On this day...

...five years ago...at 10:10 a.m. (and much to our surprise), this tiny little boy emerged into the world. He was silent initially, but has since learned to make a little noise. With no name picked out yet, we simply called him "baby." We marveled at his large hands, monkey-like toes, face that looked just like his dad and his ability to sleep with his mouth wide open like Grandma Jan.

He's changed a bit since then and now amazes us with his not-so-funny jokes, his ability to debate ANYONE and his gigantic heart that always leads him to say "I love you." We are very blessed God has given us such a marvelous little boy to raise.

Happy Birthday, Logan!

Here she is!!!

Mommy Erin managed to get a few minutes and sent us some pictures of Madyson McKenzie. We think she's precious. You can see more pictures of her if you check my link to "Martins". She resembles her big sister, but doesn't look exactly like her (or so I think).

Our new niece

I have been putting off making the post to announce our new niece because I was hoping to have pictures to put with it. As it turns out, the clan surrounding our newest family member is a bit in awe of the little papoose and haven't yet sent us a glimpse of what she looks like. However, here are her stats:

Madyson Martin
Dec. 15, 2008
1:10 p.m.
8 pounds, 10 ounces
20 inches long

She was scheduled to arrive the morning of the 16th, but decided to change her Mommy's plans for her "last day before baby arrives" and came a little early. Everyone's happy, healthy and overwhelmed (BOY, do I remember how I felt when baby #2 came along...). We hope to have pictures to share soon...

If you can read this, give thanks.

So excited to be on Santa's lap...until....

We discovered he gave us a SMALL, RED candy cane (we wanted a BIG, GREEN one!) Notice how long we tried to convince Carter to smile again...Logan's phony smile is wearing off...

Well, I managed to let an entire month go by without updating the ol' blog. I think I have pretty good excuses, but I guess I'll let you readers be the judge of that.

The boys and I flew out of Anchorage in the wee hours of Nov. 3rd for almost 3 weeks in the midwest. We rented a car and put over 1500 miles on it, visiting lots of people in Minnesota and North Dakota. It still seemed to be not nearly enough time. It definitely was NOT restful for me. I spent most nights staying up until 2:00 in the morning, visiting with people I hadn't seen in 10 years...and I wouldn't trade that for any amount of sleep! I hope it's not another 10 years before I see them again.

The boys traveled well. I purposely scheduled our flights with a layover in Seattle because there's a great play area for kids there. In fact, on our way back, our layover was such that we stayed in a hotel. We had the pool to ourselves and "Happy Feet" was playing when we got back to the room. Good times.

Eating chicken fingers on the bed with a movie...it doesn't get much better!



WEARY TRAVELERS

On top of seeing EVERYONE, I got to show the boys were my brother was buried. It took a little explaining for them to understand that Chad was buried in the ground, not the stone itself! Once they got that concept under control, my emotional first-born began to cry because he never got to meet Chad. Ah, blessings DO come in small packages...

We got back to Alaska just a few days before Thanksgiving. I was scheduled to work the 3 days before the holiday, but there were a few glitches so I only worked a few hours on Wednesday before we all went home for the day. Today was my first day back at the hospital since the shooting last week. And although there's no physical damage present anymore, there's a sadness still. Just walking through the halls brought up a lot of emotion all over again...both for the lives lost and also for the rest of us that continue to live on. As I was heading out the door, our CEO stopped me in the hallway and gave a hug. Funny how something like this makes us see our administrators as human beings rather than our bosses.

I have a course in Anchorage tomorrow, so tonight I sit alone in a bed & breakfast with nothing but time to reflect on all of the blessings in my life. Of course, there are the obvious things like family and friends, but I especially think about the little things that are so easy to forget:

1. How my kids continue to need me...even when I'm tired of being needed.

2. The amazing ability my children and husband have to tell me they love me...when I deserve it the least.

3. The three compliments I got on my haircut when I thought I was having the worst hair day in months.

4. Baby wipes...the multi purpose tool.

5. Wireless internet connection while away from home

6. the fact that my sewing machine could be fixed!!

7. clearance racks ( I LOOOVE a bargain!)

8. Hershey's Bliss (raspberry flavor)

So if you find yourself reading this, walk away from the computer and go squeeze someone you love...we never know how much time we have with them.

Did you want fries with that shake?

