Random pictures that have stories attached to them that I don't want to forget......

Natalie turned 10 in Oct. Paul and I went into her room in the middle of the night to hang these stars from her ceiling . She loved waking up to them! So much in fact that we are currently in Jan and the stars are still hanging up (minus the ones Brooke has ripped down).

 While Natalie was opening her presents Kate was sitting not to far from her watching. While Kate got to pick out her gift that she gave to Natalie we also told Kate what Brooke was giving her. After every gift Natalie opened (and it didn't matter who it was from) Kate would laugh and say "I just had to get you that, I couldn't help myself". That is why Paul is laughing in the photo below. She did that after every present and had know idea that we were laughing at her taking credit for every single present. Such a funny kid!

 Our Thanksgiving was so relaxed this year that we didn't even get out of PJ's! I don't even think anyone even showered that day. Thank goodness for dry shampoo. Natalie looked up on the internet to see how to fold napkins and has claimed that to be her job from now on. She told me that because we just had small paper napkins that there wasn't much she could do this year but next year if I get the "right" napkins she can do more. I laugh more and more with my kids these days!

 Natalie made a gingerbread house at school and asked if I could blog about it. She has read through my blog and loves it when I update it. This is currently how Brooke says cheese and it is part of the reason why we didn't do family photos this year! hahahaha

 I just love movie night at the house! Blankets, pillows, popcorn, candy and my girls spending some good quality time together! I just love this!

 We did get some snow at our place this year and Brooke and Kate were all about playing in it!

My little superstar.....kind of....after all it is just 3rd grade basketball!

This is Kate's 2nd year of basketball and she just loves it! There are 4 dads that have daughters on this team and they love sports. So at every practice there is so much help that everyone gets a lot of one on one coaching. We have moved Kate up to AAU which is a lot more competitive then the city league that she played on last year. The coaches do yell a little more and while everyone does get playing time we are out for the win. Kate has improved so much in this season already that she doesn't even seem like the same person.

 They played in their first tournament a few weeks ago and were the champions. All the girls loved that they got a plaque....what an exciting day for them!

 In the last couple of games we have been up against some really hard teams and while we haven't always won I just love watching them play. Kate has made some baskets, stolen her fare share of balls and played some really good defense. The group of moms that I sit with during the games is a great group. We all yell to cheer on the girls and yes we yell when we think the girls need to do something other then what they are doing. hahahaha we are not crazy yet but then again it is only the 3rd grade....give us time!

 She is just so stinking cute! Kate told me in the car on the way home from practice one day that she thinks she is the sporty kid.
Me: Yes you play very well and seem to have some natural talent for it.
Kate: Yeah Natalie likes books and I like sports.
Me: yes that does seem to be the case.
Kate: So I can just do sports all the time.
Me: well not really but you know books and school are really important too.
Kate: Yeah but Natalie can like those
Me: Well you know in jr high and high school if you don't get good enough grades they can kick you off the sport teams.
Kate: What? That doesn't seem fair.
Kate is loving that she is coming into her own and has found something that she feels she excels at. We had to continue the conversation about how sports is second to school and that life is about balance. I had to tell her that while Natalie does love school and books it is also good for Natalie to be on the swim team so her life has some balance. I am not sure if she understood the balance thing but she definitely heard me say they can kick you off the team for bad grades. At the end all I got was "So I have to keep doing my homework and reading books so I can play sports?" I just ended with a simple yes but I am sure we will be talking about this again.

Christmas 2014

So the pictures on this post are going to suck because I have had the flash turned off on my phone and they are blurry. Anyways we had Christmas at my sister-in-law's house this year and it was so much fun. All the family was there, at least the immediate family, so the cousins got to play together and have a real good time.

 When Paul and I went to Mexico I found out when you order a screwdriver, which is made up of orange juice and vodka, that in Mexico they don't use orange juice they use tang. By the end of our trip I was pretty use to tang! hahaha So for Christmas my father-in-law got me a Mexican screwdriver. Best gift to date from him!

 We were out there for about 2 and a half days and we spent a lot of time just hanging out on the couch under the electric blankets.

 The kids loved there gifts and had so much fun with all the chaos around us.

