LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW!

We got an opportunity to go out in the snow tonight! It has snowed 3 times this month and this is the first opportunity we got to go play. It was so much fun to see Maggie's reaction. Take a look for yourself!

Maggie was puzzled at first. She didn't know what to do.


Starting to warm up a little bit.


She wouldn't put her feet on the grass. She only wanted to stand on the patio.


Finally making it into the grass. We had to put her there, but she did it.


Maggie loved the snow so much she didn't want to come in. We were all wet, so it was time. She through herself on the floor and had a fit. It was funny to watch.

BUSY LAST FEW DAYS

Wow, I can't believe this week has already started to fly by. I am in denial about it. I am really not ready to head back to work. This time last year I was having to really get mentally ready and leave a baby behind. I guess this year it will be much easier. I am very blessed to be a teacher and have this time off. It really stinks that I get so use to being at home and enjoying my fun little girl. Then, I have to head back to work. I guess it is better for me and for her that I head back. She is tired of running around with me, and my wallet is really taking a hit.

The last few days Maggie and I have gotten a lot done. We hit the mall yesterday and returned a few things, ate lunch at the food court, went to Hobby Lobby for all of the big after Christmas sales, and made our way to the store. We had a lot of fun. So much fun, Maggie choose not to take her afternoon nap. Poor Mommy!!!!

We went to our friends house for pizza and play time later that evening. We go to Jenny and Justin's at least once a week or they come to our house. For the first time we really got to laugh and have a good time. Maggie and Will discovered each other. It was so much fun to watch them interact. We got a new camera as well, so here are a few pictures from our new camera. We still have a lot to learn about it.

Maggie and Will kept putting their hands in each others mouths.


Playing with Will's new Alphabet train.


Today, we ventured to Chick Fl'A with our friends, Target, and to Aunt Amy's house. We got a lot done on our shopping list and made it out with another Christmas present for Maggie. This girl really has so much. I am just at a loss for what to do with it all. We ended on a good note today with Maggie taking a nice 2 hour nap! I was very excited we got both in today. I got a lot done. I even cleaned out the fridge and scrubbed it! (Crazy, I know.)

We ended the night with some snow. It was nice to have a chance to play in it!

LET THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES BEGIN!!!!

We began our Christmas festivities in Houston celebrating with Jack's family. We go to the Children's mass at church, come home and enjoy a nice meal, and then finally get into the gifts. Because 4:00 is a popular time for church we have to leave an hour early to get there. For the most part Maggie did a great job sitting for over 2 and a half hours. I was amazed at how well she did. Yes, we did have to leave a few times, but overall she did great. It was fun having her be around all of her cousins. Everyone looked so cute. Caroline and Kate had pretty matching outfits, and Max looked sharp.

We ate a yummy spaghetti supper and then it was time. Yes, time to hit the gifts. Jack's family did an amazing job getting gifts for Maggie. Everything really fits her well. She got lots of blocks, a sand and water table, a baby doll and a tub of Lego's. I know she is so excited to play with everything! Overall, we had a great visit. Maggie was asleep for the end of the night visit, but it was so fun watching everyone enjoy all of their gifts. We had such a great time.

Here is Nana getting ready to open her IPOD Touch! She was really excited about it!


Here is Jack, Maggie and I enjoying our 2nd Christmas together!


We woke up early Christmas morning ready to drive back to Dallas. We ended up staying a little longer in Houston not sure of the road situation. It never snowed or iced in Houston, so we were not sure what we would drive home into. We ate our breakfast and finally said our good byes. We made our way home with very little traffic and no ice at all. Had we not gotten home to see snow at our house and ice in our driveway I wouldn't have believed the weather reports! It was very pretty.

We headed out to round two of Christmas. We spent this part with my dad's side of the family. It was lots of fun, but Maggie was miserable. She hadn't pooped in over 48 hours, so her belly really hurt. We were on a mission to make her feel better. After a few hours we finally were starting to get somewhere. It has taken a few days after Christmas, but we are finally back to our normal self again.

So Christmas at my dads house consist of hanging out, opening kids gifts, a visit from Santa, eating lots of food, and a White Elephant gift exchange.

Here is a picture of all of the Cousins when Santa comes to visit. Take a look at the kid who is so unhappy! Yes, that is Maggie!!! She officially doesn't like Santa.


Here is our annual group shot. We have one from Jack's family as well, but I don't have that copy on my camera.


Here is a little picture of our White Elephant gift exchange. I made out with a signed copy of the Glee CD! I am so excited.



We didn't do "Santa" gifts for Maggie this year. With traveling it was to hard to put it all in the car and tote it with us. We did get her a phone, a purse, and a car! She is already growing up! She sounds as if she is 16 this year with her gifts! I will have to post pictures, but she already chats on the phone and won't get out of her car. It is so fun to watch. I just can't wait for future Christmas's when she really starts to understand what is happening.


