The latest sewing attempt

So now I'm on the lookout for new things to try to sew. I love JoAnn's clearance section. No sense screwing up on the good stuff. I do love to go into the "nicer" fabric stores and dream a little...and then gag at the prices and enter back into Earth's atmosphere.

My latest endeavor was to make tote bags for the boys. My deadline was Thursday as Ryan and I are planning on going to Aleyska and Anchorage this weekend (provided Mt. Redoubt doesn't BLOW our plans...literally!). I played around with buttons and magnets, both of which I would now do a little differently, but such is how I learn. The fabric was left over from when I made some crib bedding for Logan (remember way back when Logan was a baby???...me neither).

We'll see how they hold up packing for a weekend with the grandparents. They should work alright, considering Logan is still telling me how "perfect" his backpack is. My next project? Water bottle holders for the boys...then a backpack for Carter, since he's been asking for one ever since I made Logan's. I think I'm subconsciously avoiding it; I made the mistake of letting him pick out the fabric - Smoky grey corduroy to compliment the bright yellow fabric with little green John Deere tractors on it. Lovely.

My babies are growing up

I'm gradually coming to the realization that I no longer have a baby living in my house. I frequently get comments on how tall our boys are...especially Carter. In fact, the other day, Logan asked me when Carter was going to have a booster seat like he (Logan) did. I told him not until he was too big for the seat he had and then proceeded to tell him that when Carter's head reached the top of the back of the seat he would be ready for the next booster seat. Logan then informed me that Carter's head is already at the top. Turns out the little bugger was right; we've got about an inch of clearance. I think the last time I noticed, we had a least six inches to work with. Evidently my child grew when I wasn't looking.

So, on top of Carter's apparent growth, Logan is now frequently telling us of the things he can now do because he is FIVE. At the top of the list...going to school. I won't bore you with the details of why he wasn't in preschool last semester...but he is now. He attends READS Primary school from 8-12 Monday - Thursday. So far, he's met lots of friends but only knows one by name - Gracie. So, combining that with my rediscovered love for sewing, it only made sense for mommy dearest to make his backpack.

It's definitely far from flawless, but Logan told me it was "perfect".

Ready to go.

So what's Carter been doing while his brother has been at school? Bored, mostly. I didn't realize how much they play together (or shall I say FIGHT together) until one of them is missing. I must hear "Play with me, Mommy" all day long...even when I AM playing with him!

That aside, Carter is also working at becoming a little more proficient at dressing himself...

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That's right...inside out AND backwards! (Now that takes talent!)

Whew!

As everyone else, we have had a couple of busy weeks. So now I finally have a moment to sit and update.

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Logan's birthday was filled with a small gathering (grandparents and us) before Church. Logan is VERY proud of the fact that he is now 5. According to him, he is now of legal age to make any and all decisions at our house, school, or grandma's house. Poor kid - I hope he doesn't hurt himself falling from way up there in the clouds!

Logan and Carter checking out his new train...and the slinky.

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Concentrating.

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Little brother looking on.

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Batting around the balloons from Grandma Rita.

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Carter eyeing the cake.

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Several years ago, I "taught" myself to sew (this consists of the sewing machine manual and "The Dummies Guide to Sewing"). Besides the little duffle bag I made in 8th grade Home Economics class, I've never sewn a thing. A friend helped me make some crib bedding for Logan and it looked like fun, so Ryan got me a machine for our anniversary in 2004. I sewed a few things and then starting having thread tension problems that I couldn't seem to figure out, so I packed it away. More than 4 years later, I learn that ya gotta clean the darn things! One professional cleaning and I'm back in business.

So, as long as our boys have never had a comforter on their beds and the little blankets they've used for 3 years are too small to even cover them anymore, I decided to make rag quilts for them - twin size. They were lots of fun. I had made one quilt for someone else before these, so I learned a little and each one gets a little neater. I'm afraid I still can't sew a straight seam to save my life; I think that little needle going up and down distracts me from watching the fabric!

Anyway, the boys loved their quilts, and they are no longer freezing at night (they've got the coldest room in the house!). Lots of love was put into each and every stitch that I didn't have to pull out.

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Ryan's brother Jimmy, wife Doreen and daughter Avery joined us for Christmas this year. I KNOW they appreciated the -25 degrees we had....just a mere 100 degrees cooler than Arizona.
Logan teaching Avery about the top bunk safety rules.
.Logan trying to get Avery to "pop" him with the ice cream toy.
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You should hear this little girl talk! She just turned 2 in September and she talks almost as well as Logan, knows her shapes, colors, sounds, etc...plus she's cute!
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Two days after Christmas, we had Logan's official birthday party. We decided to have his party AFTER Christmas this year so Avery would be able to come. I decided it's slightly more...chaotic...to get my house presentable after Christmas, but nobody seemed to mind.

Euan, Logan and Carter checking out one of his cards.

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Auntie Doreen guided me through the cake-making process. Logan decided he wanted a checkerboard cake...and I'm kinda glad he picked something pretty easy. My first fondant (you should check out my link to "Magees" and then follow her link to her other blog (on cake decorating) - she's made some marvelous ones!).

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So, we are now recovering from a bit of a whirlwind, but happily so. I keep waiting for life to slow down...I'm beginning to think it's not going to!

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.