Remember Me?

Y'all. It's been two months. Did you think I was gone forever? I've entertained that thought once or twice, but I knew the break would only be temporary. Things have been so hectic! Thanksgiving in Texas, my birthday and Christmas back in Florida, and now here we are back in Texas, living. We did it, we moved! Really I thought I'd be back in the groove right after Thanksgiving- but reality hit when December rolled around and I took a hard look at my empty suitcases and boxes. I'm moving in like three weeks, do I need to be packed for that? If you follow on Instagram, you've already been getting glimpses of our life over the past few months, so I won't be backtracking to recap all that I've missed. But I'm totally reserving the right to spam you with pictures and thoughts from the bloggy break, per moments of nostalgia.

We had an awesome Christmas with my parents before beginning our new adventure. Up until the move, the furthest I had ever lived from my parents was just over two hundred miles. Throughout college and the first year and a half of marriage (and parenthood) my parents were always a phone call and three hour drive away. I was independent, yet still dependent in the sense that if Juan really pissed me off I could easily make the drive back home to mommy and daddy. And that happened... more than once or twice. But now that we live so far away, there's a whole new realm of feelings and a new reality. Juan and I are dependent on each other. We are each other's support system, and have been forced to improve in many different aspects of our marriage. Paramore rocks it to us real straight: Don't go crying to your mama 'cause you're on your own in the real world. In the short month that we've been here, both Juan and I have already been forced to grow up a tad bit more. That's not to say we're ready to switch over to full on grown-up mode, you'll still catch us hula hooping in the aisles at Target and buying the occasional pack of Ramen noodles.

A little rant about the actual moving part (and I'm no expert on moving nor army life), but as a new to army life family we are completely disappointed with the turn out of our move. I won't go as far as saying clowns were hired to move us... but clowns were hired to move us. If our furniture is not banged up or split in half, it's completely missing. Loaded onto the semi in Florida, no longer on the semi when unloading in Texas. Poof, vanished. Granted, the semi made a few deliveries along the way, but I can't seem to wrap my mind around the thought of someone being so oblivious to the freaking ginormous box full of Jeep Wrangler parts that was accidentally unloaded at the wrong house. Luckily we are only missing a few boxes and most of our stuff made it. Though from the looks of how it all made it, it was just barely. Tetris, anyone? If you take a close look, you can see Juan's motorcycle supporting the entire contents of our house. I can't even.

So we are now in the process of submitting damaged or missing items claims. A process that not only has us constantly worried about whether we will be reimbursed or SOL listed (SOL is not army jargon), but it also requires a stupid amount of paperwork and sales receipts. Receipts are obviously needed to confirm that what you are seeing is, in fact, our TempurPedic mattress with a giant slash in it and not Barbie's plastic toilet, duh. They are also needed to confirm the amount we paid for each item- luckily we bought most of our furniture from Ashley who will provide the documentation. But what if we hadn't? Will they really tell us we are shit out of luck if we can't provide the receipt from the lamp that was purchased four years ago? Sure, I have that receipt in my front pocket. Oh and it's fine that my end table is demolished, the Craigslist seller that I bought it from two years ago gave me a complimentary receipt. Ef.

That's what we're dealing with, praying it will be resolved soon. It is most discouraging trying to settle in and build a love for our house with our broken stuff taking up space. At the end of the day, most of it is still functional, and for that we are thankful. Thankful, too, that the four of us made it to Texas in one piece. 
I'm ready to make this house a home!

Georgia Picture Dump

A crazy busy weekend is ahead of us. In about an hour we're heading down to Tradition for Food Truck night, I swear the Fried Oreos start calling my name as soon as the truck pulls into the lot. Tomorrow I'm going to a fun "Holiday Bazaar" with my mom and grandma- we used to go every year when I was younger, though I haven't been for the past three or four. I am wayyy too excited to get out (kid free, thanks Daddy!) and enjoy all of the crafts and Christmas goodies! Then Austin and I leave for Texas on Monday. So in between our weekend adventures I'll be cramming to run all of my errands, wash and pack our clothes, and turn in two weeks worth of homework. I have yet to get out that promised Georgia post, so I'm just gonna go ahead and picture dump it on you guys.
Because, hello, Fried Oreos.

