WE HAVE MOVED!

I am excited to announce that I have a new blog!!!!  Please come check it out and follow me at www.martinmommy.com.



A huge thank you to my husband, Nathan, and my brother-in-law, Jeremy.  Nathan spent many hours customizing the site to my *high* standards.  I am still trying to figure out a few things on WordPress, but I am very happy with it so far.

Here is a screen shot of my new blog.

Hope to see you there!

100 Posts!!!

Today, I am proud to say that this is my 100th post.  Woo hoo! 

When I started my blog in June, I had no idea if anyone would actually read it besides my family and a few friends.  I just kept getting phone calls and emails from other Moms and Moms-to-be asking me many of the same questions.  I thought it would be easier to respond on a blog rather than email the same thing over and over.  I am happy that many people have been helped by some of the things I have discussed.  I am here to say I DEFINITELY do not have it all figured out.  I am just doing the best I can and seeking God on how to be a better Mom and wife. 

Through this journey, I realized how wonderful it is to have an [almost] daily post about what was going on in our lives.  As most of you know, I love to scrapbook.  This blog has been very helpful to remember the little details that often times get forgotten when I go to print photos to scrapbook.  I plan to print my posts and make some kind of journal [eventually].  

I also have really enjoyed getting to know other people out there in the blogging world.  Prior to starting my blog, I rarely read other people's blogs.  I was a bit overwhelmed [I might still be just a little] and had no idea barely any idea what I was doing.  It has been such a blessing to read other Mom's homeschooling ideas, meal planning tips, craft projects, product suggestions, etc.  It also is wonderful to read other Mom's blog posts that make you feel like "I am not the only one who has a messy house somedays :)" ha ha.

To sum this up, I just wanted to say thanks for reading my blog.  Thanks for suggesting it to friends.  Thanks for your comments.  I hope you continue to enjoy reading about our lives.

Gunnar cuddled up to me at dinner tonight.  So sweet!

It's My Birthday, It's My Birthday, Gonna Party Like It's My Birthday

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter." 

-Jack Benny

Today is my 30th Birthday.  It is hard to believe that 30 years of my life has gone by.  It happened so fast!  Nathan surprised me with a treadmill for my birthday!  I was very excited because I am determined to lose some weight and it is so hard to get to the gym with 5 little ones.  Plus, it is so hot here that walking outside is miserable!

I also plan on getting a new iPhone.  I am just waiting for some better cases to come out.  I need one that can be dropped 10+ times a day without it cracking the screen :)

I started my morning off with Gunnar christening me in pee.  It has been a while since my little sprayer managed to get me, I guess I am not as quick in my "old age".  Ha ha. 

I went to a scrapbook crop today at my upline for Creative Memories, Amber Holland's house.  She and her daughter baked me a birthday cake (pictured above & below) and sang to me.  It was very sweet!  I had a lovely time!

When I got home, the kids surprised me with cards they colored.  They were so tickled to give them to me. 

From Top left: Cooper's, Kindle's, Grant's & Celeste's

Nathan also got me a card.  I just laughed and laughed :P

He also gave me a list of 30 +1 things Reasons that he loves me.  It was the best gift by far!!!

Ok so today is my wife Sarah's 30th birthday.  Last month when I turned 30, Sarah surprised me with writing 30 things that she loves about me, so in return I have listed the 30 things +1 that I love about her.   I really enjoyed writing all this down and I hope you love it Sarah.  You're the best!!

30 + 1 things I love about Sarah Martin:

1. Great friend - since before we ever started dating we were friends first and you still are my best friend.

2. Faithful - No matter what, I can always count on you.

3. Truth Teller - I know that you will always give me your honest opinion and you're not afraid to tell me flat out what you think. Whether it be a design that stinks or a nice rebuke, like don’t buy that VW Bug. (Even if I didn’t listen.)

4. You are so kind - you treat others as you would like them to treat you, even if they don’t treat you that way.

5. You put others first - me, the kids, your friends, all come before what you want.

6. You’re a GREAT Mom - you are the best mom to our kids, you are patient, but stern and they love you. You love them and take great care of them. You clean, wash the clothes, home school the kids and do it all with a great attitude.

7. Supportive - you are so supportive of the things God has placed in my heart. You have even supported me when the ideas weren’t so much God.

8. You Listen - You always listen when I talk and I know that you really care, even if what I am saying is ridiculous.

9. You Love God - this is one of my favorites. You Love God with all your heart and are an example of what a real Christian looks like.

10. Wisdom - you have lots of Godly wisdom and always know how to handle a situation that I am wavering on.

11. You complete me - no really, the things that are weak in me, are strong in you and I need you to be a better Godly man.

