Dusty, Shanna, Bria, and Shaylee

Welcome to the world, Jackson Dean Brazell!

2010-07-10T13:30:00.003-04:00

Jackson Dean Brazell

Born July 9, 2010

at 8:45 pm

7 pounds, 1 oz

20 inches long

Here are the pictures

Isn't he precious? Welcome to the world, Jackson. You are greatly loved!

Waiting for Jackson!

2010-07-10T12:59:00.005-04:00

Here is the proud daddy to be anxiously comforting his wife. This is the morning of 7/9/2010 and the contraction and heart rate monitors are in the background.
Fast forward to about 8 pm Friday night. This is the room that the Brazell's room. The yellow sign outside the door proclaims "NO VISITORS WAITING IN THE HALLWAY!! ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS!!"

Friends and family of Ryan and Rhianon are always conscientious and rule-following. So...

Here is one of the grandpas to be and the aunt-to-be (Libby!) listening for baby cries.
And here are the rest of us! All waiting right outside the door (Oops!)
Luckily the hospital staff were VERY kind and patient with us and said nothing. The doctor at one point told Rhi that she was glad that she was the only patient in labor at that time! I guess that this is what happens when you have a great family and a whole church family who love you!

At one point there were a total of 21 people in the hallway! Here we are, all waiting for news...

Disney World! or, "Its been a year since I have updated!"

2010-07-08T15:42:00.003-04:00

A lot has happened this past year! we have moved, twice, and now we have an almost three year old and an almost one year-old! I cannot believe that time passes this quickly but it does. We now have internet access at our new home so I will be trying to resurrect this blog! Lets see how I do this time at updates lol. These are pictures from our recent family trip to Disney World... Lemme tell ya, Orlando is HOT in June! Next update will hopefully be our new home before and after pictures... we have been doing LOTS of painting and wallpaper removal! Love you guys!

Shanna

2009-07-31T11:41:00.004-04:00

Shaylee Aylse Martin

6 pounds 5 oz. 18"

Born July 30th 2009, 2:54pm

Welcome to the world little girl. Our prayer is that you would become a God fearer that brightly displays the glory of the King of Kings - Jesus. We love you so much already, and we plan on pouring out so much love on you throughout your life that you are overwhelmed.

Shaylee's Birthday (1st Round of Pictures)

2009-07-30T18:08:00.006-04:00

Trip to grandparents and playset assembly...

2009-07-29T16:49:00.008-04:00

Last weekend we travelled to my parents with my friend Aline for lake fun and the assembly of a "playset." It was really our last trip of the summer to Charlotte so us girls really enjoyed it. I, for one, did not do very much 'assembling.' Being 9 months pregnant and all. Great excuse. Well, so the playset with an estimated 6 hours of assembly for 2 people ended up taking 4 people pretty much 72 hours to put together. Truthfully it should be called a playground, because the thing is HUGE. It was still not done when we left and my poor dad had to finish it himself. Thank you Daddy! Among other things, this playset has a treehouse, a crow's nest, a telescope, a picnic table, a rock wall... well, you get the point. That is BESIDES all the normal swings and slides and such. Pictures don't do it justice. My parents said the way they picked it out was the found "the biggest one they made." Lol, you know you are in trouble when in the instruction booklet (Which was 54 pages I kid you not) has step one listed as "set out all of your parts on a large field" and step two is " at this point you will be able to determine whether this project should be hired out to a professional team." LOL, can you believe that was actually in the book? Well, so it took a bit longer than expected to put together but will be there for generations to come for all future grandkids, and for Bria to enjoy now. She was so excited about it, she just kept having to check on the progress and declaring it "Bria's" to anyone who would listen. It is her second birthday this Sunday, I cannot believe I have a two year old. I guess that is a pretty good present! We are having a party this Saturday at Dusty's parent's home, I will try to post pictures then. Oh, and it was Dusty's 28th birthday on Sunday, July 26th. Ha, all these birthdays and we will go broke! Hope you guys like the pictures, these are all ones my mom took. I am a pretty bad photographer lol. Love you guys!

Keeping cool and summer fun

2009-07-14T09:58:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday we stole a page from Discovery Church's book and did a $1 car wash where we GAVE away a dollar instead of collecting them. Well, I didn't actually wash many cars but I took pictures and cheered on the car-washers. we did this with our Sunday School class- aren't they the best? I think it was a great success as well as a great way to show God's love to the community. And an excuse to get wet in this 90 degree GA weather! Oh, and we tried to get Bria a Slip-and-Slide but she wasn't really fond of the idea. She did like playing in the sprinkler part though!

