And the most cherished christmas gift is....

A Cars Cell Phone! Yes amidst the thousands of toys our boys racked up this year, a simple (cheap, dare I say!) cellphone is the winner. Santa brought it and placed it in Micah's stocking. (Sidenote: Santa only brings stocking toys in our family in an effort not to be the focus of Christmas, but also not to show up mommy and daddy...I mean, I want the credit! Funny how it all turned out!)
Micah takes his flip camera phone EVERYWHERE! Did I mention it has Lightning McQueen on it? Last night we made him put it on the foyer table with our phones so he wouldn't take it to bed.

Yesterday, we went on a walk and he had to bring the phone. So he put it in the basket in the stroller. Every couple of minutes or minute he would stop me, take out his phone, open it, hold it up, and "take a picture", snap it shut, and casually toss it back in the stroller. No big deal, I am just three and I have a phone, that takes pictures.
So I said, Micah, what are you taking a picture of? The truck, the trash, the grass, nothing big, he shrugs, no biggie.
So we walk farther down the road and two men are digging in the street. Decked out with hard hats, work boots, and covered in mud, all of a sudden these two Hispanic men are Micah's idols. He casually approached them pulls out his phone and stops to take a picture on his camera phone, no big deal. With that, he snaps it shut tosses in the stroller and we continue on. Priceless!

Strange I know...

Those of you who know Ed and his brothers well know that they had a very interesting childhood! They have very creative minds and used them while playing as children. All they did was play outside and use their imagination. So they had this world of stuffed animals that all had names (first, middle, and last), birthdays, and stories to their lives. For example, Donald Duck was not Donald Duck. He was David Jason Jobeahskii XIII. His birthday was December 13th and his owners name was Ed Dawson. He came over on a ship from Italy to NYC during the Great Duck Wars. Other classmates of David included MicMac Jones, MooMoo Benjamin Johnathan Jacob Jenkins, Weenie Duck, Peter Puckett, Yugoslavia Kermit, and Willy Blueberry Martin.

Willy is a plastic coin bank, bought at a yard sale, who used to wear a onesie and travel almost everywhere with them, including the grocery store. One boiling summer they went to VBS and left Willy in the car, and he tragically melted! They got into the car, grabbed his head, and it smushed. After multiple operations, his head was shaped back into its original form.

Ed and his brothers thought it was cool to take a picture with him. He even wound up in a rare family reunion picture at the family farm that is now in the Martin genealogy book! Here is a picture taken when they were boys. And through the encouragement of myself and Stephanie (Ray's wife), they reenacted it when we got together for Christmas. Beautiful! Gosh, they were so weird! If anyone is a little troubled by this, I am too!

Christmas Part 1...The Martins

Sunday we had our first Christmas gathering with Ed's side of the family. Brother Ray and Stephanie were in town from ATL and so we celebrated on Sunday after church. Here are some Christmas tree shots...it is so hard to snap pictures with a 3 year old that wants nothing to do with it. His new thing is "I don't want to!" My response, "Well you have to...sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do." Very similar to a speech I give myself from time to time. A lesson we adults need too! (P.S. we are growing Micah's hair out, kind of in between stage right now...ugh!)

First present opened-a stuffed elephant-thanks Ma! We really tried to focus on the giving the presents part more so than the getting. A tough lesson for a 3 year old but I think he got it. The Martin tradition is one gift at a time. So he had to wait until it was his turn again to get gifts. He was so excited. He would help everyone else open it. He would exclaim things like "What do you think it is? I don't know" "I'm so excited!" "Let's see!" All in his sing song voice. Each gift opened with excitement. So much more animation this year, I love it! Well two more Christmas celebrations then his birthday...all within one week! Such a confusing time for him, oh well!

