A Martin Minute

Cute family picture! Zoolight Safari Happy Birthday Jesus Party As you can tell we had too much fun! We stayed busy spending time with family - they are wonderful beyond words! His Child, Jocelyn

Sweet Friends & Family, Well four Christmases down & no more to go . . . that is until 2010. (Do not panic, I have time to rest up, make list & PLAN.) Okay, so we opened presents & ate a large meal on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Dec 27th & this morning Dec 28th. The children are officially spoiled. They received just about everyhting on their list & we have been quite sweetly reminded that the things they did not receive will go on their birthday list. (Don't worry Baylor has started her list for July - way too much like her mommy.) Super-Daddy was wonderful! 1. he got me exactly what I circled in the "Stella & Dot" catalog 2. he helped with the kids 3. he drove the station wagon The kids were so sweet & said "Thank you" every time they were told, they hugged the right people at the right time & did semi-normal smiles for a majority of the pictures. I love watching them opening gifts & getting excited over every gif...

Merry Christmas! What a day . . . I was the first one up this AM & once I unlocked the front door for my in-laws & started some breakfast (which I burnt) I sat down & waited. Finally, they started to stir. They loved their gifts & did not even mention that they did not receive everything on their list. They all had the sweetest attitudes. Everyone loved their toys & shared - it was almost angelic. We realized that Whitt had not even really looked at his toys once he saw a small bag of M&Ms. So if you ask Whitt what he got for Christmas he will say "That" & who knows what he means, because he is still trying to figure out what has gone on today. We hung out at my parents house all day & had a blast. My sweet in-laws took the kids tonight & my super, great hubby & I went back over to my parents & played board games & card games until about 11PM. We had too much fun! I pray everyone had a beautiful day with family which is h...

This past weekend our sweet Bay was a beautiful, fabulous, terrific MOUSE in a production of the Nutcracker . She had beautiful stage presence, she shook her tail, pounced, scampered & danced as if she had been doing it all her life. I cried I was so proud of her. During intermission I went down the aisle of the 27+ people that represented our family & just hugged everyone. Aunt Patsy, GiGi & I were saying that she is a fabulous part of our family. Thank you to each one of you who came to support Bay in her performance. It has gone straight to her head. She knew she was great! She was so brave - she went to all auditions, practices & dress rehearsals without Mommy being in the room. (Maybe this is why I have started blogging - to brag on my kiddos.) The boys were troopers for the extra practices towards the end & sissy getting all the attention. William went to the Saturday night performance & was perfect (as was my sweet niece Ruby-Doo) he was so proud ...

T onight I was reading a Christmas book to the kids and amidst wiping noses and answering random questions I looked at the illustrations & was hit by the sweet face of Mary & how peaceful she looked. The illustrator has her with her hair in place, make-up just right and she even has a beautiful veil on her head that matches perfectly to her outfit, and she has just given birth in a barn carved into the side of a mountain - she is the perfect woman. I got a kick out of the pictures & at myself for wondering how she did all that. She didn’t – the ilustrator made her look this admirable. Why should we admire Mary? She was a teenage girl who woke up in the middle of the night with a “glowing man” in her room telling her that despite the fact she was a virgin she would give birth to God’s Son. She went along with everything. Why should we admire Mary? Because of her faith . Morning sickness, hot flashes, swollen ankles, post-partum depression & 16 hours & 45 minut...

What is normal around here? I haven't quite figured that out. We miss Bay all day while she is at school. She loves school & we love her teacher, but we miss her. William & Whitt LOVE playing outside & playing with their train table & trains. (My in-laws deserve an award for buying the boys the train table.) Super-Daddy takes Bay to school & works hard all day so I can stay-at-home. So a normal day is cleaning, running errands, homework, coloring, at least one spill, oxi-cleaning & playing in dirt. I wonder everyday what people did before oxi-clean. It can get out any amount of mud, marker, & chocolate. (Or the 3 of those combined - thanks to Whitt) We love our version of normal. The days are filled with kisses (sometimes snotty) & hugs. Super-Daddy & I realize that each day is a blessing & cover it in prayer. I pray that prayer stays normal & is an everyday part of the kiddos lives.

I realize that there are to many wonderful people in my family & friends that I cannot call y'all everyday & tell you the cute & wonderful things my precious little ones have managed to accomplish on any given day. That could include a variety of things from mopping the kitchen floor with yogurt or raking the leaves back INTO the yard. Many times it can be that Bay is learning to read & William's teacher said he is SOOOO smart, because he can color in the lines. So anyway here is a place for me to brag & you to laugh with me (not at me.) God has given me so many blessings - I just want to share them more. His Child, Jocelyn