Never a dull moment

Spring is trying to come back here in NW Arkansas after it was rudely ushered away by one last freeze that lasted about 10 days around Easter weekend. A lot of our plants are struggling to survive that one and our kids were the fortunate recipients of one more cold, we are just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel from that one. Nevertheless the stories keep coming and since many of you don't get to experience them everyday I thought I would post a few highlights from the last week or so.

Tales from the Jack:
Jack is coming into his own more and more everyday. His personality is funny...not like peculiar funny but like he is really funny. The things he says, does, and his little facial expressions are funny. You know that he is showcasing some new talent around our house when you hear in his sweet little voice, "hey hey look at me guys....look at me guys." Of course you have to say it in Jack voice to get the full cuteness of it but it is hilarious. He also has a fascination with his tennnnnnis shoos. We were out for a bike ride the other day and we got to Taylor Davidson's house and from about 100 feet away Jack pulls up his feet and says, "Hey Tay Tay....i got tennnnnnnis shoos on" These are not new tennis shoes he just loves to wear them and to make sure others notice them. Not just his tennis shoes but he wants everyone to wear tennis shoes....Mommy have tennnnnnis shoos? Daddy have tennnis shoos? Bubba have tennnnnnis shoos? Kate have tennnnis shoos? Jack loves to bring me my tennis shoes before I go to work or go for a run. I run some days when I get home from work and when I do run, Jack looks at me with his pretty blue eyes and his scrunchy face and says, "I go runnin'?" So as I am finishing up my run he and I run down the street together and do our cool down. Cooper likes this part too.
The other night I heard Jack who thinks we might someday want to actually pee in the potty running naked from out bathroom to the living room yelling, "we got a streaker in the house." This of course is much more cute when you can see this little naked jay bird running through our house in his little voice proclaiming his streaking...PRAY FOR US!
Tales from the Coop:
I know I have harped on Cooper's imagination but the boys if full of it. The things he comes up with sometime I think it would be impressive for a 12 year old to have thought. The other day Tamara and I were talking in the kitchen around a meal time about God. Honestly, I don't remember know exactly what the discussion was but there was a small break in the conversation and Cooper said, "Dad....you're just not making any sense!" I laughed and said what do you mean buddy? He shrugged his shoulders and said, "you're just not making any sense!" So I began to explain it to him, which by the way this was a conversation between Tamara and I, I used an analogy of some king. I started by saying, "you know that...." So the light bulb comes on for a min and he says with this big grin on his face, "You know that....word" Again we all started laughing because at first I thought my 3 year old was using some good ole slang..."word". I came to realize he was giving me an analogy of his own...you know that word....cheerio?
One day last week I was mowing the yard and the boys were outside with me when Cooper sees a butterfly on the ground and says, "look it's so beautiful" Fearless Jack goes over and touches it and proclaims gladly that he had touched the butterfly. Cooper asked me if it would bite and then tried to touch it but it flew away. I found the butterfly again in the back yard a little while later which by now Cooper was referring to as "his butterfly", we looked at it again and it flew away again. Cooper got really sad and sort of walked away with Jack. I looked over a few minutes later and he was just sitting in the grass sad. I went over and asked him what was wrong and he said, "I just didn't want my butterfly to leave." It was so cute.
One last story:
Several months ago, I was putting a pull-up on Cooper when i realized that he had some coverage issues in the rear. I asked him to turn around so i could get him squared away and he decided to stick his hips out pushing his little butt toward me and looking over his should said, "how bout this?" I lost it laughing and I smacked his little butt and he laughed too. Well fast forward to every time he gets out of the bath he gives me at least one "how bout this?" What do you know, monkey see monkey do....Jack has caught on. So now after bath time there are 2 little jay birds running around my house sticking their hips out and asking me..."how bout this?
There is never a dull moment and we are loving every minute of it. we love you all and hope you are doing well.

Stephen

The Things he says....

Let me just start by saying that while many of you may be trying to find your glasses to figure out who hacked into the Martin blog and actually posted twice in one week....not to worry, it is me. Cooper, our oldest child has been giving us some classic material lately and for any of you who I haven't called and told, this is for you.

