Yard Sale 2007

"Carrie, if you have anything to add to the sale, bring it over"...

No takers!

At the pumpkin patch - Fall 2006

We miss our girls!!

Get your motor running...get out on the highway!

Emmy and Madison...ready to take Uncle Kyle's Camaro for a spin!

The infamous fence we built last summer...twice.

Before

After

When I say "we" I mean Me, Jon, Jonathan, Carrie, Kyle, Jessica, Jeremy, and Ed.

It was fun even though we had to do it twice, and we really enjoy being in our back yard now because of it...thanks again to entire the gang for the help!

Great News!!

Carrie just informed us that the surgery is complete, everything went beautifully, and that Kelly is in recovery for a little bit and will be able to go home this afternoon. Thank you for your prayers, I know they make a big difference. Please continue to pray for the Estebo's and for Kelly's comfort during her recovery today. Yeah God!! Yeah Kelly!

January 2006 - Hana, Hawaii

This is Madison and Emerson at the black sand beach in Hana, Hawaii. Jon was with the girls taking pictures and exploring the caverns, while I sat in the rental car upset at the 3 hour, one lane, curvy, ride through the mountains that it took to get to nothing but a national park. You know what an outdoor gal I am and how much appeal THAT has. The funny thing about Hana was that it was only 35 miles from Lahaina, but what they don't tell you is that it's ALL curves and car sickness, and it takes 3 hours to get there...can you tell I am still bitter? Anyway, the scenery in Hana was beautiful and the gang really enjoyed the beach. Hope you enjoy!


Also, our 11 month old niece Kelly is having surgery tomorrow to correct the Strabismus in her right eye...please join us in lifting Kelly, her doctors, and her family up in prayer. Thank you! :)

Our babies aren't babies anymore!

This was obviously taken a long time ago, but when I showed it to Jon on the computer he couldn't stop laughing because of how much they have changed, so he said this was "the one" for today.

Sorry girls, daddy loves this picture so I had to put it up!

It's hard to believe the girls in this picture are 2nd and 7th graders this fall!

At Mule Lake - Fall 2006

Current pictures are on hiatus while the girls are on vacation, so we'll share some of our favorites from the year.

Hope you enjoy!

Not your Mother's travel past time, that's for sure!

This is Madison and Emerson with their cousin Kendall in the Detroit airport (with Jon and his sister Heather somewhere near by) waiting for their connecting flight to SC.
Everyone flew out late Friday night, arrived in MI at about 1:30 am, and then had to hang out in the airport until 6:30 when the flight to SC left. 5 hours in an airport...Yikes!

If this were me at 11, I would be in the back seat of a Datsun station wagon working on a "Yes and Know Magic Invisible Ink Quiz Book for ages 11-111". Mom always had a bag of activities that I am sure she desperately hoped would keep us from asking the inevitable "are we there yet" question a hundred times an hour, and these always worked for me. I remember going through the book from front to back, doing all my favorite games first, (battleship, hangman, and bingo) and then going back through to finish the "not so favorite" games that remained.
I remember the silver station wagon with black vinyl interior and carpet...I don't know if it was considered a "fancy" car for it's time, but it sure felt that way...maybe because it was always spotless, at least until we got settled in.
Mom was pretty smart because this book that probably cost $1.99, kept me from whining and torturing my sister for the whole trip. Kyle wasn't around yet, so it was just the four of us with the car piled high with all of our "stuff", driving to who knows where. I remember folding the seat down and making beds with pillows and blankets, and staring out the back window of the station wagon until we fell asleep. There was no air in the car, so we would wake up all hot and sweaty, but it never really mattered to us...we were just glad to finally arrive.
I never would have guessed that so much would change over time that my children would be in an airport, listening to music on an Ipod and playing a video game. I think next time I will pack the bag of "Yes and Knows" so my girls can remember them fondly when they are 35, just insert an A320 instead of a silver Datsun.

Really Dad??

You had to pick THIS spot for a "first day of school" picture?

Hmmph!

This will teach you to call your sister's "tucked bob" a mullet! Sure are a cutie though!

A Mullet, Dead Battery, and White Nylons..oh my!

