Eric and Ashley + 2

NC Aquarium

2011-12-09T14:54:00.006-05:00

On August 21, Caleb turned 4. We thought his birthday the perfect occasion to take him to the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. We had so much fun and were joined by Pops and Granny!

the fearless child

big bro giving courage (yes, it's real, but is behind thick glass!)

His favorite part .... you guessed it...the sharks. But, he said, they were not big enough! We kinda agreed; it would have been fun to see big sharks like we see on NatGeo.... It was a fun trip!

Joint Birthday Party #1

2011-12-09T14:38:00.006-05:00

Caleb's birthday weekend we got to spend in Wilmington with our Martindale family. Lots of pool time and a family birthday party. Victoria's birthday is September 6, so we celebrated both birthdays together!

Her first tea set

Generous gifts from generous family

August

2011-12-09T14:15:00.007-05:00

Family Car Wash (first ever?!) :

Like Father like Daughter...

Pool time at Papa's!

Rewind....more from July

2011-12-02T16:26:00.007-05:00

Uncle Andrew visit:

Uncle Doug:

Lots of water fun:

100+ degree days called for much pool time:

cherries!

August

2011-11-17T14:24:00.003-05:00

A morning at the lake with Nana and G'pa.

July

2011-10-19T21:01:00.030-04:00

July 4th weekend we got to go the River with our Pratt family!

Caleb and Daddy

The Whole family!

Toria loved the kayak too!

Pops!!!!!

Back at the Martindale half-acre farm (yes, home):

At the end of July we got to go to Hyco Lake with our Martindale family:

At Sunrise, Sunday morning

Grandma Nessa (Vanessa) and Cousin Karessa

Cute.

Aunt Ginger wanting Toria's hotdog

Kevin Jr. and Sr.

Caleb run'n with the big boys

Our fig tree was FULL of delicious figs at the end of July:

I would have never attempted it, but Eric is always up for learning something new:

We made fig preserves. Well, Eric did, and the rest of us helped. :)
It is simply delicious.

June

2011-10-13T13:22:00.012-04:00

The kids have had so much fun riding bikes in the front driveway.....

With a few fits here and there....

And some craziness....

Cousins

Snacktime. Fresh mint on table.

Lots of time in the backyard.

7 years married to this man. Blessed. (I am wearing a sun dress....)

Lil Sis took this one. Not bad, huh?!

Many grilled dinners.

And as much water as Toria could get herself into.

First fruits (or veggies) from our lil garden.

Foster right before turning ONE!

Aunt Julie's birthday.

Lots of fun summer bugs. (All Cicadas found at our house are named Sid. Sid the Cicada)

Stories with Nana under the Pecan tree.

May

2011-10-05T21:27:00.004-04:00

The most exciting thing about the month of May was that we finally got chickens. Eric's dream came to reality. He worked on me long enough and I finally, finally, got on board.

The other landmark - Ms. Toria started climbing up and down the changing table alone. So I'd go to check on her, and find her here....

Sometimes into the baby powder or wipes......

She is such a little monkey. She is agile, strong and fearless.

Serenade

2011-10-05T21:15:00.004-04:00

One naptime in April I found Caleb singing songs to Victoria who was about to take a nap.

(ugh, couldn't crop the finger without losing the feel of the pic)

He is a sweet big brother.

April

2011-10-05T12:05:00.009-04:00

Planting plastic reptiles.

Watering them. :)

simple joys: toads

little Sis does not shy away from toads

so serious

Wanting to do it all by herself:

Pigtails:

Easter:

out to eat.....

speed. she loves it. she is your daughter, eric martindale.

my birthday at my sister's with my family

2011-10-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

Victoria Lynn - 18 months

2011-08-30T13:28:00.004-04:00

MARCH 2011

2011-08-29T23:28:00.009-04:00

From beginning to end.....

Just up from a nap!

Caleb ->monkey, Toria-> pumpkin, pile of stuffed animals.....

March showers.....

makes me think: yogurt commercial

God makes our seeds sprout!!!!!

finally, it's outside weather!

Our trip to Myrtle Beach with our Martindale family was rather chilly! Thankfully, there was an inside pool:

End of March:

Caleb holding Foster

the crazy clan of crowes

Faces from February

2011-08-26T13:44:00.001-04:00

Grandpa gets younger...

2011-08-26T13:13:00.005-04:00

Seriously. My dad, got some good genes. He picked up biking a couple birthdays ago and eats like a bird. So I guess those things might help too. He and my mom have both grayed slower than my hubby and I are. :/

Pie Nana made....

We all love having Aunt Connie down south near us. She hates pictures, so this is priceless!

On Grandpa's birthday we met him at the park!

All his grandkids....

The dare devil.....

We've kinda gotten use to having my parents close, but it is still super sweet.

Bye-bye Jay

2011-08-24T13:09:00.004-04:00

Jay duck hunting

Jay in snow!

Amanda, Eric, Sarah and Jay! (at least 8 years ago)

In February we found out that Jay had a large tumor in his abdomen. It was obvious it was causing him discomfort. Valentines weekend was his last one with us. He was an incredible dog to Eric and then to our family.

Jay - 9 yrs. old.

Explaining death to a 3 yr. old...

So behind...

2011-08-13T09:27:00.003-04:00

Yes, I realize that I am a half year behind on our blog...but I'm choosing to catch up and at least post something from each month this year. This the only record of organized photos and memories for the kids and our family, so bear with us OK?!?! :) I hope to be current soon!

Rewind to January....

2011-08-12T15:50:00.007-04:00

So thankful for a great swing set in our back yard:

Reading together:

Orneriness:

The first time Caleb copied his name. Proud parents!