Austin's first trick or treating experience was an amazing success. My cousin has a double seat Radio Flyer wagon, so the boys were able to ride between houses. Candy and a free ride, they had it good. Austin was the man when it came to getting his candy, he had no problem marching himself up to each door and holding out his bucket. When the candy was left outside for trick or treaters to choose their own, he so gently grabbed just one piece. Only once did he get a little fiesty and grab three. Boy after my own heart. 

Our days were spent enjoying the company of our cousins and the beautiful fall weather. I wish you could just feel the weather through these sweet pictures. The cool season just invites you to stay outside for hours!

One evening we went to Steed's Dairy, which I believe is all set up for Christmas now. It's hard to believe that it could get any more awesome than what we saw, but I'm sure they make it happen for the Christmas season! It's funny how you can go to the smallest towns and find so much to do. A fun crowd really does add to the experience, I think my cousin Katie and I could have a good time in a hay field just watching these dudes. 

It's sad to think about the next time these guys will get to see each other, I can't even pinpoint a date. Not a month, not even a year. Okay, tone it down with the dramatics. I hope we'll find time next year, but with a fifteen hour drive from Texas to Georgia… it seems like a far fetched idea for the near future. Come to think of it, it's their turn to come to us. So Katie, Brandon, and little Tyler-- go buy some boots and pack your bags, y'all are coming to Texas! 

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I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families and friends! Eat, relax, and enjoy the moments spent with your loved ones. These are the days!

Road Trips with Toddlers

A few weeks ago Austin and I road tripped up to Georgia for a little cousin bonding. We got a late start heading up so we spent the night in Jacksonville to break up the eight hour drive. That ended up doing more harm than good for us- Austin was a restless monster the whole night. The kid needs his own crib, and he will make sure you are well aware of that if you try to get him  to sleep on two couches pushed together. So to my dear best friend Ihla, who put up with the little troll all night, you are truly a saint. And, needless to say, the eight hour drive back home was done in one day.


I don't think you can ever fully prepare for long road trips with toddlers- you just have to be ready for anything, expect anything. Based on what I experienced and wished I had done differently, I put together some tips and tricks for taking on a road trip, alone, with your toddler. I hope you find it helpful!

1. Bring a DVD Player/Laptop: And don't just bring it- prepare the movie before you get on the road. Find a set, secure place to position the laptop, or it'll be sliding back and forth and jumping off the center console with every lane change. God forbid he hears Mickey Mouse but can't see him because the blasted laptop has fallen again. I wish that situation on no one. My laptop's DVD drive has gone kaput, so I ended up relying on iTunes for the Mickey Mouse episodes that I had already downloaded. Luckily Austin didn't notice or seem to mind that he was watching the same two episodes on repeat.

2. Stretch: Every time you stop for gas, get the little one out of the car. Even if it's just for a five minute game of chase in the back of the Waffle House parking lot. It's probably time for a diaper change any way. Tire those baby legs out as much as you can!

3. Pack a variety of snacks and keep the snack bag handy: Pack some new snacks that your little one has never had before. Austin gave me the most reassuring whooaaaaa with each cool, new snack I handed back to him. Then of course some got the this tastes like shit reaction and were hurled back up to the front seat. Obviously pack some favorites in case the new snacks are a bust. If your kid is half as obsessed with bowls as mine is, pack some toddler sized snack bowls. And of course, plenty of sippy cups, because Lord knows he'll tell you the world is ending if he drops his. With your tag team being understaffed, you'll want to just grab a new cup and pour something in it instead of blindly groping around the back seat for the dropped one.

4. Find out if your car seat has the recline feature, and if so, recline that puppy back. Austin takes some of his best naps in the reclined car seat. After each nap, I sat his seat back up so he could watch the other cars and see out the window. He loves that.

5. Of course, there's always a last resort. In my case, I had hit the end of my tether around minute twenty seven of his unrelieved, deafening pleas to be let out of his seat. I unleashed the scariest, most threatening "STOP CRYING" that I honestly didn't know I was capable of. Austin was silent for an hour straight, not one peep. I was, and still am, half ashamed and half amused. Poor little guy. Then we got milkshakes.

