Christmas tag

Christmas Tag
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, definately

2. Real or Artificial tree? Artificial. We travel too much over the holidays to have a real one.

3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? This is something Sam usually initiates, because he likes it down the first week of January.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yeah, but with lots of milk.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't remember, My favorite part of Christmas was going up to visit relatives after Christmas morning.

7. Hardest person to buy for? I agree with Bonny, my Dad is the hardest.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Samantha, everyone else I second guess my decisions

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes we had an enrichment group this year that met every month to paint one piece.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I love to get Christmas cards so I try to send them.

11. Worst Christmas gift ever received? Technically it wasn't my present. I opened a gift that had my name on it and it was trucks. Then they said oh those are Mathews.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I love the Muppet's Christmas Carol.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I find good deals. Sometimes at the beginning of the year. Then at Christmas time we start pulling presents from all over and are surprised with what we have

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yeah we got a movie we already had. We gave it away

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies, treats. pecan caramel biscuits.

16. Lights on the tree? Colored. I don't hate plain white, but I like the colored ones.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I don't know. I just love listening to them

18. Travel or stay home at Christmas? Travel. We have stayed at our own house 2 of the 7 and we will be at Sams parents this year.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Who can't? You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen, but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph.

20. Angel or star on the tree-top? Father Christmas

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Morning? We open Christmas pajamas the night before and then everything else Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I love this time of year. People are usually nicer. The most annoying thing is full parking lots

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Don't have one. We each pick an ornament each year so our decorations vary.

24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? I never grew up with Christmas dinner. We will have a turkey dinner at sams familys this year. We always had prime rib Christmas eve(we are doing it new years eve this year) and breakfast casserole with pecan caramel biscuits.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A nice purse that can hold bottles, to have my kids entertained by aunts, uncles and daddy for a week, yeah I am glad I get that one

Tag, you're it!!!

December

We have had a fun month. Samantha officially started walking, making her a nine month old walker. She also turned 10 months old.

I went to enrichment night when I came home I noticed Caleb wasn't in bed in his room. So I went to the girls room. I was in shock as I saw everything from their room was piled onto the bunk beds, including the bookshelf. I asked what they were doing and they said they were wanted to go to the moon and were packing. Apparently the bunk beds were the rocket ship. They even had diapers and things for Samantha. They were just going to have a good sibling trip. I told them they should pretend pack since the trip was pretend. Charlotte said it was just pretend? We weren't really going to the moon?. Caleb did a good job convincing her it was real.

Somehow they did this all with Daddy right in the next room. He said they were exceptionally quite that night.

hubby post

What is your husband’s name? Samuel Lyman
How long did you date? Our first date was in July 2000. We started "going out" in August, married March 2001, so not very long
How old is he? 29
Who eats sweets? Me, definately me. I am the candy fiend after all.
Who said I love you first? He did, but I said it right after.
Who is taller? Me
Who can sing better? Varies, I have been trained more, but My voice comes and goes.
Who is smarter? Um let me think about that. Who has a M.D.? I would say he is.
Who does the laundry? Laundry, what is that? I do, when it gets done.
Who pays the bills? Right now I do, but that changes.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me
Who mows the lawn? He does. Last time I mowed the lawn, I found fire ants.
Who cooks dinner? I do, unless Sam has time. We often help each other. On weekends it is Costco, Taco Cabana, Bill Millers, Cicis or the Chinese Buffet
Who drives? Both. Sam does unless he is tired.
Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Me, because I usually feel guilty and am usually the one to make mistakes.
Who kissed who first? It was a mutual decision. Sam had to work up to it, I was the first girl he ever kissed.
Who asked who out first? He asked me out. I was very surprised, no one ever asked me out.
Who wears the pants? We keep each other in check, we both make the decision, unless it is something that one of us feels strongly about.
Friends who should do this: All of them! Family too!

Wow we got a date.

Luckily (?) for me Sam's family are huge football fans, specifically BYU football fans. So Isaac drove the six hours here to see the byu/utah game. Not quite worth the drive since they lost, but the kids and I get to go back with him. Sam, Isaac and Charlotte went to the Jazz/Spurs game last night. Sam and I got up early this morning and went to the Temple, it has been too long. It was such a nice experience. We also got to go out for breakfast. Isaac is very good with the kids, watching them meant playing Wii for hours and jumping on the trampoline. We only scared him a little by telling him if Samantha had a seizure for five minutes (very unlikely) to call 911. He will be repayed when he is older by our kids watching his. We will also take him to see twilight next week. We also got to stay up late talking last night and will finish the night with a movie.

