Graciepalooza, THIRTEEN!

This has been a great week at our house!  We are celebrating 13 years with this girl!

Sunday:  GNO!!  Grace and I took Moriah to her first concert at Six Flags to see a favorite singer and actress of both girls, Bridget Mendler from Disney Channel fame!

Monday:  No school for Birdville, so no school for us!  We took in a movie, perfectly named...."Grace Unplugged"!

Tuesday:  Grace and I shopped at Party City for her big birthday bash on Friday, and she shopped with a gift card to Barnes & Noble, too!

Wednesday:  We gave Grace a gift and enjoyed the first season of her new favorite show...."The Middle"!

Thursday:  After school Grace got another fun favorite...Season 1 of Duck Dynasty and some Duck Dynasty pj pants!  She's starting to get gifts in the mail!  That's always fun!

FRIDAY:  Big party at her favorite place with her favorite people....our church youth group!  Happy 13th birthday to our beautiful amazing Grace!

Happy Birthday, Grace Caroline

Today Grace is 11 years old.  Here is a glimpse into what she's like now:

My favorite food is: cheese pizza
My favorite sport to play:  swimming and volleyball
My favorite sport to watch:  gymnastics
The best show on television:  Ant Farm
The coolest person on earth:  Jesus
My favorite thing to learn about in school:  science & reading
Who are your best friends at school:  Katie, Elisabeth, Catherine, Kaleigh & Taylor
The thing I do the most awesomely is:  sing
If I could go anywhere in the world, I'd go to: Hollywood
My favorite color is:  green and orange
When I grow up, I'm going to become an:  art teacher
My current favorite song is:  Dynamite!
The book I am loving right now:  Ivy and Bean series
Three words that describe me are:  kind, funny, creative
When I was little, I used to: call Hawaiian Punch, "tiger pants" (and no one could figure out WH?AT she wanted!)
My favorite season of the year is: winter
The absolute best thing about winter is:  playing in the snow
One food that I really dislike is: sushi
The snack I like best is: cookies after school
My best friends are:  Lauren, Jayne, Hope
If I had one wish it would be:  to do CYT again
My best memory:  CYT shows

Princess Moriah is 3...

Apparently it's been so long that I have forgotten that age 3 is a snarky, little, imaginative age where little princesses seem to start getting more and more ornery every day and find ways to get themselves into interesting little.....um....."situations".  Here is a list of things that have happened at our house just this past week:

• M. locks herself in the bathroom every day.  Yes, every. day.  The toilet is her stage.  She stands on it singing "Tomorrow" at the top of her lungs.  She is actually a smart musician, knowing that the acoustics are better in there.  I give her that.
• By the way, when I asked her to open the door, her response was:  "I can't.  It's too locked." So I guess there are variations on just how locked a door can be!  I never knew that.
• M. "painted" the bathroom sink and toilet with an entire tube of toothpaste.   
• M. called her daddy "Daddy Warbucks" and insisted that he call her "Annie"!  
• M. "cleaned" the kitchen floor and dining table chairs with Mommy's favorite Bath & Body Works fruity hand soap.
• M. "fed" the dog an entire container of Cheerios.  (Fun fact:  Cheerios make dogs gaseous.)
• M. says "That's enough talking now." when clearly what you're saying is uninteresting, insignificant or even limiting to her independence.  Yikes. 
• M. also says "I need some lovins." which means she wants to stand on the coffee table and JUMP into my lap for a hug.  A simple hug would just not do.  This mom is happy to oblige.

Happy birthday to my sweet happy princess!

Top Ten Things I Love About This Kid!

10.  Named after the doctor of the Bible, he gets squeamish at the thought or mention of anything he thinks is gross, but doesn't seem to mind his own smells that can clear the room.

9. Born at 1:11pm on 1/23, he is a confident and natural born leader.  I sometimes sit in awe of his courage.

8. Maybe because he has a little sister.... girls love him!  And not that he's a ladies man (though he'd like you to think he is), he is and always has been comfortable befriending girls.  Even in preschool his best friends were older, smarter girls.  (Since I was afraid of boys until the 11th grade, this is like "Wow!" to me!)