Taking care of sister's messy hands:

Making food with play dough:

Coloring:

Granny:

February 2011

2011-08-05T20:27:00.005-04:00

Eric did an amazing job remodeling our bathroom back in the fall of last year. Here are the boys putting in the finishing touches. The chrome towel racks finally went up!

Looks like this was one of my many crazy whims of giving the kids a chocolate snack....Nutella on Ritz crackers ?!?!....

January 2011

2011-08-05T14:07:00.009-04:00

Victoria's phase of putting brother's underwear on her head:

Caleb sleeps with whichever toy is fave or new that day. This was his new lego hellicopter.

Uncle Doug helping celebrate Eric's birthday.

# 33

I'm glad he goes 3 months ahead of me. :)

Christmas 2010

2011-07-29T14:08:00.003-04:00

Daddy telling us of the very first Christmas.

Christmas Morning at home

At Granny and Pops'.......

Crowe Christmas a couple days late.

Caleb was home sick with daddy.

(I have no idea how i neglected to take pictures at our Wilmington Christmas celebrations...)

Saborosas!

2011-01-16T20:44:00.001-05:00

Tasty!
(the Christmas cookies, of course!)

Bolachas de Natal (Christmas Cookies)

2011-01-16T12:08:00.010-05:00

My kids have the best grandmas around?! Yes, all three of them! Blessed beyond what they know!

The Granny and Nana had a blast (so i'm told) making Christmas cookies with our kids one Saturday morning before Christmas. David (Pops) was the official photographer and i can't thank him enough.

The aprons for the sous bakers.

Nana (L) Granny (R)

Toria and Tessa

(notice the flour on the pants)

Granny's kitchen

Gingerbread Cookies

Expressions on every face.

Three year old fingers. The little artist.

Learn from brother.

A Menina Vitoria (Little girl Victoria)

2011-01-15T21:00:00.010-05:00

(Just as point of clarification, I am trying to use my Portuguese more. It is rusty. But it is also the perfect time to begin using it around Caleb and Victoria. So....you may become annoyed by it, or choose to learn a bit!)

Both kids absolutely love to wrestle and play with daddy. (The tree did eventually have a skirt!)

Though a few days from the actual day, we began this year to celebrate St. Nicholas Day! This was the morning of. Caleb and I put their shoes under the tree and they were filled with little treats the next morning. We had a nice breakfast and talked about St. Nicholas and why we want to follow his example of a generous life.

Too early, Mom.

She just might be the one to go out on the race track with Eric one day. Seriously, she is our little fearless one. Not afraid of speed.

She spends much time on this wooden rocking horse that was Eric's when he was little.

Another of her fave activities is play dough. She mostly likes all the containers and lids and putting the dough in and out.

It is more and more obvious that our two kids are so different from one another, AND they're own little persons. Not just replicas of Eric or I. I am so thankful for this. :) It's fun to watch her little personality unfold.

O Caleb em Dezembro. (Caleb in December.)

2010-12-24T14:05:00.010-05:00

Out in the snow.

This boy loved the Christmas tree. Caleb and I spent most of a day decorating it. We would break for a while, and then he'd say: I think I'll put more ornaments on the tree.

One of Caleb's first stick people. We were all pretty proud. :)

One day Caleb randomly made his bed without being prompted to. No, it hasn't happened since. But I was quite impressed.

One of the many cool things he makes with his legos.

Fall fun

2010-11-18T21:12:00.010-05:00

Toria can really make the rocking horse move!

When the dad returns (from his last long work trip for the year!) there is much snuggling before bed. And learning about kangaroos and such.

Man, I guess you keep falling in love with your kids the older they get, huh?!

Such a fun visit from Uncle Andrew.

Learning from the professional. Literally.

The growing Crowe family. All together. Fun times.
I look forward to more to come!

NC State Fair

2010-11-18T20:29:00.006-05:00

We actually weren't sure we were gonna be able to do the fair this year. So it was extra special when we got to. We took plenty of sandwiches and snacks and really had a great day..... so many animals and cool things to discover.....

We were taking a little snack stop and guess who spotted this?

(Yes, Caleb.)
HUGE.

Our lunch spot.

Caleb's train ride.

The bee lady.

Eric is seriously considering raising bees. Yep. And chickens.

(Can you tell i'm thrilled about this?! sarcasm - learned from my hubby)

Foster - omgosh. Is he not just adorable! Right around 4 months old. Goo goo eyes at his mamma!

Waiting for brother.....

Brother waiting in line to......

.... MILK a cow!!

He did great until the very end; then somehow he became teary and sensitive....overwhelmed??!

One of our main purposes for the trip to the fair.....

....to have a silhouette cut of Victoria right at the same age as Caleb. One year old.

Can you tell who is who?

(Answer: Top: Caleb Bottom: Victoria; I guess the bow gives it away)

Farmers' Market

2010-11-18T20:08:00.006-05:00

Eric took a friday off and we got to head as a family to the Farmers Market in Raleigh.

She absolutely loves pumpkins!

Ok, so he does too!

Yep, trying to lift the big things!

October

2010-11-18T19:26:00.011-05:00

Nana loves to play outside with the kids while mommy tries to seize the moments...

I continue to be amazed at how non-toys are sometimes the most desired....

(can you tell V had just eaten and had to have her hair wiped down too???!!!)

Just after a nap face.....

Sharing love...or washcloth water.....yuck.

Visit from Papa and Grandma Martindale!

Swing time with Nana

Swinging with Daddy and Uncle Doug. Caleb's going too fast...

When daddy returns from a trip....there's much piggy back riding to catch up on!

Little Miss

2010-10-29T16:39:00.013-04:00

A little about our Little Miss...

Climber

Loves people and animals

Fearless

Can swing holding on by herself and even get herself down

Loves loves loves food. I think this was some kind of berry pie.

