Fire Station Tour

Monday we took a trip to the Hurst Fire Station on Pipeline for a tour & to see the firetrucks. A girl from our Mom's group organized the tour & the kids really enjoyed seeing & playing on the truck!

This is their dining table. One of the firefighters made it.....aren't the fire hydrants cool??

Here is their lounge area. There are eight of everything because there are always eight of them there at one time. I was so embarrassed because Spencer acted like he was in heaven, running around like a crazy man screaming & shouting with joy as he spun the chairs around & around!

Spencer is showing Mommy the firetruck.

And the kids got a kick out of playing on the pole.

Checkin' out the truck.

Spencer thought getting in & out of the truck was so much fun. This poor firefighter was such a good sport. He got so tired of getting him in & out that he finally just picked him up & held him. For those of you wondering why I was the mother that let my kid be so annoying, it was because I was wearing Sawyer & I wasn't able to pick him up & restrain him.....not a good excuse but reality.

Spencer enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with the flag!

My cuties!

Picnic at the Park

Saturday night we had a picnic at the park with some friends from our Sunday school class. We all have a kid or 3 now so these are fun events.

Sam, Amelia & Charlotte

Daddy & Spencer

Amelia & cheese ball Sam

Daddy & his kiddos

Mr. Troy was the highlight of the night......all the kids wanted to play with him.

Boy do we enjoy stuff like this.....we just don't get to do it enough anymore.

Trinity Park Train

With Daddy home & the weather nice we decided we would go do the Trinity Park train. It was a little windier than we had expected but everyone still had a great time. This is such inexpensive family fun.....love that!

On the way out there we picked up some fast food & had a little picnic in the back of the truck when we got there!
She finds a place to twirl anywhere she goes!

Daddy, Sam & Spence

Mommy & Sawyer

Mommy, Spence & Sam

The train

A Fun Weekend!

Well, after Spencer would NOT go to sleep because of his excitement over the new chair, we decided to get the kids outside to play in the water and the sandbox. Of course they had a wonderful time. Sam really loves to play in the water......Spencer, not so much. He enjoys the sandbox and just exploring!

Daddy spraying Sam! Sam thinks he is SOOO funny!

Spencer enjoying a little snack. Ugh....isn't that gross? Eating sand is just nasty. He seemed to enjoy it though.....he did it more than once! What a goof!
And even though this picture is horrible of me, I just had to share. It is classic Sam. I said, "I'm taking a picture, SMILE!" and this is what I ended up with. She was not upset at all.....she is just a stinker. The girl is so full of drama.....I will be surprised if she doesn't end up making it her career : )
And here is my Little Man after a little fun in the backyard : )

Saturday morning it was raining so we thought we would go outside and watch the rain. I was actually really surprised when Spencer just walked right out into it and played. Of course Sam wanted to get out there after that! How much fun! I remember playing in the rain as a kid and I LOVED it.....probably because it was so "crazy" and I felt free!

Isn't this so sweet? She was taking care of her little brother!

Don't you just love the plumber pants : )

And here are the kids saying "hi" to me! I was trying to be good and resting inside, watching them through the window.

I love these kids! Even though I was stuck resting, I still enjoyed the weekend!

She Makes Me Laugh

Seriously.......Sam cracks me up. The things kids say are just great. This is also a little bragging so just know that going in...... I AM one of THOSE Mom's who thinks their kid hung the moon.

So, we were playing with her Aquadoodle. She told me she was going to draw a fish and this is what she drew. I was quite impressed. I realize it's no Picasso but for a 2 year old......pretty impressive.

(grrrr..... I don't know why but every time I upload this pic it turns it sideways)

After that she wanted me to sit and draw with her. I drew a smiley face and showed her how to do it. Here is her smiley face......pretty cute, huh!


So, THEN I drew a house. She wanted to draw it so bad but she was having a REALLY hard time. So, in my very teacherish manner I proceeded to do a dotted line house that she could trace because she usually really likes to trace. I thought that was brilliant.

Apparently she did not.

I was trying to tell her to trace the dots and she was "busy" drawing something else. So, I tried to take her hand and show her how to trace it. She pulled away and told me she was drawing something else. I guess I am a little persistent because I tried once AGAIN to tell her to trace it. Of course, she continued to ignore me so I said, "Why are you being ugly to me?" and her answer......... "I'm not hearing you!"...........WOW! I laughed out loud on that one. Just thinking about what she was thinking and hearing her so serious tell me that was just funny.

