Happy Memorial Day to Everyone! We have enjoyed quite the weekend with dinners, friends and BBQs. It has been a blast! Can't believe it is our last one in Texas! :(
We spent yesterday in the pool and at a BBQ. We went to Barb and Dave's house and had such a great time swimming in their awesome pool, enjoying great food cooked on the grill and hanging out with friends. The girls stayed the whole three hours swimming in the pool! What a change from last year for Lydia considering she just walked around the pool then and now she is swimming, laying on her back and jumping in the pool all by herself. She has no fear at all! I LOVE it! And Lillian is now swimming at level three...she can swim and take a breath and then continue swimming, dive all the way to the bottom of the pool and can treat water for about 10 seconds. The girls are like mermaids now which is great to escape the TX heat!
Then, today we went to Nina's house for some playtime in the morning and then off to another cookout. We all went to Cecilu's house for some more water time and great food! The girls enjoyed the water slide, trampoline and pool. Another day spent outside enjoying the water and sun. But, most of all, another day with friends. We enjoyed seeing all the girls again and my girls were exhausted by the end of the day. Let's hope the sleep well tonight!
It has been a great Memorial Day weekend. I have enjoyed seeing all my friends and how it makes me miss them even more. I can't believe we are down to 25 days in TX...where did all the time go? I miss my friends so much already and I haven't even said good bye. What would I do without them making me smile, laugh and not take the small things so seriously?
Well, tomorrow we are off for another adventure....DISNEYLAND HERE COMES THE MARTINS??? ARE YOU READY TO RUMMMMMMBBBBBBLLLLLEEEEE?????
What a FANTASTIC morning! All I can say is that this was a wonderful show put on by Lisa's Dance Connection. Lisa, honestly, it was perfect and kept me smiling the whole time! It was called "Dancing with Our Stars" and it was great!
Lillian didn't miss a beat in her ballet or tap dance. She was so full of life and animation and we all kept cheering for her. I couldn't be more proud of her right now and I am just beaming! She made me smile each dance and kept me on my toes. She was ADORABLE!
I loved seeing all of her friends too and each child was amazing this year. I am speechless....okay, I always have something to say! WAY TO GO LILLIAN!!!!! MY STAR!
Love,
Julie
Ps- Lillian is the last one on the right during tap and in the very middle during ballet!
Today we woke up and Lillian graduated this morning! She was so excited and started her day bright and early! We started the morning off with star graduation pancakes with a side of toast. She loved those pancakes and ate three of them. She has a big appetite these days!
Then, she had to open her graduation present. She couldn't wait and all she had been asking for was another Webkinz. So, of course, we got her one! Her name is Shaggy and apparently Shaggy has a love of shopping! Who knew a cat could love shopping?
We attended her graduation ceremony at school. Her class sanG three songs and she did such a good job with all of them. She even knew the Kindergarten songs too! She enjoys music so much and can really memorize a lot of songs. She was so happy to be on stage with all of her friends. Jessica came with us today and Lillian enjoyed having her special friend with her.
We all enjoyed a cookie reception and ate too many cookies! Boy, some of those moms can really cook! I had one cookie and I thought I was in heaven. :) They put me too shame for sure! We all came home and Lydia took a nap. Then, I took the big girl out to lunch at Chili's. Lillian loves that place! We had a nice lunch and then the wait staff came out singing, "Happy Graduation" to Lillian and she just looked amazed! She loved it and I think it actually caught her WAY off guard for once!
And yes there was more to the day...after naptime, then we went to Wendy's house for a Graduation party! We decorated the place with graduation napkins, plates, cups, balloons and more. We stayed outside the whole afternoon playing in the pools and jumping on the trampolines. We had a wonderful meal and Lydia ate for three hours straight and consumed enough of Eric's mac-n-cheese for all of Fort Hood! She loves Eric's mac-n-cheese and he does make a mean one! :)
It was an awesome day filled with awesome friends! It wouldn't have been the same without all of our friends and Lillian's friends. Lillian adores her friends and we are so thankful to have so many wonderful kiddos in her life and our life too. Thanks again Wendy and Kevin for opening your home up for the party. It was great! And thanks to Lisa, Doug, Jessica and Eric for joining in on the fun too! Lillian told me it was an awesome party and an awesome day! That makes me happy!
