Deck the Halls with the Martin Mob...fa la la la la...

I am basically postponing the Fall and posting Christmas 2011 because it's seems more fun at the present moment. I'll go back later for record-keeping purposes....

Right before Christmas, we had a great playdate with our sweet friend Camden. This picture was just too precious!


We hosted the Martin Family this year...our first Christmas with everyone together in many, many years. Mom, Dad, Sherry, Doug, Laura, Kevin, Cliff, Evie, Kirby, Brad, Carrie, Matt, George, & Abigail. And Tori, Boomer, Anna & Louise. We had a house-full but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way! The cousins loved being together...our house was VERY LOUD for 4 days!

Started off the vacay with a trip to OKC Snow Tubing at the Ballpark. The big and little twins and I rode the tubes while everyone else watched from the stands in the warm sunshine.

Here comes our little dare-devil, backwards of course...

Yes, we were the parents that forgot their coats, so we improvised!

Even Mr. George took part this year, and LOVED IT!


Whee Evie!
And you know I can't pass up the fun!

We attended Christmas Eve services at McFarlin after Chef Matt's big jambalaya dinner and then returned to our house for opening Christmas pajamas from Aunt GoGo and Uncle Kevin.

Off to bed....then to awaken to SANTA!

Abigail's response was hilarious, totally zombie-like, repeating the mantra "Santa, Santa" as she spied her new toys from Santa, including her requested Disney Baby Princess Tiana with a carrier! George jumped right in with excitement, immediately playing with his requested Shark Ship! He loved that Santa put the diver in the belly of the shark! They both couldn't believe how Santa knew they were almost out of toothpaste, needed new toothbrushes, and that they loved Pez. Too cute!

Nana & Pop gave Miss A a princess nightgown & slippers that she wore for 3 days straight. Had to beg her to put on regular clothes to leave the house...

We all received lots and lots of treasured gifts this year, more than we could count! With 14 people in the house, our cozy little living room was covered with mounds of great gifts, wrapping paper and smiles and laughter! We ate yummy food all weekend, napped with full bellies, and enjoyed each other's company while the kids all enjoyed their new toys. George was a bit obsessed with the boxes that his toys came in...to date, he is still stockpiling them in his room and will not throw them away. Yikes! And Pop had the most fun of anyone with assembling the toys....

George's new Thomas Zipline Train set

Even Boomer was exhausted after all the fun!

Brad illustrates the "peacefulness" of the season!

Tech junkies Cliffy and Doug with their new grown-up toys.

On the day after Christmas, Brad departed for Houston and Sherry & Doug left for Lubbock, but the rest of us drove down to Pauls Valley and shot skeet over the Washita River! Nothing like blowing up a few things after lots of family fun! Nana and Aunt GoGo sat/slept in the car while Pop, Kevin, Matt, me & all the kids went down to the river bank. George & Abigail loved exploring and shooting their first shotguns (with adult help, of course!). It was nice to be at the river and after covering ourselves in Oklahoma red mud, we visited Aunt Bernice in Pauls Valley (don't worry, we left our boots at the door!).

I love this picture....

Christmas has always been a special holiday for us, but since George & Abigail were born, it has taken on a whole, much more intimate meaning. It is hard to imagine that God gave his only-born son to live and die for our sins. But God also gave Matt and I TWO gifts on Christmas, forever reminding us of his grace and insurmountable love. Christmas will never be the same for us again....and we will praise His name every year!

Dear Georgie, your birthday letter.

My precious Georgie.

In annual tradition, I wanted to capture the highlights of your year. You have grown and changed sooo much this year and I love having the honor of watching and experiencing every step!

You have had a great 4th year! You mastered many things this year, such as riding your balance bike and swinging on the swings by yourself. You and Abigail graduated to big kid bunk beds and you sleep on the top...we felt safest with you on top as you were less likely to take a flying leap! Though it takes you ab 30 min to settle in for sleep, you are still my sound sleeper. You sleep until 8:30am-ish and love to cuddle! Your Bunny and Little Blankies are still your cherished sleeping friends while others like Fezzy the Pheasant, Bert the Pig, and Spot the Dog (Daddy's from boyhood) rotate in and out of position.

(this pic was before we assembled them into bunks)

Your favorite things to play with are all things "boy": trucks, Hot Wheels cars, and tools. You also love to pretend play with your Sissy (that's what you call her most of the time), you are the dad taking care of your "kids" (sleeping friends) on a trip to a ficticious town. You are the driver and usually the trampoline is your "car" or "airplane". You always make sure everyone is safely buckled in! You also love to build forts using blankets and chairs in the living room. You are very creative and the things that you & Abigail come up with absolutely keep me laughing!

(Here, you two were pretending to be a camel.)

You are such a big helper and like things to be "just so." You are very detail oriented, craving order, habit, and structure. Your personality is the same as it's been since the day you were born...reserved, laid back, and shy mostly, peppered with bouts of stubbornness and intensity but tenderly sweet. You are slow to warm up in new settings and it takes you a while to become comfortable with new people or places. You like to hang back and observe, with your fingers in your mouth, and eventually you will come around to participating. You love to watch and soak it all in. In that regard, you are just like your Daddy, although he doesn't put his fingers in his mouth anymore! ;)

And most of the time, you don't like having your picture taken...

You love to be with your Mommy and Daddy, clinging to us in social settings and feeling very secure when we are near. But you have moments of high spirit and energy...roaring with laughter and rough housing with the best of them!!

