A Full Nights Sleep

I'm really behind in my blogging. I promise, soon I will have some photos from Andy's first birthday, our first big movie, and our cousin visit from a few weeks ago. I am finally at a point in my life where I can get a full nights sleep and I'm getting some energy back. Maybe too much energy. I just needed to get this post up for those that are waiting to see something very "Marti"...

Andy can't bear to read further. I have been on a cleaning spree. LOTS of Goodwill trips this month. I love the downsized simplicity and freedom to purchase home decor that is fresh and new. I've also been really consumed and thinking constantlly about the little guy I'm currently trying to help. Rob has nicknamed him my "loose tooth". Maybe someday I will link to his story if his momma ever shares it. Until then, I appreciate the continued prayer for wisdom and healing and respect for the privacy in the matter.

Until then, here are some other things that have kept me busy. I continue to allow my children to dress themselves.
Ummmm.. these are Andy's toes. When I painted Suzy and my toes pink, he was very insistent with his, "I TOOOO!" How can a momma say "no"? Rob will be pleased. When I touched up today, we changed Andy's color to a dark blue.... :P
I allow my children to do things I probably shouldn't. Once again, I'm either a really fun mom...
Or completely irresponsible. In defense, many handwriting programs praise the value of writing with pudding. Granted, they don't exactly mention doing it on the counter with bare feet....
And lastly, I am posting this because a certain someone dared me. You see, I am a Groupon Junkie. When a Groupon came out last week for $10 pole dancing lessons, I joked with a friend. It became a dare. It became a super fun reality. Granted, I can not bend my legs today. But, it was sooooo much fun. I think the best part was doing something completely crazy with a very good friend. A church friend, none the less. A fellow bloggin' momma.... Her secret is safe with me. The reaction from our instructor that we were church buddies and the reaction from Rob when I texted him the photo of where I was (not your typical "Ladies Night"....for me). Well, let's just say that the $10 was well spent.
This photo makes me double smile because I actually changed out of my work out clothes to take it. Truly, it's a very well lit studio with only three poles for very private and respectful lessons that actually focused more on athletisism and exercise than anything else. This bathing suit is so ironic here because it's a classic Mommy Suit that squeezes you in and hides just about everything with the big skirt. The shoes? .... Ahem.... Nicole, remember when I teased you at your wedding about the Dorothy shoes from Kansas? Uhu.... I still have them. What has it been, like 15 years..... They survived the big purge of 2010. ;) Love you, dear friend. I have a feeling you would have jumped on that pole with me! Ha!

Mischief in Moderation

Suzy loves to think she's getting into mischief. My thought is if it will clean up with minimal effort and won't cost more than an hourly rate of a babysitter, I'm not too worried about it. :)

They think they are so rotten. The giggles were adorable.

I love his pudgy little hand dimples....

Happy 34th Birthday, Rob!

For a birthday gift, Rob's parents bought him an ultra cool fish tank. It's HUGE. I had to remove the sink by the window so that it would fit. I had a great helper.
We then built a box to store the fish stuff as well as elevate it so we could see it from the living room.
More great help.
I love this shot. Photographically all wrong, but journalistically makes me smile. :)

Does this split shot make you smile? It does me!
The kids love it.
Rob even found a bubbler that is a volcano for Suzy. She's very curious about volcanos.
This is my favorite fish. He's really aggressive. He tries to attack your finger through the glass. We tell the kids he's just playing. Suzy named him "Big Orange Fish." We believe he has eaten the original fish... "Little Orange Fish".

Thanks, Grammy and Papop! We all love our fun fish tank!

Vaccination Update

I received a huge shock yesterday. Without going into too much detail, I just want my fellow momma bloggers to be more diligent and think about the vaccinations they are giving their child.

First of all, I am pro vaccines. My children get most of them, but not all. My personal philosophy is that if it will simply inconvenience me such as Rotovirus or flu, I skip it. However, Polio, Tetnus, others, ... I get them. I just do it with consultation from my pediatrician. (She does believe I'm crazy and would rather just give my kids all of them and all at once. But, we have a good respectful relationship together and we have a nice compromise.) I only give my kids two at a time and no less than a month apart. My pedi gets to choose the order I receive them. I do pay more co-pays. I do risk common infection and the inconvenience of multiple visits. However, yesterday I am affirmed in my decision.

