Martinez Family

Don't open the SPAM looking message from me!

2010-03-07T18:35:00.001-06:00

Hello,

My iPhone address book was hacked. Do not open any attachment from me for an ad or something funny looking.

Sorry :(

~Erin Mtz.

Stephen eagle

2010-03-07T16:52:00.001-06:00

http://ccmodc.org/raymonde.html

Recent photos

2009-10-22T19:45:00.001-05:00

Isaac took this one of himself!

Isaac is the character kid this week at school!!

EM

Photos

2009-09-08T22:59:00.001-05:00

Isaac's Ocean Creature Drawing

2009-09-06T14:49:00.001-05:00

I thought this was really good! He is turning into quite the little artist!

EM

Cute Girl

2009-09-04T20:36:00.001-05:00

And here are a couple of her Dada, too.

EM

Isaac's artwork

2009-09-04T18:52:00.001-05:00

Isaac learned a new nursery rhyme each day this week. Here he drew a picture based on "Little Jack Horner" except he was little Isaac Horner!

EM

What a sight!!!

2009-09-02T19:33:00.001-05:00

Look! It's the spaghetti monster! Check out her eyebrows!

EM

Last batch.... For real!

2009-09-01T21:44:00.001-05:00

Last batch of coast photos

2009-09-01T21:36:00.001-05:00

Even more coast photos!

2009-09-01T21:27:00.001-05:00

More coast photos

2009-09-01T20:42:00.004-05:00

Photos from our coast trip!

2009-09-01T20:21:00.003-05:00

Woo hoo! New App!

2009-08-27T19:24:00.001-05:00

First of all, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my iPhone! it is one of the best inventions ever for a techy like me. I love having a computer at my hands. I do Iove my laptop, but not having to get it out, plug it in, and have a wi-fi connection is really nice!

I just got this awesome app on my phone that will let me update my blogs, with photos, from my phone! I have a feeling I will be blogging much more now!!

Isaac at lunch today!

2009-08-27T11:12:00.001-05:00

Me and B

2009-08-25T20:09:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of photos of us at lunch together in our matching shirts.

Also some work hanging on his wall by his rooom.

2009-08-22T22:47:00.001-05:00

Isaac’s Starts Kindergarten

2009-08-08T00:45:00.001-05:00

I just saw Julie & Julia with my sister, Kelli. I really loved it! It was pretty clean, too, except for one F-word. Why do they always feel the need to throw that in?!

2009-07-23T22:49:00.002-05:00

I don't know why I had 5 of the same post earlier! My iPhone has been doing some whacky things. The photos I have been sending are not showing up either. Boooo! Is technology a curse or blessing? Or both?

Our old house

2009-07-23T02:27:00.001-05:00

We drove by our old place in TX a couple days ago. Everything has changed so much. It did make me a little sad but I know everything happens for a reason. I am glad I was able to move closer to my parents. Also, maybe if we had stayed I would never have become a teacher? So many memories in Houston - good and bad.

-- Erin Mtz Sent from my iPhone

Kids at Estes Park

2009-07-06T19:23:00.001-05:00

-- Erin Mtz Sent from my iPhone

Cute Things Isaac says...

2009-06-16T01:25:00.003-05:00

Gabi was having a crying fit during Isaac's prayer tonight from the other room. I told him to pray for her so she would be comforted. He told Heavenly Father, "Please bless Gabi that she will be pleased with herself." :)
He also asked that we be healthy and strong and eat carrots. And that Mama won't get any boo boos or blood ...he loves me :)
Gabi has started climbing on everything! We have a new rule in our house: if you get up from the table you have to push your chair all the way in, otherwise Gabi will get on top of the table. Isaac left his chair for a minute and didn't push it in so Gabi ran over to it and started climbing in. I called to him and said Gabi was getting in his chair. With an exasperated voice Isaac told Gabi, "Gabi, one of these days I'm going to turn you into a cat fur pillow!" Tee hee! I just laughed and laughed.
Yesterday I asked Isaac if he was excited for our trip to CO. I told him we were going to see lots of mountains. I asked him if he knew what mountains are and he said, "Yes, they are those big triangle things like this..." and then he drew a triangle in the air with his finger. He said, "There is one side, two sides, and three sides of the triangle." How smart is that?!

My mom sent me these:

Erin had Isaac call me the other night to see if Grampan and I wanted to go get a milkshake. When I said "Hello", Isaac said, "I have black hair, I'm the boy that you love, and I have on a green shirt. Guess who I am."
Isaac likes to play in the water when he goes to the bathroom. I could hear the water running and running in the bathroom. I hollered through the door and told him to turn off the water and get out of there. When he came out I asked him what he was doing in there and he said he was making dinosaur juice. Later that day after Isaac went home I found the drinking cup I keep in the bathroom was full of water and had a cotton ball, I think a bunch of hand sanitizer (because my bottle was almost empty), a red candy fire ball and two small plastic dinosaurs in it. I had myself a cup of dinosaur juice made by my boy.

2009-03-27T01:31:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Let's Bowl!

2009-03-27T00:39:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

HATS OFF TO GABI!

2009-03-27T00:19:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-03-26T23:48:00.003-05:00

I have a new blog for my store. http://www.erinmtz.blogspot.com/.

I sell personalized character potty training and incentive charts. I have tons of characters, such as Super Why, Max and Ruby, Word World, Handy Manny, Wow Wow Wubbzy, Spiderman, Batman, and tons more.

I also sell personazlied placemats, stickers, and other party items. Check it out!

2009-03-03T20:57:00.002-06:00

Isaac had his first soccer game tonight. I am SO proud of him! He was so excited! It was freezing cold - about 35 degrees! The other team scored the first two goals, which upset Isaac. He started to cry and was so disappointed. This is his first time playing any competitive sport so I'm sure it is hard...but a great lesson! I told him to dry his tears and get back in the game, which he did after half-time. He scored 2 goals!! He was so proud! He looked so happy and threw his hands up in the air! The other team but us by a few goals but Isaac was the only one on his team to score! WAY TO GO, B!! NUMBER 8 IS GREAT!!!

Here's Isaac before the game...super excited!

We huddled at half-time because it was freezing!!

The cute boy, number 8, after the game. He was FREEZING!! He had to use his socks as gloves!

__________________________

On another note...

Gabi got a new baby from the consignment sale. It's a baby Elmo...her favorite!! She LOVES Sesame Street. We watch it every day! This baby Elmo drinks from the bottle and makes sucking sounds. When you take the bottle out it makes a 'pop' sound, like the bottle popping out of her mouth. Gabi was very unsure of baby Elmo at first but has warmed up to him!

2009-02-22T21:39:00.003-06:00

Here are some recent photos of our family....

This was taken on Valentine's day. Gabi wore pigtails for the first time!

Cute Isaac in between the trees. It was a nice "spring" day.

The teasing begins! Look at his face! He drives her nuts but they love each other!

Gabi LOVES to put things inside of stuff and take it out. This is a great piggy bank she got. Isaac likes it, too.

Lemuel grew a beard for a while. It had a cow lick in it and made a circle in the side of his face. I liked his beard! He recently shaved it all off!

The two cutenesses!

Gabi is doing great in her helmet! I love it...it's her crash helmet. I can't tell you how many times she had hit her head and been safe with it on!

The curly girl after her bath....

Dad and Lemuel chow down on Super Bowl Sunday! I always make a bunch of food. It was nice to have Mom and Dad over to share it with us.

The two ladies and Isaac enjoying the spread on Super Bowl Sunday.

Bibs Giveaway!

