The Growing Caldwell Family

Sarah Graves wanted a spooky jack-o-lantern and she picked this face for our pumpkin.  She Daddy had a fun time carving the pumpkin, including getting all the "guts" out. She was so excited to get a candle and see it all lit up!  We are so enjoying her excitement for Halloween!

Saturday morning we enjoyed bagels for breakfast before we headed off to find a pumpkin for carving!  Sarah Graves was really looking forward to carving a jack-o-lantern and we were ready! We didn't go to a big pumpkin patch this year, but instead chose a church near us that has a pumpkin patch setup to raise money for their youth.  It was very quiet and easy.   Her desire was a big one and she looked around until she found one sufficiently large.

While Aaron was hunting (never expected to be writing that), Dad came with me to take the kids to our friend Greg's birthday party.  The two of them are a lot for me to wrangle at a birthday party, so I called in reinforcements!  Greg turned four and he loves animals, so he had an animal themed party complete with an animal demonstration and petting.  Neither of my kids wanted to touch any, but there were some really interesting bunnies, birds, and other furry creatures. Charlie was curious about the tortoise. Our friend Allison was there too. Greg was so cute and sweet!  I think he really enjoyed his party. Sissy loves to help her baby brother out.   Me and my sweet girl.

Friday was SG's Halloween parade at school.  She was SO excited to wear her Princess Ariel costume and the Ariel wig!  I was a little surprised she kept the wig on so well.  She was beaming as she came by with her class and was tickled to see Nay, Lovie, me, and Sebastien (a.k.a Charlie) cheering for her!

This year for Lovie's birthday we made it an all day affair!  We met up that morning and went into the evening.  It was a day jam packed with fun.   We started with some family photos followed by a tasty brunch off Marietta Square.  It's always easier to eat in a restaurant with kids when you have five adults to two kids! After brunch we checked out the farmer's market and enjoyed a few treats. After the farmer's market we headed up to Ellijay for the Apple Festival.   This boy was so sweet and loved watching and waving at people! Sissy was very sweet the whole time and enjoyed the kids' area very much! Little girl in a big chair! We left the Apple Festival when it closed and headed back to Atlanta for dinner at Pappadeaux's! I made salted caramel cupcakes in hopes of getting the recipe similar to what my great grandmother made for her when she was growing up.  Not sure how close my recipe came to her caramel cak...

Dear Charlie, Time is just flying by!  I can't believe it has been two months since your birthday.  You are learning so much every day! The thing we are really noticing is how you are beginning to talk!  You are starting to say hi as you wave to us and I have heard you say hi dada and hi pop!  I'm pretty sure that you call me Baba and when you enjoy what you are eating, you say mmmm.  You also point to the light and say light and know to say uh oh if you drop something.  You know the dog says woof woof, too!  You "talk" a lot and I think probably you are saying a lot of other things that we just aren't picking up.  You have a sweet little voice that I love hearing.  You have developed this habit of a high pitched squeal that you do when you are frustrated or excited.  Sometimes you just run through the house doing it!  Not sure how we teach you that squealing isn't the best sound. You are a wild man!  You walk and run all da...

My good friend Sarah and her husband recently built a beautiful new house and we went last Saturday to their housewarming party.   Sarah has been a dear friend since we moved to Atlanta and I just love my time with her.  We usually only have a chance to see each other by getting away for a quick lunch during the week, so this was a treat to hang out with our husbands and show off Charlie to her. Charlie was the only baby there and everyone just doted on him and gave him so much attention.  A sweet treat for the second child!

Dear Charlie, This letter to you is long overdue, but that is just a sign of how busy we have been having a really good time!  Maw Maw Yvonne was here for your birthday and stayed for a couple of weeks after that.  We had a good time seeing her and watching you and Sarah Graves enjoy being with her. You have been perfecting your walk and getting so quick!  You learned how to standup unassisted and now you simply can't be stopped!  You fall down a lot, but you quickly scramble up and go again!  You are a pro with putting your paci in and you love to run around holding it and putting it in your mouth at will! You do have a temper.  You get angry when you can't have what you want and you will fall out on the floor crying.  Your lower lip comes out when you cry and you look so pitiful.  You have terrible separation anxiety and really don't want anyone to leave you, even the DirecTV man! You are an eater.  You enjoy a lot of foods and eat wi...

Last weekend there was a fall fest near us that Lovie and Pops took Sissy to.  I asked that they take pictures and it looks like she had a great time!   There was a hay ride silliness with Pops,  picking out her own pumpkin, and the most talked about part was the hay slide!  You could climb up hay bales and there were pans you could sit on to slide, but it made you go REALLY fast!

I love watching them be kids and have fun! Seeing them enjoy playing together is so wonderful and such a good reminder of why all the effort and hard work is so very worth it! Lovie made her this dress and she couldn't be more pleased!

If you give a kid some orange juice, she's going to ask for a straw; once she has the straw, she's going to want to take it with her; if she takes it with her, there's a good chance it may spill; when the orange juice spills, it will make the car sticky; you'll have to clean the mats and wipe down the seats; while you're cleaning the inside, you will notice that the outside is dirty, too; she'll want to spray the car with the hose; and she'll love putting soap on the rag (and everything else); she'll proudly work to clean the wheels, then help rinse it all off; after she's helped dry it, she'll start to feel hungry; you'll take her inside for a cookie; and chances are, if you give a kid a cookie, she's going to want some juice to go with it!

While we were there, we also had Sissy's hair trimmed.  

Charlie's hair was getting a little long on top and over his ears, so we decided it was time for his first haircut.  We went to Crewcuts and Pigtails where the focus is on kids' haircuts.  When we went in, there was a kid screaming at the top of his lungs as his hair was being cut, so I worried about how Charlie would do.  He did not want to sit in the cute chair, but he did fabulous in my arms.   j We did keep all his sweet curls in the back, but he has sweet boy hair on top now.