All over.

And the bath that immediately followed. :)

She know where her hair bows are kept and lets us know when she wants them.

All in her hair at once.

Loves the dogs. Belle is just the most willing to play along.

She understands so much. Communicates so much. Plays hard. Loves her big brother. Loves life. Knows what she wants. Loves music. Loves bears. Loves being outside. Squeels often in delight.

These are of her during her 13th and 14th months.

Dig Doy Dike

2010-10-27T21:26:00.006-04:00

OK, so this is how Caleb says Big Boy Bike! He loves loves this gifted used (barely!) bike with training wheels. It's what he wants to do outside these days. Here are some pics of our Dig Doy (or big boy).

He loves his trains. Especially Thomas the Tank.

Playing in a mud puddle on a rainy day.

Probably watch'n the Tube.....

Hold'n his cousin Foster.

On his 'dig doy dike'. His favorite thing to do outside these days!

Silly for the camera.

He gets to ride on the back of grandpa's bike sometimes. So fun. My dad took up biking at age 60 for his method of exercize. He says it beats jogging by a long shot. :)

Birthday at the Beach

2010-10-22T16:44:00.006-04:00

My mom, Eric's mom, myself and the kids went in Granny's Jeep to the beach on Victoria's actual birthday. What a fun day we had!

the grandmas and the boy...

just waking up from a good nap in the Jeep on the beach.....

our trepidatious child, enjoyed himself more this time around....
mostly playing in the sand

this was only her second time at the beach...

our fearless one LOVED the beach!

1st party! (cont.)

2010-10-22T16:24:00.004-04:00

One Year Party!

2010-10-20T14:27:00.013-04:00

It's been a while since I (Eric) have done one of these. Ashley has doped up and headed to bed, handing the reigns to me. She's feeling a bit under the weather and NyQuil is her friend.

After having Caleb's 1st Birthday party in Wake Forest, we took the show on the road for Toria's. We invited friends and family in the Wilmington area and met at Hugh McRae park. It was a beautiful day and we had quite a few people join us to celebrate our little girl's first year.

Here's the cake! Granny baked it and Nana helped put the finishing touches on it. Beautiful!

Here's "her" cake. Like her brother, Toria was a bit slow to realize that she could do as she wished with this little cake, but once she did...it was on. We didn't get a great after shot, but you can imagine.

Playing with her new gifts.

Brother was not left out.

Cuddly with a new gift as nap time approached.

Surprise and anticipation. Toy package designers are not kind people.

This dress reminds me of my little sisters' Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Anyone else?

With Granny and Pops

Papa Pratt and Pops. Papa brought a party in a bag (plates, cups, party favors, etc) including some noise makers that were a hit with Caleb.

Playing with Mary

Karessa and Grandma Vanessa

Renee and Scott (and a car, apparently)

Chris and Debby. They made time in a busy day to come celebrate with us!

My Aunt Eve

Nana with Toria's cousin Foster

Big brother, happy to be a fireman

Caleb turned Three!

2010-10-15T20:23:00.018-04:00

Caleb turned three on Aug. 21 and we celebrated with family and friends at Durant Nature Park near our house. This was the first birthday where Caleb really understood that this was his birthday. It was fun and we are so grateful for his little life. He is growing and changing so fast these days. (I will expound on that later)

my parents with the newest grandbaby: Foster

dear friend, Monica ( who came, with a very newborn Lizzy!)

the Crowe girls and babes

the man tree

Dear friends

Family

Hhhmmm, i think i see a resemblance....

the Big Birthday Boy

Caleb had such a hard time waiting for the cake toppers! What an fun cake Granny made.

kids needing food

the happy grandmas

Very special guest, my 'Aunt' Vicki (I was named after her, in my middle name, Victoria...)

My little nephew

Gifts and gifts and more gifts!

Can you tell he's never played a recorder before?! Too cute.

Toria had a couple of her own gifts

Pilot talk

New Thomas the Tank and Pops!

Eric and Co-worker buddy, Dan

(Eric giving me the 'Are you serious?!' look, after one too many clicks on the camera!)

Granny snuggles

The new wagon! Loved by both.

The Loot!

WV Trip

2010-10-13T20:57:00.006-04:00

Caleb, Victoria and I took a trip mid August with Eric's mom to visit her home place in West Virginia. Ironically, Eric stayed behind due to work. We had a great trip.

Spent a day at the WV fair.

Tuckered out from the heat and fun.

Looking at horses.

Outdoor fun!

After a grasshopper.

Granny and Aunt Eve

Granny and 3 sisters

Aug 11, a year ago

2010-10-11T16:23:00.006-04:00

This blog will be more like a journal. So read it if you have time and
want a glimpse into the hearts and minds of Eric and Ashley… from a year ago.

I had scheduled a routine checkup for Eric with a new doctor we were trying out as our family physician and since men don’t ever go to the doctor, as we all know. He took a first listen to Eric’s heart, pulled it away, cleaned it off and tried again. (Eric was somewhat accustomed to this – growing up the nurses were brought in to learn to listen to what a bicuspid valve sounded like. A gallopping horse was the description given. Eric had Aortic Stenosis at birth) The Dr. recommended he see a cardiologist since it had been, oh, 13 years since his last routine checkup. Aaahhhmm. Growing up the testing always found his heart healthy and nothing concerning.

I vividly remember…being in the kitchen preparing dinner. We exchanged light conversation and then he came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders as I stood at the sink. He calmly told me that the cardiologist said that he needed a valve replacement. I quickly began trying to process what this really meant in concrete terms. One of those times you don’t want what you think it means to be what it does mean. “You mean like put a new valve in, with heart surgery”. “Yeah”. He remained calm. I, not so much. Tears. Many tears flowed that night. In fact, it was hard to remain composed through dinner and throughout the evening. Caleb got upset because I was upset. I just had trouble digesting it. Oh, and it needed to be done in June. We were at the end of May, so that wasn’t even a month away. And I was 7 months pregnant. And we were about to close on a house that we were going to devote much time and energy to. Before the baby girl.