And because I am a Mom, I had to explain to her that she was in fact hearing me and what she was doing was called IGNORING.

And the story behind the next pic. I drew the large sun and then she asked me to draw the small sun. She said, "Mommy & Daddy." I asked her which was which and she said the big one was Daddy & the small one was Mommy. This is just funny because she is always saying, "I'm big like Daddy & Spencer is small like Mommy."

I really don't know what to make of this but she says it all the time! (Guess I should enjoy that I am small in her mind)

The Reward

So, we have implemented something new in the Martin household. It's the reward jar......it's equivalent to a reward chart w/ stickers.......I guess I am just more artsy fartsy than I am teacherish and so I had to do something different!

It works like this: I got a small glass jar and a bunch of pretty glass stones. When Sam does something good, she gets a stone. When the jar gets full, she gets a big prize (as opposed to a bunch of little junky stuff each time she does something good) She gets stones for a variety of things but I wanted it to promote independence, character and initiative for doing things.

At what point do you quit telling your child to say "thank you", "share with your brother" or "pick up your toys"? It isn't as if they don't know they need to do these things, they are just hoping to get away with NOT doing them. I was hoping for some positive reinforcement for positive behaviours. So far it has worked beautifully......BUT I must say that Sami is a natural people pleaser so this is right up her alley......don't know that this would work for all the little guys.

So back to what she gets stones for.......here is a small list of things she has actually gotten stones for......

putting away her toys w/o me asking
sharing with her brother w/o me asking
taking a nap w/o a fight
putting the silverware away
putting her laundry away
being a good girl at the store
watching/entertaining her brother while I need to do something
small but important stuff that makes my heart smile because she is such a great kid (character issues)

Sooooo, all this to tell you that she got her jar filled up and received her first reward today. She LOVED it. Her cousins are in town and my Mom was taking them to NRH2O, so we decided that would be a perfect prize. She is hesitant of water but she really warmed up and ended up doing really great and having a fantastic time. She went down slides, played on all the cool kid stuff and swam in the wave pool. It was a wonderful day!

Here are a few pictures.......

Sam & her cousin Parker

Sam & I going down the slide (we are on the left)

Daddy & Spencer

Sam hasn't been to NRH2O since she was less than a year old so she doesn't even remember it. I'm sure we will be going back. Spencer did pretty good. He just got REALLY tired and was fuss talking when we left.......I think his ears are still bothering him.

OH, and that brings up a good question........how do you reward one child w/o rewarding the other? or do you just let them both enjoy it? this isn't so much an issue now but it will be as Spencer gets to the age to do his own reward jar(and I could be wrong in my predictions but I have a feeling that his is going to fill up MUCH slower than hers).

Well, the fam is still zonked from the trip.......hoping they will wake soon.....getting close to bedtime.

A First

Ha! We just got back from the play area at NE Mall. Due to Spencer being sick, we haven't been out of the house in several days and Sam was just about to lose all civility. I decided it was time to take action since Spencer's temp had been gone for over 24 hrs.

It was so stinkin' cute. This was the first time we have been since Spencer has been walking so this is the first time he has gotten to play. It was precious! He was in heaven. There were 8 billion people there but he just thought it was great. He would take a few steps and then just watch everyone, move a little and then just watch everyone. He was mesmerized! He would just laugh and squeal in excitement. It was hilarious.

And Sam was soooo sweet. She is the greatest big sister in the world. She was so concerned about him. She made sure he was doing good, would go play a little and then find him again to make sure he was ok. I don't know how many times she came over to me and asked me where Bubby was. She didn't have to watch out for him......I never asked her to do that. She is just a little mother hen. I'm sure it will drive the boys crazy as they all get older but I think it is sweet that she cares so much.

I am so blessed!

I Reagan take you Josh........

Just thought you all might enjoy a good laugh!

Yes, I realize the quality is HORRIBLE......I can already hear the disbelief from my children 20 years from now. It is still on VHS. I desperately need to have it transferred to a DVD. (This is a video of the TV screen......how do ya like that!)

I just dug the VHS player and kid movies back out. I figured that would be all this ancient TV would be good for after the HD thing in February.

Finally!

