A belated gift

The morning after my birthday I woke up feeling different. I don't know why. I was on progesterone pills because I am not "regular" like other ladies. So, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a pregnancy test because Dave thought it was a good idea. I took one, and instantly got a plus sign. I didn't even have to wait the 2-3 minutes. Dave made me go back to Wal-Mart and get another test, and this time "I want one that says it in words." So, I did. After 4 positives, I think Dave got the idea. After 5 months of trying without getting pregnant, our doctor suggested taking a month off. He told me to call him in January, and he would put me on low-dose fertility meds. I planned on starting those right after our trip to Pasadena the next week. God sure does work in mysterious ways.

Happy 30th Birthday to me!

Well, my 30th birthday finally arrived. My mom was super sweet, and made one of my favorite dinners: steak, twice-baked potatoes, and zucchini fans. She even had us eat in the formal dining room. (That's usually only saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.)
Dave gave me a much-wanted (and needed) GPS, and Mom went ahead and wrapped all the clothes she bought for me the previous day. And, is it really a birthday without cheesecake?

Christmas Morn

My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love the look on people's faces when they open your gift. Katie is no different. She gets all lit up just by seeing the presents under the tree, her stocking full of goodies, and the trace that Santa left when he stopped by. This year was no different. Katie told Santa she wanted princess stuff, and he totally delivered. She got princess dress up shoes, princess dress up clothes, a princess castle with multiple princesses, a board game, and a camera.
Pugsley was also content with his hedgehog and his peanut butter bone. And, of course, you have to try on all the bling and dresses when you're done. She started out at Cinderella.
And, then she quickly transformed into Sleeping Beauty (and a photographer.)

Snowiest Christmas Eve on record

We headed to Grandma's for Christmas Eve like we always do. The forecasters said that there would be snow, but they did not predict what we were in for. When we got to Grandma's, there already was a nice blanket of snow on the ground. Katie had never experienced snow before, so this was new to her. Dave took her out in it a couple of times, and she absolutely loved it. After playing outside and eating, the most important part for the kids was the presents. Katie got all kinds of loot. She got a chest full of princess dress-up clothes, a board game, some clothes, a Snow White doll, and the Ice Age movie. Dave and I got matching shirts for the National Championship game in Pasadena.
Shortly after that, we started to head home. We got in the car about 5:45 to set home. We had no idea what we were in for. Traffic was terrible. The roads had not been treated for ice. People were sliding all over the place. It was an extremely scary trip home. We finally got home 4 hours later (the ride usually takes 1 hour.) I was relieved when we got home. Our driveway was so icy, we had to park in the street.

Christmas Tradition

Like I've said before, I'm into holiday traditions. I thought it would be fun to decorate sugar cookies with Santa, so we would have some tasty treats for the jolly guy. We got up on Christmas Eve, and I baked those pre-cut ones. Then, I let Katie decorate them. She loved this activity. Katie thinks the more stuff, the merrier. I think Santa enjoyed them because that night, he ate two of them.

The day finally came....Dave's Graduation

It was a day Dave and I had waited for what seemed like forever. Dave started at UTA the spring after I had Katie. Most of his TCC credits didn't transfer even though he had his associate's degree. Well, Dave and I had many disagreements about this day. I thought it would be a great lesson for Katie, and I felt that we had sacrificed a lot for him to finish school (without a doubt the best thing we did.) He wanted to finish, and I totally supported him. I wanted him to walk the stage when he announced he was graduating in December. With lots of prodding from family and friends, Dave walked the stage at UTA on December 13. I will never forget this day. Dave, I am so proud of you and love you more than you will ever know. I don't think you know how much this meant to me. Did I mention that Dave was a first-generation graduate?

Happy Birthday Lisa!

We went with Brad, Lisa, Carol, and Ed to Brio's Tuscan Grille to celebrate Lisa's birthday. Don't worry Lisa, your secret is safe with me. I know...you're only 26, right? The food was incredible, and we had a blast.