Baking Day 2

Well we successfully finished the christmas baking! Thursday I woke up exhausted and not feeling myself (no I'm not pregnant!) so I decided that I would try my hardest to have a fun day of baking with my boy, but it didn't last very long. So I sent him up to his room to play and Caleb was napping, so I had peace and quiet. I made the dough for snickerdoodles and sugar cookies and then put them in the fridge. Then I made the peanut butter part for the buckeye balls and put them in the fridge. First step down! After an exhausting morning with the boys and no energy, it was finally naptime!
And so I postponed cookie time until after dinner so Ed could participate...or help me. So I napped! When cookie time actually came, I was so exhausted. So the excitement or thrill of it all wore off and honestly I just wanted to finish it. So Ed and Micah did the snickerdoodles and I finished the buckeye balls...yum! What better combo is there than chocolate and peanut butter! Then we decorated the sugar cookies. They don't look perfect, but they will do. I just read Amanda Jones' blog and I laughed because I had the same experience with the sprinkles. I mean why would I think that a 3 year old would know how to control the pouring of the sprinkles! Naturally he just turned his hand upside down and out came the sprinkles! How cute is he though?So here is what our cookies look like:I really had fun making them this year. After all I had Micah's help and my Kitchen Aid, which I did not have either last year! However, I am glad that today I don't have to worry about cookies anymore, except for eating them, of course!

Christmas cookies...Day 1

This year has been so fun going through the holidays all over again with a little boy one year older. With Micah's 3rd birthday right around the corner, I have found Christmas so much more exciting. He LOVED decorating the tree. He managed to get all the ornaments right grouped together near the bottom of the tree. And every day since he picks one off the tree and hangs it elsewhere. And when they fall off, he rescues the fallen ornament and hangs it back up in his group. Needless to say, we did not go for the best dressed tree award this year! Our tree just has character!

Anyway, life has been busy, i think we are on night number 11 of 16 straight nights in a row of being out. I'm just plain tired and yet, God has given me what I've needed to not feel like this holiday is stressful. I guess he has graciously protected me from that. I have enjoyed my family more in the last week than I have in the last couple of months. It has been so sweet!

We just celebrated Ed's birthday, 29th, in case you cared! I appreciate my husband so much and was so excited about celebrating him.

Today, Micah and I started day one of our christmas cookie baking. Today we made Peanut Blossoms and Sweet Minglers (White trash or puppy chow or things other people calls it that I cannot mention...you know who you are!). Tomorrow is sugar cookies, buckeye balls, and snickerdoodles! Micah loves to help!

I'm really tired and not even sure if I have made any sense on this so forgive me if I wrote something really stupid!

Neck Beards and House Shoes

Ok, let me just say that this is weird. I have just signed in to our blog and am typing. Who knows, maybe I'll scrapbook tomorrow! I'll make this quick.
I have two things to be thankful for today.
#1) Many of our High School Youth (boys) have taken part in "No-Shave November". Most of them have awkward looking blonde stubble and there are others that have weird neck beards. I am so glad that tomorrow is December. They will shave tonight and all will be returned to the way it should be.
#2) I am thankful that I am sitting on the couch watching the Redskins on a Sunday afternoon. Thankful that they are losing?...not so much. It is simply the fact that I am at home. It is very rare that I am at home on a Sunday afternoon. I usually have stuff at church ALL day on sundays. It is a cold and rainy day today in Richmond. We came home after church, had grilled cheeses and tomato soup for lunch, and now I am working the hoodie and house shoes. Ah, the simple things. I love ministry, but this is just nice.
-Ed
Just in case you cared....I have been clean shaven all month.

Broomball

Last night was Broomball! For the Mt. Oak readers, you know what that is! It brought back so many memories of high school! For those that don't know what it is, it is the best game ever. We rented out a skating rink after they closed, from 11 to 1. It is basically hockey except you wear tennis shoes, and you have "brooms" or broom-like paddles and hit a ball into the goal. Our students planned it, so they set it up with a middle school court and high school court. It was craziness. They set it up tournament style, so each team played like 4 or 5 games and the games were only 4 minutes long with 1 minute transition time. So when time was up, four teams ran off the court and four ran on, which was comical since they were on ice!
Our students had so much fun! Most of them had never played before so it was a new experience. The point of the event was to bring friends from school to a non-threatening chruch experience. Here are some pics:

Gag me with a Spoon!

