The Growing Caldwell Family

To make the end of school fun, the school organized spirit days. There were 2 weeks worth of fun, but these were their favorites.  This theme was "All dressed up and nowhere to go" They were so excited to put on their finest! Crazy hair was their other big hit!  Sarah Graves was totally tickled by her "beard"!  Charlie loved gelding his hair like a mohawk.  Sarah Graves has continued to work on her baking skills. She loves to bake bread and has really overcome her fear of the heat of the oven.  Charlie did a fun social studies project where he chose a country, Mexico, and then read about, wrote about it, and made his own passport to travel there!

Trying to keep life fun, Aaron made this awesome Star Wars pancakes served with blue milk for a fun dinner to celebrate May the 4th Be With you! The kids love breakfast for dinner, so it was a huge hit! Charlie's fashion is always a little crazy! He reminded me of a European kid with his socks pulled up high. I am not a fan of buying the kids toys at random. They both had birthday and Christmas money that they have decided to spend periodically to get new things. The decision to spend "their" money and have to hand over the cash is always a hard one!  Sarah Graves was very pleased with her purchase of new clothes for Barbie and Ken. Included in the set was a wedding dress and a tux. These are perfect for her Barbie virtual play sessions with her friend, Sienna. Those afternoons playing Barbies with a friend have been a lifeline for her. I am so grateful for that time and the joy it brings her. 

Charlie got his weekend time going with some cosmic yoga. He it took it very serious and worked hard to follow all the movements.  Sarah Graves is generally not into board games, but this time she was all in for Ticket to Ride! Fun when everyone is all in! We worked on some crafts with clay. The air dry clay was fun to shape and mold and not a big mess! We had a really fun outing to see the Blue Angels fly over Atlanta! It felt so good to get out of the house and do something! The weather was gorgeous! Sissy and I tried out a face mask. Not sure it was her thing! Fun to do a little beauty treatment with my girl!  Charlie and I worked on a science experiment recommended by school. The red was boiling hot water and the blue was ice cold water. We poured them into a container expecting to see the colors stay separate due to heat rising.  We did it twice and it just didn't work! Oops! Probably why I'm not cut out to be a teacher! We determined

For teacher appreciation, the kids turned in pictures holding hearts for their teachers. A video was made of all the kids holding them. Lots of ways to celebrate virtually! Lovie is way braver than me and has so much more skill. She was willing to give Charlie a trim around the ears and his neck to clean up his hair a little. Livy was very curious and would have been happy to help out! Yep, here he is back at it on the counter playing Minecraft!

Our days out home continue to stretch out before us. Days filled with work, school and play. Charlie is hooked on Minecraft and can frequently be found sitting on the counter playing on his iPad while it charges.  Swinging in the backyard has become a favorite! They can both swing very high and jump off in mid air. All the spring rain has made rain boots their footwear of choice!  Sarah Graves found some rock candy and enjoyed her tasty find!

Sometimes Sarah Graves and Charlie get along so well and are the best of friends! It is such a pleasure to see them like that.  Charlie is generally not a fan of the evening walk. Sometimes he can convince Sarah Graves that she doesn't want to go either and they stay home together. When he does have to go, he likes to be the one to walk Lucy.  When we get past the griping about why we have to take a walk, they enjoy it and it is a lovely time. 

We have used some of our down time to catch up on movies. We enjoyed The Addam's Family (2019), Jumanji: The Next Level, and Trolls II! The Jumanji movies are a family favorite for us!

The upside of all this time at home has been extra time with the kids. I love seeing them as they wake up and ease into their day with no need to hurry. Our lunches as a family give us more time to talk and hopefully share our values with them.  Charlie likes to take time to read to me from Weird But True books. My productivity with work takes a hit, but I like that we have this routine.  Sarah Graves and Lucy frequently hang out around me while I work. I love how much she cares for Lucy and is very kind to her.  Yep, this happens as I'm trying to work too! Recently, Charlie was very worried about his wallet. He had been looking for it for a while on his on and was becoming very concerned that he could not find it. He asked for help and I was pleased that I could pause work and offer some ideas. It took a bit of time to think about the last time he had it, but finally one of my suggestions panned out and he was so excited! Love seeing that happy kid!

Even though it was after Easter, Charlie decided to take some time and paint his egg. I have to remind myself that Easter is a whole season and not just one day.  He is very eager to go shirtless! I am not a fan and did tell him he must always have a shirt on to come to the table.  Sarah Graves, on the other hand, is usually a fashionista, but hanging out at home has led to a different type of fashion! Here she is ready for a day of learning at home and playing in the backyard! Rain boots are necessary because it has been rainy and tights because obviously, you don't want to be cold in your nightgown!