The Growing Caldwell Family

In his second year playing clarinette, we are so proud of how much Charlie has learned! They sounded great and had fun doing it! Lovie consistently joins Charlie for lower school chapel and it was only fitting that we get a picture of them in her pew.  Ziggy is such a good friend to Charlie! After being at St. B's since just before he turned three, Charlie knows no other school and has always had a big sister there with them. I am thankful that they will take the leap to a new school together!  There have been so many great people at St. B's who have helped to mold him and guide him to be an awesome kid!  

Lovie is consistently there to cheer on the kids and we had to get a picture of her in what is her pew at chapel! They sounded great! Receiving her acknowledgement for hard work in band.  We have had so many good times at St. B's and wanted to memorialize their time here together. So many great teachers, staff, and families who have molded and shaped them all for the better.   

We started Mother's Day weekend off going to watch Olivia play baseball! Charlie gave me a beautiful bouquet that he picked out! This was also when the Northern Lights were on display throughout much of the South so we made a late night ride to Wedowee in hopes of seeing them. I don't think we could see them, but we did have beautiful views of the night sky.  Olivia very sweetly picked out an Owala bottle for me since I didn't have one. So thoughtful! Sissy picked out a beautiful towel for me while she was visiting Mount Vernon and she painted a card for me.  Sissy also made this frame for Lovie using a laser cutting machine at school. The frame lists all the places they visited while in Jackson Hole! Having given me his bouquet, Charlie also had a sweet card.  After gifts and a fantastic steak lunch cooked by Aaron, Charlie decided it was warm enough for a swim! So glad we could be together to celebrate all the love between us!  

For some time we have anticipated the need for Sarah Graves to change schools, but we didn't anticipate it for Charlie. In fact, we discussed it in the fall and it was his wish to stay at St. B's through eighth grade.  Then, with a few weeks left of school, a series of events happened that left us questioning if this was still the right place for us. We came to Charlie unsure what he would think, but were relieved when he quickly saw positives of changing schools and was on board with the idea.  We wasted no time and I have to commend Charlie for doing whatever we needed. He had to take the SSAT with no preparation, fill out essay questions, and go for an on-site interview all within a week. From the time we made the decision to apply to him being accepted, it was less than two weeks. Talk about a whirlwind of change all while we wrapped up the school year!  We continue to pray that God will have His hand in our lives as we make this big transition as a family!  

Charlie took part in another great Tomorrow's Promise performance, Nic at Night! Lovie said it was the best one yet! Ms. Kim and the choir helpers do a phenomenal job helping the kids do well and keeping it fun! Charlie went after a small part knowing that he was already busy with track and baseball. He did a great job with his small part and was great in the chorus! Proud of him for balancing choir with his other commitments and keeping a good attitude for all of it!  

Sarah Graves gave a lot of thought to whether she wanted to continue with Girl Scouts. Her Silver Award was a lot of work to earn and she debated whether she wanted to work even more to earn her Gold Award. Ultimately, she decided that leaving Girl Scouts without her Gold Award would feel unfinished and she wanted to see it through. That says a lot about her character! So, I was proud to see her bridge from Cadette to Senior and already she has jumped into pursuing her Gold Award! Proud to have led these girls and see them all decide to continue on!  

We spent the fall attending open houses for six schools and she prepared to take the SSAT. Over the winter we filled out applications; she wrote essays; and we all went to shadow days and interviews at potential high schools. Aaron and I thought we knew her first choice but Sarah Graves knows her mind and her shadow day at Whitefield put her in their weekly chapel and her heart was moved to know it was the choice for her.  She was accepted to the three schools she applied to and I am so proud of the maturity she showed evaluating her options and envisioning what she wanted and valued for the next four years. We are thankful for all the support Ms. Shamanski gave during this process and feel Sissy will be very happy at Whitefield!  

For the past few years Sarah Graves has looked forward to her eighth grade class trip to Washington D.C. and the day finally came! She was excited to room with her friends Lana, Chloe, and Sabrina. They had fun planning what to pack and enjoyed being roommates.  She enjoyed all the time with her classmates which was a positive after much upheaval two weeks before when two students were expelled from school and two more were not permitted to go on the trip. After being together for nearly nine years, each member of the class felt like family and losing some of them was disconcerting to all.  They saw the highlights of Washington D.C. including the Smithsonian, the White House, the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Vietnam War Memorial, Washington Monument, the Mall (they had the same misconception I did at that age thinking it would be great shopping :) ), Mount Vernon, hiking in Shenandoah National Park, and rafting on the Nantahala.