12. You’re really fun - no matter what we are doing, we always have fun together, laughing and having a good time, even If what we are doing is not that fun.

13. Creative - you may not feel this way, but you have great ideas.

14. Content - you are content with wherever we are at in life, never wanting to be somewhere else but happy to be where God has us.

15. Stable - you are the most stable person I know. you are the same everyday, day in day out. You just roll with situations and make the best of it.

16. You believe the best - you believe the best in me and in others, even if they have let you down, you still believe the best.

17. You’re not offended easily - enough said.

18. You’re Beautiful - you have the most natural beauty and you have the best smile.

19. You’re a great encourager - even if I am frustrated putting something together, or I am ready to give up on something in life, you tell me just the right thing to encourage me.

20. Diligence and quality - You never give up, even when you want to, you still keep going and finish the task. It is also important to you that it is done well.

21. You support me in leading our house - You trust me with making the right decisions in God, money, training the kids, etc. and you support me no matter what.

22. You’re practical - I am a dreamer and only see the end result in my head. You help me to see all the steps between that save me lots of headaches and trouble along the way.

23. You’re quick to forgive - you don’t hold accounts of wrongs or bring up things from the past. You just love me the way I am.

24. You’re not prideful - You can admit when you're wrong and take correction and rebuke.

25. You’re great at multitasking - 5 kids under 7 that you home school 2 of and do all the house chores and now even blog... and it all gets done.

26. You let me go and do things I like, without nagging me - examples: hunting, cycling, music, sports, the list goes on.

27. You’re good at spelling and math - Thank God or I would look like an idiot ALL the time.

28. You’re a great baby maker - there is a lot that goes into that one, but I will leave it at that.

29. You’re great at scrapbooking - Thanks to your handy work we will never forget all the wonderful fun we have as a family.

30. You’re really smart - You home school the kids and they are all really smart because they got it from you.

+ 1. Ok one more. Your button nose - Our kids are so cute because they all got your button nose and not mine.

I love you so much Sarah Martin!  Happy 30th birthday

Tonight, we went to dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Tecali Grille.  It was delicious as always.  Nathan got them to sing to me.  They gave us all sombreros to wear while we ate my dessert.  The kids thought they were hilarious, especially Grant.  He couldn't stop laughing!

                  

It has been a great day.  I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in my life! I appreciate all of the birthday wishes tons.  I looked back today at what I had accomplished in the first 30 years of my life and I am very pleased.  God has truly blessed me in so many ways.  I can not wait to see what the next 30 years has in store!

Double Black Eyes, 3 Months Old & the Last Day in my 20's

The last day of vacation, Grant and Kindle both managed to get a black eye.  Kindle ran into the coffee table.  She was playing with her brothers and sister when it happened.  She was so sad.  She doesn't like to look at it in the mirror because it just makes her more upset.  This is her first black eye and hopefully her last.

Grant also got a black eye.  He ran into the door knob.  He actually hit the door knob on the side of his head the day before.  Then the next day, he ran into it again but right on his eye.  His eye got swollen almost shut.  It looked worst during our car drive home, but by yesterday it had started to go down.  He handled it amazingly well.  He didn't even cry.  He just asked us to pray for it.  Luckily, he is pretty tough.  Last year when he busted his head open, he only cried for a couple of minutes.  I was more upset about it than him.  

Gunnar is 3 months old today.  I weighed him this morning and he is 13 1/2 lbs.  He continues to be a very easy going baby.  He takes great naps, loves his swing, nurses well and is super smiley.  He is trying very hard to talk.  The other day, Nathan and I both thought he said "hi".  Typically, Nathan or I will talk to him and he will make noises back to mimmic what we are doing.  Nathan was saying "hi" to him over and over and it sounded just like he said "hi".  While we were on vacation, he did it again when talking to my Mom.  All of my children talk very early (I mean look at their 2 talkative parents).  I don't know if I am ready to officially call it his first word quite yet.  I am going to see if he continues to say it.  He also copies us when we wave.  He started doing that last month when Nathan was in Costa Rica.  I would put Gunnar in front of the computer while Nathan was on video Skype.  Nathan would wave and Gunnar would copy him.  It is so sweet!  He is also currently obsessed with fans.  He likes them even if they aren't turned on or don't have the lights on.

Don't you find this fan exciting???

He will just smile, giggle and try to talk to them.  It is adorable.  I got a couple of photos of him staring at the fan.

Laying next to Mommy's computer while she blogs, staring at the fan :)

I finally got him to look at me instead of the fan.

