The Martin Family Blog

Christmas 2008

2008-12-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've been able to post on this blog since we eliminated internet access to save a buck. Now, however, I've decided it's almost necessary to keep in touch with friends and family any more! I guess I'll be getting the Cox guys to come out and get us back on-line first of the new year.

Anywho, we are all in Georgia for the week, visiting Savannah's family in Canton. We'll return at the end of the week and spend the rest of Christmas with my family. As most of you know, Savannah is 16 weeks pregant (again!...oops!) with our first little BOY!!! Needless to say, I am VERY excited!

Here's a recent ultrasound image...can you tell he's my little boy?

Here fishy, fishy, fishy!

2008-03-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Savannah and I recently got a 55 gallon aquarium and stand. After a few weeks of letting it go through the nitrification cycle with some guppies in it, we got 2 large Oscar Cichlids, 3 Pink Kissing Gourami, and a common Plecostomus.

Enjoy the pics! Click each one to see full-size.

Here's a video of "Oscar" and "Tiger" eating out of my hand.

What's the weirdest thing you've put in your dishwasher???

2007-08-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Tiger Woods is a golf legend. I've followed his game since he became a successful golf player, and still to this day enjoy watching him play. Back before the New Millennium I was proud to wear a black fitted hat with a Nike checkmark on the front, just like Tiger, everywhere I went. I wore it so much I developed a sweat ring around the brim and had to figure out how to clean it.

After many unsuccessful attempts at hand washing, I decided to try one of those gimmick hat-holder devices that allow you to wash a hat in the dishwasher or washing machine without damaging it. Being the smart young fella I was, I didn't read the directions and threw the hat in the dishwasher with dish detergent only for it to come out a pale tan color. Note to self: Dish detergent has a bleaching effect.

This was my first attempt, albeit unsuccessful, to clean something in the dishwasher that wasn't an actual dish.

The other night was the Hallmark of my dishwasher cleaning career. I snuck the upper intake manifold of my 5.0L V8 motor in the dishwasher for a good cleaning and steaming. Savannah affirmed me on my insanity once she realized what I was doing.

Needless to say, it did a good job, and the refinishing I have now spent days on is starting to pay off for a very nice intake system, worthy of any Sonic Cruise-In or local car show once this beast gets rolling.

The motor swap has taken over my life!!!

2007-04-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well...it's obviously been quite a while since I last posted. This is simply because I no longer spend any time on the computer unless it is school work or research on something regarding my truck.

The motor swap is coming along nicely. I've run into problems here and there, but have worked through all of effortlessly. I'm really anxious to get it all bolted in and take it for a drive!

Busy Busy!

2007-03-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry for such a long delay on getting a new post up! I've been very busy with multiple projects at school and getting my remote file server formatted!

Kenny, a neighbor of mine a few houses away, got his Camaro finished. It was pretty rough when he first got it. I gave him a hand with mounting up the motor (454 big block) and fixing the doors. He put many hours of work into it. I think he did a killer job!

In the mean time, I've been busy with my own "project". I got the frame all finished up, after extensive grinding and sanding. It was a dirty, dirty job! It paid off in the long run!

I'll be taking pictures later, once we get Hannah's hair cut today! Thanks for stopping by!

It's my Birthday, Hannah's in her "birthday suit!"

2007-03-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

Today was my birthday! It's scary to admit, I was just taking my first break of air at 3pm 22 years ago!

Hannah took a shower with me this morning, and I think it's become her new favorite bathroom activity! Afterwards, I just couldn't help but snap some pictures to compare with her naked baby and Halloween 2005 pictures. She was the Michelin Baby about a year ago!

I debated posting these pictures, but after careful selection, I was able to find the best ones with no "exposure". Enjoy my naked girl!

Here she is rubbing lotion on:

And of course after you shower, you have to brush your teeth!

Music is a part of life.

2007-03-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

Hannah has grown up with music all around her since long before she had ears to listen with. One of the things I appreciate most in life are the tones, rhythms, and songs of daily life. I wake up to FM radio, listen to XM radio in the morning, and listen to Digital cable radio in the afternoon until I retire to the computer for the night where I become my own DJ, or where I pick up my guitar for a funky delay echo beat using basic chords and my synthesiser pedals.

Today, Hannah asked me to play the guitar for her by saying " z'Tar daddy?" So she had to listen to me play the guitar until she decided it was her turn to put on a show:

Canines and Night times.

2007-03-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

Hannah is cutting her canine (cuspid) teeth and it's causing her lots of pain! However, she's handling it well, and cooperates when we put Orajel on the area for her.

The other night, she was crying and throwing a fit, so I took the opportunity to get an open-mouth shot.

However, soon after I took these, she got distracted by the flash and I told her to "Open your mouth and say 'Ahhh'!!" Sure enough, she did it! It was amazing because it's the first time someone has asked her to say "ahh" and she did it perfectly!

Hannah has been doing so well at night times for us lately. She tells us when she's ready to go "night night" by asking for her "blankee" or crawling up in your lap and buring her face. When we lay her down, she lays on her back sucking her thumb for a few short minutes with her Lavender Care Bear in one arm and her blankee in the other. Soon after she falls asleep she stops sucking her thumb for the whole night! Also, she tells us "night night" as we walk out of the room together, instead of trying to stand up or getting upset that we're leaving! I'm so proud of her! I'm afraid it's almost time to get her into a big-girl bed like Kayla has!http://thecrossfamily.blogspot.com/2007/02/okay.html

Lots of junk!