Iron Man, Aurora and Elephant/bat(minus the ears)

October

Okay So I'm finally getting My Parents visit blogged.
We were able to go see my cousin Melinda and her two kids. Samantha and Natalie are only a couple of months apart and they enjoyed playing together. Notice the kiss Samantha gives her.



I wasn't able to get many pictures of Derrick because he wanted to hold the camera, not stand in front of it.



We were able to go to Sea World and to the riverwalk while they were there.

Sisters

This video has sound and is not much without it.

Today while the sun shines

All your duties fulfill (okay that is not quite how the song goes but you get the gist.)

Today was a busy day. Charlotte came in about 5:00. Sam had to get up at 5:30 and he set 3 alarms two of which went off while he was in the shower. Now I am not one of those wives that gets up early with her spouse. The whole reason he was getting up was so that I didn't have to.

When the kids got up they were upset they said we can't find Samantha. They were quite worried.

Samantha had to have an MRI today, hence the early rising. She has partial seizures (don't worry that are not bad and are controlled with medicine). She had to be there at 6:15. So Charlotte and I dropped off Caleb and went to replace Sam so he could go to work.

Samantha was so cute. She was just waking up when we got there (of course they had to sedate her, because there is no other way to keep an eight month old still). They were rolling her to the post anesthesiology room. She was barely conscious and she wiggled and said Hi. It was so cute, but hard to explain.

Then we went home then we took. Charlotte to preschool. So Samantha and I spent the two hours wandering stores. Then we had to take an extra set of clothes to Caleb. Then we went home. Then we went and got Caleb and then Came home, did homework, and jumped on the trampoline. Needless to say we had frozen pizza for dinner.

So minus the MRI that is a typical day. I think I'll spend tomorrow recovering and finally download our pictures so we can do some proper blogs.

Which pumkin would you pick?

We had the opportunity to go to a pumkin patch, Charlotte, Samantha and I. I also found out that Sam doesn't like going to pumkin patches, probably because they got to grow their own pumkins when he was little (or his mom did). Anyway it was our wards play group and we had a lot of fun. I told Charlotte to pick her pumpkin, thinking she would pick a big one. She spent quite a lot of time picking and finally found the perfect one for her. One of the smallest pumkins, she even named it.


Come on which pumkin would you pick. Samantha had to have the ribbon on because everyone calls her a boy.

a lazy day of autumn

I'm a little behind on our blogs. Caleb had an early out day and we had a fun day at the park. These mainly feature Samantha, but in my defense she stayed in one spot. She was in these things for about a half an hour with Charlotte pushing her.

Samantha

Here are pictures of our big 8 month old.

The trouble with having kids born in a different century

I'm not really that old I'm only 28 but life according to my kids makes me feel older.

Did you know that 1994 is old-fashioned times? Caleb does, he was setting the table and said he was doing it the old-fashioned way like from 1994.

What is film? We actually have a film camera but rarely use it. Caleb had a book from the library and it mentioned film and they asked what it was. Aren't all pictures viewed on computers?

What is a typewriter? When I did keyboarding in high school we learned on a typewriter. Caleb is taking computers starting from kindergarten.

What is a record player? Granted these are old, but my parents had records that we listened to over and over.

plus there are DVR's, e-mail, cell-phone's, blogs, dvd's that my kids think are just part of normal life(they are, but they haven't been for very long).

Who Am I?

I did this twice depending on my mood I guess I am Esme or Bella. I am like Esme in that I am usually quietly in the background and like Bella in that I am a klutz. Unlike Esme I am not the perfect hostess.


Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

UH I'm not sure about this

I am a few of these things, but some of these things contridict themselves. I got this from bonny's blog where there is a link to this.

