Happy Birthday, Canaan Kirt!

Canaan is ONE YEAR OLD! We celebrated his birthday Monday night with family and friends. Canaan was wonderful. When kids are one, it is so hard to predict how they will act at any time, let alone on that 'big day'. Right before his party started, Canaan started rubbing his eyes and acting grumpy. But, no worries, he was great! Canaan was a little clingy during parts of his party; I think all the people and excitement just got to him a bit. Overall, though, he was a great partier! He even did spectacular opening his presents. He helped peel the paper off the gifts, played with all the toys (didn't look twice at the clothes), and only cried when we took away one gift to open the next. So, we learned to do quick transitions between presents.
As for eating the birthday cupcake- he wasn't so impressed. He took a few bites of it; either he didn't like it (it was chocolate- could he be related to me and not like chocolate???), or he was too tired from all the other activities to properly enjoy it. Who knows. We got a few pictures of him eating it, but when we went to take a family picture, he started crying. Mommy and Daddy were smiling, but not our sweet boy-he was in a full cry. Poor thing.
All the other kids did excellent too. Malachi (Rob and Denyce's boy), Noelle (Matt and Vanessa's girl), and Grant (Russel and Alison's little boy who was born on the same day as Canaan) were all great sports throughout the festivities. It was such a wonderful night; we all had a blast!
Our theme was TONKA Trucks. Canaan is stuck on trucks. He LOVES them. So, I was giddy excited to find Tonka truck plates and decor at Party City. I called Dougle (who was in Dallas for support stuff) and told him excitedly about my find. What a silly MOM I am!
It was just perfect!
At his party,Canaan came away with blocks, trucks, trains, clothes and more! What a blessed little boy he is!

We thank God an awesome first year with Canaan Kirt. We also look forward to an amazing new year with Canaan Kirt!

Happy Birthday Canaan Kirt!

Our baby is growing up! God has blessed us with one wonderful year so far with our son. He has just bloomed into such an amazing boy. We have watched with delight as he just laid beautifully before us when he was just one month old. We were even more delighted as he began to reach out and grasp things. Then he started moving his little body around more, playing with toys, sitting up, reading books, talking, crawling and walking. Also developing more every day has been his personality. For the most part, he is very calm and laid back. He plays with others and by himself. He is pretty good about going to others if someone familiar is close by. He has his stubborn moments, starting to insist on certain things, as well as testing the waters as to how much Mommy and Daddy really mean what they say! He loves to play and tease. He still loves to read books, and requests "a-book" several times each day. Canaan is love-struck with TRUCKS. They are his favorite toys, and he loves to watch them drive by (especially the big dually diesel engines or semis). He also has developed a liking for balls and has learned how to toss them gently forward. Canaan has been an amazing blessing to Dougle and I, as well as all our family. God has richly granted us this precious gift, and we want to thank Him and give him glory every day!

A Surprise from Auntie Livi

A few nights ago, Auntie Livi (and UD) surprised Malachi and Canaan with photo frame pumpkins! She crafted these herself, after reading a nifty article in a magazine. Isn't she just the sweetest Auntie to these two boys?

So Close

When in Phoenix, we realized we were only 7 hours away from LA, where Dougle’s mom lives. So, we left Phoenix half a day early and drove to LA, passing near one of the fires on our way in. We were only able to stay two nights, one day. But it was so wonderful for Canaan to be able to see his Memaw and Grandpa once more. Memaw and Grandpa also got to see Canaan walking and talking. This was a blessing being able to see them, even for a little bit. The trip home was long, but good. Canaan was excellent this whole trip- to Phoenix, LA, and back. We are just so proud of him!

The last picture is a fun game Memaw found- give tape to the baby! Canaan would just walk around playing with it; when it lost it's stickiness, Memaw just have him a fresh piece!

On the Road Again...

This past weekend we were able to drive to Phoenix, Arizona, to visit the sponsoring congregation of our teammates, Rob and Denyce. After a long, 16 hours drive (about 12 hours driving, plus 4 hours stopping time for the 2 babies and the pregnant woman!). We were blessed to stay with the Jahn and Teresa Jared and their six year old little boy, Christian. The Jareds were so hospitable and loving; their son Christian was a wonderful playmate for Canaan. When he heard how much Canaan loves trucks, he brought them all out. There were trucks and tractors of all types. They played with trucks at every spare moment we had. By the time we left, Canaan had acquired a new word: tractor!

The Sun Valley church of Christ at Phoenix treated us so kindly. They planned a game night, as well as a church fellowship; some of the members took us site seeing the other two days. It was a great time to get to know our partners in Phoenix. We are blessed to have them as part of our mission to Russia.

I have pictures to share, but they will come later when I have access to them!

Also in Houston...

I was so busy after we got back from Houston that I forgot to post about visiting Tiffany and her new bundle of joy! Canaan and I stayed overnight at Tiffany's house while we were in Houston. (This was one of the pink beds that Canaan stayed in.) We got to meet baby Emily, who was just 2 1/2 weeks old! Tiffany and I had a great time catching up and talking about baby stuff. Wow! I can't believe it has almost been a year since Canaan was that small!

Our Friends in Houston

Last week we had some unexpected time off, so we jumped in the car and headed off to Houston. Our friends, Guy, Nan and Aspen (just one month younger than Canaan) moved there last May and we have missed them! We also felt Canaan should see his betrothed, Aspen Belle, once more before we left the country. In Houston, the kids had a great time playing together and butting heads while we parents enjoyed each others company, gazing at our beautiful babies together, exchanging funny kid stories, etc. Aspen and Canaan didn’t always know what to think about the “other baby” in the same house as they were in! I think both are used to being the very center of attention. Overall it was a wonderful trip. We will miss you Guy Nan, and Aspen!