2009-01-28T19:27:00.003-06:00

You have to check out this adorable blog. It is done by a girl I used to babysit. She's all grown up now, of course. I totally support SAHM's and LOVE her cute products for baby. She is currently giving away a set of bibs. These bibs are great because they go over the baby's head, like a shirt, so it's much harder to pull off.

Check out her website:

http://mytinysweetcheeks.blogspot.com/

2008-12-23T20:28:00.002-06:00

Dear Santa,

How are your reindeer? Are your reindeer thirsty? Please give me that jungle thing. And please give me lots of Star Wars guys. Please give me Legos and ocean Legos with that shark and that 2 boats and that guy and an ocean and those guys that are sitting in their seats in that helicopter. That viper fish and that crocodile guy and that diver man from Toys R Us. And those alien ships and an astronaut and that ship. I'm good.

Love, Isaac

2008-12-22T23:31:00.002-06:00

Howdy, Folks. I haven't updated this blog in ages. I am finally on Christmas break. It doesn't see like a break though! I spent over 7 hours shopping today and I haven't wrapped a single gift yet!! I am super excited about Christmas this year. My parents will be spending it with us, which is nice, since usually they are with the Pyfers. The kids are very excited about Christmas, which makes it even more fun! My baby Gabi is also turning one year old this Friday!!! Where has the time gone?

2008-11-20T23:08:00.002-06:00

Yes, it's been too long! I have been very busy with school and let my blog slip away again! So I will try to do better. However, now is not the time! I just had to share this, though. I connected with one of my old high school friends on Facebook and he sent me a couple of music files. The one called Lover Man features me on the alto sax my senior year. The one called Spain features me on the flute. Wow! These bring back some amazing memories! I seriously had chills. I have had some wonderful blessings in my life, but I must say that being blessed with the gift of music has to be at the top of my list! Besides my children, it has brought me the greatest joy I have ever known! So check them out and take a listen for yourself! (I must say I was smokin'....ha ha!) More updates on the family coming shortly........

LOVER MAN

SPAIN

Candy Corn

2008-10-12T17:37:00.002-05:00

I made this picture on accident when I put my hand over the flash. Isn't it cool? The first thing I thought was that it looked like a piece of candy corn. How appropriate, considering Halloween is just around the corner.

Perhaps some of the best artists made their masterpieces on accident?

2008-10-12T17:34:00.001-05:00

Here is a little update on us with some photos.....

Make a Smilebox photobook

2008-10-05T21:25:00.001-05:00

2008-10-04T23:28:00.006-05:00

Our elementary school is having a huge bazaar in December to raise money for classrooms. The kids have to make the items and sell them, but we get to keep whatever money we earn. So we could use that money to buy instruments or other things for music class.

I have been looking for ideas on the web and found these cute candy trees. Isaac helped me make them this afternoon.

Which one do you like the best? How much would you pay for one (keeping in mind it's for school charity)?

2008-09-29T19:25:00.007-05:00

Gabriella is 9 months old! She now has 7 teeth and FINALLY started crawling last week. She took her sweet time, but I can't complain because now she is into everything! She is almost sitting up, too. She can sit up alone for a few minutes if I put her in position but soon flops over. It's just a matter of time! She tried her first meat - Turkey rice dinner - a couple days ago and loved it! I guess she's no longer a vegetarian! LOL!

Isaac has another loose tooth. He is excited for the tooth fairy to visit him again! He will be 5 years old on Halloween. I still can't believe it! He is really enjoying pre-k and asks me lots of questions. Just a minute ago he came in from the bathroom and wanted to know why we have eyebrows!
_______________

I started teaching my kids at school about the Medieval period of music history. They seemed really interested, more than I expected. The first graders are especially interesting. One boy told me that we come from apes Another boy raised his hand and told me that Obama doesn't believe in the Bible or go to church. Interesting. I don't know where these kids come up with some of these things, especially at such random times. We were talking about how the church ran things and music started from the Gregorian chant. I guess that somehow made him remember what he thinks he knows.

Check out the new sea creature book we got!!!

2008-09-13T20:27:00.013-05:00

2008-09-10T22:06:00.006-05:00

First of all grrrrrrrrrrrr..... I hate it when Internet Explorer unexpectedly shuts down. I was right in the middle of posting.

Today one of my 4th grade students told me he loved me being his music teacher better than the last one because she was always so tired. Lol! I told him I am always tired, too. He said I always seemed to have so much energy! Ha! All I can say is that teachers should get Academy Awards for their performance! If he even knew how tired I am every day he would change his mind. I guess it's good that it doesn't show.

I DO try to have high energy in class, even when I don't feel like I do. It is music class, after all! Honestly, once I start teaching any aliment seems to go away and the time goes by really fast!

__________________________________

My sweet baby Gabi turned 8 months old a couple weeks ago and I am just now getting around to posting a picture. She is getting so big! I just can't believe how fast time flies. Her hair is really starting to grow and it appears to have a bit of wave in it. He rolls all over the place and scoots, but she won't crawl. She gets around, though! She isn't sitting up, either! I guess she's taking her sweet time. She IS getting up on one arm now and seems to have the desire to sit up so I expect any day now I'll walk in the room and she'll be sitting straight up. She is really tall and her legs already go way over her end of her seat. I guess it's time to get a bigger car seat. She gets so excited to seem me when I pick her up. She kicks her legs about a million miles an hour! :) I LOVE IT!

Who's Looking At Me?

2008-09-04T20:18:00.005-05:00

As I was walking to my car today after school I felt all of these eyes on me. They were wooden eyes! Most of these little wooden faces were smiling at me, but I did find an occasional frowny face. We have had terrible rain for a couple days. The rain on the wood formed perfect, haunting outlines of their faces. The photographer in me went searching for my camera. Of course I didn't have anything except my cell phone so the quality isn't the best.

Moral of the story...never leave home without your camera and you never know who is watching you!

MY BABY IS ALL GROWN UP!!!

2008-09-03T22:01:00.004-05:00

I got some news today from Lemuel who called me on my way home from school.

ISAAC LOST HIS FIRST TOOTH!!!!

My first reaction was...."WHAT?". I got worried because he seems a little young to lose a tooth. I thought maybe he had another accident. Lemuel reassured me that it fell out. In fact it was just gone! It may have disappeared when he was eating his happy meal after school or it could have happened some other time...I guess we'll never know since the tooth is gone and gone for good. (We all looked for it!) My next thought was, "I'm not going to cry." I just can't believe my sweet baby boy has lost a tooth already! He's been in pre-k for only 2 weeks and he already seems so much older! Where does the time go?

I thought 4 years old was a little young to lose a tooth. I read on the Internet tonight that most kids lose their first tooth at age 6-7, but yes, you can lose your tooth as early as 4 years old. In fact, the younger a child is to get his teeth as a baby, the younger he will be to lose those baby teeth. Isaac got his first tooth around 3 months old, which was early (just like me), so this makes sense. My mom even told me that I lost my first tooth when I was 5, so I guess like mother, like son!

He is super excited to see what the tooth fairy will bring him tonight. We just need to write her a note to explain where the tooth has gone! :)

Rude people SUK!

2008-08-30T22:38:00.002-05:00

Something I can really give my parents credit for is teaching me good manners. Now, I'm not saying I'm perfect because I'm not! But I like to think of myself as one who has been educated on how to behave as a decent human being and show respect for others. When I was a kid we used to carpool to school. My mom always insisted that we say, "Thank you for the ride." I remember how the moms who dropped me and Mike, my brother, off would smile as we thanked them for giving us a ride home. Many times their kids wouldn't.

