A Martin Minute

Merry Christmas from the Martins! We are a little older & hopefully a little wiser.  (At least that is our story & I am stickin’ to it!)  We have 4 kiddos, the same as last year, meaning I haven’t lost one  - YET.  And you know we could not put an imposter in the picture since they all 4 look exactly alike.  My grandmother use to say, maybe one day I will get one that looks like me, but I am done trying.  (Actually, I think I have said those words before.) Anyway, what you really want to know is what we are up to . . . Let’s begin at the beginning . . . Marty is growing his career & I was stopped, by multiple people at the company Christmas party, to say how proud they are of the work he is doing.  I love that for him!  He had a MUCH easier AU football season than last & got to go to most of the games.  We are headed to the big game in CALIFORNIA & we are so excited!  He is still & always will be Supe...

Sweet Littlest Baby! I cried when I saw these sweet pics & realized that they were not just yesterday, but a year ago.  Time flies when you are having fun & we definitely are!  You are sweet & smiley. You LOVE your siblings & cannot get enough of them.  You give kisses & hugs.  You can do "TOUCHDOWN!" You say Mama & Dada & Bubba - too cute! You are such a special blessing & everyday I look at you & thank God he put you in our family.  You fit in perfectly & are such a joy to all of us.  We all love watching your milestones & Mommy is glad you are not walking yet - you are too fast on all 4s.   We love you Baby & cannot wait to see what God has in store for you. Love, Mommy

 Whitty is a true blessing.  He is coming into his own & realizing he does not have to be shy.  He is funny & imaginative.  He surprises me daily. Whitty, Happy Birthday!  (a little late) You are a joy to parent & fun to watch everyday.  You are keeping me on my toes with your cute dance moves & little remarks.  Thank you for being my sweet friend. I love you ~ Mommy

There are a few things I want for you 4 goobers. I want the 4 of you to grow up knowing how loved you are.  More importantly I want you to know God is sovereign ALL THE TIME!  He is TRUE & real & everything you need. Micah 6:8 And what does the  Lord  require of you? To act justly  and to love mercy      and to walk humbly [ a ]  with your God. Live these words! I want you to have a full childhood - chase bugs & climb in creeks, get dirty & dance often. I want you to have dreams & follow them. I want you to love each other always.  I know you may not like each other everyday, but I always tell you to "protect & encourage."  I mean those words =) I want you to all find love. Princess, you are a girlie-girl who can stick it to 'em on the soccer field - AWESOME!  DO not be afraid to show the boys up.  But, I also want you to love Chanel & Vera & appreciate pretty thing...

This could be my mantra - if I were together enough to have a mantra.  I want my kids & house & hubby to be perfect.  I really do want to vacuum my car & my stairs & I would love it if I came home one day & didn't stop working until the basement was clean.  BUT . . . I pick my battles. Sometimes (as in most days) Whitty wears cowboy boots to school.  I saw a blog where a little girl was so excited that it was cowboy day & she was allowed to wear her cowboy boots to school.  If the cowboy boots make Kindergarten more fun - then let's go with it.  He is so stinkin' cute in those boots. The princess picks her own clothes & does her own hair & thinks she is beautiful. She is always beautiful, but has a unique sense of style, but her confidence is sky-rocketing.  WFM5 well he does beat all with tucking in his t-shirts to his athletic shorts. They each walk out the door happy & with an "I love you." So I pick my battles...

I had a chuckle this evening when Littlest Baby almost pitched a little fit (ALMOST) . . . He thought about getting mad at Mommy because he wanted to eat a game piece & I wouldn't let him.  BUT - then he remembered that he does not pitch fits - sweetness!  Although I think it may be coming soon.  I know that no one is perfect, but maybe he could be a little longer =) Baby Whitty started 5K a few weeks ago & I will get pics uploaded as soon as I get them Bay & Whitty started soccer & they both love it & I am excited they are getting energy out on the field/ More later ~ Tired Mommy

This was Aug 19 the first day for Bay & WFM5. 4th & 2nd Grade! They were perfect & brave & had a great first day. I only cried a little. Okay maybe 10 minutes. WFM5 one day will laugh at insisting he button his top button- I think I may have convinced him to fix it before school. Whitty just had to get in a picture. Bay walked in to school all by herself.  WE still walked WFM5 in & will for another year. I will eventually figure out carpool & by the time Littlest Baby graduates in 19 years, I may write a book on the secrets of an efficient carpool for other new mommas.  We are at 2 school for these 2 this year & that has thrown me for a loop. Someone asked me what I do while I wait in carpool???  1. I talk to Whitty & he has an active imagination. 2. I keep a mommy devotional book in the car & it walks you through different verses to pray over your children. 3. I call my momma & ask how she did this...

