"Better Than A Hallelujah"

As most of you know, Joseph has been out of town for the past 5 weeks straight. He comes home on Friday, but has to work in the office on Saturday, leaving our only full day with him on Sunday. Well, we are almost done. I wish I could say I gracefully breezed through these weeks with ease of being mommy and daddy all day and all night, but I didn't. As I was driving home from dropping Winston off at school, a song began to play, and it has instantly become one of my favorites. Of course, Amy Grant singing makes it even better. Naturally, my eyes filled with tears as I felt like God told the songwriter to write the first line of song just for me (especially since Sam has been teething and suffered his first ear infection). The chorus is such beautiful truth. I was also immediately reminded of a dear friend who is dealing with infertility, and how our Father is listening to her sweet "melodies". Even if you aren't in a hard spot right now, the chorus is a truth we can rejoice in in anticipation of those hard times that will come. Well, here are the lyrics and a link of Amy Grant performing.

Amy Grant Performance

God loves a lullaby
In a mothers tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves the drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out, singing out

Buddies

I just had to share this picture with everyone. It is Sam and his friend Miller (they are almost exactly 2 months apart). For those who don't know, Miller is the son of our friends, Bryant and Whitney who live in Guntersville. Whitney and Miller came to town last Friday to celebrate our friend, Maggee's, birthday at the Cheesecake Factory. I loved seeing everyone, and sweet Miller made me giggle. His cheeks are the squishiest little things, I wanted to kiss them off his face. Sam thought it was neat to have someone his size around. It was such a fun visit...wish it could've been longer :) Whitney, I hope you don't mind me "stealing" this picture from your blog; it was just too precious not to share!!

Military Wife???

Just in case you don't already know, it is busy season for Joseph. I am truly thankful for his solid job, and the fact that they are busy. However, it is really tough to be mommy and daddy during the week, every week. I know that it will end soon and Joseph will be able to relax and be home lots more, but some days it feels like it's never going to end. On two separate occasions, I have had friends tell me that I am kind of like a military wife, whose husband is gone for a few months at a time. I can definitely sympathize with them when you feel the weight of ALL the responsiblity, but I certainly don't have it as bad as those dear women. At least my husband is at a bank somewhere in rural AL, while their husbands are putting themselves in harm's way for our freedom. I would like to thank them for that!

Anyway, I came across a verse earlier this week that brought tears to my eyes because of its sweet promise. I recite it daily, multiple times when I feel my weak flesh wanting to just curl up and cry with defeat. The love and support from my Father is all I need to get through each day, regardless of how obedient Winston is, or how bad Sam's teeth are hurting him. Thank you, Lord, for holding my hand and loving me!

For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I will help you". Isaiah 41:13

Mele Kalikimaka

Can you believe it?! I am doing two posts back-to-back!!! I am finally getting around to putting up Hawaii pictures, and I apologize that they are in reverse order (so start at the bottom, and work back to the top). The first picture (from bottom)is the day before we left, it snowed here...crazy to know that just a day later we landed in 80 degree weather in paradise. We had and intersting time getting there since our first plane out of Birmingham was delayed an hour. We ran through the DFW airport like the cast of "Home Alone", only we didn't make it. The sweet ladies booked us on the next flight which we then had to run again through LAX. Thankfully, they basically held the plane for us. We were exhausted and excited once we landed in Kauai at 9 pm (Hawaii time). Since it was dark when we got to our room we were thrilled the morning to wake up to the beautiful view awaiting us (picture 2 -from bottom). What a special time with my Pun! Most of it was spent being lazy and lounging by the pool and beach. We rented a Jeep (which was lots of fun) and drove as far north on the island as we could (the surf was pretty high 20ft. waves - on Oahu the surf at North Shore was 50 ft!). The next morning we ventured to the southern part of the island. It was like the Hawaii you see in post cards...we even saw some huge sea turtles swimming in the water, but they didn't really show up in the pictures. We enjoyed lots of yummy Hawaiian cuisine, especially a hole-in-wall place close to the Kilouea lighthouse. It was so small, there wasn't even a bathroom...delicious fish wraps though! It was so nice to get away, just the 2 of us, before this crazy busy season got started. A HUGE "thank you" to my sweet parents who kept our precious boys while we were gone. I think they were just as content playing with the boys as they would've been in Hawaii. Winston still talks about the things they did when he was in "Thelusia". Thanks to all who prayed for our saftey, and for us being away from our boys (I only cried on the way to the airport). And, Mahalo Wheel of Fortune!!!






