Saying Good-Bye

This post has been a long time coming, but it has taken me a while to even be able to sit down to write it.

On March 17, 2004 Brad and I brought our first "baby" home. We had been married less than 3 months, and we were so excited as we drove from Jacksonville to Orlando to pick him up. When we got to the breeder's house, he was the last pup from his litter, in a wooden crate with a younger litter of yellow puppies. He was sitting in the back corner of the crate while all the yellow's were jumping at us, trying to get our attention. I never could have walked away without him in my arms. We brought our baby home, a chubby ball of black fluff. He was so tiny and dark that you could hardly see his face in pictures! We named him Peyton.

Since he was the last of his litter, the breeder discounted him for us- we always called him out clearance pup because of that.

The first few days home we seriously thought he was broken. He wouldn't eat anything, he didn't budge when we gave him his first bath- his favorite thing to do was to lay in a corner in the kitchen. Brad actually called the breeder to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with him. He finally started eating little pieces of cheese out of my hands, and once he got comfortable with us, his true personality came out.

Peyton quickly became our best friend. He was such a sweet, lovable puppy. He grew so fast, into a big black monster. Coming home to him was one of the best parts of my day. Even sitting here now, thinking back, I have all these images rushing through my head that I cannot even put into words. The first summer we had him we tried to teach him how to swim- after all, labs are water dogs! But he was petrified of the pool and we ended up with bright red scratches all over us from trying to force him. It wasn't until the following year that something clicked, and once he discovered his love of water it was almost impossible to keep him out of a pool! He would get in to cool himself off, but his favorite thing was jumping into the deep end after tennis balls and toys. I can't even count the number of times one of us almost got crushed in the pool by Peyton jumping.

When I was pregnant with Savannah, we announced to our family and friends on this blog that she was a girl by taking a picture of Peyton complete with a sign that read "I am having a little SISTER!"And he truly was an awesome big brother to our sweet baby girl. He loved her from the minute she came home from the hospital, was always so gentle with her and so sweet to her. He would lay on the bed next to her, would cover her in kisses, and then when she was bigger, she would crawl and climb all over him and he wouldn't move a muscle. No matter how hard she yanked on his ears or stepped on his belly, he took it all in stride.

Peyton could always be counted on for cuddles, for snuggles, for protection when we needed it. Whenever Brad had to go out of town for work Peyton would take Brad's place in our bed to keep me safe.

We had so many plans of things we wanted to do with Peyton. We thought we had so much more time left with him than we did. We always talked about taking him to North Carolina in the winter- he would have loved running free in the snow covered mountains. He would have been so beautiful up there, his dark coat in the bright white snow.

On May 15 Peyton got into a scuffle with my sister's dog and ended up losing the tip of his ear. I was so concerned about the amount of blood he was losing, but by the time we got home it was too late for him to get stitches so we had to just wait it out. On that Monday, May 17 Peyton was having a really hard time- he was laying and moping around the house, and whenever he would try to get up he couldn't stand up without "spitting up" little bits of vomit. I started getting concerned as the vomit looked like it was filled with dried blood. Finally in the afternoon he threw up all over the floor- it was just liquid and smelled awful so Brad rushed home from work to take him to the vet.

Peyton was given an x-ray and there seemed to be a large build up of gases in his belly, but there wasn't a visible obstruction. Our vet told us that she would feel more comfortable doing exploratory surgery than leaving him, so we made the decision to go ahead with the surgery. We waited on pins and needles all evening waiting to hear from the vet.

When she called, we were not given very good news. Peyton did indeed have an obstruction in his small intestine- we later looked at it and *think* it was part of a stuffed animal. We aren't sure how long it had been in there, but unfortunately the blockage caused the good tissue of his small intestine to die. The vet had to remove 6 feet of his small intestine- the most she has ever had to remove from a blockage. She was able to reconnect his small intestine but from there it was a waiting game to see how his body would handle the massive amount of tissue that he lost.