So after another round of shots, a weigh in, and the rest of the 6 month check-up for Caleb...oh yeah, and a surprise flu shot for Micah, we have come full circle and now get to start baby food! With the few times that we have tried to offer him rice cereal, he has refused to eat it! He shivers every time!
So today I got the steamer out and the blender and decided we would start with carrots. I began peeling them and then chopping them. Micah helped me put them in the steamer. We loaded it up with water and turned it on. Later we transferred them to the blender for a puree, only to find out my blender has seen better days. We finally got them mashed and put it in ice cube trays to be frozen.Then came lunch time. I was so anticipating this moment! I sat Micah down to eat, and nursed Caleb. Then I sat him in his new booster seat, strapped him with his bib, and prepared his gourmet lunch of rice cereal and carrots...yum! After heating it up, I went in for the first taste. What was I expecting? Who knows! But I will tell you what I got...
The spoon went in, and surprisingly very little came out! Achievement #1. He ate both the carrots and cereal...Achievement #2. He looked at me with those cute gooey little eyes, and gave me the biggest little shiver. Then he didn't stop! Drama, i know. I mean, Caleb, it is just carrots. But the boy HATED it! For such a chunky kid, you would think he would be like BRING IT ON! to the food. Not so much! Do you think he will be 14 years old and still want breastmilk? (i know, too much)

My Special Day

Last week I had my birthday and I realized that now being an adult, your birthday just isn't what it used to be. There's no party or streamers or games or party hats...maybe if your lucky you get a cake and some presents. No longer do you get to enjoy the day, just you, no work, no responsibilities, no kids, etc.
However, at this stage you get other joys as a part of your birthday! And I would argue even better things! My actual birthday was just a usual day...feeding children, cleaning kitchen, cooking dinner, phone calls, bills, a walk, reading, small group. But to see the joy of my two year old playing with my balloons all day, made me appreciate balloons so much more.

Friday, my husband planned a special day just for us! We took the kids to his parents' house for the day and trekked up 95 to Old Towne Alexandria. A downtown area on the Potomac River with little shops and restaurants for blocks. It all has the old feel of what things were like "back in the day". It is all historic, with brick sidewalks and such. We ate lunch and did some shopping. Then we decided to hop on the Metro into town (DC) and go to one of the Smithsonians. We went to the Natural History museum which was interesting, but quite a bit annoying with their very pushy agenda of evolution! Then we hopped back on the Metro to Alexandria. Rode the trolley down King Street, to eat some seafood for dinner! Yum! I had a crab cake that was so delicious! So even though birthdays are different with adult life, it is a treasure that I savor once every year!

A Must Have...

On Halloween night, we had a night of worship at our church called 10:31. In reference to the date and to 1 Corinthians 10:31...get it??? My husband is so creative! Anyway, we had our friends Josh and Tasha Via and their band come up and lead worship. It was a great night! But we got their new cd and it is awesome. They are so very talented. Some of those songs are just amazing! Click here and you can listen to some clips. So need ideas for Christmas gifts or just want to support them...get this cd. It is a must have!

Slapping some tiles...

Only a few of you may get this, but we had a great night last night with some friends in our small group. After a "breakfast" dinner (i know, awesome) with both families, we sent the kids upstairs to play for a while and then eventually to bed. We sat for 3 hours playing Mexican Train dominioes. We played that back in seminary the whole last summer we were there with the Gurneys and Bevers. It was really fun, but I think we only got through 3 rounds. We ended up talking and laughing more than playing. We kept asking, "Whose turn is it?"

On another note...
Favorite quote from Micah today...
We are driving in the car and Caleb was happy, giggling and talking.
Micah says, "Caleb, what's so funny to you?"
It just made me laugh!