Feeling Pregnant

2009-07-09T11:38:00.002-04:00

I am now 34 weeks pregnant and really starting to feel it. Oh, we decided on a name, she is Shaylee Alyse Martin. Shaylee is a combo of my middle name and my sister's. Man, this child never stops moving, either! Hope she sleeps more after she is born or we will be in for some rough nights. I now weigh more than I did when I delivered Bria, but I still have six weeks to go officially. Though it is really up to her... Bria spent a week with DeeDee and Grandpa recently, ao here are some pictures of that. I'll try to get some pictures of me pregnant and our family, but its hard to catch us all in one place!

6th Anniversary!!!!!!!

2009-06-10T17:32:00.003-04:00

Well, Dusty and I have officially been married 6+ years now. Our anniversary was June 7th. Hard to believe time can pass that quickly. We decided to get a hotel in downtown Atlanta, specifically, we wanted to stay where we spent the first part of our honeymoon. I even remembered the room number! However, when I called to request it, the lady told me that unfortunately the windows had been blown out due to a hurricane a year ago and they had yet to replace it. Of all the luck! I mean, a year? And they can't replace windows? The TRAVESTY! That was OUR room. Plus, I don't even remember any hurricaines traveling through downtown Atlanta , especially in the last year. When I expressed my disappointment to the lady, she said she was so sorry and instead gave us the "Georgian Suite" for the same price as the other room, with the cost being like 5 times as much normally. What started out a frusteration turned out to be such a blessing, you could totally tell God was looking out for us on this one. What we received was so much better than we asked for! So we decided to stay anyways, and I am so glad we did! This room was monsterous, way too big for the two of us. It was about the size of whole side of the hotel, so we got a great panoramic view. AND, it overlooked the very site we got engaged 6 years and 7 months ago. That would be Centennial Olympic Park, there is a picture (from the 66th floor!) Of the very torch we were sitting on when I accepted his proposal. The middle one. I love my husband. Anyway, so we got some great pictures and had a wonderful anniversary, so here are some pics I will share with you above. God bless!

Okay, sorry, I know its been forever...

2009-06-04T12:30:00.004-04:00

I am going to have to work a little on being consistant. Sorry it has been so long. Nothing really crazy going on. I am still pregnant. It is a hot summer. I feel huge, but I guess I am not really. Bria is chattering up a storm nowadays, and it mostly makes sense! Vey hyper girl. Yesterday she managed to fall and hurt hurself three separate times and is now sporting a big bruise on her cheek, poor girl. She needs to learn to slow down sometimes! She is also really enjoying her Mimi and Papa's neighborhood pool now that it is open for the summer. Although the mean lifeguards won't let her go down the water slides. So she is constantly saying "Slide? Slide?" and just doesn't understand she is not big enough yet. The slides are actually pretty big, so I can't blame them. My child is just a daredevil! She drove the jet ski and the boat last time at my parent's house, I had to put it in training mode cause she wanted to go faster than 30 mph! Silly girl! P.S. She isn't upset in that one picture.. she likes to make funny faces at the camera now!

Bria is going to have.. a SISTER!

2009-03-31T15:05:00.003-04:00

Yep, thats right! We are going to have another girl! Bria will have a sister to play with and all those clothes the Ebelings donated will get to be re-hand-me-downed! (I totally just made up that word.) We are so excited! And Dusty keeps telling everyone that HE knew it was a girl all along. The pictures above are really bad, sorry, I did not have a scanner at work and just had to take pictures OF pictures. I'll try to scan them later. If it is any consolation, it is pretty hard to tell what is what even in the originals. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Boy or Girl?

2009-03-30T15:44:00.001-04:00

Okay everyone! Today is officially your last day to vote. We find out the gender (I hope!) of Baby Martin tomorrow. So far the poll stands 34-12 in favor of a boy. We will let you know the results after we do. Get your vote in! Love you guys!

