A Day of Health

Due to my strong family history with breast cancer, I am already having to have mammograms and ultrasounds done. And I gotta tell ya, I am sooooo thankful my doc is starting this now. It really helps to put me at ease.

Today's experience was actually quite nice.
I had a great parking space,
was given a pretty bracelet,
and I was able to snuggle up in a warmed blanket while I waited for the radiologist. It was very relaxing and oh, so quiet. (Did I mention I was there without kids?)

What more could a girl want?

Well, actually I can think of a few silly ways to answer that question. But seriously though, a girl can want a healthy report, and I got one! Woo-hoo! One down, a lifetime more to go.

And it wasn't just me that was taken care of today. While at Petsmart buying crickets for the toad the boys found over the weekend, we noticed a parakeet that was trapped upside-down behind his feeder.

We told an associate and they immediately came to his rescue. Who knows how long he had been stuck!! Poor little winged fellow. But what was really interesting to watch was the white parakeet that stayed next to him as if he was offering his feather friend support. He'd anxiously hop all around the area trying to examine the situation while bobbing his head up, down and all around as if he were making a plan on how to free his frantic friend. The other birds in the cage didn't seem to be phased in the least, but this one little guy stuck it out (or maybe I should say 'hopped' and 'bobbed' it out) with his buddy. What a sweet friend! Wait. Can birds have friends? Well, you know what they say... "Birds of a feather flock together." ha ha

My Sixth Mother's Day...

...was special. Every day with my kids is special (well, almost every day). I felt very loved and appreciated, so thank you to my sweet boys!!!!! I was showered with gifts from both of them.

Grant made these at school for me...
a picture of him holding flowers

and a card (that truly cracks me up)!!!

Since you can't read it, allow me... "I love you when you take me to Mexico to see my great-great-grandfather."

I have just laughed and laughed over his words for three reasons. 1) I took him to NEW Mexico. Not Mexico. 2) While there, he saw his great-grandfather. Not his great-great-grandfather.
3) I only took him once ~ had no idea it meant so much to him. It's funny he picked this, out of all the other things I do for him, to put on my card. What a nut. Yet it still doesn't top the year Gabby said, "My mommy is almost pretty."
******And as you might have imagined, Mom and Aunt Jessica, there are drawings of wind turbines all over it.

Grant also gave me a store-bought card, and I gotta say, I laughed OUT LOUD at this one! Really loud!

front

inside

And that, dear readers, quite simply sums up what life with

Grant is really like!!!!!!

Rhett made several things at school, too, but I've put my favorite below - what a ham!!! And you just won't believe how proud he is of this paper!!!!! He loves to tell anyone who will listen that that is a picture of HIM, and that is also HIS hand print (which he will then prove by placing his stubby little right hand on top of it - in case you were doubting his sincerity).

I also received an iphone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know, I know - I'm getting into the ballgame quite late, but hey - - - - what did you expect?

The Mother's Day celebrations don't end there! Grant lost his first tooth the night before! So what if I cried a little?
He thought just 'some' of it came out (because it was so small), but was extra excited to learn that the whole thing had actually come out, and that baby teeth really are that tiny!

This event, of course, meant that the Tooth Fairy would be visiting our house for the first time. Man, oh, man! She came, alright!!!!!!! This morning, Grant HAPPILY awoke to this beneath his pillow...

Yip - it seems we had TWO Tooth Fairies visit us last night. One of them left what she thought was a very sizable gift of $3 since the first tooth is worth extra, ya know? Imagine her surprise the following morning when she learned that her partner had also visited Grant that night and left a WHOPPING $10!!!!!!!! So in case you didn't add that up already, Grant got $13 from the Tooth FairIES last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you spell r.i.d.o.n.c.u.l.o.u.s??? I think the tooth fairies that are assigned to our house will have to communicate better, huh?

Mother's Day ended in its own special way. I sat down to do some quiet sewing as I was trying to complete some orders...

... and Rhett came in. He's always talking and singing and chanting, so I'm pretty used to tuning out the background noise that follows him. This time, for whatever reason, I was lucky enough to look up and get to watch this. What a sweet and silly boy! He was so content playing with my fabrics and talking to my thread. I stored the moment up in my heart as I know one day too soon he won't do this kind of stuff anymore, and I'll miss it terribly.

Hmmmmm. Now that I think about it, this is my favorite Mother's Day gift from Rhett. The picture and the hand print and the finger flowers he made were just as precious as can be, but this sweet moment - - - priceless!

Happy Mother's Day to all you rockin' mommas out there! I hope you felt loved and appreciated on this, your special day!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Rhett!

Poor second kids - they never get the birthday extravaganzas that the first-born gets (or that seems to be the case if I'm the mom). I didn't want to sell Rhett's 3rd birthday tooooo short, so we had a little birthday celebration at a restaurant with our Lifegroup from church. I figured why not? We were all together having dinner... why not throw a little birthday bash in the mix? Despite its randomness, it truly was very special to share my sweet little one's third birthday with all our precious friends!!!!!!!

I asked Rhett to smile...

Hmmmm. Let's try again...

..... And, again...

Oh, forget it!!!!!!!!!

*******Yes, that is a fourth pink candle that found its way onto the cake. Don't ask... (Don't ask me, but you can ask Grant. He can explain that one to you.)

At least I got a cute video of the birthday singing which you can watch here. Don't miss Erin covering Avery's mouth at the end of the song so Avery couldn't 'help' Rhett blow out the candles!!! Sooooooooooo funny!

And as keeping with tradition, Rhett later told us that he didn't like 'that' song. SHOCKING! There's some proof Grant and Rhett are for sure related for ya.

Rhett, I sure love you, Bud (even though you aren't potty trained - - - yet!) Here's to a GREAT 3rd year!!!!!

Family Wedding Shower

In keeping with the Martin tradition, Danni (Dannielle), my bro's fiance, was thrown a family shower a few weekends ago in Austin. Just like my family shower, Danni's took place at Green Pastures in Austin which is known for its 100+ year old house and gorgeous grounds. Oh, yes... Can't forget the peacocks. Green Pastures is also known for their peacocks.

A.L.L. of them!

And so very beautiful! (Well, maybe not so much the females - Oh, God and his funny, funny, funny humor.)
They even have a few rare white peacocks who put on quite the show. They seem to know when it's time for their close-up and pose so prim and proper for the cameras' flashes while either gracefully adorning a tree's limb...

... or just showing off their spread.

The original Martin granddaughters = me, Sommer, Jessica and Hailey (who's three months prego!!!!)

The old with the new = me, Sommer, Jessica, Danielle (isn't she so very beautiful??) and Hailey

Grandmother Martin and me - (not the best picture in the world of either of us, but at least she looked better than I did)

It's hard to believe the wedding is about five weeks away... Never thought my little brother would be getting married. But, it appears that he really has grown up and really is going to marry his high school sweat heart. (Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! So sweet!)

Well, Green Pastures, we'll see you again very soon. Might I suggest you lock up your prized peacocks before Abigail, Annalise, Grant, Jackson, Emmaline, Rhett, Noelle, Everett and Coleman (the Martin great-grandkids) arrive. Either that, or you could just teach your birds how to run away - - - - - - QUICKLY!