Roller Coasters, Mini Golf, and Arcade Games

My twins have turned 7.  Impossible but true.  I don't know how we got this far but I feel like we just brought them home a few years ago.  I barely remember those days and nights of having two babies to feed and love.  I have retained only happy memories of those times and am so thankful I took pictures.  It helps stir the memory of what life was like back then although I'm confident not as hard as I had expected and certainly more joyful and rewarding than I had anticipated!



It's like with any babies, those early days slip away so fast and then you blink and you are looking at a talking, walking, little person and the lacking sleep and hard work are SO WORTH it.  The kisses, hugs, laughter, and the joy on their faces is payment for the sacrifice put in to loving them, providing for them and giving them a home.

I'm not sure what has happened to today's mothers (besides the lies of the feminist movement and the lies of a "have it all" culture) that they think sleepless nights, rocking and holding babies, and the sacrifice and hard work of bringing them up is somehow an imposition rather than a glorious opportunity and the definition of the job "mother".  That is what we are....MOTHERS and motherhood comes with being a little tired, and aching over what the best thing is for our children, and praying over our sleeplessness so we can find a little function in the morning.

Don't get me wrong...I was often tired, I still am with small children.  I too struggle with the sacrifice and the aching.  But it IS MOTHERHOOD.  IT has BLESSINGS and JOY and it doesn't matter what job you choose you have sacrifice, aching, and challenges.  ISN'T MOTHERHOOD WORTH IT?!

It was for me.  Every minute of having two small babies, feeding and the balance of nursing them, loving them and making time for everyone to have a piece of me when they needed it...my 3 small boys were worth all the demands and now, 7 years has fluttered by and they don't NEED me nearly as much.  They don't demand my TIME nearly as much.  They are walking, talking, precious boys making all those sleepless nights worth it.

I'm so blessed to be their mom.  Happy Birthday Brody and Trace.

For their birthday we kicked off the day with donuts and then they got to spend the day with daddy and Cole at Castles N' Coasters.

It was their first time going and we did a pass so they could do unlimited rides, mini golf, and $10 of arcade games.  They spent the day there from 10-5.  They had a great time.

There were two rides that, funny enough, Brody was tall enough and Trace wasn't.  That half in difference really cramped Trace's style.

At 5:30 they were home for cake and ice cream and a few presents from grandparents.  It was a special day!

 

Sending the Twins to Northwest Christian School

We would like to send the twins, with Cole, to Northwest Christian in 2014.

We have spent the first two months of school working on reading, math, money, time, writing, sentence structure, punctuation, verbs, nouns, bible lessons, memory verses, and so much more in between.  We have been considering transitioning the boys to NCS next year but I wanted to get a little further along in their skills to make sure when they transition they wouldn't be behind.  I DO NOT want little boys coming home defeated and frustrated.  That is just no way to live! I also wanted to be sure the Lord wanted us to make that move.

I think we are making excellent progress and although at times they seem to need reminding and prompting to remember things we went over, they have done remarkably well.  They are a whole year younger than Cole was in first grade.  Cole was 7, the twins are 6.  This makes a huge difference, along with their personalities, in their desire to learn, their ability, their interest.  Until recently I can say for a fact, Trace had little to no interest in learning to read.  And that is okay.  But, I wanted to encourage them to have more interest if we were going to consider them attending NCS.

I am not 100% sure as to the Lords wishes, but I do know we must take steps, in prayer, in order to find answers. Justin and I are stepping out in faith, considering it will cost about $16,000 to send all 3 boys to NCS.  The good news, after these three attend school, the 4th, 5th, and 6th ones are free! Wahooo.  But, raising, through tax credits, $16,000 will still be the LORDS total provision for our family and confirm we should be sending them there.  It is not an easy task to raise the money.  It takes planning, applications, letters, posts, swallowing one's pride :) and faith. We are acting in faith and allowing God to provide for the boys to attend school.

So, we are again partnering with AZTO.org, sending out letters, posting this to the blog, and sharing through social media the opportunity to designate your Arizona Tax Dollars towards Cole, Brody and Trace attending Northwest Christian in 2014/2015.

It might seem like a long time from now, but we have managed to get ahead of the fundraising curve.  Last year we were able to raise full tuition for Cole to attend school.  Praise the Lord, isn't HE good?!

By sending out letters now, we make the opportunity for our friends and family much more sweeter.

If you donate prior to December 31, 2013, you can claim your donation on BOTH your federal and state tax return.  The federal would be for donating towards a 501(c)3 and the state is for your state tax liability dollar-for-dollar credit.

If, for some reason, you would rather wait until 2014 to make a donation you can actually make a donation up until April 14, 2014 in order for it to be applied to your 2013 state liability tax filing.

Our family would be so BLESSED if you would partner with us by designating your Arizona State Tax Liability towards our boys attending Northwest Christian School.  It is a dollar-for-dollar credit so you will not lose anything by making this possible for our kids.

Please prayerfully consider making this donation on our behalf.  We are confident God plans to do great, amazing things through each of our readers who visit our blog and receive our letters.

If you have any questions, please contact us. We'd be happy to explain some things or direct you to where your answers can be found.

