Strickland LIFE

Emily at 16 Months

2011-01-24T13:54:00.001-08:00

Emily is still a Momma’s girl, and very much a baby in lots of ways! She still has a paci, still nursing a couple times a day, and of course still wearing diapers. It doesn’t seem like she talks as much as Martin did at this age. She does jibber jabber but most you cant really understand. The words she can say at 16 months are: Momma, Dad-dah, MiMi, Paw Paw, Bubba, Bye Bye, Hi, Hello, Baby, night night, eyes, nose, NO, Cheese, Yum, Ya. She can say a couple 2 word sentences, “Bye Bye Daddy” and “No No Bubba” HA HA HA! She will shake her head yes and no, go get something if you tell her to; such as her paci, or a toy and no longer cries in her bed. She sleeps thru the night for the most part unless she isn’t feeling good, and she sleeps in her OWN BED! Her favorite things are baby dolls. She loves to feed her babies, she will rock them, sing to them, and pat them on the back. She also likes to brush their hair as well as her own! She loves to dance, anytime there is a song on or a commercial she is clapping and turning in circles. She loves bathes and gets really mad if someone is taking a bath without her. Her favorite foods right now are Chocolate milk, PB&J, Spaghetti, bananas, the list goes on.

She is the sweetest little angel. Almost never gets in trouble. she has this thing about the toilet and she will throw toys in it and then try to fish them out and get her hands all wet. its disgusting! we are constantly trying to keep the lid down and the doors closed to keep her out of the bathroom.

Emi knows where her eyes, nose, cheeks, ears, hair, and mouth are.

Best Friends

2011-01-24T13:06:00.001-08:00

The Kids are starting to really bond and play together more. Now that Emily is more vocal and understands things Martin will tolerate her in his room. (they are 22 months apart) Emily Loves to be with her Big Brother. They watch Movies together, play, dance. It’s the best feeling in the world to know that they will best friends forever!

Our family feels complete with our two babies. We are happy and not in any hurry to have another baby. we just want to enjoy life right now and not be in a hurry to move things along. Family time is a precious thing and I want to be sure everyone in the family gets the attention they need.

2010-08-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Martin & Emily. Emily & Martin. They are always full of energy! They are 2 peas in a pod, yet so very different.

Martin, he's my fire ball. Full of spunk. Loud! (like his momma) Imaginative! Playful, stubborn, an ease dropper, a little adorable manipulator! Everyday is pretty predictable. Martin wakes up in bed with me. He usually crawls out of his bed between 4am-6am. We will sleep til around 9ish and the first words out of his mouth are "Mommy, I'm hungry." sometimes I let him sweat it for a few extra winks of sleep. When I finally crawl out of bed, I make him a cup of Breakfast Carnation and a PB&HONEY sandwich. He'll turn on his cartoons, either a movie or curious george or mickey mouse and he will eat his breakfast. Then the playing begins. As the summer comes to an end and Martin is coming up on his 3rd birthday I have decided to introduce some preschool. I plan to teach him Colors, Shapes, ABC's, & Numbers. I'm looking forward to the structure our mornings will soon hold. What can I say about Martin at this age? He is so smart! So sweet! So Curious! He LOVES TOYS! That boy will stay up til midnight playing with his action figures or cars, if I let him!

August Brought a month of change for Martin. Starting with a major hair cut. Yep, the curls were cut and he was given a very cute faux hawk. LIKE DADDY, he says. After the cut, we tossed out the diapers and started full on potty training. Undies during the day, pull ups at night. He has done wonderful with it. 2 weeks into it, we are still having a few accidents here and there, but I really believe he will be potty trained by his 3rd birthday. He has plenty of incentive to potty in the toilet. he gets 2 m&m's for pee pee, and 3 for pooh pooh. when he is completely out of pull ups at night he will get his FORD 150 POWER WHEELS TRUCK from Walmart. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Martin grow, but also want to keep him my little man forever. He brings a smile to my face everyday!

