The Growing Caldwell Family

Where do kids get crazy ideas? Recently, Charlie dumped out the contents of his bowl on his high chair tray and proceeded to put the bowl on his head! As you can see, he was quite pleased with himself, too! Not to be outdone, Sissy had to try it out for herself!  Needless to say, baths followed quickly!

Rainbow Bobby just made his way in from the North Pole! He came in on Charlie's sled dog and a brought a note! Let the fun begin!

These two give me a lot to be thankful for. Thankful that they are healthy and bright little people with loving hearts. Thankful that I get the chance to be a mother. Thankful that Aaron and I are raising a family together. Thankful that I get to watch family pour out love on these two little people. Thankful for these two silly kids and the laughter they create! Happy Thanksgiving!

We made our own gumbo game for the LSU v. Alabama game. My gumbo turned out a lot better than the game! The kids had fun regardless! They love to have everyone with them, so they were delighted to have Lovie and Pops eat with us.

We celebrated Pops' birthday tonight! We dinner at a great, local, seafood restaurant, Ray's on the River, followed by cake and presents. Dinner was delicious and a true treat. Mom made a delicious carrot cake ( Pops' request) Make a wish! A silly game produces big giggles! Sissy proudly gave Pops the card she made for him! Two eager helpers for opening gifts!

The most stressful time with the two of them is bedtime. They are tired and both want momma to get them ready for bed. But, it has gotten a little easier lately now that they can sometimes enjoy stories together.  Daddy likes having this snuggly time with them on his lap! Sarah Graves still likes her paci at night for bed and has been really good about keeping it just for that purpose. Charlie is totally hooked on his and would like to have it all times of the day. It's a work in progress and all too quickly they will forget they ever liked it.

We spent some time with Lovie at the park. Charlie fell asleep while eating his lunch and just couldn't make it, so SG had some one on one time with Lovie, which was fine by her. She cracks me up calling her fleece her "sweat jacket". Not a sweatshirt or a jacket, but a sweat jacket!

After the shower there was time for the family to be together and just relax. The guys joined us and we enjoyed each other's company. BB playing with Charlie "ghost" Aunt Tammy building castles with him. Jeanne' and Maw Maw looking on at all the fun. These cousins had some fun games of hide and seek. Charlie and Aunt Tammy laughing. As the hour got late, Charlie got in Lovie's lap first to read a book, then quickly fell asleep in her arms. Such a sweet glimpse at what a day is like for the two of them. This shot is from Halloween night when everyone met up and thoroughly enjoyed time to catch up and visit together. Hearing their stories and their laughter reminded me of why I wanted a large dining room with a table to hold lots of family. I hope we have much more laughter like that to come.

We picked the date for the shower and that set the theme with pumpkins. Once I had that, I took to Pinterest looking for ideas to make it cute. Pinterest never disappoints and there were tons of ideas! These are just regular pumpkins with the words written on them using a thick, black marker. Jeanne's corsage from a local florist. I wanted the clothesline full of baby girl items and then added the buntings on the bookcases to give them a little flair. How cute are these baby girl things! I had newborn diapers for guests to write encouraging messages on to help Jeanne' out during those early weeks.She is going to use cloth once Olivia is a bit bigger, but will need these in the first few weeks. Jeanne's little pumpkin! Baby shower cake We had lots of yummy food, but somehow I only took pictures of the iced cookies! I made baby carriages, pumpkins, and these monogrammed shapes. It turns out cookies run in the family and our c...

Hard to believe that in a few weeks my sister will be having a baby girl! We celebrated Jeanne' with a baby shower attended by friends and a lot of family. It turned into a bit of a weekend long celebration. Sarah Graves was excited to be with her cousin Brennan. She talks a lot about her cousins and it was so nice for her to be with them. Aunts and cousins all had a good time visiting together. Andrea and Maw Maw  These sweet friends have all played tennis together for many years. Harry was the hit of the party and so sweet to let everyone pass him around. Jeanne' and Ms. Janan Jeanne' and her godmother, Michelle Jeanne' and Boo Boo Aunt Rosalie, Maw Maw, and Jeanne' three generations We played bingo while she opened gifts and a few of the items turned contentious - who did have the crib sheet? Sarah Graves thoroughly enjoyed helping to open gifts and proudly gave Olivia some of her favorite thin...