Amicalola Falls

2009-03-26T13:46:00.005-04:00

On Sunday Dusty and I decided to take a day off from everyday life and headed up to this state park with a beautiful waterfall. It was only like an hour drive and totally worth it. Bria loved crawling around all over the rocks and picking up leaves and sticks, and she had to point out every dog we encountered along the trail. She also insisted on walking up a lot of the stairs by herself, and she was actually really fast at it. Much faster than me, I'm afraid. I started feeling pretty big and pregnant about 1/4 the way up all those stairs and Bria was getting impatient with me for needing so many breaks! The water was absolutely freezing, even Bria didn't want to walk in it for long and she has never complained about water before. It was really pretty that day, but seems like it has been a constant torrential downpour ever since. There is even a tornado warning today! Oh well, I guess spring still isnt really here yet. Oh, I get to find out on Tuesday (March 31) whether we are having a boy or girl. Dusty thinks girl, I vacillate. Today this little one is kicking so hard I think it MUST be a boy. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Dyeing the horse!

2009-03-09T12:54:00.007-04:00

Yesterday it was a beautiful day here in Georgia, and we all decided the horse needed a bath. It also seemed like a good opportunity to dye her mane and tail back to black from its previous sunbleached yellow-orange look. The Went family is currently leasing D'apples and they all came out to help. Even Colleen's husband Greg pitched in, although he graciously watched Bria so she wasn't trampled by escaping horses or something. They are such a wonderful family, just as nice and sweet as can be. Plus, they love D'apples, and you know that makes me smile. They love to ride her and are getting her into shape. I hope she always behaves well for them! Colleen looks great on her, much better than I do. Lol I am so out of shape! Plus getting a belly now from Baby # 2, so somewhat off balance. Or at least that has been my excuse for my klutzyness lately. I even fell off the horse a few weeks ago! Flew right over her head. It was my fault, though, not the horse's. Maybe I shouldn't have been trying to jump her over that huge log... anyways, here are some pictures of everyone I caught standing still long enough to photograph. The horse kinda looks bored after her day of beauty treatments, doesn't she? :)

Update on house, randomness

2009-03-05T13:10:00.004-05:00

Well, our house HAD a contract on it and we were supposed to be closing soon. However, it looks like our buyer's financing fell through and so I guess our home is still up for sale. *Sigh.* Anyone need a townhome? Its a great deal! Maybe we will just rent it out. Oh well. Oh, for better news, I felt the baby move for the first time! I can't wait to know what it is so I can start calling "the baby" him or her. We are still working on names too, i am so indecisive. Any suggestions? Jayne likes "Blaise" which is pronounced 'blaze' and means "limping" and can be for a girl or boy, but I don't think Dusty is too sold on that one. I havebeen reading the Williams' blog all morning (http://patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com/) which I saw on Jason's blog and have been doing nothing but crying. Dusty and I are so blessed that Bria is healthy! Please pray for this family! Above are pictures of Bria (of course!) with my friend Aline and my new office and desk, with its beautiful view of the parking lot. Sorry this post is kinda rambling!

Long time, no post!

2009-03-04T10:10:00.004-05:00

Hey! Sorry everybody, I have gotten really behind on posting obviously. About a month in fact. Well, a lot has been going on, of course. I got a job (yea!), quite a blessing. I am a billing specialist for a long term care pharmacy here called Pharmacy Partners of Georgia. Everyone has been very nice and patient with me as I try to learn long term care (read-nursing homes) as opposed to retail pharmacy. But hey, as a bonus I never get cussed out by irate customers! And, I will have insurance, which is great considering pregnancy care/babies are kinda expensive! Dusty has not found a job yet, so if you wouldn't mind praying for that we surely would appreciate it. He is keeping busy though with his last semester of Masters work, as well as being Mr. Mom. Bria is great, we have started potty training because we can't afford two kids in diapers (lol great reason I know!) So far I think she totally doesn't get the concept. She loves taking off her clothes to sit on "her" potty but she only sits there until she does have to go, then she likes to run into a corner and try to pee on the carpet! And is very upset if we interrupt her and put her back on the potty. Has anyone else had this problem? Or even heard of it? Any suggestions? Lol so far this is tougher than I thought! Oh, and I FINALLY talked Dusty into letting me get Bria's ears pierced, so Bria's Mimi (Dusty's mom) and I went to Claires, where I think they did a great job. She seems to like them! Since I am a 9 to 5-er now I haven't taken as many pictures lately but here are a few random ones. Love you guys!

Cleaning day and Bria's new hairdo!

