Purple People Eaters

In our household NFL is important and so needless to say yesterday was a big day, even though our church didn't get the memo that there were two very important games on tv yesterday and so they decided to have our annual church dinner last night...whew! run on sentence, I know. (ha, why even bother with punctuation!) Anyway, we saw maybe the first quarter of the Jets/Colts game, and then missed the whole first half of the second. Thankfully, we could watch the rest.
So as we were watching last night, I realized my husband all of a sudden became a Vikings fan...ew! Ok, I'm sorry, but the Vikings remind me of one thing - the purple people eater. In 4th grade, in my dance class, we did this dance to that song. Yes there is a song, look it up! Anyway, there was this boy at school, bless his heart, that LOVED the vikings. He wore these purple vikings sweatpants, yeah the ones with the elastic at the ankle, ALL the time! So I always called him the purple people eater, no not to his face! That would be mean. Anyway, this boy was so nice, i think we even went to his bday party in elementary school. Anyway, as we got into high school, he didn't wear the sweatpants anymore, but the image just stuck in my head, so I still called him the purple people eater in my head...this is so stupid! Anyway, I've always associated the vikings with this boy and purple sweatpants...and their stupid mascot! (Sorry Steph and Krista, you may be offended) Ok Becky, you get a little shout out here too because this boy asked you to prom...remember in Hallmark! ha! I love it! He didn't realize you were totally out of his league! Anyway...
Back to last night, as the game is going on, my husband starts routing for the vikings, I guess partly because of Brett Favre, or maybe their purple uniforms, who knows. And so he starts whining about the NFL's overtime rules and how it is not fair. However, did they not have a chance to win the game at the end, my dear?! And did Brett Favre not have a chance to not(double negative) throw what 6 interceptions?! You, of all people, should not whine about the overtime rules! unless of course it is about the redskins! So I am sorry that the vi-"queens"(george) lost, but the leech and his team are heading to Miami, while the purple people eaters will lose their starting quarterback to retirement...or maybe not!

2 Month Haleigh = CHU - BBY!

Ok, so I know this is a week late, but if you knew my life right now, you would understand! Little Miss is two months old now! And as you can see from the pictures, we are not worries about her weight gain...or maybe we are! There is something about our children where they just balloon out around two months and well stay like that for a while. Poor Caleb can't seem to shake that baby weight!Here is the latest on Haleigh:
-she weighs 12 pounds
-i'm not sure how long she is, but she seems really long
-currently she's stuck at the 4:30 am feeding, but I can't complain
-she loves to spit up on EVERYTHING!
-she recognizes her brothers' voices
-she's got the best closet in the family
-she is getting more noisy - exploring with squealing (which every girl needs to master) and cooing
-the double chin (see below) and thunder thighs have arrived-and as of last weekend, prefers her milk from the tap (AKA mommy) rather than bottle - we'll be working on this one
-and her fussy time is at night around 9:00 when the boys are in bed and mommy and daddy are trying to relax - working on this one as well!

4 years ago...

Four years ago my first baby was born. My life was forever changed when that little boy arrived. And it is unbelievable that he is now four years old! I'm starting to realize that birthdays are as much for the mother as they are for the child. He is excited to have a party, receive presents, and just have his special day, but for me, it's about remembering that special day he was born. No mother ever forgets that day. It's as if it was yesterday. Every year we celebrate Micah's birthday, I love to tell him the story of the day he was born. I'm sure as he gets older he won't care...I'll just have to keep it to myself. Happy Birthday Micah!

20052006200720082009

A Look at 2009

As 2009 comes to an end, here are some of our favorite moments of the year.