Let me back up a bit and tell you what triggered my rant. I have always made it a point to really work with Isaac where manners are concerned. I have taught him to say please, thank you, excuse me, etc. since he was a baby. He has learned to ask to be excused from the dinner table. In fact, the other day we were watching TV and someone got up from the table without saying a word. Isaac said, "Ooooooh, he was being rude! He didn't ask his Mama if he could be excused." I was so proud of him for realizing that! A couple of weeks ago, when I had to put him and Gabi in temporary daycare the lady who watched them, Ms. Janet, told me that Isaac had really good manners and that we must be really working on that with him. I couldn't be prouder!

So for the past few months we have been teaching Isaac to open the door for people. He's gotten quite good at it. Most of the time I don't even have to remind him anymore, he just does it. There are still times he forgets, like today when we were going to the movies and he forgot to hold the door open for me as he ran in totally excited. However, we did have an incident at the post office today that totally made my blood boil. I took the kids with me to the post office after it was closed to use their APC (that's automated postal machine). It was just the three of us inside. Isaac was standing by the front door and say a lady coming. So he pushed the heavy door open and held it for her. She opened the other door (there were 2 doors) and walked in, blabbing on her cell phone. Isaac just stayed there holding the door for her. She checked her mail and then proceeded to walk out the door that Isaac was still holding. She didn't say one word to him. I expected a 'thank you' of some sort. She didn't give a smile even! I was SO mad! My poor little boy is just standing there and she is too busy and rude to bother to thank him. So I said very loudly, "You're supposed to say thank you." Isaac misunderstood me and thought I was talking to him, so he yelled 'thank you' very loudly to the lady! At that point I told him that he did the right thing by holding the door. I had to explain to him that sometimes people are RUDE and won't say thank you, but you should hold the door anyway. I told him that the lady was RUDE and she should have told him thank you.

When we left the post office the lady was still sitting in her car. I gave her a very dirty look and Isaac said, "Look, Mama. There's that RUDE lady who didn't say thank you." I sure hope she heard him. I just shook my head at her in disgust and left.

The thing that bothers me is that I bet she didn't even know what she was getting a dirty look for. It seems like more and more people don't have any manners, both men and women. It just makes me sad and mad.

So here are a few tips from me to you on how to have good manners. Feel free to add your own in my comments section. These are just the ones that annoy me the most:

1. Always say please, thank you, and excuse me.

2. You should hold the door open for people and let them go first. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman.

3. If someone holds the door open for you, always thank them.

4. When you are driving and you see someone is coming up fast behind you, pull over into the slow lane. Also, if you are going to go slow please drive in the right lane, not the left.

5. If you are going faster than someone in your car, do not tail gate them. This is rude and dangerous!

6. Never, EVER spit in public. Gross.

7. All other bodily functions should be kept for the privacy of your own home or bathroom.

8. If you smoke, do it somewhere private. There is nothing worse than coming out of a restaurant and being greeted by a nasty cloud of cigarette smoke. Ick! You wouldn't want me to fart in your face so don't smoke in my clean air.

9. If you are in the movies and someone sits in front of you, don't put your feet on their chair.

10. Close your mouth when you chew and never talk with your mouth full.

11. Never blow your nose and look at the Kleenex as if you are searching for a prize...gross!

12. If you can help it, don't blow your nose at the table. Sometimes this is hard if you are eating really spicy food.

13. Don't suck up your snot in your nose..you know the sound, like you are sucking back a big loogie.

14. Please avoid talking on your cell phone at a restaurant. You have no idea how loud you are really talking. I don't need to hear it.

15. If someone lets you in front of them in traffic, always say thank you by giving a quick wave. If you don't, next time I won't let you in.

16. Don't talk on your cell phone or text message someone in a movie. Also, don't wear a wireless headset in a movie either. That flashing light is so annoying.

17. If you take your kids to the movies, church, or anywhere else where they need to be quiet, take them OUT if they get disruptive.

18. When you are eating at the dinner table and want something, say, "Will you please pass the ___."

19. If I call you on the phone, don't talk to someone with you in the background. No side conversations. Give me your full attention.

20. Ladies (or men for that matter), if you pee on the seat, wipe it up. Do you really think I want to wipe or sit on your pee? That's just sick.

21. Men, put the toilet seat down. Plain and simple.

22. Internet ettiquette - don't write in all caps because that means you are yelling. Try to write in complete sentences or at least punctuate.

So that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure there are many more, and there are some that are family specific, like asking to be excused from the table. I'm sorry for the rant but I just had to get that off of my chest. It made me mad that my sweet little boy was doing the right thing that that ignorant lady was a bad example to him. Boo to her!

People, please, have good manners. I beg you!

2008-08-30T11:14:00.003-05:00

I thought of another unknown fact about me. This is weird. Whenever I hear repetitive sounds, like when I am gulping water, I count. I know, I know....strange. It's like an OCD thing I do. Except I don't think it's OCD, I think it's being a musician because I never used to do this. There is something about hearing a steady beat that makes me start counting right away. It must be all of those years of marching band or tapping my toe during a performance. The reason I thought of it was beacuse this morning I was feeding Gabi her bottle and she was hitting the bottle over and over with the lid in her hand. I caught myself counting again. You'd think that with all this counting I'd be good at math..ha ha!

On another note....

Doesn't this look yummy? This is the grilled shrimp from one of my favorite resturants mentioned in my previous post - The Crab Inn in Rockport, TX. Yummy!

Fours and Threes!

2008-08-27T19:51:00.005-05:00

Fours:

1. Four places that I go over and over:

Mom's, Post office, elementary school (work), church

2. Four people who email me regularly:

Mom, eBay customers, Freecycle group, Patti

3. Four of my favorite places to eat:

Benihana, Texas Roadhouse, Red Lobster, Crab Inn (in Rockport, TX)

4. Four places I would rather be right now:

Sleeping, floating in the ocean on Mustang Island, sitting on the porch at dusk in Rockport, did I mention sleeping?

5. Four TV shows I watch:

Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Seinfeld (yes I love the re-runs)

6. Four people I tag:

Leslie Kate, Mom, Patti and Leda (through email)

Threes:

3 Joys:

1. my children - the funny things they say, their innocence, hearing their laughs and seeing them grow

2.Being able to go to work and having a job that I LOVE! I never thought that would happen!

3. Driving over the causeway in Rockport with the windows rolled down, Surfin' USA blaring on the speakers...WOO HOO!

3 Fears:

1. I always worry that something bad will happen to me and I won't be around to see my children grow up, or something horrible will happen to them. I hate watching the news because my mind starts to think of the terrible things that could happen to my children.

2. Heights and Bees

3. My parents dying

3 Goals:

1. Saving enough money to go on a family vacation to Disney World. I want Isaac to see the Finding Nemo musical there before he has outgrown it (if that ever happens).

2. Moving into a house

3. Getting all of my orders filled from the past month that are weighing me down.

3 Current Obsessions:

1. teaching

2. sleeping (or thinking about it!)

3. Les Miserables soundtrack (listen to it every day in the car)

3 Random Surprising Facts:

1. I knew the gender of both of my children the moment I knew I was pregnant. I'm 2-2!

2. I have dream to sing on Broadway.

3. I want to learn to play the accordion.

The most insane 2 weeks!!

2008-08-21T21:15:00.005-05:00

The past two weeks have been so nuts! On Thursday, August 7th, I checked the job listings for the various local school districts in my mad hunt for a teaching job. I had been checking every day, several times each day. I saw a posting for an emergency vacancy for elementary music teacher! I have had a really hard time getting a job due to lack of open positions. I had just about decided that I wouldn't find one this year but alas, there was an opening! I called the principal right away and she agreed to a phone interview the following morning (I told her I was in So. Texas). I was a little unsure that she would even do a phone interview but she didn't have a problem with that. It turns out that she was the principal at the middle school where I did part of my student teaching.