Emily. She is my BABY DOLL! Sweet, a ray of sunshine every morning! My snuggler. Quiet. very observant. A HEALTHY EATER! Loves to play & look into your eyes. Is fascinated with anything Brother has in his hands. And at 10 1/2 months already knows how to get Brother in big trouble! She plunders just like a normal baby does, but she is so quiet about it. She gets her feelings hurt very easily if you raise your voice or get onto her in anyway. She picked up her motor skills quickly. First crawling, then pulling up, cruising within days of that, and in the past 2 weeks has taken her 1st steps. Her vocabulary is small, Mum-ma, Dah-Dah, Hi, and Yay. She now has 4 teeth. 2 on bottom that she's had since she was 5 or 6 months, and 2 that just popped up this past week, on top. I'm curious if she will have a front tooth gap.

Emily is doing much better with her sleeping arrangements. she now cries only a few minutes in her crib at night, and almost always sleeps thru the night. she usually wakes up between 7 & 8am to nurse and will sleep for another hour with me and Martin after that. By 11am she is in desperate need for a nap... and again around 2pm & 5pm. She loves Pasta, yogurt, gold fish crackers, and cherrioes. Her favorite juice is Fruit Punch, and has now mastered the sippy cup and straw. Such a difference in less than a year! They grow up fast, but I enjoy every microscopic milestone! God has truly blessed me more then I could have ever hoped! Here's to the future!

Growing In Love

2010-05-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

I seriously am so happy right now with our little family. Martin is such a sweet brother. Granted he has his moments of craziness with Emi. Sometimes he can be to rough or he'll take toys away from her and make her upset but he's usually pretty quick to say "Sorry Sister!" and give her a kiss on the noggin. Emily will be 8 months this coming week, she can sit up and is crawling/scooting for the most part, so I've been testing the waters on leaving Martin and Emi to play together in the play room. Martin is always very excited when I bring her in there and set her on the floor. He always says "Sister going to play with me in my room? Sister going to watch my movie with me?" He is always concerned about her CHOKING on his toys too. I've gone thru them and made sure there was nothing small she could choke on, but she could be chewing on a big truck or something and he'll say "No! No! No Sister! You Choke!"

Martin giving his sissy a big squeeze

We recently took our first trip away as a family. It was the 1st time I had been anywhere since we got married 5 yrs ago. We just took a small overnight trip to Oklahoma City. Dustin had a work meeting the next morning in town, so it gave us an excuse to get away. We took Martin to the Science Museum and he really enjoyed it. They had lots of neat things there and real life tractors and airplanes that he could get in and pretend play. It wasn't crowded at all since we went on a tuesday afternoon, so Martin was able to run and walk without being in the stroller. After we went to the Museum we checked into a hotel with an indoor pool and took the kids swimming. This was Emily's 1st time to swim and she loved it! We went back and forth from the big pool and the hot tub and after playing, Emi was so relaxed she fell asleep in the hot tub cuddled in my arms. Martin has swam before, but this year he's actually old enough to remember it and he was having such a great time he didn't want to leave! It was quite a chore getting him back up to the room, showered and ready for bed. We rented a movie and went to bed. And of course, the Kids slept with us in the hotel's king size bed. The next morning we checked out and Dustin went to his meeting while I took the kids to the mall. That is where i got Martin his Toy Story doll collection. I had to make his first trip away from home Momentous!

Our trip!

In the pool with the kids & a Family Photo at the Science Museum

The differences between 2 kids verses 1 are great! and I mean GREAT as in A LOT! I don't have as much ONE on ONE time with Martin like I did before Emily came along. I spend a lot of time holding Emily and tending to her, making sure she feels loved. I don't like to hear her cry or feel ignored so I am usually right there. It's made her a big Momma's girl, especially with all the training trips Dustin took in her early months, she is used to sleeping with me and being rocked and of course FED by me. Meal times and bed times are completely thrown off because the kids go to bed at different times. I'm working on getting them into a more normal routine together though. The older Emily gets the easier that will be. I look forward to the next 6 months to a year to see how their love for each other with blossom and be wonderful playmates. Hopefully it will keep Martin better occupied and Emily wont want to be held as much. I love my little dears with all my heart!

My little Babies-- In Love and enjoying each other!

