The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I had the immense privilege of being given the gift of wonder and imagination in my home as I grew up. I'm certain it's because of that freedom that my parents gifted my brothers and I that I revel in all things festive. Christmas is filed under magic, joy, giving, sparkle, music, tradition and abundance in my childhood memory-banks and as I'm getting older and now have the privilege of creating memories for my children, I'm unrelentingly thankful that I have those files to pull from.

Elias is two and his everyday life is full of discovery and wonder because of the very nature of a two-year-old soul. This makes for a very magical Christmas season as we're introducing him to new family traditions and festivities. He's learning bits and pieces of the original Christmas story as well, and happily chatters about the "Jesus house," (stable) he learned about in his storybook bible. Another thing that's warming my heart lately.

This is Maddox's first Christmas--special and celebratory in a whole other way. We're still 21 days away from Christmas morning (of course we're counting) and we've already had an incredibly special month.

Brotherly love by the choo-choo at Christmas Knoll Tree Farm

Hot cocoa!

Bundled up and ready to go!

The boys helping decorate the house.

Halloween 2011

For Halloween 2011 we had a little bumblebee (look familiar?) and a penguin. Elias has a penguin super beanie that has flippers that act as a scarf extension that he loves, so we made him a little white penguin chest and orange flipper feet to go with it and called it good! I love any excuse to wear a costume so Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I'm so excited that my kids are getting excited about it too! This year was like Intro to Halloween 101. I'm excited for Halloween 201 next year!

I could not get this kid to hold still long enough for photos once costumes were on. These are the nudie, pre-costume shots.

I may not ever get actual photos of them...they're too fast and too mobile! I settle for candids.

Maddox Martin, you make me gush!

Nine months! Would it be redundant to say again that this is going by way too fast? Just thought the world should have a look at my littlest as of late.

Toys to Mozambique

Logan has recently partnered with an incredible organization that is changing the world. Food for the Hungry is touching the lives of our world's most neglected and most forgotten and they've let us partner with them in changing the world--thus being changed in the process. As Logan travels and shares his music, he also shares Food for the Hungry's vision of eradicating world hunger through supporting entire communities with clean water, shelter, education, and so much more. He offers concert goers a chance to sponsor a child. A chance to, for a dollar a day, support an entire community of people and send a message to an impoverished child that they are worth something. That someone, somewhere is thinking of them. Loving them, both emotionally and tangibly. Our family recently chose a child to sponsor to ensure that we were walking what we were teaching and experiencing and participating in the changes and the vision that FH is making and casting.

I need my boys to know about our world. About the injustice that they're charged with facing and fixing in the name of Jesus if they choose to follow Him. I want them to grow up with the largest world-view I can offer them. So, I took the picture of the little six-year-old boy from Mozambique that our family is now supporting to try and explain "child sponsorship" in two-year-old language to Elias. I told him how there are kids who live far away that don't have clean water to drink, or snacks all the time, or toys. I told him some of those kids don't have mommies and daddies and they don't have houses like us. I told him how God loves them like He loves him. My precious Elias studied that photo of the little African boy and said astutely, "Sad." True. He does look heart-wrenchingly sad. I recapped what I had just said about him not having everything that Elias does. "No toys?!" Elias exclaimed in disbelief. He hopped off the couch, toting the picture with him and heading for the door, saying, "I go. I go. Give toys, wa-wa, yummies. Make happy! Make happy! I go! I go! I go on plane! Make happy!"

My mommy heart grew and nearly exploded. I was shocked and impressed that he had understood, but more importantly, the answer was so easy for him. He heard of an injustice that his sweet little soul just had to make right and he was certain he could do it. He wasn't bogged down with the cost of plane tickets or the dangers of going into a place like Mozambique. He didn't mentally defer the responsibility of being change to someone else. He just knew that a boy without food or water, or toys for goodness sake, needed help. So he set out toward my front door at age two with nothing but a sad photo of a little boy he's never met, to ensure that that little boy knew love. Tears pour down my face now as I type this because the child-like faith that we're all called to as adults was raw and real in my living room. It convicted me that day. And the compassion and fearlessness in my little boy inspired me. Thank God for my kids, in all the ways that they challenge and inspire me every day of their young lives.

We are only limited by our own lack of faith and imagination. Children are champions of both. It reminds me (with a huge, metaphorical slap in the face) that there's a reason we're told to have "faith like a child." Oh, the things we could accomplish if we all had faith that size! I'm storing that moment with Elias up in my heart and locking it down with all the force I have because I don't ever want to forget his words; because every time I'm challenged to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world, before He returns to make all things right, I want to hear my son saying "I go! I go!" I will go. Will you?

