Family Pictures

We hired a professional photographer to spend some time with us one afternoon. It was the best money we spent. They took over 200 pictures. Now I get to sort through them and find the best ones. I have a list, but it's too long. I will post just a few of the unique ones for you to enjoy.

Decorating the Tree

We put our tree up before we left for Thanksgiving. We knew we wouldn't have time when we returned. It was so much fun to see all the familiar decorations. The boys had a good time. Thank you Mr. Keith for helping us. You are a great friend! It was a good evening.

Leaves, Leaves, and more Leaves

We finally broke down and raked the leaves in our yard. This is the first house we have lived in with so many mature trees. We spent 3 hours just on the backyard. Chris would rake them into a pile and the boys and I would carry them on a sheet to the front yard. It was really hard to get the boys to stay out of the pile. We had to take pictures when we were finally done. Chris finished the front yard without our help. I think it went a little faster without the boys and me messing things up. We had so much fun!

Trick or Treat

We went with my brother and sister-in-law to her parents' house for trick or treating. They live in a very nice neighborhood and the kids got some great candy. The kids were so happy to spend the time together. We love cousin Justin and Joy. Thank you Rich and Fran for letting us come to your house for dinner.

Fall Days...

Our weather is finally starting to get cool. We painted pumpkins the other day and Tyler wore shorts outside. We start the mornings cool, but by the afternoon, you are in short sleeves. I love the south!

We went to the YMCA for the Halloween party on Friday night. The boys had a good time. They dressed up as Troy Bolton from High School Musical. Ethan asked me to straighten his hair for it. It took 20 minutes with a flat iron. He looked like a different kid. The kids had a lot of fun. I can't wait for Halloween!

Happy Birthday Tyler... You are free (three)

We had a small, family birthday party for Tyler. We went to the Japanese Steakhouse and watched the chef cook in front of us. The boys loved the flames. We went to Toys R Us afterwards and let Tyler choose his own gift. He picked out a Power Rangers costume with some help from his big brother. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Douglass for the Disney video Ipod. Tyler loves watching High School Musical and Sky High on it. He feels like such a big kid!

Fall Break in South Carolina




Our local schools took a week off for fall break. Chris, the boys and I went to South Carolina for part of the time. The boys loved riding horses at Grandma and Grandpa Caldwell's house. Tyler was so cute! He would take turns with his cousin, Dallas, leading the miniature horse and riding it. Ethan had a good time playing baseball with his cousin, Dylan.


Uncle Chris took the boys to a hanger at the airport where he is helping to rebuild five Cobra helicopters. The boys were able to sit inside the cockpits of the copters that flew in the Vietnam War. We had such a good time and were very impressed. Thanks for a great weekend Caldwell Family!

I'm a big kid now...

I have put off potty training Tyler due to our school schedule (and my laziness). He finally realized a week ago that Spider Man does not pee pee in his pants but in the potty. He decided that he was spider man so he should pee pee in the potty. He hasn't had an accident since and he is now in underwear (only spider man underwear of course). He is so proud of himself. He has to tell everyone he is wearing underwear. He also demands, "Call me Spider man."

Happy Birthday Ethan (a little bit late)

Ok, I have been so bad about updating my blog. I apologize to my faithful few that follow this site. With school starting for me and the boys, it has been crazy around here. I know that is an excuse, but it is a good one. We celebrated Ethan's birthday by going to Dollywood. We had a great time. His papa and mama from Ohio sent him this Disney mp3, video player. He loves it. Tyler wants one too (hint, hint). You can watch the entire High School Musical movie on it. I downloaded the new songs from HSM 2 and Ethan walks around with earphones in his ears all the time. He is 6 going on 16. He asked me the other day to put extra peanut butter on his sandwich because he needed the protien to increase his bat speed. He is a little obsessed. He started fall ball a few weeks ago, so it is all baseball...again.

Dollywood

We went to Dollywood for Ethan's birthday. He will be 6 on Wednesday, August 1st. We had a great time at Dollywood. We got to see a live Veggie Tale show. Tyler and Ethan sang along with the Pirates who don't do anything. Ethan loved the swing ride. My favorite was watching Ethan and Tyler on the big Ferris Wheel. I can't believe that Tyler was allowed to ride. I discovered how old I really am: I do not like rides that are too high or too fast.

Time with Jessica





Jessica, my sister, started a new job as a realtor. She decided to come spend a couple days with us on her days off. We took the boys to the putt - putt and batting cages. It was really cheesy, but we had a great time. The boys love their time with Aunt Jessie. Thanks for coming Jessie. We love you!!

State Tournament

The Tennessee Dixie Youth Baseball state tournament was in Cleveland this weekend. Ethan's team beat out two other Bradley County All star teams to be the host team. This was a huge honor. Ethan's team did not last too long in the state tournament. We were warned before hand that the other teams coming from across the state were unreal. There were 5 & 6 year olds that could hit the ball to the fence and some of the players were diving in the outfield to catch fly balls. It was like watching mini sports center. Ethan's team was elliminated by Friday night. They played the second game a lot closer than the first game.

Ethan got on base every at bat. His hitting has improved so much. There is no tee in the all stars, so he was forced to become a good hitter or get out. He played the pitcher mound during both games. He did a very good job. I definitly see room for improvement for next year. We are now done with baseball until the end of August when fall ball starts. It is going to be nice to have our evenings back. Two hours of baseball every night is a bit excessive. We will miss seeing Ethan's best bud on the team, Daniel. We will have to make it a point to schedule play dates.