I feel like I have said "I'm sorry" about the lack of posts quite frequently lately! Well here it is again! Sorry ya'll!

The past couple of weeks have just been crazy, not to mention that I haven't had a computer. Going to Mom's to get on the internet leaves me just enough time to check my e-mail and work through my list. It's amazing how much I rely on the internet for information.

For those of you who have not been informed, I am returning to work! The economy stinks and with that comes pay cuts and changes in reimbursement. Therefore, we have been left with no choice but for me to head back into the workforce. Honestly, we have been thinking about this for some time now but I was convinced there was no way I would be able to find anything that would pay for childcare and have anything left over. God literally dropped something in my lap. I am going to be working at a doctor's office across from Baylor Grapevine. I have heard wonderful things from the staff there and I think I will really enjoy it.

The issue at this point is finding affordable, GOOD care for the kiddos. I have a couple of home care options but I am afraid that Sam will be bored. I would really like this to be a positive experience for her. If she is going to have to be taken out of her home I would at least like a little brain stimulation for the girl. I think she would thrive in a preschool setting but it has been very difficult finding a preschool that a) also takes infants or b) has a spot for them both......not to mention the affordable part. I am praying that God has something perfect he will open the door to this week.

So.....what's been up with us??????

For starters, last week Sam and I were sick.....had this mess that has been going around. I had a severe ear infection. I don't think I have had an ear infection since I was a wee one. It was not fun.

I was premature in my excitement about the end to diapers. I actually attribute this to her sickness. I think, being sick, she wasn't sleeping well, which woke her frequently and alerted her to her need to tee tee. After getting well, she just didn't seem to wake when she needed to go and so we are back to diapers at bed time.

There is another HUGELY exciting, momentous occasion to replace the other. The pacis are GONE! Seriously..... 2 1/2, it's about time. I have been DREADING the day that we took those things away! We have been putting it off because we knew the battle that would ensue. I should have known that she would take care of it herself. A few days ago she took a nap at Mom's. When she went to get her pacis, she brought one of them to me and told me it was broken. It looked like she had been chewing on it or something so I told her to throw it in the trash. She went to bed with only one paci for her nap. That night I put her to bed with just the one and told her that it was the only one left, that the other ones were in the trash. About 30 minutes after putting her to bed she came into my room telling me that her paci was broken. She brought it to me in 2 pieces. She had bitten the tip of it off. Clearly, that is a serious choking hazard so there was no chance she was going back to bed with another one. I told her to throw that one away and that was the last one so she had no more. That was it! The end of the pacis! WOO HOO!

My little man is scootin' all over the place! I can't believe he is 7 months old!!!!!! He is funny though......he still won't sit himself up. He can sit up by himself but he can't get there himself. Actually, he probably COULD, but he doesn't. Silly guy!

I am beginning to work out an issue with him as well. Since he was born I have rocked him to sleep. That is not an ideal situation for childcare so I am trying to wean him off the rocking. He is doing pretty good so far but we have a long way to go yet.

OH, and he has this AWFUL squeal! Are boys supposed to squeal? He sounds awfully girly when he does. Mom calls him sissy boy when he does it.....it really is terrible. It's his attitude scream.....when he is really peeved.

Oh, and if you were wondering, NO, he still isn't sleeping through the night. He wakes up and takes a bottle in the middle of the night. UGH! Sam slept like 10 hours at 6 weeks so this is pretty annoying. He is wearing 12 and 18 month clothes so maybe it's just because he's a big boy......though Mom says it's just habit. I tried to let him just cry himself back to sleep the other night. After 45 minutes I decided I couldn't stand it anymore. Really????? 45 minutes????? Who is that stubborn?????

Josh left Sunday morning for his annual National Sales Meeting in Connecticut. He has been super busy all week and we are really missing him. Wednesday night was their big awards banquet and my J-Dub kicked booty! I don't know if I have told you how hard Josh has worked since going into sales but this kid deserved something good, ya'll. He is incredible at his job and apparently others are noticing! God has really blessed him in this position. I truly feel that he is able to use the gifts God has blessed him with in this position and that really has made a HUGE impact on his success. I will let him give you more info on his blog when he gets home and has a chance to write. I don't know all the details yet myself so I am anxiously awaiting his arrival! He should be returning tomorrow afternoon! Can't wait! I sure do love that guy!