 We drove home Christmas night after dinner and it was really starting to come down. We had to drive about 45 miles per hour so the trip took longer and all we heard the whole way home was...."I wish I was playing with my toys right now instead of riding in the truck". I love that paul and I are worried about the snow and staying on the road and that stuff doesn't even seem to phase the kids. It's all about the toys! hahaha oh to be a kid!

 Well this picture is interesting because we have learned something about Brooke. While she is a great traveler and does really well while in the car we have figured out that the next day is really ruff on her. She has a tendency to throw up the day after traveling. She isn't sick it just seems to be how her little body coupes with traveling. She has done this before when we went to Utah to visit family. Oh the awful smell of sour milk that was left behind in my cousin playroom was the worst! She is only sick for a few hours and then she is over it.

 When we made it back to our house we all fell in love with the electric blankets out at my sister-in-law's house that we went out and bought us one. The girls crashed on the couch and watched movie under it.

 Brooke has always been my hot baby (even in womb) so she really didn't want anything to do with that hot blanket. She would touch the blanket and say "noooo hot".

Although there wasn't much snow we did play in what was out there. The kids were hoping for at least a couple of feet but we only got a couple of inches. We played games, put together a puzzle and just enjoyed hanging out together. I love that my nieces and nephews are getting older and can chat with the adults now. As I get older it is so much fun to hear about their lives and remember the times when we were that young.

Parenting is hard!