7. He's funny without even trying and he makes me laugh....daily.  His sense of humor is a great mix of his daddy's slapstick ding-dong humor (said with all the love in my heart) and my dry sarcastic wit. (which is rare....but golden.)

6.  He thinks I'm funny.  I love it when I make him laugh.  My goal in life is to make him smile, and it has been since the day he was born. 

5. He loves to talk....and always has.  No matter what he's talking about...even if I have no idea what he's talking about (like how he defeated some video game, for instance) I listen like I'm his biggest fan....because I am.

4. He's generous and a good friend.  He spent part of his birthday money on his friend.  I'm proud.

3. He's well-rounded and smart.  He's played almost every sport....basketball right now.  He loves acting, singing, playing guitar and keyboard.  

2. He is a great big brother.  He's encouraging and kind to Grace. He is protective and loving to Moriah.

1. He loves with the full capacity of his heart....like his daddy.  I pray for his future wife often and can't wait to see him as a husband, because I can already tell that she is going to be one blessed little girl.

Thanks God for the gift you gave me on this day, 13 years ago.

GRACE is 10

Today, my Gracie girl is 10. She had a great Saturday full of parties and blessings!

She decorated cupcakes with some bling...

She shopped at the mall with a few CYT friends...Jayne, Elsa, Grace O. & Avery.

This was my view of them the whole time. Whew! They were fast!

They had a little scavenger hunt list to follow with clues like go to the store that sings "Every kiss begins with K" and pucker up!

Mommy (I) really should have visited the mall to write these clues, because one said to sit on the carousel......except they took it out....thus...

This was a very exhausting scavenger hunt. We almost lost Moriah in the puppy aisle.

They all had a bouncing good time!!!

Then we had dinner at Grace's favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, with our WHOLE family!!! Martins & Littlefields! Wow! That was crazy fun! Grace loved her presents....

....no really she did!

Then she got to go shopping and have a sleepover with her BFFCousin, Willow!!!

What a happy day!

GraciePalooza

begins today....

Grace's actual birthday, next Monday, lies on the first dress rehearsal for Tom Sawyer. I'm bringing treats to send home with the kids. Any ideas on a cheap & easy way to treat 62 kids???

Grace's Birthday List

Note #7.

What I want for my birthday:

1. Walmart gift card

2. Julie american girl

3. american girl mysteries (any mysteries)

4. Justice gift card

5. converse low tops size 3

6. Julie's accessories

7. jell-o

8. club penguin membership card -1 month

9. the biggest mad libs book in the whole world

10.a new back pack

Happy Birthday!!!

Last year on this evening (but it was a Tuesday) March 4th, at 9pm, I started experiencing serious contractions.  In my bedroom I waited for Brad to come home from that one time when he went to workout (just kidding honey, I have no room to talk.) and called the hospital a few times trying to figure out if I should go ahead and come.  After taking the kids to the Hieberts and talking to Dr. Bradley, I was staying and having a baby.  The epidural caused a bit of nausea and passing out, but other than that....she was the easiest delivery I have ever had!  3 pushes and she was here!  (they even told me to chill out on the pushing and that NEVER happens!)  She was born at 5:47am on the morning of her daddy's birthday.  They will always have this special bond.  I'm thankful for them both.  They light up my life.

Moriah-Fest Begins

Here are some peeks into the fun daily life of our sweet baby, turning ONE on Thursday:

Baby got bed head.  No fair taking pics of when she just woke up.

The answer to the question:  "Hmmm, sure is quiet.  Wonder what Moriah is doing?"

Moriah loves to take rides with Sissy or Bubba in the wagon.  Here she is just waiting...patiently.

Thick hair runs in this family and Moriah is no exception!  Bathtime is still her favorite!

Luke's Party

Luke had a great time last weekend with his friends, Cory, Matthew, Jacob & his cousin, Shawn.

These 2 guys have been friends (and goofy) since birth!