Well, I hope I have caught you up......I know I have probably missed a ton but I will try to keep you more up to date now that I have a computer with internet access back at home! (I will also try to get some pics up soon)

Donuts

Last night we had breakfast for dinner! I have been itching to try this idea for some time now. See those donuts????? They are homemade, cheap, good and SIMPLE (does it get any better?)! You know those super cheap store brand biscuits in the skinny tubes that are usually packaged 4 together? Just open up a can of those, use something round to punch out the center (I used the top to an Ozarka bottle) and fry. I just put a skillet on the stove, poured in some oil, heated it up and laid those puppies in there to fry! I did one side at a time so that I didn't have to use a ton of oil. Once they brown up just yank 'em outta there and lay them on something to soak up the grease. After you've got them all fried up, roll them around in cinnamon and sugar! THAT'S IT! YUMMY to my tummy!

(you see that pile of stuff on the counter over there? EVERY year I find stray bits of Christmas across the house after putting it all away. That is where everything has landed so that I can put it in the garage with the other stuff. Anyone else have this problem????)

80's glasses!

Not much to report from this week. I'm sure you all missed me.....I know I would have (he he)! We spent quite a bit of time at the park this week......just taking advantage of the pretty days and staying indoors on the those that aren't.

We missed Josh a ton this week......Sam had a difficult time adjusting!

I really wish I had something interesting to tell you but, I don't. Sam is funny.....what's new..... she just says some of the funniest things......I think it has a lot to do with the age!

Just had to share this picture.....thought it was pretty funny.....my little chiller!

So, I couldn't put up a post without SOMETHING worthy of checking out......I saved the best for last. (sorry for the cruddy quality.....I had to scan this one in) This is a picture of my roommate and I from New Years Eve '01(seriously.....was that REALLY 7 years ago????). The theme was 80's. I didn't want to go all out 80's but I felt like I had to have SOMETHING! My sister-in-law found these sunglasses that she wore when she was a teenager! Can you believe someone actually wore those for REAL! Karen, only you could pull that off! The picture makes me laugh every stinkin' time!

Gone

Just thought I would let you all know that Josh is leaving with the computer very early in the morning. That means no posts until he gets home......probably Friday.

We had a fun weekend! Friday night we hung out with friends......we always enjoy that......even if it takes pulling teeth to make it happen : )

Saturday we took the kids on a train ride. I would like to say it was the Tarantula but my BIL got the times mixed up and we ended up on the Vintage Train in the Stockyards. This could have been enjoyable except that we chose a day when it was 80 degrees out and there was no A/C (hence the Vintage part)......there also were no open windows. Sam and Levi had a blast riding the choo choo. Poor Spence was miserable......he is SO hot natured......we had the poor kid stripped to his diaper and he was still sweating all over (it might have something to do with the rolls that cover him)! Thankfully it was only about an hour long so we scooted out of there at lightning speed!

Today we finally all got to go to church as a family! Tommy's sermon was wonderful!

I am excited to get back into a routine this week......I have let the washing go FAR too long now! I will be playing catch up all week on that.

Spencer is SOOOO much fun right now! He just cackles......it makes my heart melt! Sam is so funny with him......she will always try to make him laugh! Sam is just hilarious! I know I have said that before and I'm sure I will say it again but she is stinkin' funny! She can say whatever she wants now......she knows so much it just baffles me! A few of the latest funnies......

Sam: Daddy, come play in my room.

Daddy: No Sam, not right now.

Sam: (with finger pointed and shaking at him) Daddy, don't tell me no!

and

Sam: (pointing to the rings on my hand) Mommy, what this?

Mommy: Rings

Sam: (to Spencer, pointing to the rings) Spencer, this called rings.

Mommy: That's right Sam, good job.

Sam: No Mommy, I talk to Spence. Spencer, this called rings.

those probably aren't near as funny written but they were F-U-N-N-Y when they happened.

Also, a few things to pray about.......

My brother is leaving for bootcamp this week......he's got 3 kiddos......one only a few weeks old.

My SIL's brother got mugged on New Year's Eve and is in pretty bad shape (broken brow bone, both cheekbones, fractured neck, chipped teeth, etc).

We are trying to sell our truck.......Josh is renting now and it will free up some money for other bills.

There is a possible job opportunity for me......no details yet but it would be full time and the kids would have to go to daycare......this is a HUGE prayer request.