On a different note, today is my last day in my 20's.  I can hardly believe I will be 30 tomorrow.  I remember thinking 30 was soooo old when I was a child.  I can definitely say I don't feel that way at all anymore.  I am so proud of what I have accomplished in the first 30 years of my life.  I look forward to seeing what the future brings!  

Getting to Know You

In an effort to connect with more people, I decided to participate in Mannland5's Getting to Know you Sunday.  You can participate too if you have a blog.  All you have to do is answer these questions and link up on her blog.

The Q's.

1. Do you think mustaches are sexy?

Nathan has only had a mustache once in our marriage for a Cinco de Mayo party.  No Bueno :)

2. What's the last concert you've been to?
It has been WAY too long for me to remember.  Kinda sad...
Dave Matthews was probably one of the last ones I went to and it was awesome as always.


3  What was your favorite 80's sitcom?
One word, TGIF!  That's right, I loved watching it every Friday night, Full House, Family Matters, etc.

4. Were you named after anyone?
Yes, Sarah from the Bible and my middle name Anne comes from Hannah in the Bible.  My parents just didn't think Sarah Hannah Harris sounded good.  I agree.  

5. When you buy new clothes, do you wash before wearing?
Sometimes.  I always wash the kid's clothes though.  I should wash mine too...

6. If you didn't blog, what would you do with your spare time?
Since I typically blog when I am nursing, I would probably just watch TV or read.

7. What is your favorite department store?
I very rarely shop at department store's anymore.  Does Target count?

8. If  you were to get Laser Hair Removal..where would you get it?
I think it would be nice not to have to shave my legs anymore.

OK, your turn.  I look forward to reading your answers!

It's a Day of New Beginnings

Our new Chore Chart

This week begins our new schedule for the school year.  Since we are leaving for vacation on Saturday, I decided to wait to begin the school year until after we get back.  The kid's activities start the new school year today, however.  Since I will now be homeschooling 2 children (Cooper will be in 2nd grade and Kindle will be in Kindergarten), adding Homeschool Soccer to our schedule and of course having one more child this school year, we have to get more organized when it comes to household jobs.  I am still reading the Managers of their homes: A practical guide to daily scheduling for Christian home-school families book, but I have read enough to get inspired.  I decided that I probably can't schedule every 15 or 30 minutes of my life, but I can make a list of things that I expect the children to do each day.   Last week, I made the chore chart you see above (sorry it is kind of light because it is in pencil).  I was very impressed with how well we did using the chart.  The kids get up every morning and look at the chart.  Since we have not started school, they eat breakfast and then begin their jobs.  Once school begins, they will eat breakfast, do school, eat lunch and then complete their jobs.  If they complete all of their jobs, each one earns a little bit of money at the end of the month to spend as they wish (within reason of course).  The rule is that there is no complaining and each job must be complete or a portion of their money is deducted.  Of course I realize that with a family of 7, we have to be a bit flexible.  We sometimes have a change in plans, so I am trying to be realistic.  But at least, we will have a goal of what we would like to accomplish each day.  Plus, I can no longer hear, "I didn't know you wanted me to pick up my toys, clean my room, etc.".  Currently, Cooper has the most jobs and gets a little bit more money.  Kindle has a few less than Cooper and Grant has a few basic things like picking up toys, helping with laundry, and cleaning his room.  Celeste does "help" with cleaning up her toys, but realistically at 25 months her "help" sometimes actually creates more work for everyone else.  But hey, you gotta start somewhere.  

Cooper vacuuming at 18 months old

I am also very happy to say that our new schedule will allow for more evenings free and family dinners.  Kindle's ballet class is now on Mondays from 3:30-4:30pm.  We are free Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Thursdays the older 3 children will have homeschool soccer from 1-3pm during September and October and Nathan will have house church that evening.  Cooper and Nathan will have karate on Fridays from 6-7pm.  I am looking forward to having more evenings available and less rushing around during the worst traffic times of the day.  

As I sit here nursing the baby and blogging, I am watching Cooper dust, Kindle clean up the craft supplies and Grant pick up some toys he was playing with.  It is a nice feeling to have a clean house. 

I found this video below.  It is of Cooper vacuuming at 18 months old, the camera quality is pretty bad, but it was 2004 and I had no clue what I was doing then :)

A Day at the Land

Grandpa & Grant on the tractor named Grant :)

At the end of 2009, my parents bought land in Kingston, GA .  They are in the process of clearing the land and building a house there.  One day, hopefully sooner rather than later, we will be building a home up there as well.  My Dad, who is now retired (yay!) is going up there daily to work.  We wanted to go up to check out the progress he had made and to get photos to document the journey of the property.