What Do We Do Now...

I'm not really one to get into politics because when all is said and done, no matter who you vote for and what you believe, they are all going to fail you at some point. But I find myself reflecting on this past election. First let me just say I am soooo glad it is over. The phone calls were ridiculous! But I fear going into the "Christian" public today because I don't want to hear the somber comments of what do we do now. I'm sorry if I offend you, but our lives do not depend on who is in office. Quite frankly, I couldn't get excited about either choice I had to vote on. I know that all the changes that our new president confidently says he will put into action will have some effect on us as citizens of America. But praise God, that I put my faith in someone and something so much greater. No matter what changes occur, good or bad, I serve a God who is above it all.
I'm afraid much of our country voted for Obama because they wanted anything but Bush. They wanted someone to save them from the awful way of the Republicans! Republican or Democrat or anything else (Green Party, what's that? Poor Nader...when can he take the hint), never ever ever will you make my life just peachy keen. Never will you save me from the fact that there will always be wrong in this world!
My friends (ha! you like that!), thank God for the faith he has so graciously given us to believe in something so much greater! My prayers are the same as before...that God would be soverign over all situations and that He would be gracious enough to carry me through any circumstance. We DON'T need change. My hopes and dreams and faith is placed at the feet of the only one who DOES NOT change! Praise God!

Happy Halloween...

Happy Halloween from Curious George and his little Banana...

Fall Adventures

I've neglected my blog for some time now due to the business of life. But it was calling me back, so let me catch you up on some of our fall adventures. After Florida, Ed went to Ohio for a conference, I went to MD to visit family, the boys went on the Martin man camping trip, we went to Charlottesville (sheltons we missed you there!) to go apple picking, went to children's museum, and had a fall festival at church, just to catch you up on a few. Oh yes, and baby C has cut his first tooth so that made for an interesting, or should I say tough, weekend. Here are some pics:

First Annual Martin Man Camping Trip

Micah hiking up a difficult trail. He walked the whole way. He would not let Ed hold him!
Ed and Micah at the Summit of Hawksbill
Apple Picking at Carter Mountain in Charlottesville
I just had to put this in here. This is at the Children's Museum in Annapolis. What's up with me lately? I don't know. First the squirrel and now this snake. I get the chills just looking at the picture. I held this snake so Micah would pet it. The things you do for kids!
Micah at the Richmond Children's Museum...we went with William and Trey Haun.
Some of our youth at the Fall Festival. Micah loved that inflatable behind them!
Baby C at 5 months

Florida Trip

Our trip to Florida was so fun! We came back exhausted and ready to be back on a schedule. It was like my boys let out a huge sigh of relief. Micah maybe had one nap the whole time and Caleb well didn't sleep at all during the night. Don't you just love that? Well the plane was fun because it was Micah's first time. After the craziness of going through security, Micah found his seat in the terminal and said to Ed, "Daddy, you sit over there. Ah, this plane is so fun!" Ed laughingly told him that this was not the plane. We boarded packed plane and took off. Micah wanted to hold Ed's hand during take off, he was a little scared. We watched Finding Nemo and enjoyed our drinks. The pilot came on and said, "Thank you ladies and gentleman for choosing Air Tran today, ..." Ed said who was that Micah. He said, "God." (Wouldn't that be awesome? I love the mind of a 2 year old.)

Micah on the plane and no that is not the ocean in the window. It is the engine, or whatever that thing is, so micah couldn't see anything out the window.

We arrived in Orlando that afternoon and enjoyed dinner and catching up with the Beelers. Then left for camp the next day. The camp was perfect for a youth retreat. But it was a little rustic for me. There were a lot of big Florida bugs. I think I ended up with about a hundred ant bites on my feet! We had a watchfrog at our door every evening. I had to be careful not to step on him. And Micah even had a visit from a baby lizard in his bed, that yes, I had to catch. If only you could've seen me with two styrofoam cups trying to catch this bad boy without getting too close!