I was on pins and needles waiting for the call. The interview went great. I was offered the job the same day and that meant I had to be at work, in Arkansas, on Monday! I had to pack up the kids and car and drive the 12+ hours home on Sunday. It was hard but we made it at about 2 am. The kids did really well in the car for such a long time. I was sad to be leaving the coast, but very happy to have a job doing exactly what I wanted to do - teaching elementary music!

My first week went well. I left the kids with Ms. Janet, a lady who does an in-home daycare. She was kind enough to take them on a temporary basis, in spite of being full. I had to sit through many meetings. It seemed hard to believe that only a few days prior I was having a bonfire on the beach!

The crazies thing happened, though. After I left a meeting I was making my way to the parking lot of the school and a teacher passed by me and waved. As she did her car BURST INTO FLAMES!!!!!!! It was the craziest thing I have ever seen! She got out of the car okay, but the car engulfed in flames and the fire dept had to come put the fire out. It was really scary and she was lucky to get out alive. I was sure the car would explode but the fire dept managed to make it there in time.

I am teaching at 2 different elementary schools. At one I am there 2 days per week and I have my own room. At the other school I am there 3 days and have no room, but go from room to room on a cart. I do have a desk in the multi-purpose room, along with the P.E. and art teachers.

This past Monday was officially the first day back for students. It was also the first day of school for Isaac! MY BABY IS GOING TO PRE-K! I can't believe he is so big. I got all choked up the night before when I was watching him sleep. I work way across town so I had to leave for work early. Lemuel had to take Isaac to his first day of school. It was probably better that way because I would have bawled! Lemuel said that Isaac just went right in and didn't look back. :) (we had gone to the open house a few days prior, which I think helped).

Here are some photos of me and Isaac on our first day of school!

That afternoon I came down with a fever and Isaac started throwing up. Gabi also had diarrhea. So our 2nd day of school I had to call in (yikes) and Isaac had to miss! I managed to get well enough to miss only one day of work, but Isaac has been out the entire week with puke and poop (Gabi, too). Lemuel has been such a big help taking care of the kids while I am at school.

My kids have never been sick before (except for a minor cold) so this has been an awful week! We are getting better now, though. I was fortunate to not have to start teaching until next week (so the kids could get used to their regular classes).

I am exhausted!!

Here are some photos of my new music room!

2008-07-30T23:45:00.002-05:00

My baby girl is 7 months old!! She has 3 bottom teeth now (I just discovered her 3rd today!). She is eating lots of different baby foods, along with her formula. Her favorites are banannas, oatmeal with banannas and apples, pears, and sweet potatoes. Just this week she learned to do "patty cake" and claps her hands whenever you say the rhyme to her. She is so proud!!

We are in Rockport, TX for our annual coast trip. Poor Lemuel had to stay behind to work. We miss him!! The kids are really having a great time doing all of the fun coast things! Today we went to the beach and it was Gabi's first time. She LOVED it!

She got a mouth full of sand and wasn't too happy about that but once I sat her near the water she was so happy! She dug in the sand and splashed like crazy! She loves it! She tasted the salt water and her tounge was going 100 miles an hour..ha ha!

I love this picture of my two beautifuls at the beach!

Yesterday Shawn had us over to his place for hamburgers and swimming. You can see his kids in the background of this photo. Isaac has been getting braver and braver about the water (he can't swim yet but he wants to). He tried out these water wings and he really liked them. (Last year he hated them. He was too scared to let go). He floated in the water all by himself! Such a big boy!!

The Most Influential Teachers of My Life...

2008-06-29T21:44:00.010-05:00

I have been searching for a teaching job like crazy! It is my full-time obsession right now. Once I decided to become a teacher and enrolled in the teaching certification program at UCA I began to reflect on the teachers I have had in my life. It has especially been on my mind lately as I have been job searching and trying to decide exactly what and who I want to be.

So here is a list of some of the most influential teachers of my life. These are the people who have inspired me to be a teacher, the ones who have molded me into who I am today.

Beth Parker

Mrs. Parker was my 6th grade teacher. She was so amazing! In those days I wanted more than anything to be a famous actress. She encouraged me and really gave me the confidence I needed. Turning 12 isn't always easy but she definitely made it fun! The taught me that by believing in me I could believe in myself.

Brigitte Dority

Sister Dority was my Beehive teacher. Bless that poor woman! She had a zillion Beehives to take care of and she always did it with a smile. She had the most bubbly personality and she always gave big hugs. I always knew that if she was around I would never be left out. She taught me that a smile or a hug can change someone's day.

Ray Hankins

Mr. Hankins was my flute teacher in 7th grade at Central Jr. High. He is the man responsible for teaching me to play the flute. When we had "band day" where we tried out the instruments (in 6th grade) to see what we would play the following year he tried and tried to convince me to play the bassoon. (He is a bassoon player with the ASO). I didn't want to play that weird looking (and sounding) instrument! I actually had my heart set on playing the saxophone. Mr. Hankins told me all the benefits of playing the bassoon and how my lips were perfect for it. I wouldn't have it! Another band director convinced me to play the flute instead and I'm so glad. Looking back now, I can see that Mr. Hankins really did have my best interest at heart. I would have had an automatic scholarship to many colleges with the Bassoon, since there aren't as many players as other instruments, like the flute. My 7th grade year was one of the funnest I ever had!

Janet Granderson

Mrs. Granderson was my 8th grade band teacher and my private flute instructor. I was lucky that my band director played flute. I had weekly lessons with her. She taught me all of the fundamentals of flute playing. She encouraged me, bragged on me and really cared about my success. She encouraged me to be competitive. I remember how hard we worked at me making All-Region! I have tremendous respect for her. She had the wisdom to realize when she could no longer teach me and I was ready to move on. She passed me on to Dr. Brown. I can imagine it was probably hard to let a student go. She was so selfless. I will always appreciate her.

Jeff Hudleston

We called him Mr. Hudd. He was my 9th grade English teacher. (I always had the best English teachers!). Mr. Hudd was fun, full of enthusiasm and made learning fun! He actually made learning Shakespeare fun!! We read Romeo and Juliet and I loved it! I still love it! He had the best sense of humor. He reminds me of Robin Williams. Can you imagine Robin Williams being your English teacher? Mr. Hudd was also an amazing artist and even drew cartoons for the Ar Gazette newspaper.

Mark Walters

Mr. Walters was my band teacher from 10th - 12th grade. Some of the best moments of my life were shared under his direction. He had such a fresh approach to teaching. He was so refreshing after having a not-so-great year in 9th grade. I had actually considered quitting band, it was so bad. I just kept holding out for Mr. Walters. He was down to earth. We always had good music. He set the bar by giving us music to play that was challenging. I will always remember Mr. Walters looking over at me and smiling as I played my little flute diddies. It was hard not to since I was on the piccolo and right next to his ear - ha! He also helped me learn to play the saxophone and encouraged me to be in jazz band. He gave me the nickname "unchained wild beast" because my sax playing skills just sort of came out of nowhere and they were wild! :)

Lisa Doss

Ok, I could write an entire book about my love for Lisa Doss. She was the assistant band director for 11-12 grade and also my jazz band director. She was fun, spunky and crazy. I loved her conducting! She had gusto and gave it her all! She always knew just what to say and what to do. We were like a family (the jazz band). Most of my best high school memories are with the jazz band. She allowed me to develop my sax skills and gave me some amazing solos. Prior to becoming a teacher she was a singer in a band that toured and everything. She was amazing! One of the best nights of my life ever was the spaghetti super we had with the jazz band featured as the entertainment. It was my senior year. We played "Someone to Watch Over Me" and she sang while Mr. Walters played feature tenor sax (I played flute). I get chills just thinking about it. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her and Mr. Walters and the wonderful times they gave me in band. I wish I could be the kind of teacher that she was. She told me I was "Music for music's sake alone. A description of Brahms and a description of you". I will always love her.