We are so thankful we live in a place where we can be intentional with our children's education. Second to homeschooling, which is incredible and absolutely what we recommend, Christian school is the only choice we would make.  We, as their parents, believe they should be in a place that honors Christ, puts Him first and into all aspects of education, and shows our children the righteous path. Thank you in advance for your consideration to help our family.

You can download the letter and donation form HERE!

If you desire to give but do not live in Arizona, we would certainly accept your donation, which cannot be applied towards your taxes and would simply come from the goodness of your heart, towards their tuition. You can contact me for more information about this type of donation as it cannot be made through AZTO.

The Twins Turn 6

Can it be that my sweet boys, who seem like they were born yesterday, are turning 6 years old?  I can't believe 6 years have flown by since the day I anxiously awaited their arrival.  I remember so clearly a play by play of that day and the relief I finally felt holding my two boys.  It didn't all go as planned but God is good and my little men arrived healthy and happy.  A real day to celebrate.

Well now, 6 years later, they've been a real joy to our family.  They made it extra special, having twins, and bring a sense of wonder and happiness to our household.  They are so incredibly different, it sometimes amazes us.  Being identical twins we didn't expect them to be so different from each other, but nonetheless God makes us all unique with special gifts and callings in our lives.  I can see this clearly with the boys.  

Brody is tender, sweet, inquisitive, and a pleaser.  He is  so good at looking for opportunities to be gracious and helpful. He is a special guy ho makes friends easily and has an uplifting spirit.  He LOVES soft clothes/pants and the color red.  He likes to sing and dance and ride his scooter.  He can throw a football like a pro.  He has beautiful handwriting and has made awesome progress with school this year. I'm so proud of him.

Trace is kids who knows what he wants and is his own man.  He loves to be funny, crack jokes, and make people laugh.  But, is sensitive about being laughed at.  He sets his mind to something and goes about making it happen.  He likes to play with friends and play outdoors. He LOVES soft clothes also and really loves his jammies.  He's done an awesome job at school this year also and when he puts his mind to it, he can be a hard worker. He's a happy and playful guy.

I just love my boys and I'm so blessed to be their mother.  

For their birthday this year they each chose a friend to go to Great Skate.  I wasn't sure how it would go since they hadn't ever skated before.  But, they surprisingly did very well and seemed to have a good time.  They ate pizza, skated, had cake and both got Heely's for their birthday along with some wonderful gifts from their friends and my parents.  

They are lucky little boys to have so many people that love them.  And, although I can't believe 6 years has gone by, I am excited to watch them grow and change and I pray they will become men that honor God, honor others and fight for the weak.  

They are such wonderful little boys.  

Random Bits of Crazy Fun

Since my last post before Cole's school post was about our trip to Utah, which was in July and it is now November there is much to catch up on concerning the happenings at the Martin house.

It's been a full year of adventures, travels, sports, and growing up.

Flagstaff County Fair

We headed up north to Flagstaff end of August first of September for the county fair.  My parents camp their each year, at the campground right next door to the fair. My mom is so generous, she buys the kids an all day wrist band to ride the rides.  The weather was great, slightly overcast, and the kids had a blast. 

Morton's and Martin's at Stoneman Lake
This one is fun. Chris and Justin took the kids, ALLL the kids, up north to Stoneman lake for a day.  The plan was to hike around, shoot stuff, eat hot dogs and pound down some S'mores.

As I understand it, as the kids were hiking They decided to hit a fallen tree with their swords. Out of it came rushing a bunch of bees.  Brody got the worst of it, he was stung many times.  By the time they got back to camp his face began to swell.  One eye...then the other.  The guys were worried.

They packed the crew into the van and took off for Flagstaff.  When they got to the Urgent care, they were in no urgent mood. Justin decided, since Brody was looking a little better, to leave and just get Benadryl.  That seemed to do the trick.  After a quick nap and some throw up Brody was back to playing.

They decided not to go back to Stoneman, but instead they found some forest near the airport and set up a campfire.  The finished out the night with the kids, hot dogs, S'mores and some campfire.  They were all satisfied and had a great time.

Legacy Adventure Camp
Justin took the boys up to Payson for Legacy Adventure Camp. LAC provides a father and son connection through activities, scripture, and intentional fatherhood. They got to throw hatchets, start fires, bows and arrows, go hiking with a compass, do an art project for their mom, and talk about what God desires for them as growing young men.
It was an awesome overnight with the boys and Justin and gave them some quality time with other father and sons. 
We plan for it to be an annual experience between Justin and whomever boy's turn it is.  They do several a year, so we are very excited.

NAU Homecoming
We went up to Flagstaff for NAU's homecoming in October.  It was very exciting for me, of course, and I was excited to share the fun with the family.

They had a parade, an Alumni bbq, jump houses, the band, the cheerleaders, and of course the football team.

The kids made it through half the football game, which was 1 and half hours, and we topped it off with a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings and a very quiet drive home.

It was a great time, an although they don't fully understand the nostalgia for me, it was awesome to share it with them. I did kinda wish I was back on the field though, in that cute cheer uniform.  But, we only get to live once. I'm thankful for the fun I had then and the blessings I have now.