WHAT EMILY MEANS

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.
You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.
You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.
You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

Charlotte

Our little Charlotte sometimes gets overlooked. An older brother with Aspergers and a baby sister take a lote of our time. She is very patient, willing to help and most of the time easygoing. She has never learned Follow the Prophet, but she has heard it. Watching conference gave her lots of opportunity to see the Prophet which she really liked. She starts singing the song, though her version is Follow the Monson, Follow the Monson. It is so funny. Today she started singing it then stopped and started again with Follow President Monson, Follow President Monson.

kids

I was reading my cousins blog about a very trying emergency room visit. It reminded me of a similar experience we had at an appointment. Caleb was supposed to have a hearing test. They checked his ears and one ear was too full of wax to see in. So they had to send him over to ear nose and throat. So Caleb wouldn't go so I had to carry him and Samantha in. So the Dr. took Samantha, while I held Caleb. The Doctor spent a long time showing Caleb all of the equipment and finally Caleb let him look in his ear. He wouldn't sit still. So after about at least a half an hour, they decided they had to papoose him. If you don't know what a papoose is, it is a board with straps around that were used for people to carry there babies. It keeps their body, arms and legs all together. Even with that they had two Dr.s that had to hold Caleb down, while the main Dr. was up by his head. Caleb kept screaming Can you please get me out? over and over. Very nice manners. Luckily it didn't hurt me as much because he wasn't talking to me. Then he changed to if you don't let me out I'm going to scream. Why, you ask, did I subject my son to this? because they then told me he had something stuck in his ear. It turns out he had a popcorn kernel stuck in his ear. The last time We remember having popcorn was when we were in Utah, in July, watching Wall-E. Apparently Caleb thought it would be fun to stick a kernel in his ear. Amazingly his ear feels much better now.

aaa short kids with small heads...

...are nothing but trouble. Most of you will remember that Samantha is almost 7 months old. She is just starting to crawl and can sit herself up. She is considerably shorter than Caleb and Charlotte and doesn't have nearly as big of a head. She has started to try and climb up things. I have found her a number of times at the bottom of the stairs with her hands on the second step and she tries to use chair legs to stand up. Today she went to bed and screamed and screamed and screamed, then Charlotte comes out and says Samantha is standing up in the crib. Alas it was true. Here is our precocious baby.

Labor Day Weekend

Well we have made a tradition in the family, two years in a row makes a tradition right? We had a Texan Grindstaffs family reunion, (the tradition is that we have people over to OUR house over Labor Day). We had 28 people in our house at one time. We had Chelle, Shawn, Jonathon, Timothy, BreeAwnnah, Alanna, Amymarie, Ashley, Heidi, Tavian, Scott, Maggie, Patrick, Ella, Amy, Aaron, Tess, Ivy, Mom, Dad, Isaac, Aaron, Anita and the five of us. Samantha has met everyone in the immediate family now. Meeting Amys Aaron and Scotts family for the first time this weekend.

Sadly we were missing Matthew and Kara and their kids. The boys were seriously outnumbered. We were also missed Sandra, she had to work, so she couldn't come. We had good old Texas BBQ, with a Kansas City flair, (thanks to Scott). We did have the addition of Scotts family since they moved to Texas. They also live less than two hours from us.

Today we were able to get seven ceiling fans in, Shawn and Chelle helped us with 4 and then Sam did 3. Our house is more comfortable now. It would have been better to have them in before everyone came but we needed Shawns Expertise. We were able to get in very good conversations and even a few games.

However with all of the commotion, we did not take any pictures, not a one. Maggie did though and soon you can see on their blog the fun we had. Thank you everyone for coming. We had a lot of fun and hope everyone else did too.

A few of my (superficial) favorite things

Someone else did this in their blog but I don't remember who.

1. Prilosec-yes one of my favorite things in this world is a drug. This drug allows me to eat and drink without extreme pain (I have horrible acid reflux). Truly this is a wonder drug.

2. Garnier Nutrisse (spelling) Katie introduced me to this. We were at walmart and she got some of their gell. They have sleek and shiny leave in conditioner. It is awesome, especially in the humidity. My hair doesn't frizz, which is saying something, my hair always frizzes.

3. Large closets, 3 of our rooms have walk in closets and the master bath has a linen closet and there is a linen closet upstairs, The game room also has a huge storage closet. It is awesome.

Obviously on my non-superficial list is the Gospel, my family, friends and all of
our blessings.

also 3 things I never thought I would like or have happen to me

1. I never thought I would marry a Dr., or someone who was going to be one. I didn't want to marry someone who would be gone all the time. A fireside by Elder Nelson helped that.

2. I never liked brown very much, I liked black. Now I love brown

3. I never thought I would like gold colored jewelry, even my wedding ring is platinum, not gold. I like it now.

this is for everyone who wanted to learn some random facts about me

Half Birthdays, Samantha, Samuel, Charlotte

That's right we have three birthdays in February Charlottes on the 10th and Sam and Samanthas on the 14th. We don't really celebrate half b-days, but it is a big deal that Samantha is 6 months old today which means that Sam is 29 years and 6 months today. Samantha is our little shorty, she is 39th percentile for height and 66th for weight. I don't think the other two dipped below 90th.

