The Caldwell Journey...

'Round here...

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 05:53:00 +0000

Some phrases/conversations/actions heard 'round here :)

-The boys pronounce the movie "Beethoven" = Baytogen (sounds like).

-In desperation & running thru the house, Micah hollers, "Where's the paaccci?!? Baby Gacie is cying!" (misspelled words on purpose)

-Nate is depressed because Micah went home with friends while he was in the ambulance. So talking to Danny he says, "This is a bad day. Do you know why, Daddy?" Danny: "Why, buddy?" Nate: "Because I broke my arm & now I can't go play with my friends."

-Nate gagging. Me asking what is wrong. He answers, "Gracie is frowing up!" I run into the living room curious as to why he'd say that & see a baby girl drooling with a tad of milk mixed in. (Nate is easily grossed out!)

-I get up to help Danny finish getting the boys dressed for Kindergarten (I sleep in a little since I feed Gracie late at night). I'm half asleep (and not a morning person--at all.) and putting Micah's shoes on and he says, "Mommy, what that smell?" I have no clue so I sorta mumble "I dunno." He leans in.... "it's your breaf (breath) Mom." Gee... thanks son, Good Morning to you too.

-Micah, walking in the door from Kindergarten on Nate's 3rd day back since he broke his arm and he's a bit whiney, "Mommmm.... I have an ouwer!" (this is "owie" with a German spin on the word. Also, I have to say that both boys usually don't care that they have a scratch on themselves or anything.... they're quite tough, so I can tell it's been a rough couple of days with all the attention Nathan is getting). I drop what I'm doing and follow him to the bathroom. He sits on the edge of the tub and I get the cleaning stuff and band-aids out. I ask him to show me the "ouwer". He turns his left hand upward and I search and search... finally I see the little scratch. Me: "Oh wow... you got a scratch. How did that happen?" Micah: "I don't know." Me: Well, it's all clean now and here's the band-aid. I hope it feels better. I love you." Micah: "Tanks, I gonna show Nate."

-Again, Micah coming in one day from Kindergarten. He has some dried dirt/mud on his neck and shirt. So I tell him to follow me to the bathroom to get cleaned up before sitting down at the table for lunch. Me: "Micah, how did you get dirt all over you?" Micah: " (Boys name) did it." Me: "Well, that wasn't very nice. Why do you think he did that to you?" Micah: "Because I put dirt on him....." I'm about to start a discussion about being nice to others/doing unto others, etc. when he finishes his thought. "... because I don't like him." If you remember Danny blogged about Micah and this little boys awhile back (click on 'Conversations with Dad-part one'). Apparently, Micah can not bring himself to like this little boy. I'm really curious as to why because Micah, though shy at times, seems to like everybody.

-Nathan walking towards the downstairs door with a can of hairspray. When asked what he was doing he replied, "going to kill an animal." I thought I should check what kind of "animal" he was going to take out with hairspray AND why it was in my house! But it was an already dead beetle. I guess he wanted to be sure ;)

Reading books

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:01:00 +0000

I have always loved reading. My first love in reading were Nancy Drew books. My earliest memories were when we lived in Palawan and my Dad would be flying to Manila for something and I'd have a list of books that I already had so that he could pick me up some new ones at a book store. If my parents wanted to get my attention all they had to do was threaten to take away a Nancy Drew book! I'd read by flashlight under my comforter hours after I was supposedly sound asleep. I could never end a chapter and just go to sleep... I'd tell myself, "just one paragraph of the next chapter to know everything is ok..." Then before I knew it I was at the end of the next chapter! Thru the years, I have even found some old, old copies at used book stores. Great finds!

My mom would also read to us at night. What fun! She was actually reading to my brothers, the Bobbsey Twins or sometimes the Hardy Boys (though I think by the time they graduated to the HB they read those themselves) and I'd sit in too. Such good memories... we would hurry to get our baths and go to my parents room where there was usually air-conditioning for the "settling" down part of the night. For those who don't understand.... we lived in the Philippines and it was HOT! My parents room was bigger and had a corner with a couch and a tv so that was the family room too. We couldn't air condition the whole house! Those were good times.

Slowly, reading for school and being tested over what I read was taking all my free time. Then college hit and even more boring books were given to me. After that (the first few years of marriage sans kiddos) I found time to read again for fun. Then kids came and well, it's been awhile. haha :)

Anyway, one of my all time favorite authors is Francine Rivers. She is an amazing writer. I have read nearly all of her books.... I pick up a new one when we visit the States. Years ago I was introduced to her by friends and I was hooked! I am currently reading the 4th out of 5 books in her Sons of Encouragement series. The Lineage of Grace was good too! And the Shofar Blew is phenomenal! But my all time favorite is Redeeming Love. It is based on the book, Hosea, in the Bible. Excellent book. Read it! You won't be able to put it down.