Brad blogged more about the birthday fun.   Look for his post:  "Nerf and Jesus".

11 is lookin' good so far!

Luke's Name

It's amazing that when you name a child, you have no idea how perfect that name is at the time.  You only have a wrinkly little ball that screams, so you can't possibly know if the name fits or not.  My sister is notorious for naming her kids during the last 5 minutes of her stay in the hospital, when the nurses are saying, "Lady, you can't leave without giving the kid a name!", whereas I have named the child in week 8, or at least have 2 options depending on gender.  So how I chose his name... 

Luke:  strong, biblical, goes well with Martin, means "light", and in the Bible he was a Doctor, who wrote the most detail of the life of Christ.  Here's why this name fits so well:  Luke is strong-willed, bold and courageous.  He has the kind of personality that when walking into a room says, "Okay, I'm here!  The party can start now." without saying a word!  He IS light.  He talks non-stop.  Talk about details?  The boy doesn't get how to summarize and won't let you walk away until the end of the story/joke!  Whew!  He's smart and witty and fun.  He's Luke Ashton Martin.  He's my baby and he's 11 today.

Happy Birthday, Luke and thank you God for knowing and loving this child before I ever named him. 

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; 

you formed me in my mother's womb. 

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! 

Body and soul, I am marvelously made! 

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

Psalm 139 (MSG)

Birthday Week

Today begins what we've newly dubbed (thanks to our friends, the Flasks)

LUKE-APALOOZA

This is when we celebrate the life of my firstborn and the 11 years we've been blessed to have him..... This week we'll be studying what was going on in history on this day/week January 23rd, 1998.  Can you guess why I might not be looking forward to this?  Perhaps because the last democrat we had as president was exposed this week and a sad state of moral decline was exposed as well, as our country sat back and said nothing.  This week not only celebrates my son, but reminds me to pray for the president, his family and this country.  

God bless Luke and his future as a young American.   

8

Yeah he's wrapped around her finger, She's the center of his whole world,
and his heart belongs to that sweet little beautiful, wonderful, perfect All-American Girl.

*sigh*...grace is 8. grace is growing up to be my little artist. she loves music. she loves poetry. she loves deeply and feels deeply. she loves her mommy. she is messy, but doesn't want to be. she's so much like me that way, yet has the big, passionate heart of her daddy. her sense of humor is just goofy. she has a spontaneous wit that comes from nowhere. she knows when and how to break the tension. she's a peacemaker. she's a thinker. grace is becoming a gymnast. grace loves moriah. she's going to be a sweet little mommy when she grows up, but wants to be a zoo-keeper. she loves her blankie, books, diaries, purses, shoes, shopping, swinging, rocking, and scheduling, but most of all being with her family. she writes books. they're everywhere.

Here is one that I found just recently:
(non-fiction)
Title page-- A Book About Bonding
Page 1-- You should spend time with your family.
Page 2-- I like spending time with my family. It is fun!

she's pretty to the point. maybe she gets that from me too. tonight i listened to Martina McBride's "In My Daughter's Eyes"....i cried....stupid sappy country music.

Happy Birthday, William!

We love you little guy!
Have a wonderful FIRST birthday. Wish we could be there.
Love, your Godfamily/Cousins

Happy Stuff

My family has a lot of celebrating in July/August, so instead of cards or well-wishes, I think I'll just list them out on my blog. I'm going green here, saving paper, saving precious phone minutes and just doing a good deed overall. So here goes....

July 16:
Happy Birthday, Bryce! (28)
Happy Anniversary, Kasey & Steph! (3)
July 20:
Happy Anniversary, Alan & Carrie (6)
July 26:
Happy Birthday, Aunt Dalene! (29?)
July 30:
Happy Anniversary, Chris & Erin! (3)
August 3rd:
Happy Anniversary, Bryce & Kara! (6)
Happy Anniversary, Honey! (12)

WOW, that works.....
and saves a ton on stamps, gas or cards (made of trees) people will just throw away anyway, right?
YAY me.
Now if I could just get my family to read my blog.

Happy Birthday Memaw!