MeeMaw and Grandpa Clyde

On our way back from Houston, we were able to stop by and see Dougle’s grandmother in Tyler. We didn’t have much time, but it was great getting to see her again (she came to our wedding, but you know how rushed those days are!). We really enjoyed visiting with her and her husband. They enjoyed getting to know Canaan. And Canaan was very grateful for the time out of his car-seat where he could walk around. She had some toy trucks that he played with for about an hour. It was so cute!

Secure in His Manhood

While in Houston, Canaan got his fill of PINK! He slept in two different girly pink bedrooms, sat in a pink high chair, and played with pink toys. We did refrain from dressing him in any pink dresses- we must draw the line somewhere! But, Canaan is secure enough in his manhood not to be bothered by it!

Cousin Ashtin

My cousin Ashtin is living in town going to the AIM program. Even though she is busy, we get to see her when she comes over to do laundry. I thought it was so cute as Ashtin was reading to Canaan. I couldn’t tell who was having more fun- Ashtin or Canaan!

Toys

Canaan has learned that he can put the rings back on the stacker! It is so exciting. He’s been doing it for about a month now, and he never puts them on in a certain order. He just grabs whatever ring is closest or his favorite at the moment. He has also learned that he can put the shape blocks back in their box. He doesn’t put them through the shape matching lid- that is a little ways down the road still- but he does take off the lid and plop the blocks in. It is fun to watch how he is growing and learning to do things on his own!

The Boy in Him

Canaan is definitely all boy! He has always loved making lots of loud noises. One of his favorite pastimes is to take two toys and bang them together. If they don’t make much noise, then those aren’t his favorite toys. Now Canaan is starting to play with a ball (since we finally found one for him). We will roll it back and forth, only he doesn’t roll the ball- he picks it up and hands it to me to roll back to him. It is great fun and way too cute! The other new boy thing is his obsession with trucks (“ucks”). Dougle and I bought him a Tonka truck to stand behind and push. It also has a cool steering wheel where each thing (blinker, horn, key) makes different noises then turned or pushed. He just loves his truck! He walks behind it everywhere. It really just goes in a straight line, so when he ran into things that stopped him, he would grunt for us to come over and turn it around for him. Now he has learned that he can just walk to the other end, and push it right back the way it came- all by himself. He is so cute to watch! He also recognizes real trucks (anything from a riding lawnmower to a big vehicle he calls a “uck”). He especially loves it when they drive by making lots of noise! So now, his two favorite words are “book” and “uck”. That’s our boy!

The Stages and Phases

Since he was born, Dougle and I have always tried to be parents who enjoy each and every stage that Canaan goes through. We don’t want to be parents who wish their baby stayed a baby forever, rather we want to be parents who cherish each new phase of growth. For the most part, it has been exceptionally easy; we get so excited at each new thing that he does or is about to do. Until Now. This newest phase is not so fun: it is the clingy phase. From birth, we have made an effort to let lots of different people hold Canaan and play with him, so that he gets used to being with many and new people. But now, he will have none of it. He has started to cry when I drop him off in the nursery for Bible Class- which he used to love. He doesn’t want to go see anyone and gets worried and cries when anyone other than his favorite six people hold him. I realize that this is just a temporary thing (hopefully). In a way it makes me feel good that he loves to be with people he is familiar with, but I also wish he would enjoy other people too. I’ve heard that Canaan will probably go through another one or two clingy stages after this one, so I guess I’ll have plenty of time to learn to cherish them. So, until it is over, I am trying to soak in all the hugs he gives me (when he is turning away from someone he doesn’t want to go to) and all the times he chooses me over others.

Another interesting thing is the way that he will do things for a few weeks, and then decide he doesn’t want to do it any more. For instance, walking. He would take 20-30 steps easily across the living room from one person to another. And he was very proud of himself too! Now, he doesn’t want to take two steps to get from one person to another, but instead will go down to his hands and knees and crawl the distance! What a funny little boy!

Also as a side note: Canaan has learned to climb the stairs. So now, we must always use the gate, or we will find him 6 steps high in a flash!

Hair

Those of you who aren’t around all the time will laugh at this. Okay, even those of you I see often might laugh too. But Canaan’s hair is growing! You can see a little shadow in pictures and he even has a small little line of thicker hair in one or two places on his head. I just wanted you to know, my baby does have hair and it is growing…slowly but surely! In the meantime, isn’t he just the cutest little baldy you have ever seen?!

The Fair

It is tradition. A Martin Family Tradition. The first Monday of the fair, we work at the LCU pie booth, from 4-8pm. This year was no exception. We all headed out to the fair to sell pies and enjoy the good food (why else do you go to the fair, if not to eat?). As soon as we arrived, I discovered that the pie booth was no place for Canaan; to top it off, I had forgotten his stroller. But, Grand-dad decided to take advantage of the situation right away. He grabbed Canaan and away they went to stroll through the cattle and swine barns, peek in on the petting zoo, and just walk around and enjoy looking at all the people. They came back long enough to eat. I bought Canaan a big potato with broccoli and cheese topping- and he loved it. He ate almost the entire potato. We had to distract him to get him to stop eating; he was just enjoying it so much! A little bit later, Auntie Livia took Canaan around the fair, then Grand-dad again, next Daddy got a turn, and then it was time to leave. On our way out, Dougle and I walked through an animal barn with him. It was fun. There was even a petting zoo with goats and sheep. The funny thing was that Canaan was more interested in running after the other little kids than petting the animals. He has really taken an interest in other little kids lately. Overall, the fair was once again a fun family time, and I think Canaan’s relatives all enjoyed taking him around and spending some good quality time with him. It was a great year, adding yet another family member to our great tradition!