Happy Birthday Doodlebug!

Happy Birthday Gorgeous Girl!
Eight years ago today, you came into our lives, and we couldn't have been more excited! Your moods have always been contagious (yes, the good ones and the bad ones)! You're so smart and you've always used it to your advantage, like the time you weren't even 2 and I let you put lotion on in the morning and later that evening you came into the kitchen to tell me you could still smell your lotion. (If you hadn't forgotten to put the chair back, I would have never known you had snuck in for more!) You've always entertained us - when you were little with "The Look" and now your Mary Katherine Galligher-esque antics. Your teachers tell us every quarter how fabulous you are - helpful, courteous, caring and well-behaved. (We always wonder if we're talking about the right child when we leave there!) :) But, at the end of every day, I can always count on a hug and a kiss no matter what!
We know that some day you will be something great - once you get past the point of basing what you want to be when you grow up on what requires the least amount of schooling! We love you, little miss sunshine! You are the music in us!

Highs and Lows

I hinted, well actually lamented, a few weeks ago that we had some very exciting, and scary, things going on in our life and I'm so excited to say that I can FINALLY open my big mouth about everything! Wahoo!
Scott has been promoted to Manager at his firm that he's been with for the last four years. This would normally be very exciting news but the hard part is that with this promotion comes the fact that he'll actually be the manager of the Overland Park office. In a season of layoffs and economic uncertainty, this has been a really huge blessing and a very scary transition all at the same time. The possibilities are enormous, however, the losses will be also.
I'm a family kinda girl. I've lived in the same town my whole life. My kids were born at the hospital I was born in and their pediatrician was my pediatrician. So, you see, even though it's ONLY 60 miles away.....it's still 60 MILES AWAY! But, deep in our hearts we always kind of knew this would be where we'd end up. I keep reminding myself it could be a city away or a state like my friend, Sarah, who's entire family lives in Colorado! (Sarah, you keep me humble about complaining!) :)
Fortunately, through this entire process we've chosen to not focus on any one thing, except for God. There were so many pros and so many cons and we knew we couldn't make a decision without Him. So, once we left it up to Him, He showed us where to go. I can't count how many times we thought it wouldn't happen because of this, or that, or another thing. And, the next day that door would swing wide open.
SO, although it's going to be hard, and there are days that I'm going to be homesick and my kids will be homesick and Scott's going to be working very hard...we've chosen to do this together as a family.
I actually had questioned keeping this blog, since OBVIOUSLY, I'm not very good at keeping it up. One night, I was thinking about maybe the next day just taking it down and for some reason I thought - "No, I'm going to need it." And, here we are! You'll probably get to see how frustrating it is to pack up and move to another city for a control freak like myself. And, once we're there, it will be a great way to keep connected with our friends and family here day to day (or month to month since we all know how my blogging skills go).
So, there it is. We have a to-do list that's a mile long and many things to finish up here, but I know we'll get it done. And, according to the kids, once we get there "WOOHOO, Worlds of Fun EVERYDAY!"
Thanks for supporting us and for those of you who've had to listen to me blubber, thanks also. And, for everyone in Topeka, don't worry - I've already had Scott work gas money to drive back and forth every weekend into the budget! :)

Little Boys...

Their purpose in life is to create as MUCH havoc as they can on their mother's lives. The following is a true story and is in no way to be performed in your own home without supervision:

I'm talking to my friend, Jolene, on the phone and my mother's instinct perks up. Or, maybe it was the sound of the buttons on the microwave...Anyway, I jump up to go check out the situation just in time to see blue sparks emitting from my microwave. Of course, I shriek, right into the ear of poor Jolene and run to open the microwave and remove the offending piece.

Which, happens to be Aidan's METAL THERMOS for his lunch box. And, to think, I stopped it with only 52 minutes and 5 seconds to go. LORD HAVE MERCY!

I explained to my giggling tyrants that under no circumstance should metal ever be placed in the microwave EVER again....all the while, Jolene is giggling at me in the background....And, from now on all items being placed in the microwave must be approved by me. Darby looks at me and says "But, is Aidan's THERMOSTAT ruined?"

Nope, but I think the microwave's is.........

If You Happen To Be Home Watching T.V.

The Titanic is on TNT. Watch for my Aunt Nikki. I think she went by the name "Rose" back in those days.

Darn her for throwing that necklace in the water!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School

Every Thursday (like clockwork) we climb into the van to go to school and Darby screams "My library books!" And, every Thursday I shut the van off, go inside, dig around the laundry and retrieve the library books. Well, today was no different, as you can guess.
I bring the books out and hand them to Darby and Aidan says "Oh, the boat book. I really, really love that boat book." Darby informs him that it is NOT a boat book, it's a very important book about the Titanic and he does not know what he's talking about. She then goes into the story of the Titanic, because she actually read her library books this week, and I'm having to help her with Aidan's questions (like "What the heck's an iceberg?").
She gets to the part about people dying from drowning and freezing and that some people still lived even though they had to swim in the very coldest water you could ever imagine. And, she informs Aidan that it was a long, long, long time ago "even before Grandma Keri's mother was born". Aidan asked her who WAS alive when it happened and Darby tells him "Um, God."

Aidan says "Ooh, Ooh, I know who was......Aunt Nikki!"

So, Nikki, was the water really that cold?

Did You See My Face on the Side of a Milk Carton?

Hello all. It's been awhile. My mother has resorted to checking my friends' blogs to see what's going on in our lives. Or at least pictures of her grandkids.

I'm recovering from a little surgery I had 12 days ago. (But, who's counting....) Slowly, very slowly, I'm starting to feel a little normal again...whatever that means. :)

I'm hoping that tomorrow I can get some pictures up on here. My camera is such a piece of junk and, oh yeah, so's the computer. So, the effort just hasn't been worth it but I feel bad for my children's grandparents so I'll put some on here to ease my guilt!

I just wanted to share these two funny little stories because they are so typical of every day here at the Martin house...

Story #1 - Darby and I were going through her closet on Monday weeding out all of the shirts that fit like they were glued to her body and pants that were screaming "We're waiting for the flood, y'all!" It's been a LOOOOONG time since I've done this and my kids' closets were not equipped to deal with fall weather. So, I'm digging through the closet and Darby's trying things on and I hear her say behind me "You know, Mom, I really don't like these turtle-lips. They're not very comfortable." As soon as I turn around she looks me dead straight in the eye and says "I said turtlenecks, I did, I really did. Turtlenecks." Yeah, uh huh.

Story #2 - Aidan is REALLY, and I mean REALLY, into sounding out words, asking us to spell stuff, spelling things to us. He's a never-ending walking dictionary these days. Today, he comes running into the living room and says "Mom, guess what!! I can spell something all on my OWN!" Of course, I'm waiting with baited breath, ready to be so proud of all the hard work I've put into making him a little genius and he says "I can spell ok. O---K! Woo Hoo!!" I'm so proud. Can anyone say "gifted"!?