Christmas at the Casteel's

We had Christmas dinner at home last night and had such a good time! Lora, Chris, Olivia, and Jordan were here as well and Brandy and family and Seth and Katie.... Fifteen family members all at the same dinner table! Larkin was so excited to have his cousins and his niece and nephews with him for the weekend! Larkin and I also picked out Aunt Sissy's birthday present and gave it to her last night (not sure if we will see her again before her birthday....Larkin did a great job...Aunt Sissy really liked here new flat wallet....at first he wanted to get one with an S on it, but settled with one with the letter L on it for Lora!) Definitely a Christmas to remember.....one where a Mother has all her children together in the same room!

Here are a few pictures:

Our newest addition Baby DON THAN with the tradtional Christmas bow on his head!

Our Christmas Weekend

No sushi for the little guy....just Mommy


Last weekend we took Larkin to the Opryland Hotel and went to see the Rockettes and How the Grinch Stole Christmas Ice. We had such a great time and Larkin had his picture made with the REAL Santa Claus! Larkin said he didn't want to see girls dancing and singing, but I told him there were characters there also....well, YeeHa, he had a great time and loved the Rockettes! Sunday morning we went to see ICE and I cannot even begin to tell you how many times he slid down the slides in that 9 degree room. If you go, they give you a large parka (clean - they put the parkas in the washing machine after you take them off) to wear. I will tell you that we layered our clothes, but before we got out of there I was wishing for a second layer of socks, gloves, and a NOSE sock (my nose was sooo cold!). It was so much fun and I would have loved to have taken all the kids with me! Maybe next year it would be fun to just spend the weekend together and maybe not do so many gifts!

Larkin sliding down the slide at ICE! Mommy and Daddy went too! It was fun!

The Gingerbread House 08

The GingerBread House Gang! We had so much fun building the Gingerbread House and even more fun putting the candy on it! Taye Bug helped a little, but soon found other things to do! I could not believe how much fun we had....each child just settled into a certain job of decorating and it went really smooth! Isn't this a great group of children!

The Tater Tot...a million smiles a minute!

The Chubby baby brother (and everyone knows why!).

This child loves to eat!

He is growing so fast and is about 14 pounds at 10 weeks.

What a team (when they are not teasing each other!)

Brooke and Taye even ate part of the roof and they loved it, especially the candy!

Larkin's 5 year old pictures

Today we put up our Christmas tree

Today we put up our Christmas tree and started decorating a little bit. Then it dawned on me that I have not posted Larkin's 5 year pictures. I am going to get busy on that, that will be my next project. As we were decorating the tree, Larkin said this is the best Christmas ever! He is so excited and I am excited for him! This morning when he woke up, he said "Mom and Dad, you are the best Mom and Dad ever and I don't know what I would ever do without you. I would be so sad without you." He is so sweet and precious. He stops in the middle of conversations just to say, "Mom and Dad, I love you" He says it with such meaning and he truly does mean every word of it....I hear it also when he hugs and kisses his grandparents, his brother and sisters, his aunts and uncles. He truly does love everyone. Well, I need to stop for now and get busy wrapping gifts!

Larkin earned his green belt!

Way to go Little Man! Larkin earned his green belt and Mom got to buy his Sparring Gear! Yeah me! It is so much fun and his instructor said he cannot believe how focused and intelligent this little 5 year old is....I said "well, we think so" and he said "no, really...I have never seen a 5 year old like him, you noticed I could not put him in the cubs with the children his own age..he would be too bored and he is doing very well, very well indeed"....(he never met his brother).....

Okay....there is where I have to say it....here goes....there is a scientific study out that shows that boys get their brains from their Mother's....it is true! Ok, I said it....there it is......

Larkin has fun telling people that he has his green belt and Mom just has a white belt. It costs so much to test...I'm thinking of testing at some point when he is not testing....and now that he has sparring gear....I may have to stop with a green belt....not sure I can afford for both of us to get into sparring! Good luck Laura with Cay and Cav!