So I can't claim that I've become Martha Stewart since I've been home...as you can tell by the boys' purchased costumes. Thank God for ebay!

It's hard to find costumes for kids in Alaska...most of them just aren't made for wearing over snowpants and heavy winter coats. Nevertheless, there was no shortage of kids out and about in the dark at 5:30 Friday night...wearwolves with stocking caps and fairies with moon boots. It doesn't get any better than this.

Knocking on Grandpa & Grandma's door.

The boys really were excited about trick or treating this year and they picked out their own costumes off the ebay website (thanks to Mom's lack of planning ahead). We only stopped at six houses, but then went to one of the local churches that has games, etc. for the kids; they still get candy and nobody freezes. At the end of the night, the boys were trying to come down off their sugar high on the drive home when I hear a little voice from the back seat: "I just love to drink myself." (Take the costume straw out of your mouth, Logan)

Sugar + 3 hours past bedtime = 2 very dopey boys!

Drug Pushers R Us

Welcome to the Magee Pharmacy. We've actually had it much worse...when both boys had slight pneumonia, sinus & ear infections at the same time, but I had to laugh as I stacked our meds on the windowsill this afternoon.



Logan woke up yesterday and said his ear hurt, but it was long before any doctor's office was open, so we were just waiting for the rest of the world to wake up. Then, miraculously, at 9:00 a.m., he said it didn't hurt anymore...so I didn't call the doctor. Conveniently, at noon, Logan said his ear hurt again when he yawned. As it turns out, our pediatrician was out with the flu anyway, so we had to wait until today.



Then this morning, Carter wakes up with one crusty eye and Logan with two red eyes. Lovely. Poor Logan looks like he's been in a brawl, all puffy-eyed. So we call the doctor and he could squeeze us in in 45 minutes (we live 30 minutes from the pediatrician and I haven't showered yet!). So, we managed to get out the door relatively on time, only to discover there's ice on the roads (NOTE: roads have not been sanded; apparently Alaska DOT only sands the roads when it's 50 degrees out). So, late we were, but they still graciously worked us in. Turns out they both had pink eye (surprise, surprise) and Logan had an ear infection. Although it appeared to be clearing up on its own, we opted to medicate him just because we're due on an airplane in less than two weeks.



And a short 4 hours later, we arrived home, only to realize my dog didn't greet me when I walked in. Perhaps it's because I managed to forget her outside in my haste to get to the doctor. Thank God it's above freezing and the bears are in hibernation. Poor Aspen...neglected once again. Her little heart was racing and her feet were dirty, but she was fine otherwise.



So now I've got my little list of who gets what medication at what time and we're lysoling everything they touch. Of course, that's inbetween the wrestling matches to get eyedrops in their eyes...trying to keep them happy so they don't "cry out" all of the medication. Of all the things my kids have been sick with, pink eye has to be the biggest pain.

Logan had to throw in a whopper of a bloody nose at bedtime, just to finish off a dandy day.

Well, I'm off to wash pillow cases...again.

Carter's Yoga Practice

A little sleep history from our house...the boys used to fall asleep in the same room...until they stopped falling asleep in the same room.

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Then we let Carter go to sleep first, and afterwards, put Logan to bed...until Carter took 2 hours to go to sleep.

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THEN we had Carter go to sleep upstairs and Logan downstairs; once Carter was asleep, we had Logan move upstairs (or we carried him if need be).

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But, lately they've wanted to "go to sleep" at the same time. And since I don't usually have to wake them in order for me to be to work by 7:00 anymore, we decided to give it a whirl. Sometimes all goes well...but usually not. Sometimes they just chat a little....or giggle a lot...but other times they're jumping off the bed, screaming and who knows what else before we intervene! So, last night was no different and Logan had to move downstairs for a while. I knew Carter was tired, so I didn't think it would take long. As I closed the door, I heard a stubborn "I'm not going to sleep."

At about 10:00, I crept upstairs to peek on our little jumping bean and lo and behold, he had in fact succumbed to Mr. Sandman...

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Kinda looks like he was trying to sit up to resist falling asleep and either laid down...or fell and hit his head????

The Saga Continues

Need I say more?

Bring on the Snow!

Winter has officially arrived in Kenai. We got our first snowfall yesterday, though most of it melted by evening. However, we woke up to our first blanket of the white sticky stuff this morning. And boy, are the boys excited! They were ready to play outside at 7:00 this morning (I, however, was NOT).

