The Growing Caldwell Family

We finally did well checks for the kids.  In just over a year, Charlie has grown nearly 3 inches and gained 10 pounds! I knew he was outgrowing clothes quicker than usual, but oh boy! He is now officially 48 inches tall! Sarah Graves is continuing to grow well, but maybe not the rapid growth Charlie had! We were so surprised to learn she had a low grade fever. The nurse used 4 thermometers and got 4 slightly different results, but all indicated a low fever. The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong, so we went on our way assuming it would resolve itself. It did. We think it was probably allergy related since Flonase and Zyrtec has her feeling well the next day. We didn’t do any vaccines out of concern they could be sick. They are growing well and I am so thankful for two kids who are happy and mostly healthy!

Sarah Graves’ Girl Scout Troop has another sleepover at the aquarium. SG was really looking forward to the behind the scenes experience and sleeping with the amazing fish. I would say this was really impressive! Such a happy girl!

We wanted to encourage the kids to take on more responsibility so we constructed a chart to award points for doing daily activities. The points can be saved up for having friends over, picking a restaurant for dinner, going to a movie, or staying up past bedtime. Charlie has really enjoyed the gratification of marking off activities and accumulating points! He even takes the opportunity to do chores to earn additional points. For some odd reason, both kids choose cleaning toilets as their chore of choice! I will take all the help I can get!

We took advantage of the rest of the day to enjoy more time together and more relaxing.  The kids did a craft project and painted rocks to put outside at the lake. Charlie wanted a big rock! They all took their art seriously. Play is the work of childhood. The kids asked Pops to go out on one more boat ride and of course he said yes.  The raft might have been a bit bigger than we thought! Showing off crazy skills on the board! Lovie still has the touch. 

The whole crew! Well, almost. Kayla and her family were not able to join. Great grands! Kids!  Our family! Ronnie's family! Steve's family! So grateful to mom and dad for having the vision and putting in the hard work to create a place that brings us together with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmothers to make so many memories!

Three day weekends at the lake have a wonderfully lazy feel to them! We ease into the day and it stretches into afternoons of fun. Early morning corn hole? If that's not your thing, you might enjoy relaxing in the hammock. Or, maybe the swing is your thing! Who wouldn't want to start your day with a hug? Pops cooked up some delicious breakfast that included bacon, sausage, eggs, and pancakes! Then, it was time to get out on the boat! Captain Ryan! Ryan was also on the skis! Sis had to give it a go too! Lindsey got up on the skis! Kylah on the ski trainer. Uncle Steve couldn't resist a sweet girl! Lunch bunch! Water fun works up an appetite. Kolyns is at the wheel! Actually, the golf cart worked perfectly as mom and dad envisioned to get Maw Maw Yvonne down to the lower porch to enjoy the swing and water view. Everyone wanted time with sweet Kolyns! S