Joseph's working on getting this as a new client :)

A Glimpse of Our Fall

Winston and his friends, Ellie and Thompson, at the "pumpkin patch" (minus the pumpkins)

Sam is pumped about being a lobster


Sam's baptism 11.15.09


Breakfast with Aubie!!!

It was WHAT?!?

Hello all. I have a lot to post (Halloween, Sam's Baptism, Hawaii, Christmas, etc.), but I will start with the eventful last couple of weeks we had. It all started the day we came home from Andalusia for Christmas (Sunday). Winston had a fever and threw up for real for the first time. He was very freaked out about it and asked what it was. After I explained as best I could, I told him to hold a bowl in case more needed to come up. He sadly exclaimed, "I don't want more to come!". Anyway, after a few more times, he was done, however, his fever spiked that night to 103 then dropped and lingered for a few days. I called the doctor, and the nurse said it sounded like he had a virus, and it was probably on its way out. Good...I didn't want to have to drag Sam along to the doctor and risk him getting sick too. The rest of that week and the next he seemed normal. Well, Friday afternoon after his nap he woke up walking a little funny, and I just thought he slept on his leg wrong - no big deal. He did the same thing the next morning, but still jumped and ran around like normal, until...he woke from his nap Saturday afternoon and said it hurt to stand up, and refused to walk. Well, after the Tylenol kicked in, he was walking very stiff, so I did what any calm mother would do...I called Dr. Bomp (Ben Compton) on the verge of tears and asked him to come over. He concluded that he probably had dome sort of virus that settled in his joints, and would go away eventually. On the way home from church Sunday morning, he cried out that his hand hurt. Same ordeal, it was stiff the rest of the day, and he couldn't use it that well. WHAT?! I definitely had a break-down at this point, but tried not to let my mind wander off to all the serious things that could be doing this.

I called the doctor first thing Monday morning, and we scheduled an appointment for that afternoon. Side note: Winston is never sick, so he is very anxious about going to the doctor. He heard me call them, and when I got off the phone he asked, "Are they going to check Sam?" I told him it was his turn, but that no shots would be involved. Therefore, he all day to build up his anxiety even more. Thankfully, Joseph was in the office that week, so he came to keep Sam while I took Winston. As soon as they called him back, he started crying and screaming "Nooooo!". After Dr. Amason listened to me explain things, and did an exam (while Winston kicked and cried) he wanted us to walk down the hall so he could observe his walk. He told me it was definitely something viral, and not something more serious like Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Anyway, he orderd a throat swab and blood test. (I thought he was crazy for the throat swab) Sure enough, he had strep. Since it was prolonged it made my baby temporarily crippled. WHO KNEW?!

Anyway, he has now been on the antibiotic for a week and is back to his old self...running, jumping, climbing, tackling. I never knew how glad I would be for him to do those things again. FYI...all the while, he never once mentioned his throat hurting...CRAZY, I know.

Sorry for the long post, I will be doing some pictures soon, I promise.

Catching Up...

Well, I have a lot I want to catch up on, but I think I will start with this past weekend. Last Thursday was my 28th birthday! I really can't believe I am pushing the big 3-0. I mean, am I even mature enough to be 30?! Anyway, Kendall just happened to be coming to town for her doctor appointment, so she, Katie, Maggee and me went to lunch (Winston, Sam, and Campbell came too, of course). It was such a fun time of fellowship, and break from our usual routine. Thanks girls for making me feel special. On Friday night the girls all went out for a time of celebrating the upcoming arrival of Hunter and Hays Ainsworth!!! We had such a fun time all being together. It has been a while since every one of us was able to come to a gathering, so that made it even more fun. I tell you it is so exciting to celebrate these two miracles we all prayed so hard for, and continue to do so. I just love my sweet friends. I honestly used to pray daily that the Lord would give me sweet, trustworthy friends, and He heard my prayer and answered it far beyond I ever could have imagined.