Eric saw another doctor, Dr. Wynia(at Wake Med) for a second opinion, and yes, the valve was in terrible shape (I can’t recollect the numbers, but they were all on the high side of BAD), but the surgery could be scheduled within several months, whenever was most convenient…yea, right. Ok, so most condusive, we concluded was after we moved, before the baby girl arrived. August 11.

Throughout the months to come Eric remained his calm, steady self. Working all day and then going to work on the house in Raleigh. Sleeping little, working hard to get his family in a good place. And more importantly trusting our good God. Truly trusting Him.

We had several of those very hard conversations about…the real possibilities and my worse fears. That this would be Eric’s time to leave us and I would be left with two kids, alone. And every time, Eric would say, also in tears, that if so, it was for His glory and yes, also for my good. And that He had someone better for me (husband). Tears…no, don’t say that, that’s NOT what I want, I want you! Yes, me too, he would say, but if that’s what His plan is, then it is indeed for your best and His utmost glory. I hated and loved these conversations all at the same time. But I’m so glad we had them and chose to lay out in the open the dread and the fear and the truth!

The pregnancy hormones didn’t help. I could hardly broach the subject with anyone without being consumed with tears. It was embarrassing. And there were 12 puppies. And a two year old. And a house to pack up. And then settle into a new house. Truly, I felt it unfair. Too much for me to handle. I resented others who appeared to be enjoying the easy life.
God in his kindness sent my parents back to the US for good at just the right time. They helped with puppy poop. And their only grandchild. And renovating a house. And moving. I couldn’t recount all the family and friends that spent hours upon hours helping us. Loving us. Seving us.

And the day approached. And we met with Dr. Landvater to discuss the surgery. I did my darndest to focus on the facts of information and try to follow. I did for a while. Choking back the tears occasionally. And then, I couldn’t contain the wave. I excused myself and went sobbing down the hallway, drawing the attention of the kind nurse who pointed my blubbering self to the restroom. It was so hard to talk about hard facts, when it was MY HUSBAND he was talking about…splitting open, and replacing a part of his heart. (but we didn’t talk about that, we talked about all the technical aspects of this delicate procedure)

To this day I haven’t gone and looked at all the information out there, because at the time, I was wisely advised by my Mother in Law, not to. I am so glad I didn’t. It would have only heightened my fear and anxiety. Closer to the surgery a dear friend, who is a respiratory therapist, Elaine, talked me through what Eric would be hooked up to when he came out of surgery. I didn’t want to, but the conversation was helpful to prepare me for the umpteen tubes that were there to make possible this amazing surgery.

The day before the open heart surgery, Eric went in for the routine bloodword, and was kept in because he fainted. (It could have been indicative of his heart, obviously, so they had to be cautious). He spent the night in the hospital and we went to see him. We had more sweet, hard conversation about what the next day would hold. He said goodnight to his boy and his family.

I don’t usually get on my knees to pray. But oh I did that night. And somehow, I did sleep. More than Eric who was woken early to be poked and shaved…

My sister kindly kept Caleb that night and through the next day. Eric’s dad and Vanessa stayed with me, and it was so good to have them with me. We headed to the hospital early and saw him briefly. He was calm and well. His mom missed seeing him be wheeled back to surgery, which again, was God’s sweet grace.

There were 8 or 10 of us who waited during those long hours. My wonderful family and some dear friends. My mom and Doug went with me to pray in the little chapel room. Two leaders from our church came near the end, and their presence was reassuring. We got a call halfway through that his heart was on the machine and that he was doing well. As several of us were eating a bite of lunch in the cafeteria, we got the call that they were finishing up and Dr. Landvater would be coming out to debrief us. Boy, did I rush out. They were finished around 11:30, well before the noon time they had given us.

Dr. Landvater explained to several of us what he had done. The heart had hardened some due to the stress on it, but would soften over time. The base of Eric’s heart was too small, so he’d had to do a little patch work getting the new mechanical valve to fit. There was no fluff, and I’m glad others were around to help interpret that it had gone well. I have great respect for those who do this daily.

Not 2 hours after he came out of surgery we were allowed to go see him. Like 8 of us. (I still can’t get over that). We were to be quiet so not to bring him out of the anastesia. But he heard us and did come to. He was so aware. I got to touch him. And kiss his face. And as I walked away, we all saw him….he could not speak due to all the tubes, but he put the tips of his fingers together…signing for ‘more’. I was eager to kiss him again. Everyone was choked up. The nurse said he was obviously doing well and would soon get the breathing tube out.

There are many details that I could expound on. But after they got his meds straightened out and he stopped losing everything on his stomach, he felt decent. (of course he’s not a complainer, either) He came home after just a few days and did exactly what I didn’t want him doing. He was up on his feet, doing things. You know, the way Eric does. Even mowing the lawn, and painting. Stressed me out! His pain meds worked. Once he started weaning himself off of them, and began to feel more of the pain, he did slow down some.

Three weeks later Victoria Lynn was born. It was a little tough, as he was not suppose to be lifting more than 10 lbs (?)….Caleb was two and I’m thinking around 18 lbs., and I was healing as well. Eric would squat and pick him up. How could he not. He healed well and quickly. A year later, Eric still feels tightness and itching in his chest. And I have a ticking husband. It sounds like a clock or a dripping. I can even hear it in the car. It’s a sweet reminder. If it had not been for the replacement, Eric would’ve had about 5 years left, the experts say.