Carolyn Brown

I first met Dr. Brown when she was a Mrs. Brown. I was 16 years old and started taking lessons from her after Mrs. Granderson. She is, in my book, the best flute player ever! She really taught me to fine tune my flute skills and so much about music and life!! I looked forward to her lessons every week because I knew I could go in her office, sit in her chair and she would listen. I have dreamed so many times about that chair and being able to talk to her! She led through example. Her flute playing skills are to die for! I wish I could be half as good as she is!! I love her sound! I can always pick her out of the orchestra. She put up with a lot from me in college! I even went back to her for 2 more years when I got certified to teach! It's nice to know that she is always there to help me if I need her. I owe her so much!

Christina Head

Christy was my student teaching mentor last fall ('07). I learned so much from her in the little time that I was under her wing at Crystal Hill Elementary (and Maumelle Middle). I had the most awesome, amazing student teaching experience of my life!!! She never made me feel like I was a burden. She always went out of her way to teach me extra things that would help me be a better teacher. The best part was that she became a true friend. I miss her all the time.

My Parents

Well, it wouldn't be right to leave them out. While they weren't officially "teachers" in a school setting, they are my teachers of life. They have taught me all I need to know about being a decent human, a good daughter, mother and wife. I am grateful for them in countless ways. They gave me the most important tools for succeeding in my life. I love them and am so eternally grateful for them.

I am sure this was so boring, but I felt I needed to put it in writing. There are so many others I could mention. To be honest, aren't we all teachers to someone? Think about that this week. Try to recognize the big and small teaching moments throughout your day. You never know whose life you will touch! Someone may write a blog about you someday!!

A Week of Firsts

2008-06-16T01:54:00.004-05:00

This past week Gabi had many firsts. On Monday (6-9-08) Gabi started her first solid foods. I gave her oatmeal with banana and she liked it!! I could tell she was ready for solids when she opened her mouth when she saw me eating a Snickers bar! I have been letting her taste some things in the past couple of weeks, like lick my banana, which she enjoyed. Isaac hated his solids at first (not anymore!) so I was pleased that Gabi liked hers.

Another first was on Wednesday (6-11-08) when she had her first experience at the swimming pool! We took her to Wild River Country. She was unsure about the whole thing at first, I could tell by her face. I just sat her on my lap, on the edge of the pool, and dangled her legs in the water. She was alright until someone ran by and splashed her! She cried and cried and I could only calm her when I gave her a bottle. Her feelings were totally hurt! Once she was fed she was in a better mood and she liked the water much better! She sat in the Johnny Jump Up and even let me sit on the pool floor with her and she played in the water.

On Thursday (6-12-08) Gabi finally rolled from her back to her tummy. She first rolled from tummy to back in May so it took her about a month. She had to really work for it but she finally did it! Lemuel told me that the next day he saw her roll from tummy to back and back to tummy so I guess she's got that mastered!

Isaac also had a first this week. While at Wild River Country he begged me to take him down the water slide for kids. I tried to convince him to go by himself but he insisted I go with him. I was surprised he even wanted to go at all. Two years ago when we were last there he wouldn't even go down the 3 ft baby slide, let alone a water slide. I did manage to take him down once that year but he was scared. I guess he secretly liked it because he reminded me about it and made me take him down. After we went down the first time together I talked him into going alone and he did it! All by himself! I was so proud of him for being so brave! He even carried that huge inner tube up the hill and stairs all by himself! I was so proud and happy for him, yet so sad inside for me because my baby is growing up too fast! It was a bittersweet moment.

Here are some photos of our week of firsts:

Gabi tastes her first solids: Oatmeal with bananas!

Yummy, this is good stuff!

Gabi chills in the stroller at the pool. She looked so cute in her swimsuit!

Isaac and Gabi (aka Popeye) at the pool!

"This isn't so bad!"

Gabi chills in the water

Isaac rides down the slide all by himself! Look at his face of total glee!

2008-06-06T02:12:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how long I have neglected this blog!! Where has the time gone?

Gabi is now 5 months old and getting so big already! She has rolled from tummy to back and is just about to roll from back to tummy. She just needs that extra Umph to get her shoulder over. She is talking baby talk all the time! She has recently started saying MAMAMAMA and I just know she is saying my name! She is very attached to me so I wouldn't be surprised. She wants to be with me all the time. If I leave the room she gets mad. If I leave her sight she gets mad..lol! I grow tired of that, but quickly remind myself that someday she won't even want to see me so I better enjoy it! She is just about to get her 2 bottom teeth in and drools all over the place. She weighs about 15 lbs and is 26.5 in long (at her last appt).

She has this strange thing she does when she eats. Whenever I feed her the bottle she immediately starts pulling her hair, scratching and rubbing her face with both hands. She digs into her skin until she bleeds. I hate it! I try to keep her nails short but that's a task! She has little nicks all over herself, the poor thing! I hope she grows out of it fast!

She loves her little furry pal Grover. Whenever I show her the Grover doll and talk to her in his voice she laughs and grins. It's very cute!

Isaac is as big and grown up as ever! He is super duper into Star Wars now. It's all he ever talks about. He sings the score (thank you, John Williams) all the time and acts out scenes from the movie. He is collecting all of the figures and constantly asks for more. Here is a smilebox of his Star Wars chart adventure....

Make a Smilebox postcard

I am doing interviews for a teaching job. I don't have one yet but hope to get one very soon. I am still running my eBay business, which is going well. I have really been blessed to be able to do this so I can stay at home with the kids (for now).

I am posting some videos and smileboxes for your enjoyment....

Make a Smilebox photobook

2008-04-10T01:46:00.003-05:00

Here is a little Smilebox I made of Gabi at 3 months old. She is just getting so big! She is talking more and more. Today she rolled to her side. She's never done that before! She'll be rolling all the way over before I know it!!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

I am thrilled to hear of the NKOTB (that's NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK if you didn't know) reunion!! I hope they come to a city near me so I can go to their concert! I have such fond memories of them and how nuts I was about them! You should have seen my room! It was full of posters - on all of the walls and the ceiling, too! Mom had to pull staples out of my walls for a very long time after I left! I still have all of my New Kids memorabilia. I just couldn't ever part with it! Now I get to use it again..ha ha! It can actually fetch a very good price on eBay right now, but I wouldn't ever part with it! I even found a sheet set of New Kids at Goodwill recently and bought it!

Then and Now

2008-03-30T16:19:00.003-05:00

I just found this really cool website for desiging slideshows, postcards, scrapbooks and eCards with your photos. It's www.Smilebox.com. I just finished my first slideshow: a summary of March 2008 in the Martinez family. Make sure you click on the very last video of my beautiful boy, Isaac, singing a song. He got all of his musical talent from his mother!!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

2008-03-27T20:48:00.004-05:00

LOOK AT ME, I'M 3!!!!!!!!!

Gabriella turned 3 months old on March 26th. She is growing so big and TALL!!! She is too long for her 0-3 month clothes but too skinny for her 3-6 months! Never thought one of my children would have that problem!! She is a very sweet and sensitive girl. She smiles all the time..when she is awake! I'm happy to report that she hasn't had one reflux spell since switching to the Enfamil A.R. I am so thrilled for her!!

Isaac just loves his baby sister!