I love these little monkeys and I am so glad that I get to be their mom. They make me laugh every single day and can drive me crazy every single day. I want for them to be happy, healthy and be and do what ever they want in life. That seems so easy to say and yet lately I just feel like I am failing all of them on so many levels.
It is cloudy and rainy out today so that might play into my mood but as their mom I am here to guide and teach them so they can have all that they want in life or at least give them the tools so they will be able to figure it out on their own. This is what I am struggling with lately. I feel like I am not doing enough or more often doing the wrong things. I think as a mom I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure my kids are where they are suppose to be academically, emotionally and socially.
When they were babies, there were struggles but nothing like when they get older. I made sure they were alive, bathed and feed. I played with them and we made sure they had a roof over their heads. For the most part we nailed they baby stuff! haha Now as they are becoming "real" people with 3 very different personalities and I feel I am being pulled in all directions. Really truly it would be so much easier if they all were the same.....then I can teach them one way and it would work across the board. I think the world would probably be crazier then it is now but parenting would be easier. hahaha
Natalie is my true first child. A leader but wants her own space too. She wants to be the best at everything she does which we encourage because that seems like the right thing to do. She isn't always very social. She doesn't have a whole bunch of friends at school because she chooses to have a few close ones and wants to build those relationships. We have had to work with her on how to have "ideal chit-chat" and when people talk to her and she doesn't agree with what they are talking about she still need to participate in the conversation because it is polite. She has improved in this area a lot. I am not sure if it was just a phase but I am so glad she is coming out of it. She would come off as rude and Natalie is anything but rude....she is such a sweet kid and always wants to help. We had signed Natalie up for basketball and thought it would be a great opportunity for her social skills to grow. She came to me very upset and said that basketball was just not her thing. I asked what she would like to do instead and she told me that she wanted to do swimming and learn to play the violin. This is great but both of those things are not a group activity. So what do I do as a parent? I don't want her to be miserable but at the same time am I not suppose to help her learn how to deal with group interactions. Also I think part of it was that she wasn't excelling in basketball and if she can't be the best she gives up. I tried to tell her it is just for fun and she doesn't have to be the best but wouldn't it be great to learn how to do something new. I guess my fear is that she will miss out on things when she gets older and that her drive to be the best will take the fun out of life. How as her parent am I suppose teach her balance in life......that is my struggle and I have no answers.
Katelyn is above and beyond the social butterfly of this family. I have gone to so many playdates and had to meet so many moms over the few years and she loves it. I take awhile to warm up to people so this has been painful for me but I am willing to do it for her. Kate is a very thoughtful kid. She doesn't like helping with chores and stuff but if she see anyone who is down or having a hard time she will give a hug or just go sit with them for awhile. She will definitely be the one taking care of us when we get old! hahaha Kate loves school for the social aspect. Now the learning is where she struggles. We have had a tutor during the summers for our kids. We did this mainly for Kate to help her not forget the stuff she learned in school over the summer. Kate is not a natural academic which is fine it just means we need to spend some extra time there. We have tried to show her how to have fun with learning but she just doesn't get motivated when it comes to school. She loves to play basketball and is very crafty. Our craft closet is her second home. She needs to stay busy and gets bored very easily. So I don't want to take away all of the fun stuff and just have her study all the time because what kind of life is that? Then I think that she would resent all the school work and just rebel. Kate is one of the youngest in her class. I debated on waiting a year but we put her in anyways. I fear that it is sometimes to much for her but I don't know if she wouldn't be the same if we had waited to put her in. Academics is just not where she puts and focus or energy and I can't seem to help her find balance. Katelyn is also our emotional child. I love this about her. She can be so expressive and tell you how she is feeling. I never have to guess how Kate feels she is either showing it or telling me and believe it our not it is so helpful to me. There are days that Kate will wake up crying and to her the whole morning is lost. Also she will pout like a champ and run to her room and cry for hours if I let her. We have told her that it is ok to show emotions and cry when you feel it but at some point up have to pick yourself up and wipe the tears and either fix the problem or move on. I understand that she is a kid but I don't know how to deal with this all the time. I don't want her to think that she can't have emotions but at the same time I want her to know that she is a strong person and will need to learn to pick herself up. I fear that when she is older that when life gets Kate down that I haven't taught her how to dust herself off. Where is the balance of being a strong person and yet being able to express your emotions....how do I teach that? The world can be hard and mean sometimes and I don't want anything to crush her sweet soul.
Brooke is only 3 but man that kid has been trying to kill me since the day she was born! hahaha I should have know after a birth like hers she was going to be a challenge. Every morning and I mean every morning she wakes up stands in the hall and waits for me to see her. I am normally on the couch going over the girls' homework or doing hair for school. Once I see her I say "good morning sunshine" and she runs over to me and wants to hug for a good couple of mins. This just melts my heart every time. She is such a cuddle bug. She is also very independent. If she wants something she will figure out away for her to get it. She also wants to be just like her sisters. When Natalie is in her room by herself Brooke will try and get in there so she can play with the same toys Natalie is playing with. She wears Kate's clothes all the time....total fits when I try and get them off her. Brooke is one smart cookies and is really good at testing boundaries to see what she can get away with. Brooke is also talking about as much as a 2 year old should be. We have had her tested and nothing has come from that. If you tell her to do something she understands you for the most part. She does want to interact with everyone and finds her own way to do so. She does talk but most of it is jibber-jabber. I have tried to bribe her into talking but after the first word I can get out of her she quickly loses interest. I bang my head on the wall all the time because I have no idea what to do. She will start another speech therapy program this week and I am hoping that will help. What am I going to do if she isn't talking by kindergarten? Her pediatrician isn't too worried about it yet but I can't seem to do anything but worry. She is fully potty trained. This last couple of weeks we have beat the pooping thing and haven't had any accidents. I can now go out with her in public and not worry about her peeing anywhere but this kid has never once said the words "potty, pee, poop or toilet". I don't struggle with her quite as much as the other girls yet because she is still little but man this girl need to talk and I just can't seem to get her to do it.
I know this post is a lot of things that stress me out but these are the things that I feel are pulling me every which way and I feel I am slipping or forgetting or not doing them right. I want my kids to be able to look back and say our childhood was OK. I am not even asking for great just OK would be....OK. Some days I just have so much doubt in what I am doing and I feel like I am ruining them. I do love that I have a sister-in-law that has older kids now and can tell me just relax and things will work out. I hope that is the case and most days I do try to do just that but man PARENTING IS HARD.

The holidays are coming!!

I am not sure why but it seems that every year I get really excited about one holiday. Last year was Halloween.....we did really cute costumes, got pictures taken in them and bought a bunch of new decorations for the house. I was really looking forward to the day and it was such a fun time. This year I could care less about Halloween and will probably go to target a few days before and buy costumes. hahaha! Fall is my favorite time of the year so I have loved decorating for Thanksgiving and buying all the good smelling candles. Oh and let us not forget about the food! The one day of the year that I allow myself to eat all the stuffing I can possible shove into my face! However this year will be pretty simple....just us and I have to fly out of town the day afterwards so nothing to get over joyed about. So by process of elimination I am sure you have figured out that this year Christmas already has me wanting to do cartwheels!!