Thank you Father, for choosing to grant us more days and years with Eric. He is one of our greatest gifts.

Stay Tuned...

2010-10-09T08:28:00.002-04:00

I am catching up on the last couple months! Keep checking for several posts to come. We love hearing from YOU, so please leave a comment!

11 months - Victoria

2010-10-08T10:42:00.004-04:00

I got in but can't get out.....
a week after 11 months.

just about to be 11 months....

a day after my 11 month b-day.....I go all in with the boys!

11 1/2 months

One of my favorite things to do....cuddle and wrestle with Belle

11 months and a day :)

getting into brother's space and mommy's phone

3 days before 11 months

Summatime

2010-08-03T14:07:00.003-04:00

Goodbyes

2010-07-27T09:24:00.012-04:00

We've had a couple visits from friends who live across country. Sweet time together admiring each others' kids and catching up in person. Staci ended up coming back down for a puppy! She and i were close friends from when I first moved to the Raleigh area single.

About as 'natural' as it gets!

Christa and Scott had been traveling for two months. We were glad for their visit before they headed back to their home in Texas working with Wycliffe Bible Translators' base there. Christa and I were close friends at CIU, my alma mater.

Our boys and our girls are just months apart in age.

It has been fun to see the fun homes our puppies have gone to. I didn't remember to get pictures of all the new puppy owner, but here were several of them.

Ashley took Sophie home:

Marcia took Chesney:

Stacy and her kids (Jeremy and Olivia) took Beauty (so appropriate since Belle's her mama):

Anthony had wanted a black dog named Sam for a long time. He and his cute sis (Megan?) claimed one of the only two boys:

The next to last puppy left last nite: the last yellow. Her heart murmur disappeared and we were glad she got to make another family happy. Caleb, however, took it a little hard. We now have one black male pup left.

And last but not least, some dear friends of ours, the Carsons, moved away to Greenville, South Carolina. They will be working with a church plant there. They are a lot of fun and will really be missed here by many.

Laney introduced Caleb to silly bands. The two she gave him were his prized posessions to sleep with that nite!

Our attempt at a group shot was pure chaos! Quite hilarious.

The fake snake (my parents brought back from Egypt) scared Laney at first... at the end of the night Hugh chased them both around the yard with it. Laney and Caleb really had fun together and I only wish we had had more play dates.

10 Months

2010-07-12T16:08:00.005-04:00

I cannot believe we are just a couple months shy of that year mark. Seriously, time flies.
(these were taken the day before the 10 month marker)

Here is our sweet little girl. Daily revealing more and more of her smarts, personality, spunk and will.

We just went today for a weight check requested by the pediatrician. And yes, she is pudgy enough today to make the doc happy. She is a healthy 18 lbs 12 oz.

Still amazing everyone with her RED RED hair !!!

(please no mail man/UPS jokes, they are NOT funny, Eric Martindale; and to answer your question, the genes come mostly from two paternal granddads on Darlene's side)

Recently I've been reminded of just how much she does understand. How she playfully smiles and laughs responsively and is asserting her will towards brother, mama, and daddy. Such a relational little thing she's been from the start. She is not yet walking, but is getting the hang of the push toy we just got the other day. It won't be long. She's fast crawling - not sure how i'm gonna keep up with her once she's running everywhere. I predict big brother will enjoy setting her straight. He already does. :)

July 4th Weekend

2010-07-11T21:13:00.006-04:00

We so enjoy our getaways to Wilmington to see our family there. There's something so relaxing about days spent around the pool, away from the normal responsibilities of life, with those very dear to us.

The girl loves watermelon, but who doesn't!!????? (think this was her first)

My precious kiddos:

Toria was running a low grade fever (teething) and was just worn out! She got out of pool and immediately fell asleep cuddling on her Papa!

Karessa chill'n:

These next couple shots really capture our boy:

.... like his daddy, finding something that needs fixed or figured out...

Kevin is really great with Caleb:

So thankful we live only a couple hours from our Martindale family!

Welcome Cousin Foster!

2010-07-02T15:05:00.009-04:00

(first moments as a family)

My sister and her husband had their first baby boy this past Monday.

Here they are at the beginning of active labor:

The labor.....she did beautifullly. I think Julie was the nicest woman in labor, EVER.

She allowed me the privilege of being a part of the whole process. Truly amazing. Thank you, sis, for letting me be part of such an awesome moment in time.

Foster Barrett Hayes was born at 7:26 pm, weighing 7 lbs 2 oz, and 20 inches long.

First moments with his daddy.

First moments with the grandparents.

Foster is home and doing well! Keeping his parents tired and happy. :)

He's just adorable.

Our family visit :

The new family of THREE:

Sun time

2010-07-01T22:17:00.007-04:00

These are from about a month ago, at the end of May! We had a great trip to Wilmington and our first pool and beach time for the season. It is always refreshing to get away and leave behind the responsibilities of work and our home. The family time is, of course, priceless.

The big boy likes to stay on the steps and play in the water.

The lil girl loves loves loves the water. We already knew this, but the big pool did not intimidate her. Face in the water, splashing.... :)

Catch'n a big 'un.....

Teaching sister to play with bugs. (notice who's doing the teaching)

We went to the beach. We were on the beach for exactly one hour. :)

It was worth it. (don't ask Eric)

Toria's first time on the beach ! Eat'n a snack with her daddy. ( a typical Toria smirk)

Dance'n Queen

2010-06-24T09:32:00.009-04:00

Victoria started dancing about a month ago. Any time music of any kind comes on (even a jingle that's not really music!) she starts to bee bop up and down! So cute.

In this video she would make the toy vacuum play music and then dance to it. It's kinda hard to tell because i've got the house music playing so loud!

Julie's Shower!!