2009-02-04T20:53:00.002-05:00

Today was a cleaning day for Bria and I. She was quite willing to help with the parts SHE wanted to help with. After that, we hung out upstairs for awhile and she decided lotion went best in her hair. See, she is getting a lot of hair all the sudden and it is kind of frizzy on days like today. To prevent this, we have been using frizz cream in her hair in the morning so she doesn't look crazy all day. When she saw the lotion, she wanted some and she normally loves to rub it into her hands. I guess this time she looked at it and decided it looked an awful lot like hair styling cream, because she rubbed it all over her head! So much for a good hair day! Lol.

Offer on house!

2009-01-31T22:30:00.003-05:00

Today we had a lady look at our home and make an offer on it. We counter-offered and she accepted! So we are pretty excited that things are moving along. She is only the 4th person to look at it. Hopefully everything goes well and she doesn't back out. Anyways, if you can keep us in your prayers we would really appreciate it! It would be very nice not to pay a mortgage and utilities on a home we don't live in! This is a picture my wonderful mom took of us right after Bria was born in front of the house. You can see I definitely still have a baby belly! So many good memories...

Reuniting with the horse

2009-01-28T22:22:00.002-05:00

Now that we are back in Georgia, I get to see my horse again. Unfortunatly without jobs it is hard to justify the expenses of as large an animal as a horse. So she is going up for lease soon. I will still own her, but another family will get to ride and care for her. But the place we have picked out is REALLY nice, I am sure she will love it there. And the people who I am pretty sure will lease her are so sweet and wonderful, anc they love her as well. Dusty, Bria and I went out to ride her (well mostly just me) before she is leased and I am too pregnant to safely ride. It was so cold out, Dunkin' for Apples was wearing a full body hood as well as a blanket. Bria had on a really thick coat but kept taking off the hood. Sje really enjoyed all the outdoor fun. My poor horse is looking pretty scruffy right now due to her winter coat and being sunbleached, please forgive her apperance. I am sure she would be embarassed, lol. Bria loves to ride her, although naturally we go REALLY slowly. I think she thinks it is like a big rocking horse, she bounces up and down and giggles all the time. Maybe she will be a rider when she is older. Love you guys!

Bria in pigtails

2009-01-18T21:27:00.002-05:00

So apparently this week Martin Baby developed individual fingers and toes, fingernails and tonails, and doubled in size to a whopping one inch. Meanwhile, Bria is certainly not slowing down any. She has finally grown enough hair to wear pigtails, and so I posted some pictures here that I thought were cute. Also, I happen to think my gorgeous husband looks like Brad Paisley in a cowboy hat. Any comments? :)

Moving Away

2009-01-15T20:46:00.005-05:00

Hey all!

I wanted to thank especially those in this post who helped us all to move last weekend and took their time and strength to help us get on our way. I think you know we certainly never could have done it without you. We love you all. I miss you already! Bria is settling in to her new room and a new routine. I was worried about her, especially right before we left. She would walk around the house and cry, not sure what was going on on or where all her stuff was going. She clung to her quilt she always sleeps with, carrying it everywhere for fear it would disappear too. The night before we left, she was in the floor in the kitchen, crying inconsolably. I felt so badly for her. Clearly she had no words for how she was feeling. Neither did I. I just held her, trying to comfort her, crying as well. I think that is one of the harder things to do as a parent, something nobody tells you and you just have to learn. How to hold your children and reassure them everything is alright when you aren't sure it is yourself. When your whole world feels upside down and inside out. Because you have to hold yourself together for someone other than yourself. Sorry. Just thinking out loud. But anyways, on a happier note she is doing very well and we are getting somewhat unpacked and organized. It is amazing how it seems that whatever it is you need is never accessible. Oh, and the van sort of is spraying coolant everywhere so has become undrivable. So that is getting fixed. Anyways, hope everything is going well for you all. We really miss you! Hopefully we will see you soon. Love you all!

2009-01-07T20:32:00.002-05:00

Hey! Okay because of uncertainty about the due date/age of as of yet unnamed baby, I had a "dating" ultrasound today. Turns out I was not as far along as they thought. Sure makes me feel less stupid. Anyways, I am officially 8 weeks and two days along. This puts my updated due date at 8/17/2009. Well, at least Bria will be two. And we will most likely have 3 out of four August birthdays in our family! (Dusty's b-day is July 26.) But they gave me a few pictures, not that you can tell much, but here are the first known sightings of Baby Martin #2! If it helps any, apparently the baby is upside-down. And has arm and legs, but they are very small and hard to see. You can see the heart and spine though. Enjoy! Love you all!