On Saturday my mom came over and we continued to celebrate. We went and saw It's Complicated (best movie ever,) had lunch, and opened up more gifts. My mom did a great job in really getting gifts for Maggie. I just can't believe everything that she got.

Overall, Christmas was a success. We had lots of fun. I just can't wait to see my little over the next few years enjoy Christmas! I hope everyone had as much fun if not more than we did!

Merry Christmas!!!

DAY 2 AND 3 OF MOM'S BREAK

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty productive days. Maggie and I met up with some old school friends and had a yummy lunch. Maggie did very well through lunch, then a bunch of errands. We came home Tuesday after8 we were done all prepared to take a nap, and the poop fairy struck. Needless to say, no nap was in her future. She did great though, and really didn't make a fuss. I just hope we are not getting off of the two nap schedule. I want to hold on to that as long as I can!!! Wishful thinking I know.

Wednesday brought about a new day. Daddy was off, and I was off to celebrate my brothers birthday. As many of you know I lost my brother in April of 2006. It was a very tragic dirt bike accident and things just haven't been the same. Allen was a very successful landscaper known around this area and he left behind two little boys, a wife, and a very sad family. It is really hard to believe that it has been 3 years and that we would have celebrated his 37 birthday. Instead, we celebrated sitting at his grave and telling stories about him. Everyday my heart hurts more and more. I don't know if it is that I am scared of death, or that I am sad that we don't know his little boys. Drake and Dirk are two special little kids who have grown into kids that I don't know. Now, I am partly at fault for that, but there is another big obstacle that stands in the way. I just hope for life's sake, we can some how work it out and really start to get to know Drake and Dirk. Seeing them on Christmas day just made my heart melt. They are big, rough little boys, and very sweet. Any how, it was a nice day with my two sisters as we sat and laughed and cried. Allen will forever be that brother that always got us into some kind of trouble. I will for now hold onto the memories that he left me with. I will also hold on to the glass shelves that he gave me for my 28 birthday. (Weird present, I know!) Any how, Happy Birthday Allen! You will forever be in our hearts and our minds. We love you!!!

Allen and Aly -

Drake and Dirk - Christmas 09


After my sisters and I finished up visiting Allen, Jack, Maggie and I headed out the door for Houston. It was a very rough trip. Lets just say it stormed from the time we hit Corsicanna to the time we hit Huntsville. Jack did an amazing job driving, and we made it to Houston safely to start our Christmas festivities.

DAY 1 OF MOMMY'S BREAK!

Maggie went to have her picture made with Santa tonight. Let’s just say she was not a fan of Santa. We did our annual cousin picture, and then I was going to have Maggie by herself. After the traumatic experience of the cousin picture, I wasn’t even going to try an individual picture. In Maggie’s defense, we had met my friends in South Lake today to do a little shopping. She only had two 30 minute naps. I am going to go with that is why she didn’t do so well. Anyhow, I think the picture turned out okay. We took a ton, so this is the better of the four. We have lots to do this week, and can’t wait to celebrate Maggie’s 2nd Christmas! Happy Holidays!

HAPPY BIRTH WEEK TO MY LITTLE GIRL!!!

A year ago we we welcomed our little girl Margaret Elain Martin into the world at 7lbs 14oz. Today, she weights 21lbs. It is crazy to believe what a difference a year can make. Jack and I have been very blessed to enjoy this past year, and have loved watching Maggie grow up. I remember thinking how crazy it was to start this new journey, and now we have come so far. We can't wait to enjoy the next year and see what it has to offer to us.





We kicked off Maggie's birth week with her birthday party. After many hours of coming up with themes and making a plan, we decided on a Halloween theme. It was a great time had by all. Maggie got a special outfit made and all of her friends and family wore their costumes. It was so fun watching all of the kids play.


Uncle Thomas and Aunt Amy brought a bounce house for us to use. It made things so fun. This was Maggie's second time in the bounce house, and she loved it. It was the true hit of the party.


Maggie was very lucky to have so many friends and family come. She was so excited by all of the gifts that she got. She crawled right in the middle of them, and was ready to open them. In the end her favorite toy was the box that a vacuum came in. She cried and through a fit when I took it away from her. The vacuum was a big hit with the others.


Doing a Halloween theme was a lot of fun. We had spider cupcakes, and a spiderweb cake. Maggie was not a big fan of the cake. In her true Diva fashion, the icing made her hands messy, and she was not a big fan. She did love the ice cream she had later. Maggie has had cake before, so I don't know why she didn't enjoy it.


The day was done around 8:30. Maggie was very tired and sad to see everyone leave. She had a blast, and is ready for her next big party!