The future driveway

Some of the pine trees that are being cleared

They are really making some good progress, this was all brush and small pine trees before

The kids had so much fun going up there.  They even go to wear their new boots I bought at the consignment sale the night before!  So glad I made that purchase!

Grandpa, Grant & Cooper heading out to check out the tractor

Cooper thought he was so awesome getting ride in the back of Grandpa's truck

Kindle insisted on wearing this hat despite the fact that it didn't match at all

Gunnar and I stayed in the car so he could eat.  Celeste had to stay in the car too because she was still finishing her lunch.  She has been such a slow poke at eating lately.  I did get a picture of her before we left in her new boots though.

Her cheese face is so funny.  She squints her eyes.

We are very excited to see it starting to come together more each day.  I can't wait till the kids can just run around and play there.  It is going to be such a blessing!

An Early 30th Birthday Celebration

Last night, we went out to dinner at Sal Grosso with our best friends, Charles & Candra.  We celebrated mine and Nathan's 30th birthdays.  Charles & Candra will be going to Ohio for 4 months so they will miss my 30th birthday and of course Nathan was in Costa Rica on his 30th.  We had a really yummy dinner.  All you can eat at a Brazilian steakhouse!  Gunnar tagged along as well.  He did so great.  He slept for most of the meal.  Yay!  I am so glad we had the opportunity to see them before they left.  We will miss them greatly, but plan to chat via Skype so we will just pretend like we are too busy to see them in person and that they actually aren't hours away :)  We are hoping to go visit them while they are gone and hopefully go to the Creation Museum while we are there.

Nathan, Gunnar, me, Candra & Charles

Candra, I know you will read this.  I forgot to tell you that I loved your dress.  I am terrible about giving people the compliments that I think in my head :)

What I Spent Saturday Doing

Since my favorite children's consignment sale (All 4 Kids) is coming up this week, I had to sort through the older 2 children's clothes for the Fall to see what I needed.  I am happy to say that despite the moans and groans from Cooper and Kindle, I am done.  I dislike having to get them to try clothes on every season because they just take FOREVER.  There is always at least one item that was their "favorite" that they insist still fits despite the fact that their tummy is hanging out the bottom and the long sleeve shirt has turned into 3/4 length on the arms.  Ugh!  I am happy to say we survived.

Earlier in the year, I purchased Wonder Hangers.  They do a great job on TV convincing you that your closet space will double or triple if you use them.  I am here to tell you it is not true.  It still takes up the same space, however, I do like them because it helps the clothes to be more organized.  I went through and put all of the shirts together, skirts together, dresses together, etc.  I didn't have enough Wonder Hangers to do all of their clothes, but at least I have the Fall clothes sorted on the hangers.

The Girl's Closet

The Boy's Closet

My next task will be organizing Grant and Celeste's clothes.  I am really counting on the hand me downs from their older siblings.  All of my boy's clothes have been through Cooper, Grant & now Gunnar.  My girl's clothes have been through Kindle, my niece, Ella and Celeste.  The great thing is that most of the clothes are still in great condition.

I have also been very blessed over the years by people giving me hand me down clothes.  I have learned that if someone is offering you hand me down clothes, take them!  Even if they are a bit worn out or not your taste, they can be play clothes or pajamas.  This has saved me from spending unnecessary money on clothes no one but our family ever sees :)

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Martin

Yeri & Jeremy

My brother-in-law, Jeremy, has been living in Costa Rica for a couple of years.  While he was there, he met a wonderful Costa Rican gal.  They tied the knot today.  My husband, Nathan, had the privilege of attending the wedding.  He got to take some pictures and video which I can't wait to see.  Here is a photo of the location for the wedding.

One day, we all hope to go and visit Jeremy and Yeri in Costa Rica.  It looks so beautiful!  Congratulations to the happy couple!

5 AM is WAY Too Early for Me

I just want to let it be known that I am NOT a morning person.  I am so thankful that I can take my time get going in the morning.  Don't get me wrong the kids are awake around 7 or 7:30, but we watch cartoons and just hang out in my bedroom in the mornings.  It is a very nice way to ease into the day.  This morning however, we had to be up at 5am to take Nathan to the airport.  We made it, but I am so thankful I don't have to get up that early everyday!  Nathan is in Costa Rica now.  We got to talk to him via Skype.  The kids were so excited to see and hear Daddy.  I am so thankful for the technology to be able to talk to him while he is away!  Nathan showed us a little bit of the hotel and view from the hotel in Costa Rica.  It is beautiful.  Here is a night shot Nathan took of his view from the hotel.