Danny & I started reading thru the Bible with the boys a little over a year ago. They were really enjoying it and absorbing the stories and their meanings. They were into the Old Testament and the stories of all the battles that went on during that time. Seeing them develop a love for God's Word is the most important, but also a growing love for reading and books in general warms my heart. Just a few months ago Danny started adding to the reading time, The Indian in the Cupboard. I had never heard of it, but Danny said he grew up reading it and loving it the way I did Nancy Drew. Bedtime is a bit easier now because all we have to do is say, "Daddy's going to read to you guys if you get your teeth brushed and in bed right now!" and off they go!

What are some of your favorite books-- childhood or now?

4 months

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:16:00 +0000

My sweet baby girl, Grace is 4 months. She sleeps thru the night... smiles... laughs... talks jibberish... watches her brothers come and go... has been desperately trying to sit up since she was 3 1/2 months old... eats baby cereal... draws attention with the bows on her head... and is a source of joy to our family.

Doing better!

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:54:00 +0000

He was back to himself by Saturday.

One of his roomates... funny kid.

Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Nathan had to spend 2 nights in the hospital. He came home Sunday afternoon. They wanted to keep an eye on him since he was under anesthesia and also to check his heart/lung area for bruising/swelling.

He went to Kindergarten on Monday and had a great day. He's really not complained about pain. He does take some children's tylenol before going to school and before bedtime.

Thru all this Danny & I have just had to sorta laugh. We leave in a week and a half for the States!!! What in the world?!? I was just telling my friend, Jessi on the phone the week before how I was hoping Danny wouldn't get hurt or break a bone this last week at his football game (which he missed to be with Nathan at the hospital). Many of our summer plans with family involve water--swimming, water parks, etc. But it seems like Danny & I are the only ones concerned :) We don't 'baby' him... Nate tries everything himself and then if he can't do something we help him. It's rare to hear him ask for help. Nathan is a trooper!

God is not surprised by all this and though it's an inconvenience to us, I believe that God wants what is best for us and if this is what He sees as best for us in this moment... then I'm okay with it.

Always smiling....

Nate's broken arm

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:20:00 +0000

Ok, I've been needing to blog about this, but wanted to get my timeline of things I wanted to post in order. So here we are last Friday, June 18th. I was at a breakfast with friends (some of the moms of the Kindergarten meet sometimes after we drop our kids off at school). Gracie was being ohhh'd and ahhh'd over and I needed to make a small grocery run before picking the boys up. So I was saying my good-bye's and loading Gracie into her car seat when my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number so I let it go to voicemail and would call back from the car. As I was leaving the kitchen, my friends phone rang and she said it was for me. Nathan's teacher, Nicole said he had fallen and broken his arm and I needed to come ASAP! Thankfully, I was only 2 minutes away. That was enough time for me to feel horrible for not answering my phone!

I arrived at the school and Nathan was in a chair in the office. I was expecting to see tears... but he was calmly sitting there. My thoughts then were "must not be that bad." Then I noticed Kiersten, (teacher from across the hall) holding Nate's wrist. I smiled at him and looked down, "ohhhhh... wow... ohhhhh... hey there, buddy... you ok?!?" (I kept my brave face on because kids react to their parents reaction) He told me he fell off the monkey bars and his chest broke his fall. It happened so fast that he doesn't remember using his hands to break his fall.

Micah came inside and told me that Nate was hurt (he was really worried about his brother). So now I have all 3 kids and need to get Nate to the hospital. I knew that it would be hard to get him there without possibly doing some damage to his arm. So I asked Nicole to call the ambulance. Danny was at home working in his office (in the basement) and doesn't get cell phone reception and our land line was upstairs. There was no way I could go home to get him (I was worried Nate would break down if he saw me leave). I turned to another mom friend and asked if she knew where I lived. She left to get Danny (front door was open and she yelled for him) and they got back as the ambulance pulled up.

Another mom friend offered to take Micah home for the afternoon and he didn't want to at first. He was really worried and intrigued by the ambulance. Poor Micah, he wanted to ride in there so bad. As I was buckling him into the car, Rosi was walking towards us and asking Micah again. Her 2 boys took Micah by the hand and asked him to come with them. I think he felt important and said, "bye Mommy". I was so thankful he was going to be cared for that day.