HUGE praise for some burdens lifted in some family relationships! PRAISE GOD......this was ONLY by his goodness!

Love ya'll!

Forgetting to enjoy!

Have you ever anticipated anything so much so that you forget to enjoy what is going on now?

Having Josh home has been wonderful in numerous ways. Honestly, I was quite nervous at the thought of him being home for 2 1/2 weeks straight. I am all about routines and schedules so I was worried I would not be able to enjoy myself because of the sheer randomness of our days.

It has turned out to be a nice break from my rigidness. For close to 2 weeks now we have just waltzed through our days without thinking about them or preparing for them much! Some days we would be lazy all day, stay in our jammies, and enjoy family time. Other days we seemed to go, go, go. We have finished some projects that I have been wanting to finish for some time now so I am happy as well as surprised that anything productive can be done when there aren't schedules and plans.

Anyway, back to my original question....... I am so dreading Josh going back to work that it is all I have been able to think about for the last 24 hours! Isn't that just stupid! Regardless, this time with him home has been priceless and we feel blessed that his work allowed him the time off!

Christmas

To start Christmas off we went to my parents. We actually had everyone there! That means Mom & Dad, my grandparents, all four kids and their spouses and all 9 grandkids! It gets a little crazy! Sam always enjoys herself with all the kids! This was really the first Christmas that she got excited about the presents!

Here you see her ripping into her new kitchen. She was so excited to play with it after we got it together the next day that she didn't want to take a nap!

Oh my goodness......I laughed my bohiney off over this. Apparently you can "elf yourself" and Mom "elfed" her, Dad, my Granny & Papaw, and my brother Matt. It was hilarious!


As you can see, my grandparents really got a kick out of it! I think my grandma was a tad embarrassed! (I'll see if I can post it????)

My Mom made my niece Parker a nightgown and matching nightgowns for her dolls! I remember having a matching outfit with my Cabbage Patch!!!! She also made the doll on the right....sooo cute! (Isn't my Mom hot!)



Here is the picture of all 9 grandkids with Nini & Papa.....boy was that interesting.....turned out decent, all things considered!



Here you can see Sam whipping us up some eggs in her new kitchen after we got the 8 billion pieces put together!

Christmas Eve we went over to the in-laws. We had a little visit from Santa while there! Before my Grandpa had the strokes, he was Santa at NorthEast Mall and some city functions for years.......Mom & Dad decided to put the suit to good use this year. Dad put on the suit and made the rounds! It was ton of fun!

I'm glad I didn't take the kids to see Santa this year......this was as close as Sam was getting to that jolly old man and that was only because he was handing out gifts!



Of course Little Man sat up there.

Christmas morning was ours. We just let Sam open her stocking and the couple of gifts we got for her. It was fun to let her enjoy each present as she opened it rather than rushing through them just for the sake of getting them open!

This was right after she woke up! (I'm a sucker for yawns......they are just so stinkin' cute to me!)

Just after waking up he is still all smiles!

Josh playing Sam's new harmonica.....trying to teach her!



And Sam trying it out.......she never could blow hard enough for it to make noise......she certainly tried though.

How sweet......Sam feeding her brother her fake food!

Christmas afternoon we picked up Josh's grandmother and went out to Joey's. Levi got a little electric 4 wheeler that you see Sam driving here. There is a video on Josh's blog if you are interested. Personally it is waaaayyyy too long for me but Josh thinks it is soooo cool! It is a guy, Daddy thing I guess! I have to admit it was pretty cute watching them drive around and play together though. (Levi already had the little race car he is driving)

Josh has a new extension to his arm.....you can see it here!



Sam was funny. After several times of me gasping and saying,"Oh boy" after she opened her gift, she caught on. She would do it every time she opened anything.....whether she knew what it was or not! It was quite humorous.

Spencer's spoils consisted of a new car seat, clothes, and a few toys! He seriously has everything already. The outfit Josh is holding up is his favorite!

It is pretty funny as a parent what little things make you happy. Sam got this AquaDoodle for Christmas and someone asked her to draw a circle. That is her circle you see on the bottom right corner of the mat.......isn't that awesome? I don't know if that is even good for her age but I was impressed! She has also been working on a triangle.....it isn't near as good as that circle but I'm sure it won't be long the way she is.

And there you have it my friends......697 pictures condensed for your viewing pleasure! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!