I can't believe Lillian starts Kindergarten next year! Where did the time go? I don't know if I am ready to let her leave for so long. She will be attending Bradley Elementary next year in Kansas. She will start school on August 10th and it seems just around the corner...and it is 8:10am to 3:30pm. Wow, that is such a long day! I know she will be okay, but I will miss having her home. At least this year we still had her home two days a week! I know she has to grow up, but I only wish I could keep her forever! My little angel! I am very proud of her for always giving a 110 percent to school and to her friends. She is very special!
Lillian has enjoyed St. Francis these past two years. She has learned a lot and I know she will continue to grow. I am so thankful to have had two wonderful teachers for her- Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Sweeden. They really nurtured her and helped her adjust to life in school. It wasn't an easy adjustment for Lillian and I am thankful she had great teachers to help her. I will always remember St. Francis!
And now, the girls are in bed and we start the day with Lillian's dance recital! WHEW!! Just another crazy day for the Martin Clan! Love you all!
I was just thinking of the girls tonight and wanted to share Lydia's new tricks. Lillian has been a great big sister and teaching Lydia new things everyday- some good and some bad! :) But, they are a dynamic duo!
It is great watching them play together and I love to see the encouragement from Lillian just cheering for her little sister. She said today, "Now, she can do it all by herself and I don't have to help her!" Lydia is truly growing up fast in the footsteps of her older sister! Those are big shoes to fill too!
It turns out to be another busy weekend for the Martin clan! This week is my 9th anniversary with Rich and so we have had anniversary plans for a while he didn't know anything about on top of it being Mother's Day. But, it has been an awesome weekend!
I won't bother you with all the mushy details, but I will tell you about today. I surprised Rich with a zip line tour in the Hill Country area of Spicewood, Texas. It is right outside of Austin, Texas. He knew nothing of our plans for today and I even picked out the clothes and shoes to wear in order to not spoil the secret!He didn't know what we were doing until we pulled into the place! He was so surprised and excited. He jumped out of the car and said it was awesome!
We met Nina, Ronnie and the girls at the park this morning in Georgetown, Texas. We played all morning at the park and had a picnic lunch. It was cloudy and overcast today, but perfect weather for the zip line tour. Then, we went back to Nina's house to get Lydia down for her nap. And then we ZIPPED right out of there for our 2:00pm tour. It was about an hour from Nina's house.
The place was called Cypress Valley and it was so peaceful, calm and serene. Just what we needed! It just seemed to relax me from the beginning. We had a brief lesson and then we started the tour. I went first and it was a blast! I mean so much fun and breathtaking! Rich and I definitely want to go back for the Challenge Course now!
But, the zip lines were awesome and the bridges were fun to walk over. The instructor loved to tease me and would swing the rope up and down, side to side and make the ropes wider apart so I would have a hard time holding on. But, it made it so much fun!
The instructors also showed us the nature part of the tour and showed us some plants that were edible, how to detect poison ivy and some other interesting tidbits. This place was fun and I would recommend it!
Thanks to Nina and Ronnie for being the best friends anyone could ask for! We could not have enjoyed this day without them taking such great care of my girls. The girls had just as much fun as we did and that means a lot to me. They are truly amazing people and we love them dearly
And to Rich, Happy 9th Anniversary honey! You have made my life an adventure and I hope it doesn't stop. I have enjoyed all the memories, all the laughs and all the tears. I will hold onto all the struggles and challenges and know we overcame them in the past and will in the future. My rock, my friend, my hero, my husband and my life! I love you very much!
Happy Early Mother's Day! My weekend has started out so special with a Mother's Day Tea Party at Lillian's preschool. It was ADORABLE!!! We arrived and were seated in our special seat. Lillian told me she couldn't sit down that the chairs were only for the mommies. So, then the festivities began!
We had to first find our picture on the wall. The kiddos had to draw pictures of what they thought their mommy looked like. Lillian did a great job even with the flippy hair! :) I could easily pick mine out and quickly got it right! Lillian was impressed!
The children were using their Party Manners that they have been working on all week. So, they gave us a cup of punch and a cookie. Then, they got one for themselves. The punch was delicious and the cookies too! Lillian was just beaming that we were together and kept hugging and kissing me. It was too sweet and I must admit I got a little teary eyed. We don't get much one on one time together and it was so nice to be with her today on such a special day!
Then, the party began! They cranked up their singing voices and the concert began! They sang six or seven songs and each one was adorable. Some were too sweet, some were too funny and some were too loud! But, each was sung from their little heart and they worked on them all year long. It was very touching and especially watching them smile and dance. They enjoyed it all!