As a side note, Sam went for his 4 month check-up earlier this month and is weighing in at 15 lbs. 14oz (75%) and 26 inches long (95%). He is such a sweet, sweet baby. We are slowly getting his afternoon nap time on track. Thankfully he sleeps like a champ at night, so who can complain? Winston is just as energetic, talkative, and fun as ever! I don't know what I would do without my little helper/shadow. I asked Joseph the other day if it is weird that next to him, Winston is my "best friend" since I spend every day with him, and he loves me no matter what. I wish I could just record everything he says so everyone would hear the things he shares with us. So precious! Every morning he asks "Whatchoo want for breakfast, Mommy?". He also loves to sing ("God is So Good", the alphabet, "Jesus Loves Me", and "Veggie Tales" theme song are his favorites), and he can spell his name "W-I-N-S-T-O-N, Winston". Maybe in another post I will tell you all about his imagination...it amazes me daily the things he comes up with, and they make since :)

"Auburn Meter Seed"

...yes, that is Auburn University. Each day I am even more amazed at Winston's vast vocabulary, and just how easily he picks up on things. What's even scarier is his memory. I can't tell you how many times he has brought up something that happened weeks, months, even a year ago!! I am just in awe. Anyway, he has an Auburn video and this morning he woke up and said "Auburn Meter Seed". It took me a second to sound it out and say it a few times before I figured out what he was saying. Joseph just looked at us and smiled as if he was proud he was saying it, and maybe equally glad I was able to translate. One of my favorite parts of being a mommy is to listen to Winston talk all day, whether to me, himself, or his toys. Love you Winston boy, and Sam, I can't wait until you are talking too.

Samuel Wright Martin

Samuel Wright Martin
June 4, 2009 8:18 pm
7 lbs. 6 oz.
20 1/2 in. long

>




Well, we are back-tracking a little, but I wanted to make an official post about our newest addition. Sam's labor/delivery was a completely different experience than Winston's. He surprised us and all the nurses and doctor by being born just 45 minutes after we arrived at the hospital! In case you are counting, yes, that means we didn't have time for the epidural!!! Here's the quick version...All through the night on Wednesday (june 3) I contracted, but they were never consistently spaced. Once I got up for the day on Thursday (june 4), they seemed to subside a little so I got some things done. Katie and Campbell and Winston and me went for a walk around mid-morning (I wanted to get things started back up so we could just "get the show on the road"). Anyway, we had a fun lunch together and Winston and I went back home for his nap. Thursdays are pool days for the girls in my Sunday School class so we planned to go. Over the course of Winston's nap, the contractions returned a little more intense and consistent, but I still didn't feel an extreme urgency. However, I knew if I went into the hospital they would probably keep me. Needless to say, I wasn't real sure I still wanted to go to the pool, but not wanting to disappoint my sweet boy, we went. I just thought I would rather be in the pool with friends and hurting than sitting at home by myself. We came home from the pool around 5:30 and that's when things started to shift to a higher gear. I took a long, hot shower, and told Joseph to pack some things for him for the hospital (I just thought we would head in-still not rushing-that evening so I could get some drugs that would make the pain stop!). Anyway, by the time I was out of the shower, I changed my mind. I told Joseph to get in touch with Paul so he could come watch Winston until his or my parents got here. At this point I was not even able to talk through the contractions. I was just trying to get through each one (i think they were 3-5 minutes apart). Well, the ride to the hospital was the worst part (no way to "get comfortable"). We arrived around 7:30 pm. They were ready for us and the first thing I said when I saw the nurse in the hallway was, "I NEED and epidural!". She calmly expleained that there were a few steps to do before I could get it (which I knew). I was checked and was 6 cm dialated. I quickly double-checked about getting that epidural, and she looked at the other nurse standing there and said, "We are going to hurry". The doctor came in and checked me again and I was 6 cm with my water about to break. THey were drawing blood and waiting for a whole bag of IV fluid to go in me before I could get the epidural. They all kept looking at each other like I wasn't going to make it, so I kept asking about the possibility of the epidural (in between contractions). Five minutes after the dr. initially checked me I mentioned feeling more pressure so she checked me again and I was 9 cm!!!! I quickly made one last plea for the epidural and when they went into delivery-mode (gowns, masks, etc.) I just gave up. However, I then panicked a little since I didn't prepare for this. I just assumed I would get the magic shot and go through it all pain-free. Not so much. After more preparation, a few pushes, and 15 minutes, Sam was here. Thankfully a whole pound less than Winston. In hind sight, the recovery was better without the drugs. If I knew my next would go that fast, I would consider doing it "natural" again. So here are a few pics from Sam's first few days: the third picture is Winston's first encounter with Sam, the fourth is our first new family photo, and the last is with cousin William.

