Making Sugar Cookies with Grammy

Charlotte is the sweetest sugar cookie of all! xoxoxoxoxoxo

Christmas in Utah

After another eventful trip to Utah, we are home in Houston again. Hope all of your Christmases were as merry as ours was! Although we had planned to be in Beaufort this year, my sister Lauren got engaged on Halloween and married in Utah on the 19th, so we ended up with my family again this Christmas. It was nice to see snow on Christmas ... and nice to leave it behind and return to Houston two days later.

Charlotte got this cute little outfit from Adam's mom. Thanks, Mimi! Too bad she spit up all over it right before all of the Christmas Eve festivities started.Enter Christmas Outfit #2. An hour later, this beautiful sweater my friend Kellie knitted for Charlotte was covered in spit-up too.

The only person who comes close to being as beautiful as my baby is her aunt Ashley!We learned a very, very valuable lesson this year. Never take your kid to a mall in Utah to see Santa on the 23rd of December. We waited three hours--and we got there before the two hundred people behind us. Charlotte conked out while we waited ...and woke up just in time to howl when we put her in Santa's arms!
The three-hour wait in line didn't deter Grammy, aunts Ashley and Caroline, and my brother David (a.k.a. Uncle Bubba) from hanging around for the fun.

Christmas Eve this year had a brand-new feature at the Moulton-Bybee house: a pinata. Charlotte got as excited as the rest of the kids about all of the candy that came out of the pinata and even managed (with the help of her naughty aunt Lauren) to get her little fists around two lollipops. Maybe next year, Charlotte!
Bored on Christmas morning with all of the blatant materialism and consumerism. Even Balaam the Singing Donkey can't hold her attention for long.Enjoying a book with Papa at the end of all of the Christmas carnage.

Diddle Diddle Dumplin'

Just a couple recent pictures that are too good to not share! (Check out the drool on Charlotte's shirt. Yep. Every single day now.)

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Nothing in the world is sweeter to a mother than seeing a completely passed out baby ...... Unless it is two passed-out babies. (Adam and Charlotte with our good friends Jonas and Ramsey.)

So Charlotte got a new high chair this past weekend.Worth every penny!

The Doghouse

And now a little holiday humor ...

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/video.aspx

Girlfriends, I think most of us can remember that time when that special someone in our lives made that certain comment or gave us that memorable gift that made us want to let them spend a night out in the cold with the dogs. A good friend of mine tells a very memorable story about how her husband gave her a space heater for their anniversary one year.

In general, Adam is a very good, thoughtful gift-giver (even if I wish there were more spontaneous flowers and presents sometimes). But there was the time when I tried on a new pair of jeans and complained to him that I thought they made my thighs look big. He lovingly responded, "Well, what can we do to get your thighs smaller then?" DOGHOUSE!

Anyone else got a good story?

Charlotte's Blessing

We spent Thanksgiving with my family in Utah this year and Charlotte was blessed there on Sunday in my parents' ward. For those of you not familiar with baby blessings in the LDS church, it is kind of like a christening ceremony but without the baptism. (Baptism, believed to be unnecessary for infants in the LDS church, is done at age 8 or later.) Charlotte was brought before the congregation and was officially given a name for the records of the church and was also given a beautiful blessing by her father with the assistance of Ariel's father, stepfather, uncle, and brothers. Although only Ariel's family was in attendance, we felt strongly that the Laughtons were there with us too in spirit. Charlotte looked angelic in the pristine little dress and bonnet given to her by her Nana and Great-Grandaddy Laughton and a DVD recording of a beautiful song sung by her Mimi (Adam's mom) also helped make the occasion special.

Charlotte's Nonna Doria (my stepmom) took this and several other beautiful pictures of Charlotte on her blessing day. I think she did a great job here of capturing Charlotte's personality as well as the pure, overwhelming joy I feel when I look at my baby. Being a mother is by far greatest adventure I have ever had; nothing has ever been more difficult, nothing has ever felt nearly as worthwhile. I know it sounds trite, but I had no idea that I was going to love motherhood so much or feel so fully fulfilled by taking care of someone else. I feel so blessed to look into the face of this tiny angel each day. Her every smile reminds me of God's grace, and I understand better why the Father's glory is the salvation and eternal life of his children. And as I recognize Adam's eyes on her precious face, I marvel once again at the unfailing strength and integrity of my amazing husband. I hope she will grow to be strong and good and patient as he is and be spared the baser passions and frailties of her mother. I love you, Charlotte Lily. I love you, Adam. Thank you for making my life so utterly complete.

