Back to Blogging?

Here is the thing. I like to write. I always have. It feels easier to convey thoughts through writing. And I have so many thoughts. I may be drowning in thoughts right now. So, I'm going to try blogging again. I miss it. I used to blog several times a week plus almost daily for Superkids. Not writing at all doesn't feel right. I may drop it again, I may blog forever. It all remains to be seen.

I guess a little update is in order. Kind of like the Christmas letter, to get everyone caught up on the Martin crew.

We are now 20 months into owning Ebenezer Groceries (I guess business ownership is like a new baby, you count months for the first 2 years) it has been a huge growing experience for us, but it's going well and we are happy to be doing what we are doing. We have built a management team we love, which makes a huge difference in how busy we are on any given day.

Now for the kid updates. Everyone is healthy and doing well if you want to skip the mom brag that is coming.

Douglas & Kayla have been married since the end of July. They are super busy with both of them being in their final semester of nursing school. We are so proud of their dedication and hard work! Not only are they in school, but they both are working. And... (drumroll please!!) they are expecting their first baby in about 4 weeks! Meaning we are going to be PaPa and Nan-Naw Just expect this blog to be over-run with grand baby pictures in about a month.

Freeland is 19 and lives in an apartment in Schaefferstown. He is working with a landscaping crew. I am so happy to see him able to be more active again after his back problems and eventual surgery a year ago. He works out and has worked hard to get his core strength built back up after that set-back. He has always been our active outdoorsman, so it does my heart good to see him back at it.

Casper is 16 and is a junior in high school. He is a sweet kid who loves his dogs and cares for them tirelessly. School work has always come pretty easily for him. He is hoping to go to flight school to become a commercial pilot after he graduates.

Annika is turning 14 next week. She is finishing 8th grade online at home. I enjoy the extra one on one time I have with her while the other kids are at school. She got an early birthday gift this year. His name is Olaf and he is a chinchilla rabbit. We got him from the local animal shelter and he is 5 years old. He is so soft and already pretty snuggly considering that she has only had him for 2 days.

Eliana doesn't love when I call her the baby of the family, but my baby she is and will always be. She is 12 and in 5th grade. She is back to going to school full time and I miss her so much on the days she used to spend at home! She had a hybrid schedule until fairly recently, so we got a bit spoiled. She is still my little cuddle bug most of the time, though she occasionally reminds me that she is 12 and has more important things to do than watching cooking shows with me.

And Keith and I are, let's say mid-40's. He is the one who does most of the buying and numbers stuff for the store while I do the marketing. We make a pretty good team, if I do say so myself. 

And I can't close without telling you about the dogs. 

Bubba is our adorable, spoiled little cockapoo. He has his favorite place on the sofa and whines if someone dares to sit there or put something there. He loves snuggle times and will go part way back the hall then whine for me to come back to snuggle with him and rub his belly on the bed. He recently went to obedience school and is a very good little boy even if he does pout a little at times when he has to do something he doesn't want to.

Thor is our big, goofy Rottweiler. He is absolutely the sweetest, most laid back dog. He loves to be snuggled too and will often push his way in when we are giving Bubba attention. He has a big, mean sounding bark, but would pretty much welcome anyone in and serve tea if he could. He also went to obedience school and is such an obedient good boy. 

So that is about it. The update. And bless you if you made it this far. Anyone who followed my blog in the past knows this is not my normal style. I just had to have a base-line to work off of. 

I'm excited to be back!! <3

P.S. Photos of Casper and Annika coming soon. 

And Just Like That...

This boy, my baby boy, is a teenager.

He has grown quite a bit from his tiny 2 pound 11 ounce beginning.

This was taken when he was just a couple of days old. Pictures do not accurately show his tiny size

He is a sensitive, loving child. I can barely comprehend that he is 13 years old and in 8th grade. That means high school next year! I mean, how???

The day he left the NICU

He checks in with me often to see how I'm holding up when we are away from home. He knows that social situations are often exhausting for me and he is always concerned. He will come up and rub my back and say, "Are you doing OK, Mom?" I can count on it. It is so precious to me.

He likes listening to music and loves a good book. He does not love getting up in the mornings and would sleep in every morning if he could. He asked a while ago if he could paint his room black. He did, and he loves it. He has a Star Wars theme going on in there now.