THE Gingerbread House

I'm all about creating holiday traditions. Katie loves doing holiday activities. So, I saw an adorable kit for a gingerbread house at Target, and I thought, "How hard could this be?" Boy, was I wrong. It took almost 30 minutes just to get the stupid rock-hard cookies to stick together. Katie kept asking when she could add the candy. We started letting her decorate. The house quickly deteriorated like a mobile home purchased with FEMA funds. I will post a picture of what it looked like about 2 minutes before the whole thing collapsed. Katie did enjoy eating the candy as she assembled it. I know that's the important part, but Dave does not desire to make one of these again...for a long time.
P.S. Our model did not turn out like the picture on the box.

Thanksgiving Feast

Katie's school has a feast every year on the Monday before Thanksgiving. I don't know how you call it a "Thanksgiving feast" when you serve: Chick-fil-A nuggets, fries, fruit cocktail, green beans, rolls, and ice cream, but the kids love it all the same. Katie doesn't normally attend school on Mondays, but we make an exception for the feast. It starts out with a short program from the kiddos. They sang, "I'm a little turkey" to the tune of "I'm a little teapot." It went like this and was adorable, "I'm a little turkey, short and fat"...then there was a lot of mumbling, and it ended with "Gobble, gobble, gobble." Katie sang this song for a good month, and now I can't remember it.

Allie's Birthday

Allie's 4th birthday party was at the carousel at the Parks mall. Katie loves the carousel. Actually, she just loves parties period. Allie had a beautiful cake of Cinderella made by Becky, and Katie was shocked. Allie got lots of good loot, and I think everyone had a good time.

Happy Halloween

We headed to Jaxson's house for a costume party! Katie had been asking all day what Jaxson would be dressed up as. All the party participants were dressed up except Dave and I. I didn't know everyone would take it so seriously. Next year, I will dress up, I promise. Katie had a great time playing with Jaxson (Bumblebee) and Blake (Tony Romo.) She was quite the fairy. If someone ever called her a princess, she would quickly let you know, "I'm not a princess, I'm a fairy."

Potty training

So, after our trip to the State Fair, I started potty training with a vengeance. I discovered Katie was playing us all. She could stay dry all day at school, but she would never go at home. I spoke with some friends at school. Katie is fascinated with art. I knew I had her when I told her she could change the color of the water in the potty. I bought food coloring and got to work. Katie was practically potty trained in 4 days. We have an occasional accident here or there, but nothing like we used to. She now wears panties all the time and is very aware of her capabilities. When she has an accident, I think it's because she finds it inconvenient to stop what she's doing to go to the bathroom. I know this because she never has accidents at school, daycare, or out in public...only at home. Oh well, I'm glad this chapter of our life is closed. This was the hardest thing I ever had to conquer.

State Fair

We headed to the State Fair on the last day it was here.

Katie loved seeing the animals and feeding them.

Dave and I headed to the Auto Show in hopes of finding my next vehicle. Plus, there's always the fried food, who could resist? After eating corny dogs and nachos and seeing everything there was to see, we headed home.

Swine Flu

Swine Flu has taken over the Martin household. Saturday morning, I started to feel a little puny. Maybe like I was having a bad day with allergies. By mid-day I was convinced I needed a little Advil Cold and Sinus. We went to the Horton's for football and had a good time, but I never felt myself. Sunday I had a horrible head cold, but no other real symptoms. Late Sunday, I had a low-grade fever. I was sure I could beat it by morning and head into work. When my alarm woke me on Monday, I just wanted to check my temp to make sure I was good. My 99.5 had risen to 101.2 so going to work wasn't an option. I did on-line check-in at CareNow. Within 2 hours, I got seen by a doctor and tested for flu. Sure enough it came back positive. They said it was the Swine Flu since it wasn't the seasonal flu time yet. I spent most of the day sleeping and lying around. I woke up at 3:30 when school called to see if I could return. I told them I was still running a fever, and I couldn't. Right after I hung up the phone, mom called saying Katie was running 101.1. I called Dr. Harmon and they got her scheduled for 5:30. By 7 PM, they had tested her for flu, Swine Flu, and Strep. She tested positive for Swine Flu. Dave and Katie didn't get home until 8 PM. We had brats and hot dogs for dinner. I got Katie ready for bed (after her meds). Next morning, Dave woke up with a fever. He went to CareNow and tested negative for the flu. He had bronchitis. Now, he'll stay home tomorrow with Katie and I can go back to work...which is good. After a while of lying around the house, I start to get bored.

