The Carlton Family: 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Sunday, December 7, 2008

CSI: Murfreesboro . . . "The Tissue Tosser"

One Saturday Morning recently we were letting Nathan play in his room, and he had shut his door, which he often does. We were watching him on the video monitor, but he was playing just out of sight. After a few minutes we saw what looked like a tissue fly through the air. Then we saw Nathan walk from one corner of the screen to the other with a handful of tissues in his hand, laughing as he walked. All of a sudden we were pretty sure what he had been doing the whole time. (Cue the CSI theme song... "whooo are you. . .")

When we opened the door we saw that a serious crime had been committed, so we started snapping crime scene photos. The first thing we noticed was three-fourths of the contents of a full tissue box strewn about the room.

The next thing we noticed was a suspicious-looking, young male.

To be fair, we put the suspect in a lineup, and the victims were able to make a positive ID on the young male--the short one.

He was subsequently booked ...

...and charged with reckless, wanton, and unautorized use of facial tissue, aka "tissue tossing".

The punishment? 10-15 minutes hard labor and community service.

So far his rehabilitation and reintegration into society has gone well. No repeat offenses have been discovered. Instead, whenever he has a stuffy or runny nose, he asks for a tissue, wipes his whole face, and takes it to the trash can.
What a cute little criminal. One boy + one tissue box + a bit of mischief = one funny episode for the parents to remember.

Meanwhile, Micah keeps growing up. We can't believe he is 8 months old (and weighs one pound more than his cousin who is now 18 months old!)

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

My Sister Kathy

Kathy Elaine Herrod Robison
November 12, 1981- April 4, 2008

Today would have been my sister's 27th birthday. We think about her everyday, especially as Micah has milestones. She was so much a part of our lives that her absence is always noticed. But at the same time, it is gradually becoming the new "normal" and that is difficult to accept.

Here are some pictures that we love of her. She and Mama were so close . . . and so much alike. The middle picture is of the four of us inside the elevators in the St. Louis Gateway Arch during our trip there last summer '07. We had such a wonderful time. We are grateful to have been so close, but that also makes it harder to deal with her loss. The picture on the right is us with Grandaddy & Grandma Herrod in 1984 in front of our old house. We spent a lot of quality time with them too. Pray for these people. Pray for all of us, including my stepdad John and for Mark. We just miss her so much.

I know Nathan misses Kathy the most. They made each other very happy.

And the holidays are here.

More pictures. The first one is from a family birthday party. The second is from last Christmas. We always took pictures of Grandaddy and his girls each holiday or birthday, and it won't seem right with her missing this year. That is the thought we can't escape: a very significant member of our family is missing.

Sorry for such a depressing post. . . just been one of those days.

On a different note, the other thing I always think of on this day is my stroke. In 1999, on the night of Kathy's birthday I had a stroke on the left side of my brain. I was 21 years old and very scared. At first I couldn't remember many things and couldn't read. I also had trouble knowing what to say. I had a condition called "aphasia". You should look it up! (Not sure when aphasia awareness month is, but for me it's November.) However, over the next few days and months I recovered rapidly. After three months of therapy @Vanderbilt's Bill Wilkerson Pi Beta Phi institute I was able to gradually return to school. (I had about 16 hours left.) Thank you to all the therapists that helped me, to my neurologist Dr. Kirschner (who always made me say "the phantom floats over the foggy heath" which was a significant challenge at the time), to Dr. Bradburn & Dr. Witt in M'boro who diagnosed me, to Dr. Rudd who followed up with me, to my professors who were flexible and patient with me, and all my family members who drove me to Nashville for therapy.

Whew! I promise to do a lighter topic next time!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Finally an update . . . Halloween

Oh yeah...our blog... it's been almost a month since our last post. Last Friday night we had a great time visiting family with two handsomely costumed boys. We rode around the county with Uncle Nathan, Micah, and Grandmama to visit with Pop, Great-grandaddy & Great-grandma Jan, plus Grandad & Grandma C. No candy for these critters, though. Nathan received bananas and a book instead.

Howdy from the Carltons- a family of farmers

This cute one is headed to the field

Daddy & Nathan in a deep discussion

Even farmers have to sit in time out sometimes

Our prize pumpkin... cousin Micah

One tired pumpkin

It is hard to believe Nathan has been home for 3 months! Where has the time gone?? He is growing up so fast, and he has quite a personality. We'll try to update soon!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Uncle Nathan's 30th Birthday 10/4/08

Last Saturday was Uncle Nathan's 30th Birthday, so we had a big party for him at Kittrell ballfield. Lots of friends & family came for a potluck supper and we all had a great time!

Janet and her two favorite little boys played with the wagon.

Mark pulled them around the walking track. He was sore, but it was worth it.

A friendly game of kickball followed the meal (the teams were 25 and under vs. over 25)

Cute Nathan enjoyed watching the game and was friendly with everyone.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Zoo Friday 10/10/08

On Friday Nathan went to the zoo for the first time. He kicked the day off with a few minutes in one of those bouncy playgrounds. He was confused that he had to take his shoes off.

Micah ate and wasn't really interested in the animals.

Mommy & Nathan in front of the elephants.

Nathan's favorite part was the petting zoo.

This poor baby goat got more than enough attention from him.

Naturally, the boys were exhausted.

Saturday 10/11/08

Saturdays are always fun. Nathan and Daddy started the day by fertilizing and watering our tulip poplar tree. Nathan enjoyed holding the hose. Not sure which one got wetter: the boy or the tree.