EASTER

2008-03-19T23:45:00.004-05:00

We have had an exciting week in the Martinez house. Gabriella celebrated her first St. Patrick's day! I dressed the kids up in all of their green for church. Isaac had on a nice green shirt and pants and Gabi had on a very cute shamrock dress her Gram bought her. Unfortunately, they were both grouchy after church so it was torture to get a good picture. Isaac clonked Gabi's head on the arm of the futon so that ended that photo session! I did manage to get a couple of photos. The next day (St. Patrick's Day) we ate at Pizza Hut with Gram and Grampan and this time we all wore green, even me!

We finally were able to return to "Jumper" - the Jump Zone I posted about, where they have all of the inflatables. Isaac was so excited! He could hardly sleep the night before because he was so excited to go. He got mad when we had to leave, as usual. He just doesn't understand that they close that place!

On Tuesday, while at Jumper, Gram noticed a white thing on Gabi's gum after she saw her drooling and suggested maybe it's a tooth! I felt around in her mouth later that night and I think it really is a tooth!!! She isn't even 3 months old yet! (She was 2 months and 22 days on the day I discovered it!) I got my first tooth around 3 months so I guess it's possible. My mom didn't believe my sister, Patti, when she told my mom that I bit her because I was too young to have a tooth. Mom checked my mouth, and sure enough, there was a tooth there!

Tonight Gabi finally laughed for the first time!! It was the most exciting thing and made my night! She was in her bassinet at Gram's house and we were spinning her mobile around. She just started to giggle! Luckily I had my camera handy and got it on video. Check it out...Gabi's laughing debut!!

Also, I may have my first interview for a music teaching job soon. I am applying like crazy. I got one response back already. I took my last Praxis test on Saturday. It was hard and I ran out of time so I'm nervous to get my scores back. Say some prayers for me!!

2008-03-12T00:02:00.004-05:00

Gabriella had her 2 month checkup and shots today, even though she is really a 2.5 months old! I have a very tall girl! She was 20.5" at birth and today she measured 25". She is the 97% for height and 50% for weight. She weighed 11 lb 13 oz on Feb 8th and was the same weight today (but it was a different scale this time and last time she had clothes on).
I told Dr about her terrible reflux attacks and that I want to see a pediatric GI. He suggested switching her formula again first to see if it will help. She's on the Alimentum right now and he wants to try her on Enfamil A.R. He said if the spitting up (and reflux) spells stop, and the rash stays away, the problem is reflux, not a milk allergy. If she starts puking more and gets a worse rash then it's a milk allergy and he will change her reflux meds or have me see a ped. G.I. I just opened a can of Alimentum so I'm going to use it first. I hate to waste a $27 can of formula. We'll see what happens.

The shots were bad but not as terrible as I anticipated. She got over it quickly and has been fine since.

Here she is with me before the Dr. came in...

Here she is with the nurse practitioner..

Gabi and Gram:

Isaac was so worried about her getting shots. He had to inspect her boo-boos. He liked her band aids she had on. You'd never know her legs had been all shot up, as smiley as she was! _______________________

We had a rare snow this past weekend. I don't remember it ever snowing in March in AR. Isaac was super excited to play in the snow. We walked all over our apt. complex. Lemuel stayed in with Gabi most of the time, but we traded for a bit so he could go out in the snow, too.

2008-03-07T02:34:00.005-06:00

Yes, I know I have been MIA for a while now. First, I have been selling things on eBay since the week before Christmas and it has become a full time job. I had about 50 orders to fill this week. I am now down to about 30. It is keeping me very busy. If you are curious, here is a link to the things I am selling: Ebay Stuff.

Lemuel's mom, niece Mellisa and her husband, Jacinto drove up from Houston this past weekend to attend Gabriella's blessing, which took place on March 2nd. She was a very good girl and didn't cry. She looked gorgeous in her dress - the same dress I wore on my blessing day, almost 32 years ago. She also wore the booties that her Abuelita made her.

Gabriella with her Abuelita, Antonia Martinez

The day before her blessing we took our visitors to see the Arkansas River and to walk over it on the new bridge they built about a year ago. It was a work out! We walked half way up and it was getting dark so we headed back down. Lemuel told Isaac he wanted to have a running competition going back down. My gut instinct said to tell them no, because Isaac would fall. However, not wanting to be the overprotective mother that I am I said nothing. They took off and Melissa, Jacinto, Gabi and I made our way back down. When we got to the bottom Isaac was bawling and had fallen flat on his face. His face was all messed up, as well as his knee, the poor boy. He also lost his brand new Star Wars guy that I had just given him that morning. (Lemuel later found it on some kid who had picked it up and tried to keep it).

Melissa and Jacinto are newlyweds - 6 months.

My poor boy. This is a couple of days after his fall.

I have begun my teaching job search and have made a couple of applications already. I am really excited to start a new teaching job. I really miss my internship. I went to Crystal Hill to visit and saw my former students and Christy, my mentor. It felt like home.

I discovered a new fun place to take Isaac. It is called the Jump Zone and it is basically a big room full of inflatable things you jump on. They call it an inflatable play center. There are about 7 different ones but they are quite elaborate. It costs $7 for a kid but the parents get to go in free. I even got in some of the inflatables and jumped/slid down the slide with Isaac. It was such a blast! They have a family night, too, where parents and kids can go and jump. Here are some photos from that....

Gabriella turned 2 months old on the 26th of February. She is looking so grown up lately. She is cooing and talking. She tries to imitate me when I stick out my tongue. She smiles a lot - whenever she is awake, which isn't a lot! When she is awake, she is very alert and looks at things for a long time. She loves to look at the picture of the Houston temple we have hanging in the living room. Here she is on her 2 month birthday...

2008-02-14T15:44:00.004-06:00

Gabriella and Isaac got Valentine's Cards from their Gram and Grampan (with a $1, too). Isaac was especially excited about the Spiderman stamp (and the dollar!).

We went to eat Chinese food as a family.

2008-02-06T00:24:00.000-06:00

Here are some things that have gone on lately...

Gabi finally was able to take a bath in her bathtub after her cord fell off:

She turned one month old on 1/26/08. Time sure does go by fast!

She made her church debut and looked so pretty in a dress!

I finally caught her smile on camera!

Gabi and Isaac together at bedtime...

Mohawk woman in her Hook 'Em Horns outfit!!

Also, Gabi seems to have some sort of formula allergy because she has broken out into a horrible rash and has spit up horribly since birth. We first had her on Enfamil Lipil with Iron, then Prosobee and now Nutramigen. If your baby went through something similiar please email me because I am desperate to know what has worked for others! This is frustrating!

2008-02-01T23:33:00.000-06:00

While I am so sad that President Hinckley has passed away I am happy for him. At last reunited with his love! Can you imagine the joy he must've felt when he saw her again? I so loved his humor and cute facial expressions. He will be truly missed.

Look at their two cute little gray heads!!

Take a look at CNN's Glen Beck's tribute to President Hinckley:

2008-01-24T23:55:00.000-06:00

One of the advantages of being up at all hours of the night is being able to see my beautiful children sleep. I put Gabi next to Isaac and took a quick picture. I just couldn't resist. Look at her hand. That's how she holds her hands when she's eating.

Gabi is going to be one month old in just a couple of days! I can't believe how fast time flies. She is starting to fill out now and get her baby fat. She is smiling more and more, too.

2008-01-15T20:56:00.000-06:00

I am finally getting around to another post. I have felt like quite the zombie lately. Gabriella is doing great! She eats well and is gaining weight. She is sleeping a bit better at night now. We have even gotten out a few time. Isaac was really happy about that! The poor boy has been so cooped up since Gabi was born. I managed to take them to the park close by. It was 75 degrees that day! Crazy weather for winter, but a blessing! Isaac was thrilled!

