The Growing Caldwell Family

Charlie was eager for a playdate for rising first graders! They enjoyed popsicles and time to play in the park! Seeing his buddies Harrison, John, and Ziggy was a treat!

Our fourth meet we swam away again in Marietta. The pool deck was small and only 5 lanes but it was shady! Charlie was glad to be back and Sis was glad that Mallory was there with her. Charlie swims the same events each meet. Six year olds only swim freestyle and backstroke. He wasn't as fast as he has been. I think getting over the strep throat left him worn down.  I think his favorite part is playing with the other boys! This was Sis's lineup for the night. She swims different things each time. She has swam butterfly, but it is not her favorite! Lovie there to cheer them on! This meet sold frozen yogurt! Pink lemonade was up Sissy's alley! Not every pool uses starting blocks because they require a specific depth, so it's nice to practice using those.

The kids have been so excited for Hogwarts camp! It has definitely been much anticipated. They were both sure the Sorting Hat would identify them as Gryffindors! With a few details from me, here is what the Sorting Hat shared. For Charlie, the Sorting Hat said, Charlie loves to use his smarts to solve a problem. whether it is building something new with Legos or solving a puzzle in a video game, he is eager for the challenge. His curiosity leads Charlie to learn many things like how traffic cameras work, how to use the oven, and what Alexa’s favorite snack is (she cannot say). Charlie always speaks his mind and tells it like it is. Want to know what you need to work on, just ask Charlie and he’ll tell it to you straight! Charlie’s favorite color is blue! Here is what the Sorting Hat had to say for Sarah Graves: Sarah Graves wants everyone to get along and be happy. She will look for compromise to ensure everyone gets some part of what they want. She is loyal to he...

The kids were excited to to be together with family to celebrate Daddy and Pops!  Charlie was eager to start celebrating by making Aaron breakfast in bed. When he came in at 6:30 with a notepad and pen in hand ready to take notes on how to make breakfast, I decided it was time to get up and help him. We had a good time making waffles and bacon. They turned out yummy and Charlie was happy to climb into bed to eat some while watching cartoons with Daddy. Sarah Graves slept in but was happy to help prepare by wrapping gifts! We went out for brunch and got quite the surprise when we arrived and they were only serving a buffet. The food was good, but not quite what we expected! These sweet kids loved on each other and our server impressed us with her Harry Potter knowledge! We came home and enjoyed this yummy dessert buffet! I made blueberry pie and Sarah Graves made chocolate cake! She was tickled to write on it with icing all by herself.  She ca...

The third meet of the season was a home meet and Aaron took Sarah Graves while I stayed with Charlie. He was pretty pitiful when he admitted there was no chance he could get better in time to swim. Poor buddy was disappointed but very grown up about it.  Sarah Graves went on to have a good time! Her friend Mallory's mom met the Olympic swimmer, Missy Franklin, and arranged to bring some medals to the meet for the kids to try on! Pretty cool! The weather turned quite cool, so the girls bundled up!

Poor Charlie has been so sick. It started on a Monday evening with him complaining that his tummy hurt and his legs felt heavy. He even mentioned that it was like the last time he was sick a few months ago. He didn't eat much for dinner and then wanted to lay down. When we checked on him a little later he definitely had fever. I figured it was some kind of a kid virus and proceeded to bring him water and keep an eye on his temp. He spent the next several days on the sofa miserable with a fever that fluctuated around 102 and 103. His stomach continued to hurt and he couldn't keep anything down. Finally, Thursday I called the pediatrician and the nurse suggested we bring him in in case it could be strep. I figured it was going to be a wasted trip to hear he had a virus, but took the appointment in the next hour. Aaron brought him in and sure enough, he had a bad case of strep. The doctor prescribed an anti-nausea and antibiotic It took a couple;e of days, but his appetit...

We had a fun and relaxing time spending a rainy weekend at the lake.  The kids had so much fun making these yummy nummies - tiny, edible treats! Smiles all around for this craft! Charlie's was hamburger and French fries with a little cup of liquid that looked like coke. The fruity flavored "catsup" was his favorite! Sissy was proud of her tiny ice cream sundaes! We found a little dry weather and the kids enjoyed being out on the boat. We have moved up to riding the raft standing to give a thrill! They did another craft decorating little bird houses with these really cool paint markers that Lovie found. They give the look of paint on the wood but are like using a marker! We can't forget their performances! Most notable was "A Hopeful Campout" where Charlie was the dad and SG and Olivia are the kids going on a campout! Frustration over lack of following what they had rehearsed ensued and the show broke down, but it ...

Our second swim meet was an away meet and it was far away! The pool was small, but we made the best of it! Charlie had some great swims in freestyle and backstroke! Lovie came to cheer the kids on and helped to be sure they were at the meet on time. Sarah Graves loves to have Lovie with her. Charlie had a wiggly tooth (finally!) and this was the evening that he lost it! Only problem was, he lost it playing on the playground in the dark. Aaron tried to look for it, but all the mulch in the dark made it near impossible to find. Charlie wrote the Tooth Fairy a letter explaining what happened and she must have trusted him because she left him five dollars! So proud to lose his first tooth!

Last year versus this year.  This year's official swim team picture

We had a fun time at White Water with Jeanne' and Olivia! We had a long wait for the group slide, but it was still fun hanging out together. Riding down in a big tube together is the best! Love all these happy smiles! Sissy does love the wave pool Drenched and loving it!