2010-06-09T07:17:00.009-04:00

Praise be to the Giver of all Life!

My sister is having a baby boy at the end of this month. We are all excited and expectant, especially since this little one was long awaited. (at least it felt like a long time)

Foster is due June 23.

Here are pictures from her shower.

The two grandmas.

I have my husband to thank for this. ( One of my friends was like, 'what does Eric not do????!!)....

The favors were little easy-to-grow herbs or flower seeds that asked the women to pray for Julie and Joh as they 'Growing up' Foster.

The shower was hosted by Liz Williams. They frequently open their home to others.

Liz and Jubes.

Charis and Fin traveled all the way from California. Too sweet.

All of her bridesmaids minus Renee (who was off galavant'n with her new Beau!!).

Hand made picture frame. Charis is so crafty!

Julie is getting ready in mind, body and so much more for this little guy. She will be an incredible MOM. John will be a great dad. We have no doubts. They will be relying on their Heavenly Father for the task.

Victoria on her 9 month Birthday

2010-06-07T21:39:00.004-04:00

Puppies

2010-06-07T09:02:00.012-04:00

It sounds a little funny to say it, but we didn't plan this litter ... :) it happened, only once. And exactly 60 days later..... 8 puppies! Better than 12 the first time.
This will be Belle's last litter, as we will have her fixed.

She is such a great dog and good mom as well. Above - Vet Martindale on the scene.

First pup right after birth, being cleaned !

Second pup! Just cleaned, not dry yet.

And then there were 6 more! 5 black, 3 yelllow. Only 2 boys, both black.

Just days old.

Caleb loves loves loves them.

3 Weeks old:

At 3 weeks old, the puppies all have their eyes open and are now walking awkwardly around! They are even wrestling and playing with each other, as you can see in video below!

the scramble for feeding time..... this time at least there are enough ninnies to go around....that wasn't the case a year ago!

In 4 weeks the puppies will go to new homes. We have 6 that still need to be claimed!

We begin now at 3 weeks to feed them puppy food...therefore, Belle cannot do all the clean-up anymore and I will now have a part time job as puppy-poo-cleaner-upper..... :) Thankfully, I can remind myself that this job will only last 4 weeks (God willing!) and this will be our last litter...sooo, to enjoy this time...

Toria - 8 months

2010-06-05T22:32:00.003-04:00

Technically, this was the day before she turned 8 months....close enough. :)

Yes, this is red red hair you are seeing. We love it and can't believe we have a blondy boy and a red headed girl !

Victoria's Dedication/Mothers' Day

2010-06-03T22:56:00.006-04:00

Our church has a neat habit of scheduling Baby Dedication Sunday on Mother's Day.
Our local family was all able to be there. My parents and Eric's and his sis and Daryl. We came back to our place afterwards for lunch.

Two of Darlene's three babies. :0

I am grateful for the incredible mom she was to my now incredible husband.

My wonderful Mama. Man, I have new eyes for the loving care and unending work she poured out on us kids.

Can you tell that it's day two of potty training? And somehow when Eric said 'Take the picture from the shirt up', this was Caleb's interpretation!! He would not put his shirt down!!!!!!!

End of April

2010-06-03T22:11:00.007-04:00

I had left Toria to play on her rug in her room, right in front of her crib. I was in the kitchen and thought i was hearing her voice pretty close, echoing down the hallway. This is where I found her.

In her doorway.

She had army crawled all the way there! A week or two later she was crawling. She got fast very quickly. At 8 months she was crawling all over the place!

Once of the many things my husband does well is help me get time away, when the opportunities are there....The April women's retreat to Blowing Rock was a brief weekend getaway. I had enough milk frozen to leave Victoria for that long.

Everything about the trip was superb. Just a very refreshing time away in a beautiful place surrounded by other women seeking refreshment and redirection.

During our free afternoon I chose to hike (since i didn't have money to spend! :) ) I was proud of the rugged 5 miles we trekked. And glad I didn't wimp out on the girls i hiked with!

Mindy Williams - i love her honesty about the nitty gritty daily things that trip us up. She tackled Colossians 3. So very good. So very challenging. I need to go back and listen to her messages again. (they are here: http://www.northwake.com/ under media).

My hike'n buddies. All were new friends except for Liz, on the far left.
I wish i had gotten pics of my 3 roomies!

Our small group took part in the Walk for Life of Wake Forest. We raised a total of $1000 for a Christian Center that is helping to save unborn babies and help mothers who are in a hard place. The walk was fun and then they had fun booths set up for the kids.

I was pretty proud of Caleb for get'n in that crazy jump'n house with a bunch of boisterous kids!

Once he discovered the slide, he was sold !

(his shirt says: I do all my own stunts.)

My 32nd

2010-06-03T21:10:00.010-04:00

My 32nd has come and gone, but I don't want to forget it....

I decided it would be fun to get out and takes the kids to the park that morning. I texted my dad this. He replied that if I brought the kids to the Greenway near him, he'd walk with us. I am so glad we did. I think he must have prayed for every living creature to come say Happy Birthday to me.

We saw ducklings, and a baby goose with it's parents.

Many turtles. (can you see this one?)

We also saw a blue herron, fish, and even a deer walked out to greet us. It was a beautiful day!

My dear daddy. He loves to walk and pray here.

Me and my two precious. (it was rather bright to look at the camera)

That evening we went to my parents for a birthday meal. My sis was there too. It has been years since I got to spend a birthday with my parents, so it was extra special.

Caleb very meticulously placed the candles on my Mississppis Mud cake. They were all placed at an angle and it looked rather neat. :)

Sheeesh, that's a glow!

It was a sweet day that left me with a full and grateful heart....my life is rich and blessed.

Friends like Fam

2010-05-10T20:40:00.011-04:00

More and more we find that friends and family are what make our lives rich.