Brad's Mom is having a big birthday today!
She is spending the evening cheering for Luke at his last baseball game of the season.
What love!
I'm grateful to her for raising my husband to be the most loving and passionate man I'm blessed to spend the rest of my days with!

Happy Birthday!

The Computer Knows Things...

Your Birthdate: May 16

You're incredibly introverted and introspective. You live inside your head. You spend a lot of alone time meditating and thinking. People see you as withdrawn, and at times they are right. You are caring and deep, but it may be difficult for you to show this side of yourself. Your strength: Your original approach to thinking Your weakness: You tend to shy away from others Your power color: Pale blue Your power symbol: Wavy line Your power month: July

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

35 Birthday Blessings

1. Looking back over my 35 years, this may have been the busiest year of my life. It has also been a year FULL of blessings. Trusting God gets easier with each faith step you take, and I'm so glad He's taken us on this journey, bringing us ever closer to Him, closer as a family, and closer to family. I am one blessed old lady!

2. One year ago today, Brad & I were in the middle of church-planter's "bootcamp", learning the in's and out's of how to plant a church, trusting God (or trying to) for all of the uncertainties, unaware that He'd gone ahead of us, prepared for "rain" and then would be faithful (of course) to carry us every step of the way. Praising God for what He's done through RiverPoint church!

3. One year ago on my birthday, my house in Plano sold! We drove up Memorial weekend, not ever having seen our new apartment (no website....crazy) and it ended up being perfect for us. 6 months later, we moved into our sweet little house in Halstead with the big front porch, a basement and 4 bedrooms, which we'd need because...

4. One year ago, I had no idea we'd have a precious little one in the house again. Moriah went to the dr. today, and is a tall 10 week old at 24" (94 percentile), weighing in at 12lb. 12oz. (84 percentile). What a sweet blessing for all of us!

5. Tonight I'm taking the kids to see their cousin in her choir's "Pops" concert. It's a small world after all, because Morgan's music teacher is one of my dearest friends from college, Mindy. Tomorrow, we'll go out to eat (Mexican!) for my birthday and Saturday I have a lunch date with friends. Thanks for counting my birthday blessings with me! It's been fun!

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. [1]
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

35 Birthday Blessings

6. My sweet younger brother is blogging now! So proud of him and can't wait to read what's going on in his life!

7. SPARK ministry is doing our very first RiverPoint Ladies Retreat in August! Can't wait to see Molly and my friends from Plano, and refresh and encourage my friends from here as we worship together.

8. Cousins camp is coming! Every summer my parents take my kids and Carrie's to a lake to go fishing, hiking and camping. I love that my kids love their grandparents!

9. Luke and Grace are playing baseball this summer in our city league. Grace is already practicing and doing so well for her first year. Luke will also attend Golf Camp at the golf course nearby, and Grace will attend an Art Camp at the Learning Center.

10. My birthday always means summer is almost here! Halstead has a city pool that my kids are looking forward to going to every day. I have about 5 books that I want to read and looking through curriculums for next year and praying about what God would have us do next! Love those lazy days of summer...

Blessings Countdown continues

11. First Ever Sisters Night Out! So fun to be hanging out with my little sister tonight! We're so much alike in ways, and yet so different in others. She's 5 years younger, so we were never close growing up, but now it's like we're deeply knit friends with a natural bond.

12. We're all healthy! Praise God! Watching the news makes my heart ache, and makes me evermore aware that I should never take my children and loved ones for granted. They are a gift. Each day is a gift.

13. My Bible. Where God, my Father who knows me and loves me, speaks to my heart, just in the time that I need it. Jesus knows me, this I love.

14. My Mac. It holds my lesson plans, my calendar, my news, my communication preferences: email & blogging.

15. Reading "Prince Caspian" all morning until it was finished, and can't wait to see the movie! A few of my favorite lines:

Aslan to Lucy: "Every year you grow (her faith) , you find me bigger."

"You have listened to fears, child, " said Aslan. "Come, let me breathe on you. Forget them. Are you brave again?"