Last January we met some of our friends from seminary and had an awesome weekend catching up and letting our kids play together. What a joy that was to reconnect and pray for each other's ministries.Last Spring Micah played his first team sport - soccer. He was very shy and didn't like people watching him, but by the end of the season we at least got him to run out and play on the field. Baby steps!In May, we celebrated Baby C's 1st birthday! He pounded that cake...and yes, we still call him baby c!
When Ed went to Peru with the youth in June, the boys and I went to Kentucky to visit with some friends and then to the beach with other friends. It was a lot of traveling, but we had a lot of fun! It was also the first big trip in our minivan...we broke that baby in!
One of our best memories of the year, is our vacation we took in August. It was probably the best vacation we've had since our honeymoon. We picked the perfect place at Ocean Isle, NC to have the ideal mix between rest and play. One of my sweetest memories was taking Micah to play putt-putt and he got his first hole-in-one!
Micah started preschool in the fall, which was a huge step in our lives. He has done really well and made new friends. We are so grateful for God leading us this way and thankful He has a plan for Micah, as well as all of our kids. It was hard for this mommy to see her little one take one step closer to growing up.
October was a crazy month, but really special because my little sister got married! We were all very busy doing last minute preparations the week of, but it all turned out beautiful. The only picture I got was of our family, none of my sis, but go here if you want to see the real pics.
And last but not least, my favorite little thing of 2009 is our sweet little miss. She has completely changed our lives in more ways than one. She herself is just about the cutest thing you will ever see! Ed keeps asking if she has enough pink, um, I don't think any girl can have enough pink! Hello! Now the transition from 2 to 3 kids has been quite a change for us. Those of you who have experienced this elite club of crazy parents who choose to venture beyond the world of 2 on 2 (or as Ed says "going from man-to-man to zone!"), you know what I mean!
Happy almost New Year's Eve! In our house though that takes a back seat because someone here is turning 4 tomorrow!!

LumberMike

Growing up, my family always cut down our trees on our family property about 40 minutes outside of Richmond ("the Farm"). These are the best trees because they are cedar and the price has not changed in 30 years...free.

Here's Micah cutting the tree down "all by myself!"

Dad just getting the cut started.

Micah loves the outdoors.Not sure if they come any cuter. (Yeah, right now we're in the middle of Operation Bye Bye Paci, but this day he had missed a nap and Operation went on hold)Micah and Uncle George. George apparently got a degree in Uncling. The boys love George so much. His patience is remarkable!

One Month!

Haleigh is one month old today! I cannot believe that little miss has been with us for a whole month! She gets cuter each day. She is starting to fill out and look like a Martin baby with the chubby cheeks and chunky thighs. That's what momma's milk will do to you!

Here are some notable things about Haleigh:
-She is gaining weight fast. We go to the doctor on Monday so I am anxious to see how much she weighs.


-She is awake a lot more now. We are moving her into the "Babywise" schedule and so her waketime, naptime, and feeding times are falling nicely into line! Unless you've been there, that sounds really boring to you!

-Being awake a lot more, we get to see her bright blue eyes more. Her eyes are still blue and that is exciting to me because our boys have always had brown.

-She is smiling! First, it starts out, and you are not sure if it is gas or a real smile...but now it is definitely a smile!


-She LOVES to look at people. When you hold her, she will just stare at you! It is amazing and then can start to freak you out a bit! She would dominate in a staring contest.

-Nobody knows the staring more than her Daddy. She will just look at him, and it melts his heart. Like I've said before, she has had him from before day one. There is something there between the Daddy and his little girl and it is just precious to watch!

-Caleb and Micah love her. Although, right now C has paid more attention to her. He loves to kiss her head all the time. He makes sure she has her paci, points to her and announces bebe, worries when she cries, and makes sure he always knows where she is.

-She sleeps well at night, still getting up once or twice, but goes right back down easily...well, most of the time!

-She is the perfect person to place dress up with!

Haleigh and the Boys

Here's just a few shots from late October and more new ones of Haleigh.
Our kids are so much fun!

Halloween Donuts

No, those aren't donuts stored in his cheeks.

Caleb was a lion for Halloween. A not too scary lion.

Look at those legs!

Had to show you the little lion's tail.

Micah was a Brazilian Soccer player (Kaka). Haleigh was the soccer ball.

Thanksgiving Day. The turkey is getting more plump!

Poor Caleb. Mom orders new bows and hats every day! He wanted to try it on but then realized that this was not at all what he thought it was.

Micah being Micah.


Some newer Haleigh pics.