Our church small group have become like family to us. Family stick with you through the thick of it. This summer was definitely the thick of it. And they were there, sweating and laboring with us, praying and bearing our burdens. We love them dearly!
Here are some from just one of many of our get togethers:

The Burkwhat family have become dear to us as well. They now total Nine!! I learn with any interaction I have with Myra. She is a woman who walks with our Lord.
In fact, while i was in labor with Toria, I thought of her and images she had described...that helped me focus on relaxation, and make it through without an epidural.

The beautiful girls.

We went to see them just before Easter to see their baby chicks!!

All of them but their daddy.

The Carson family will be moving away, but again, have become dear to us. Recently they have been busy with preparing their home to sell and then moving, so Laney got to come spend a couple days with us. She and Caleb had sooooooo much fun. She is truly a ray of sunshine!

Spring Time

2010-05-10T09:34:00.010-04:00

The Carolinas are a great place to be in the Spring time...and yes, fickle weather, but mostly beautiful. It has been so nice to be able to just get out more with he kids, without bundling up. I just dreaded it in the Winter. Here are some pics over the last couple months, March and April.

Toria at almost 8 months

Legos is one of the things they enjoy together these days...well, if Caleb is sharing well, it's fun...

This little girls absolutely lights up around our dogs! Belle is great with her - and if you can't tell, she is pregnant!

Daddy time.

Park time.

Cousin time. He, of course, adores his big cousin Kevin.

Karessa (16) and Kevin (turned 13 at end of April)

When Toria is upset, Caleb will often give her one of his puppies for comfort. Sweet, though it doesn't often work!

Fight'n sleep at the park.

Playing in the fig tree in our yard.

In the toy crate together. :)

Cathing up on daddy time after he was away for a week.

Easter

2010-05-05T14:15:00.006-04:00

Easter has come and gone, and as my husband puts it, really, as Christians, we should be celebrating every day. That Jesus is indeed risen.

We actually had quite a memorable day. Yea, not in the best sense, at least to start off. We had an awful nite with both kids. So when we awoke, Eric was like, 'we're not going to church'.
This made me sad, because I love going to out church, but Easter Sunday, we just have to be there! And, I told him, our kids have beautiful home-made outfits to wear.
Then Eric added, And, it's Larry's last Sunday. Ok, we were going. :)

Thankfully the kids weren't like the above all morning, but by this point in pics, Caleb had had enough!

Right after nap, Caleb got his Easter basket from Granny and then got to go egg hunting in their yard. How fun!

I love that this pic shows us try'n to figure out Caleb's lil man tie - it's a zipper tie. Pretty cool.

Daddy show'n baby girl some of the pretty outdoor foliage.

My precious baby girl.

Her angel dress that Granny hand made.

Aunt Sarah and Tessa (that's who Toria's laughing at!)

Such a social little creature already. She's been very good at locking eyes from early on.

OK, I almost forgot to tell 'the' story of whad made the day eventful. We did enjoy the morning at church. When we got home, we were to quickly feed Toria and get a few things to head to Cary for lunch with the Pratts. Eric was getting her out of the car at home when we realized she was stinky. No, it had leaked. Orange poo ALL OVER her beautiful hand made white dress. It was even on me. I would have given up and just said forget it, we're just dealing with this mess later; but Eric, being the considerate son that he is, quickly treated all of it, threw it in the washer and drier....it came out like new and we were on our way! Whew.

6 Months

2010-03-11T21:39:00.006-05:00

Alright, for some reason I'm feeling very sappy tonight. Not the time to do a post of my baby girl who is now SIX MONTHS old. Ugh. Somehow this time around, i am more like, 'slow down', 'stay little'!! I did not do this with Caleb.

She is 17 1/2 lbs and so very healthy. The nurse said she had thunder thighs. I didn't appreciate that, but she is quite the chunky monkey and we love every little ounce of her !!

Four days before her half birthday:

Two days before her half birthday:

Do you see those cheeks ??!!

On her 6th month birthday:

Sock Thief

2010-03-11T14:01:00.002-05:00

We had witnessed Caleb put Victoria's socks on before. But on this day, he actually took them off her feet and put them on his !! ha!

Sleep

2010-03-10T14:15:00.003-05:00

I guess you're never more grateful for sleep than when you're a parent! Man, the days of being able to sleep 'til noon seem like forever ago!

We are so grateful for the principles in Baby Wise that have helped us enable our children to establish good sleep and eating patterns. It has been a tremendous help. That said, there are still challenges, and we are grateful when the extended hours happen consistently!

Here are some pics of the kids napping!

(right at 6 months)

(right at 2 1/2 yrs.)

Snow days

2010-03-05T14:12:00.003-05:00

We have had quite a few good snows this year for the Carolinas! Honestly, we've had plenty, thank you....getting ready for sunny warmer days to come!

This is first time tha Caleb has actually enjoyed getting out in the snow. He calls it 'no' or 'ishe'. And his favorite thing to do is eat it. He preferred the plain snow even to the snow cream and ice slushes we made him. At Granny's, he had fun dumping the snow from his dump truck.

Today...

2010-02-20T14:39:00.001-05:00

....I rolled over all by myself !! Back to tummy. My daddy was on the floor with me making me giggle. Mom was watching too!

Victoria Lynn

in January....

2010-02-02T22:07:00.007-05:00

Eric turned 32....

We celebrated at least 3 different times with family and friends.
Doug took us to Sushi and even puppy enjoyed the fish Caleb had...

so typical of Eric- i'm jealous of how he multi-tasks...

yummy dinner at Outback; pretty sure there was tickling involved here.....

Nana had a birthday too!

Some random shots of the kiddos:

Gazing deep into each others eyes, holding hands.... :)

Building towers with mommy.

