Another Year Wise(@ssi)er

On April 18th my better half became 365 days older more experienced.  In keeping with our theme of disorganization, and my personal mantra of #momfailing, we planned no official party or gathering for this occasion.  I'm coming to realize though that this might be the best plan as it tends to lead to more, and prolonged, celebrations.  Oh how we celebrate you, Big Daddy Long Legs, let us count the ways.

1.  The Mother Nature Celebration:  I guess there's 2 ways to look at this.  Mother Nature either reallllly doesn't like Ryan or she really loves him.  I'm a glass half full type (for this moment anyway), so we'll go with the latter.  Late in the evening on April 17th and into April 18th, Houston experienced record flooding.  It actually was awful.  Several people lost their homes, cars, etc.  We feel very, very lucky to (as of my writing this) have been spared.  On the positive side though, the City of Houston was essentially shut down which meant we all got to hang out together for a party in our jammies.

This is what Monday morning looked like at the Martin Disaster Center Headquarters.  Brynn learned how to get on the couch.  She's really earning that Brynnie-zilla moniker these days.

Ryan really isn't always texting rather than watching his children, I promise.  This was early and he didn't have his laptop so he was trying to figure out how to get work done.  Brynnie was VERY enthused about the weather report we were watching, as you can see.

This is when I returned from putting something away in the bedroom to see that the girls had pinned Daddy into the laundry room.  It's too bad maniacal giggling can't come through in photographs.

2.  The Home Sweet Home Reno Celebration:  Just after lunch we got dressed (read: changed yoga pants) and headed to our new house with our fingers, toes and legs crossed to see if we had experienced any damage.  We met GC there as he had been in Conroe.  

Upon arrival we were so, so thankful to find that all the storm had brought us was a bunch of debris in the yard and a leak.  (Our neighbor who leaves his car on the street lost his car. :c( )  Ryan and I started talking about needing to call someone out to tend to said leak.  Around that time, a very large ladder the sheet rockers were storing in the foyer caught my Dad's eye.  I knew exactly where those spinning wheels were headed.  After trying to convince him he was having a terrible idea and getting no where- the girls and I headed back to the apartment so I could nurture my anxiety over a nice warm coffee.

The Birthday boy stayed behind to act as anchorman for our resident Evil Knievel.  Who doesn't want to celebrate by having their Father-in-Law on the other end of a yellow rope wrapped around a column?!

Here's Pawpaw enlisting Emery's help in his mission that I strongly opposed.

Ryan took this.  I was gone by the time things got this far.  Do not try this at home, kids... or adults.

3.  The Family Man Celebration:  On the way home from certifying that Pawpaw still had a pulse, we swung by HEB so that Ryan could select what he wanted for dinner.  It will come as a shock to zero people that Emery actually wound up selecting both his dinner and dessert.  I don't think that he had any complaints though.

Cake by the Ocean Galley Kitchen.

4.  The Martin Crew Celebration:  The following weekend on Sunday April 24th we met up with Grandma, Pawpaw Martin, Aunt Tiffy and Cousin Kylie to nosh on the finest in Southern Breakfast cuisine at Cracker Barrel.  Poor Ky was sick and felt awful but she was a good sport.  Waffles + Biscuits + Eggs + Family = Best Birthday meal ever.

Rockstars. (Do you see what I did there?!)

5.  The Hot Tub Time Machine Celebration:  Later the same day for the first time in probably a million years we went to visit our beloved McClains.  Melanie surprised the birthday boy with a cake for his and her brother, Andy's, birthdays.  As you may have guessed by the title, we also celebrated in the hot tub.  Nothing makes you feel young again like hot tubing with kids in floaties.  

Hot tubing is so exhausting!

6.  The Mama & Daddy Celebration:  On Wednesday April 27th my parents were kind enough to pick the girls up from school and handle the nighttime routine so that we could go to a grown up dinner.  When confronted with the opportunity for child-free time, what did Ryan decide to do?  Hunt down TV sales.  True story.  After a quick run through at Target, we headed over to the World of Beers for a pre-dinner drink.  We ate at Dish Society after.  Then after the party it was (another) Target lobby before we headed home to relieve the grandparentals from duty.

If you close your eyes, and squint real hard, after a glass or 2 of wine you can pretend you're in Europe.

Isn't this what the kids do these days?  Take pics of their food?

A fail in TV sale hunting led to new seat for Brynnie sale hunting.  Another swing and a miss.

I would say all of these celebrations made for an A+ entrance to the next year for the hubs.  Thank you to all who helped us to celebrate and most of all thank YOU to Ryan for all he does for us.  I truly can't imagine where we would be without you.  Happy Birthday- may this be the best year yet! 

Denver Won. I'm Pretty Sure.

We are just barely into the third month of 2016 and I have already failed myself.  I let a full month slip by without any posts.  DOH!  I had an extra day from the universe and everything.  Mah bad, guys.