Breaking News

2009-01-06T19:46:00.002-05:00

I hereby interrupt this Christmas monologue to bring you breaking news. It appears that Dusty and I are pregnant with our second child. So it wasn't the flu after all. The doctor thinks about 11 weeks. Tentative due date July 28, 2009. Thank you and goodnight all.

Now on to Christmas Number 1 and 2

2008-12-31T22:23:00.004-05:00

Our first Christmas celebration was at my parent's home in Charlotte. We were gone for like two weeks in all over Christmas. Guess that's one good thing about being jobless. We got to see my sister and her new husband for the first time since her wedding, so that was really fun. It was nice just to celebrate with my parents and family. And of course, Bria loves the lake house, Jacuzzi, paddle boat, ducks and all. So this was fun. As for Christmas number 2: From there we traveled to Georgia to have Christmas with Dusty's parents and assorted grandparents, and the whole family. It was really neat to see everyone again. And Bria learned that no matter how it looks, Play-Doh is just NOT tasty!

Recent Updates

2008-12-31T22:02:00.003-05:00

Well I certainly have fallen behind on blogging lately so I will try to catch everyone up. This is the "before Christmas" blog. Bria recovered quickly from her stocking injury and became increasingly facinated with the christmas tree lights. We went to see the Festival of Trees in Greenville and followed our usual tradition of writing on our Christmas tree stumps. I know, we are crazy, what can I say. I let Dusty do the writing due to the fact that my handwriting tends to be illegible. Dusty officially had his last day of work at DSM on December 19th, so now we are both unemployed, Yea! Not really. But at least it is giving us time to pack. Our official moving date is now the 10-11th of January. Oh, and it would really help us out if someone would buy our house, so if anyone is looking for prayer requests, there's one we would appreciate :). We are practically giving it away, so it is certainly a good deal. Lol. Okay, so I think that was all the "before" stuff. Love you guys!

The foam princess...

2008-12-09T21:10:00.003-05:00

Since we will be moving soon (probably the first to middle of January) I am trying to dispose of excess junk that we seem to so easily accumulate. Among the unnecessarys was a large bottle of grape bath foam that Bria enjoys playing with. I thought, why not, let's go out with a bang. And so Bria, me, the bathtub, bathwater and really the whole room was quite covered with masses of purple foam. A little difficult to clean up, but Bria had a blast so it was worth it. My whole bathroom is permeated with the smell of grape, but on the bright side I really don't think there could possibly be even a speck of dirt still on her!

Talk about a heart attack!!

2008-12-02T13:11:00.004-05:00

So today started out like any other ordinary day and ended up with an emergency trip to the pediatrician. We decorated for Christmas yesterday, making sure all our dangerous or breakable tree ornaments we safely out of reach for our curious 16-month-old. Unfortunately we did not realize she was capable of reaching our stocking hanging on the mantle by those weighted stocking holders... She yanked down on the stocking held by an ill-fated angel. It was quite heavy. It fell about two and a half feet, crashed into her head, and a piece of it (the bird the angel was holding) lodged into her head. She had two little holes in her scalp that were bleeding and a piece of a bird we couldn't pry out. So off to the doctor we went. Some tweezers, a restrained child, and a mummy bandage later, all was fine. She didn't even cry that much! She was more upset that I was making her stay still than that she was injured. The doctor reassured us that she didn't have a concussion, and we went to the pharmacy for ibuprofen. Poor girl, what a morning! I feel terrible that I didn't foresee this incident. But, you live and learn. And she is running around happily, totally unconcerned, and she got a piece of chocolate for being so good. And so December begins!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T19:07:00.002-05:00

We traveled to Charlotte for Thanksgiving with most of my extended family on my mom's side. (Missed you, Datz family!) We were very grateful to have more to eat than three kernals of corn. Bria was able to really enjoy hanging out with family this year. Hope everyone else had a wonderful, fun and family filled day! Pictures of family and Bria above!

First 'I love you!'

