The Growing Caldwell Family

It is so hard to believe that it has been 10 years since this angel stole our hearts.  I consider myself very blessed to have had the joy to celebrate 10 birthdays with a precious girl. There are times when it feels like time is going so quick and it is all passing in a blur. Thank goodness for pictures to remind me of lots of happy celebrations and sweet smiles!

Going back to school is more fun when you have a new Kanken backpack to carry! Kanken from Fjall Raven is quite popular among her age group and very popular with the VSCO girls. Sarah Graves doesn't want to be a VSCO girl exactly, but she likes some of the stuff and is in love with the color yellow, so this was a great Christmas surprise!

We spent a wonderful day at Holiday in the Park!After so much rainy weather it was good to get out in the sunshine!  We had a great time riding roller coasters and even went to a fun sing along Christmas show! Considering it was the day before Epiphany, it was perfect to stretch out the Christmas season!

We had a fun evening trying out Charlie's new Harry Potter Labyrinth game. It is kind of cool how it works requiring a lot of strategy and spatial thinking. Have extra time to do fun things together is the best part of the holidays!

I had a great day to kick off 2020! Mom and I were up early for shopping at the big sale at Dillard's, we enjoyed a traditional new year's day lunch of ham, black-eyed peas, and cabbage, we played games, and got cozy to watch one more Christmas movie before bed!  This is the only picture I thought to take! A fun time playing Trouble with Charlie, Lovie, and Nay!  The holidays were a little unpredictable this year with Aaron and the kids getting sick, but we managed to have fun anyway!

We kept New Year's Eve easy and low key enjoying a yummy dinner at a Chinese restaurant, back to our house for some games, and a champagne toast for the new year! The Saran Wrap ball is a big hit! The kids definitely think that should be a tradition! It is a lot of fun to see who can unwrap a prize before their turn is up! Lovie loaded it with lots of stuff including bible gun and scratch-off tickets! My creative guy! So tickled with his creation. We all made it up for midnight and counted down to 2020! Here's to a new year filled with many blessings of joy and happiness!

Sarah Graves was asked to read during a Christmas lessons and carols service. Everybody was on the mend, but not fully well. The service was lovely! I really enjoyed singing more Christmas carols! Charlie and Aaron in their matching outfits! Getting up and ready took a lot out of Char. He fell asleep mid-way through the service.It was sweet to have a sleeping Charlie on my lap during church again.  Sarah Graves had a really, really long reading and she rocked it! She had the longest reading of them all and she was the only child reading. She nailed it and we were all so proud of her!

Once the thrill of Christmas was over, we realized just how sick Charlie was and that Sarah Graves was sick too. A trip to the doctor confirmed that Charlie had the flu and they felt safe diagnosing Sarah Graves because they are in the same household.    Lots of couch time sleeping and watching TV. These kids love HGTV and Kids Baking Championships! After a couple of days they found the energy to enjoy some of their new Christmas Lego sets.  They are definitely on the mend and feeling close to their usual selves now!

We headed to Lovie and Pops' for a yummy lunch of appetizers, celebrating Livy's birthday, Christmas gifts, and a delicious dinner! LOL themed ice cream cake! Wishes for a fabulous 5 year old! This girl was ready for her birthday! Charlie really wanted a bean bag chair for his room and he got one with his name on it! A pasta machine for Sissy! It's never too early to dream of summer's at the lake in new life jackets! This joke kit was really fun! Lots of practical joke ideas! Playing a joke on Lovie with a hand buzzer! Yep, if :Pops doesn't know it, he will make it up! Crazy teeth! Maybe he needed braces for Christmas! A cozy robe. Livy excited to wear her new winter hat. What! A four-seater raft! Now Aunt Nat and the kids can all ride! Opening gifts is exhausting and fun! This dinner was so delicious! The beef tenderloin is the best and delicious mac'n cheese m