Story #1
We were on our way home the other day from running errands and like Cooper is prone to do he started telling me a story that is usually very elaborate and complex for a 3 year old to have come up with. Anyway, in the middle of the story he stops talking so I wonder if he thinks I am not listening which of course I was listening as the uninterested parent is a big pet peeve of mine. I ask him, what happened next buddy? His response was, "hang on Dad, I'm talking to myself for a few minutes right now." Tamara and I laughed so hard I could have wrecked the car....but I didn't.

Story #2
Cooper and Jack got some money from their Nana and Papa for Easter, they decided to go to Wal-Mart and pick out a new "Movie Cars" (that is Cooper talk for a car from the movie, Cars). Cooper picked the green Ramone and Jack picked Chick Hicks. We get home and they are playing with their cars, but when asked to do something or not do something, whichever it was, Cooper chooses to disobey. Tam sends him to time out and out of frustration he threw his new car down. The punishment was an explanation of why we don't throw our cars and loss of the privilege of the green Ramone for one day. Fast forward to Saturday after nap time, Cooper gets up after a good rest and wants to know if he can play with Jack's Chick Hicks because of course his green Ramone is in exile, we tell him yes he can until Jack gets up from his nap. Then, Cooper says, I want to play with 2 cars, where is Sally? Tamara tells him Sally has been put away and he responds with, "Well Mommy, would you be so nice to let me play with my green Ramone?" Tamara and I smirk at each other from across the room at his grown up dialect and delivery. Tam does what any good mother would do, she says, "go ask your Daddy." Cooper walks over to me with his heart on his sleeve and sincere face and says, "Hey, hey Daddy, would you be so kind to let me play with my green Ramone?" I busted out laughing and told him how cute he was, how polite he had asked, and of course I told him he could play with green Ramone until Jack got up from his nap when green Ramone would return to exile in place of another movie cars.

Story #3
This one involves our newest member to the family...no it isn't another baby, just a renaming of a current member. Jack for the next week will be referred to as Jack Balboa in honor of Rocky Balboa who often wore a black eye as Jack is currently doing. Cooper and Jack were at Mother's Day Out Thursday playing in the same playroom when Cooper helped a hard plastic puzzle piece into Jack's face at a high velocity resulting in a swollen eye just in time for Easter pics. Jack however is doing quite well and is so cute and animated. In fact, the picture here is one of Jack making a funny face the day of the incident on our way to an Easter Seals Celebration for NICU babies. Cute...that's all there is to it.





Story #4
This one will be a short story, my precious daughter is cutting her first of hopefully many teeth on the top of her mouth.

Story #5
Welcome into the world Carter, my nephew who my kids already love and can't wait share Easter eggs with him as Cooper says, "when he's a kid." Carter is doing quite well and is home with his Mom and Dad. They are very proud of Carter and rightfully so...he is a handsome little fella.

Shameful Quarterly Update

Kate my precious daughter went for her 6 month check-up last Thrusday, she weighed 15lbs and some change and the doctor said that she is the picture of health...almost perfect of course. She got her shots and she did fine. Kate is great and continues to live up to the stereotype of 3rd child as we have been told, she is laid back and so happy. She is probably our happiest baby and is such a joy. Her big brothers love her and they still love being big brothers.
Cooper and Jack seem to be getting closer with each other and they are so glad the summer months are ahead of us and and that means more time outside playing. Jack's speech is coming along very well and he is so cute and funny as we have adopted a Jack language around the house with phrases like, "i wear my crocs day", "i wear jersey day", "yes i do". I know that you can't a full appreciation for how he looks and sounds when his precious little voice utters these words but let me assure you it is cute.
Cooper's imagination and memory continue to amaze us as does his mentality of almost 4 going on 40. He is very sweet and funny and amazing in his comprehension of the spiritual matters and his ability to memorize stories from our nightly Bible reading. The key now is to get him to apply these things to his life and remember them in his frustration. This is something that is the perpetual struggle for us all as we seek to integrate the gospel and the power of the authority of the Word of God into our lives so much so that it affects our lives.
Tamara and I are doing well and have recommitted to a nightly devotional and prayer minus the last couple of days while we were in Little Rock for the birth of our precious new nephew, Carter Chase Martin born at 12:05pm on March 31st. He was 6lbs 14ozs and is doing well. We are gearing up for birthdays for Cooper and Jack and looking forward to the summer months. We love you all.
p.s. I got a new computer and one of the features is an integrated camera and one of the features allows us to have fun doing things like this.