He is on the Junior Varsity basketball team at school. He still finds school easy and makes good grades. He is a funny kid. He has been in the school plays this and last year. He can be shy, so it surprises me that he does really well in school plays. Maybe he is going to be like me, introverted but not shy.

Keith and I took him to breakfast yesterday on his birthday. It was convenient that there was a 2 hour delay at school, so we could have breakfast together and still get him on the bus in time.

Last night Douglas took him to the Winter Jam concert. How fun is it that it was on his birthday!?

And now we begin life with 3 teenage sons in the house. Fun times!

I Want More { A Letter to my Sons }

Today I have the privilege of guest posting over at Don't Let Life Pass You By, a fellow adoptive mom's blog.

Head on over here to read about {some of } my desires for my sons.

 

O Casper!

On January 18, 2005 a tiny little boy entered this world about three months sooner than he had been expected to arrive.

Here he has his little hand on mine. 

 So today I am feeling quite sentimental and thought it would be fun to go outside to take some pictures of my tiny boy turned big boy!  I thought sunshine and snow and balloons would have to be a fun combination.  And I was right!  But what ensued was not exactly the "fun" I had in mind.  You see I forgot that there was also wind to take into consideration and that sunshine and snow are a pretty powerfully bright combination...

Trying to hang on to the balloons!

Brothers getting in on the action.

If you can't catch them then shoot them!

But watch out for the icy patches!

Come on now, be good balloons.

Got some!  But can't look at the camera because it is too bright.

And away they fly...

At least when you stand in the trees you can open your eyes!

So there you have it.  My preemie all grown up.

Casper boy, we love you to the moon and back.  Happy birthday, little son!

Sometime Things Don't Go As Planned...

Note: This sat in my draft folder waiting for the final picture for a couple of days:)

Casper was so excited to see this recipe on his math paper yesterday.  He wanted to try making it right away, but we were pretty busy at the time and he did not have time to try it until late this afternoon.  He was so excited when I said he could do it all by himself!

After measuring and boiling and trying to "drop by teaspoonfuls" he was pretty discouraged at the crumbles that fell off of his spoon.

He sent an emergency text to his daddy requesting that Daddy bring home some ice cream and lo and behold!  The "cookies" turned into "ice cream topping" just like that!  Disaster turned to success!

Too Old? { The Story of my Snaggle-Toothed Boy }

This is Casper.  He was born on a cold January night in 2005.  The only problem with that was that we were not expecting to meet him until mid-April.  In the middle of  being rushed to the OR so that the necessary emergency c-section could be performed,  I was being told that he may or may not cry at birth, but that they would do everything they could for him.  He cried.  A tiny little sound like a kitten mewing.  Only in my ears it was a loud sound echoing around the OR because I was so tense listening for it.

But this is Casper.  Now he is 7.  And he is a strong, healthy boy.  He is a sweet natured boy who still loves to climb on my lap to be cuddled.  He is my quiet child.  The one who will spend long periods of time driving little cars and trucks around and lining them up in neat, precise rows.  He loves to read.  He spends many a quiet hour curled up with a book.  But he can be loud.  And he can be silly.  I look at him and wonder what he will do with his life.  He is still such an innocent little boy with his life stretching before him.

Now, take a look at the little boys on my sidebar.  Two of them are a few months younger than Casper.  And yet for so many families it is just "too old".  And it just breaks my heart to think of my sweet little Casper being passed over because he happens to be a 7 year old boy who had a "very difficult neonatal path". 

I think about how if Casper were in need in a far off place how we would fight with everything in us to get to him.  To be with him.  We would do anything to be there for our son!

And then I think of how each of these boys are precious to God.  They are God's own dear children.  They are in need.  And God has commanded us to work in His stead here on earth.  Why aren't more Christians standing in the gap?  Why are we not tearing down walls with our bare hands to get to the children in need all over this world!?  There are so many.  The need is so great.  If you cannot open your home to a child, can you financially help someone who can?  If you cannot do either, can you lift these children up in prayer and tell others of the need?  Can you sponsor a child or a family in need?

I do understand that we cannot all adopt and that God does not place adoption on everyone's heart. But He is very clear on this point,  "As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."  We can all do something.