We still battle certain clothes often. Your sensory issues are most pronounced when you wear non-comfy clothes. Your favorites are soft pants and t-shirts and anything orange. You will wear collared shirts and jeans or khaki pants to church after a little limit setting, but as soon as we come home, they are off quickly! You love character clothes now; Curious George, Hot Wheels, Toy Story and Cars are your favorites. You love your Buzz Lightyear light-up tennis shoes and wear them most days...sometimes I can get you to wear Cliff's old cowboy boots.

Soccer. You played your first team sport in the spring and fall of this year. You love soccer! Took you a few games to warm up to the idea (took you two games before you would even wear your jersey), but once you experienced the energy and fun, we couldn't keep you out of the game! You bonded with the Y Green Beans and had a blast running up and down the field following the other kids.


You also took swimming lessons this year with Ms. Skyler which helped to increase your comfort in the water. You accomplished blowing bubbles and putting your whole face in, but you still wouldn't get in the pool for most lessons. Next year...

You also love to go hiking. Our favorite spot is Wichita Mountains in SW Oklahoma. You are an amazing hiker...keeping up with the grown ups, hiking for literally 4 miles! You love to practice your bouldering skills and safely climbing down big rocks. You adore the outdoors!! I love that about you!


One big health accomplishment this year was finally moving out of chronic ear infections! Your tubes stayed in your ears for over 2 years and right before your 4th birthday, began the process of falling out. No more ear plugs! Also, no major illnesses this year beyond allergies and Croup once. Hallelujah!

Potty training!! Immediately after your 3rd birthday and with a little coaxing from Ms. Kim and Ms. Abby at Northhaven (plus a little orange Hot Wheels car), you decided it was time to wear underwear! And we did not look back...within a few weeks, you were done with cloth diapers completely! In your truest pattern, once you made up your mind, it was on! Determination runs in the family...

Another funny factoid about you is your obsession with PB&J. You eat at least one nearly every day and request one for lunch as often as you are able. I think you might turn into one. You are definitely a growing boy, standing 43 inches tall and weighing 42 lbs! You are very tall and solid for your age!

You loved going to Ms. Amy's house while I worked. You loved being able to arrive in pjs (since you would sleep right until it was time to leave our house) and eat your breakfast in the car or at her house. You loved "swimming" in the baby pool in her living room, learning your ABCs, going on nature walks, and playing with your best buddy Rachel.

But all things must come to an end, and it was time in our family life to change to formal preschool. Transitioning to Pumpkin Shell late in your fourth year was a bit difficult for you. You love it once you are there...you talk about your new friends, sing new songs, and make lots of cool art projects...but drop off is not pretty. To date (4y, 2mo), some days of drop-off are still not easy. But I know you love it there because you light up like electricity when I pick you up, eager to show me the things you have created that day!

Nana and Pop moving to Norman was a huge thing in your life this year. You love seeing them often and love spending time at their house. You beg for sleepovers at their house...and I can see why. The morning I went to pick you up after your first sleepover, Pop was teaching you and Abigail about pulleys and you suspended a baby stroller high in the oak tree with a long rope. You were also using his drill to drill screws into cardboard boxes and trimming his hedges with real loppers. YIKES!
Your favorite things at their house are the "Don Deere" tractor and ropes!!

You and Abigail love to travel more than ever! Trips to Texas are big fun! You spent the week at Aunt Go-Go & Uncle Kevin's house and a week at Camp G&G (Grammy & Grandpa's). You love having your own vacations separate from Mommy & Daddy. You loved traveling to Lubbock to the Ranch this summer to see Aunt Sherry & Uncle Doug & our winter vacation to Connecticut to see Uncle Billy, Aunt Missy, cousins Jacob & Nate and Reston, VA to see the Lees and godcousin Rebagrace. It was your first airplane trip, first Amtrak train ride, and first trip with part of it without Daddy. You also enjoyed the trip to Wimberly, TX to see your godparents & godcousins the Lands and lake cabin trip to east Texas to see other godcousins, the Hoffmeisters. I'm sure I've forgotten other trips too, but the moral of the story is we are a family always on the go, and you two are fabulous travelers!!

Two of the most revered people in your life are your Pop and Grandpa. You have connections with them that words cannot express. And the older you get, the stronger your bond with them.

Being with your cousins on both Martin and Jankowski sides of the family is by far your favorite. You adore your cousins and become "Cwiff's" shadow each time we are together. You talk about Evie & Kirby all the time and they teach you all kinds of things! You loved spending time with Nate and Jacob, playing in the igloo in their front yard and having water balloon wars at G&G's. Though your cousins all live far away, it makes the time together more precious, but leaves you longing for more. :(


Sadly, you said goodbye to your great-grandmother Oma this year. You were very special to her and I am very glad that you knew her. She loved that you were named for her husband, Daddy's grandpa. I hope that we can keep her memory alive for you. She and Grandpa George were very important to Daddy and I. This pic was taken at Grandpa George's grave when Oma was buried. You loved seeing on his headstone that you shared your name with him.

You have a way of melting my heart like no other, my precious baby boy. I love that we are connected to each other in a way that you have with no one else...I treasure that. You look at me with those big dark blue eyes and flash that adorable smile with your one dimple, and I am in love every time. I love watching you sleep, you resemble your daddy so much, and I am speechless knowing you two are so similar, as I know what an amazing man he has become. I pray that as you grow and mature, you will follow in his footsteps, embracing your gentle but confident and capable side. Always keep your growing faith and your love for God at the center of your being, just where it is now. I love you so much, George Christian.

love, Mommy