SAM WITH HIS MOM



SAM WITH SAMANTHA Who knew that Sam would spend his 29th birthday in a hospital. I don't think I'll ever be able to give him a nicer birthday present.



Samanta learned a new trick today. She actually learned it at the Doctors office. She can scoot backwards. She is scooting in the steps of Daddy and big Sister. I guess it has something to do with being born in February.

HERE IS SAM



CHARLOTTE



SAMANTHA



CHARLOTTE 6 MONTHS



SAMANTHA 6 MONTHS

Fiesta Texas

We had the opportunity to go to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. It was really fun. I expected to be dying of heat and us being miserable. It really wasn't too hot. Samantha had a ball just going around in the stroller and the kids loved the rides. Sam took Caleb on a big roller coaster right at the beginning. Caleb was really brave and went on it and screamed the whole ride. He only wanted kiddy rides after that.

THE CARS-at first Caleb wanted to go all by himself, then he got a little nervous and wanted me to go with him. Charlotte was fine she jumped in the car by herself and drove away. I ended up driving mine and Calebs car.



We just enjoyed getting in out of the heat. This was a musical show they did. We enjoyed the music and Samantha enjoyed a nap.



OUR TRUCKER KIDS



DRIVING AND BUMPING OTHER CARS, THIS MUST BE HEAVEN

another tag

Tagged - 2 Things
TAG - YOU'RE IT! I've been tagged by several people now, so...

Two names you go by:
1. MOMMYYYYYYYY
2. Charlotte's Mom, Caleb's Mom, Samanthas Mom. I'm not sure that people know I have a name

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Skirt
2. Shirt

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. My house in order after the move
2. I think number 1 counts for two answers

Two things you did last night:
1. Cleaned my old house
2. Weighed my self on the WII Fit, not the best idea I've had.

Two things you ate today:
1. Cereal
2. twix

Two people you last talked to:
1. Sam
2. Samantha

Two things you are doing tomorrow
1. Going to Fiesta Texas (six flags)
2. Collapse after going to Fiesta Texas

Two longest car rides:
1. Utah to Maryland
2. Maryland to Texas

Two favorite beverages:
1. Dr. Pepper
2. Water

What in the world is a Pathologist?

My life has changed dramatically from being a medical student. I study more, I spend more time at the hospital, I work in a cubical, and I don't carry a stethoscope. I am a resident pathologist.



So what is a pathologist anyway? We are the lab rats of the doctor community. We run the clinical labs. Right now I am doing surgical pathology. Basically if a surgeon cuts it out, we get it, process it into small blocks of tissue which get made into slides that are viewed under the microscope. We make the diagnosis based on what we see. The most important question that we answer is "Is it cancer or not."



Well this is my job. I have 4 year to learn what I am doing, which is good because I don't have a clue about what I am doing right now. It's OK, I'm only a first year.

My Utah Trip, beware this chronicles two weeks of vacation.

Many of you know I got to go to Utah for two weeks. We had to get up at 4:30 for our 6:30 flight. The flights went really well thanks to my good friend Benadryl given all around even to me, Samantha was exempt from this. Our flight arrived late so we were very happy to see Grandma Hilton waiting for us. We went straight to Grandma Potters. Bonny and her kids came up and Carisa came up with her kids. So that is nine, then Mathew and Lindsay came. My two cousins Alicia and Chali came with Chalis kids. It was fun to see everyone, for my family to meet Samantha and the cousins to become aquainted.



Then we went to Grandma Hiltons. Gayle and Les were there, so was Crystal but she had to leave before we went to the park. We all went and met up with James' Family. It was good for the kids to run around.

SHARICE'S B-DAY


Sharice turned 13 while we were there, She was very excited about her birthday. She got to have a party with her cousins, then a party with her friends. The kids were very excited to eat her yummy watermelon cake.

FUN IN THE SUN


The kids had the most fun with this swimming pool. It is barely big enough for one but they all managed to fit in.

FUN AT BONNYS


We spent a lot of time playing at Aunt Bon's. You'll recognize baby Shrek, AKA Samantha.

