A Martin Minute

 Well, the end of 2024 caught us a little off-guard. So I am little late . . .  2024 started off with WFM5 turning 18! CRAZY! In the middle of 2024 Bay turned 21! CRAZY! Whitty is 17 & Baby Lee is in middle school! CRAZY! How can they be this old? How can 2 live in another city? How can the hubby be 50??! We had a lot of fun this year, we traveled & tailgated. We laughed & laughed some more.  We also grew this year inside & out, in times of tears & joy. We lost our sweet friend - Kim Haynes, our Auntie Kim. We had moments of telling her daughter that Mommy went to Heaven, we had hard conversations & times to say goodbye.  We had times of telling EK how wonderful her momma was. 2024 also sent another to AUBURN! Momma may have cried the whole way home. But to see him thrive brought Momma such joy.  Baylor (21) is studying education at AU & is having a blast with her cute friends, in her cute house. She stays busy with schools, concerts ...

 Some thoughts as you are about to turn 18 . . . (started October 28, 2023) God is sovereign! God is faithful & true! VOTE! Vote wisely You are the best soccer player! I am your biggest fan! Make wise choices & be a role model . . .I know you are tired of me saying that, but it is true. Never stop playing jokes & being funny! "I hope you know I had the time of my life raising you." READ the BIBLE! Pigeons are real . . .maybe? Sagewood Gang FOREVER! Cousin Crew for LIFE! "Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." John Muir "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 118:1 Why did the chicken cross the road? $5 for a yellow card! Napoleon Bonaparte "Okay Lewis & Clark . . ." WAR EAGLE ALWAYS! Joshua 1:9 (December 17, 2023) Maybe you could be #5 in soccer?? God loves you more than I do! (January 2024) To my Cinco as you turn 18 . . . 18! 18 is a big deal – you are al...

Merry Christmas! How are we here?       How has this year gone by so fast?            How is it almost 2024? I can tell you how . . . because there are 4 kids (in 2 cities), 1 dad (sometimes traveling for work), 1 mom & her minivan, multiple teams, multiple schools & 1 cute puppy. Whew!! Baylor is 20 & LOVING her apartment life in Auburn! She is studying hard & keeps a busy schedule with tailgating, church events & general TALKING with friends. She is doing some babysitting & pre-teaching over her Christmas break & some more TALKING with friends. William will be 18 any day now! He just made the Men's Soccer Varsity squad for his Senior year & so that makes the 3rd team of this year! He will be joining big sister in Auburn come August & I am sure his dorm room will be a little less complicated. He is half-way through his Senior year & doing well in school. He studies, works, plays soccer & ...

  "I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord,  & they shall be my people & I shall be their God. . ." Jeremiah 24:7 Merry Christmas 2022! Wow! What a year ~ I am exhausted & joyful & so excited all at the same time! We have a COLLEGE STUDENT! She did AMAZING! I cried like a baby & still do from time-to-time. Baylor is 19 & is loving life on the plains. She has gotten involved & made new friends. She studies & loves her classes. She loves football & basketball games & amidst all that STILL manages to squeeze in 40,000+ words a day! WFM5 - William, our Cinco is a soccer champ once again! He drives to work, school, soccer & EATS. He has made me so proud managing work, school & soccer & studying for ACT & college visits. Doing all well & having fun! He will be a Senior Fall '23 & we are looking forward to that fun year. Whitty is my runner & jumper! He is on the high school track & field team no...

 So many things have happened . . . So many things good things & so many hard things. So many things that we cannot explain & things we saw coming years ago. So many people & so many places. This momma's heart has had to learn to watch them fly & soar. I keep thinking back to what my Daddy said at our wedding " . . . you give your children roots & wings." It is hard to give them roots that run deep & how you instill true values in them. It is also hard to watch them open their wings ready to soar. They are soaring! They are learning SOOO much & watching these adventures is a true gift. I know one day I will look back as this being a great joy of my life. I am experiencing hurt but it is amidst such beauty & growth. My baby girl has started to fly & she is flying strong. As soon as she started off on her journey she hit a few unexpected bumps & she took a minute, re-grouped & then just kept on going. She was strong & brave. S...

  " Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, & God our Father, who loved us & gave us eternal comfort & good hope through grace, comfort your hearts & establish them in every good work & word." 2 Thessalonians 2:16 & 17 Merry Christmas from our family to yours! We keep busy around here - everyday! Bay is 18! She is an adult! She has decided to head to Auburn University next year & spread her beautiful wings. She has had jaw surgery, to correct some "issues," & enjoyed some very extended & quiet time at home.  She is a Senior in high school & loves her school! She loves all the fun Senior dress-up days & even had 3 costume changes in 1 day! She has so much stuff planned for next year - my head is spinning. WFM5 will be 16 in a few weeks! I realized that with him driving himself to soccer practice that I will have an extra 4 hours in my week. He works at a local ice cream shop, which is quite beneficial, & is growing up so...