Here is a photo from that day - Gabi's first time at the park:

Mom and Dad finally made it home from TX. They weren't here for Gabi's birth, so my mom was especially anxious to see her. Unfortunately she came down with a nasty cold on the way home and wasn't able to see her 10 days after getting home!! She was so happy to finally meet Gabi and I was so happy to have her here, too!

Isaac moved up a class in Primary and is now a CTR5! I can't believe my boy is so big! He was super excited to show off the new CTR ring he got in class.

I am amazed how fast babies grow. She doesn't even look the same anymore! I am enjoying every second of her because I know she will change so fast and I want to savor every minute! Sometimes I just want to stare at her all day and try to memorize every feature. We are so blessed to have cameras, especially digital cameras! I took these pictures of all of her little parts.

Her hair is quite long and I am still trying to figure out what to do with it. The only style I have come up with is a big curl on the top of her head. She looks quite cute! Her hair is much longer than Isaac's was. It is especially long in the back. She'll probably need a haircut in 3 months!!

Lemuel started school this week. He is taking a music appreciation class and I am jealous! I miss school already! This is the first year that I haven't been in school in 2 years so I miss it. I love school and wish I could go forever! Maybe I should work on my master's degree! I got an email from UCA saying I made the President's list this past semester so I guess I went out in style!!

2008-01-05T23:33:00.001-06:00

Here are some photos of Gabriella's first bath:

She loved to look at herself in the mirror!

Washing her bum....

Mama and Gabi

So fresh and clean!

I love this suit! It has little dragons on it. Isaac wore it when he was a baby, too. This was taken right after her bath. She was so relaxed and content.

Oh, G and B!

__________________________________________________________________

Today is mine and Lemuel's anniversary. We have been married for 7 years today!! Seems like a long time ago! We were married at 11:00 a.m. in the Houston, TX temple.

Happy anniversary!!!!!

2008-01-03T23:03:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!!!

We are home and getting adjusted to our new life as a family of four. Our baby finally has a complete name - Gabriella Mia Martinez. Gabi is a week old now. She had her first check up today with her pediatrician. She now weighs 7 lb 13 oz (she was 7 lb 8 oz at birth). She grew .5 of an inch (now 21 inches). She is doing great! I can't believe how fast they change, even in a week! I am learning her personality. She even smiled at me already! It was on New Year's Day. I started singing "Hush Little Baby" and she got a big grin. I'm sure she knows my singing voice since she heard it so much while in the womb. I had to sing at school for the kids everyday so she heard it a lot!!

Isaac loves being a big brother and loves his sister. Every morning he is so excited to see her and loves to "pet" her head. He tells me all the time how much he loves his baby sister.

Here are some photos of our first week home as a family...

Her hospital photo

Our family right before we leave the hospital to take Gabriella home

Gabi doing her exercises

Our two beautiful children!

Videos of baby Gabi...

2007-12-27T22:01:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of video clips of Gabriella. The first is on the 26th, her birthday. The other was taken today, Dec. 27th.

Our baby is here!!!

2007-12-27T00:53:00.000-06:00

Our new little girl, Gabriella (no middle name yet...still debating), made her entrance into the world today at 3:07 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and measured 20.5 inches long. She was 1 oz less than big brother was and the exact same measurement, so that was very nice!!

We arrived shortly after 5 am and the put me on pitocin and broke my water. I was already 3 cm dilated. I felt contractions for about an hour...not fun at all (with Isaac I only felt 3 before I got the epidural). The Dr finally came to give me the epidural and it was awful and scary!! He couldn't find the place in my back to put it in so he dug around in my back for about 10 minutes. He said he numbed me...but it hurt! I thought for sure I would be paralyzed after that. It did work like a charm...thank goodness...and I was able to relax. I started pushing about 4 hours later and had to push for about 20 minutes. She came out crying and pink and was perfect! She has a nice set of lungs on her! It was a good labor and I'm so glad it was. Isaac's birth was so easy I was worried this one would be awful.

I still can't believe she is mine! Isaac is already in love with her and wants to take care of her. He strokes her face and loves on her. It's very cute.

Here is a photo of her:

For more photos click here:

Baby Gabi's birthday photos

Photos of the nursery...finally!

2007-12-25T14:29:00.000-06:00

I finally finished the baby/Isaac's room. Here are some photos:

2007-12-23T22:06:00.000-06:00

Dear Santa Claus,

How you been for Christmas? I want Star Wars presents, a Toy Story ship, and Jengo Fett, too. How about Jabba? (And say Hutt) Jabba the Hutt. Dinosaur presents, cars, a blue frog, a sticker, an orange Finding Nemo, a reindeer, a hat. Give me presents, please....and paint.

Love, Isaac Martinez (age 4)

Baby update....

2007-12-22T16:54:00.001-06:00

Well, I thought I was in labor yesterday morning. I woke up around 7 a.m. with yucky pains. I started timing them and they were not consistent so I did some laundry and then fell back to sleep. I guess that cured them because when I woke up they were gone! Maybe Gabi changed her mind! I am hoping she will stay in now until after Christmas so that I can be home and won't have to spend Christmas Eve and Day in the hospital. I hate false alarms.....oh well!

Getting ready for Christmas...

2007-12-15T23:38:00.000-06:00

We finally got our tree up! I was afraid with all I had to do that it would never get done! Isaac had a blast putting the ornaments on the tree. I must say that there are a lot more on the bottom half than the top half!

Isaac did a pretty good job putting the ornaments on. This is the first year that he helped me with the tree. Lemuel helped with the lights but pooped out on the ornaments. He watched us, though.

Isaac got on Lemuel's shoulders to put the star on top of the tree. He was scared because it was so high. He kept holding on to Lemuel's eye instead of his head or somewhere else. I'm surprised the tree didn't tip over!

Next year we will be a family of four! It still seems hard to believe!

Now we just need to get some presents under the tree!

In other news.....

On Saturday, the 15th I graduated from UCA with my 3rd bachelor's degree! I received a Bachelor of Music Education! I am officially done with school! The time went by so fast! I'm so excited to be a teacher! It was very hard to leave the kids and still doesn't seem real. This picture is me with my fellow music teachers, who also graduated on Saturday (minus one intern who had to leave before we took the picture). Also pictured is my UCA music supervisor, 2nd from the left on the back row, and the choral supervisor standing next to me on the right.

(Just a funny side note - the big guy in front on the first row started his undergraduate when I started mine - in 1994!! He is just now graduating!! It only took him 13 years! It was nice to have him around since we started out at UCA together and he was even my pledge brother in TBS/KKY. I wasn't the only "old" student around. We are both 31 and everyone else is almost 10 years younger..ha ha!)

Since I didn't walk, or waddle, to get my diploma, Lemuel and I went out to celebrate instead, while Mom watched Isaac. We went to the movies and dinner. It was so nice to have one last date before the baby arrives!

Lemuel also finished his semester this week so we are very happy to have a break from schoool. Woo-hoo! I guess it won't be much of a break with a new baby coming!

Isaac made this very cute present for me in his Primary class at church. I love it!!!

BABY UPDATE:

I had my last appt with the Dr. today - 38 weeks. I just knew he was going to tell me that I was still 30% effaced and that's it, like I have been for the last 3 weeks. He did say I am still 30% but that I am also 1 cm dialated...yipee!!! I thought he would induce me this week if I had dialated but I guess I misunderstood. So I am being induced the day after Christmas at 5:00 a.m....yuck! I hate getting up early. We will have to take Isaac with us until we can drop him off (I think at Sister J's) at a more reasonable hour. I'm actually a little glad to have a week left to get my life in order! I have too much to do!
Oh, I also lost 3 pounds so I have only gained a total of 15 lbs (including the baby).
It seems so strange that in a little over a week we will have a new baby in the family! Here is a video of her doing a dance in my belly:

Baby Shower and more!