FUN IN THE SUN AND MOTORBIKE RIDES


Ricks mom gave the girls a slip and slide and our kids had the most fun on it. They were mad at first when they would slip, then they figured out that it was the purpose. Uncle Rick has a motorcycle and the kids enjoyed having a ride on it. All of the neighbor kids were over and jealous of the kids that got rides.

4TH OF JULY


One of the reasons I went when I did was to hit some birthdays. Sharices was on the 27th, then Grandma Potters on the 4th, Grandma Hilton on the 5th and My Dads on the 7th, Annies is on the 13th, but we celebrated it early. One of the reasons I got to go to Utah was my Grandma Potter really wanted to see me and the kids, she especially wanted to meet Samantha. She just turned 88 so I got to be a birthday present for her.



The kids really enjoyed the sparklers. So did we but were constantly worried about them setting themselves on fire.



MATTHEW AND KARA


OK so there aren't any actual pictures of Matthew and Kara, but I did get their kids. We were able to go and see them for the afternoon. We also got to be the first in Sams family to see Ryan. The kids enjoyed the change of venue and cousins. They also enjoyed their swingset. Abbie is in the white shirt and Sheree is in the Yellow. They wouldn't talk to me but Sheree thought I was a pretty good jungle gym. We got to visit them the afternoon before Kara went to the hospital. We are so glad she is doing so much better.

Binky buddies, camping and fish.


*Barrett and Katie came and joined in the craziness. We had a girls night with Me, Mom, Carisa, Katie and Samantha. We did the fun sanpete run of Wheelers and WalMart. When we got to walmart I lost my Formula container under a truck, Mom came to the rescue with an umbrella.
*Claire and Samantha became Binky buddies. If Samantha got upset Claire would ask where Samanthas binky was.
*Aili was a pretty good fisherman and was really proud of her fish.
*We all went camping at Boulger reservoir up Fairview Canyon. Our kids were a mess when we were done. The picture probably doesn't do justice to how dirty Samantha was. For a kid who doesn't crawl or roll over and screams when she is put down she sure got dirty.

Our New House

This is our house.


This is how it should look when it is done.


This is the first floor. We are getting the covered patio in the back and an island in the kitchen.


This is the upstairs. Ours is the 4 bedroom version.


This is a look down the road of the subdivision.

Curve Balls and Hand Grenades

Life can throw you curve balls, hand grenades, road side bombs, and thermonuclear explosions. Depending on the day or month and the general situation that I am in the regular curve ball can turn into any of the above. I haven't had any nuclear explosions lately, but I have had some curve balls and hand grenades.

This past month we have been looking at houses. We have been looking high and low for the perfect house for our family. We didn't want anything to extravagant, but you can do pretty well in the San Antonio market.

Well we found our perfect house. It was big, had 4 bedrooms, a loft, a large kitchen, and two decks (one out the dining room and the other out the master bedroom.) It was a little older, and needed some work but we thought that we were up to the task. We made an offer and in time we were under contract and we had the house inspected. We found that both decks in the back were rotted through and needed to be replaced. Also the air conditioner was under powered for the house and was older. The inspector thought that it had about 2 good years left. Well this threw a wrench into our situation. We decided to get out of the contract (we had an option to get out and we took it.)

Anyway that was our little adventure. After that we decided that a new home would be nice. We are purchasing a home that is currently under construction. We are very pleased with it. So our little hit with the hand grenade pushed us over into a new direction. Only time will tell if it is a good one.

The Lazy Days of Summer

We decided to finally use our community pool today. When it gets to high 90's there is nothing else you can do outside. So we took advantage of Daddy being home. Samantha didn't know what to think. She liked the water but did not want to be in her floaty.



Charlotte is pretty wary of the big pool. She will splash in the kiddy pool or on the stairs. Unfortunately her dislike of water extends to baths and it is a chore to get her hair clean.



Caleb loves the water. He doesn't like instruction though. He thinks he already knows how to swim. He didn't want his picture taken either, so I'm not sure how this one will turn out.

Wishing for Money?

Well, well, well. Ever think "I may have some money hidden away somewhere and someday I am going to be able to find it" . . . or "there may be a rich relative somewhere that unexpectedly passes and will then pass a few dollars onto us." In our families it is only a dream as there are so many of us, and most of us are poor LDS families with lots of relatives. So even the Bill Gates of the family will only contribute a few pennies to our coffers.