We have been a bit crazy around these here parts! We have started FOOTBALL! AND not just any kind of football, but football with pads & helmets & kids bigger than us!  Our team has 7 coaches with offensive & defensive coordinators! We are big time. Just in case all those practices get routine - we are about to start on 2 soccer teams! AND just in case something EVERY night gets mundane we are about to start church Bible studies on Wednesday nights! AND just in case we  do not totally exhaust ourselves . . . AU football season is about to start! AND I think I may get to be  room mom this year for at least 1 class, maybe 2! AND Lee still likes to see a parents face at 530 every morning for some milk - sweet thing. I think I need a nap! We are going to the AU house this weekend & then school starts on Monday (my bday)! Pictures of first day coming soon!

. . . a Princess, a Child of God, a Daughter of THE King. She is smart & beautiful. She is creative & artsy. She is sensitive & a little shy. She is my little girl & always will be. She will be 10 tomorrow - double digits! I cannot believe it  - I want time to go back, yet I also want to go forward with her on the journey. What will she be like in 5 or 10 years from now? I know she will love God more & love her family. I am being pulled by the sentimental side & the curious side. Bay, you are wonderful & will always continue to be so.  You are "fearfully & wonderfully made."  Be who HE wants you to be & you will go far.  Love you, Mommy

. . .it is 10:30 &  there are 5 cutsey girls runnin' around with giggles & squeals.  I love having a little girl! Slumber parties are FUN!  I hope there are many more to come. Someone has their first crush upstairs * * PAUSE * * I had to run upstairs & teach them how to pick a lock - they accidentally locked themselves out of Bay's room.  We could be up for a while =)

Littlest Baby is 6 months in these pics that my SIL took.  He is ALWAYS this happy.  He is ALWAYS this cooperative. He is soft & cuddly.  He now sits up & has 2 teeth & should have more any day. He has been such a precious gift.  Last night he had a bad diaper in the middle of the night & woke up to get that taken care of.  He just smiled as I changed him & fed him some ba-ba & then we smiled & talked to one another & then I told him I needed to go back to sleep he laid his head down & went back to sleep. True story.

Last night the older 3 took Littlest Baby to play so I could finish their dinner.  I heard sounds of fun & they are all 3 so good with the baby.  When they came down for dinner a few minutes later . . . . B: You are such a good human baby!  We will let you play again.  Mom can we borrow him after dinner to be a human baby? Me: Of course, but what other kind of baby would he be? B & W & W: (trying to talk at same time) He was the human baby we found in the jungle & we were a family of tigers.  We were raising him as our own. Littlest Baby then proceeds to growl as if he knew what was happening. I want to remember these bonding moments

I think this is a lucky number, but I do not believe in luck. I believe in blessings & one of the biggest blessings is the man I get to do life with. Thirteen years ago we got hitched!  I will not pretend we have the perfect marriage everyday, but I cannot imagine life any other way with anyone else. THIRTEEN years . . . 4 babies, 2 houses, 2 dogs, a station wagon & a minivan, MANY nieces & nephews & weddings  . . . daily life is the best with him in it! I love you, SuperHubby!

Well as you can see I have posted some pictures below . . . I cannot seem to find baseball pictures????  I will keep looking. Littlest Baby is 6 months & has 1 tooth with another one coming in any minute.  He is over 18 pounds & at this moment is trying to jump out of the bouncy seat while his toes are in his mouth.  He is still my easiest baby - YAY! Whitty Baby is 5 & 1/2 & do not leave off the half.  He got to go to his first golf tournament & I think that sealed the deal.  We are calling a new coach when we get back from the beach. WFM5 is practicing some sport in the backyard everyday & can ride a bike without training wheels!  Tackle football starts in August! Sweet Princess will be moving to a harder soccer league in the Fall & is excited!  She is almost as tall as me & has found a love of shoes & shopping! We are all loving the pool this Summer, although next Summer with a walker may be a different sto...