District 6 Chapmions & State Tournament Host

Ethan's all star team won the district 6 championship. I was so happy that his grandma and grandpa Douglass were able to stop in town to see the game. So far, Ethan's team is undefeated. Ethan had a double play in the last game and 5 put outs. He is playing pitcher and gets a lot of balls hit to him. His hitting is pretty good, but he does need to get some muscle on it. He is definitly the smallest one on the team. He is playing in a 5 & 6 year old league, but some of the kids have turned 7 already. The state tournament starts on Thursday. His team should do well, but I am not getting my hopes up. As fun as this season had been, I will not miss the two hour practices every night! We definitly need a break from baseball. (Ok, I need the break, the boys are addicted!)

Hey now you're an allstar...

Game 1

Ethan is on the American League All Star team for Bradley County, TN. He had his first game on Saturday night. He got on base every time he was up to bat. They do not allow the kids to use the tee in the all star games, so he has to hit the pitch. He did great!

The coach put Ethan at the position of pitcher. Ethan caught a line drive and a pop fly. He got the final out to end the game. The final score was 14 - 4 with Ethan's team winning. Ethan was the star of the game, but I am biased. I think it was because he saw the most action due to his position. His team will play again on Monday night and Tuesday night. These games will determine which all star team will host the state tournament. It looks like Ethan's team will be the host. The state tournament is July 12th. We are excited, but just about baseballed out. Two hours every night is a big commitment.

My Slugger...

Ethan finished his baseball tournament last night. His team did great. They made it to the second round of the finals. We also found out that Ethan was chosen to be on the all star team. This is a huge honor since he is one of the younger players in the 5 & 6 year old league. He starts practice on Monday night and practices for two hours every night. As Ethan said the other day, "Baseball is my life." He was right. It seems right now that all our family does is baseball, but he still enjoys it.

Bradley County is hosting the state tournament for two of the age brackets, so Ethan will get to stay local for his games. We are so proud of Ethan.

Follow the link below to watch Ethan in a video. This is a video of our children's church choir. Ethan is in the back row.

http://www.lambsland.com/forum/video/021107page.html

Day out with Thomas

Thomas the Train came to Chattanooga last weekend. Tyler and Ethan were so excited to ride the train. We had a great time. Tyler walked around the entire time singing "Thomas and his friends." I was exhausted after spending the weekend in Nashville with my sister, Jessica. I almost fell asleep on the train.

I went to Nashville to help Jessica with a charity event for the McNeilly Center. Jessie is on the board of directors for this school. She did a wonderful job with the event. It was based on the Kentucky Derby, so we got to dress up. I got to meet Dierks Bently!

Baseball Season

Baseball season started about 4 weeks ago. Ethan is playing for the Red Sox. He plays in the position of pitcher and second base. He is doing great! Today he hit two in the park homeruns. The coach gave him the game ball at the end of the game. Ethan also had a force out. We are very proud of Ethan. His name was sent to the state and he is being considered for the all star team for the 5-6 year old league. The only problem is that we have baseball at least 4 times a week!

Tyler is crazy! He loves going to watch Bubba play baseball. He is really into wearing his goggles all the time. Chris let him wear them to the YMCA yesterday. His mother would not let him out in public with them. I guess you pick your battles. Notice the snow hat in the picture. It is only 75 degress outside.

Spring Break in Ohio???
Aunt Virginia had her baby on Wednesday, March 14th. She had a beautiful baby boy and named him Cade Russell. He is perfect! I took the boys up to Ohio for a quick trip to see the new baby.

On the day we arrived, it was 70 degress and very nice. When we left, it was snowing! I do not miss the crazy weather in Ohio! The boys spent some time with Papa in the hot tub. They loved it.









We had the chance to spend some time with some of our old playgroup pals. I got to spend a great afternoon catching up with Beth and Julie while the boys played with their old pals Cole, Avery, Emi, Brooklyn, and Xavier. They had so much fun. Ethan cried when it was time to leave Cole's house. Tyler couldn't stop hitting people. He is in a very bad stage. (At least I hope it is a stage.) We sure do miss our old friends. Please come and visit anytime!

Chillin' in Ohio

We had the chance to visit my parents over President's Day weekend. The weekend went so fast. I wasn't used to the cold and all of the snow. This is the first time I have used a heavy winter coat all winter. The boys loved playing in the snow and sledding. My parents had about 18 inches of snow at the cabin. Chris put the boys on a sled and pulled it with the 4 wheeler. I know, real safe!

We enjoyed visiting Shiloh Chapel on Sunday morning. It was wonderful to see all of our old church friends. Hopefully we can plan a longer trip in the future.

Snow Day!

We had our first snow day in Tennessee. Since I am back to teaching now, I got to stay home with Ethan and Tyler. Both the county and city school systems cancelled school last night with just the threat of snow. We ended up getting about an inch and then it turned to rain by the afternoon.

Ethan and Tyler couldn't get outside fast enough. This is the first time all winter that we had to break out the heavy winter coats. We have yet to use the snow suits.

See Rock City

The weather was so warm here last weekend, so we went to Rock City. It is about 30 minutes from our house. We have always seen the barns and signs on the side of the road advertising it, but we have never been. We loved it so much that we ended up buying a membership. (Thanks Grandpa & Grandma Dick for this Christmas gift.)

There was a Fat Man Squeeze. Chris and I had to lean to the side to get through. You can see that Ethan can reach both sides of the rocks. There was also an underground Mother Goose village. Tyler loved looking at all of the lifesize statues and figures.

The scariest part was the swinging bridge. We were on top of Lookout Mountain and if you did run or jump, the bridge would shake! Tyler was fearless. I can't wait to go back in the Spring when all of the flowers are in bloom. I'm sure it will be beautiful!

Christmas Angel????
Ethan gave Chris and I a calendar for Christmas. It had this picture and poem at the top of it. I thought it was very clever and I wanted to share it. I also thought that Ethan really did look like an angel with his blond curls. He made it in his kindergarten class. I thought his teacher was very creative.