Superstar

So I just want to share what a superstar my husband is! After many nights in a row of not enough sleep for either of us, he still takes over a 1am feeding, just so I can get more rest. Then last night, being as exhausted as he was; he dropped everything just to give me a blessing because I've been having a hard time with something. THEN this morning as I was stepping out of the shower, he personal...ly delivers a warm fresh baked biscuit to me, because he's awesome like that and had the rare chance to bake on his day off :) On top of it all, he never fails to take an opportunity to express appreciation and love for each of us, and takes the time to say that he notices the little things. Is he the most amazing husband & daddy on the planet? Yes, yes he is...

March Photos

I'm a big believer that a photo is worth a thousand words, and here are some photos from our month that capture the joy that we've been sharing in our home; with these two little kiddos bringing so many smiles to our faces. Enjoy!



I walked into the livingroom, and Tara said "Shhh...I'm reading to Liam." How cute is that?!?


Our little man...I love the way he looks at me :)





Tara and Liam just cuddling on the couch before bed.





He adORES his sister. Whenever she kisses him, it elicits a sweet little smile, and when he hears her voice; he turns his head towards her. It's amazing to see how deep the connection is already between the two of them...


Totally posed-but super cute. I just couldn't resist...


Tiny little hands...


Ten cute little toes...



AAAhhhh...yep. We make cute babies :)

"I love you mommy..."

Just now, Tara and I were cuddling on the couch during Sesame Street, and she grabs my hand and says "I love you mommy...I hold your hand." I looooove the way her hand feels in mine :) She is just the sweetest girl in the whole wide world...

Liam-Maternity Photos

Thanks to Mariea Alice Photography, we have some amazing maternity photos>here they are!

Valentine's Day fun with Mr. Martindale...

So a friend of ours who's an amazing photographer (Kristen Moss Photography) had a great deal going on fun couples photos for Valentine's Day. She was great! She took care of the chocolate covered strawberries (and other yummy romantic desserts), the long stem glasses, the location, and some amazingly romantic photos :) We had a blast-and between her efforts, and some smooth moves on Sean's part; it was the best Valentine's Day we've had since we got married! Here are some of the photos:

Baby photos-as promised!

How smart IS this girl?

So a couple of hours ago, Tara was tossing around her little nerf football; and said to me "I want to play with this at the playground." I told her that it was cold, and that Liam was still too little to take outside quite yet. She looked at me and said "I know, he's tiny. You stay here with little Liam, and daddy and me will go to the playground." (So funny!) I called Sean at work to inform him that little miss had plans for him once he got home...

Baby Liam's Hungry!

Oh my gosh! Liam's been sleeping, and Tara and I just heard him wake up and start crying. Tara immediately jumps up and says "I go check him mommy, I make sure he's okay: I go get the baby." When she got in there, I heard her say "It's okay baby Liam, I'm here, it's okay now." Then I heard her say "I go tell mommy what you need." She came out, and said "Mommy! Baby Liam's hungry!" She went back in and said "Liam, I told mommy you were hungry." Haha This is all in less than a minute and I half, while I was finishing up a task; and headed in there! She's so stinkin cute :)

Love this age!

So I've thoroughly enjoyed every stage that Tara has gone through, but I'm particularly finding so much joy in this age. She's so independent, and wants to do so much "All by myself!". She's got this little attitude that just makes Sean and I crack up most of the time. The way daddy will tease her and we hear this little voice say "NO daDDY!" Or when you catch her singing a song, and she gets shy and doesn't want you to look at her because it makes her self conscious; so she says "No watching me SING! Look over THERE!" It makes us laugh every time...But mixed in with this newfound independence is this sweet way she has of capturing our hearts by her complete wonder and awe with the world, and all her new discoveries. From seeing stoplights and cars and saying "Ohh...pretty lights! Pretty cars!" to the way she is realizing how loved she is. For example, just this morning she melted my heart. She had run off to play after breakfast, and I called after her and said "I love you so much Tara!" I heard her stop in her tracks and say "Aww..." then as she's running back into the room she had just left she looks at me with her big eyes and throws her arms around my stomach while she says "You love me!" And then she left with the biggest smile on her face, and said "I love you tOO mommy!" What an angel...I'm so in love with this litle blond haired beauty :)

Grateful...

I know it's been quite a while since I posted last, and I have some catching up to do; but I wanted to write this morning because my heart is so full. I'm incredibly grateful for two healthy, happy, active children. Liam is already showing off a bit of his personality, before he's even here. It seems like he's constantly moving, and he responds so well to stimuli. I love feeling his movements, it's one of the more precious experiences of pregnancy.

Since we're leaving town for christmas, Sean and I decided to do an early celebration for our family; and open our stockings and presents to each other early. Some number of months ago, Tara and I were reading one of her books. I was helping her correctly pronounce the words soccer ball. When she finally mastered it, a lightbulb went on; and she was SO proud of herself for saying it correctly. She started saying "Mommy! Watch this!" I'd look over at her, and she'd carefully say "So-ccer ball. Yay Tara!!!" She'd get a huge grin on her face :) This then developed into a quick understanding of the concept of what a soccer ball is, and what you do with one. She started taking those regular rubber balls that she has, and pretending they were soccer balls; kicking them around. So it was apparent to us, that we had to get her a soccer ball. She opened it last night, and immediately started kicking it around; and she was so controlled with her kicks>there was no doubt in our minds that we had to get this girl into soccer practice when she's older! She looked like she'd been playing for a long time! I'm just so grateful for how active Tara is, with her imagination and with her body.

I'm grateful for my family, I'm so blessed to have such amazing kids; and the sweetest man on the face of the planet as my husband. He always impressed me with his love for our Savior, and for our Father in Heaven. He's always been such a great example of how we should be living our lives; and his desires are so pure. I love him with all my heart, and words can not express how much he touches my heart on a daily basis. I'm thankful for the sweet little family we've created together, and can't wait to meet this little boy...I hope everyone has a great holiday season, and can remember and be touched by our Savior's birth; and what it means for us. I pray everyone can spend lots of time with family, and we'll see you all when we get back!