 I bought our first fake tree last year and I have to say I love it. Now I need to buy the tree skirt that I have always wanted but never bought because who wants to spend that much money on something that gets tree sap, pine needles and water all over it. Yay excited!!!

 If I could I would get one of these for my front porch. Love the look of it and it just seems so Christmas! I will have to hold on to the picture for a few more years because unless it drops into my lap it is sadly not in the budget this year but how cute is it?!?!?

 I need new stocking holders.....heavy ones too. I have floated between some that I don't love for the last few years and while I am excited about the holiday I can't help but do some browsing.

 The polar express is something I am really excited about! As long as the girls' basketball games don't interfere with it we are planning on going to Mt hood the first weekend of December to ride the polar express! They get to wear their PJ's on the train and they get hot chocolate and cookies. As a gift they get to keep their golden ticket that has been punched out, their hot chocolate mugs and a silver bell from Santa. I should have done this when we lived there but I don't think I was excited about Christmas that year. hahaha

 I haven't had a centerpiece for my table since I had kids....tiny hands get into everything! This year I am determined to do so. I love the look of cranberries but hate the taste so why not use them for decoration. I want to do something with them and if Brooke decides to get her tiny hands in there it's not going to kill her. I will have to keep thinking on that one!

This last photo is of Leavenworth. Paul and I went a couple years back for Oktoberfest and it was amazing. I know there seems to be a crap load of people in the photo above but they have done this for so many years that you don't even notice it really because things tend to run smoothly. This year we are taking the girls to the festival of lights. There is a horse drawn sleigh that they can ride and other fun family activities. I think they will just love all of the lights. Super excited!!!
I know they post seems rather "what am I going to buy and things we are going to do" but we have also decided to take the girls to the Macy's tree and have the girls pick out a toy that need to be bought and they have to use their money to buy it. I want the girls to understand the giving side of things and what better way then to have them pay for the gift. I think the lesson will hit home more then if I were to just pay for it. We have also talked about leaving goodies on the front step ringing the doorbell and running! The girls think this will be fun but I think now days I need to leave a note on the inside saying "The goodies are from the martins and ok to eat" hahahahaha. Yes, I realize I am already talking to my kids about Christmas......do you remember the cartwheels I was talking about!

Visit with some amazing cousins

My sister and her kids came to visit this summer. We had so much fun and I loved every minute of it. I haven't seen my niece and nephew in 14 years and they hadn't met their cousins (my kids) so it was just so much fun.

 Kate loved Rachel! Kate was the one that was upset the most when they left because Kate has a personality of wanting to do something all the time and doesn't sit still in one place very well. To our surprise Rachel is the same way. Rachel always wanted to make sure we were doing something everyday and Kate absolutely loved her for it.

 Brooke is her own person and isn't really to clinging except with a few people and one of those people happen to be my sister. It was amazing because I got a break!! yay

 My sister and her daughter....love them and they are so beautiful!

 Can't have a vacation without smores!

 I took the kids to the indoor trampoline park and had a blast. Once you got over the feet smell it was pretty entertaining.

 Rachel was doing flips like a pro and Kate wanted to follow in her footsteps so bad but just couldn't quite get it.

 Jayson and Natalie spent most of the time in the dodgeball area. There were so many kids but they were having so much fun.

We did other things like the 4th of July, playing in the river, pizza and arcade, shopping oh the shopping, but those pictures are on my phone and I will download them another time. I was so glad I got to spend time with Rachel and Jayson and really get to know them all over again. I think next time we will go down to Texas and visit them and they can show us how to have fun down there.

Summer fun

My goal this summer was to do fun things with the kids. Adult life doesn't really stop just because it is summer and some years have gone by and I think that we didn't do enough. So this year I started with the last day of school. Oh my gosh to hear the girls read the sign and the excitement they had....it was some much fun to overhear!

 Mine and Brooke's stash....

 We had to have popsicles after all that hard playing.

 This is us staring gazing. It was something Natalie wanted to do and we downloaded the apps for our phones so they could find the different constellations.

We also have done some camping and we are going to Silverwood in August. So I would say overall we have pulled off a pretty fun summer!