So, I guess the countdown to June, when we will hopefully be snow-free, is on. In fact, I think the boys and I will be taking Ryan's car in to have studs put on tomorrow and then we'll walk to the library...if we make it there. I have a feeling we could be quite distracted by our first walk in the snow.

Obviously, growing up in Minnesota, I'm no stranger to snow, but the snow up here is very different. First, I never needed four-wheel drive in Minnesota. We got snow and a front-wheel drive vehicle usually got me where I needed to go. Not true here. Hence why I got a four-wheel drive vehicle shortly after getting up here. Got tired of getting stuck.

Secondly, we don't have drifts up here. Well, rarely anyway. Back home, we always had the wind that blew this fluffy stuff around and created these huge snow drifts across the roads everywhere. We see few drifts the entire winter here (which is 8 months long, remember).

I guess it's probably the wetness that makes the difference...and the fact that it's not uncommon to wake up and find 3 feet of new snow on the driveway! Thank God for our four-wheeler and plow. Otherwise, Ryan might make me start shoveling this year since I'm "not working." :)

The snow really is pretty today; I tried taking a few pictures of it falling, but they don't seem to do it justice.

Oh yeah...the best part is...I don't have to drag my babies out of their warm beds at 6:00 a.m. this winter!

Local Mama Moose watching her baby head up the hill.
Backyard at 7:20 this morning.
View from front of the house at around 8:30 this morning.

A Perfect Fall Day.

After six weeks of nearly constant rain, it has finally stopped dripping up here. I'm hopeful that the clouds got it out of their system and we'll get very little snow this winter (much to Logan's dismay; he's already excited for the snow to come).

And, it should be noted that this post is dedicated to my sister-in-law, Erin. On her blog, she commented that Alaska had no fall. NOT TRUE! Apparently, she must have blinked and missed the whole thing! Seriously, I miss the autumn of the midwest as well, but I do NOT miss the heat of the summer.

So now that it's hitting the freezing point overnight and it finally creeps up to almost 50 degrees by afternoon, we decided to head outside. Ryan wanted to get some firewood ready and he thought it would be a good idea for the boys to "help."

Logan instructing Daddy in the order that the logs should be cut...Hey, Daddy's the one that wanted the "help."

They couldn't lift the big pieces, but also weren't about to settle for the small ones (Aaaah, the ego emerges!)

Same song, second verse...a little bit louder and a little bit worse!

I give up on trying to figure out my boys and all of their "phases." Over the past month, Logan has surprised me with his maturity (less arguing, less whining, etc.). In fact, I've bragged about it at times, relieved that it's "finally over." And so, God has chosen to humble me once again. Today I dealt with absolutely the two worst tantrums I have ever seen from either of my children...and they lasted a long time! 20 minutes for the first, about 10 for the second (both courtesy of my first-born). Complete and total meltdown, kicking, screaming, banging fists on the door. In between was a day filled with crying over just about everything. I guess we're not "in the clear" just yet.

On another note, I've been failing miserably with updating our blog. Busy, busy. Here's a quick summary:

We took a quick trip up to the State Fair the last week of August. We borrowed Grandpa's camper, which means the boys were up until 11:00 p.m., just a short 4 hours past their usual bedtime! And they still woke up at 7:00. Two days of late nights and no naps, with very little meltdown moments.

Carter actually enjoyed the fair a little more this year; last year he just liked watching, but this year he wanted in on the action a little...which means the money went faster. But, they each got a certain amount of ride tickets and they seemed satisfied once they were gone. We took in a couple of shows and got to pet some baby chicks, so it was all-in-all, a fun day.

Getting dizzy.

Ferris wheel ride.

Both the boys driving. Logan was hitting on the little girl on the motorcycle next to him the whole time: My name is Logan. I'm 4. I'll be 5 on Christmas Eve. That's the day before Christmas, yunno...

Down the big slide!

Grandma Jan also came to visit the end of August. It was a fun-filled week of just hanging around the house, soaking up a bunch of time with Grandma.

Wrestling in our jammies

And, Grandma fulfilled her grandmotherly duty of giving Carter a messy toy...moon sand. For those of you that haven't tried it, you really must. It looks just like wet sand. It floats, it molds, but doesn't dry out (like our favorite play-doh). It also makes a sweet mess. On a happy note, it vacuums up easily and doesn't get ground into the chair...or carpet...or hair...or dog...or clothes...or...