Mother of Two

Hello all! Okay, so now that I am officially the worst blogger in the history of blogging, I think I will make a few posts. I have been a little busy the past 7 weeks since Sam's arrival. Samuel Wright Martin was born on June 4, at 8:18 pm weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long (it was a crazy night...look for the story on the next posting). It has been a pretty smooth adjustment to having two kids. Winston has done so well (with the exception of a few moments) and I envy his energy. The hardest thing to get used to has been the part where I don't get as much done during the day, whether it's errands or cleaning or even a shower. I know this will get better soon. The biggest accomplishment has been that Sam is already sleeping through the night!!!! He eats around 10-10:30 pm and I wake him at 6 am to eat!! He started that about 2 weeks ago. I sometimes get overwhelmed by all the things to do and responsibilities and the lack of time to do them all, but then I look at my precious baby's face as he smiles innocently at me, or I hear my 2 year old say "You know what Mommy?...I love you so much!", and it is all worth it. God is so good to have given me a loving husband who steps in to help with whatever, whenever, and two precious boys! I just want to leave you with the words from a song that probably all of you know, but these days we sing it a lot around here, and our pastor last Sunday repeated throughout the sermon...

Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.

Hi, I'm a big brother.

Sam came to hang out on June 4th. It appears he'll be staying a while. That's ok though, I think I love him.

Big Boy Bed!!!

Well, this morning I was half asleep when I heard one of the most dreaded sounds you can hear as a mom -- the sound of a loud thud followed by Winston crying. Yes, he had climbed up and fallen out of his crib. He is fine, and I am fine, other than being thrust into getting the guest room in order for him to sleep there. We took a trip to Target to get the bedding I had picked out previously, and I have cleaned out most things other than furniture so he can't get a hold on anything he shouldn't. We washed his new ABC sheets and Thomas pillowcase for it to be ready in time for his nap. All that being said, it's been 30 minutes and he still hasn't cried or made a noise!!! What an answer to prayer. However, I am still cautious about how tonight will go. This is much harder since Joseph is out of town. Oh, I also bought one of those doorknob things so he can't open the door. Anyway, just thought I would give y'all a quick update on the crazy day we are having so far in the Martin house. Hopefully soon I can get some new pics put up...

The end of our perfect record...

Yep. It finally happened last week - Winston had to get an antibiotic. He is two months short of being two years old, and we haven't had to take one until last week. We have the wonderful ear infection to thank. Thankfully, he loved taking his "new new medicine", so it was easy to give him each day. His doctor said it came from all the congestion he had. Anyway, we are well and healthy now.

One more thing...

Another exciting thing that happened the week I went to film Wheel of Fortune is that we found out we are having another BOY!!!! He is healthy and moves around a lot. He is like Winston in that he really likes church (he moves the whole time I am sitting there). We have decided to name him Samuel, but aren't sure on a middle name. That will come soon. The sweet thing is that if you ask Winston who is in mommy's tummy he says, "Sam". He rubs my tummy and gives it hugs, but I don't know that the whole concept is registering. June will be here before we know it. I just pray our transition to the "big boy bed" will go smoothly.

WHEEL...OF...FORTUNE!!!!

Ok, so obviously I am the worst blogger in the history of blogs. I have so much to catch you up on. One thing in particular is that yes, I finally made it to the "Wheel"!! I got "the call" about a week and a half before Christmas asking me to fly to LA to shoot the show on January 15th. Boy, was I excited. Thankfully, my sweet sister, Hayley, and two precious friends, Kendall and Katie, came with me. We were immediately in LOVE with the weather (it was 85 everyday we were there)!! The day before the taping we packed every site to see in LA, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach all in 24 hours. What fun! The day of the taping was fun and very memorable. I was never nervous, and really took in the whole experience. Pat is just as down-to-earth as you would imagine, and yes, Vanna, really is that pretty...and skinny! I must admit it was even more fun to look up in the audience and see my three trusty supporters sitting up there. As for how I did, you will have to watch Wheel of Fortune on Tuesday, February 3rd!! Hopefully I will get some pictures on here soon. The only sad thing is there are NO pictures from the taping -they were not allowed.

At last...

Hello all! I have gotten several comments about how I haven't updated the blog in a while so I thought I would try to catch y'all up on our summer. We had fun at the beach, welcomed baby William, visited the McWane Center, swam in our little pool, went to the lake, and just played with family and friends. As summer came to a close we started MDO (Mother's Day Out), and Winston loves it! I can't believe he is such a big boy!

Thankfully on August 29 football season started! Although last week's loss to LSU still stings, we are eager to cheer on our Tigers again this weekend. The weekend of the Southern Miss game, we took pictures of Winston at Samford Hall. We also had our first trip to "Dega" (Talladega Superspeedway) for my dad to ride in a racecar at full speed!! He said the ride back home felt a little slow even though we were going 80 mph.