Emily Update

2010-05-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

Emily is my little sweet heart! She is the best baby a Mom could ever ask for! Especially a Mom with a entergetic and curious 2 yr old boy! At 7 & 1/2 months Emily weighs between 16 & 18 lbs and is in a size 6-9 months in most things. She's still kinda short though! I just now introduced baby food to her. She doesn't care for much of it, but likes cereal and bananas the best. She is eating little things that we eat, like green peas, or bakes beans and mashed potatoes. She is probably the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. She is always full of smiles and loves to cuddle. She sleeps with us every night since she is still nursing. I have tried to lay her in her own crib a few times, but she doesn't sleep as good and wakes up a lot. I do wish Dustin and I could have the bed to ourselves once in a while, but your kids are only babies once, and its cozy to have a family bed for the time being. Emily is a total momma's girl. she usually doesn't like anyone to rock her to sleep unless its me, especially if I'm in the same room. She will literally just sit sit in Dustin's arms and cry staring at me until i pick her up. She's very hard to resist. She got her 1st 2 teeth this month, along with being on the verge of crawling! She can get up on all fours and wobble back and forth. If she wants something she can usually get it by doing what i call an army crawl which is on the belly but pulling herself forward with her hands. i'm running out of time tonight to finish up the update. i will try to post more later. Emily is my pretty pretty princess!

Martin Update

2010-05-12T15:11:00.001-07:00

Martin hugging his JESSIE doll

Martin is a hoot! Everyday he says something that makes me laugh and think, 'My little Boy is growing up!' But there are many joys that come with the fact he is no longer a baby. He keeps me good company during the day while Dustin is at work. We talk, sing, watch movies together, snack together, and even do workouts together! Even though he is 2, he's not TOO TERRIBLE! we have some difficulty getting to go to bed in his own bed at night, and he's a picky eater. He pitches fits when he doesn't get something he wants, but for the most part he is a smart little whipper snapper! Now that it's spring he loves to play outside. we go for walks around the neighbor hood and he pedals his little tricycle with all his might up and down the hills. He's a wonderful big brother too! If Emi is crying, he is usually right there trying to give her a paci or telling her "it's okay sister!" One time I even heard him in the other room talking to her telling her "it's okay! I'm going to go get mommy!" and the next thing i knew he was running to find me telling me all about how sister was "upset".

The Boy will do just about anything for candy, but thats every 2 yr old I think! Some of his favorite things right now are: Movies! He loves TOY STORY (1,2 & 3 when it comes out next month!),BOLT, THE RESCUERS down under & Cloudy with a Chance of MEATBALLS. He likes to watch Curious George a great deal, and he's managed to get Emily addicted to it as well. Her face always lights up when she hears the theme song come on. A day doesn't go by that we don't see Curious George.

Martin has just about every toy he has ever wanted apart from his Mower. We keep telling him he can get him a mower when he QUITS pooping in his diaper and starts pooping in the TOILET. He talks about it all the time, but has yet to accomplish his great task! We go by and look at it nearly every time we go to Walmart. We're hoping that he'll get it before winter! As i mentioned earlier, Martin loves TOY STORY! His favorite toys at the moment are his character dolls we got him from disney store. He has a Woody, a Buzz, a BullsEye, & a Jessie. He loves those things, carries them EVERYWHERE and sleeps with them. Around his birthday (6 months ago) he was crazy about Mickey, he has all the stuff animals from that show as well. His favorite was GOOFY, until we broke down and bought him MINNIE, now he and Minnie are never seen without each other! My Son has a thing for GIRLS what can I say!?

Aside from his dolls, Martin loves to play with trucks and hot wheels. =D He has Many tools and screw guns that he uses to take things apart daily. Well I could go on and on about Martin cause he is full of energy, but I need to get started on Emily's update! So I will try and keep this blog better updated with stories and stuff ect. Like I said, Martin says something new everyday!

OUR NEW HOME

2010-05-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

We bought our 1st home in March. It was so exciting to finally have a place of our OWN! To know we are no longer renting and are obtaining that American dream is amazing! Our little family is happy and growing! Our house is a 3 bedroom 1 bath. 1100 sq ft. It's super cozy! Just perfect for our little family of 4! Currently we are happy with our number of children, But I do think I will want another in a few years. Dustin is working at At&t as the store manager. It has it's likes and dislikes, but the money is good.