I was looking at a Deseret News and they had a thing about unclaimed property that the State of Utah has in there unclaimed property division. (sounds like a fun job to me.) Being curious I linked to the website "http://up.utah.gov/UP_Start.asp" and did a search on the unclaimed property hoping something would pop up in my favor. I did a blanket search for Grindstaff and much to my surprise (or lack there of) I was not on the list. However, 3 individuals of interest did pop up: Amy Grindstaff, Scott A Grindstaff, and Margaret P Grindstaff. So there you have it. Go and claim your prize. I only charge a 10% finders fee plus expenses.

So for the lucky ones up above enjoy your little prize and let me know what your little windfall was. I still am rather curious.

Do you Wii?

I know Mathew and Barrett do. The Wii has become our families favorite pastime. At first all we had was the sports. We were practicing our Golf, Bowling and Boxing regularly. Now we have Mario Cart and car racing has become our favorite pastime. Charlotte has given up because she doesn't like driving around in circles. Occasionly she will help Sam or I race. Caleb is really into it and is getting better all of the time. We have two steering wheels for the controllers so we really get into it. When the Wii fit ever gets back in stock we will get one of those and at least I'll have a good reason to play video games. It definately is better than watching T.V.

Captain Samuel Lyman Grindstaff M.D.

We were able to go out to Maryland for Sams graduation. He became a Captain and a Doctor in the same day. His graduation was at the Dar (Daughters of the American Revolution) building, in Consitution Hall. Sams parents, his brother Scott and my Mom were also able to come out. Sams family got a MD and a MBA in the same day. Scott graduated on the 17th also but chose to be out with us (thanks Maggie). Scott thought that since Sam gets called Doctor he should be called Master and Commander, I don't think anyone will go for that one.

His graduation was really neat. It was awesome to be in the Nations Capital, it was also awesome that they only had one speaker for graduation. The Presidents own Marine Corps Band played during the graduation.

Washington D.C.

Since Sam's graduation was in D.C. we were able to walk around some after. We went and saw the Washington Monument and the World War II memorial. From there we could also see the Castle and the Lincoln memorial from where we were. The ornate building is the Thomas Jefferson building of the Library of Congress. Mom has always wanted to see it, being a librarian and once we were inside everyone was amazed at the interior. Our kids didn't understand how you can have a library without books.

My kids are great

Now my kids aren't always great but every once in awhile, when I am at my wits end they do things to remind me of why I love being a mom. We were invited to a girls night last night, (everyone elses husband and sons were at the father and son campout). Caleb got dragged there too. He was the only boy, even all of the babies were girls. Anyway, we didn't leave the house until 11:00, which meant my kids didn't go to bed until 11:30. With Sam gone it was awesome to get out and visit. The kids enjoyed playing and getting out of the house. There were no incidences either, which knowing Caleb that says a lot.
This morning we got Samanthas pictures taken, she was awesome and I wanted to buy everything, but I didn't. The kids were crazy. Then we went to Mervyns to look for a dress for Sams graduation. Caleb kept hiding in the clothes and was just wild. Then we got to the dressing room and Caleb started singing. He started with Mother I love you I love you I do. Then he asked me the rest of the words. So we sang together
Mother I love you, Mother I do
Father in Heaven has sent me to you
When I am near You, I love to hear you
Singing so softly that you love me too
Mother I love you, I love you I do.

What a moment. I about cried there in the dressing room. Caleb isn't big on singing, he usually doesn't in primary or any other time. Actually he likes to sing, just songs he makes up. So this was a huge deal.

Air Force One

I have arrived in Maryland for my two week run-up to graduation. It has been quite the roller coaster ride but I have made it. On Monday my friend that I am staying with had the opportunity to get a tour of Air Force One from one of the crew (an old friend). He made a call and low and behold I got to go.

It was an incredible experience and I highly recommend it, except that you too will have to be extremely lucky. We started the tour in the presidential sweet including the presidents private bathroom. We went to his office and I got to sit in his chair and flip through the magazines he has stocked there. We got to go all the way to the rear of the plane where the media travels. Then we got to go upstairs and see the communications room and the cockpit. (We even got a tour of the lower level where the baggage is stored. (So I did see the whole plane). I don't have any pictures (none were allowed in the hanger) but they did give us a packet with a picture of the plane, matchbooks, and a box of M&M's with the presidential seal, and president Bush's signature.

Only 10 more days till graduation!

April

April has been a long and busy month. We haven't been good about updating the blog in that time, oh well.

