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.

Ryan's Old Lady

On October 4th I turned 21.  (Haaaaaa.)  I know, I know- exciting milestone!  My sweet hubs and friends ensured that I didn't let this occasion go without notice by planning a joint fiesta for myself and my fellow October compadres.  Between kids, travel (not us clearly), and busy social calendars (also not us) - it's tough to get everyone together so this was perfection.

Melanie, Brendan and Ryan planned - ok, let's be honest- Melanie planned with minimal text interference from Brendan and Ryan- for us all to have dinner at El Tiempo.  Never ones to disappoint the wait staff, we ate more than our fair share of fajitas and downed more than half our side of the restaurant's share of skinny marg pitchers.

Afterwards we all headed over to Melanie and Jonathan's to have cake, more wine and supervise the men so that no one tried to jump over any pools or off any ledges.  I'm happy to report it was a success.  No injuries were sustained in this year's celebration.  Does this mean we're adults?  Or that Obamacare is making us think twice about how much these decisions cost us in dignity AND currency?  Hard to say.

Either way- thank you to all participants.  I love you so very much and am grateful for the temporary distraction from crying to myself while watching LTN thinking of how old I'm getting.  Smooches to you all!

Not good at selfies.

Very good at consuming desserts.

Jen's new boyfran.

The most delicious, and heaviest, cake I think HEB has ever made.

October 4th, 5th & 16th.

 This series of pictures is epic.  #nocaptionneeded

And in case you were worried that the adults were having all the fun, here's a few pictures of what Emmy Poo was busy doing with Grandma & PawPaw Martin.  

Just sitting like a big girl at the fire pit.

Apparently she was really into burning them.  Jen, maybe she's your's?

Yo' Momma(y)!

On Sunday May 10th, I was blessed to celebrate my third Mother's Day as a Baby Mama.  I did very little photographing but since it is my favorite part of who I am, I couldn't neglect to commemorate it.  We spent most of the weekend lounging around the house and enjoying one another's company which is without question this Mama's favorite thing to do!

On Saturday evening we met my family at Chuy's to discuss how awesome our matriarch is over chips and creamy jalapeno.  On Sunday evening we also had a quick jaunt over to the dirty branch to celebrate the awesomeness of my MIL with our feet kicked up and watching our offspring make a mess.

Overall it was a low-key weekend of family, love and togetherness which is just what the doctor ordered.  Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for all that the mothers in my life, especially mine, do.  You have taught me grace, compassion and most importantly about unconditional love.  If my girls some day idolize me half the way that I do you, I'll know that I've succeeded.

Happiest of (very belated) Mother's Days to all of you!

My Mama's Day gift from Emmy.  There's a pillowcase with her handprints on it inside.  I am not sure why I don't have a picture of it, but I got a water bottle koozie with Brynnie's footprint also.  Have I mentioned lately how sweet the girls' school is?

Cousin time.

Sure do adore these 2!

Another Year... Wiser?

Author's Note:  You'll notice in the upcoming slew of blog posts that there is one underlying theme- an utter lack of quality pictures.  Apparently I have not only been slacking on keeping this scrapbook up to date, but also my iPhone camera roll.  Failing all around!  However, I committed to getting caught up and doing so means documenting events whether or not there's much visual accompaniment.  I apologize in advance.  :c)

This year Ryan's 29th (take 4) birthday fell on a Saturday.  There were quite a few things going on at the time, so at the last minute the birthday boy decided he wanted to celebrate at Watson's with a few of those nearest and dearest to him.  As luck would have it, that day they happened to be having a Beer Fest- a clear indication that he made the right choice.

My parents were kind enough to come over to wrangle our children for the afternoon so that we could enjoy some time acting like college kids adults.  We were all treated to more samples from some fab breweries (Blue Moon, No Label, etc) than we knew what to do with.  And we noshed on more orders of french fries than the waitstaff knew what to do with.  Suffice it to say that a fabulous time was had by all, most especially my Baby Daddy.  Thank you to everyone who moved things around to join us and to my parents for watching our bebes.  Happiest of Birthdays Big Daddy Long Legs!  I hope this is your best year yet.

All Ryan's ever wanted for his birthday- a prom pose pic with Jonathan.

Grown ups.  Some of whom are responsible for children.  Is that not what you glean from this pic?

The group's shining accomplishment for the day- sneaking every free sticker we got onto the birthday boy's back while he remained blissfully ignorant.  We done good, kids.

All's well that ends with Lynda thieving ketchup.