We were so lucky to have taken our animals to the vets that we did. They were so good to us that whole week. Peyton was treated so well- rather than be confined to a small crate they made him a bed in the corner of their lab and put a gate around him. We were welcome to come and spend as much time with him as we wanted- the kids and I spent hours with him that we are so grateful to have had. The staff all loved Peyton, and they all remarked every time we came by how his whole demeanor changed and he really perked up every time his family came to visit. We were able to sit on the floor with him and cuddle him.

On Thursday of that week, the vets made the decision that Peyton had to decide how things were going to progress. They felt that in order to see how much healing he'd really done, we needed to see how he'd do in the real world. So Brad stopped by on the way home from work and brought our pup home with him. We set him up a bed in the corner of our bedroom and put the baby gate up at the door- to keep him separated from the kids and the other dogs. Looking back, we are so thankful that we were able to have that last night with him at home, that Boone and Edward were able to see him and that the kids were able to spend time with him.

Peyton was very restless that night. His breathing was very labored, and at some point during the night I just knew that his time was very limited. Brad took him back to the vet on his way to work in the morning.

We got the call around lunchtime, that Peyton wasn't doing well at all. We had to make the most difficult decision of our lives- but in all honesty it was an easy decision to make because he was in so much pain. My parents were able to come up to the house and stay with Savannah and Landon so that I could go be with him. Brad was up in Gainesville for a deposition- I don't know how he was able to get through it but he did and came straight to the vet to be with me and Peyton.

That afternoon was so hard. The staff were all so upset- they put me back in the operating room with Peyton and let me have privacy and time with him. I was able to take him for a walk outside and just sat with him in the sun for a while. He loved being outside, but he kept trying to walk towards my car. I got him back inside and laid on the floor with him for hours. Just petting him and talking to him and telling him how much we loved him. Once Brad arrived we spent more time with him, and then we finally had to say good bye.

There were so many tears shed that week, and countless more tears in the weeks that have since passed. Peyton was our best friend, and our hearts are so empty without him in our home. Every once in a while Landon will ask me to take him to the doctor to see Peyton and it hurts y heart so badly. I avoid driving past the vet still- whenever I can't avoid it Savannah will comment on how that's where Peyton was. I think she really understands that Peyton is in Heaven and we will see him again one day, but Landon doesn't get that he can't ever come home.

It will be a very, very long time before I can really think about him without getting upset. When I am laying in bed late at night, unable to fall asleep my thoughts automatically drift to him and I have to force myself to think about something else so I don't cry myself to sleep. But we were blessed with six wonderful years with him, and look forward to seeing him in Heaven, where he will be running on the beach and in the white snowy mountains.

The Longest Update in Blog History!

Things have been quite busy in the Martin house lately! The kids got a swing set for Christmas, so they would prefer to spend every waking minute being pushed on the swings. It takes a lot of pleading and negotiation to get them to come inside for boring things like lunch and dinner! As usual we have had a load of projects going on, and we have finally finished a few of them up!

A week before Christmas Brad and I decided to do the floors in our bedroom. So we broke down our bed, emptied our room and tore out the awful carpet. We were so excited! The floors actually went down pretty quickly, and it is amazing what a difference wood floors can make in a house. In the process we had to take down the lovely wire closet system we had put in when we moved in. At the time it was better than the single shelf we had in there, but since we don't have a dresser in our room, we quickly realized we needed something with drawers.

So one weekend we went to our favorite store- Ikea- and bought a custom closet system. It took a few days to get all the components put together and installed in the closet but it is gorgeous practical and everything finally has a home in our closet! I just wish our closet was big enough to get a good angle to take pictures of it!

Then one weekend I was in Gainesville doing photography with Jaime- when I got home, Brad had finished the floors upstairs! I still don't know how he did it all, by himself. He did the guest room and Savannah's room, and then rearranged all the furniture.

I keep forgetting that I haven't made an official blog announcement, but we are expecting another baby!! We found out mid-January, right after we got back from California. I am due September 21, which is Brad's birthday and also his Grandpa's birthday, so we are kind of hoping for three generations on the same day!