Gracie & I ran home to get her a bottle and the traffic to the hospital was horrible! We pulled up and he had just had his first x-ray and was getting the rest of his body checked-out. I was holding his hand and he said his chest started hurting suddenly. I told the Dr. who was filling out some paper work and as soon as I said that, 3 Dr.'s were looking him over. I was impressed. They decided to wheel him off and take another x-ray of his chest to make sure he was okay. The care he received was so good. He was not happy about the IV port in his other arm. He kept having us scratch his nose or rub his forehead. It bothered him to bend his arm (I fully understand--I hate being poked). He was so quiet and still had the look of shock/trauma on his face. We prayed many times and the only time we saw him get nervous and on the verge of tears was when they said they were taking him to the operating room. He reached out for Danny and begged him not to leave him. Rip my heart out! After he was out of sight I let a couple of tears fall. Danny & I just sat in the hall with a sick feeling in our stomachs. We were told they were going to need to put a pin in his arm. So he was going to be put out. We have a Dr. friend here and he called to let us know one of his buddies was working and was there for Nate. That brought a little peace knowing a connection had been made.

See how his arm (below) dips?!? This picture sends shivers down my spine.

My incredibly brave boy!
We found out Saturday that he did NOT have surgery. They thought he was going to, but they were able to set it. He was put under in case they needed to, so it took him some time to come out of the "fog". He has a cast from his finger tips to his shoulder.

After he came out of the recovery room and to a regular room (that he shared with 3 other boys), I went home to get clothes, toiletries, his stuffed dog, Sparky (he really lit up when I brought him and that is where he rests his arm most of the time now) and grabbed the PSP so he could watch some cartoons and just rest. The older boys in the room controlled the tv :)

-krista-

A touch of summer...

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:19:00 +0000

So we had a loooong winter. A very chilly Spring and then one week the sun came out and we thought summer was arriving! I even got our fans out and cleaned them up. We got a little pool for the boys to enjoy the remaining weeks we had here and had plans to have friends over, but then the rain came and the temperature dropped drastically. I'm all for cooler days (I am not a big fan of sweating), but it's been hard for the boys to be stuck in the house. I know we will more than get a summer in Texas so I'm thoroughly enjoying the weather right now.

Here are some pics of the week we had sunshine :)

Grillin', Friends, & a Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:29:00 +0000

This Spring we had quite a few friends over to our house to grill out. Many were part of our church 'family' and some were friends we had made thru the Kindergarten. It's always so much fun watching our kids interact with their friends. We've been blessed with some really great families here!

One particular family has 2 boys-Fabian is about a month a half younger than Nathan. Felix is about 9 mo. younger than Micah. Well, halfway thru my pregnancy with Grace, this family found out they were expecting too!!!! Immediately their boys and ours were wishing for a girl. We knew Gracie was coming, but our friends wanted to be surprised (I was going crazy the last 4 months! haha).

We were asked to be on call for our friends if they needed someone to pick up the boys. Well, the due date was last week and I was getting nervous the baby wouldn't arrive before we left for the States. I talked with R Sunday night and all was well. So today I'm driving home from my guitar lessons and I get a text with a photo.... they had a baby GIRL this morning!!!! She is soooo beautiful! The boys were already at school for the day I guess and their Grandma was available. Our boys are ecstatic for them too!

A walk around here...

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:26:00 +0000

A few weeks ago our family took a walk around our area. The boys rode their bikes and we introduced Gracie to the carrier. We needed to know how she would handle it because this is her "ride" for our trip next week. The stroller is just to big of a hassle and this way if she starts crying it's easier to comfort her then have to keep one hand in the stroller on her paci or stroke her face.

The pics of the boys came off my phone because they wanted to be statues. haha. Micah found a big rock and struck a pose.

Be all there

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:32:00 +0000

I came across this article today and though I'm sure we all know it and believe this to be true... it's good to be reminded.

Click here: Be all there

Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God. – Jim Elliot

An afternoon at home

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:13:00 +0000

Just a short video of one warm afternoon recently. Gracie was a lot more chatty and really laughing every time I tickled her before I turned on the video and then nothing! Always happens when you want to actually capture the moment :) The boys were being so good and playing together. But then Micah had an idea and I felt the need to stop making a video and remove the temptation :) haha! Never dull around here.

Weekends

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:56:00 +0000

For the last 2 weekends we have been b-u-s-y! May is full of national holidays and sometimes it blends into June as well. So the boys were out of school on a couple of Thursdays and Fridays and we grilled out with many different families. The weather is finally cooperating and beginning to feel like summer is on it's way. Church friends, school friends and friends from along the way have been our guests. What a great time it's been connecting more with them and deepening the friendships.