I couldn't let June pass without noting the 13 year anniversary of our wedding day, which will no doubt cause a roll of the eyes from my husband...but oh well, it won't be the first, or last time! :)

13 Years ago, I was asked, and 13 years ago I said yes!!

In these 13 years we have mourned the loss of loved ones, celebrated new life, lost touch with some, rekindled with others, celebrated marriages, and watched others fade away. We have laughed, cried, struggled, achieved, learned, loved, had two beautiful children, and built a fence...twice.

13 years ago he asked and I said yes. It was the best decision I have ever made in my life.

Bike Ride at the Lake

Ice cream sandwich time...sure looks yummy Emmy!

No helmet, no bike ride. Looks like the helmet won and I am guessing Madison is not happy?

A new cousin is on the way!

Just when you can't think of a single thing to post...

We were all very excited to learn that my sister Carrie and her husband Jonathan, are expecting their 4th child in February!
Carrie surprised Jonathan on Father's Day with a baby onesie that read "Baby #4 Due Feb. 14th"...it was very cute, and what a great Father's Day surprise!
(Thanks to Carrie BTW for the super fun conversation that took place at our house after Jon heard the news)
The girls responded with screams and "no ways", and Emerson was giddy to the point that she could hardly talk. This child will be cousin number 10 for the girls, so they are thrilled. Jon and I are very happy too, and ask that everyone reading this keep the Estebo's in their prayers, as this new person is sure to bring a whole new adventure for us all!
Congratulations Carrie, Jonathan, Kylie, Kasey, and Kelly...we love you lots!

Father's Day 2007

I asked Jon what he wanted for Father's Day this year, and just like every year before, he said he wanted to have breakfast at The Original Pancake House, and to relax, so that's exactly what we did! Jon usually also likes to take a road trip to somewhere new, but we did that yesterday when we went to Harmony, MN. He did say that he wanted to be a passenger all day, so I was his chauffeur!

We stopped at Old Navy and bought the gang some clothes, went to Jamba Juice for "Strawberries Wild" all around, and then home to relax. It was a great day!

Happy Father's Day to our Dad's out there, we hope you had a very special day!

Trip to Harmony, MN - Amish Country

The Estebo and Martin families took a trip to Harmony, MN. to hang out, have lunch, and visit some of the Amish farms selling handmade furniture and crafts. When I asked the cousins to pose for a picture, the girls got ready, and so did Rachel, the daughter of an Amish farmer, who cautiously scooted closer when we were taking pictures.
You don't see her though because I got a "talkin' to" (ha ha) from Jon for sneaking a picture, as the Amish don't like to be photographed. It was really very sweet and I am glad I got the shot! Rachel followed the girls around the whole time we were there and never said a word. I guess she didn't have to...ours did all the talking! :)

This is Kylie, Kasey, and Emerson in the Lanesboro park getting sweaty and red faced, but having a great time, as usual! Madison is off spending time with Kelly, the youngest of the Estebo clan. It was a really hot day, but we all had a lot of fun! We will make a trip back later this year to pick up the oak bed we are having made...we just have to wait for the letter in the mail from Gideon that lets us know it is done!

Sports Life Camp - Week 1

This was the first week for the girls at the Sports Life Camp at Woodlake Lutheran. It is a spirit filled, Christ centered, high energy day camp that I never fully appreciated until I participated in the Week 1 "closing ceremony". The camp theme is "I'm excited about Jesus"!!

The girls each chose a sport to focus on for the week...Madison picked "Extreme Frisbee", and Emerson chose Dance. Every day had exercise, devotion, music, field trips, water activities, and being silly!

Now we all know it doesn't take much, but I cried at how moving it was to see the kids responding to the program like they did...loud singing, cheering, and dancing...all in praise and worship!! You can get a taste of the program by viewing the promo video on their site. http://www.sportslifecamps.com/. It gives me chills and makes me tear up...cool!

It was much different than my experience with children's ministry growing up and I am so glad for that, because kids need to see that while God is in charge, he's also pretty cool, and so are the different ways we can celebrate Him!

The girls have Sports Life Camp again next week, so there is lots more to come I am sure!

This is why I can't just "get up and go".

