Martin Madness

Since it seems that everyone has a name to their blog, I thought I'd name ours.... Martin Madness. Because sometimes life in our house is just madness... (I may change this again... I need to let it sit for a few days to see how I like it!)

Our crazy kids... Yes, sometimes it feels like I live in a madhouse!



We have to come up with things to do during the day while Derek is at school, here we are playing dress up.



We finally have the starts to a landscaped yard! We got a landscaper off of craigslist and he and a guy spent 3 days doing this....

They did a great job, but I think we are going to add another layer to the bottom and top rows. I'm planning on planting a bunch of stuff up there, and I really think those two rows need another layer.


For all of you in Arizona in need of a family photographer, check out Tad's brother's website... Whiteeye Photography. He does great work! We're trying to get him to come to Albuquerque sometime for our next photos!

Craigslist Finds

Now that we have a truck I've been able to keep my eye out for a few things. We've been wanting a bunk bed for a while now and I finally found one in great condition for $75! It's kind of a hassle making the beds, but it sure opens up the room now. Since I can't use the bedskirts anymore, I'm going to talk someone into helping me make them into Curtain Valances to match their decor. Now I just need to paint.....




Tad found this air hockey table for $20! Works great and the kids and their friends love it!



And proof that Paige does actually nap every now and then...

Look who's hair is actually growing!

Paige's hair is finally growing!! Not much, but just enough to curl the ends of it up.





Kevin being silly...



Darci's favorite little snuggly beanie cat. The little green bear she used to cuddle with got lost so now this little guy is the snuggle du'jour. Lulu has gotten a hold of it a time or too and often jumps up to try to take it from her if she's walking around with it.



I just finished reading this book:

It was GREAT! It really boggles my mind when I start to think of the universe and eternity and things, but this book made perfect sense and I wouldn't be surprised if turned out true.

When she should be napping

When I used my camera today I thought the settings seemed different... and when I went to upload my photos I found something unexpected. Lots and lots of pictures of Paige's face! Apparently during "nap time" two days ago she decided to play with my camera instead. These days its rare if she actually falls asleep, whereas Kevin falls asleep almost right away. She would rather play and talk to herself for 2 hours instead of sleeping.









Making hats for Derek's school project.


Darci in her cute dress and boots... 13 months

As a side note I can't believe we've already been here in Albuquerque for a year. Time really does fly. So much has changed in a year. I'm so happy to be out of our yucky apartment. I think I could've stayed there longer if it were on the bottom floor, but holding an infant carrier in 1 arm and 6 bags of groceries in the other and yelling for the kids to keep up only to repeat it with the next 6 bags of groceries still in the van at the only available space far away got a little old. I always wanted to live in a high-rise, but that was when I was going to be a rich movie star and could afford to pay someone to do my shopping for me!

We still love it here. The hot air balloons we see everyday have been an unexpected delight for the kids. The zoo and botanical gardens are great. The little snow storms we've had this winter have been a lot of fun for the kids and not so bad for me either. I don't mind snow that melts in a few hours. Even the cold weather hasn't been terrible. I was in a light shirt the other day at 32 degrees and didn't even really feel cold. For those that know me that is a shock.

But one of the best things is getting out of work walking out to my car and seeing the city lights all around me. The West Side is pretty hilly and the hospital I work at is perched on a hill so there are awesome city views at night. It's pretty neat.

There are still some frustrations with Albuquerque.... the red lights still take forever, people drive really slow, there are only a few ways across the river to the other side of town, everything is on the other side of town, and it can get really windy here. I had no idea just how windy it could be, but I think there are days where we could probably rival Chicago. OK, well maybe not, but it can get REALLY windy.

Our new baby

So, this is our new baby... got a great deal on it. But can I just say that the MVD and New Mexico just STINK!!!! This was a private party sale, but we still had to pay 3% of the sale price in taxes (they said they actually go by the blue book so even if a car is given to you, you'll have to pay tax when you register) plus registration plus emissions. And the people who sold us the truck will have to pay 3% of the sales price as well. Which we will also have to do when we sell our fancy old Malibu. Sometimes it just seems like you're getting taxed to death and hit at from every angle. How's a person supposed to get ahead??

Anyway, we love the truck and will love our many camping adventures to come with it and I wont have to hear from Tad how I've packed too much in the van and we have no room to sit.

Tad already has to work at least 2 overtime shifts per week at his job (mandatory - another thing that bugs me about the State of New Mexico), so he should be able to pay this baby off within a year. At least that was the arrangement for him getting it. Dave Ramsey would not be happy that he didn't pay cash for it but what the heck, you only live once. By the way I just learned how to attach a web link to other words that I type and I think it is pretty cool!

Happy Valentine's

I finally finished the last of my Valentine's crafts. The middle heart is a wreath made out of fabric. I got the idea from here. It was really a pain and took a few hours to make because of all the glue. But I finally finished. The other two hearts are made of burlap and were SO much easier to make. I even learned the secret to cutting burlap in a straight line.... I got these heart ideas from here. I'm just glad I got them done with a few days to spare before Valentine's day.



This is snow at our house from last week. It's all melted now of course.



They found this half done snowman at the park and finished it off with eyes and a mouth and then had fun knocking it over afterwards.

Snow and Ballet

We went sledding on the other side of the Sandias at a little picnic spot (about 40 minutes from our house).



They got a lot of snow... this was 4 or 5 days after the storm.




Paige has started ballet... I can't believe the costs of most of these dance studios. I got her in a class at a nearby community center for about half the price and I still think its a lot of money!

Here is a video of my little ballerina. Mind you, this was Paige's first time doing this little dance and most of these girls have been practicing for a while for their upcoming recital. I think she did pretty good!


We have 45 minutes to entertain ourselves there while she's in class.



This was a Valentine craft that I made for our front door. Pretty simple, just some paint and drilled holes. I'm working on another project now that I wish I never started...