Katie's 30th Birthday

Well, Big Katie's 30th Birthday was a success! Dave and I met her and Chris at Buca di Beppo in Southlake. We had a nice dinner and got to catch up. Katie was my roommate my sophomore and senior years in college. We had some great times together, and we still do. There's just something about the bond between college roomies. I was just lucky that mine turned 30 before I did. :)

Another trip on the boat

We ALL headed out to Benbrook Lake for one last trip on the boat before it got too cold. Mom, Dad, Brett, Katie, Dave and I went to meet Grandma, Grandpa, Pat and Syrilda at their campsite. We had a nice day at the lake. When we returned to land, we had a nice cookout followed with S'mores.

Katie's 3rd Trip to the ER

When the rain blew in on Thursday evening, Katie started wheezing a little. No biggie-we cured it with a breathing treatment of Xopenex. Friday morning before school she was a little wheezy so Dave gave her a treatment at 7:30 AM. At 5 PM, my mom called me and told me to get Katie ASAP as she had gotten terribly worse over a 3 hour period. So, I got her home and I gave her a breathing treatment at 5:30, 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 and 1:30. At 2 AM she threw up cough syrup on her floor. Then, she continued to cough and was so miserable she was hysterical. I cleaned everything up and woke Dave up at 2:30 and said I wanted to take her to the ER since we hadn't gotten any sleep and she wasn't getting any better. I called the Dr. on call, and he said a trip to the ER sounded like a good idea.

We arrived at Cooks at 3:15 AM. They sent us immediately to triage to check her vitals, where she threw up all over my pants. They gave me a pair of scrub pants. We got transfered to a room, and we saw a Dr. immediately. They almost put her on oxygen because her oxygen level was 89%. They gave her a treatment at 4:15, and it took 45 minutes. They said it was enough albuterol for 3 treatments. She stopped coughing instantly and passed out for the majority of the treatment. They noticed improvement and wanted to give her some oral steroids. The minute she took them, they came back up again. We had to wait for her heart rate to slow down and her oxygen level to raise again. We waited an hour then went to radiology for an x-ray. About 1 hour after that, she got another treatment. After that treatment (2 vials of albuterol), she was talking to anybody and everybody at 7:30 AM. She was my normal kid all over again. Cooks Children's Hospital was the best. God truly blessed us this morning.

As soon as Katie finishes the donuts she requested on the drive home, I'm going to bed. :) I'm also going to get Dave to post the pics I took. Call me awful, but I will remember this forever.

It's Game Day, Baby!

Football season officially started at the Martin household. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the first Longhorn game because of a feud between DirecTV and Versus. We found out early in the 3rd quarter that we could watch the remainder of the game at my parents...so we went over to see the end. We all had fun! Yes, Katie is sporting a cheer dress and the "Hook 'em!"