2008-11-14T22:26:00.003-05:00

I am so excited. It was the coolest thing. Today, I was reading Bria this book about dogs, it starts with one dog and goes to ten and you have to bark for the dogs. So I was on page 9 and duly "woof"ing nine times when Bria, sitting on my lap, turned around, kissed me on the lips, and said "I love you!" TOTALLY by herself! Of course, it sounded like "I wub woo" but I still understood. I guess she is still to young to understand this, maybe she was just repeating all the times we do it to her, but it was still awesome. And just in case I didn't believe my ears, Dusty came downstairs to see what I was making such a fuss about, and she held out her hands to him and repeated it. We were both jumping up and down and teary-eyed. So crazy, but it is amazing how excited I am when Bria does things like this. After that, she had spaghetti, which I attempted to let her eat by herself. Because she wanted to. Big mistake, lol. Maybe tomato sauce is good for hair. She enjoyed her bath afterwards as well! Pictures above!

Sorry it has been so long...

2008-11-12T18:20:00.006-05:00

Sorry everyone that I took so long to update this. It seems like I am so busy now, even without work or school. We are going to be moving soon, destination unknown but probably north Georgia or Charlotte. We need some help with this rambunctious little one if I am ever going to finish school! We trailered the horse back to Georgia last week, she only kicked a few dents into the trailer. Considering it was an 11 hour drive overnight with few stops, I would say she did pretty well! Especially since she hates being trailered. Bria did not do quite so well, she doesn't really enjoy car rides like she used to. Even driving overnight, she still was awake quite a bit! We got to hang out with Dusty's parents and grandparents for a few days and visit a church plant called The River while we were there. Still, traveling with a fifteen month old is getting to be quite a challenge! And she sure can wreak havoc on a non-baby-proofed house! Here are some pictures of the horse and our trip in general. I'll try to keep everyone better updated in the future.

Raleigh State Fair

2008-10-24T22:57:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we traveled to Raleigh for the state fair, and also to bid Jayne goodbye. She flew home on Saturday. Bria was "big" enough to ride a carousel and a spinning dragon ride- as long as she was accompanied by an adult. Not sure I qualified, but at least I met the height requirements! Dusty and I rode a huge Ferris Wheel and we saw lots of animals including some really cute miniature donkeys. Not really sure what you would do with a miniature donkey, but I want one now. Anyone with any ideas on how to turn a profit in that industry, feel free to comment. :) Bria is also finally big enough to ride facing forward in her car seat. She only weighs 21 pounds and something, not the 'recommended' 22 pounds, but we figured she has waited long enough. She will be 15 months old in a little over a week! She is a lot of fun, and can climb anything now. She has figured out how to pull out chairs out so she can climb on the kitchen table, turn lights on and off, etc. I am very busy just keeping her from wreaking havoc on our home! Any suggestions on how to keep a toddler occupied for more than 5 seconds? Anybody? Love you guys!

Visiting the Park

2008-10-19T20:22:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week Bria, Dusty, Jayne and I visited that park off Corey Road. The equipment is still a little too big for Bria but she enjoys it anyway. She went down the slide, played on the swings with her daddy, and even tried out the rock climbing wall! It was fun to just get out and enjoy this nice weather before it got cold! Hope you are all doing well!

Bria's New Accomplishment

2008-10-08T18:04:00.004-04:00

Bria has recently learned how to drink out of straws. I know, I know, she must be a genius or something. Lol. Anyway, she is very proud of her new knowledge and wants a drink anytime she sees a straw. Mostly she just gets sips though unless it is water. Here are some recent pictures of her. We took a trip into the wild outdoors of our 'backyard' today and she had all sorts of fun running around. And covering herself with grass she pulled up. She is so crazy! I just have a blast watching her enjoy herself and learn all about things around her. Hope you guys enjoy!

Pondering God

2008-09-28T12:41:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what makes God love us. I mean, really. After how many times we mess things up so badly, after how many times we hurt Him and others and everyone we love, why would He in His infinite wisdom want to have ANYTHING to do with us? I mean, what in us does He see as redeeming? As worthy of forgiveness? Why would anyone choose to create something you know will continue to bring you nothing but grief, and then choose to continue to love that creation, to the point of DYING for them, and get so little in return? I just don't understand. I really dont. I guess I don't have to, and just trust Him in His word, such as Romans 8:38-39 when He says that Nothing can seperate us from God's love. Amazing, isn't it?

By the way, these are some roses Dusty bought for me, Bria, and Jayne (his mom.) Aren't they beautiful? Isn't he the best?

Another Day, a New Day

2008-09-25T20:08:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. My wonderful and awesome mother-in-law is in town staying with us. Today Bria took a pack of her raisins, snuck it into the dog's crate, and ate the whole pack (minus the ones she fed to Allie.) I took a few pictures and thought I would post a few. Hope everyone is doing well, we love you all.