Maggie's birthday was on Thursday. Mommy was very lucky to get to take the day off and enjoy it with her. We went to the Dr. and spent a long time there. She got 4 shots, and was not to happy about it. It is just plain torture. I was not good about bringing my camera, so we only have pictures of the night. We went and got a bbq dinner, where Maggie had ham, green beans, Mac and Cheese, and some ice cream. She really loved it, and had a great time celebrating.



Maggie went to her 1st Halloween party at my sisters house this weekend. Daddy dressed up as Billy Mays, Maggie was a lady bug, and mommy was a black widow spider. It was a lot of fun, and daddy's costume was so good we won $100. Way to go daddy! (Note: Not the best picture of mommy, but a good pic of daddy and Mags.)


So to continue on our week of 1st - We got our first "real" haircut. No, daddy did not do it this time. My baby was lucky to get a hair cut by a professional. She did a great job. Maggie did move around a lot, so daddy had to hold her head, but overall she did a great job. She was not excited about getting out of the car. She screamed so loud when it was over. It is good to know she can do it though.


We also turned her car seat around to face the front. It was her 1st time in the car like that. She loved it. We hardly had any screams from her. It was amazing to see how well she did. She smiled, and just had a good time.


To wrap up our birth week, we ended the evening with our friends coming over for dinner. Maggie and her boyfriend Will got dressed up and had such a fun time. They really do have a blast together.



We really had a busy, and fun week. I have loved all the memories that we have made in just one weeks time. Maggie really has blessed our lives with so much. She is a beautiful and fun baby. Thanks to everyone who have helped us along the way. The first year was such a success, that the next will be even better!

BUSY OCTOBER

We have had a very busy October. Things just seem to be going so fast. This past weekend we didn't do a whole lot. Saturday we managed to make it out to my nephews football game, and lunch with my dad. Then, daddy decided to try to make chicken fried steak for dinner. It was a great meal. On Sunday, my mom helped us clean and watch Maggie. Then we met up with our friends at the pumpkin patch. Maggie didn't take a very good nap so I was worried. She is such an outdoor baby. She did great! Here are some pictures of our fun time. This weekend we are preparing for our big birthday party! Stay posted for some pics of that great adventure! We hope everyone is doing well.

Maggie and her boyfriend Will. They really had a great time digging and playing in the dirt.


We went on a hayride. Maggie really had a fun time. She just loved the wind blowing through her hair!


A fun family photo.


Here is Jenny and Will, Maggie and I, and Stacy and Michael. Stacy is expecting little Jonathan any day now. She was a trooper for hanging out with us.


We had a great day with our friends. I can't wait to do it again next year.

AND THE WINNER IS....

We have officially sent out the winning invitation for Maggie's first birthday party. I can't believe that my baby is almost a year old. It seems as if just yesterday she was born. I remember this time last year sitting and waiting for the big day to arrive. I didn't have anything planned, so I didn't know when the date would come. I do remember all the anticipation of getting ready. Now, I have all the anticipation of getting ready for a party. I am very excited about it and feel it will be lots of fun. I can't wait to celebrate something so special. Take a look at the invite below. The first picture is of the day we left the hospital. She was dressed as a witch. Someone had the nerve to call her a boy. Can you believe it? She doesn't look like a boy. The second picture is of Maggie in her Halloween costume. She didn't like the hood part to much. I got about 3 pics out of her before we went into meltdown mode. The last pic is of her in her Halloween outfit. She loved it, but didn't like the bow. Oh well. We got some good pics, a fab. invite, and a great party planned. I am so excited, and can't wait.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE

 

Get a good look at my sweet little girl. Can you tell whose child she is? Does she look like me, or her daddy? Does she look like she has been tortured? Does she look like she is sitting in the rain? Well, she is a spitting image of her father. She is done having her picture taken for the 100th time. And yes, she is sitting in the rain. For the most part she was a trooper, but I can tell she was over the whole experience. What happened to my sweet little girl that would smile for the camera or just have a good time? She has gotten a little sassy and over the whole camera thing. I guess that is just part of growing up. Maggie has also gotten over the whole baby food thing. We have been trying to give her big people food, but with two teeth, we can’t do much. She ate green beans, strawberries, and a piece of whole wheat bread last night. She did great. Tonight, daddy had to trick her to get her baby food down. Life as I know it is forever changing. We love it though and we love her! For now, we enjoy the wonderful times that we get. She is the best little baby in the world.

SPLISH SPLASH, MAGGIE LOVES TO TAKE A BATH

Here are some recent pics of Maggie enjoying the bath. They just happen to be with her two best friends. I promise I will post some of her by herself to show that we take a bath by ourselves on most nights and have fun doing it. For now check out Michael, Maggie and Will as they play in the bath.