We are flying to Texas in a few weeks for a short summer furlough. It's been nearly 3 years and we're aching to see our families and all the new nieces/nephews that have been born in that time frame. Also, we need to report to many of our supporters. Each time we have flown back to the U.S. we've been able to report and thank those that have supported us. Doing this in increments has been a bit more difficult and makes our trips feel quick and jam-packed, but we don't want to be away from Austria and the home we've made and the church we're leading any longer than we have to be. It's crazy to experience these emotions at times.

Next month we'll have been in Austria for 6 years! I truly have to count it out because it doesn't feel like it's been that long. But Nathan is our walking calendar :) He was 9 weeks old when we moved here. Our first few years in Austria we flew back to the States often to be a part of our siblings weddings. But in all those trips, we calculated that we've been gone just under 6 months. Wow. We really have been living here. The roots we've put down here get deeper and deeper. Our family has friends here that we can't imagine not knowing. The Kindergarten our boys attend is fantastic. I've been praying for their teachers before I knew they would be attending that school. Now I'm praying for the teachers Nate will have beginning this Fall in elementary school (I still pinch myself that he's old enough to be going to school and just... well, growing up.). Micah speaks so much German that it inspires me how kids absorb everything they can. Gracie is almost 4 months.... really!?!?

Danny & I will celebrate 11 years of marriage in August. What on earth were we doing getting married at 20/21 years of age?!? haha. Our parents must've had quite the peace about 2 kids getting married so young :)

So it wouldn't be a fun post without photos so here are a few I like. This first one is a chalk heart on the drive way Nathan & Micah drew for me while I was gone one day.

Out and about getting an early Father's day gift for Danny. They were real excited. Can you tell?!?
He understands me and cooperates when I put a camera in his face :)

Full of energy!

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:09:00 +0000

Weekend fun

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:57:00 +0000

Just a little fun with the boys :)

A story to share

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:08:00 +0000

Zac Smith. Grew up like I did... our families started churches in other countries. He passed away May 16, 2010. I have been very touched by his story. His parents work at our "missions" headquarters. What a testimony! Take 5 minutes out of your day to watch this.

Rainbow cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:42:00 +0000

The parents of the birthday kid is supposed to bring a cake or cupcakes for the class... well, having been a Kindergarten teacher myself--cupcakes are the way to go. One piece per kid, no cutting required, no complaints "his piece is bigger than mine!" haha. But Nathan didn't want just any ol' cupcake. He wanted rainbow cupcakes! I had a long day and was putting them to bed, Danny was going to football practice, and Gracie had been very fussy all day. I was already going to have to make them from scratch because I didn't have a cake mix. So when he said, "I want rainbow cupcakes like the ones you made for Micah's birthday (except his was the whole cake and that was easier... these were 30 individual rainbow works of art-haha), they were yummy!" Well, as you can see, I'm a sucker for compliments....

Happy Birthday, Nate!

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:19:00 +0000

May 20th: Nathan celebrated his 6th birthday. He had been asking for a BIG party for months and wanted it at home so he could invite a few more friends (it's much cheaper than going to a play place that a lot of kids do for their bdays).

Well, first of all we had a great time, but I don't know what I was thinking ;) haha. There were 17 kids at our house! haha. Not all of them were Nate's age. The way their Kindergarten works is that the class is full of kids ages 3-6 yrs. So Micah & Nate share a lot of the same friends. This is Nate's last year in Kindergarten and so probably the last year that he & Micah will "share" friends for awhile. It turns out that this year many of Nathan's friends have siblings Micah's age and they all started this last fall. So we (and by 'we' means also Nathan) not only invited the kids that are Nathan's age, but also their sibling that would be Micah's age (he wanted those other kids too. I didn't talk him into it or even ask...he said they were his friends and Micah would enjoy having them here too. He is a kind-hearted boy.). Micah plays with both siblings as well and I figured that was probably true for the other kids. I know what it's like to have one kid be invited to a friends house and not the other. I also know it will happen many more times in life and we'll deal with that later, partly because the boys will be older and explaining it will be easier. But Micah is 3 yrs. old.... in his eyes "so-n-so" is also his friend and he is hurt/confused why he isn't invited over to that kids house when they play together at school just fine. So I didn't want to put another parent in that situation.

The 'before being a mommy' part of me would have just thought, "the kid will get over it..... I am not babysitting a bunch of kids just so someone doesn't cry." But it's more than that... it's putting myself aside and showing my kids I think they are important.

The party theme was requested: Soccer (or Football or Fußball, depending on your country). I get nervous the older the boys get because their creative minds are superior to my simple brain. Thankfully, I found a soccer ball pan at the last minute--of all places--Toys r' Us!