They found a Bed & Breakfast Hotel for $30/night

I had to take Gunnar for his follow up circumcision appointment today.  The other children stayed with my Mom, whom they refer to as Nana.  They had a great time playing at her house.  My Dad, whom they refer to as Grandpa, was there working on his truck with my Uncle Tom.  Cooper went and "helped" them.  He thought it was so much fun!  

My Parents with Gunnar at my Dad's Retirement Party last month

When we got home from my parents, we discovered that Kindle had a little fever :(  I am hoping it is not a big deal because she is not complaining about anything else except not being hungry.  All the kids went to bed and I was able to do some cleaning and laundry.  I am super duper tired now.  Looking forward to more sleep tomorrow!

I think I look terrible in glasses

I wear contacts.  I rarely, if ever, wear my glasses basically because the ones I have are super old(from at least 2001, maybe earlier) and the prescription is totally off.  The kids also stepped on them and broke one of the nose pieces off.  More importantly, I think I look terrible in all glasses.  Due to the fact that I never wear them and frankly I am too cheap to spend money on new ones, I have just made due with my old glasses for years.  After Gunnar was born, I wore my glasses a lot more often and I kept getting headaches.  I finally connected that it was probably because my eyes were not happy with the old prescription.  So, I decided it was time to purchase new glasses.  Nathan needed new ones too so it was perfect.  We went to Visionworks because they were running a special, 2 pairs of glasses plus an eye exam for $99.  I told Nathan that he needed to pick out my glasses because I think all of them look terrible on me.  Also, I figured it doesn't matter very much which ones he picked because I typically only wear my glasses from the bathroom to my bed at night and then from my bed to the bathroom in the morning.  He did pick out a pair.  I am happy with his choice.  I am mostly thankful to have a new pair of glasses that are the correct prescription and not broken.  Here they are:

Disclosure: I don't love this photo of me in my new glasses.  It was super late at night and I wasn't wearing makeup, but it will have to do :)

Mugshots, Weekend-Conference House, Ballet & the Tour de France

I am trying to catch up after an extremely busy weekend of church and Independence Day activities.  As I hoped Brother David Hogan was incredible.  He shared some wonderful testimonies of things happening in Mexico.  I posted previously what we did on the day of July 4th.  Yesterday, we went to our friend's, David and Faith Hacker, for a cookout with several families.  It was a really nice time to just chat and get to know everyone better.  Celeste had her hair in cute pig tails with hairbows.  However, she decided to pull out the hairbows in the car.  Here was the result.

Nathan & I joked that this is her mugshot since it reminds us of the infamous celebrity mugshots

What do you think?

Today, I have been trying to play catch up.  I have what we like to call "weekend house" compiled with "conference house".  This is when you have no time to clean because you are running around all weekend and going to conferences at church.  Luckily, the house is somewhat recovered, hopefully tomorrow things will be at their normal level of "tidy".

This evening the children and I took the trip to Canton to the Woodstock School of Ballet for Kindle's ballet class.  She loves taking ballet!  

Kindle, our ballerina

We picked up the DVD of her recital from May.  I was so excited to see it because I missed her recital since it was 2 days after Gunnar's birth.  I teared up tonight watching it.  She did so good.  

They did a dance to a song from The Lion King which is why she has the pink ears.

As I finish up my blog, Nathan and I are watching The Tour de France on the Versus channel.  I am so thankful that Nathan never watches sports on TV.  When Nathan told me that he wanted to DVR all of the Tour de France,  I was very hesitant.  I have been completely surprised to discover how interesting the race has been.  So in the spirit of the Tour, Au Revoir!

Independence Day Videos

As you guys know, I am still trying to figure everything out.  Here is some video of the fireworks and sparklers from the 4th of July.  I took these with my iPhone, so they aren't the best quality, but better than nothing :)

Independence Day

Stealing kisses from Gunnar

On Independence Day, we went to a birthday party for our friend, Nation.  He was turning 4 and he had a Batman pool party.  The kids had tons of fun swimming and eating yummy cake.

'

Grant swimming in the (not hot at all) hot tub

Can you see Kindle in the treehouse?

Cooper hiding under the float

That night we had my sister and her family over for fireworks.  

My sister, Emily, her husband, Gil, & my niece, Ella

  

Aunt Emily & Celeste not looking too sure about the fireworks

Celeste and Gunnar decided they weren't a big fan of the noise and went to bed.  The other children loved it.  All of the neighbors came outside and set their fireworks off as well.  It was a fantastic day!

  Daddy & Kindle

Cooper sword fighting with a sparkler

Grant loved the sparklers