So to make room for our new arrival (lovingly referred to as Thing 3) we have rearranged the upstairs of the house. What was the guest room is now Savannah and Landon's room- though Landon isn't sleeping in there yet. Savannah's old room is now the nursery, and Landon's old room is now the guest room. We debunked the bunk beds so now there are two twin beds in that room, which we repainted a few weekends ago. The theme of the kids room is Mermaids and Pirates- it works really well for a coed bedroom without being too boyish or too girlish. Since we aren't finding out if Thing 3 is a boy or a girl, we aren't going to bother doing anything in the nursery until after s/he is born. That way we can have a gender-specific nursery without having to find out what we're having! Since the baby will sleep in our room the first few months anyway, it works well.

So the next project is to clean out and repaint the guest room. That room has become sort of a catchall as we have been cleaning out the other rooms, but luckily we haven't needed to use it so it hasn't been an issue!

We also decided to finish off the garage around New Year's. The kids have SO many toys, a ridiculous amount really- and even after going through and tossing broken things, torn books, and random happy meal toys, we still have baskets and boxes overflowing with toys. So the garage has become a combination game room and play room. Brad found a pool table for dirt cheap on craigslist that just needed new felt, so we now have a new (Gator blue) pool table, plus an air hockey table we bought "the kids" for Christmas and an arcade machine that Brad built. We moved Savannah's kitchen and Landon's tool bench out there, as well as boxes full of toys. It helps keep the house a little more organized and we can all spend time in the garage with something to do.

Savannah and Landon are growing up way too fast, of course! Savannah turned four(!) on March 1st and is becoming such a little lady. She is still stubborn as her Mama, but is so sweet and cuddly most of the time. Landon is two and so much fun these days. They both have a fabulous sense of humor- Landon is the silliest little boy I have ever met. His language has just exploded over the last few months- a lot of it has come from mimicing his big sister but he comes up with some funny tales all on his own. Just today I pulled the vacuum out of the closet and he covered his ears and yelled "No, not the vacuum Mommy, it is too LOUD!" He thinks he is hilarious, which makes me crack up so then he cracks up. We do a lot of laughing these days. And singing too! My kids absolutely love the music from Glee. It amazes me that Savannah knows all the words to some great classic songs (Imagine, I'll Stand By You, Don't Stop Believin', to name a few) and Landon is learning them right along with her! He will tell me "Want to listen to Glee songs Mommy!" and on they go.

So we have been busy growing, rearranging, decorating, and planning for life as a family of five! The last few months have gone by so fast, I kind of hope things slow down a little but now that the weather has warmed up I think we will be go-go-going even more!!

Florida State Fair 2010

Last week our good friend Weslie and Jeremy were in town for their daughter Avery's birthday, which also coincided with the State Fair. Weslie's mom runs the 4-H dog show, so she got us some tickets and we headed down to the fair. It was the kids first time, and mine too! I always went to little church carnivals, but nothing like the State fair before. It was a lot of fun!

The kids on a tractor in the Ag area of the fair.

Savannah's first pony ride!! She was so excited :)

My beautiful girl.

Riding the ferris wheel with my girl. She takes after me SO much, the faster the better! She loved being at the top and looking down at everything, even though it was freezing!

Savannah riding a fire truck ride.

We had so much fun at the fair. We got to see a ton of animals- besides the cows, goats and dogs, there was a menagerie set up with llamas, monkeys, kangaroos and giraffes!! Savannah and Landon were so excited to see the giraffes. Savannah's best "friend" is her stuffed giraffe, Melman, named for Madagascar. It was neat to see them so up close! And then of course we had to enjoy the food the fair had to offer- corn dogs, cotton candy and funnel cakes, yum! But we had to laugh at the variation of fried foods- oreos, cookie dough, butter (!), snickers... but by far the most disgusting food offered up was a Krispy Kreme donut burger. The thought of it makes me gag!!

Landon turns TWO!

On January 29, Landon turned two years old! It is so hard to believe our little boy isn't a baby anymore! He is so full of life, and is really such a joy to be around. He is smart and funny and such a sweet heart. Just this morning I was washing dishes and he came over, pulled on my arm and said "Come cuddle me, Mommy. Cuddle me!" How can you say no to that?!