Wildflowers

2008-09-16T15:11:00.002-04:00

While we were camping this weekend with our small group Dusty and I came upon this beautiful field of wildflowers. It was so nice just to take a walk surrounded by thousands of flowers! I will make another post later about the totally awesome camping trip but for now here are some pictures of the field.

Bria and the dog

2008-09-09T22:30:00.003-04:00

Bria loves lotion. She loves to help rub it all over herself after baths, and will also rub her hands together to lotion them up. Tonight, while mommy was trying to study, she grabbed a bottle and took it upon herself to see that the dog (Allie) had soft, moisturized fur as well. She managed this while I was in the same room, in the space of about a minute. Notice the look of guilt on Bria's face, and the dog's long suffering attitude. It's hard to see because some of her fur is white, but she was thoroughly covered. Afterwards Bria seems quite pleased with herself, don't you think?

Survived the 'hurricane"...

2008-09-06T12:40:00.002-04:00

We got a lot of rain and wind last night, but that was about it. Our dog got soaking wet and has been relegated to her kennel until she dries off (thanks Laci and Randy!) our gate latch was pulled out of the wood frame so it will no longer shut and rocks spilled all over our back porch, otherwise we escaped unscathed. Oh, and my poor grapevine in now mostly leafless. So sad. As you can tell from the picture, none of this worries Bria in the least. Which is to be expected because it's her poor daddy who will have to fix the gate, etc. Such a good husband :). So for all you people out of town who were worried about us, thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We surely appreciate them!!

One of those days...

2008-09-03T23:38:00.002-04:00

So do you ever have one of those days where it just seems like everything goes wrong? Or maybe weeks? For the last few days I have been trying desperately to get out invitations for Ladies Night Out this Friday, and it took until today for it to work somehow. Late today. So now it is REALLY late notice for all those people wanting to come. Probably too late to be of any use! Plus, though I selected "white" for the text coloring, I noticed after it finally sent that only half of the information is white, the rest in black. On a dark brown background, this is pretty much illegible. I am so frustrated with computers, technology and generally my own incompetence. I mean, I am only signed up to help out with this for one month. One out of twelve. You would think I could have at least managed to give people proper notice! So for all of you who would have liked to attend but either were informed too late or were unable to read the evite, my profuse apologies. I think I'll stop ranting and go to bed now.

Daddy's girl

2008-08-29T15:10:00.003-04:00

Okay, this is my last post today I promise. I just wanted to share some pictures of Bria I thought were cute. They are kinda dark because I had my camera on the wrong setting, but that is another story altogether. Bria is a total daddy's girl now. She always wants to be held by him but now she is literally treying to fill his shoes lol. This morning she was carrying around his flip flops, then she put them down and tried to walk in them! It didn't work too well, but the pictures are cute!

Shanna's 25th birthday

2008-08-29T15:02:00.002-04:00

For all you folks that missed the wonderful event, here are some pictures. In them I am prodly wearing my "I'm 25!!"shirt made for me by my ladies group, aren't they sweet? I am 25 years old now! Wow, and I don't feel any wiser. I am reading a book by Rob Bell that Brittan let me borrow and in it he says, and I paraphrase, "Everyone follows somebody. I'm just trying to follow Jesus." I like that. Miss the mark an awful lot though. I think that will be my catchphrase for this year. Okay, now I am totally rambling and going to stop. :)

Bria's birthday parties!

2008-08-28T18:53:00.003-04:00

Bria turned one on August 2nd of this year and I cannot BELIEVE how fast a year can go by! This is probably a pretty common thought for new moms though. And our daughter is lucky enough to have gotten TWO parties, one in Greenville with our awesome and loving church family and one in Charlotte with both sets of grandparents! The pictures here are from both parties so if it looks like different days, it is! Thank all of you who have helped out so much in teaching us what it means to be parents helping out in so many ways. We could never say thank you enough... and would otherwise probably be crazy by now! (Oh wait.. I already am.. :)

Its been too long...

2008-08-27T19:31:00.005-04:00

Okay it has been over a year since our last post and I am not even going to try to do a year-in-review sort of thing because that would be long as well as exceptionally boring. I am just trying to start up this blogging thing again as a way of keeping all you people in touch, please forgive my inadequacies as a blogger since it has been awhile. I am just going to post some random vacation pictures now and later on will do some sort of post for Bria's first birthday. That was August 2nd, mind you, so you can already see how behind I am lol! Anyway, thank you all and I hope you enjoy the resurrection of this blog!