Here are the pics of the day:

Nathan, Daddy & I love you. We are so proud of the young man God is developing you into.

Just like I tell you every night...

"you're my favorite Nathan in the whole world!"

3 months already?!?

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Thu, 27 May 2010 06:45:00 +0000

Grace is 3 months old! What a wonderful blessing she has been to our family. I know I say it a lot, but the boys adore her. It thrills my heart to see my kids love on each other. The boys frequently say that they are best friends. They make up scenarios where they have to fight 'bad guys' and protect Gracie. It's too funny! I know the time is flying by so I'm enjoying this as long as I can, but I also look forward to when she can get up and run after them. She tries to follow them with her eyes when they come into a room and at 6 & 3 1/2 yrs. old they enter a room with quite the BOOM! I am so undeserving of God's gifts, but Danny & I try are best and just ask God for the wisdom it takes--daily, to raise these gifts.

I got an idea from a friend a long time ago to take a monthly picture of my babies their first year of life. She used a pillow/section of her couch. But we were going to be moving around a lot and didn't know about what kind of furniture we'd have. So we use a stuffed animal that Danny or I personally pick out for them. I love watching them grow and it helped our family see the growth next to something that didn't change.

Nathan has "Charlie" @ 1 month:

Nathan & "Charlie" @ 12 months:

Micah & "Roger" @ 1 month:

Micah & "Roger" @ 12 months:

So here is Gracie's first 3 months with "Molly":

Fun isn't it?!? You know they grow... but when you're with them day in and day out, you don't see it happening till you look at a photo and think, "wow! she's really growing fast."

-krista-

Hipstamatic

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Wed, 26 May 2010 21:38:00 +0000

I love the way these pics turned out!

Parks

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Wed, 26 May 2010 05:30:00 +0000

We like going to parks. We sometimes ride our bikes there (but this year will have to be by car or walking since Gracie isn't ready to ride in our bike seats behind me or Danny. The boys have so much fun running all over the place and climbing on everything! We have a little plastic slide that the boys have pretty much outgrown at our house and we'd love to build them a "big kid" swingset/fort type of playground. But till we can do that we make use of the parks around our area.

The boys have become accustomed to me following them around with a camera and saying, "wait just a sec... look at mommy before you slide down." or "stand by your brother... you guys look so cute!" For the most part they comply ;) haha. One day they will be very appreciative of all the pics and memories of their childhood. I know I go thru boxes of photos at my parents and grandparents house just about every time we go back to the States.

-krista-

Families with boys...

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Tue, 25 May 2010 07:55:00 +0000

We have been blessed with some great friends here in Austria. This particular family has 2 boys the same age as Nathan & Micah. They are also expecting a 3rd baby in a few weeks! They wanted to wait till he/she is born to find out the gender of the baby. Our 2 oldest sons think it will be a girl because they say Gracie will need a friend :)

When we get together our boys play so well with each other. There is rarely any time that we have to settle any fights or remind them to share. It helps that both of our families have the same mindset when it comes to raising boys and how they get energy out :)

Nathan prays that they will come to church. He wants his friend to learn about God with him.

Playtime

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:12:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we had a day of 80 degree weather and the boys begged me to get out the little kiddie pool. Well, we have well water and it's freeeeezing cold even in the middle of summer, so with spring barely here it was chilly! It's wonderful for drinking, but really hard to want to jump in and get wet. So they jumped in and out and let their legs get wet. Then they changed their minds and wanted the sprinkler out so they wouldn't be as cold. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Gracie opted for some time in her swing. She loves that swing! The boys were never crazy about it and so I'm glad to be getting good use out of it with her :)

Gracie

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Mon, 24 May 2010 07:06:00 +0000

Seriously.... she melts your heart.

Just for fun...

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Mon, 24 May 2010 06:42:00 +0000

If you haven't learned by now.... I enjoy photography. In our home there are so many picture frames filled with the faces of people we love and miss. These are supposed to be "off color" and a bit rough around the edges. Very cool in my eyes.

above pic: Danny #73

above: my beautiful daughter

above: Micah in Vienna having ice cream

above: Nathan in Vienna

above: just me in the car

Zach's family

noreply@blogger.com (The Caldwells) — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:12:00 +0000

My brother, Zach & his wife, Jill have a new daughter! Erynn Linsey was born April 27th. She is beautiful just like her Momma! Anna is so beautiful and will be turning 2 this summer and a great big sister. She could not look more like Zach! We are looking forward to being able to meet both of these nieces this summer!