If you are interested in finding out more about FH and/or child sponsorship, please visit their site: www.fh.org.

All Aboard the Dinosaur Train!...and Happy Birthday, Elias.

Elias is 2! Both in year and attitude. He is fascinated by the PBS Kids show, Dinosaur Train and chose that as his party theme when given multiple options. So, Dinosaur Train it was! We kept this little shindig small, with just his cousins, grandparents and best little buddies Caleb and Samaria. He told me for about a month that his birthday needed "Cake! Presents! Balloons! Sam at my house!" Thanks to fickle Oregon weather, we didn't get to have the party outside like I had hoped and planned (cold, wind, rain on June 18th? Really, Oregon?) so we had to go to plan...C, I think it was, and make due inside. The good news is that I was able to deliver cake, presents, balloons (Dinosaur Train themed nonetheless...thank you, eBay) and Sam at his house (thanks Kara!).

Cupcakes integrated with the Dinosaur Train=perfect (and easy) Dinosaur Train Cake.

How lucky am I that I have such a talented and creative husband who is fully invested in my children's lives...to the point that he happily comes alongside his crazy, birthday-party-obsessed wife to create fabulous cakes (and so much more) for our kids.

You should know 2 things: 1) He looks exhausted and ill because he is a horrific allergy sufferer like his Daddy, 2) For some inexplicable reason he chose to use the dinosaur topper off his cupcake as a utensil to eat the cupcake with.

Once the cupcakes were devoured, the train was free to be played with with his buddy, Sam.

The kids got dinosaur masks in their goodie bags and cousin Bryce was kind enough to model one.

Welcome to the World, Maddox Joseph

Maddox Joseph arrived February 10 at 10:14pm. Weighing in at 9 lbs, 1 oz and 21.5in long, he was nearly a duplicate of his big brother...except for his facial features, body build and all around personality. They aren't kidding when they say that your kids will be totally different. Somehow, we know even now, that our boys are polar opposites. How simple life would be if Maddox would just do everything the way that Elias did as an infant--then maybe we'd actually know what we're doing as parents. Evidently there's some kind of cosmic lesson we're all to learn from each of our children respectively, so they don't seem to do anything the same. Why would they ever want us to feel like accomplished parents rather than adults reduced to exhausted and floundering emotional wrecks (all right, I won't speak for Logan on that one--perhaps "emotional wreck" is only a label I've earned). At any rate, Maddox has arrived and he's beautiful, unique and flourishing. He's growing like a weed and we're getting to know him every day...and night...ALL night occasionally. :)

For those who are curious, Maddox means "leader of men," and Joseph was my paternal grandfather's name, who, unfortunately won't meet Maddox in this life. Sometimes, though, I think Maddox looks a bit like him. He was a sweet man, whom I wish I had had around a bit longer.

So, world, meet Maddox, the newest light of my life.

Merry Christmas!

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ANNOUNCEMENT!

ELIAS HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT!

Little brother/sister is due to arrive February 9, 2011

First Haircut!

Our internet has been down for a while, but we're back in the game and here are some highlights:

Elias got his first official big boy haircut! It wasn't terribly traumatic, but definitely not his favorite thing...

Silver Falls

We took a trip in June to one of our favorite places in Oregon: Silver Falls. Lucky for us it's only about 20 minutes from our house--one of our favorite things about Oregon. This was Elias' first trip and as with most things in his life, this was a great adventure. We hiked some walking trails along 2 of the falls and enjoyed the view! The first of many Silver Falls trips I think.

A boy and his purse

Somehow, around age 11-12 months, my son developed an attachment to my purse. He (loudly) lost his mind when I would have to get it out in the grocery store to pay, he sought it out when we were at home, he became obsessive. So I did the only thing I could think to do and I gave it to him. I cleared everything out that I couldn't live without and it became his. It was his best friend. He took it with him everywhere, he carried it around the house, it was his pretty patent sidekick. Much to his Dad's relief, he has since moved on and now only desires my purse for the intent purpose of dumping its contents, but for a time, my rough and tough little boy carried a purse. And he wore it well. Goodbye "purse stage." Hello to a new one, perhaps.