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Different tricks will work with different kids. Some things that my cousin Katie was able to do for her son didn't stand a chance with Austin. I think your best bet is to expect anything- take all of these tips into consideration, but also you have to know your own kid. And of course, it wouldn't hurt to have a shotgun rider suffering with helping you along the way.

On Monday we'll be doing this all again. Except this time, I'll be in slightly less control and thousands of feet in the air. There's something quite unnerving about the thought of flying alone with a toddler… I keep reminding myself that Juan has already flown alone with Austin a couple times, so it's definitely doable. But come Tuesday, if our names have been added to the No Fly List, we may be requesting a ride home after Thanksgiving.

Happy travels!

Five on Friday

Linking up with the ladies again! Two weeks in a row. BAM. 

  

ONE.

 Austin and I have been extremely blessed to have such support from my family this past year. After a year of living under someone else's roof, I am so ready to have a place of my own again. My grandma is reading this and thinking likewise, little girl. I know she is more than ready to have her house back in order, and I am counting down the days until I can grant her that wish. Forty three. I still don't have pictures of our house, but I have a few pictures of other homes in our neighborhood. Look at this basement. Thoughts? Creepy. As. ----

This Florida girl has never even step foot in a basement, let alone have one in her own house. I will say, however, that I'm looking forward to having this huge space for storage! And possible man cave? 

TWO.

In our first apartment, we made our third bedroom a guest room.  If we were still living in that apartment, there's no doubt that the third bedroom would have been made into a playroom by now. At the time, the guest room worked for us. Austin was a newborn so we had lots of visitors coming and going. This home has two bedrooms and a "bonus room", and you can bet your travel size air mattress that it will not be used as a guest room. But if you don't mind sleeping in the playroom amongst a few thousand toys that may or may not sing to you all night, feel free to visit us! We'll even supply the air mattress.

I'm loving these two ideas in particular- installing a shelf underneath the window instead of a table taking up floor space and turning an old end table into a lego table. My parents have a table almost exactly like this one in their garage! Score! 

Shelf. Lego Table.

THREE.

Christmas is just around the corner, right on past the giant turkey. Like I said here, we spread our shopping out over the course of two months, though I've been buying little presents for Austin here and there since the end of summer. This wish list that I put together has a few items that I'm pretty sure he'll be opening Christmas morning ;) His cousin has this exact trampoline and Austin was obsessed, same goes for the ride on train. And as for the hat- my kid just really loves to accessorize.

FOUR.
More house talk. There's a half bath downstairs and only one upstairs. All of our bedrooms are upstairs, so uhmm, yeah -- Austin, Juan and I will be communal bathrooming it together down the hall. To make things a bit easier on us all, I'm thinking about making a little vanity corner in our bedroom for hair and makeup. I'm picturing something simple: a small, consigned table with a couple drawers and a mirror hung on the wall above it. I'm not a huge fan of the store bought vanities with the attached mirrors, I'm hoping to put together something of my own for under 100. I really like how this one looks. (Insert gold accents instead of silver. Always.)

Table DIY.

FIVE.
Our plane ticket has been purchased for Thanksgiving! Last year we had the best Thanksgiving in Texas, so it only makes sense to go back for seconds (thirds and fourths…). We will be Texans ourselves at the end of the year, so I suppose this Texas Thanksgiving thing is here to stay! Did I call it or what!?


Have a merry weekend! ;)

Wish List for Her

There's no denying that I've been in the Christmas spirit since a few days after Halloween. I haven't forgotten about Thanksgiving, but Christmas shopping seems to be about a two month process for us. Juan and I aren't ones to power shop the week before; we like to take our time Christmas shopping- relishing every second of it. Plus, the earlier you start the more sales you'll find, and we LOVE a good bargain. 

I like to think that I'm lucky for having a birthday six days before Christmas. I have yet to actually write down a birthday/Christmas list but my Pinterest Wish List board is getting pretty full. (That's for you, Juanie. And mom.) I've put together a few favorites from my board… maybe some of these beauts will find their way onto your list, too.

Shirt. Zebra Dish. Jack Rogers. Zebra Rug. Boots. Chair. Rudolph Necklace. 