God Has Blessed Us Tremendously!

Marty Smarty's 2 year Party!

2010-01-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

Martin & His Auntie. This was at the end of the day when Martin was very tired and not wanting to play anymore! Put me to bed he says!

Martin Lookin' so tiny on that big mower!

Little Marty & Big Marty. Checking out his boots and eatin' M&M's

Martin & Kaya In LOOOOVE!
Martin got Lots of fun presents for his birthday. Here is a picture of him very intent on figuring out the elevator shaft to his new car garage/track!
Some other gifts he got were:
Goofy and Pluto from his Auntie
Tonka Trucks from his MiMi & Pop Pop
Giant Train Table from both sets of his Grandparents
Toy Cash Register & Crayola Drawing Table from his Aunt Fumi
Stick Horse, Monster truck, Bowling game, & M&M's from his Grandma Margie & Don
Mickey Mouse Books from his friends Araya & Kaya
and his Mom & Dad got him some Race Cars, Boots, Pj's, and his Car garage.

We danced to fun little kid songs
like the Hokey Pokey & Mickey Mouse Club March!

The Table of Fun!

His Cake!

I Love that little boy so much!
Martin on the MOWER with his Paw Paw! Thats his most favorite thing to do! He loves tractors and mowers, so we just had to have a John Deere party!

More of Emily

2010-01-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

Emily 8 weeks

In Momma's hands, the best place to be!

LOVE HER DIMPLE!

Brother & Sister- the day of Martin's 2yr birthday party!

7 weeks
5 weeks

Prayers before bed. 5 weeks

POTTY TRAINING MARTIN

2010-01-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

We started trying to potty train Martin right before he turned two. He had a lot of the signs that he was ready to learn and we were ready for him to be out of diapers, after all, we were spending about $80 a month in diapers for 2 kids! We bought him the potty seat and he took to sitting on it really well. I bought a package of pull ups and we set the timer for 30 minute intervals. I would ask him each time the timer went off if he needed to use the potty. He was really eager to sit on the potty but he would never pee, and each time I'd check his pull up he had peed in it! After 2 hours and 4 pull ups I decided to go with the no diaper/pull up method. After he peed his pants the first time he was all upset because he was all wet. He came running to me, "momma, I peed!" so i thought, 'yes! some progress!'. I knew I wouldn't be able to have him trained in one day but I was sure hopeful! Well 4 days went by. I bought him some underwear but he was continuing to just pee his pants. By the end of the 4th day he had gotten to where he wouldn't even tell me he had peed and I was finding puddles of pee around the house and he was off playing in soggy underwear. so I decided enough was enough and we would put the underwear up, put back on diapers, and try again in a few months. As of right now he isn't potty trained yet, but he still will sit on his potty for fun, and I encourage the interaction he has with his potty chair. Here he is in a couple pictures... MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO! Sitting on the pot, talking on the phone, and notice his cup is nearby... he must get that one from his Grammy!

BROTHER & BATH

2010-01-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

Martin & Emily bonding -- 5 weeks old

Emily got her 1st bath in her little tub, and Martin was there to supervise. He is always wanting to know what Sister is up to. Bless his heart! He's a wonderful Big Brother! Emily didn't like her bath very much. She doesn't like to be cold and cried when she got out of the warm water.

week 2

2009-12-31T07:51:00.000-08:00

This is Martin in his new p.j.'s that his Auntie bought him. This was his first time wearing them and he liked the way the texture of the feet pads felt. We got several good pictures of him doing what looks like 'leg lifts' in them. He is adorable and the apple of my eye!

Momma with her 2 favorite kids in the whole wide world!

Martin loves his baby sister! He loves giving her kisses and holding her! He's so sweet!

The 1st Week

2009-12-31T07:32:00.001-08:00

The 1st week

Emi didn't do a whole lot! It was almost like the little girl was in a comma! She just slept and ate and pooped! But even at 1 week old, she sure was beautiful and loved her photo shoots with her Auntie!