Going Home

2007-08-04T06:28:00.000-04:00

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement. Tomorrow, August 5th, anyone is invited to come by the house to see the baby. Please call before you come. Signing off. Love, the Martins

PS Her hair is dark brown. I don't know why it looks red in some of the pictures.

Your Invited

2007-08-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

Come on by this evening if you want. Just Give us a call before you come.

More Pictures

2007-08-03T10:06:00.000-04:00

Twenty-four hours later, Bria is doing great. Thank you to everyone that posted comments. We have been reading them all along. Also, thank you for your prayers. She is very healthy. God bless.

Wow

2007-08-02T13:47:00.000-04:00

Wow, so much emotion at one time. It is more than the body can handle. I felt like crying and laughing joyfully, all at the same time. Deep breaths are helping to bring the oxygen back to my brain. Praise God for this blessing. Bria is doing great. Shanna is doing great. I'm so excited. Here are a few pictures. Stay tuned.

I'm speechless

2007-08-02T11:46:00.000-04:00

Bria arived at 11:00am, 6 pounds 14 ounces, 19 1/2 inches. Both Bria and Shanna are healthy. With family gathered around, Shanna asked me to pray and thank God. All I could do was cry. Tons of pictures to come.

It's time

2007-08-02T10:35:00.001-04:00

Here we go

Update

2007-08-02T08:17:00.000-04:00

They have broken Shanna's water and she is almost a four on dilation. She has taken IV pain medicine because the contractions are starting to get tough. On another note, Shanna has a button on her bed of a light bulb. I guess if you have a good idea, you are supposed to press it.

Good Morning

2007-08-02T06:03:00.000-04:00

They started the pitocin, the juice that induces labor, again at 6:00am. Shanna got some good sleep and is ready deliver a little cutie. For now she is just waiting for the contractions to increase. I could not sleep and stayed up watching Tora! Tora! Tora!

The Latest

2007-08-01T22:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay. I had some trouble getting the wireless to work. We are here and everything is going great. They have stopped with the pitocin for now. Letting the dilation catch up. Shanna is eating some Wendy's right now. I'll keep you posted.

It's Time

2007-08-01T13:16:00.000-04:00

We went to the doctor today, and they want to go ahead and induce labor because her blood pressure is a little high. We will check into the hospital today around four. Here we go. Can you believe it? It's time!

No changes

2007-07-30T15:34:00.000-04:00

Apparently Bria is taking her sweet time to appear. Shanna's last day of class is tomorrow, though, so maybe she is just waiting for everything to be over with. Bria's cousin will be celebrating her first birthday this Friday, isn't she cute? Her name is Natalie. Her parents are Casey (Dusty's brother) and Olga. Funny how quickly time passes, isn't it?

Update

2007-07-27T17:56:00.000-04:00

Shanna is having more and more of those fake contractions. Maybe she is getting close, maybe she is still a week away. Who knows? Also, here is some help for those still leaving comments under the tag anonymous. Instead, post your name by clicking on the second box labeled "other." There you will be able to enter your name. To enlarge the photo to your left, click on it.

and the doctor said...

2007-07-26T15:53:00.000-04:00

... no more monkeys jumping on the bed. Just joking. The doctor said she is just beginning to dilate. No baby today. Maybe it is better that way. Then she will never have to "share" her birthday with dad.

Crazy Cats

2007-07-25T14:19:00.000-04:00

What do you think our cats, Count and AJ, will think when they realize the baby is getting all the attention? They probably will not care much as long as the baby is not eating their cat food. I wonder if Bria will be born tomorrow (July 26th) on my birthday. That would be kinda cool. Stay tuned.

Still Going Strong!

2007-07-24T14:21:00.000-04:00

It is hard to get Shanna to slow down. Here is a picture of Shanna giving Dapples a bath. I do not think anything could keep her away from that horse. Working at Walgreens is a different story. She has started to sit down in between customers when possible. Don't worry. I help her out with back massages. She will be going to the doctor again on Thursday, so we will let you know what we find out then.

First Post

2007-07-23T14:18:00.000-04:00

I am glad you found the blog. It will be very helpful in keeping everyone up-to-date. We will try to keep the post coming, so keep checking in. You know, I really hope the baby decides to come any day now. I do not think I can wait another week!