Whitty is the blonde in the red jersey Cousins at the Zoo Easter 2013 Littlest gets the bandana! Fun Memories for ALL!

Sweet Baby Figuring out food Colonial Day 2013 3 Easter boys Precious Baptism

I saw this on another blog & realized that so many times we post the fun stuff & not always the "real" stuff. So here are a few bits of reality . . . I cannot get the pictures from my camera to the computer as fast as SuperHubby so I am waiting on him to download so I can do an Easter & Baptism post. I had about 30  people over for brunch on Sunday & hid the mess in the Master bedroom AND it is STILL there (Thursday). I do not love cooking or sewing. I am jealous of people joining the new lifetime fitness, but cannot fathom spending $100+/month to torture myself with exercise - even though I desperately need more exercise & to lose about 20 pounds. My car is constantly messy. I can procrastinate better than anyone. Laundry takes me days to put away. I frequently go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink. I am addicted to Coke & need it to survive, although my daughter tells me I do not. I love living in AL - I kn...

I know I need to update, but . . . I think I will wait a few days & find my latest photos. We start back to school tomorrow & need to clean the house to recover from this past week. Bay & W2 have soccer & WFM5 has baseball & littlest has passies.  So this week will look normal which translates to crazy & somehow the Easter bunny will come & we will start work on baptism plans. More to come from a tied Mommy

To My Sweet Kiddos, Today I did an experiment & got out of the house for an extended period of time with all 4 of you - sorry.  From my perspective - we survived! That may not be your perspective & somehow we did not get the tennis shoes from the shoe section to the front of the store, yet, we made it home before we realized. But, you were all fed & we got batting gloves & I think I only yelled 1 time - sorry once again. Cinco, tomorrow I promise I will get you tennis shoes. I will learn this momma of 4 thing & we will make it all look better, but in the mean time - I LOVE YOU ALL - Mommy

Precious Baby! Sweet littlest baby is 2 months old. He weighs 12.9 lbs & healthy. He has survived his first ear infection like a champ. He loves to talk & has already said "God" - makes this momma's heart proud. The other kiddos are adjusting perfectly. We should have had a 9 year old girl first - she loves to be his 2nd momma. Life with 4 is full & fun & we cannot imagine life any other way

My sweetest littlest one is 1 month old today - almost exactly right now.  He has been my easiest baby by far & everyone has adjusted so well.  He has his 1 month appt later this week so we will see how big he is, but I know he is 9+ pounds easy.  He eats 3 - 4 oz every 3 hours & sleeps most of the time in between, except for a little bit in the AM.  If you catch us in the car, do NOT make us stop because he will SCREAM & if you hear I am changing a diaper COVER YOUR EARS - those are the only times he cries. I realized I did not record his birth story so here it goes . . . (more for my sake) We were induced the morning of December 6th.  We were sure he would come earlier, but I had just stopped progressing so wonderful Dr. Adcock gave me some relief.  I could not breathe the last few weeks because he was so high, but to everyone else that seemed to be a minor detail - it was hell for me (pardon my French.)  So, on the morning of December ...

I love my sweet hubby & kiddos & my family AND . . . DUCK DYNASTY! Quote: "What is the world coming to when you cannot fix or replace a Samurai sword at a pawn shop." ~Uncle Si (this was for Cousin Lisa)

Our biggest boy is turning 7 TODAY! I am so excited for him! He is being great today as Mommy cannot do as much as I normally do on birthdays & we are still deciding what to do for his party.  He is precious & understanding - as always. Cinco, you are a true joy!  You are a perfect fit for our family & help to balance us out with your easy-going ways.  You are a great role model to the littler boys & a perfect friend to sister. Daddy & I are proud of your hard-working studies & athletics.  We are proud of you on & off the field.  We know God will use you to do great & mighty things for His Kingdom. Thank you for who you are & teaching me some really cool Star Wars stuff. Love, Mommy