Top Ten Things I Love About My Katie

Top Ten Things I Love About My Katie on her 3rd birthday

10. I love how she agrees with you even when she has no idea what you're talking about ("Yeah, that's my favorite too.")
9. I love how she's Captain Obvious...always stating what we already know, but for her it's like she's just discovering it. ("Wow, that is really loud.")
8. I love when she wants me to pick her up and she wraps her legs around my waist her and her arms around my neck.
7. I love when I'm lying on the couch with a blanket, and she says, "Want to cuddle?" She doesn't even wait for me to answer, she just climbs in next to me and pokes me with her bony body a thousand times so I don't want to cuddle anymore. :)
6. I love when out of the blue, without warning, she reaches over and kisses me. When I look over at her, she's got a giant smile on her face.
5. I love the pouty face she makes when she doesn't get her way, and she wants sympathy. (Don't think it's going to work on me, Little Missy, I taught you that look.)
4. I love the way she smiles at me when I get home from work or I pick her up at school.
3. I love when I kiss her goodnight, she intentionally wipes it off because she wants to be showered in kisses. I know this because if I leave without covering her face in kisses, she yells through the door, "Mommy, come back, I wiped off your kiss."
2. I love how after her prayers every night she thanks Jesus for the little things I don't think of. She starts by saying, "Thank you Jesus for..." and she specifically names every person in her life, and ends with things like "outside, the water, ducks, and Great Grandpa's boat."
1. I love how when we've only been apart for a short time, like a couple of hours, she runs over to me gives me a hug and whispers in my ear, "I missed you."

**Disclaimer: There are a lot more things I love about Katie, but these things stick out the most in my mind.

Katie's B-Day Party

Katie's birthday is on Monday, and we decided to have her party at the Carousel at the Parks this year. She loves riding mini carousels at stores, so I was sure this would hit the spot. It came highly recommended from our friends (they do all the work for you-providing the cake, invites, thank-you cards, cutting the cake, clean-up, etc.) It ended up being a success. She had a blast, and the parents said their kiddos loved it.

Top Ten Things I Learned in NOLA

10. The city stinks, like has an unpleasant odor, sometimes smelling like garbage...other times smelling of other unmentionable things.
9. The French Quarter actually has more influence by the Spanish than the French (thanks Richard.)
8. All above ground cemeteries are closed on Sunday.
7. Beignets are like heaven covered in powdered sugar and should only be eaten with Cafe du Monde coffee, which is the strongest coffee I've ever had in my life.
6. Mardi Gras beads are available year-round and have some interesting things on them, if you're wondering what, just ask. Plus they still hang from trees in the garden district.
5. Just about every third door on Bourbon Street is a daiquiri shop which is like the Baskin Robbins of bars, 31 flavors of daiquiri.
4. Johnny's Po Boy and Ralph and Kakoo's aren't what we expected.
3. Snugglepuff and Hunky Dunky are great names for spouses.
2. "My mama told me..."
1. "Beware of the dingus attack!"

4th of July

We went to Brad and Lisa's for 4th of July festivities before the Ranger game. Katie got to see Lisa's family, play with Addie, and see Little Mister, Jack. She was all dressed up for the day.
After BBQ and many snacks, we headed to the Rangers game. Katie was excited because the last game she was at got rained out.
She was quite the trooper, and the Rangers prevailed. Then, we moved to the porch to watch the fireworks. Katie was speechless for almost the entire show. Then, she would point and tell me the colors or which one was her favorite. She still talks about the fireworks to this day.

Happy Birthday Dave!

Dave's Birthday took us to the Grand Opening of Chuy's in the Highlands. I've missed Chuy's since I graduated. I've been a couple of times on my trips to Austin, but it's great Tex Mex and fantastic drinks. Dave wanted a Guitar Hero World Tour set, so everyone chipped in and he got one. Katie did a great job of breaking in the drums the next day.

Happy Birthday Tiffani!

Tiffani's birthday is really next week, but we decided to celebrate it this week since we would all be in town. Candis, Becky, Tiffani, Lisa and I went to see The Proposal and then went to Gloria's in the Highlands. Candis gave Tiffani her old Cricut, and we chipped in for a giftcard so she could get a cartridge. Candis made a delicious strawberry cake. I had so much fun! These girls really get me through at work...I don't know what I'd do without them.

Happy Birthday Keira

Today we went to Little Gym for Keira's birthday. Keira is Katie's friend from school. Katie had such a blast playing on all the equipment. She had so much fun, that I had to take her in the bathroom to throw her fit that she didn't want to leave. :)

Katie tucking us in

The Saturday before Father's Day Katie decided to come join us in bed. I decided to go make breakfast. All of a sudden, Dave and Katie call me...this is what I find in my bed when I arrive. Katie has tucked in Bear and Teddy next to Daddy. How adorable!

