Merry Christmas!!

What a fun and crazy morning!  True to form, both Zoe and Madelyn were up by 6am so we got a very early start on the gift opening.  Watching Zoe's reaction to her gifts was a neat experience, and it was heartwarming how she hand delivered gifts to Maddie and helped her open them.  Madelyn didn't really get what was going on this year, but she thoroughly enjoyed crinkling and eating the colorful wrapping paper.

The only thing missing from our Christmas this year was being with our families.  This was the first year we weren't able to see everyone, and that was hard.  Luckily, we were able to Skype and that helped a little bit.

Here are some photos from our Christmas Day.



Zoe and Madelyn testing out their new craft table.



How cute is this shirt?!  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Martin and Aunt Danielle!



Zoe helping Madelyn get the wrapping started.




This present is delicious!!



Zoe and Madelyn playing with the new toy Zoe picked out for her baby sis.

How our living room looked after all the presents were opened.



The Martin Family, Christmas 2010



Christmas Eve

Our first Christmas as a family of four- a little more hectic but a lot more fun!  I had good intentions of getting a great family photo of us all dressed up, but we barely made it out the door in time for church.  After the service, against our better judgement, we went out to dinner.  Let's just say our new tradition on Christmas Eve will be staying in and ordering a pizza.  Picture a very excited, fidgety 4 year old and a "I want to grab everything on the table" 7 month old- not the most relaxing meal we've ever had.  We made it home in time for each of the girls to open one gift on Christmas Eve, and set out milk and cookies for Santa, as well as spread reindeer food on the front walk.  I love the magical feeling on Christmas Eve, and the excitement of my little angels.

Preschool Christmas Program

Tonight was Zoe's Preschool Christmas Program.  She has been practicing her songs all week and was very excited to perform tonight.  Darryl and I were pleasantly surprised that our little shy girl was front and center, singing her heart out.  You make us proud, Zoe!!

I have no idea what they are saying, but it's still adorable!!

My favorite song of the night!

Lyrics:  I'm gonna wrap myself in paper,

Tie me up in ribbons too.

Then I'll put a stamp up on my head,

And mail myself to you!

Dedication

Today was a special day for Zoe and Madelyn.  They were both dedicated to the Lord at our new church home, Cornerstone Community Church of Moorpark. 



Waiting patiently for the service to begin.



Darryl introducing all of us.



Prayer and Dedication of Madelyn Grace




Prayer and Dedication of Zoe Renee

 Both of the girls did a great job being up in front of the entire congregation.  Even though Zoe has limited understanding of what being dedicated means, and Madelyn of course has no understanding, it was a special moment for Darryl and I as we made a promise to the Lord that we will guide our girls to understand God's love for them and one day accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. 

Something To Say

Translation:  Hey Everybody, I'm 7 Months Old!!

Little Reindeer

Tree Down

Nothing like being awoken from a deep sleep by a crashing sound. I thought someone was breaking into the house but Darryl immediately said, "the tree fell over".  Sure enough, there was our beautifully decorated Christmas tree lying on the floor surrounded by broken pieces of ornaments.  You can imagine our joy in cleaning up this disaster in the middle of the night, and as we drug the tree out to the driveway and scrubbed ridiculous amounts of sap off of our arms, we vowed that the next day we would be traveling to Lowe's to purchase an artificial tree.  However, Darryl decided to give this tree another chance at life in the Martin house, and after cutting a good foot and a half off the bottom, we set it up again.  And restrung the lights.  And decorated again.  (this time with slightly less Christmas spirit).  I'm happy to say that as I am writing this post our tree is still standing!  A few points to mention about this experience:

1.  First and foremost, we are so thankful that the girls weren't around and no one got hurt.  We found lots of pieces of ornaments on Madelyn's exersaucer, where she was playing earlier that day.

2.  Never buy a tree that is too big for your base to support.

3.  If you live in California, it is too warm for the tree's sap to freeze up and stop flowing, so be prepared.  Also, the trunk will be incredibly soft and the screws from your stand will dig right into the trunk and turn it to pulp.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas!!

This past weekend was packed full of Christmas preparations.  We did most of our indoor decorating over the Thanksgiving break, but saved the outdoor lights and the all important Christmas tree for this weekend. We found a great cut-your-own farm close to our house and off we went...




Zoe and Darryl searching for the perfect tree.



"How about one of these, Mom?"



