Martin turns 12

Time sure goes by FAST!

Around 3 months

September 2010

I cannot believe that I am a mom to a 12 year old!!!! On November 6, 1998 at 3:19 p.m. I set my eyes upon our first born son. He was WAY bigger than I had expected. 9lb 3oz!!!! Keep in mind I am only 5 feet tall. He had the most adorable features, most notable were his BIG brown eyes and EXTREMELY long eye lashes. I knew he would be full of energy as he was NEVER still in the womb. Martin was my non-napper! He slept through the night, but would not take a nap. This made for REALLY long days as he was quite the busy boy! He was running at 9 months old, climbing on everything, frustrated that he couldn't talk yet, and had the most adorable laugh

and smile. I remember at about 2 years old he set out on the counter bread, peanut butter, jelly, a butter knife, and said "Mommy, I am hungry!"

As the years have gone by he has made me laugh more times than I can remember. We have butted heads more times than I would like to remember, too :-) I have watched Martin grow into a wonderful young man. He still has his wonderful laugh, great smile, and those amazing eyes that to this day get comments like "Do you know that women would DIE for those lashes!", "Those are the most amazing eyes I have ever seen", etc. etc. To these comments when Martin was younger he would just roll those BIG brown eyes, but over time he now responds with a thank you :-)

I have loved to see how children just seem to be drawn to Martin. Little ones follow him around and want to be as close to him as they can when he is around. He is amazing with Alesha. She adores him and he makes sure she is safe and loves to play with her. It warms my heart when he asks her for a hug goodbye in the morning before he leaves for school and she lays her head on his chest and to see the smile it brings to his face is absolutely precious.

It has been fun to watch him excel at playing the guitar. He plays the electric and acoustic guitar, electric bass, and he started this year in school playing the stand up string bass. He has such a love for music. His love for drawing is also being displayed in his projects for school this year. I am impressed by what I see. It will be fun to see how the Lord uses these gifts he has given Martin in the years to come.

Martin, your dad and I feel honored to be your parents. We are thankful for the relationship you have with Jesus. We pray that you will continue to seek Him in the years to come. Happy Birthday, son. We love you!