The Growing Caldwell Family

We had such a fun time playing Kerplunk on a Monday night! It was a rare evening with no homework for SG and good moods for everyone. Charlie and I competed for collecting the most characters (a.k.a. biggest loser)! He won! Sissy was also very pleased with her purple, glitter slime! So glittery that it was like throwing a fistful of glitter in the air and led me to play the song by Pink for them.  These are the evenings that I hope they remember when they are grown. 

Sarah Graves loves doing lots of things and wants to try every activity! That's probably how we came to be a bit over-scheduled. On this particular Sunday we went to church, acolyte training session, came home for lunch, headed off to swim practice, and rushed off to Brownies! After Brownies she still had homework to do and was worn out. I know how she feels and want her to do everything, but want her to also have time to relax and enjoy being a little girl. We have talked about signing up for fewer activities next year, but we'll see. Sarah Graves enjoys her sweet friends at Brownies! Giana, Anna Grace, and Marcela are all sweet girls. 

This is how you snack when Pops is in charge! Charlie excitedly told me about the giant s’mores Pops gave him for snack! He said he ate two! These kids are so lucky to spend so much time with their grandparents! So grateful for the time and attention given to them.

With Sarah Graves off at a sleepover, Charlie was excited to have a date with us. He chose Steaky Shake! We thought he chose it because of his new found love of hamburgers, but no he wanted his usual mac'n cheese! After checking out the menu he decided he wanted both a hamburger and mac'n cheese. Much to my surprise, he ate both and the apple sauce too!  He definitely enjoyed being the center of our attention and showed his fun and charming side! 

We had Livy over to play. We haven't spent as much time with her lately and the kids were excited to see her!  Charlie and Livy enjoyed playing with Legos together. These two get along very well and enjoy each other. I didn't get any pictures (oops!), but Sarah Graves and Livy really had fun playing dolls together. So much so that Charlie, who is used to having Livy to himself, felt very left out. He and I had to have some talks and finally he used words to let the girls know he felt left out and they found a way to add him to their play! So happy for Sarah Graves that she was connecting with Livy since she often feels left out and so happy for Charlie to find it in himself to describe how he felt and not just go after destroying their play. They are definitely growing up!

Some mornings we have a delightful bit of time waiting for carpool to start.  Kiddos giggling, telling me about dreams they had at night or what happened to friends. They tease each other and laugh. It is a wonderful way to start the day. Those precious minutes with them make me so happy. I love when Sarah Graves leans in the front seat, kisses my cheek, and tells me to have a good day just before she hops out. Not every morning is blissful, but I hope those good mornings help lead them to have good days. 

Charlie came home from school and got such a kick out of wearing these glasses and saying, "leprechaun" in a cool dude accent!