Snowed In
(I love the South)

School was released in a panic on Friday. Snow was on the way. We had to get home before it started. I looked outside my classroom window and sure enough, it was sunny and there were birds. You gotta love the south. By the time I left Walker Valley and picked up my two kids the flakes began to fall. By the early evening there was a beautiful covering. I braved the crowds at the RedBox and we settled in front of the fire for movie night.

The ice came on Friday night and Saturday morning. I admit that it was bad, but by Saturday afternoon it seemed fine to a northerner like myself. We did brave church on Sunday, but we were among the few. Several churches in town cancelled. Chris reminded me that there is no salt on the roads here and the people are not prepared to sprinkle salt for themselves on the sidewalks or parking lots.

The best part of the weekend came on Sunday evening when I received a phone call telling me that school would be cancelled on Monday. I love my job! The boys and I spent a relaxing day at home with an afternoon outing for haircuts. (By the way, they cut Tyler's hair completely off. I am a bit sad. Pictures will follow when I can bear to take them.)

Several Jane Austen movies later, I believe that I am ready to return to school. I have 4 day weeks for the next three weeks. Did I mention that I love my job?

Wild Bill and the Boys

My boys had so much fun with Wild Bill this weekend that it warranted its own post. Bill took the boys to Opry Mills and to see a movie and then let them bungy jump. I'm always to cheap to pay for those things, but the boys had a blast. Ethan turned flip after flip and Tyler's face was pure joy the entire time. He did get a little frustrated because he was not heavy enough to pull himself all the way down.

One of the highlights of the trip was Bill's pet Lynx. Bill owns a siberian lynx and keeps it in his house. Fortunatly for me, it was shut in the back stairwell all weekend except when he took him out to play with the boys. The boys took turns petting 'kitty' and then Tyler wanted to hold him. He is fearless. Of course, Ethan had to hold him after that as well.

Both boys took a spin with Bill on his motorcycle. Bill took me for a ride and it was awesome and crazy! Bill builds bikes and rides seriously. He would spin and slide the tires out. I was scared but strangely felt very safe.

Wild Birthday WeekendBill's house and restaurant

We went to Nashville for the weekend to celebrate my birthday with my sister Jessica and her friend Bill. Bill was gracious enough to open up his house to us, kids included. Bill lives in the oldest building in Nashville. It is awesome. It was part of the underground railroad. Bill owns the restaurant downstairs called Wild Bills Binets and Bikes. It was great waking up every morning to fresh coffee and banana binets. The kids loved going downstairs to the restaurant and 'helping' which mainly involved eating french fries.

The view from our bedroom window

Bill took us out on the town on his rickshaw. It was a little chilly but so much fun! For my birthday, Jessica and Bill took me and the family to the Predator's hockey game. We had great seats and they had my birthday put on the jumbo tron. Bill took the kids down to the Zamboni entrance down by the ice during the game. After the game, we went to The Palm for dinner. It was delicious. It was an amazing evening and a great weekend.
The Caldwell's on the rickshaw

Ethan and Jessica at the game

A Sick, New Year

We spent New Years with Chris' family in South Carolina. The day after we arrived, New Year's Eve, Chris' dad, Leonard, came down with a stomach virus. He spent most of the day in bed. We entertained ourselves while Chris' mom, Janice, ran the shop. That night, Chris' sister, Valen, invited us over to ring in the New Year. Thank you Valen for getting us out of the house. I felt so bad that Chris' dad was sick. We left on Saturday morning to drive home. Saturday evening after all the bags were unloaded and laundry was done, Ethan threw up. He was up all night and thanks to my awesome husband, I did not have to clean up and vomit. I can't handle it! We stayed home from church on Sunday so Ethan could recoup.

I started school on Monday and the week progressed. I woke up Thursday morning with an ailing stomach. Fortunately, we were sent home early that afternoon for snow and I spent Thursday and all day Friday in bed with a stomach virus. I hate being sick! By Saturday I was much better and up cleaning the house.

I decided to invite my brother and his family over Saturday night since we hadn't seen them since before Christmas. We were enjoying fellowship and pizza when I heard the kids yell from downstairs, "Tyler threw up!" Needless to say, we were up all night with Tyler and he spent Sunday at home with a very high fever. My husband, the super hero, stayed home with him on Monday so he could recover fully. I think we are all well now and I am praying Chris does not get sick. We have plans to go to Nashville this weekend and it would be miserable if we had to cancel.