A quick visit with Santa (Madelyn is too interested in Mrs. Claus to look at the camera!)



Zoe's ornaments all in a line- can you tell how tall she is?!

Two more of our traditions- The Elf on the Shelf and the Gumdrop Tree ( Thanks Betty!)

There is always the great debate- live tree or artificial.  Having grown up with live trees (and luckily Darryl did too)  we have always gone this route.  A little more work, a little messier, yes- but totally worth it when you smell the fresh pine in your house.  Well, what happened next may forever change my mind about getting a real tree...to be continued.

Pink Corduroys

Before Madelyn was born, people would tell me how fun it is to pull out your firstborn's clothes and see your new baby wearing the same outfits.  They were so right!! I love seeing Madelyn in things I remember Baby Zoe wearing.  Here are both my girls in one of my favorite outfits.



Zoe, Taken January 2007




Madelyn, Taken November 2010



Sense of Humor

Preschool Picture

Today Zoe recieved  her school pictures and her first school progress report.  It was fun explaining to her what is was and that she will be gettting these every year from now until she graduates from college.  Hopefully they will all be as good as this first one!  Speaking of progress, something I have noticed lately is Zoe's evolving sense of humor.  She has started to really enjoy a good joke (she spent hours reading a dino riddles book from the library, and retelling them to us over and over again!), and is beginning to understand sarcasm and plays on words.  The best is to hear her little 4 year old voice make her own jokes- she really has me laughing some days.  Here are two of my favorites that I've heard lately:

Scenario:  Picking Zoe up from school and she is showing me the turkey craft they made that day

Me: Did you have a fun morning at school?
Zoe: It was turkey-rific! 

Scenario: Zoe is at the kitchen table enjoying a bowl of Life cereal for breakfast

Me:  How is your cereal?
Zoe:  I really LIFE it! 

As always, little girl, you amaze me.  Thanks for making me laugh!

Thanksgiving 2010

Our first big holiday on the west coast, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't different out here then back east.  The weather, of course, is a bit of a change, but luckily Thursday was a chilly day (for California) which helped it feel a little more like late November.  The biggest difference was the fact that we couldn't load everyone up in the car and drive 6 hours to be with family.  (I remember when that 6 hours seemed like such a long drive!) While the Navy has kept us away from our families this year, it has also brought us some wonderful life long friends with whom we can share the special day.  The Shepards joined us for turkey day this year, and we had a blast.  With four kids ages 4 and under, it was a bit chaotic at times, but we are so thankful that we were able to create those memories together. 


Madelyn and Logan



Zoe was thrilled to play dinosaurs with her new buddy, Jack!

A little wobbly....

but she's up!

Alaska

Alaska.  This is where Darryl has been all week and the primary reason I have neglected my blog for the past few days. 

Fun facts about Alaska:

   * High temperature in November is roughly 13 degrees.

   * The sun does not rise until 10am and sets again by 4pm- talk about depressing!

The girls and I are very excited that we get to pick Daddy up at the airport tomorrow.  One thing I have learned from this week on my own is how much easier it has gotten!! The first time Darryl left Madelyn was 3 months old and it was really tough.  The second time she was 4 months old and it was slightly easier (having Grandma around helped a lot too!)  Now that Madelyn is 6 months old, I was amazed at how well this week went.  Do we miss having Daddy around?  Absolutely!! Were there evenings when I was trying to cook dinner, give Zoe a bath, and feed Madelyn at the same time and I thought I was going to lose my mind?  Definitely!  But.... overall we had a great week with just us girls.  And we are extra excited to spend the weekend with all of us together again. :) 



6 Month Update



Wasn't it just yesterday that we brought this cute little face home from the hospital?

Fun Facts about Madelyn at 6 Months Old:

* Has Two Teeth

* Getting a lot more hair

* Still has amazing blue eyes

* Is going to be tall like her Daddy (27", 90%tile)

* Is chubby like her sister was (17 lb. 14 oz.)

* Puts everything in her mouth

* Drools all the time

* Tries to reach and grab for everything, but especially Mommy's hair :)

* Likes to play on her tummy and "airplanes"

* Scootches backward all around the room

* Rolls from back to tummy

* Isn't excited about rice or oatmeal cereal, carrots, or peaches, but seems to love peas

* Drinks 4-6 oz. every 3 hours

* Goes to bed at 7:30pm and sleeps until 6am with one nighttime bottle

* Takes 3-4 short naps a day

* Loves to play peek-a-boo and listen to stories

* Thinks her big sister is the funniest thing ever

* Has a smile that melts our hearts

We love you Maddie!