2007-02-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

This week has been so full of stuff I can't even begin to summarize it all! We got a trench dug for a new street light at the northeast corner of our property. I have two Mid-term projects due in the upcoming weeks. Savannah and I got baptized last Sunday at the Church of Pinnacle Hills as a way to profess Savannah's faith in God, and for me to join the church and as a public profession of faith before the new church. It was quite an event, except that I lost my footing and slipped as I was brought out of the baptismal waters.

Hannah has been learning all kinds of new words and phrases lately. She's recently learned the different in outside and inside, which is very important to her on sunny days! If it's nice outside, Hannah HAS to be outside or she's just not happy. This brings up an interesting point; exposure to sunlight in the early morning hours is an important part of making the brain switch "on". I've noticed by exposing myself to a brightly lit window, or by enjoying my breakfast on the back porch, that I wake up much more peacefully and enjoy a more energetic day!

Here is Hannah sitting at her snack table enjoying an early Monday morning snack of dry cereal while watching the "birdies" fly around "outside".

Nothing beats free entertainment!

2007-02-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

Today we took a nice stroll through the neighborhood to enjoy the fresh air and upper-60 degree temperatures when all of a sudden....

Out of nowhere....

BANG!!!

A neighbor tried to back out of their garage without opening the garage door first!!!!

Pretty girls on a nice Friday

2007-02-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

Hannah's lips had a rough day yesterday! She tripped over the edge of the pavement and landed on her hands, but didn't catch herself all the way and scraped both her top and bottom lips on the driveway! She's fine, but needless to say she has an "ouchie" in these pictures!

It's amazing that just the other day I was taking pictures of icicles, and now it's 70 degrees outside! The weather has been beautiful and we've been out enjoying it as much as possible.

This morning, before we ventured outside, Hannah and Mommy played in the living room floor. It is so nice having all the open floor space with our new furniture arrangement!

As you can tell, Hannah's hair is really getting long! We're trying to let her bangs grow out into the rest of her hair, like Savannah's, but it's rough looking having those long bangs in her face!

Oh well, that big dimple on both their left cheeks make it a cut one!

Icicles in February

2007-02-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

We took a nice Saturday afternoon drive to find some icicles today, before it all melts. We found ourselves in our old "cruise territory" in Little Flock. It's truly amazing how quickly things change around this area! There's a new school and a couple of new businesses in this tiny town, along with a huge Harley Davidson store off of 102.

The highlight of our ride was getting to check out these very THICK ice formations. Enjoy!

Of course Hannah had fun getting to see the "duckies" at Lake Atalanta on the way home! This one in particular gently ate crackers out of Hannah's hand and she loved it!!!

Just like the geese, though, Hannah soon got tired. However I doubt she'd be able to stand on one foot and tuck her other foot and her head behind her arm like this little guy was doing!

A new day!

2007-02-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

We woke up to snow this morning! It snowed an inch or so overnight, but not enough to cancel class or any local schools. Hannah visited the doctor yesterday after she woke up with a 104.2 degree core temperature. We got a new, infrared temporal artery scanner thermometer so we don't have to do it so uncomfortably for Hannah! We actually snuck in this morning and took her temperature without even waking her up!!!

Hannah was "negative" for the Flu virus, and her blood test came back normal. Her iron was fine, her white blood cell count was normal, so they presumed she had a different type of the flu. She made a miraculous recovery today, and has been jibber jabbering all day long!

When I got home from class this afternoon, I decided to rearrange the living room. I like the new arrangement a lot more because it really opened up a lot of space, even though I have to re-hang one surround speaker, re-wire both, and re-wire both camera wires to the new location!

First night with a pillow!!!

2007-02-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

I know this is probably pretty dumb to some, but this is so sweet and precious to me. Hannah slept last night with a full-size pillow for the first time. I snuck in there after she fell asleep and took some pictures with the Infared Night Vision on my Sony Handycam DVD camcorder. Enjoy!

Sweet even when sick

2007-02-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

Well Hannah woke up this morning with a freightening fever. We could tell immediately just by picking her up out of bed that she was a lot warmer than usual. Vaccinations last Friday probably caused it, as the doctor warned us this is the most common reaction to the Chickenpox/Measles shot.

I hate it when she's sick, but she's so sweet

and lovable it's impossible to put her down!

Welcome back to awareness

2007-02-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Are they the sweetest when they first wake up after an afternoon nap?

Hannah always wants to cuddle for a few minutes when you get her up. Here she is obviously still tired, but she was calling out "Daddy" and I couldn't take it any longer!

2007-02-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

Rain, Rain Go Away!!!

Who likes rainy days? I know I despise them. I enjoy nature and getting out in it. When it's miserably cold or wet and cold, I hate not being able to be outside... or even looking out the back door to see a beautiful scene like we normally have:

This was our most recent snow, in which we got a good 3-5 inches. Hannah sure did enjoy that!

That's one of many sunsets out my back yard that I often sit and stare in awe over. It doesn't take much to be amazed at the power of God!

Today was pretty uneventful. I didn't have class until noon, so I had a chance to play with and enjoy Hannah. As usual I snapped some pics. She loves this large stuffed animal dog that our former neighbor/good friend Glen got her.

She's been so much fun to play with lately! She's grown a personality just like a little girl! I still call her my "baby", but I guess she's officially a "toddler" now days!