Mom: "Good morning Emerson"
Emmy: "Hi Mom. You don't have eyes without that black stuff on"
Mom: "It's called mascara"
Emmy: "You look pretty with that black stuff on"

Translation: Hurry up and put your makeup on, you're scaring me.

Butterfly Fun!

Madison got a "Grow Your Own Butterfly" kit last year for her birthday that got tucked away and we forgot about until recently, so Jon and the girls brought it out and decided to use it this year. The kit included the netted dome you see in the picture and a post card to send away for the caterpillars, so I filled it out and sent it in.

Let's just say I never thought we would get anything back and this would be the end of it. I figured we would just have a great toy to use to catch bugs. Um, not so much. Yikes!

The larva (I think that's what it was, I refused to look) came and Jon and the girls set up the tent and did their thing. Sure enough, they turned into caterpillars, then they formed cocoons, which of course turned into butterflies. I had to skip the whole process leading up to the butterflies because it weirded me out that we were growing creatures indoors, but Jon and the girls loved it. Of course the whole point of the kit was to gain an appreciation for the amazing transformation that takes place...it starts as something small and fragile, is protected in a safe cocoon so that it can grow strong, and then turns into the beautiful creature that God intended it to be.

It turns out there was a lesson it for me too...Jon and I are growing two pretty amazing "butterflies" of our own! Aren't they beauties!

With what food item do YOU have no self control??

Jon and I hung out and chatted with my sister Carrie for a bit this evening...super fun, as always! Somehow, we ended up on the topic of food, (probably because the chips and salsa at Chili's got the best of me, again) but more specifically which food "gets us every time"...the one food that we lose all self control with. We came up with some good ones, which I won't share under the "Backyard Privacy Act", but I thought it would be an interesting question to "put out there". So, what is YOUR food??

PS Lisa loves Jon.

Who would have guessed...

...that the little brother and sister that once drove you completely nuts would turn out to be such awesome "grown up's".

Emerson's 7th Birthday Weekend!!

Our Emmy is 7 years old, and as Madison used to say "Dontcha believe it"!!

The weekend started with the tradition of Mom staying up too late the eve of the birthday to hang a big birthday sign and lots of balloons, so that the birthday girl is met with a big splash in the morning. This year the tradition continued, but it was even more fun because Jon got to help. He did however ignore my "suggestion" that he not fill the balloons to full capacity, so we also enjoyed the random sounds of ballons popping at two in the morning. Super fun.

In any case, Emerson was delighted and our mission was accomplished!

Emerson started her birthday morning by waking up at the crack of dawn (at least by the Martin standards) and began to wake the rest of the house as well.

This wake up call really means "Hurry up and get down here so I can open my presents, please, and be quick about it". We obliged.

Emmy was very excited to open her treats, and was most excited about her new A.G. doll, Nikki. She's a beauty, and was promptly introduced to her "older sister", Emily. Emerson also got "THE" pink dress that she had hoped for, and had visited several times, until last weekend when she frantically searched for it and found that it was sold...enter Mom and Dad with the covert dress action and the big surprise moment. Totally worth having to semi-console her when she realized it was gone.

She had to try it on and do a few spins before getting ready for her cousin Kylie's 6th Birthday Party...cousins born on the same day, one year apart...what are the odds! The girls spent the day in the park celebrating with their cousins, came home worn out and ready for a dip in the pool.

After a refreshing swim, Emmy chose where she wanted to go for her special birthday dinner and we weren't surprised at all when she picked Steak and Ale, so off we went! Kind of ironic considering the history there...Jon and I had dinner there before Junior prom, had our engagement party there, and is the location of the first "dinner out" for both the girls when they were babies. Very sweet that it is Emmy's favorite restaurant, with Redstone and Chili's being tied at second.

The "in-town family" birthday party at the Estebo's was today, so it was round two of the festivities and we had a great time. Emerson got the "ATM savings bank" that she hoped for, which for Emerson I am sure will be deposit only, as she is our saver. In fact the moment we got home she "deposited" her birthday money, added a pin code, and hid the atm card. Very cute!

We had a sunny weekend filled with lots of fun and many, many blessings!

Happy Birthday Ms. Emerson...We love you lots!! :)