Merry Christmas from the Caldwell Family to all of you. Most of our shopping and baking are done. With 3 days left of school, my biggest stress is wondering how to keep these pretty girls busy during the upcoming Christmas Break... looks like more baking, crafts, games, and giggly sleepovers...2006 has been a blessed year for all of us. Paul finally got his long awaited promotion. He is now the Store Manager for Burlington Thrifty Foods and is really enjoying the challenges and opportunities that it presents. We are headed over there in a little while so the girls can visit "Santa". Jessica can hardly wait! Jeanna could care less and Haley says, "I know who Santa REALLY is!" (ha!) Paul is such a hard worker! He works 10 to 11 hour days at the store but is never too tired to do his fatherly routine when he gets home, playing hide and seek, guesssing games, listening to the girls read, brushing their teeth, tucking them in, and keeping them all in line - something much easier to do with him around, than me alone! (Something about Dad that means "Yes, sir!")
We are very proud of our 10 year old, Jeanna, as she continues to excel in 5th Grade and all of her extracurricular activities. Busy as ever, she is playing the violin in the MVSD 2nd year Orchestra and enjoying it immensely. She was also playing the flute in band but has just decided that it is too much and needs to focus on one instrument at a time for now - good choice! She was elected as Secretary for her second year on the Madison Student Council, learning leadership and organizational skills there. She is continuing to do well on the SVY Chinooks swim team, working very hard to qualify for Regionals, though she's not quite there yet. As if that's not enough, she is also part of Mad Muse, a weekly after school club that works on journaling their "Madison School News" - in print and video medias. Jeanna is learning "domestic skills" at home; she's a tremendous help around the house with her sisters, learning to cook, clean, and shop for bargains on a budget! She can't wait to babysit and earn more money... am I ever glad for that... looks like she'll get lots of practice soon enough! Her favorite early Christmas present this year was getting to go to her very first "LIVE Concert" in Seattle with her best friend, where she saw "High School Musical". 10 years old, going on 15 already :)
Jessica, 7 years old, continues to make wonderful and amazing progress in all areas. She is in a regular 1st grade class, reading on grade level and learning very basic addition and telling time. She is dearly loved by her classmates and teachers, who continue to be amazed by what she is able to do and learning to do! She has the biggest smile and best laugh ever! She is practically running everywhere these days, keeping me very busy trying to keep up with her. (She's actually been lost for a few minutes a couple of times this fall, giving me big scares. Of course, she doesn't even realize what she's done, which is the most frightening part of all.) This is Jessica's favorite time of the year as she lives for Christmas & Santa. We have also been teaching her about this being Jesus' birthday but at this point, much to our chagrin, Santa is much more exciting to her - with presents, the North Pole, red suits, Rudolph and Barney..., yes, Barney... go figure!
And then there's our 6 year old, "Princess Haley". We couldn't be more proud of her. She is an excellent 1st grader, reading at a 2nd grade level already. We can't spell any words or secrets around here anymore at all without these "smart cookies" sounding it out and saying the words before we do! Haley is very conscientious with her school work and loves the feeling of getting all her lists done right away. We have a school day morning checklist for the girls that helps them stay on task as they get ready for school... (the typical... make bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, make lunch, wash face & hands, brush teeth, pack backpack, etc...). The other day Haley asked me how long she was going to have to do this list. I told her that in reality she would always have a list... as these were things that all of us did every morning before we went to school, work, etc... the only difference was that as we get older we add more things to the list. She wasn't so sure about that. Haley is a delight and full of energy. I do believe her favorite subject is math... as she doesn't miss a beat with what's going on in a day, what's coming up, how many days 'til Christmas, how many more days 'til Mimi & Papa come from Canada..., how many more months 'til everyone's birthdays, the baby's arrival, etc.Then there's Mama and Baby. We are doing well. I am in my 17th week of pregnancy now, officially due May 30th. The whole family (good friends: Patty & Jason, too!) came to my last Doctor's appointment this past week and got to see Baby on the ultrasound. It was very exciting as Baby had both hands up at his/her face waving at us. Jessica says that Baby waved "Hi & Bye". (very cute!) All preliminary blood tests and ultrasounds are very positive and reassuring that everything is normal with Baby thus far. According to my latest bloodwork, my chances of having a baby with Down syndrome again have gone from 1 in 90 to 1 in 650 - pretty good odds! Honestly, I have tremendous peace and positive feelings about Baby and have not worried at all but it's reassuring nonetheless when the medical professionals confirm it. Since entering the "magical" 2nd trimester, I have been feeling much better - less green and more energy.
I am still in shock some days, that we are doing the "baby thing" again, having to shop for baby furniture, strollers, car seats, layettes, etc. and knowing that life is going to change for all of us yet some more. We'll have less sleep, more mouths to feed, more laundry, more tears and more laughter. I know that in some ways I'll have more help with all these "big" girls around here but then again we thought mornings and bedtimes were already busy!!! :)
As far as general things on the "home front", we pulled our house off the market for Dec & Jan so we can relax a bit more and then we'll try to sell again come February. With Baby's arrival we still need that 4th bedroom - sooner than later. I have been blessed with another part-time contract, working from my home office, for a wonderful local organization that provides educational, therapeutic and behavioral programs for children with special needs. What a Sovereign blessing and provision for us for the next few months!
We had the privilege of celebrating Thanksgiving twice this year. We had "Grandma Dot" & Aunt Joyce from Texas here along with my folks from Alberta during Canadian Thanksgiving and had a most wonderful time. It had been over 2 years since I had seen Grandma & Aunt Joyce and the first time Paul & Haley had met them. We had a precious few days together, never long enough! It's hard to be so far away from family so when we're all together we treasure every moment - counting down the days 'til we can see each other again. Then for US Thanksgiving, we had a quieter celebration just the 5 of us. In the evening we had our dear friends and adopted family, Steve, Patty & Jason over for pie and coffee.Meantime, we continue to enjoy our church family and the activities that we're involved in. I am blessed to be part of a great team of ladies who leads Women's Ministries. Last week I "MC'd" our first annual holiday brunch and fashion show which was a beautiful success, with over 80 women in attendance. The best investment of time & money that Paul & I have made thus far was taking a weekly class at the church this fall, Financial Peace University, taught by Dave Ramsey. It has completely changed the way we spend our money and how we think about our finances from practical and Biblical perspectives. The best part about it is that the principles are working!! (It should be mandatory for every high school graduate and newly wed couple!)
So there you have it, a few highlights of our family life and how we're doing. Here is our Christmas Card from all of us to you. This picture was taken just after Thanksgiving during our "once a year snow storm". You all are always welcome in our home! Come and see us anytime! We pray you have a wonderful Merry Christmas and that all the Blessings of our Lord Jesus will be yours in 2007!
Paul & I thoroughly enjoyed the next 24 hours alone as we made one memory after another, enjoying one another's company surrounded by beauty in a multitude of different settings.