The Birth of Emily Christine

2009-12-18T19:59:00.001-08:00

Our Beautiful Baby Girl Arrived Friday, September 25th 2009 at 8:48am.

She was 6lbs 12.2oz &

17 1/4'' inches long.

She was so tiny, dark skinned, and lots of black hair... There was kind of a running joke going that she was Japanese!

She came into this world so fast we were all kinda thrown off guard. Family and friends where speeding to the hospital to get there in time. A Late morning c-section suddenly turned into a EARLY morning c-section. But everyone made it and when they willed me out of recovery I was able to see everyones faces including my silly little Martin Randall's. Which the first thing he noticed was the oxygen tubes in my nose... priceless...

Martin was in love with Emily from the moment he saw her. All the pictures posted where of our 1st moments together. It was surreal.

Almost 13 weeks have passed since that wonderful day. Where has the time gone? I am completely in love with the role I play everyday. *WIFE* & *MOTHER*... I couldn't ask for anything more. My children are such wonderful blessings and a true joy to spend my days with. I have a lot to catch everyone up on so I'll quit rambling. I'll start with pictures... starting with Week ONE... continued in the next post!

THE TENT

2009-08-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last week Dustin made a tent for Martin out of couch cushions and a bed sheet. We all played inside for a little while. Martin really enjoyed bouncing around on the cushions and sipping tea from his Daddy's cup. Its amazing how little things can entertain a ALMOST 2YR OLD for so long!

PUPPIES & LIPSTICK!

2009-08-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Martin with Wendy and Peter. He likes to climb into their bed and play with his toys in there. Its like his own personal club house. :) its so cute. Sometimes the Dogs will get in with him but I normally try to keep them at distance from Martin. They tolerate his tugging and bugging for the most part, but occasionally they will growl or snap at him when they've had enough and it worries me. We unfortunately are currently looking for a new home for Wendy because she seems to tolerate him LESS than Peter. And with Emily Kate coming soon, it is one less trifle to worry about it. But She will be missed by her FIRST family, and especially from Martin.

Martin has recently discovered chap stick. He is your typical Monkey SEE Monkey DO toddler. He sees me putting it on and wants to put some on too! Thankfully he doesn't try to EAT it yet! Well his Auntie spent the night last week and he was digging in her purse, found her lipstick and started to put it on. we couldn't resist taking pictures of it!

Summer Swims

2009-07-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

Martin is loving the pool this year! He loves to kick his feet, jump off the sides of the pool into your arms and slide down his water slide. We've gone to the sprinkler park quite a bit, but have only swam at my parents house a handful of time because they are having a hard time keeping the PH and chemicals correct this year. Seems like the pool is filthy most of the time when we go over there!

He's such a little stud muffin!
Our Family!

The Boys!

(Dustin, Martin & Paw Paw)

Family Get Togethers

2009-06-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

We had a family picnic yesterday at Honor Heights Park. It was fun, but very hot. Martin doesn't seem to notice the heat this year. What am I saying? He didn't notice the heat LAST year! He is ALL AMERICAN BOY! He loves to be outside. He loves to run. He loves to SWEAT! Unlike his Momma!

Most of the Stout Family was there, all except Johnny's Clan.

We ate sandwiches and chips, drank ice tea, played with bubbles, took pictures, and Martin enjoyed his very first paddle boat ride in the pond with his Daddy and Pop Pop. To top it all off, we RAN to the ice cream truck and enjoyed a nice big crunch bar! Here are a few pictures of the afternoon.

Practise Makes Perfect

2009-06-29T19:37:00.001-07:00

Here is Martin with his hand-me-down baby doll. I was telling him about his little sister coming and how we were going to have to change her diaper and feed her. He was pretty interested and even wanted to hold her. He was feeding her from the sippy cup and then taking a drink himself! *The cup is a play cup with nothing in it!* I told him he was doing a really good job at supporting the baby's head too! It was so cute!

