A Martin Minute

Christmas Letter 2014! I know y'all have been waiting by your mailboxes for my annual Christmas card. I know y'all have been dying to see how precious the Martin kiddos are this year. I know y'all are going to open your cards and think this is the most precious they have been. I know these things, but the truth is they are most precious when they are asleep!  And I am NOT going to take a picture of them asleep & risk waking them - not even for y'all. Here we are another year older & hopefully another year wiser. Here we are in our simple Southern city with 4 kids and 5 busy schedules. (Baby hasn't figured out how to have an activity yet.) Our sweet princess, Baylor, is eleven & will start middle school next year - CRAZY!  She is super smart & LOVES to read.  She is a good little helper & keeps us all in line.  She loves soccer & tried tennis this year. Basketball is a new sport this Winter. She had a friend move to AU this Summer...

Littlest Baby, Sorry I am 12 days late on your birthday post. Life is a little crazy around here & you have something to do with that. You are a BUSY baby!  You go, go, go all day long. You are such a blessing.  Even in the middle of the night (which you sometimes like to snuggle with me) you are sweet to your momma. You love M&M's & stealing my coke. You are loving all the Christmas decorations.  You are still obsessed with cars & beeps. You can see a car & tel lme who drives one like it & whether or not it is cool. You cannot say donkey very well, but it is funny when you say "Baby Jeje, darnit"  That means Mommy, Baby Jesus & a donkey."  You love the  nativities in people's yards. Your siblings & Mac are still your favorite people.  Your grandparents drive the coolest cars, but Dale's truck may beat all the other cars out for favorite "beep." My little surprise baby is one of life's greatest joys. ...

National Championship: Where am I looking? Someone asked me today (and last week) how long I had been married.  I told them, "14 years." Both times I was told that was a long time!!?? What?!?! I thought we were just getting started - WE ARE just getting started. Kids, it is sad when 14 years is a long time - it is not a long time.  This is only the beginning of a beautiful thing. Love you SuperHubby!

Really Weird = My baby turned 2 today & I signed my oldest up for a week long camp. Crazy times & they grow up to fast Birthday post later

I pray this post finds you thankful. I pray this post finds you with friends & family. I pray this post finds you joyful no matter the circumstances. What are we thankful for here? We are thankful for 14 years together & for a lifetime of love. We are thankful for 4 crazy kiddos who fill our house with messes & laughter & a lot of noise. We are thankful for role models in our family. We are thankful for modern medicine & new ways to fight Moppy's cancer. We are thankful for our Moppy, extra special this year. We are thankful a little extra this year for our Poppy & how he stands by her side. We are thankful for big families. We are thankful for good schools & even better friends in them. We are thankful for teachers who love God & love our kiddos. We are thankful for our church & the fellowship in its walls. Hebrews 12:28 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful,  and so wo...

Philippians 1:9-11 New Living Translation (NLT) 9  I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.   10  For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.   11  May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ [ a ] —for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Love this. How have I never noticed this? I think I will start praying this for my kiddos. No matter what they do, or don't do, in life I want their lives to bring glory to God.

Moments of fun & laughter. Moments of tears. Moments of fear. Moments of joy. All these moments are times when we need to remind ourselves - GOD IS SOVEREIGN! As I sat at the hospital today I sat with some of my original gang I cried.  God placed me in this family in HIS omniscient plan we are where we are supposed to be.  The hospital waiting room was not on our radar, but on HIS.  It was there we prayed & cried & laughed & counted our Mom as one of our top blessings. Prayers - the C word is scary. Prayers - for doctor's steady hands & wisdom. Prayers & rejoicing - the lymph nodes are clear. Prayers of thankfulness for putting me with this bunch. There are times people thought my parents were crazy for having 6 kiddos.  (I get funny reactions sometimes when I tell people I have 4.)  Well, if you were there today you saw a family who places God first.  The moments like today, full of every emotion under the sun, are mome...