The kids in the dining hall. Elizabeth had a hard weekend of being single moms. With three toddlers, a baby, and her being pregnant, it got challenging.

After the retreat, on Monday, we went to Sea World. That's us walking in the park. We had a lot of fun, it was pretty hot. Micah really loved seeing all the animals. I'm not sure what his favorite was, either the penguins or sharks.

The day we left. Please ignore Elizabeth and I...how cute are the boys! Micah and Charlie had so much fun together. Charlie taught Micah how to sing in a microphone and play the guitar and sing. For those of you who don't know, Charlie is amazingly musically talented. He LOVES David Crowder! He watched a DVD they have of him. Charlie will set up a microphone, grab his guitar and play along with Crowder, mimicing every move he makes. Not only that, but Charlie does the exact strum pattern on the guitar. He also can keep the beat of any song with his hands and knows all the words to so many songs. It amazed us! It is so cool to see the way God has gifted all our kids in different ways already at their age. And it is exciting to me to think about how God may use that giftedness for His name! One of Micah's gifts is his athletic ability. He will be one of those kids who is good at any sport he plays, and I am not really saying that just because he is my son. Some of you have seen him dribble a basketball. I mean, he's two. But already I'm praying that God will use that for His name, not for Micah's name!

Ah Yes, Fall is Here!

The air is crisp, the mums are out, pumpkin spice latte in hand, football in full swing, candy corn in bowl, and house decorated! We are there! My husband would make the case that fall is the best season because of the 5 C's. College football, Colors, Candy Corn, Corduroys, Camping.
I decorated my house this weekend and had so much fun doing it. This is a picture of our family room. We've had our windows open all week. It has provided the best sleeping weather!
I know we all live in different regions of the country and so some are still in summer and some are progressing quickly to winter. But those that get to enjoy a true fall season, isn't it great?

On another note, we are heading to Florida on Thursday to visit with our dear friends, the Beelers. We are very excited to see them and let our little ones play together. Elizabeth will be great with child, I'm sure! (she's due next month) On Friday we are going to their youth retreat because Ed is the speaker. It is so weird to think that the kids will be swimming and water skiing, etc. Not exactly a typical "fall retreat". We are very excited though to see them and catch up. We miss all of our seminary friends very dearly and there are days we wish we were back there together! We are thankful for a time to visit at least one!

Mr. Squirrel

I had a friend in high school, Becky, who loved animals. I remember her family had these squirrels in their backyard that they would feed. They of course named them as well and they were the funniest names. Becky, if you are reading this, what were their names. And what was the name of your cat? Anyway, last week I had an incident that reminded me of those squirrels, so Becky, this story is for you!

You know, those who know me well, know I am not an animal person. The only time I am just amazed at animals is at Sea World. I love to touch the sting rays and dolphins. Other than that, you could say I don't have much of a heart for them! Well the other day we went to a park in our neighborhood. Long story short, there was this little baby squirrel that was following people around. It clearly had no mother and was following people to take care of it. My mind went back to the book, "Are you my mother?", one of Micah's favorites.
I saw this lady pick him up and pet him. Micah watched this little squirrel out of curiosity. So we walked on by after the lady put him down. Ed was in amazement that this squirrel was so tame. We walked to the other end of the field and there at our feet was this little baby squirrel. It was our turn to be followed. He was all around Micah's feet and so Micah kept picking up his feet not to step on him. I decided this was the cutest little thing and obviously was so domesticated that without even thinking I picked him up. Before I knew it this little thing was in my hands and I was petting his super soft fur. Ed about freaked out that I would get rabies or something. I let Micah pet him too. He was the cutest. Then I put him down and he followed two guys to another area of the park. I amazed my husband so much he took a picture.

Hopey Girl!