Sprinkler Pad

2009-06-26T14:08:00.001-07:00

This week Me and Noel took our kids to the sprinkler pad. In the past Martin and Kaya didn't ever want anything to do with the water. When Martin was small (last summer) He liked it, but could only crawl around in the water. When I took him for the 1st time this summer he just cried and clung to me and wouldn't play at all. I guess he didn't like the water spraying him in the face. *shrug* anyways, this week he loved it and was absolutely drenched when we left. He was drinking so much of the sprinkler water that he was burping in the car afterwards. I hope to take Martin to the water more and more this summer. Its good to get some sun and he loves to be outside.

Zoo

2009-06-18T20:05:00.001-07:00

This Memorial Day Dustin's parents took us to Oklahoma City to the zoo. It was a pretty good day! We woke up early that morning and went to McDonald's in Eufaula. We all stuffed ourselves stupid and then we slowly made our way to OKC. The drive was not entirely pleasant. Neither us, nor Dustin's parents have very big vehicles and no matter what car seat we take, Martin always seems to ride like a king with all the room, while Jane and I (or whoever gets stuck in the back seat) are squashed up to the door, or sitting side ways with a crick in our necks! Even though I tried to come prepared with toys and snacks, Martin didn't understand why he had to sit in his car seat for so long. He cried and fussed and carried on the whole way there up until the last 10 minutes or so were he dozed off. We got to the zoo to find that it wasn't TOO crowded considering the holiday... But Martin was so sleepy. The only things he showed much of an interest in was the fishes, I think mainly because he could see real close up to them. We were at the zoo from about 11am-3pm. We walked the entire thing, and let me tell you, I was plumb pooped by the time we left! Martin was sound asleep in his stroller, and we were all starving! For some reason we took a detour and drove to Norman OK, to eat at a restaurant that turned out to be closed. We drove around for what seems like FOREVER before we finally decided to eat at Rib Crib. Martin at this point woke up and was ready to eat, and run all over the place. He climbed all over the booth and table until our food arrived and even after he was eating he couldn't sit still. We decided we better let him let off some energy before we started the drive home. I didn't want to listen to him whine like we had on the way up there! So we drove around for another HOUR looking for a park, ended up at the OU campus and let martin run through an open field until he'd gotten to hot to run anymore. Then when I thought we were finally going to head home, it had to be close to six by now, Dustin decided he wanted to check out the local HASTINGS, so we drove around another HOUR looking for that! needless to say I was frustrated and tired. But we stopped and we all got out and browsed the store. I bought a couple books for Martin and we headed home. Even after letting Martin expel some of his energy, he still fussed the whole way home and I was ready to pull my hair out and NEVER GO AGAIN! It was an experience let me tell ya! We got home around 8:30 or 9pm. *sigh* what a relief! The next time we go anywhere, not only are we taking a bigger vehicle, but Martin will have a DVD player to keep him occupied. There is nothing worse then being trapped in the back seat of a small car with a crying one year old! THE END!

Daddy & Martin On the carousel.

Dustin, Pops, Martin & MiMi Looking at the Lions!

Momma & Martin in our cool shades!

Up Close with an ostrich!

Pretty Fishes!

Hair Stylin' By Martin

2009-06-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

So the other night I let Martin brush my hair. He thoroughly enjoyed it. He is still working on his hand/eye coordination so not only was he occasionally brushing with the FLAT side of the brush, but I also got a couple good WACKS to the back of the head... which hurt. lol! But Goodness I just love that little boy to pieces, and it thrills me that something so simple as brushing Mommy's hair can make him so happy.

2009-06-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been months since I've updated our Family Blog. This Post is just a quick run thru to update everyone on what we've been up too!

Well, Summer is here! Our little Martin loves to be outside. It doesn't matter how Hot it is, or cold- he wants to be outside. He will sit down in the foyer at the window for an hour and just stare outside. If I get up to do anything he is running up to me, "Momma!? SIDE?" He just absolutely loves it!

This is a picture of Martin and His Daddy swinging at the park one Sunday afternoon.

Martin in his Auntie's Sunglasses!

More Family Swinging!

See! Look at the Joy on that boy's face!

OKAY! So Martin is 19 months now, and if you ask me he is totally hitting his terrible two's a little early in life! But that's fine, we are working with him. Here is a picture of him working it all out in time out! PRICELESS! For the most part he stays in the corner when you tell him. But he does know how to milk me and try to give me kisses to let him out early.