"What I Did in November", By Little Charlotte

I tried on--and tried--a new dress. Yum!
I got a new crib ......and discovered that life isn't so bad in the Big House.

I got a visit from my Grammy and also one from my Mimi (which my mom forgot to get pictures of).

I unpacked a lot of boxes. (Mommy helped some!)
I learned how to hold my own bottle. (Okay, Mommy helps some with that too still.)

I took some naps, sometimes with Papa.And I did a lot of crying. Why does someone keep putting this dumb bow on my head?

New House

Just some random pictures of our first couple of days in the new house ... Charlotte started smiling more and more around that time and so did Mommy and Papa!
The only way I got any unpacking done was courtesy of the Baby Bjorn. It gave Charlotte something to ride in and suck on at the same time.

Halloween

Charlotte didn't really have much use for this Halloween costume even though it was so cute I kept putting it on her the entire week. I probably should be arrested for child abuse for making her wear it since it was 80 degrees on Halloween here.
Charlotte enjoyed the ward party a lot ...

Grumpy Princess

Is it the bow or the Obama t-shirt that Papa had on?

Graduation!

The first shot of Charlotte with her little "Pinkie" instead of Big Green. I know it sounds stupid but this was a big, happy day for us since this binkie stayed in her mouth much better, providing us with a lot more quiet time.

Are you there, Blog? It's me, Ariel

Although I'm seriously doubting anybody is reading this blog anymore after my very long absence from the world of blogging, I've decided to continue indulging myself with various musings about different issues on my mind and pictures of my increasingly adorable baby daughter. Hurricane Ike left us not only without power in our new house for nearly a month but also made it impossible for us to get cable and internet until nearly four weeks after we closed on the house and moved in. Let me tell you, friends, I have been absolutely STARVED for interaction with the outside world; I probably won't turn the TV off or close my laptop for a solid month. Anyone who is reading may consider themselves warned: this blog is going to be plastered with stuff over the next little while.

First Visit to Utah

Aunt Lauren makes friends by helping Charlotte get Big Green back into her mouth.
Uncle Bubba sang her some Tupac to quiet her down.
Aunt Cara has the talent of rocking Charlotte to sleep.

And of course, I have to give a shout-out here to Aunt Ashley and Uncle Dallin who love Charlotte to pieces but don't happen to be holding her when I've got the camera out. Sorry, guys, and I promise to get some shots at Christmas!

Big Green

I interrupt this regularly-scheduled blogging to pay a short tribute to Charlotte's very first love, Big Green. From her first day in the hospital, these enormous Soothie pacifiers were her constant companion. I didn't notice until recently just how ridiculously large these things were in comparison to her head. At about nine weeks, she started taking smaller, more attractive (and probably less orthodontically-sound) binkies. R.I.P., Old Friend, and I'll see you next baby!

Snow Day

One beautiful Sunday when we were in Utah in October, we woke up to snow. Charlotte was enchanted by all of the bright white outside of the kitchen window, but not as enchanted as I was by how beautiful she looked against it."Grammy, I'm bored!"

Live from Houston It's ... Us!

Yes, we're alive. After my longest hiatus from the blogging world (partly due to the disruption of moving, partly due to no internet access) since I started, we have left Durham and are currently living somewhere between Houston and Salt Lake while we continue to wait for power at our new place. And since it has been several weeks since I last posted, enjoy this random sampling of what we (mostly Charlotte) have been up to this past month.
Hangin' with Daddy ... when he's not at work!

Visiting with good friends Brianne and Isaac in Houston. We were trying to get Isaac to give Charlotte a kiss here, but he wasn't quite as interested in the subject of "How does 'Charlotte Stewart' sound?" as their moms were. Adam's birthday at Pappasito's in Houston (amazing fajitas!) complete with his mom Miss Patty, our cousins Shelly, Kendall, Damon, Audrey, and a dish of Flaming Cheese.I am always amazed at how she enjoys sleeping with her neck at this angle!
Enjoying the close companionship of the Savior as she rocks out at Shelly's.
Our chubby little Cutie Patooty! She's up to 9 1/2 pounds now.