2007-12-09T21:16:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, Dec. 6, Baby Gabi had her first party....a baby shower! It was at the Hansen's house and it was great! We ate yummy Mexican food (I never get enough Mexican food!) and I got some wonderful presents. I got many cute outfits and some much needed items, too. The best present of all was from my Dad and was totally unexpected. He gave me a box full of clothes from when he was a baby, 76 years ago! The most amazing thing of all was that his mother, my Grandma, sewed all of them and she was an amazing seamstress! He wrote me a sweet letter. Of course I started to cry and was so embarrassed! The box was full of cute gowns and even his baby shoes! I will cherish those things forever! Here are a few photos from the shower:

Here I am at 36 weeks pregnant!

Our yummy Mexican food spread!

Mom looks at the new Creative Memories Baby Album I got from Sister Metcalf, a sister in the ward. I was so excited! I got some cute starter pages to go with it, and a refill and page protectors, too! Awesome!

Sister Walton made me this beautiful blanket with my favorite color in it - Purple!

Here I am hiding my face because I had started to cry when I opened and read Dad's letter. I was so embarrassed! I cried at my last shower, too!

This is one of my dad's gowns from when he was a baby, 76 years ago. It is on top of the blanket Sister W. made me.

What's up this week...

On Saturday, the 15th, I am graduating from the University of Central Arkansas with a bachelor's in music education. This will be my 3rd bachelor's degree! I guess I just really love to learn! I will not be walking in the graduation ceremony as I will be almost 38 weeks pregnant and hopefully having my baby! (I can wish!) My student teaching ends this week, on Wednesday. It is very bittersweet. I am excited to start the next chapter in my life, yet very sad to leave the children and my colleagues. I have had the most amazing experience and I am so excited to start teaching. I never dreamed I would love teaching so much!

Here is a photo of me with my mentor, Christy Head. She has been an amazing example to me:

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Lemuel is in his last week of school for the semester. He has finals this week. Good luck, Lem!

Baby Update:

It seems my belly has grown quite a bit in the last week. Gabi has been quite active in there! It hurts to walk! I am physically ready to have this baby, although I will miss her moving. As far as being ready - organization - I'm not ready! I need another month! I fully expected some major progress this week since I have been feeling a lot of pain and pressure, but still nothing! NO PROGRESS!!! She has made a happy home and doesn't want to come out! The doctor says I only need to dilate 1 cm to be induced!! I about died when he said that. He says unless she comes early on her own (or I dilate by my next appointment) he will most likely induce me on December 26th! I hate that birthday for her, but any way it goes she is going to have one of those Christmas/Birthday birthdays!

Isaac asked me where baby Gabi is and I said in my tummy. I asked when she was coming and he said on Thursday, so we'll see. He didn't say which one, though!

Until next week.....

2007-12-02T00:04:00.000-06:00

What's happening .......

Isaac makes a 'coral reef'....

He loves to make forts or 'coral reefs' and either put his stuffed fish guys in them or get in them himself. He made this huge coral reef while watching Star Wars. I think he was pretending to be an Ewok in hiding.

We had our annual nativity program at church. I performed a flute/violin duo with a sister from church. We did selections from The Nutcracker. Isaac also performed some cute holiday songs with the Primary. He actually sang the songs or at least pretended! They held up these cute snowmen pictures.

Isaac and I made these cute Christmas countdown Santa pictures. It is a picture of Santa and his beard has 24 circles with numbers on them (one for each day leading up to Christmas). Each day you glue a cotton ball on the circle. When Santa's beard is full, it's time for Christmas!! In this photo Isaac is coloring his Santa calendar.

Here is what the Santa photo looks like. Click on it if you would like to link to the picture to make your own!

On Sunday (12/2/07) Isaac drew this picture of our family. He had a little help from Sister Brown, his Primary teacher, with some of the faces but I was quite impressed! He also said the opening prayer in primary and did such a good job!

Baby update....

Not much to update this week. I go to my OB on Monday's. Today's appointment was uneventful. After a tiring week with a very active baby I thought I would have done something, but I stayed the exact same as last week! 30% effaced - that's it. The baby is growing, though, so that's good. I also didn't gain any weight, which is good for me. :) Dr. thinks I will make it through my student teaching, which ends next week. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress.

Our first post!

2007-11-29T13:04:00.000-06:00

Welcome to our new blog!

I decided to start this blog since we have a new baby on the way and hopefully this will motivate me to do a better job at writing down things about our family. I used to keep a journal just about every day but that was B.C. - Before Child!

This blog will be written by me, Erin. I guess I should start by telling a little bit about our family...

We'll start with the boss - Isaac! He just turned 4 years old on Halloween! I can't believe my baby is so big! He is very smart. He remembers everything! He says very funny things. He loves Baby Einstein and has started getting into superheros, especially Spiderman. We introduced him to Star Wars last week. I'm not sure if that was such a good idea since he wants to watch the Ewoks all day long! He's very good at imaginary play and will act out things. It's very fun to watch when he doesn't know we're watching! He also LOVES fish!! He can name just about any fish he sees. His favorite thing to do is to make a "coral reef" out of blankets and pillows and then to carefully put his stuffed fish animals inside of the reef! He is also very musically gifted and I'm excited about that! I practice many of my lessons on him and am amazed at how fast he catches on!

Erin - I am very busy right now! I am in my last two weeks of student teaching to be an elementary music teacher. I have been student teaching since the end of August at Crystal Hill Elementary Magnet School, teaching grades 1-5 and a 6th grade beginning band class (woodwinds) at Maumelle Middle School. I have loved almost every minute of it! It has been so fun and more than I ever expected. I am sad to leave the kids, but I am also excited for the new chapters in my life that will begin and having my own music class. I will graduate on December 15th and am due to have our 2nd baby on December 31st! We are having a little girl this time and I am so excited! It was a little hard to get used to the idea of having a girl around at first, but now I couldn't be more excited! Aside from that, I belong to a flute duet called Duo Desto. You can read more about that by visiting our website: http://www.duodesto.com/. I am RS president of the Spanish branch, but we have downsized so much that I am usually the only sister there!

Lemuel is a senior at UALR and is a biology major. He wants to be a pharmacist and has also thought about doing nursing. He has been quite busy this semester with school and also dealing with the passing of his wonderful father, Miguel Martinez. He has made several trips to Houston to be with his family, yet still managed to stay in school. His father was a great man and will truly be missed! Lemuel has been very supportive and helpful during my pregnancy. He is Isaac's buddy and they wrestle a lot! I'm glad that I won't be outnumbered by boys once this baby girl comes! Lemuel is the Elder's Q. president in the Spanish Branch and is really a good teacher and leader of the men. There are way more men than women so his job is greater than mine.

Last but not least we have our unborn daughter, who we have decided to name Gabriella. We don't have a middle name yet. She is a very active little girl and is doing some wild things in moma's belly!

Here is her first photo:

7 weeks 5 days

I have seen a regular OB with this baby, unlike with Isaac when I saw a perinatologist. That means I have only gotten 3 ultrasounds and the pictures were very poor quality. I think I got spoiled with my weekly ultrasounds with Isaac! Oh well, we'll just be even more surprised when baby Gabi comes.

Since we are in a small 2 bedroom apartment, Isaac and Gabriella will be sharing a room. I decorated the room in a Ocean Creatures theme from Pottery Barn. They have matching bedding and it is super cute! I'm not quite done, but here are some pictures of the bedding.

Isaac's bedding:
And Gabriella's Bedding:

We'll that's about it. This is my "short" update on our family. Please feel free to post a comment so I'll know who's looking at our blog! Please visit again!

~Erin M.

In loving memory

Miguel Martinez

1931-2007