We got out presents and I was so impressed with the craftsmanship. Lillian put a lot of hard work into her tile and it showed. I will treasure it for a lifetime!
I will always think back on today and remember her beaming smile! She is so pretty to me in so many ways. Her heart is so full of love and she is contagious! She is my little girl, my toothless girl, my angel and first born. You can never know true love until you have a child and they steal your heart forever. She makes me so happy and I can only say again- I will never forget her beaming smile today! What a great way to start the Mother's Day weekend!
Last night the Tooth Fairy came to our house...to Lillian's room! She flew in and left gold glitter foot prints on Lillian's dresser. Lillian was so excited to wake up this morning and guess what? The tooth fairy was extra generous to Lillian! The tooth fairy left her a letter and she read some of it to Rich and I this morning. She said we could could keep the tooth since it was the first one. But, from this point on, she would have to take the tooth to share with the little babies so they can get baby teeth too. She also got a Polar Bear Alive and she name him Snow Flake. The tooth fairy also left $10.00 and an official tooth fairy gold coin. It was an amazing morning and all this happened before we left for school! :)Thanks Tooth Fairy for making such a Magical Morning for Lillian and Magical Memories too!Love you all!Julie
What an exciting day!!! Lillian's bottom two teeth have been lose for nearly 6 months now. We have been waiting patiently, eating apples and wiggling every free minute of the day. Her preschool teacher even told her to take her hands out of her mouth, but she reminded Mrs. Sweeden that she couldn't because she had to wiggle that tooth out! :) I am sure her teacher loved that comment and smiled!
But, today, it finally came out! And guess where? At lunch at McAlister's eating a hot dog with mac-n-cheese. And to make it even better we were there with our AWESOME friends Jessica, Jack and Lily. Lillian quickly explained the ordeal to Lily who is one year younger than her and even mentioned she was an "expert" on teeth. I just laughed!
Her tooth started bleeding while she was eating and I told her to just let me clean the blood. And I just barely pulled and out that tooth came! She was so excited and was full of energy at the restaurant. She couldn't believe it and loves her toothless smile. The one beside it is about to come out too!
So, now she is all grown up and a big girl. We go from baby teeth coming in one by one to losing them one by one. I remember working so hard for those teeth- Lillian was not an easy baby when it came to teeth coming in! :) I always joked with her not to knock a tooth out because I EARNED everyone of those teeth. And now they are leaving and she is growing up into a beautiful young little girl. She has such a spirit and a strong one. Look at that beautiful toothless smile!
Now, what should the tooth fairy bring?
Love you all!
Julie
Ps- And while I was cleaning blood from her mouth and snapping pictures, Lydia smeared mac-n-cheese all over her to include her hair! :)
Yesterday we went to the park with the Mom's Club for some festivities! We celebrated Cinco De Mayo early and in kids style! We cooked out and everyone brought a side dish to share. No, we didn't have sippy cups with salt on the rims or without! hee hee
The day was perfect for a day of play, good food and friends. The kiddos had a great time with the pinata too and Lillian really got into it this time. Check her stance out on that swing! And Lydia tried too, but she was just ready for the candy to fall out onto the ground.
My friend, Carla, took these amazing pictures and I had to share! She gets the best in the moment pictures EVER!! Thanks again Carla!! Happy Early Cinco De Mayo and PARTY HARD! Like we did! :)
Today, we went to the Turtle Festival in Belton, Texas. It was a lot of fun for such a small family event. I never would have thought we would end up spending 2 1/2 hours there, but we did! The girls had a great time with face painting, turtle races, wheel barrow train ride, Home Depot workshop and pony rides.
Lydia just followed her big sister around and got two arm paintings and sat so still. She got a ladybug and butterfly just like Lillian! :) Then, Lillian and daddy went to the Home Depot workshop to build a helicopter. And Lydia and I decided to try a stacking game. But, what do you think we had to stack.....yep, cookies! Really? Lydia stack cookies....C is for Cookie and that's good enough for me! She didn't stack not even one....she picked it up, pretended to stack and then ate it! She walked away with six free cookies before the lady got the idea she couldn't focus with food around!
Lillian enjoyed the morning building the helicopter with daddy. What a perfect thing for them to build together too! It turned out great and she got another apron for her collection and another pin too. We even met our friends out there for a little while.
The day ended with Lydia taking a 2 1/2 hour nap and then Lillian and I going to a birthday party at the Belton Fire Department. We had a lot of fun, the girls ran wild and then we our our awesome friends over for dinner. What a day! WHEW!!