More Playing outside. In this picture Martin and his Daddy spent the evening outside trying to throw the ball on the roof. As you can see, Martin was working so hard to get it up over his head like his Daddy!

Boys will be Boys! Martin was playing a simple game of peek-a-boo on the stairs with me, and he knocked his head. Considering he barely knocked it, it swelled up instantly and bruised for almost 2 weeks! After it happened, I had him hold an ice pack up to it, and he kept pointing to it saying "Ow-ee", Which he hadn't really gotten the hang of saying until that day! Now, he could stub his toe or skin his knee and the first thing out of his mouth is "ow-ee!"

Lastly, but not least- We are pregnant. At this point I am about 24 weeks along. We have had 3 ultra sounds so far, and last week we finally CONFIRMED that we are having a girl. We've decided to call her Emily. The Middle name is still up for negotiation, but we've decided to keep it to ourselves until the baby is born. Considering we are having a planned c section, we wanted to leave something to look forward to revealing. She is Due sometime Mid September. I can hardly wait to dress her in pinks and purples!

FAMILY PICS

2009-03-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our family got pictures taken. We haven't Had studio pictures done in a while and Martin was already tired and cranky by the time we got there. He wanted nothing at all to do with posing. He cried on several props and the only thing he was really willing to do was pose with Me. But my Friend Noel did a great job and from the looks of the pictures you can't even tell how incredibly stressed out we all were. ha ha! I've posted a few of my favorites.

Also- During the whole fiasco Martin was able to enjoy his very first sucker. It was about the only way we could get him to smile for the last pictures. He's so spoiled! You can clearly tell he is over his attitude now that he has candy!

Side Walk Chalk!

2009-02-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

I had a little bit of energy today so Me and Martin went outside. I let him run around and play with his ball and his 4-wheeler for a while and then I thought about getting out the side walk chalk. I knew it would be messy but wanted to teach martin something new and he actually caught on pretty good- but i did do most of the coloring. I don't know what it is but Martin always likes to EAT his arts and crafts! He had chalk all over his face! Enjoy these pictures!

Ow-EE!

2009-02-23T12:39:00.000-08:00

This weekend our family went over to a friend's house and hung out. While we were there Martin and Kade got into a little scuffle. Who knows what it was all about but in the end Kade was the last man standing. That was until he was sent to sit in the time out chair for biting Martin on the forehead and scratching his face. But As you can see at the end of the night they are still the best of friends. I can't wait until Martin has a little brother and I can take all kinds of cute pictures like this one. oh- if you look close you can see Martin's scratch on his cheek near his ear.

You Got The Cutest Little Baby Face!

2009-02-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

Everyday that Martin lives is a new adventure for him. He is always so excited about everything! As long as he is doing something he is learning and it shows on his adorable little face! I just can't get enough of his smiles and expressions! Thank God For Cameras- and little boys!

Powdered Donut!

2009-02-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

The Other Day Martin's MiMi Brought over some powdered donuts. I usually am pretty strict about the sweets Martin eats but I went ahead and let him have a few. He liked it so much he had it all over his face! It was so cute I just had to take a few pictures!

Hat!

2009-02-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Martin's Best Bud Kade gave him some new clothes that were too small for Kade to wear. In the bag was a brand new hat! Martin saw it right away and wanted to put it on. He loves Hats and it is so cute when he tries to say it. He says... "hhhaaaa" !! He loves to put hats on and off of himself and other people like his Pop Pop or His Daddy!

Powder Bomb!

2009-01-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

Martin had his friend Kade over today. They played really good together. But I have learned my lesson about leaving a 14 month old and a 28 month old alone in the same room for longer than a few minutes. Kade is a lot taller than Martin and was able to reach the baby powder on the changing table. Long story short, Kade comes out of the room covered in powder- the first thing i did was GASP! Then I laughed. I should have known! I wasn't upset though- thanks to my trusty Rainbow cleaning system I got the powder swept up quickly. And the boy's were so innocent about the whole thing I couldn't bear to scold them for it. *sigh* Memories! It did look like a Bomb had gone off in there though!