We had a small get together at our house with the grandparents. Landon was so excited for his Handy Manny birthday party!

Blowing out his candles.

The cake. I couldn't find an actual Manny cake anywhere so I had Publix do a basic cake and then stuck Landon's Manny tool box and tools on the cake. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Opening presents- Sheriff Woody to go with the Buzz Lightyear he got for Christmas.

Happy birthday sweet boy! We love you!

California!

Back in October after the Gators beat LSU Brad and I bought our plane tickets to Los Angeles, just in case the Gators made it to the Rose Bowl this year. We knew there is always a chance that things don't go as planned (case in point, the loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship game!) but we had decided that it was about time we took a vacation anyway, so we booked our tickets. On January 5th we got on a plane headed for LA! I was so excited, I had never been to California before (unless you count changing planes north of LA when we went to Arizona a few years ago, which I don't!)

This was the first vacation we have taken, just the two of us, that wasn't scheduled around someone's wedding or a football game since our honeymoon six years ago. Brad booked us a night at a hotel on the Sunset Strip for our first night, so after we checked in we walked down to Hollywood Blvd to see all the tourist-y things in Hollywood.

Johnny Depp!

Grauman's Chinese Theater.

The original House of Blues, a block away from our hotel.

Our first full day we had scheduled a tour at the Warner Brothers studio, which was awesome. It was a VIP tour, which meant there were only 12 people on the tour, and instead of just driving around and looking at things we were actually able to get off and walk around a lot of the areas. Probably the best part of the entire tour was the room that was set up as Central Perk, from Friends. It was so awesome to see that iconic room and of course, the couch!

The menu board, as it was written in the final episode of Friends.

Brad and I sitting on the couch!

After the studio tour, we had gotten tickets to see a taping of the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. We spent a few hours waiting in line but ended up in the first row of the audience which was really neat. Of course we weren't allowed to take any pictures but we had so much fun. Afterwards we went to dinner in Beverly Hills, then drove down to the Santa Monica Pier.

Us on the pier, in front of the ferris wheel.

Our next adventure began bright and early on Thursday January 7th. We loaded into our rental car and headed up the Pacific Coast Highway towards San Francisco. We stopped several times along the coast to take pictures of the breathtaking scenery. The most amazing thing to me was seeing the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, and places where the mountains literally touched the sea. It was so awesome to see God's hand at work here. Brad and I always ask each other where we would rather be, in the mountains or on the coast, and this brought together those two worlds in a way I could hardly believe.

A beautiful beach along the coast.

My love.

I love this picture of the two of us!

That would be me :)

We stopped for lunch in San Luis Obispo to meet an internet friend of mine and her husband and children, and after that we headed to San Simeon to see the Hearst Castle, which was stunning. Beyond words, really.

The view from the base of the property at Hearst. The family's land stretches farther than the eye can even see, to the ocean on one side and into the mountains on the other.

The outdoor pool at Hearst.

The architecture was just beautiful.

After we left the tour at Hearst, we headed up to Big Sur, where we had rented a cabin for the night. We stopped one last time along the coast to see the elephant seals. We were very lucky, it was mating season and there was a beach that was entirely covered with seals as far as you could see. There were babies, males fighting in the surf, and bodies just laying in the sand. Of course, my camera battery decided to take this opportunity to die so I only got a few pictures of the seals, but I did manage to catch the sun set over the ocean.

Elephant seals.

Sunset over the Pacific.

After our night in Big Sur, we headed North again, stopping for breakfast in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and walked around the adorable little town.

I loved this tree.

From the beach in Carmel you could see the 18th hole at Pebble Beach.

After Carmel we stopped in Monterey and went to the aquarium, which was a lot of fun to see (especially without the kids running around, which meant we could take our time looking at the exhibits!) After that, we decided to try to drive north of San Francisco and go to a winery in Napa, but everything closed at 5:30, which is about when we would have arrived. So we looked around on the iPhones (you've got to love technology!) and found an area in Santa Cruz that had several wineries so we stopped there for a tasting and then right across was a brewery so we popped in there so Brad could do a tasting there, too. It was a really nice afternoon.