Flash Dance

On Saturday March 14th, we hosted Emery's 2nd birthday at our house.  Why such a big gap between her actual birthday and our celebration of it?  I am fortunate enough to work 9/80's.  This means that when nothing crazy is going on, I have every other Friday off.  Thanks to the great mystery of the universe, Emery was born in a working-Friday week.  Are you comprehending the weight of this #firstworldproblem?  Knowing myself the way that I do, I am aware that it is standard practice for me to swear up and down that I will put together a simple event and then on my 45th trip to Target the week of said event realize that I've once again duped myself.   This fact causes me to try to book any events within my control (read: Em's birthday party) in a weekend following an off-Friday.  This year in particular I chose the one after her big day because the one before we uncomfortably close to the date I went back to work

Thankfully I recognize this about myself because I somehow thought making 18 animals out of those obnoxiously-difficult-to-work-with tissue paper poufs would be a cinch.  After a few 4 am dates with the alarm clock, late night cut and paste seshs after the girls were asleep and arts & crafts time during lunch hour in my office- I realized that was nooooot exactly true.  Death by Pintrest.

Exhibit A.  Free cookie to anyone who can guess what each of these are.

All of that aside, it wound up being an absolutely awesome day.  The weather had been horrendously rainy, cold and dark the weekend before (and was the weekend after also), so we were so excited to get to see the sun.  Somehow, thanks to the help of Grandma & Pawpaw M coming over early, we managed to pull things together enough to fool people into thinking we life in an organized home.  (Now it's your turn to get duped.)  Other than the fact that Nonnie & Pawpaw B were too sick to come, the star were really aligning.

You could probably shoot an entire Oriental Trading Co ad in my garage.

Per usual I took a picture before food was out.  WHOOPS.  Maybe one day I will learn.

You're getting sheepy.  You're getting verrrrrrry sheep-y.

I took a lot of pictures so my parents could feel like they were there.  I think they were pretty crushed when they realized they still weren't well on Saturday morning.

If anyone ever needs decor for a fiesta-  I am your woman.

Wasn't lying- I reaaaaaally wanted them to feel like they were there.

Queso station.  You know it isn't a Martin-sponsored event without Ryan's queso.

Grandma M was kind enough to hang all the extra paper lanterns outside.  Thank you, Grandma M!

Do you think by next year's party we will have actual patio furniture?  Ohhhh, the anticipation.  (Probably not.)

As I've documented multiple times on this little blog o' mine, my sweet eldest child inherited her father's extreme skepticism coupled with her mother's extreme aversion to risk.  Bless her, I know.  All week Ryan and I worked on her to get her ready.  We told her about her party.  We told her people were going to come see her.  We told her WHICH people were coming.  We told her there would be good food.  All week things seem to be going pretty well.  She was excited.  Enter the moment we came downstairs from her nap to a house full of people... not so excited.  She did not love a bunch of people in her house.  She did especially did not love being the center of attention.  She did not want to be put down.  At all.  Aunt Julie was Emery's personal chauffeur for a solid 10 minutes.  I eventually convinced Emery to let Julie and I attempt a hand off- trading E for B.  At which point I was really wondering why I had devoted so much time to mental prep for the birthday girl at the expense of bicep prep for yours truly.  

Luckily, not a moment too soon, cousin Kylie showed up and Emery relaxed.  She finally agreed to be put down and spent the remainder of the party running around and playing.  And grabbing cookies from the table while no one was watching.  I know because I can't begin to quantify the amount of hot pink icing Ryan and I cleaned up from the rug in the front TV room.  

It wound up being an incredibly awesome time for at least all of the members of our house.  We were humbled and so thankful to everyone who came out to show us their love.  Thank you so, so much for being such an awesome support network.  We are way too lucky.  Way, way too lucky.  We know that driving out to the 'burbs, even if there is the lure of lots of beer, isn't easy.  Again, THANK YOU.  And, of course, to my favorite two year old - happiest of birthdays.  I know you won't remember this one, but your Daddy & I always will.        

This series of pictures really highlights what a sweet, patient cousin Kylie is.  The look on her face leads me to believe Emery just did something ridiculous.

... Like perhaps stealing her cousin's club?  Because clearly Emery needs both.

Sweet, sweet Madison.  She was such a cuddly little doll!

Babies and balls.  This isn't leading anywhere good.

Bahahahahahahaha.  Patrick demonstrating that he's absolutely all boy.

This is not what I envisioned when Emery kept telling me she would "shaaaare" all week.

Ahhh yes.  Our little lady.

Thank you for mothering our children, Lynda!

Aunt Niffy with her nieces.  (Is Brynn trying to karate kick Emery?!)

Just a Daddy and his beer daughter.

Yo, Mom!  Grandma said you cut me off from the cookie table?  Did you not hear that it's MY birthday?!

Sometimes when a jungle isn't available, Tarzan has to improvise.

I really think she might be the happiest 3 (now 4) month old on the planet.

What's that?  You dare me to put my whole fist in my mouth?  Challenge accepted.

Hey ladies.  Want to crawl into my make-shift Minnie tent?

Oh Uncle Matt.  You had no idea what you were getting yourself into, did you?

I think Kylie actually had a more firm grasp on how to put this together than Ryan did.

Let me get this straight.  You gave me a glorified stick... for play?  Which means... I can dust ANYONE I want ANYTIME I want?  Best. Gift. Ever.

Oh, nice.  This model looks like it has a longer handle for more reach.

Brynnie says parties are exhausting.  We all looked like this by 8 pm.

The aftermath.