I truly feel blessed everyday to have my sweet husband and precious son. God is so good!!

It's finally here!

Dear bammers,

Win a game in November, then get back to us.

Thanks in advance,
Winston

WOW!

I knew I was really behind on posting, but I just noticed the actual date of my last one, and all I can say is "Wow!". I haven't had a computer during the day for the past month and a half, and at night I don't really think about posting. Anyway, hopefully I can get back on track. A lot has happened since my last post. Winston's first cousin, William, was born, Winston turned 15 months, cut more teeth (including molars) and we got a small pool for him and me to cool off on these hot summer days. I am going to try to post several things over the next few days to catch up. So, stay tuned...

Winston and Alder: Shopping Spree

Winston and his close friend, Alder are having fun in the buggy at Target. Tuesday their crazy moms decided to make the trip together so it would be more enjoyable. Meg (Alder's mommy) took him out of her sling and sat him in the cart with Winston, who thought he was the greatest toy ever. We laughed about just how different they look (dark/light skin, brown/blue eyes, dark/light hair, etc.). After about 20 minutes Alder was tired of it, maybe because Winston kept giving him "love pinches" on his leg. Once we filled the cart to its capacity, we realized that two may have been better. Oh, well! Anyway, we are sad that they are officially going to move since they sold their house. Winston is pretty upset about losing such a fun playmate, especially one that has a sweet dog.

hannah

100% BOY

Hey everyone! I am sorry I still haven't gotten Winston's birthday pictures up, but I am having a hard time getting to them on my computer. Hopefully I will have them in a nice slideshow by the end of the week. Anyway, I thought I would still give an update on what has been going on since we have a one year old!! He is officially walking!!! I can't believe it. It has been a process of a couple of steps here and there since his birthday weekend. Now, he favors walking rather than crawling unless he wants to go really fast. He is such a big boy!

Well, yesterday after I went for Bible study Joseph and Winston had some real "guy fun". In addition to eating dirt, sticks, and acorns from the yard, Winston definitely likes Dada's truck. Joseph calls it Winston's new playpen. He is all boy that's for sure! I love my boys and thank our Lord everyday for them. What a blessing!

hannah

And we're back...

Sorry for the lapse in my posts lately. My computer has been messed up for a couple of weeks, but thanks to my father-in-law we are back in business. Stay tuned for some pictures from Easter and our baby boy's first birthday party (I know I can't believe it either)!

hannah

My Big Boy!

I just can't believe we are a little short of one month away from Winston's first birthday!! Where did the time go? Two weekends ago I finally caved in to Joseph's request to cut Winston's bangs (they really did need it). Mom and Dad were here so they snapped pictures and video while I held Winston and Joseph played the part of the barber. He really did a good job. Also, I am not sure why we have so many toys when the pantry is where Winston loves to play. I mean what is more exciting than a box of dry macaroni noodles? I guess you could say he is learning lots of new things to teach his two new baby cousins coming soon (one in June and one in October).

hannah

Winston and "the Wheel"

Hello all! Well, I finally got Joseph to teach me how to post (definitely easier than I thought). I became even more eager to learn since this is a very busy time of the year for Joseph, and doesn't have much extra time to put things on the blog. Also, I am having a lot of alone time these days and thought I could use it to have "outside" communication.

We have had some exciting things happening at the Martin house, and I thought I would share them. First of all, Winston is growing faster than I ever thought. He is exploring new things everyday, and I give our Lord all the praise for his good health, sweet disposition, and good development. He now has four teeth (2 on top and 2 on bottom). He is pulling up on anything that will hold his weight (sometimes on things that won't), and has even let go to "free stand" for a few seconds. He is starting to build quite the little vocabulary as well (probably gets that from me since I used to get in trouble in school for talking). He says "dada", "momma", "ight" (light), "nana" (banana), and "hot" (stove). He also recognizes several toys and body parts. For example, if you say, "Winston, where's your duck?" or "Winston, where is Dada's ear?" he cheerfully points it out or goes to find it. I just can't get enough of this little guy (can you tell?).

Secondly, a couple of weeks ago my audition process for "Wheel of Fortune" came to an exciting end! After the initial tryout and the final audition round, I received the much anticipated letter in the mail. I have been chosen as a contestant, but it be 18 months until I get called to the show. Therefore, I am trying to forget about it (except for answering any call to our house - even the annoying telemarketers) as I wait for "the call". I am extremely excited since I have been a "Wheel Watcher" for as long as I can remember!

hannah