Sleepy Mommy

I laid down to take a nap, and this is what Dave saw. He found it so hilarious, that he thought he should have a picture to commemorate this moment. It's like something you'd see on National Enquirer. Mom with Human Head and Dog feet.

Potty Training

Well, I'm feeling that newfound burst of energy most teachers feel that first full week off of school. I've already cleaned the house, painted baseboards, pruned my crepe myrtles and created a large trash pile for Fort Worth bulk trash pick up. So, why not start potty training? It's something that's bothered me since Katie turned 2. I can't tell you how many disdainful looks I get when people find out that my child isn't potty trained, and I'm not trying. I have tried. Have you met that stubborn 2-year-old? "No Mommy, I just go in my diaper. I don't want to be a big girl." Yes, it's true, she has said that to me. I tried blackmailing with candy and stickers. I even told her she could have a baby brother or sister if she stopped wearing diapers.

In desperation, I downloaded an ebook on how to potty train your child in 3 days. Sounds good if you like living in lockdown mode for 3 days. You pretty much let the child play in underwear and watch like a hawk for an accident to occur then rush them to the toilet. I've spoken with my neighbor about this method and it traumatized her child...poor kiddo.

So, after much consideration, I've decided to be a little more aggressive but not psycho. Katie has to be trained by September or she can't be in the 3s class at preschool. Thank you everyone for the advice and prayers. Wish us luck. :)

Nicky and the Pug

We invited Brad and Lisa over for dinner and decided to have them bring Nicky, their Boston Terrier along. Pugsley and Nicky had lots of fun. They chased each other around the house, around the backyard. Nicky played with Pugsley's toys. I think fun was had by all. They shared the leftover steak (not spaghetti like Lady and the Tramp.) They got along really well. It was only at the end of the night when Pugsley was overtired did things start to sour. Pugsley started growling at her...I think he just needed his beauty sleep. Anyways, here's a pic of the happy couple.

Camping...Martin Style

Well, Katie has been asking her Great Grandpa if we can go out on the boat since probably January. She has been going on their pontoon boat since she was a wee one around 1 year old. She still remembers the small things-like last year she got to drive it, and then fed the ducks when we docked back at shore at Lake Grapevine. This year we met them at their campground site in Benbrook and then went out on the lake for relaxation and lunch.

It was a beautiful day with a great breeze. We never got too hot.
Katie loves driving the boat and loves honking the horn more. We just happened to capture this moment.
Later, we returned to the campsite for dinner. After some consideration, Dave and I decided to head into town to get everything to make s'mores. Katie AND her great grandpa had NEVER had them...what a shame. We decided to remedy that situation quick. While we were gone, Katie helped Great Grandpa search for fire wood.
Katie and Grandma roasting her first marshmallows. Katie was not a fan of the fire. "Too hot!" she said.
Katie eating her first s'more. She said it was "yummy," but she preferred the marshmallows out of the bag.

Katie's first Ranger Game

After a LONG field day, Dave and I decided to take Katie to her first Ranger's game. Dave never has nights off from work, and was off due to field day. We decided we couldn't pass this opportunity up. We got Brad and Lisa to go too. Katie and I started the evening with nachos.
But, that was not enough, so we got her a hot dog...I feel like I'm reading the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
Right after that, the announcer came on the PA system and announced there were severe thunderstorms heading our way and the game was postponed until further notice. Then, thunder hit, and we were told we had to leave our seats.
Not 10 minutes later, we had to leave the upper deck. Then, the rain hit followed by hail. After 30 minutes, the rain let up, but the game was still postponed. We decided to head home. Katie had fun, but we didn't see any baseball. We found out the next day that they would honor our tickets for weekday games during the summer, so we will definitely return...maybe next time on dollar dog night. :)