown up now,  but everyone loves their AU Tigers! This is some good parenting!

I may work on this post for a few days (hence, the name) but at this time of the year with kids - there is a lot to process.  New schools, new friends, new teachers, new experiences, new babies, new coaches, new EVERYTHING! I prayed this Summer for a special teacher & my 3rd child will find out tomorrow that he got that special teacher!  I prayed for confidence as we start MIDDLE SCHOOL & she is ready to go in a few days. As I registered everyone for school I did not volunteer for quite as many things as I hope to also keep learning how to balance all the plates. We are waiting on my sister to have another baby & that brings a lot to any momma's heart as you see other people enter that stage - it makes you think about the stages you are in even more.  The stages in their lives happen so FAST!  How do I have one going to 6th grade in a few days??? How is she old enough for a locker & changing classes?  Earrings & lip gloss?  Really?  What happen to smocked dre

Here is a wedding pic JoJo scanned for me . . . I loved my dress!!

Tomorrow will be fifteen years with my best friend! Fifteen years of being real and in the trenches and having fun along the way. (I do not have a wedding pic on our computer, because we are too old for that - we had negatives.) I cannot imagine life any other way.  I cannot imagine life without you. I love the adventures we come across and those we create. I love that we are a whole lot different and a whole lot the same all at the same time. I love the way you are selfless. I love the way you love our families, kiddos and me. I love the way you work hard. I love that you role model Christ love in our home. I love you! Happy Anniversary! This is just the beginning . . .

There are times when I think I would like to keep them all home forever - then there are times I "shoo" them out the front door & tell them to run & I will call them back later. Then there are times like today - I dropped my princess at camp & will not see her for a week.  This was a time when I wished all my chickadees could stay safely in my nest forever.  But, would that nest be the best?  I think her growing & flourishing & figuring some things out on her own is a great place for her to be, but I miss her like crazy! I sat on my floor late last night, after some packing & CRIED like a baby.  I cried because I know she might get a little homesick & someone else would fix it, but I also cried because I am so proud of her & who she is becoming.  I also cried as I reminded myself to give her to GOD.  She is not mine, she is HIS.  HE will go with her to camp & take care of her.  HE will heal her heart if she gets homesick.  HE will watch o

Thursday afternoon @ 4:30 PM RAINING!! Child #1: quietly reading upstairs in her room Children #2 & #3: watching TV on my bed & I think I hear the sounds of wrestling They are watching with their new toy swords (God Bless Moppy!) in hand - always be prepared. Child #4: banging on dining room floor with metal spatula - beat up floors add character to a house - RIGHT?  I think he is talking to his imaginary friend who at one point was named Poppy More later ~ J

My baby is heading off to MIDDLE SCHOOL in August!!!! I was driving by the high school tonight & thought, "Well, it will be ages before we are at that school. NOPE, only 3 years!" Remember when she looked like this? Sweet baby girl your momma is not quite ready for you to grow up. Let the games begin!

My girl is AMAZING! She decided a long time ago that she wanted to sing a solo in the 5th grade Variety Show & today she did! She sang a beautiful song about the truths of Calvary.  She sang it like she meant it. She did not seem nervous, she did not question herself.  She was confident & ready to go. I always prayed she would have self-confidence - God answered!  I did not have any confidence as a kid & help myself back, but not my girl - she let everyone know what she believed in! She is headed to middle school in a few months & is ready to take it by storm.  She is talking about running for office & what she is going to do & then her plans for everything else.\ Watch out world here she comes! (I am sorry I am a bad camera momma, I was crying & have a bad phone.  She was beautiful with lip gloss & curled hair & a pink & white dress.)

This week I will be touring a middle school &  a week-long camp for this girl - Wow! They grow up way too fast.

Th New Cousin that is smaller than Lee-Lee Marathon runners! Good Citizenship Award! We babysit for FREE! WFM5 is trying out some meds to calm his intestines - so far they are helping the stomach pains. Evidently he needed to de-pressurize his intestines - who knew?? Baylor has won awards! Whitt tried the Kids Marathon & loved it. I mentioned in the last post that I worked at the church - let me clarify. I do some projects a few hours a week for our sweet children's ministry, sometimes at home, sometimes at the church.  I love being involved in ministry for selfish reasons - it is a learning time for my heart. My mom is doing so good .  We are done with chemo & is trying a new medicine for a little bit.  She is a trooper! Thank you for your sweet friendships ~

What was 2014 to me? It started out super easy & I thought it would stay that way.  Nothing I couldn't handle. I watched my 3rd leave the sweet little day school my children stay in through Kindergarten & then I prayed all Summer as  I worried about him at  a bigger school. I watched a friend move, but not too far, but it changed the way I worked on church stuff. Nothing was bad - just different.  CHANGES I can handle changes pretty well if I know they are coming. I knew Whitty would go to the next school (and I LOVE that school), but Whitty is my quiet one who likes smaller groups & less busyness.  How would he adjust? This consumed my prayers all Summer - he did AWESOME!  3 kids in "all day" school.  It hit me hard - what would I have done if God hadn't surprised us with Lee-Lee? To the outside world the changes seemed everyday & normal, but to me I had to do some adjusting.  My work in the small ministry changed, my days changed, my friends

When you are in a family & one person is laughing then more people start to laugh. Well, the same goes with hurting - when one is hurting we all hurt. Well, when you are the mom & one of your little ones is hurting then you HURT, HURT. My sweet boy has had random stomach pains for about 2 years.  There is no pattern (we have tried to find one), there is no sign of them coming (we have tried to find one), there has not been an answer, but this momma ain't stopping until she finds one. He & I were at the specialist the other day for 2+ hours & have started all over again to find some answers. We found some answers.  They were answers that did not involve surgery & scary words.  We will fix him slowly. I thought about other mommas in some of these scary moments & how awful it must be to have a really sick child.  My child was not on death's bed, but there were mommas around me whose babies were. The fears were real for me & I was scared

My life right now is hectic & fun & true & tiring & this is the only time I will get to live it. You see, they grow up & they talk back & they make friends that are cooler than me. I am told there will be a day when they go off to college & I don't see their faces everyday. I am told that one day I may not hear their voices everyday. I am told that one day the house may be quiet & clean. I am told that I will look back on these moments & smile. I thought one morning that there will be a time when I do not wake them up & my voice is not the first one they hear & the last one they hear at night.  Who will remind them to pray for  . . . ? I saw a picture of a momma holding her new baby, her first baby, & thought what a beautiful moment.  I have had 4 of those moments of my own & love watching my sisters moments.  You look at the little thing & you know that you would die for that baby.  You would give anything for that lit

WFM5: We will not go to school on Monday because of Martin Luther King's birthday Me: No that is not is another Monday. WFM5: Oh, okay Whitty: I know I am supposed to know this, but who is Martin Luther King? WFM5: Oh, he is some dude who helped white people & brown people like each other & now brown people can go to the library Whitty: Why didn't they go to the library? WFM5: They were not allowed to use the same library, school or water fountains because some people did not like brown people. Whitty: Now we all go to school together. WFM5: Yes & Martin Luther King helped that Whitty: Well, just go to the library everybody **then the conversation changed I love the way their minds work & I love the conversations that go on in our minivan - they are priceless.