 I am so THANKFUL for all my crew! I am so GRATEFUL for what they all mean to me! I am so BLESSED to be a part of their lives! (I am obviously a little bit cheesy on the holidays) This year I am thankful for . . . My much better half ~ he takes care of us all so well. I love you! My 4 kiddos ~  even with the eye-rolling.     Baylor is beautiful!     WFM5 is funny!     Whitty is sweet!     Lee-Lee is  . . . .well, he is Lee-Lee!  My family ~ as loud as we are we are truly blessed to do life together. My favorite neighbors ~ you know who you are & thank you for always helping & being a part of our family.  I love that some came over last night to cook spicy ramen, because they knew my kitchen would be open.  I love that we can walk in without knocking & that Dr. Peppers get left on my doorstep. I am thankful for Dr. Pepper! I am thankful for Chicken-Moo! PSALM 107:1 "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, H...

Just a few little thoughts as you will soon turn 18 . . . *(started May 31, 2021) God is sovereign! God is good all the time - even when we do not understand. I will always love you ~ forever & ever! You are my favorite daughter! VOTE! Vote wisely! THINK! Think before you speak or post or tweet or text. Apologize & forgive - everyone makes mistakes. Give Grace ~ especially to those that make it hard. Big things are happening over the next few years , but don't forget the small things. Taylor Swift "the Best Day" Thomas Rhett!! Be a role model & make wise choices ~ how many times have I said this? Keep talking! Family is everything! "Okay Lewis & Clark. . . ." Chick-Fil-A ~ enough said "Never let anyone treat you like a yellow starburst. You are a pink starburst." Always walk in the front door like you live here. ~ Be a pineapple~ "In all things give thanks." READ your BIBLE! "The fact that our heart yearns for something E...

How is it time for Summer? How are we buying teacher gifts? How have I registered my baby girl for her senior year of high school? How have we had 5 days of soccer try-outs & we are only halfway through? How are we scheduling senior portraits & ordering senior jerseys? How are 2 of them taller than me with bigger feet? How do they make their own plans & inform me of what they are? How do we have 1.5 drivers at our house? How do they stay up later than me? How is all this happening so fast? HOW?

 March 13, 2020 I was volunteering at our sweet elementary school & listening to the conversations the teachers & administrators were having . . . even they thought their conversations sounded a little crazy.  Then as I spoke to more people I ended up being a part of the group discussion to not have afternoon activities, "let's just let everyone calm down & then re-evaluate on Monday." . . . . There was no Monday at the school - EVERYTHING stopped! "Maybe we will take an extended Spring Break . . . okay maybe 3 weeks . . . !"  Who knew we wouldn't go back until late August??? Who knew we would all consider wearing mask to be "normal?" Who knew we wouldn't get in the car for 8 weeks? Who knew?????  GOD DID!        He knew we would get through this year.     He knew we would struggle & hurt, but come out closer & better as we get to the other side.     He knew of riots & elections.     The o...

 Well, this was quite a year . . . a year of first (and hopefully some lasts).  A year that took us by surprise and made us ALL re-think about EVERYTHING.  A year that drove us all HOME and sitting around the table with the ones we love. My sweet babies blossomed this year.  They all learned hard things and kept on going.  They all learned the value of a game of Rummikub.  They all learned that momma was not meant to teach math - history is my jam!  They learned the value of a big family. They learned that biscuits are AWESOME! They all handled 2020 like champs!  Yes, there were hard decisions, but they were understanding. Nobody is perfect, but they got pretty close this year, of all years I am appreciative. What did we do? We got a rescue puppy - Charli Mae.  (Yes, I said no more puppies, but the vote was 5 - 1) We went to the beach on a "work trip."  Then we took off for the mountains!  Both of these amidst soccer try-outs - he m...

Well, not sure where to even begin . . . I was not planning on being at home for 6+ weeks straight.  No carpool, soccer, choir concerts.   No school, church or outside responsibilities.   No grocery stores, or any stores for that matter. No extra people in our house. No grandparent hugs or cousin time. No knowing what day it is???? How did this all happen? How did we get here? What did we do????   Well, one day my grandkids will ask me questions for a school project & ask about these crazy times, so here we go . . . . We did NOTHING!   Okay, so everyone had to do school at home, but 99.99999% of that was on the computer & the older kiddos were managing a lot of that on their own.  Lee-Lee & I were usually done with his work by 10 AM.  They participate in Google Meets/Hangouts. ZOOM calls are a new thing.  . . . . continued . . . ."ZOOM Fatigue" is a real thing . . . .  We were home for 3 months ...

