The Growing Caldwell Family

We had a fun time visiting Santa! He was kind and really listened to what they wanted for Christmas. He also made sure to let us know that snickerdoodles are his favorite cookie! 

We had a fun time getting our house ready for Christmas! The kids were big helpers and took a lot of pride putting up the tree and setting up the nativity. They are growing up and this is one of the joyful parts! Our tree was covered in ornaments when we finished! We shared lots of memories as we looked at ornaments we have collected from different trips. So much fun!

We spent Friday cozy by the fire recovering from our late night out shopping. There was lots of football to watch and time to play games with kiddos. We also celebrated Pops' birthday! We had a spaghetti and meatball dinner and peanut butter cheesecake for dessert. There were also presents and several eager helpers!

We had a relaxed Thanksgiving at the lake. We worked in a fun photo shoot before enjoying a yummy dinner to be followed by a fun time Black Friday shopping. I love of each of these photos. They capture the joy that we feel being together and spending time at the lake.  Black Friday shopping with mom and Jeanne' is one of my favorite traditions. I love spending the time with them and kicking off the Christmas preparations that way!

We spent a fabulous weekend at the lake before Thanksgiving!  There were fun fashion shows and many theatrical performances! Time to play games. Charlie really enjoyed Battle Ship with Aunt Nay. Time to play in the woods, find sticks, and help build a fire. Their absolute favorite part was golf cart driving. They particularly enjoyed off roading and finding new paths! Lovie and Zpops bravely stayed at the lake with all three kids for the next few days while we headed to work!  

The kids had a great time making Christmas themed crafts at the local Methodist church. It is such a nice event and the volunteers are very kind to the kids. Who can resist a footprint craft? The moment he saw lollipops to decorate, he was sold! She was hooked on this unicorn ornament. They also added a camel and donkey to our block nativity set.

It is no secret that my kids are strange eaters. One thing that I took for granted that people like is cereal with milk. Not these kids.  Sarah Graves recently felt brave enough to try it. We bought bowls with straws to drink the leftover milk, picked out a sugary Cap'n Crunch All Berries cereal and gave it a shot! It didn't go over well. They did taste it, but not much more than that. I love cereal with milk and can't fathom what's not to like.