My New Year's Resolution is to be healthy this year. Yeah right...

Rock City Lights

We went with our friends, the Mann's, to Rock City to see the lights. We started the evening at one of our favorite restaurants, Tony's. It was delicious. We then drove up Lookout Mountain to Rock City. I had spent the afternoon laying out all of the winter clothes so we would be warm at the top of the mountain. I told the boys to grab their coats as we were leaving and I did not realize until we reached Rock City that they left their coats at home. I felt like the worst mom ever! Fortunatly, Janna had some extra scarves and it was a warm evening.



We had a great time! We stopped half way and the boys had the chance to decorate gingerbread men. The lights were beautiful. This may be the start of a new holiday tradition.

Winter Wonderland

Chris wanted to go to Ohio for the snow. He was lucky because the day after we arrived it snowed five inches at my parents house. My sister, Jessica, and Wild Bill went skiing all night. Chris and I chickened out. The boys spent the morning in the hot tub with my parents. We then bundled up and went for a walk in the woods. Ethan found a coyote den in the woods. The boys took turns trying to climb Papa's tree stand. Tyler would randomly fall on the ground and say, "I don't think I can make it!" It was beautiful!

Christmas Day

The boys woke up at 5:45 am on Christmas morning. They went downstairs and separated the presents into stacks for each person. I wonder where they get the need to organize... The boys got portable gifts (Didj, PSP) so we left right after presents and drove to Ohio to see my parents. It was raining when we got there. It was great to be able to spend time with my parents, my sister, and Wild Bill.
My dad showing the boys his recent deer. The heads had not been mounted yet so we could see all the disgusting insides...Gross!

My mom with the boys

A Stone Mountain Christmas

We went to Stone Mountain, Georgia on Saturday. It was worth the two hour drive. There was so much to do and we didn't even see all of the shows. We started with a fried chicken lunch. It is the south. We watched the Polar Express 4D experience. Tyler and Ethan loved it. It spit water out at you and it smelled like hot chocolate at the right moments. We rode the cable lift to the top of the mountain. We only spent a few minutes at the top. It was so cold!

We visited Hilda the Christmas Goat. He was a cartoon character that interacted with the kids. He talked to Tyler and called him by name. Tyler just thought that was amazing. We rode the train and played mini golf. My favorite part was the unlimited hot chocolate. We ended the evening with the laser light show. It was a great way to celebrate the holidays.

Thanksgiving

I know it has been a few weeks since Thanksgiving, but I'm just now getting around to posting pictures. My mom and dad came down from Ohio and my sister, Jessica, came over from Nashville. It was an amazing weekend. We spent Thanksgiving at my brother's house. His wife, Jennifer, did a great job organizing everything and opening up her home. My sister made the great centerpieces and the table was beautiful.

After lunch, we spent the afternoon outside. Our friend from Nashville, Wild Bill, brought the kids scooters. They rode up and down the street all afternoon. Chris even took a turn on Bill's remote controlled skateboard. Thank you to my family for such a great weekend. I love you all.

My Amazing Husband

Yesterday, December 7th, was our 13th anniversary. I wanted to take this opportunity to brag on my husband. Chris is an amazing father. He constantly spends time with our boys throwing baseball or rough housing in the yard. He took them to a movie on Sunday so I could have the house for my monthly book club. He even missed the games on TV that day. What a man!

Chris is an amazing husband. He does all of the laundry and it magically appears in my drawer folded. He cleaned the house on Saturday for my book club friends, including the bathrooms. (You know this is a huge undertaking if you have little boys.)

On Sunday, Pastor Seals gave the husbands helpful hints on how to be a blessing to their wives. Chris nailed everyone on the list. He makes the coffee in the morning and gets the kids ready for school. He even takes the kids to school in the morning.

I know by now you are asking, "What does Amber do?" Honestly, not much. Chris is a true servant and leads our family by showing sacrificial love. I am truly blessed to be married to such an incredible man.

Chris: I can't wait to spend the next 13 years with you! I love you!