Notice Carter's tongue...he's concentrating.

We were VERY excited about the mess!

A few days later, we decided to give hiking a try...with the boys. Although Ryan brought his "bear protection", we're quite sure the boys yakking at the top of their lungs scared away any wildlife within a 5-mile radius. I won't volunteer to give out my children as protection for hikers, but I'm pretty sure anyone is safe to hike with us as long as the boys are with.

At a resting spot before turning around (keep in mind, we didn't need a rest from hiking...just a rest from all of the QUESTIONS - those of you that have had a 4-year old know what I'm talking about!).

Apparently the after-hike ice cream is no laughing matter.

Ryan also decided to take Logan fishing with Grandpa. He was perfectly content on the boat, but really wasn't all that interested in the fish. How could he be? He was too busy playing "20 questions" with Grandpa about every button, nook & cranny on the boat!

So, now that I'm not scheduled to fill in at work until Thanksgiving, I'm hoping I'll be a little better about keeping things up to date on here. Then again, I got very few things checked off of my "to do" list all summer long...

Eeeewww, yuck!

The big birthday bash took place last Saturday. We had a sunny afternoon and lots of friends joined in the fun. Carter made quick work of the gift-opening and cake-eating and then all the kiddos were in the backyard to play. For those that didn't get an invitation, we had a "gross" theme this year.

Nobody lost their lunch.

Bloody fingers.

Earwax snacks.

Boogers on a stick.

The classic dirt cake with gummy worms and bugs.

A little toilet water to wash it all down.

Blowing out those big candles to make it official...CARTER IS THREE!

Our baby's three today

As of 10:07 this morning, Carter is officially 3 years old. It's funny how there are days that I feel I barely survive until bedtime...and yet three years have gone by in a blink. As I've been sorting through the boys' pictures in an attempt to get organized, I remember taking certain pictures of them, but I'm not sure I actually remember them being babies. Such is the Mommy Brain Syndrome.

Because Grandpa Jim works on the slope when we had planned Carter's birthday party, we had another birthday party on Sunday so Grandpa could celebrate too. (Tragic for Carter...two parties. Logan's already asking if he'll have two parties for his birthday!)

Two of Carter's favorite things...frosting and marshmallows...on cupcakes made to look like popcorn.

Complete with the "buttered" look.

I don't have the talent that my sister-in-law, Doreen, has when it comes to cake decorating, but they turned out pretty cute. They were a lot of work, so I'm glad I didn't decide to make 24 of them for the bigger party.

I made the mistake of asking Carter what color candles he wanted. He picked three PINK ones...Daddy threw them away afterwards so they couldn't be reused.

Helping Daddy dig out all the pieces.

Drilling with the tool set from Mommy, Daddy and Logan.

Making BEAUTIFUL, LOUD music with Grandpa and Logan.

Fair Time!

The State Fair was in Ninilchik this past weekend and we had decided we would take the boys if the weather cooperated. After raining for the first two days, the sun peeked out Saturday afternoon just as Ryan got home from work, so we decided to head down there. The boys were pretty excited to go to the "parade" (as they keep calling it), especially since that means they get to watch a movie in the car for the long ride.

The first event as we arrived were the pig races...complete with betting and interviews with the "athletes." Ryan actually turned to me at one point and said "We're skipping the Olympics for THIS??"

Next on the schedule...Dinner. Being the good parents that we are, cotton candy and pizza seemed like a good choice. Grandpa Jim was very disappointed he missed the opportunity to sugar up the boys without getting into trouble.

After checking out all the ducks, chickens, goats and cows, it was time for a horse ride. Suprisingly, even Carter wanted to go. We did talk him out of riding the big horse, though.

Both the boys got to ride "Gidget."There really aren't any rides at this fair, but there were a few other things for the boys to do. Logan seemed to think he wanted to climb the rock wall, but when we told him he could pick just one thing, he opted for the inflatable obstacle course. He does continue to tell us he'll do the rock wall when he's five.

Almost to the finish.

Waiting for Carter to get ready.
Hopping off, ready to go again!
Lastly...dessert...kettle corn he got from a cute little girl the boys were sitting by.