I spent the month learning the ins and outs of working in the emergency department. There was the wild and crazy and the long and boring. I gave 5 people stitches, witnessed 4 codes, and one death. Thankfully most of what I saw was pretty minimal. Most importantly I have completed the academic requirements for medical school and now the rest is just a formality as I wait for graduation.

To celebrate this completion we went down to the Gulf of Mexico to San Padre Island and camped by the beach. While there we endured howling winds, rain, lightning and puddles 8 inches deep. It was very exciting to say the least. We survived, and the kids will have a good memory. Samantha didn't even flinch with the loud thunderings all around us.

Birthday's and Blessings

We had a wonderful mini Grindstaff Family reunion this last weekend with everybody coming into town for Samantha's blessing. We had 7 siblings plus Mom and Dad. We enjoyed each others company, though Dad had to take a couple of breaks to the store to avoid the chaos.

We also celebrated Caleb's birthday with a giant optimus prime birthday cake made with 4 cake mixes. We obviously couldn't make the robot so it became a semi-truck cake. As you can tell we have seen Ace of Cakes a few times. The kids had fun beating the pinata and we all had fun with the sword fight.

Hurray for Caleb

Today is Calebs 6th birthday. I can't believe he is so big. We will add more with pictures later. Just wanted it known that it was his birthday today.

All about Emily

Tag - I'm it!

10 YEARS AGO:
Ah, a trip down Memory lane to 1998:

10 years ago I graduated from High School. Should be my ten year reunion this year, don't think I'll make it. Graduating and passing all of my classes was a big deal. Senior year was awesome, it was the only time I was able to have be juggling several things and keep all of them in the air. Cheerleading, Voice lessons, piano lessons and college credit classes.

5 THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST:

1. Clean the house up for all of the company coming for Calebs birthday and Samanthas blessing.
2. Get our garage cleared out so we can park in it.
3. Get a good deal on airline tickets so I can go to Utah this summer.
4. Get an awesome outfit for Sams graduation.
5. Go walking everyday and getting in shape.

3 BAD HABITS:

1. Eating to many sweets, I have the biggest sweet tooth and love candy.
2. staying up to late reading
3. like Katie, procrastinating cleaning up my dishes.



5 PLACES I/WE HAVE LIVED:

1. Moroni UT (Age 1 to 18, then again from January 2000-March 2001, then again from August of 2003-July 2004)
2. Ephraim (18-19, then again from March to May of 2001)
3. SLC (June to December of 99)
4. Provo (May 2001-August 2003)
5. Maryland (July 2004-July 2007)
and a sixth San Antonio August 2007-at least 2012

5 JOBS I HAVE HAD:

1. Western Watts doing surveys
2. A typing place up ephraim canyon (can't even remember the name)
3. Selling knifes for Cutco
4. Being a Mom
5. Maintaining my home (I fail miserably at this one)

5 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME:

1. I have ADD (yes I know it is overdiagnosed) The Doctor tested me and said it was the worst case he had ever seen.
2. I hate scary things. Scary movies, being outside at night. If I see a scary movie I dream about it and replay it over and over in my mind
3. I am incredibly self conscious. Even though I know no one cares what I look like or what I do I worry about it constantly.
4. I get seriously nervous when I play the piano. Doesn't matter how well I know the songs. Even playing for relief society. My hands shake and it makes me make mistakes. Keeps me humble, I guess.
5. You might know this but it is funny. My Mom, Bonny, Carisa and I all sound alike. People get confused about this on the phone. Dallin talked to Bonny and didn't know which one she was at first then said you should say this is Emily and she made a comment about that being a silly thing to do since she was Bonny.

Easter

1 Month Old

More of Samantha

Who does Samantha look like: You decide!

Samantha Emily Grindstaff Caleb Lyman GrindstaffCharlotte Elizabeth Grindstaff

Samantha Emily Grindstaff

8 Pounds 10.5 Oz, with brown hair and pretty eyes.

Charlotte's Birthday

Botanical Gardens

Today we were trying to walk the baby out of Emily so we went to the local botanical gardens. I had fun taking photographs of random follage and the kids and Emily had fun finding hidden trails. For Emily's sake I hope to be giving you a slideshow of our new addition this week, so stay tuned.