Well, a lot of my writing has been in book notes  & Bible study notes.  More on social media & texting the teens - A LOT of texting the teens. This will become a way to chronicle for my children my view on their adventures. Y'all my family is amazing & exhausting all at the same time . . . BAY is 16!! Baylor turned 16 this Summer, although with a hurt knee & fear of cars she still does not have her license. (I think I am the only Mom who is waiting for her 16 year old to drive)  She is rockin' high school & LOVES keeping that GPA above a 4.  She is involved in 4 different choirs, PLUS voice lessons, CFAP, small groups & a couple of clubs.  In other words - she makes a lot of plans for someone who does not like to drive - just sayin'. I love having a girl in our mix! WFM5 is a teenage boy who loves to play jokes on his Momma & push a lot of buttons.  Soccer is ALL the time around here  . . . one day I will chronicle the h...

"But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7 "And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17 Sweet friends, It has been a while since I put personal thoughts out in the open.  Being vulnerable is helping me stay real & true.  I know people have quit reading blogs, but I have always said this was my way of doing baby books & if this helps the one person who reads it - then there you go. So here goes chronicling real life for my kids & my Christmas letter. My kiddos . . .  Baylor is GREAT!  Bay has found her "niche" in voice lessons & has knocked it out of the park.  She is keeping a 4.5 so far in high school & started honors & AP classes already.  She walked through those doors with her head held high & made friends & joined clubs & ROCKIN' it!  She is practicing driving!! I cannot wait to...

What is 2018 going to hold for our crew?  Well . . . we are about to find out! Some of our favorite things will continue . . . SPORTS! SCHOOL! (most days) NEIGHBORS! (running from house to house) AU Football! WAR EAGLE! BIBLE STUDY! And we will have some big changes . . .  HIGH SCHOOL! KINDERGARTEN! A NEW DRIVER! (well, learner's permit) TRY OUTS! (for school teams, bigger teams) But, whatever this year holds the Martins will do it all together, as a family, as a team. We pray your family has a year of first & favorites.   A year that you will look back on & know you did right & true. "Finally, brothers,  whatever   is  true,  whatever   is  honorable,  whatever   is  just,  whatever   is   pure ,  whatever   is  lovely,  whatever   is  commendable,  if there  is  any excellence, if there  is  an...

"looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,  who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,  despising  the shame, and  is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 Merry Christmas!  We pray this little letter finds you with family celebrating the gift of Jesus. Our little family is looking forward to tonight, tomorrow, & all next week celebrating with our BIG  family.  We are looking forward to Christmas services, presents, meals & COUSIN-TIME!  We are looking forward to time together.  This year has been CRAZY! CRAZY FUN! We have 2 in middle school, 1 in elementary & 1 in pre-school!  We cannot believe that next year one starts high school & another starts kindergarten!! (Although he says he may skip straight onto middle school & I am about to agree to that idea.)  We of course have played A LOT of soccer & done A LOT of twirling & have ...

March  . . . .It has become a joke, but we have a perfect little bubble for our little family.  Someone said one time, "you live in an old-fashioned neighborhood."  I truly do - kids play all over the place, we yell out the door at dinner time to come inside, there is always a pick-up game going on. We sit on front stoops & tell the truths of our life.  We cheer each other on. We do life - real life - together. This is such a blessing to my children. I have started praying that they have the same thing in their lives when they are parenting. October . . . .I could not remembered the last time that I blogged. I could not remember the last time I sat down & wrote my heart & their story.  I know blogging is going out-of-style, but for me this is the baby books that I could not handle.  They need to know the moments that meant something to me & our stories are a big part of their adventures. We have gotten our hair cut for the crazi...

Books! I love to read, but I have to be honest - I have not read a lot of "parenting books."  They seem to be very overwhelming & when you have so many great parents around you, well . . . I have recently been introduced to a Bible study series called "She Reads Truth."  This group puts out some great online/book Bible studies that are true to Scripture.  They are geared to get women focusing back on Scripture & not on what the world says of Scripture.  Why are so many people looking for truth & help in places that offer whatever they feel like offering?  These Bible studies have renewed my love of God's Word, of His truth.  The creators wrote a book (above) with the same name.  When I heard about the book I thought it would tell their stories & I was curious, BUT the book did so much more.  The book talked of finding permanent in an ever-changing world.  I think I look for permanent & everything is always changing. ...