I am currently working with a mom who has had a very bad experience with a recent vaccine. Her son does have other issues, so I'm not saying anyone reading the blog is at risk. My view is that Autism and other diagnosis are caused by a "perfect storm". If you do not have a genetic predisposition, you are not at risk. If, however, you do, it is important to consider this viewpoint. A perfect storm is when a child has a genetic issue and then the body encounters an environmental assult. Much like peanut butter is fine for most, but deadly for a few. It was once thought that the mercury containing perservative called Thimerisol was responsible for this assult in many kids. So, it was brought under attention in 1999, found inconclusive and yet pretty much banned in the US around 2003. This mom was researching her records and found that a pediatric practice in Cedar Park that hasn't been open more than ten years... GAVE HER SON A VACCINE MANUFACTURED OVER 13 YEARS AGO. Yup, it had Thimerisol. Our guess is that it came from a discount manufacturer. It couldn't have been on their shelves that long.

Now, hear me. Thimerisol was cleared by the FDA testing, etc. However, it is still receiving a lot of speculations, etc. I won't begin a debate on this on my blog. But I will give you my personal opinion as a professional with vast experience with Autism that I would avoid it at all costs. I was literally SHOCKED that it was being administerd in my back yard. Especially since one of the major arguments against it's harm is that Autism continues to rise even though the Thimerisol was removed so long ago.

So, Mommas, do what you want with this post. However, I want to strongly encourage you to do your own research before you give your kids more than a couple vaccines at a time. I also encourage you to throw off the fear of the white coat and question what types of vaccines your child is getting. You should have every right to know when and where it was made. And please, pray for little "guy". He's really having a hard time right now.

Early July fun

It's crazy. He wanted to sleep in this bed so I gave him the choice once at nap time. It's been over a week now. He hasn't turned back. He LOVES his car bed. Thanks, Fishers!


Suzy is taking a hand at hairstyling. The funniest part? I forgot she did this in the morning and actually wore this style the entire day. To stores even. Such a mom look.
Thank you, Vickie, for the awesome gift! If you are in need of large prints, my sister-in-law is the one to call! With such a huge wall, I needed something large. Vickie was able to print me a 40 X 60 canvas wrap from one of the photos I took in Colorado. Love it!
Nala approved. :)
I love this view from my bedroom. Since Andy is no longer in his crib, Suzy can get him up in the morning. She's such a great big sister. Now instead of the monitor and one little face, we can have two little faces peering at us in the wee hours of the morning. :) (Actually, Suzy is pretty good at waiting until the clock says "7" to get out of her room. But that's just not as funny.) I do love our staircase. It makes Christmas and mornings so fun. And prom.... oh, do I have plans for prom photos.....
Andy has begun to be included in the Daderday Pancake tradition.

Suzy is starting to choose her own recipes from her little kid cookbook. Not exactly healthy. But it was a new food!
I didn't have milkshake glasses. Is this completely inappropriate? Oh well.

A very fun mess.
Our friends built this airplane in their garage. They are currently building another one and Scott is debating getting his license to train pilots. Rob is considering being his Guinea Pig. If Rob doesn't bite, it looks like Andy is a willing candidate. My dad and brother are both pilots. I've got several hours towards my license. I guess Andy got that gene from me. :)



Suzy thought the propeller was pretty loud.
But she was still pretty interested.
He made it through the first flight! He got a little sick, hence the hood had to come up a bit after landing. But, he's willing to give it one more try before making a final decision.

Competition worthy?

This blog, livemom.com, had a contest a few weeks ago and I won an entry. There are ten of us who were given free underwater cameras to take summer photos with. The winner of the best shot receives a gift card along with a photo book. Here are the shots I took. It was a challenge to go back to a point and shoot without feedback! But it was fun. I was a little sad. We got a new fish tank and I took a few "from a fish perspective" shots that I thought would be awesome. They didn't even turn out. Sigh.....







The below shot of me was taken by my youngest little shutter bug,.... Andy. Not bad, eh?

So, what do you think? I'm not overly impressed. But if I have to choose one, which one should it be? I think I need to enter by the end of the week or something. :) Hope you are enjoying your summer! If you are in the Austin area and looking for fun activities, check out Catherine's blog. She has some great ideas!

Someone give Andy a calendar

He's not even two yet....




Doesn't the last child know they aren't allowed to grow up?