Welcome Willa!

Willa Joyce Martin astounded us and came early. She was born this Monday at 9:44 am after a night of labor assisted by a steadfast daddy and a fantastic doula named Emily. She weighed in at 9 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 some inches.

Here are some hazy pictures from the hospital...

Older sister Emma and Willa sport matching t-shirts made by Amy.


Adored, surrounded, and protected by three BIG brothers.

Mounds of Love

Martin Pile!

 

I love ev'ry one 'a dem!

Love is a Mess

I love it when the coat rack is full, it means that everyone's home!

Love in a Cold Climate

It's no secret, winter does not excite me. I love my friend Debbie's ideal of snow: "Look but do not touch." And the worst of winter, for me, is schlepping it from the car to the house. Kids, groceries, and what-nots slipping and falling out into the snow and ice at negative degrees is what hell will be (you’ve been warned).
But my steadfast hero makes winter a might more bearable by digging me out a wide, wide hole.
*love-struck sigh*

Love is Homemade

Love in the Martin house shouldn't be expensive. In my mind, costly gifts take away from the sentiment: Does it fit in the budget? Did we get the best price? Will it only die or be eaten within a week? Is there a gift receipt?
But there is no denying the joy of a gift made especially for you. The creativity and time put into the offering are as important as the object itself. And no one in our family is as good at homemade, heartfelt gifts as my Emma Daisie…

Cheryl bears her hand crafted tiara made special for her birthday by Emma.

Brotherly Love

Whether it’s a good snuggle or a “bounce along” my boys love each other like, well, brothers.



It takes very little to get them going, but once they do, they can bounce and dream for twenty minutes at a time.


The world that they see in their heads must be incredible.

On Bended Knee

When David proposed almost 13 years ago, he didn't get down on one knee. Which was a good thing! If he had, I probably would've broken into a giggling fit.
Sadly(?), I wasn't given a romantic heart. Nope, Pragmatism!, and humor, are the way to woo me. And that is exactly how David proposed. Actually, he talked so long about HOW it was possible for two very young people to get married (and he had numbers to back up his claim) that he forgot to ask IF I would marry him. Which made me laugh. Yep, he won me hook, line, and sinker.

Still, I haven't missed out on my man's demonstrative love...

He gets down on his knees almost everyday, lately, and ties those shoes that keep getting further and further away. He is my knight in shining armor.

What is Love?

Happy Valentines Week! I have a sister-in-law getting married this spring and becasue of it, we've been doing a lot of talking about the nature of love. It's been interesting to look at my life and evaluate what love means to the Martins.

So in honor of Cheryl and Valentines Day we are going to post our tangible ideas of love.

First off, in the Martin Home, Food = Love.

Calvin in love...

Martin Quote

Mommy (Once upon a time known as Lisa) [to Calvin]: No licking doorknobs. Let's just make that one of the rules of the house.