From Santa Cruz we finally drove into San Francisco. We got in about 5:30, and drove to Lombard Street (the steepest and windy-est street in the US) which was completely scary, especially in the dark! One of Brad's fraternity brothers lives in the city and was nice enough to let us stay with him for the two nights we were in town. Our first night we walked down to a restaurant by his apartment, then went to bed. Driving is exhausting!

While we were at dinner I mentioned to Matt and his fiancee that the one thing I had really wanted to work into our trip but hadn't been able to, was seeing the redwoods. Matt told me that the huge trees up near Oregon were actually sequoias, and the tall redwoods were just 20 minutes outside San Francisco, so on Saturday morning he took us out to see them. They were so beautiful, there aren't enough words describe how awesome it was standing in that forest. The trees were SO tall, it was really hard to actually photograph the perspective of how big they were, but I tried!

My perspective- Brad and Matt walking by a redwood.

And Brad standing in a hollowed-out tree.

After the redwoods, we headed to Sausalito where Matt has a sailboat, and he took us out into San Francisco Bay on the boat. We had never been sailing before, so it was such an awesome experience for us! I absolutely loved sitting in the boat and watching the seals literally swim right by!

The Golden Gate Bridge from the sail boat.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip, Brad and Matt as the boat was coming about.

After we went sailing and had some lunch, Matt dropped Brad and I off at Ghiradelli Square and then we walked down all the famous piers in San Francisco.

Before we left home, I had been reading articles saying that all the sea lions have been disappearing from their usual hangout at Pier 39, so I was worried we wouldn't be able to see them but we were lucky that there was a large group of them sunning themselves on a dock.

Looking out at Alcatraz from Pier 39.

We had scheduled a night tour of Alcatraz which was phenomenal! It was so spooky being inside the prison in the dark. At the end of the audio tour there were different small tours you could go on, including a demonstration of the doors. It was definitely creepy listening to the clanging of those huge steel doors and the echoes that reverberated around the room. It was so easy to imagine what the prisoners had been thinking at the start and end of every day.

Sunset behind the Bridge, taken from Alcatraz.

Brad and I on Alcatraz. It was freezing!!

So Sunday morning, January 10th we caught a plane home. We had such an awesome trip, we were able to see and do so many things and I am so thankful that we were able to do it together. But it was certainly nice to get home to our babies!!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a very, very blessed Christmas.

Love, the Martins

These Are the Moments

Landon is just waking up from his nap. I am in the bedroom and he started cooing on the monitor. Savannah picked up the monitor and is talking to Landon through it:

"Landon? Can you hear me? It's me, your big sister. Savannah? I love you. Can you talk to me? I know you can hear me, why are you not talking? Landon? Guess where we're going? We're going to grandma's houuuuse. Isn't that exciting? Can you hear me? I love you. You're my baby brother."

Landon starts cooing some more. The he calls for daddy. Then Savannah says:

"Haha, Landon, you are so funny. I love you so much. We'll come and get you right now. Are you ready to get up? We'll see you soon! I love you!"

Melts my heart.

Fall Fun!

This past weekend when we were in Ocala, we headed down to the pumpkin patch! This is the third year in a row we have gone there- last year was a bust, we were late in the season and all the pumpkins were picked over and Landon wanted NOTHING to do with them! It was more fun this year, both kids really had a lot of fun running around with the pumpkins and playing on the play ground. Landon even got over his fear of sliding by himself and loved going down the curvy slide!

Siblings.

My handsome John Deere boy.

She loves her little brother!

My pretty girl.

So much for the shy girl who would never smile for the camera!

'Cheese!'

On Monday Landon's best friend (and Savannah's future husband, according to her!) Logan came over- and they boys were wearing the same shirt! They looked so cute, we had to get some pictures.

My little rocker boy.

Best friends :)

The boys, matching and holding hands.