A few disclaimers:
1. Not only do I have eyes for this beautiful zebra rug, I'm eyeing just about every large, decently priced rug these days. I'm expecting a lot of dreadful lonoleum flooring in our house on base, so large area rugs are going to be my best friends in the near future.
2. That chair. Can you tell I have just recently become a huge fan of animal print? Because I can only find it online, there's no way to determine its comfort level... but comfy or not, I could stare at it all day and would not mind having this beautiful accent piece taking up space in my living room!
3. The necklace. I couldn't wait for Christmas to get this adorable tassel necklace- I just bought this for myself. Totally justifiable because I wouldn't wear it after Christmas any way. I'm so excited for it to come in the mail ;)

What are some things on your wish list?

Five on Friday

I'm linking up with the ladies for a little Five on Friday action… hoping to make this a regular thing again. We'll see!

  

ONE.
When I made my blog about a year and a half ago, The Martinez Men was the obvious choice when naming this little corner of the internet that I call my own. At the time, my life revolved around my three boys. Since then, I've been away from two of them for about a year… so The Martinez Men has been seeming more and more like Just Me and the Kid. We'll all be reunited again at the end of the year, but with all the changes, and more coming, I'm feeling like this little space needs a makeover. A name change. Anyone agree? I have one in mind, but I am welcoming any and all suggestions! Something a little less, well, manly. Ready, go.


TWO.
We had a great time at Austin's school's fall festival a few weeks ago. I'll admit I was a little nervous eyeing the casually dressed crowd as we walked through the gate- but our costumes were a hit. And who doesn't dress up for a freaking fall festival, any way. We left with three cakes courtesy of the cake walk, two caramel apples, and one skinned elbow from the inflatable slide (mine). Austin insisted we take about eighty two turns, but I swear each slide down was even more fun than the last. The kid is fearless.

THREE.
Oh Georgia. (You knew it was coming.) My Instagram overload doesn't even do our little getaway justice. I plan on dedicating a post just to our trip, but until then enjoy a couple of my favorite captured moments.

FOUR.
Has anyone else noticed the new Kate Spade Kids line at Gap!? I am totally drooling over the little girls stuff, and really wishing I could squeeze myself into some of it. Maybe I'll settle for that bow headband.  Girl mamas, definitely head on over and check it out. And boy mamas- the Jack Spade line is mighty cute, too. But in my opinion, it just doesn't compare to the girly glitter cuteness. Sigh.

FIVE.
One last little ramble… Juan signed for a house! Because we are so new to army life, we chose to live on base for the first couple of years. We were offered a house super close to Juan's work and I've already been in touch with a few of the residents who live in the neighborhood. I think we are going to love it- despite the super creepy basement. Anyone want to see pictures? Yeah, me too. I'll shoot them out when I can finally get my hands on some!


Have a great November weekend! Is it just me, or did I come home to some cooler weather? It's no Georgia fall, but I can tell Florida is trying. Even if it's just a little.

Rainy Fall Days

You know the feeling when you've mentally made super exciting plans- say, picking up some donuts and milkshakes for an afternoon at the park. What toddler doesn't want to spend the afternoon taking on big kid slides while double fisting chocolate munchkins? You're positive that you must be the best afternoon adventure planner in the history of moms. And you can't wait for the babe to wake up from his nap to get the party started.

Then it all goes to hell in a hand basket because mother nature just took a giant you know what on it all. Now you're trying to soothe the stir crazy baby monster as you watch her rain on your entire parade, donuts and all.

I thank these mini pumpkins for restoring my sanity last week. This fun activity kept little Picasso busy for a golden half hour. Three mini pumpkins, a few permanent markers, and some paint was all it took. There are so many fun possibilities with these mini pumpkins- and they are just the perfect size for teeny baby hands! 

Also the perfect size to pretend that you did actually go and get donuts ;)

A girl can dream.

And speaking of dreaming, or lack thereof, it is the middle of the night and I am wide awake. My body seems to be in some state of denial that it's going to be waking up and catering to the boss in about four hours. So because it is technically Tuesday, I can finally say that tomorrow Austin and I will be taking a road trip to Georgia! I'm either getting mom of the year or dumbass of the decade for taking on this eight hour trip with a twenty one month old by myself. But there really is no question that it'll be worth it.  Dare I say I would take a screaming backseat driver all the way up if it meant we got to see some real fall weather. I'll keep you posted on that ;)

Enjoy your week- and Happy Halloween!!!