Charlotte memories-1st year

Charlotte is my poor middle child. She is very easygoing and is therefore sometimes neglected, because big brother and little sister take a lot of time. We have a lot of fun together. She is a very good sister. She is very tolerant and patient with Caleb and very helpful with Samantha.

Here we are in the Hospital. Katie, Bonny, Carisa and I were all due within 4 months of each other. Charlotte was the last baby girl to come, the picture is missing Evynn and Carisa.



Here she is with a proud papa. She was Sams birthday present that year.



Charlotte was a very well traveled baby, going on a plane for the first time at 3 months (I was 19 the first time I flew). Here she is with Grandma and Grandpa on one of the few rides she could go on at Disneyland



She lived at Grandma and Grandpa Hiltons for the first few months of her life. Here we are saying goodbye before leaving for Maryland



We drove cross country from Utah to our new home in Maryland when she was 6 months old.



For her first Christmas we got to drive down to Georgia to Grandma and Grandpa Grindstaffs.

Christmas flashback (just this past Christmas)

It's already february and I have three birthdays in the next week and a half so I better get Christmas taken care of first. Sam was there too, I was just to sick to take pictures.

Aren't they adorable when they sleep.







Sandra looks great early in the morning doesn't she?




We had a hard time doing the line-up in the hall.





Didn't you know that Charlotte turns into a zombie on Christmas




Here is Caleb, he didn't want to be in front of the camera at all




Emily and the girls



Grandpa





Grandma

Our Hospital Adventure

We were all excited last night because Caleb doesn't have school today and Sam doesn't have work (unless he is called in). Then Charlotte tripped and hit her head on a chair (MOm and dad's old kitchen chairs). I though she just bumped it and went to hug her, then I saw her forehead. Yep big gash, lots of blood. I hurried and put pressure on it and Daddy said it needed stitches.

Sam doesn't do well with our kids accidents and injuries. He can handle autopsies, and strangers injuries just fine. So I took Charlotte to the ER. It was packed we got into the ER about 8:30. They triaged her and the nurse wasn't sure she would need stitches, stupid nurse. We waited and waited. We were called back about 12:30 and yes she did need stitches. We still had to wait around forever. Charlotte fell asleep after they put the lydocain on. We finally got discharged about 3:30 a.m.

It was awful, I am so tired today. Then when they discharged us they said we could come back in a few days to get the stitches out. Yeah I don't think so, there has to be some benefit to daddy being a DR.

January

I've been sick of looking at our same blog over and over again, like Katie I keep expecting it to change.

We will do posts of December once we get around to taking our pictures off of the camera. We found out in December that we are expecting baby number 4. It was a big surprise. Samantha turns one next month, so they will be around 18 months apart. Luckily I have a very helpful husband and kids. I have been so sick with this baby, so I haven't been able to do hardly anything. In church they probably think I've gone inactive, they even have a sub for me on the piano (at least for now).

Everyone else is doing great. The kids are back in school and lucky for me Samantha is a very easy, happy baby, who naps a lot.

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!