Happy Holidays 2008

Having 15 people in a small house for the holidays will give anyone a new perspective on life, family and bonding. It would be impossible to capture the crazy, FUN chaos that was our Christmas, but here's a sneak peek...

Sometimes it felt a little squishy.

And, sometimes you were left all alone.
(griffith brimhall)

There were pony rides...

and pesticides.
There were reasons to run...
...and have some fun.

(cheers!)

There was a little "Guess Who?"

(haleigh)

And some talent shows too!

Somehow, through it all, we always had a ball! :)

Our simple keys to a squishy success:SMILE, SMILE, SMILE!!!
(especially if the camera is pointed at you!)

Hold absolutely still and don't make aaaaannnny noise! :) (ha, ha, ha, ha, ha)

Celebrate the little things!

And hold on tight til the world seems right!

If all else fails, go to the beach!

You have to love the unified front these two create, they are so perfectly "suited" for each other, pun totally intended -thank you very much! (that's for you dad) :)

Grammy loves.

Poppy loves.

Flying kites is a magical thing and each person handles success differently... Baker is ecstatic to have his kite flying, while Nathan is whistling away... all in a good days work! :)

I love my little surfer dude. :)

Nathan was born to it, like he was to every sport he tries. He plays the part 100%, even down to attaching the boogie board to his ankle! Catch a wave when you're sitting on top of the world!

Having Heather for a sister keeps life interesting to say the least and I can only hope everyone has someone like her in their life! So, Heather sees all the kids playing in the mud. (well, wet sand that looks like mud)

And she says to Nathan, "Hey, why don't you get two big handfuls of mud and smother them on yourself!!!" Heather chuckles because she knows I'm right there watching him get all sandy and dirty like little boys love to do. Hmmm, not enough reaction? Her mind starts turning and an evil cackle escapes, "I know, why don't you all get two big handfuls of mud and throw them at your mom?! ...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee" She can't hold back the laughs as all the kids take off like hungry gulls after a crust of bread!

Run, run as fast as you can....

THE END!

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

Something about traditions gives me that deja vu feeling as I post about another thanksgiving, another day of football, another day of parades, another day of baking and another day of being thankful. This is our second thanksgiving at home and it was the best yet. It was so relaxed as the girls and I watched the parade while Jim and Nathan played ball, then we all feasted and enjoyed our favorite part of the day: PIE!!! :)

Everyone wanted to help make the traditional apple pie this year. The secret to a great pie is all the little hands that put it together.

Lindsey and Elise mixed the dough.

Nathan peeled the apples.

Lindsey pushed, stabbed and rolled the dough out.

Elise seasoned the apples (that mom cut behind the scenes), then filled the pie crust and pinched it to perfection.

And, voila -a beautiful apple pie which Daddy helped to eat up! :) We are thankful for the chance to eat, bake and play together.

This year we were also grateful to decorate for Christmas after the apple pie so that Jim and I could leave the next day to visit Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Heather and Andy in St. Louis.

Lindsey is our little star light, star bright!

This is my favorite time of year. After the decorations are up and the floor is vacuumed :) we turn on the Christmas music and drink eggnog while we admire the lights. It's the most wonderful time of the year.....

Here's our little Aimee -Lou and some of her many faces that make us smile, laugh and raise an eyebrow!!!To finish the story of our trip to Cape, I must say that I had just returned the weekend before from a trip to Edmond, OK where we were also considering a position. It's been an interesting and stressful ride to say the least as Jim interviewed with four different universities and received offers from all four -KUDOS to Jim!!! That is an amazing compliment and testament to his abilities and character. Still, it also made for a more challenging time deciding which of the four to take and whether to accept one opportunity or wait.

In this case, I figure that God pretty much helped us along with that because we had all but signed on a job in Edmond, OK -when another offer for a campus visit came that we just could not refuse. So, turning down the bird in hand for the two in the bush, Jim pursued the other job that would still allow us to live in Edmond, OK which looked perfect for us on the internet. While waiting to find out about the other OK job, the Cape position was offered to Jim and as time went on, seemed a more desirable position. They really wanted Jim and offered to fly us both back so they could sell ME on it! One morning I couldn't sleep and realized I should visit Emond too. I was out there in two days and within two hours of my visit, I knew it was not the place for our family. However, my sister did not know this and until we'd accepted the Cape position I didn't dare hint to the fact that we would take it. In fact, I made it seem like Edmond was perfect for us -just to sweeten the surprise later. :)

And, oh what a fun surprise it was! It made the visit there so fun, when we weren't stressed about the fact that I left my purse in Walmart right before we dashed out to meet the Chair of the Business department. I remained super calm (wanting to make a good impression) and as soon as she was gone we asked the real estate person to take us back to Walmart -calling them on our way. They had found the purse in the parking lot (I'd left it in the bathroom), whew, and they said everything was there except the wallet -YIKES!!! I could tell Jim was freaking out while I sureally wondered how I'd get home without a license, but I felt extremely calm. This could be due to the fact that I've lost my wallet oh like a hundred times and it always comes back to me. I was a little nervous (a first for me and my wallet losing) and told the realtor, "it's okay, we are just going to believe that the person who took it is going to start feeling so bad that (s)he's going to return it RIGHT NOW!" "Wow, you're calm" she stated. Starting to feel pretty anxious, I reached in my pocket for my phone to tell Heather to start praying like crazy and there was my wallet! TA-DA. It's the wallet that always comes back to me. :)

The visit was really smooth after that and we loved everyone we met, and we met EVERYONE!! What a whirlwind. What really sold me was when we walked into the indoor pool on campus and I breathed in the hot, humid air and realized it was decorated with PALMTREES that they had flown in from Florida no less! Sign me up!!! :) The rest of the trip was pretty chilly for my Florida lovin' body -it's COLD out there!

Heather was extatic to find out we were moving to Cape and I must admit that while it will be sad to leave my Floridian paradise, it's nice to know I'll have family nearby to help me through. And, Cape really was beautiful, even with the trees bare and the frosty air. We have been so blessed and have much to be thankful for!

A reason to celebrate!

Having great friends is reason enough to celebrate,

but going out with those friends to celebrate is even better! :)
Krista and Dale took us to the authentic german restaurant

to celebrate Krista's birthday
and Jim's successful completion of his dissertation proposal.
Oh yes, we dusted off the old lederhosen and Nathan dined in style! :)
Like father, like son. :)
Everyone was in good spirits as we celebrated with:
good food, (ah yes, my cheeks are stuffed!)
some folksy accordian music,

a little ballerina dancing,

some cutesy entertainment,
And the oh so traditional German chicken dance,

starring the"von Caldwell'"family. :)
Hugs to the Helms for their kindness, friendship and love!