Dear Baby Sister,

Today is a big day in your life! Happy 18th Birthday! This birthday is a little different from all the others. You will celebrate today with no family, no old friends, but all new people. While it may be hard, I hope that you "feel the love" from all the people that love you so dearly.

18 years ago, Mom was 3 weeks past her due date, and we thought you would never come. But like in all things, you arrived in your own timing, when you were ready! I will never forget, I had just started 5th grade, and my teacher and classmates all knew we were waiting for you! It seemed like everyday when someone came on the PA to our room, everyone would look at me hoping it was time. But on September 5, 1990, the PA sounded with my principal's voice. He said, "Mrs. Charleston, can you send Katie MacPherson down for early dismissal? Her new little sister is here!" Everyone cheered and I ran down to meet Grandma Mary in the lobby. She took us to the hospital to meet you for the first time.

Things really changed when you arrived on the scene. I became Momma's little helper and babysat you when mom had to go back to work. We had an instant connection. We shared a room until you were about 3. In the mornings you would wake up in your crib and call out to me. It was so sweet! Then you became a toddler, a very difficult one. It is no secret that you were trouble. But that trouble was disguised in humor and absolute cuteness! That is why you got away with so much!

I just wanted to tell you how proud of you I am. I am so excited for you and your new adventures in college! I pray for you all the time. Today my prayer is that the Lord blesses you with new friendships that will last for a lifetime. No one said going away to college is easy, but it is so worth it! May the Lord draw you closer to Him each day and may you love Him more than anything else in this world! I love you, Hopey girl! Happy Birthday!

Good Old Sam...

Thirteen years ago last spring we had an unforgettable day in the MacPherson family. After years and years of begging for a dog, our wish was granted. I was 14(just finished my freshman year), Krista was 9, Michael was 8, and Hope was 4. My mom let me in on the secret that my parents had gotten a yellow lab mix, a little puppy. They got him from the lab rescue. I could not believe they actually did it. I knew my brother and sisters would be so excited, but nothing prepared me for their reaction. My mom brought him in one day after school. She just walked in the house with this adorable little puppy in her hands. The kids just squealed! My brother who was quite the dancer, just started dancing (the butterfly in case you cared!), shouting "Oh yeah, Oh yeah, we got a dog, Oh yeah!" Priceless!
It took us forever it seemed like to decide on a name. Some that were in the running were Reese's(i don't even know why now!), Simba(he looked just like him), Max(i think), and others I don't remember. His name...Sam. I'm not sure how we got to that. Knowing my parents they chose it and directed us towards that name, letting us think we named him!
We had years and years of fun with him. He was a great dog! Very playful and loved attention. My favorite story is when he was a puppy and grabbed my sisters braided hair and starting shaking his head pulling it as if it were a toy. Her head was just following the pull of his mouth side to side. Krista just yelled "Katie, help!"
Well, Monday, my parents came home from vacation, called for him, and there was no answer. Good old Sam had died that day. He was very old and we knew it was coming. Sam dying has symbolized the ending of things in a lot of ways. My youngest sister just headed off to school and my parents now have an empty house for almost the first time in their marriage. Sam dying was like an official end of an era in our family. All of us kids are out on our own...well almost! My dad and a family friend, Mr. Mike, took Sam to Mr. Mike's house and buried him in the back of their property.
I loved Sam, but I'm not exactly an animal person. But when my mom called to tell me that he died, I was genuinely sad. He was such a good dog! I think my brother loved him best. Michael was Sam's buddy. So I know my brother may miss him most.

Christmas is Coming...

My latest hobby has become this:

A felt Christmas stocking for Baby C. I made one for Micah when he was a baby. (I would show you, but it is packed away.) These stocking are kind of a tradition in our family. They are the ones with the sequins all over them. My mom's stocking as a kid was one of these and my grandma made all of us kids one. So I am carrying on the tradition for our kids. It is kind of fun to have a homemade stocking rather than a store bought one. The kit has a gazillion steps. Lots of cut outs, stitches, etc so it will take me a while. But this is a before picture and I will show you more along the way. I know you are thrilled!