So, I debated whether or not I should even include this event as a post but ultimately decided to because:

1) I have photographic evidence of its occurrence on my phone, which is rare.
2) This is an event I have typically documented in some form or fashion, so why break tradition now?
3) It is an event we attended with other adults which is kind of like capturing a unicorn for us these days.
4) It's the culmination of a VERY long season in our home and that is definitely worthy of documentation.

So, there you have it.  On Sunday February 7th, Jendan was kind enough to host the usual suspects at their house for the Super Bowl.  It's without question an occasion I give approximately 0.5 flips about, but some how these two manage to make it fun.  So fun that I took only 5 pictures.  All of which are included below because when you only have 5, why choose?

The events were much the same as prior years in that there were lots of prop bets, too many delicious calories consumed, we contributed many cans to recycling bins and the men wound up playing video games while the women watched Bey rock it at half time.

Muchas gracias to the gracious host/hostess with the most/mostess as well as all other participants for getting us out of the house apartment.  Even though we never see you- we still love you oodles!

Austin advising Shawna on squares.  And coin toss strategies.  #relationshipgoals

I realized I should take some pictures.

I realized I should zoom in.

Em realized she likes bounce houses.

Ryan realized his inner child is hard to keep inner.  I got bored with taking pictures.  The end.

So April Showers bring May Flowers...

... and May flowers bring amorous activities.  At least in the circles I travel in.  I've realized this as of late because we've been birthday party-attending machines in this house.  It turns out quite a few awesome people in our lives were born in late January/early February and EACH of them deserves some celebrating!  If Mama weren't trying to squeeze as much productivity into a short daycare trial run, they'd also each warrant their own blog post.  Hopefully in light of this fact they'll be ok with sharing the spotlight with others equally as wonderful as them.

First up?  Sweet, sweet Avery.  This little doll-face turned the big O-N-E on January 22nd.  Why does she matter to us?  Because she was born into one of my very favorite families of all time (see below).  Not surprisingly due to some stellar genetics- Av is just the cutest, smartest, most social little one year old girl on the planet.  Added bonus?  Homegirl is almost exactly right in the middle of my 2 crazy faces.  I envision a lot of trouble being caused by these 3 in the future.

Mama Mel threw the perfect celebratory bash at their house on Saturday January 24th and we were so pumped to be there.

The birthday princess.  Caaaaan I help you crazy-lady-with-the-iPhone-in-my-face?

As always, Melanie had a stellar spread.  Almost as amazing as big bro photobombing in the background.

Are you kidding with this dessert table?  This is where I was typically found.

From Northgate in 2003 to Jonathan's living room in 2015- not much has changed.  Except the chicks they're subjecting to sports/stock talk.  Soon enough they'll be smart enough to wander off like Mel & I are.

Avery, Melanie, Erin & Eva.  Gorgeous ladies.

Discussing how to keep their kids from doing the ridiculous things they did.

I'm just going to kick back and listen to how terribly out of tune you all are.

So THIS is cake, huh?  She will be attending brunches in no time.

The toddler stare down.  Apparently this really is genetic instinct in females.

Emery and Avery sharing some deep thoughts.

This is a shockingly good picture for how many children are included.  (Good these days equates to people looking at the camera, not actual photogenic-ness.)

Lynda trying to woo Brynn.

So, isn't this where we're supposed to be sunbathing?  Anyone?  Anyone?

Up next was my dear, dear friend-worker (should it be co-friend?) Becca's birthday.  She was also born on January 22nd, just a feeeeew years earlier than Miss Avery.  Why does she matter to me?  Because she was my very first friend at my current job.  We started on the same day, she forced me to talk to her in the lobby and the rest is history.  And by the "rest" I mean countless walks to Starbucks, trips for snacks and laps of the floor in search of chocolate.  I really can't imagine what on earth I would do without her support, friendship and listening ear.  Not only that but she's just an all-around awesomely fun, hilarious lady.  I adore you Becca!

Becca invited me to dinner to celebrate this milestone* birthday at America's with her crew on Sunday January 25th.  Not only was it awesome to finally meet some people I'd heard so much about, but we got treated to THE most delicious chocolate and strawberry homemade cake.  She deserved nothing less.

* I won't say which because a lady should never reveal another's age.  Okay, okay.  It was 18.  You've dragged it out of me.

Flaming tres leches.  Did you think that having a homemade cake might stop us from eating the dessert provided by the restaurant?  Ha.  You're hilarious.

The birthday girl taking a picture of her out-of-this-world cake.

The next birthday in the parade is sweet Melanie's.  Her birthday is January 27th.  Why is she important to us?  Ugh, let me count the ways.  She is the matriarch of the family that could only be described as our spirit animals.  (At times, with the men faction, "spirit" is used in the booze-y context).  I truly am not sure what we would do without them.  From Italy to Geneva to carnivals at elementary schools- we have had way too much fun with these characters over the years.  We sure do love our McClains.  Plus, Melanie has literally done far, far too much for me in my mama-ing journey.  One night when Emery was about 2 months old, she woke up every hour all night.  Melanie did not ask a question and just drove over here to watch her, with Jake mind you, so I could take a nap.  She also watched my crazy child for part of a weekend away when Em was just about 3 months old.  WHILE she was in the first trimester with Avery.  Super hero?  Yes.  Yes times a thousand.  Oh, did I mention she kept Emery for the first half of our trip to Punta Cana for my sister's wedding?  What about that time she just drove over and brought me Starbucks when Brynn was little because she knew it was hard for me to get out with her?  Seriously- I don't deserve her.