All about Me

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:50
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. Last movie you saw in the theater? Enchanted
4. What is your favorite TV show? What not to wear
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Right now it is whatever I can stomache
6. What is your middle name? Hilton
7. What food do you dislike? green olives and onions
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Queen greatest hits
9. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Grand Caravan
10. Favorite sandwich? BLT
11. What characteristics do you despise? smart-mouth, whiny (thinking of my kids)
12. Favorite item of clothing? a good pair of shoes
13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? I would go back to Hawaii, most awesome vacation.
14. What color is your bathroom? White Walls with mismatched towels.
15. Favorite brand of clothing? none
16. Where would you retire? Don't know
17. Most memorable birthday? My 22nd, Caleb was a week old. My Mom took me shopping and out to eat.
18. Favorite sport to watch? none
19. Furthest place you are sending this? The place that is farthest from San Antonio20. Who do you expect to send this back to you? No one
21. Person you expect to send it back first? It would be Katie, but it started with her
22. Favorite saying? OH Crap, maybe not my favorite, but used the most.
23. When is your birthday? April 3rd
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night
25. What is your shoe size? 9
26. Pets? None
27. What did you want to be when you were little? A Mom
28. What are you today? Big and Pregnant, maybe that will change by tomorrow
29. What is your favorite candy? Peanut M&M's
30. Your favorite flower? Tulips
31. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Thursday
32. What church/synagogue do you attend? I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints
33. What are you listening to right now? The Drew Carey Show
34. What was the last thing you ate? Chips & Cheese with Salsa
35. Do you wish on stars? Of course!
37. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red
38. What is your pet peeve? Getting cut off in traffic.
39. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Compassionate service leader of our ward
40. Do you like the person/people you are sending this to? Yes
41. Favorite soft drink? Sprite
42. Favorite restaurant? Olive Garden
43. Hair Color? Brown
45. Favorite day of the year? Any day Sam doesn't have to work.
46. What was your favorite toy as a child? cabbage patch dolls
47. Summer or winter? Summer
48. Hugs or kisses? Kisses
49. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
50. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Yep!
51. When was the last time you cried? Last Wednesday
52. What is under your bed? some shoes
53. Who is the friend you've had the longest? I'm not good at keeping friendships beyond moves.
54. What did you do last night? Watched TV with my Husband
55. Favorite smell? Cinnamon
56. What are you afraid of? Being outside in the dark.
57. How many keys on your key ring? My house key, car key, van key,
58. How many years at your current job? Homemaker job started in March of 2001, Mom job started in March of 2002.
59. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
60. How many towns have you lived in? 7 cities: Salina, Utah; Moroni, Utah; Ephraim, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; Provo, Utah; Silver Spring, MD; San Antonio, TX. Some of these I lived in twice.
61. Do you make friends easily? No, I get along with people but it takes me awhile to warm up.
62. How many folks will you send this to? The world.

Another Good Tax Season

It is the time of year when we are bombarded with W2's, 1099's, 1040's. We collect old receipts in hopes that the tax man gets a little less of our hard earned dollars. Those of us with children hope that there presence will help deflate those costs or perhaps help with that extra deduction and the EIC and child tax credit.

This is yet another year where the tax man has looked at my puny earnings and said you are so poor that instead of paying taxes we will give you money (this is only partly true as half of out income is untaxed allowances that don't show up on our taxes.) This little windfall in itself has now become a source of debate.

You see we have 3 things that we can do with this money. The first is be irresponsible and spend it on fun stuff. I personally have been eyeing the nice large HD TV's, and Emily would spend it on a new wardrobe and another Hawaii vacation. Though this would be fun, we decided that this year we would be responsible with our money and fore go the trip to Hawaii.

This leaves responsible things such as paying off our car loan or saving for a down payment on house. You see this summer we are planning on finally buying a home of our very own. . .so the dilemma is paying off our current debts (car in particular) vs saving for a down payment. This has been something we have debated for a while. Now it is your turn to let us know what to do and answer the survey on the right.

Our Christmas

happy new year

well, I don't about those of you who check our blog, but I am getting sick of seeing this one over and over. The only explanation is that Sam had to good of a vacation to update the blog. Between Christmas and visiting and getting ready for the baby we have been busy. We have also been battling colds, thank you Grindstaffs, Wilcoxes and Wilsons for sharing your colds. Physically we are almost ready for this baby. Charlotte is getting really impatient, she wants her little sister out now. Actually both of the kids do because then they get to stay with our neighbors and they are pretty excited about that. We will post pictures when Sam has the time to upload the pictures. He is actually working work hours this rotation. He doesn't get home until five o'clock.