Christmas 09

2010-01-31T16:14:00.018-05:00

Here are some highlights from this past Christmas Season:

Christmas decorating with our little family and Doug.... he is part of the family now, like it or not, Doug.

Had to take a break from cookies and decorating to make something with daddy.

Small Group Christmas Party at our house:

Susie watch'n toons with Caleb during the party

It has been wonderful to have my parents in our home a lot during this season....

Wilmington:

Had a fun little date (with Victoria) at the Front Street Brewery in downtown Wilmington.

Cousins get'n to know each other!

This is his cheesy smile for the camera. Love it.

So many great gifts from Papa and Grandma Martindale.

One of them was a Caleb size guitar.
Maybe he'll have some of Uncle Andrew's talent....

This scares this mama a wee bit - growing up with a big brother ....

A short visit with Papa Pratt. He has a way with the babies. She gave him lots of smiles and then fell asleep without a fuss.

Christmas Day!

Christmas really does have a special feel with children that begin to get into it. We woke up Christmas morning and before anything else, told Caleb the true story that we celebrate. Then we went under the Christmas tree to discover his few gifts from mom and dad a few other family members. (so glad we kept his gifts simple as he had SO many great gifts from grandparents and aunts and uncles)

The morning of, my family joined us, to have brunch and our gift exchange. Sweet times. I especially enjoyed our time of sharing at the table.

Nana!

Yep, that would be a happy dance!

On to Granny and Grandpapas for the afternoon:

Yes, covered in gifts! I really am spoiled by my family.

Caleb had a tractor under the tree at Granny's !

December 09

2010-01-31T15:43:00.002-05:00

Toria at 3 months

Thanksgiving 09

2010-01-31T15:08:00.006-05:00

We made the trip to Wilmington the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was Karessa's Sweet 16 birthday party and we were thrilled to be there for it....

I had a ball dance'n with the groovy teens. :)

Caleb found a guitar and was serenading his sister and dad. Little did he know he was getting one from his Papa and G'ma for Christmas!

Victoria and Grandma Vanessa

We returned to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house with the Crowe and Pratt family. It was a full house and we enjoyed the sweet time of having a lot of our family gathered.

Our 20 lb turkey. We cooked it Grandma Elwood's way: overnite.... We will do that again.

Aunt Sarah

the table full in the middle of our living room!

the newly weds....

the Pratt family

the Crowe women in the kitchen

the Crowe family...do you see my sister's tiny baby bump? !!

2 months

2009-11-13T21:41:00.005-05:00

Yes, the time is flying and baby girl is get'n nice and pudgy!! We love it. Caleb is adjusting well, and of course, has his moments of whiny i-want-mommy-to-all-to-myself moments...those are fun... not to mention the all out tantrums... over say, things like wanting to leave a soggy diaper on his bum...but all in all, life is good and we are extremely grateful!!

Uncle Andrew passed through town for a few days. This was on her 2 month b-day.

2 month 2 days

Caleb's now attempting to smile for the camera!

...........sometimes.........

Granny time......

Seriously coloring away....

October

2009-11-07T21:53:00.006-05:00

October has come and gone. Here are a few pics of our family during this past month.

Big bro time

Pink Polka dots !

Wake time

Daddy time

Bath time

Halloween time....

Yes, unplanned, we had a monkey and a banana ! :)

Park time....

Swing time

Big brother sweetness

Three weeks...

2009-10-03T21:40:00.002-04:00

Yes, i'm a week behind as Victoria will be four weeks tomorrow. But here are pics of our beautiful sweet heart. Seriously, I could watch her and kiss on her all day.

Sweet Lil Girl

2009-09-24T20:49:00.006-04:00

The last couple weeks at a glance....
we are so enjoying her! Amazing how different she is already from her big brother and how differently we are parenting...honestly, so far, child number two has been easier and more enjoyable. :)

Four days old:

5 days old:

One week old:

Two weeks old:

Two and a half weeks:

Home!

2009-09-13T21:21:00.006-04:00

Just about to leave the hospital...waiting to see the pediatrician one last time.

At Home....

Today with my precious two (mama looks a little rough!):

Sweetness...we cannot capture her beauty in photos...seriously ! :) and we are not biased...

Nana's first moments with Victoria:

Big Bro meets Lil Sis

2009-09-13T20:58:00.008-04:00

We were excited to introduce Caleb to Victoria. My sister had Caleb for the day and brought him to the hospital. He spent time with baby Victoria and then went home for the night with Eric.

Caleb was enamored by her from the start and wanted to hold her....

This was his first time laying eyes on her...

Family of four.....

He continues to do quite well with her. At times he points to his lap and wants to hold her. His big 'ole smacker kisses on her are the sweetest!

visitors and pictures

2009-09-06T15:55:00.003-04:00

Dad's turn

Aunt Julie and Uncle John

Granny

"Look what we did!"

2009-09-06T11:14:00.008-04:00

That's what Ashley said, but she deserves the credit for the hard work today, and we don't deserve the credit for her healthy arrival. We still have her in the room with us. She has not been to the nursery yet, so she's warm, and pink and covered in white... We are amazed. Ashley didn't have an epidural and spent just four contractions pushing after hours of waiting for everything to align. The experience was quite different from Caleb's birth.

Here's the first look at Victoria Lynn

Eyes open and smiling for the camera. I think she'll be a ham like her big brother!

She's getting cleaned up, and we're starting to come down from the adrenaline that has kept us going since 7PM last night.

Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers. He is good all the time.

Stats that I have available:

Born 9/6/09 at 11:00AM even
6lbs 6 oz (her brother was 7lbs 7oz)
length 20"
seems to have all her parts including a daddy's heart melting pouty cry

more when it's available...