We celebrated Melanie's 21st (don't audit my math) birthday with a girls dinner on Wednesday January 28th at The Corner Table.  The food was fabulous and only very slightly outshined by the conversation.  We really shouldn't be allowed out in public.  We especially shouldn't be allowed out to nice places.  It was an awesome time and the birthday princess more than deserved it.

Jen: "this tastes like a bath candle."

So many of my favorite people all in one place.  Happy tummy and happy heart.

Moving right along, we cross over into February.  Sweet baby Patrick turned one year old on February 3rd.  I know, I know- when they're 1 they aren't babies any more.  Whatever.  Why does he matter to us?  Because over the course of the last year and a half his Mama has become such a good friend to me.  She truly is a treasure.  There is absolutely no way I could have made it through the past year anxiety-attack free without her daily texts of hilarious stories.  If there's one person I can always count on to laugh at a gross Mama story or to share her most recent ridiculous story to make me laugh- it's Lynda.  Not only that, but I think Emery and Patrick have the same naturally skeptical, difficult-to-impress personality.  Clearly this friendship was meant to be.

We celebrated Baby P's big day on Saturday January 30th at his house.  Lynda pulled off an ah-mazing birthday party.  This is evidenced by the fact that I took zero pictures.  Trust me when I say it was gorgeous.  And there were chocolate chip cookies.  I may or may not have eaten my body weight in them.  Great decor AND baked goods?  That's my love language.  All of us, Emery included, had an awesome time.  

Lynda's Pintrest game is strong.  Almost as strong as Patrick's toy game.  Seriously, homeboy has it all.

Lynda sent us home with like 4 of those cupcakes.  My hips are angry about it.

Emery monopolizing the slide.  Sharing is not a strong suit.

The birthday prince and his proud papa.

Jakey showing off his athletic prowess on the world's most massive pinata.  Ever.

I/We have genuinely had the best time celebrating all of you the past few weeks.  Happy, happy, HAPPY Birthday to Avery, Becca, Melanie & Patrick.  Thank you so much not only for inviting us, but for all you do for my little family.  We adore all of you more than you know!

Oil Ranching with the McMarthouses

On Friday October 24th, we decided to continue our grand McMartin tradition** of heading to the Oil Ranch to properly pay homage to the season of pumpkins.  This year the Shannonhouses, Natalie and baby Zan joined us in the festivities making it the McMarthouse + Friends day o' fun.  Also in the grand tradition of McMartin family outings, we left slightly later than anticipated which left us in completely random traffic on 290 which nearly resulted in 2 divorces and much laughter prior to the fun getting started.

By the time we arrived, we were left with only about an hour of time to maximize our family farm fun.  Luckily when you have 5 kids under the age of 4, this is MORE than enough time to completely wear out all parties involved.  Horses were ridden, cows were fed, poor pumpkin photography took place and Ryan probably wound up on a CPS watch list somewhere for bringing our large camera to a children's location.  Basically you could call the day a complete success, as you'll see below.

Thanks to all who organized the event (read: Mama Mel- where would we be without her?!) and all who participated.  I look forward to a three-peat next year!

How adorbs are these little cow-kids-in-training?!  This bodes well for the future compound.

Emery was really excited about the pony... until we got too close to it.  Please note this is the only time our child is cuddly- when she's unsure and/or manipulating.  In this photo she might be multi-tasking.

Jake pointing out some bunnies.  I think.

That smirk only means one thing- she has an idea...

... looks like Jake had the same one.  "You down to terrorize some chickens?  Great, me too.  We have so much in common!"

Seeing how happy they were chasing these poor barnyard animals made the entire day absolutely worth it.

Seriously, is there anything greater than this unfettered excitement from little ones?  Provided they didn't get lucky and catch any chickens, obviously.

Okay... what victims do we have in this area?

Goats?!  Shut up.  They're bigger and faster.  I love a challenge.

Should I dive for one?  I'm thinking about it.

C'mon big Mama- this way for more animal heckling!

Sweet Patrick and his hot Mama.

Jake, Em & Av feeding a cow.  A cow who subsequently huffed hay all over Emery.  Moo moos are soooo funny.

Dad.  Did you see that cow snort hay on me?  Is that how you feel when I spit my full mouth of yogurt all over you?

The other half of the double date we were chaperoning.  I think Patrick was playing hard-to-get.

Mama and her girls just taking a little waddle stroll around the farm.

Hands down this kid nailed most photogenic of the day.  We have about 10 more like this that are equally adorable.

Natalie, baby Zan, Lynda & Patrick showing us how rural modeling is done.

I can't stop laughing at his facial expression.  How could I not post this?  Pumpkins did not impress him.

This is as good as it gets for a family photo with this crew.  Sorry Charlie.