Madelyn is looking surprised that she has found herself halfway across the room!





Zoe at 6 Months





Madelyn at 6 Months



A Day in the Life of a Mommy

6am- Wake up feeling like a zombie after being up most of the night with a stuffy-nosed baby.

Get kids ready and off to preschool while fantasizing about your next chance to sleep.

While waiting at preschool drop-off, get puked on not once but twice by baby, the kind that starts on your shoulder then runs down your arm and onto your pant leg.

Go to Target smelling of baby throw-up because you are almost out of diapers.

Rush home, feed and bathe baby, leaving no time for your own shower. Quickly change out of smelly clothes and go to pick up preschooler. Squeeze in some grocery shopping on the way home.

Get home and realize your shirt has been on inside out the entire time.

Make it through the afternoon, evening, and bedtime. After kids are asleep, whip out your home waxing kit because there is certainly no time to get your eyebrows done by a professional. Spill hot wax all over bathroom sink.

Decide it's time to go to bed.

Do it all over again the next day because you have the greatest two little girls any mommy could ask for!

Halloween

Every year Halloween gets more and more fun as Zoe gets older and more excited about decorating, carving, and trick-or-treating. The highlight for me this year was having two adorable girls who could wear matching costumes. Zoe loved going from house to house getting candy and after an hour we had more than enough and returned to our house to hand out some of our own candy. Madelyn, who had not napped all day, slept through the majority of the evening. Luckily, I was able to get a few good pix of my dinosaurs. And in case you are wondering what is on our pumpkin, they are the snails that live in our flower beds. :)

First Tooth

Look closely and you will see that Madelyn's first tooth has arrived! (her bottom right) Based on the excess amount of drooling and chewing, there are more on the way!

Sleepy

All this reading sure can tire a girl out!

Big Bear Lake

The Martin family escaped to Big Bear Lake this past weekend, a gorgeous area about 3 hours from our house. We rented a cozy cabin which, although tiny, was a perfect mountain home for the two days we were there. The drive up was an adventure in itself- driving up the mountain in complete darkness with a thick layer of fog and incredibly windy roads- I think I held my breath the entire time! We woke up Saturday morning to chilly temperatures and beautiful sights. Our first stop was Big Bear Discovery Center where Zoe got to touch lots of animal skins, make a dreamcatcher, and dig for an arrowhead. From there we put the girls in the stroller for a 7 mile walk along the lake where the views were unbelievable (these pictures do not do it justice!) After a quick stop for lunch, it was on to the Alpine Slides and Go-Karts. Zoe loved her first experience on the ski lift and showed no fear coming down the slides! After some shopping and dinner, we were all exhausted and in bed by 8pm. Sunday morning we took a 1.5 mile walk on the Woodland trail, where we got to explore nature, get lots of exercise, and see more breathtaking views. It was hard to pack up and leave this beautiful town, but we will definitely be back again soon!

My beautiful girl posing in front of the lake.

Family shot- what a backdrop!

Taking a break during our hike- 1.5 miles is pretty far for a 4 year old!


Zoe and Daddy posing along the trail.

Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Madelyn looking adorable in her new hat.

Another great photo opportunity.

Daddy's Little Girl

Ahhh! I'm gettting attacked by a mountain lion!

Big Toy!

Madelyn is having fun exploring her "new" big girl toy.

Rainy Day

We had a cloudy, rainy day today, a rarity in southern California. It was nice to open the patio hear and hear the rain, and Zoe was totally into the lightning and thunder. Here is a picture of one of our rainy day activities- making dinosaurs out of felt shapes. Zoe is proudly displaying her stegosaurus.

Pumpkin Festival

This weekend we went to a pumpkin festival in a town nearby called Calabassas. There were games, a giant slide, the swing ride, and lots of yummy food. It was a beautiful fall day to walk around and both girls really enjoyed it!

Zoe's first experience on the swings. I remember loving this ride as a kid, now I get sick just watching her on it.

After 3 attempts, this was the best picture I could get of Darryl and the girls.

Posing with an inflatable pumpkin

Belly Sleeper

Even though I risked waking her up, I couldn't resist taking this picture.

Happy 5 months, my sweet baby.