Later- Alligator!

2009-01-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Martin and I try to go walking 3x a week with my friend Noel and her daughter Kaya. We go to the mall here in Muskogee. After we walk for a while we let the kids play in the little play ground they have there. It's actually pretty lame- it's only a slide in the shape of an alligator, but it keeps the kids occupied. I took some pictures of Martin have a good time playing on it.

BUTTON

2009-01-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

Here is another video of Martin doing some tricks... Such as: finding his button- clapping- dancing- and blowing kisses!

HI THERE!

2009-01-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

Martin can say several words right now. It's hard to choose my favorite because he is so cute saying all of them. I have been trying and trying to get him to do all his "tricks" on video but haven't succeeded. I Did however catch a video of him today saying "Hi There" Some Other words he likes are "Uht-Oh", "Go", "Mum-ma", "Dah-Dee", "Cup", "Cracker", "Paci", "Blankee", and "Cookie"... I'm bound to catch them on video eventually!

A FORK

2009-01-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

Today I worked with Martin on eating with a fork. He is now 14 months old and I thought it was about time we practiced. He was really excited and acted like he liked learning. there towards the end he only had one ravioli left and he was chasing it all over the tray with his fork. I was cracking up, he just couldn't stab it!

Also, Martin loves the stairs and he never gets too brave to walk down them on his own, But yesterday he was sitting on the steps playing with a toy and no matter what I said he didn't want to get off of them... so I took some pics.

2009-01-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hakuna Matata! *No Worries*

So today Martin and I had a really good day. He was being such a sweet heart. I decided we needed to spend some quality time together so i got out his christmas paints and got him seated at his little table. As you can see he was more interested in putting the paint brushes in his mouth than on the paper. By the end of the activity i wasn't sure if we were FINGER painting or FACE painting! You can see little sprinkles of paint all over his face, this is because he was flicking the bristles on the brush with his finger nails and it was flying up into his face! Hopefully that paint is etible!

Then...

Later we went and played outside. It was such a beautiful day for January! It had to be in the high sixties! I couldn't resist taking picture after picture of him. He had so much fun and was laughing up a storm as he explored the front yard! We checked the mail and then i showed him what the water faucet does and he played in the water for a little bit. He was pretty upset when i turned it off, but got over it pretty fast when i sat him on his GO GO machine (AKA 4 wheeler) He thought it was so much fun to ride down the bumpy street!

By 7:15pm he was so tuckered out from his day that i went ahead and put him to bed early.

2009-01-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

Hello All!
It is a new year. The Year of 2009. I can not believe how our family has grown in such a short time. This May Dustin and I will have been married 4 years! I know that may not seem like much to some of you but it sure seems to fly for us.
November of 2007 we had our little boy- Martin. He is now 14 months old and doing all kinds of adorable things that make us smile. He started just this past couple weeks waving 'Bye Bye'- Blowing kisses- and clapping! I know here soon he'll be talking up a storm. He already can utter a few words that only close family can understand. I am so proud of him. I loved him from the moment I knew he existed, and its so crazy how i love him more and more everyday I wake up and see his bright little smile. anyways- enough about that!
I decided to start a blog because I wanted to be able to keep people up to date on our lives and so that Martin can one day look back and see what we were all up too when he was young.
So- anyways...
For those that i haven't talked to in a while, I am staying home with Martin. Lord willing for good. We are believing God that I wont have to go back to work but that I can keep my dream of being a stay at home Mother and Wife.
Dustin is working at Hastings Entertainment here in Muskogee. He's the Assistant Store manager. He enjoys it for the most part but he is still trying to find something better. there is always room for improvement! He has applied at the United States Post Office here in Muskogee as a city carrier. He has already had an interview which went very well and took a drug test. Basically we are just waiting for them to find a spot for him and we'll be set! We know that God will Bless us this year even more this year than he has in 2008. I am excited about what he is going to do! Anyways, I hope that I will be able to figure out this blog sit and get it up and looking good with all kinds of pictures... so be sure and keep checking it, you never know when I'll add something!
Talk to ya'll soon!
Love *Rach*