The Growing Caldwell Family

We planned a fun outing to the movies to enjoy Wonka and dinner! The movie was great and dinner during a movie is always a treat!  

We made a final trip to Holiday in the Park and it was freezing! It was also super crowded! We skipped some rides because the idea of wind whipping in our faces was too much! We did ride the train to the North Pole and spent more time enjoying the lights and music! We came in and I was feeling a little grumpy and lacking in Christmas cheer. By the time we left, I had a heart warm with cheer (even if my feet were freezing!)

We had a fun Sunday with Grancy and Gramma. Sarah Graves performed in the choir and we were happy for them to see her do such a great job! Charlie posed for some cute pics while the choir warmed up! She does such a great job and really enjoys ringing the bells! After church, we all went to lunch together.  Charlie kept Pops and Gramma laughing at his end of the table! Sissy was happy to be by Grancy. These kiddos are so cute together! SG and Charlie love being with Olivia! We came home and the kids were eager to start baking! They made gingerbread men and Grancy's delicious chocolate pie! This year it was a lot of fun to let them make cut out cookies and the pouches of pre-done icing made it fun for them to decorate the cookies all themselves. They did a lot of it on their own and I felt proud when SG knew that the dough was rolled too thin to make a good cookie! So sweet to see her reading to Grancy!

Some mornings I enjoy the few minutes we spend in carpool line! Spirit wear Friday's put them in a fun mood! For all the mornings that feel hurried and hectic, there are some of these that feel fun and enjoyable.

We took advantage of an open Saturday and headed to Six Flags to check out Fright Fest! It was unseasonably hot, but we had fun! This man rode Mindbender! He said he didn't like the loop, but yay for trying it! He was also tall enough to ride Harley Quinn (like a tilt-a-whirl) and loved it! It was super hot out but lots of fun! Charlie giving a superhero pose with daddy! Nay and Livy joined us for some rides. Merry go round! Charlie said he could drive because Pops taught him how to drive the boat! When Livy was scared on the ride, Sissy was so sweet putting her arm around her. Riding Wonder Woman while wearing a Wonder Woman shirt! Cuties in a Batcopter! Charlie and I rode the Daffy Duck buckets and got pleasantly wet! Not my favorite ride, but it was so hot that it was nice. As it got dark, the lights were turned off on the roller coasters making it especially thrilling! Sissy thought Mindbender was awesome in the dark! The grownups took turns staying with the kids and riding the...

The kids really enjoy going to Sunday School and Children's Chapel. I enjoy helping with Sunday School!  I hope they will continue to enjoy being at church and feel a connection to their church community!

Carpool officially starts at 7:50. I try to be the first car in line, which gives us about 20 minutes to wait. I try to use the time to  go over letters, spelling words, or Spanish. Sometimes, my crazy children have other ideas like hanging out the sunroof and having a dance party! Hopefully, they remember our mornings as being a mix of fun and studying!

We went to Lego Land at Phipps Plaza and had a great time! I didn't know much about it, but there were some fun things to do! Charlie was immediately impressed by Batman! Sissy was excited to see the Lego Friends! Charlie likes them too! Sissy and I sat at one of the stations and did some building. Charlie tested out his car he built. There were some neat climbing and play structures for little kids. SG with the ticket taker! The 3D movie expanded on the Lego Movie story and went over well with our kids! We headed to Johnny Rockets for a fun lunch! We had a fun time exploring Lego Land and hanging out together!

Our staycation continued with a really fun day at Six Flags! Going in the middle of the week was awesome because of no lines! My big kids were ready for the day! Our first stop was the new DC Super Friends section with new kids rides! Riding the Batcopter! The new Wonder Woman ride was a lot of fun! My superhero was pooped out and needed a rest, which made a great time for Sissy to ride roller coasters!  She rides everything she is tall enough for, including Georgia Cyclone, Blue Hawk, Scream Machine and Mindbender! Afternoon showers made for a great time to have a snack! We also enjoyed the water rides! We got SOAKED on Thunder River! It was a really fun day!

We decided to do a stay cation for a few days and take the kids some places we haven't had a chance to go to yet. Our first stop was the Hurricane Harbor water park in Six Flags. We were all pretty excited to go! The hot July weather certainly made it appealing! I didn't take any pictures in the water, but I did get some eating ice cream after!  The water park was a big hit and they can't wait to go back!