Martin's First Yard Sale

Today we had our first yard sale. We decided to go in with another family and do it together. The sale took place at our house. The driveway and yard was covered with many items that we "had to have" and at some point lost their flair. A lemonade stand and Rice Krispie treats topped it all off!

So we started the sale at 8 because with 5 total children we figured it would be hard to get up and running. However, being the rookies that we are to the world of yard sales, little did we know that our start time really doesn't matter. We had people at our house before 7AM! These people are crazy. So our friends pull up and we start frantically putting stuff out to sell. So the four of us adults try juggling putting stuff out, negotiating with people, checking out customers, keeping watch that everything is paid for, and keeping track of whose money is whose, oh yeah, and watching kids. You try standing firm with a ridiculous offer while you have, "MOMMY, MOMMY!" shouting at you in the background. I found myself just saying, "whatever!" to these people as they walk away with a ridiculous deal. I mean this lady wanted a really nice pair of cropped pants from The LOFT for a dollar. I mean, come on, I paid like $50 for them. Yes, I'm a little disappointed that I can't wear them anymore and you can, but a dollar. Just give me three for it. I got a dollar.
The first hour was insane. My friend Janalee and I just kept laughing as we knew we practically were giving stuff away. So we gave ourselves a pep talk to be more hard-nosed. We had about 3 waves of people throughout the morning. Once we got all our stuff out of the house, we could settle more and enjoy it. All this to say, it was so worth it and we made around $280 for each family. Not bad for your first yard sale! It is kind of sad that we had that much junk! The best part is that we sold most of our stuff and took the rest to Goodwill. Nothing came back in my house!
Oh, the other drama was that our signs were mysteriously disappearing off the street corner. At least three people came and told us that an Asian man was taking them down. This man is our neighbor and in our house is known as Mr. Miyagi. He is an old man that walks in the neighborhood and has some strange behaviors. He "checks" everyones mailbox by looking in it, walks up and down peoples driveways, and apparently can't stand yard sale signs so he takes them down. Ed, my persistant husband, kept driving down and putting more up all morning. Mr. Miyagi isn't going to ruin our yard sale!

It has begun...

I love the fall. I love the weather, the pretty leaves, football, kids back in school, decorating my home with oranges, reds, and yellows, and cute little pumpkins, the smell of pumpkin bread, camping, my birthday...my husband loves it more though.
Tonight is the first event of the fall for the Martin family. It is Fantasy football draft night. Every year for the last nine years my husband and all his college friends (with some new additions) gather for their draft. It is a HUGE deal! It first started with a required jacket, tie and boxers, Dr. Pepper, Ritz Crackers, and a podium in a dorm room. Now it has transpired to an internet draft. No ties, no jacket, (yes boxers), no podium, no dorm room, but yes there are still Ritz and DPs. It started at exactly 8:45 and will go all night. There are 17 rounds with 16 players and 2 minutes per player for each pick. Yeah, it will go on forever!
The wives usually have a big part in it. We get to offer our suggestions (at times they are actually taken), keep track of the positions they have picked, take note of bye weeks...we are the secretaries. This year I'm taking a different route. I'm not involved! I actually kind of like it. We'll see how his team does this year without me!
Anyway, as I lay in my sweet bed, while my husband is sitting by his laptop on the floor with a lamp shining (PIXAR) on a bunch of ESPN magazines with more stats than you can bear, I will dream of cooler temperatures so I can wear my fabulous fall wardrobe! Goodnight!

Pictures from the wedding...

Again this is from a film camera and apparently the film was old because the quality is awful. But anyway, here you go!

Rehearsal...

Tyler and Ed after the wedding...All four of us...really bad picture...but Tyler and Lauren look great!
They are now at Southeastern. Tyler is going to seminary and she is working. We miss them!
Ed, Tyler, and some youth at the wedding...