Birthday Boy

1 year old! It's unbelievable that it was a year ago that our little man came into the world. This year has been a long journey, but it still went so fast. Elias has come so far in that year and it is a miracle every day to watch him play and explore, rough-house, and grow is a perpetual blessing. We had so much fun with him at his birthday party and at the zoo the following day on his actual birthday that I couldn't choose what photos to post--it's too limited! To see more birthday photos you can go to the following link:

Facebook album, "Happy Birthday, Baby"

Battle wounds of boyhood

It's happened. The first big bump. Playing chase with Mommy in the living room and somehow instead of crawling behind him into the open room, he leapt to his right straight into the corner of the wall, taking the corner of the baseboards under his eye and the corner of the wall on the forehead. Ouch. Nothing a little ice and permission to play with Mommy's cell phone didn't fix, though. Probably more traumatic for Mom than for Elias. The battle wounds begin.

The gift of Helps

First thing in the morning, Logan set out to install the new TV mount...and it took him twice as long because he had "help." This little guy is passionate about helping!

Armed with the instruction guide and his tool of choice (a baseball rattle), Elias is ready to show his Dad how it's done.

Way to go boys!

Changes: 3

The Martins just graduated up another rung on the life-ladder and purchased their first home. It was one of the most nerve-wracking decisions I've ever had to make. Our experience was "special" in every sense of the word and every piece to the home-buying process fit so perfectly that, in actuality, it was less of a decision and more of an acceptance of our destiny, the next step in His plan, karmaic fortune, _____ fill-in-your-blank. Our "blank" is "His Plan" and so accept we did. We were in no position to buy a house. Ha! We're still in no position to buy a house and yet, I sit and type in my comfy chair from my home rather than a shell of windows and doors that someone is letting me borrow for a while; who may keep a hefty amount of my hard-earned money if I don't give it back better than I found it.

God is good. It's more than a charismatic Christian chant ("All the time!"). It's truth. Not to be mistaken for "God is safe" (thank you, C.S. Lewis) or "God is nice", or "God is happiness;" though I won't argue that He can be all those things. But He is good. God heard a girl in Salem, Oregon say that she wanted a home where her son could crawl around on the carpet and not worry about whose grime he was crawling through. He heard this girl desire a kitchen and not a hallway, a yard and not a mud-pit, and a place where her son would know stability and safety, warmth--in both body and company. This girl's list went on and on (as it usually does when she's daydreaming...or begging) and God heard it all and orchestrated everything for her. He brought the right realtor (thanks, Mia!) who knew the right homeowner with the right house, in the right neighborhood, who would take the right amount of downpayment...shall I go on?

Nope, this is not the house I've dreamed of since I was five (there's no lake here and I do not own 15 horses), but it is right here. I know peace here; in my heart, and for the safety of my family. Puzzle pieces don't fit together when they're thrown in the box, they fit when the puzzleteer places them in the correct order, in the correct direction. Logan and I were fortunate enough to have learned that by now and trusted the Puzzleteer on this one, only to watch our puzzle come together in a way that we would never have been able to put together ourselves. Amazing when He knows us better than we know ourselves.

The fact that we ever finished packing with our little one around is a miracle in itself, but it happened and we're here! We're by no means unpacked yet thanks to travel, sickness, holidays, excuses and more excuses, but we'll get there. We've never had to unpack somewhere that we plan to stay a while, so this is all new for us. You put stuff away more precisely when you know it'll be there a while. In the mean time, we're an open house anyway. Want to come over? Come on over, Reader! Welcome to the Martin abode!

By the way, if it looks like our son found this moving thing to be the greatest adventure of his life, then you're right, he thought it was. He had a blast with all the chaos. Such a trooper.

Changes: 2

Elias is crawling! We knew it was only a matter of time, but somehow I was still shocked by how different life is with a mobile child. Oh, how I long for the days of knowing exactly where my son was at all times. Now I'd need a small army task-force, cameras in all rooms, and a battalion of robots to keep track of him every second of the day. Within days of mastering crawling, he was already clambering up on the furniture and all low-level surfaces to get new perspectives and a boost to his feet. He's a handful. All the time. He keeps life crazy. And he is our joy.

"Helping" Mommy with laundry.

Changes: 1

When life is full, the blog suffers. Sorry. There's no way around that, but I can catch you up on what the last few months have held. Get ready for some marathon blogging...

First up: we had to say goodbye to our puppy dog in February; a sad and relieving ordeal.

Gavin was our furry first-born, but with an actual baby around he began feeling more and more neglected. He was sad all the time, not exercised enough and therefore was wreaking havoc in our yard. We adored him, but he was pretty annoyed with Elias being around and that made me nervous. Seeing that all parties would be better off apart, he went to live with some friends of ours who have older kids. He is loving life there and we're adjusting to being a sans-pet household for the first time in a long time. We'll have another dog someday when Elias is older, but for now: Goodbye, Gavin. We'll miss you!