Below is Maggie, Micheal and Will playing in the bath one Saturday night. They just laughed and played. Michael was really concerned with Maggie's privates and why they were different. It was not a conversation we were ready to explore!


This past weekend we went to the Lake with our friends Jenny and Justin. While Jack and I went to a wedding, they were kind enough to watch Maggie. When we got home we took a bath. We got the bath all set up and ready and wanted to take pictures, Jenny and I both got up to leave the room for a brief second and then we realized that we shouldn't leave the kids like this. They didn't seem to mind.


Maggie and Will love to share their toys! Well, sometimes. Maggie will sometimes get selfish and try to take a toy away from Will. He just fights back. It is lots of fun to watch. Here they are in the bath fighting for a toy.


Every night we just have so much fun. Mom usually ends up very wet, and Maggie has lots of fun. I love it!

WHEN TO REMOVE THE BUMPERS...

Okay, to all of my friends out there with kids. When do you remove the bumpers? I have caught Maggie several times now undoing the bows on her bumpers and trying to remove them. Is that a sign that they need to go? I am just worried about her hands or feet getting caught. Is that stupid? Let me know what you think.

On to our weekend. We had a very relaxing and fun weekend. Friday night we went out to dinner with some friends, and then watched the Hangover. Great movie. We then slept in a little on Saturday and headed out to watch my nephews first football game. It was lots of fun watching him tackle so much. He did a great job. We headed home and tried to get Maggie to nap, but she wasn't having it. We stayed in on Saturday night and just hung out. It was a nice quiet evening. Sunday we got up and cleaned house, mowed the lawn, cooked dinner for some friends and watched Big Brother. I love that show! Today we hung out at the house, waited for Maggie to poop, Jack washed the cars, waited for Maggie to poop, headed to the lake, waited for Maggie to poop (are you getting the picture?) My little pooper hasn't pooped at all today. We are in for a big one tomorrow, (or my sister is!) Any how, we had a fun day at the lake. Maggie didn't nap, but she did a beautiful job. We are all tired now and heading up to bed. I love spending time with my family. I look forward to a wonderful relaxing weekend again soon!

TO HAIR CUT OR NOT TO HAIR CUT

As many of you know a few weeks ago we tried to cut Maggie's hair. The image below is a before picture of her hair. The image after that is an after picture. (Note - Jack was the one that did the cutting on one side. I took over after and trimmed the other side.)





Any how, her hair is really starting to grow out. It is getting long and feathering on the sides. When Jack took her to her Dr's appt. last week the guy taking her blood kept calling her a boy. Clearly she was wearing pink, but he just kept telling Jack it must be the hair cut. First of all, the nerve of that guy for saying anything. The more I look at her with no clothes on the more I see where he was coming from. Now, I know my baby is a beautiful little girl, but right now her hair is getting a little out of control. Is it to early to take her? Where do you take her? Will she sit still? These are all the things that stop me. Help, what do you think?

PHOTO UPLOAD

We have been so busy, so I am just going to let the pictures tell all.

Here is a picture of my baby girl acting all "crazy eyed!"


I had to go on a retreat for work, so Maggie and Daddy spent the day together. He was so good and took her to the park. They took lots of pictures, but this was the funniest. She is eating the swing!


That same weekend we left and went to Houston. We got to spend lots of time with our cousins. Here is Kate, Caroline, and Maggie with Nana. They had so much fun together.


This was the best picture ever. Nana would always send Caroline to go look for the birds. Maggie followed her one time, and went with her.


We have promised my nieces a sleep-over. We took Maddy and Aly to Chick-Fl-A and then bowling. We had so much fun. The girls did a great job. They were such a big help in watching Maggie the next day as well.


Here is a picture of my two best friends. Brody turned one on Aug. 6, so they flew back from San Fran to celebrate. We had a day of swimming, eating cake, and then a nice night out at dinner. Here is our final good bye before they officially take off to San Fran. We can't wait to see them again.


Last Sunday we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday. We went to the lake and Maggie slept for an hour and a half in the water. Here is her after her peacful time. She was up and ready to go!


We finished up the birthday celebration on Monday night. We had dinner at my sisters house and then enjoyed ice cream sundays! It was a great birthday for my dad!


Maggie and I have had a very busy summer. I am very sad that is is coming to an end. We have become very close. I can only wait until I have a day off to spend with her. I am now getting ready for her 1st birthday. If you are creative and would like to give me ideas for a Halloween theme plase send them my way. Enjoy our pictures!

SUMMER LOVIN

Maggie and her boyfriend Will. They have become fast friends this summer. It has been so fun! We can't wait for the future.

Maggie and Will playing together. We go back and forth between houses. It is so much fun. Wish we would have had a video camera some of these times!




Will and Maggie asleep after one of our ventures out! They are the best car riders!