Thanksgiving 2009

Wow, we have so much to be thankful for this year....We had two new additions to our family, Clara in May and Jonathan in September. Seth and Katie came by and Brandy, Jason, Brooklyn, Brandon, Taylor, and Jonathan were with us for an early lunch. When the kids said the blessing, we paused for a moment and Brookie and I had another prayer....we even prayed that baby Jonathan's nostrils would get a little bigger so that he could breathe better! It was cute, sweet, and funny! Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor! I have no idea, but He created us and gave the most amazing humor to little children.....and I know He has a good sense of humor because we laugh daily with our children and grandchildren! These little ones really crack me up and I love it....every single minute of it! Besides, He gave me a baby at 40! Most people laugh at that....I say it is the biggest blessing ever! What an Awesome God we serve!

A Revelation...through the eyes of my Child

Yesterday morning, I did not have to go to work and Larkin and I took our time getting to school. We went over a few bible verses and the next thing I know this wonderful little conversation occurred....it went like this:

Larkin said Mom, when I was in heaven, before God gave me to you, Brookie was my sister. We used to just fly around and play tag. She always tried to tag me on my side (on his ribs). We would fly right by God. I was so fast, but sometimes Brookie would tag me on my nose...one time she tagged me on the back of the head and knocked me down right on the clouds. God would hold us, He is my father and we were great friends. He played with us and He would laugh. Brandon would fly around too fast and God had trouble catching him, but then he went right, then left, and God caught him right in the face (like this)... Jesus was our big brother and He was a great big brother---almost like a father. God was too nice to me. When He found you, Mom, He wanted to give me to you. It is very important to have good Mommy's and Daddy's...so he said I could come live with you and I did. I miss Him, Mama, and I can't wait to see Him again.

When Larkin had finished his story....I said Little Man do you have any idea just how PRECIOUS you are? he said, "yes mam, I shore do"....... Do you see and hear what I do? He has this most wonderful insight and gift from God to discern this truth at his young age. God is his father and Jesus was a great big brother...almost like a father! Pray for us that we can nurture this gift in the path that he should go.... Aunt Betty always says that Larkin is so so special and that we do not yet fully realize how special he is....I can only imagine.....

Lordy, Lordy Carl is 40!

We had a lot of fun at Carl's 40th birthday party! Some family and friends attended (a lot actually)...and we all wore our team colors. Thank God no one was there with FL on....I'm sure they would've gotten the boot! It is kind of cool having a 40 year old brother....I am hanging on to 29! So this is really cool!

Seth and Katie finally get engaged! And Seth gets treed

Seth and Katie have a website with all their wedding info on it as well as some pictures.....
It is csethandkbeth.com
Check out their website and stay updated as this event unfolds....
Katie, I still need a picture for my blog....email it if you can!

Bo calls me on Sundays

I get phone calls from Bo on Sunday's. I used to get an occasional letter, but now we get to email. It is so much easier to keep in touch this way. He also calls Brandy. Tonight Brookie asked me who I was talking to on the phone and I said oh, that was Bo...she said oh, "uncle Bo" and I said yes Brookie, it was Uncle Bo. How do you like the sound of that Bocephus!?!
Staying in touch with Bo has been very important to me because I love and care about him so much....as any mother would. I could no more walk out of his life than I could any child's life. It has been a good experience for me to continue to be part of his life and watch him grow and mature and learn from his mistakes. Some things are hard to understand, but I will always be here for you Bo.......always. I love you.

The Photo Shoot (as Lori called it!)

AND THIS IS WHY!

Try getting 7 children together all ages 5 and under for pictures!

Well at least we tried!

Brothers!

Uncle Larkin holding Clara

The Princesses!

Brandy's babies....with new baby brother

Clara's Christening

We were fortunate enough to be in Clarksville for Clara's christening and John's birthday party. We had so much fun and so enjoyed spending time with Lori, Burt, John, and Clara. Clara's christening was a wonderful day for us and the princess did so well during the service. She is beautiful and so very precious to us. God Bless you, Clara.

Burt, Lori, and Clara

Papaw and Princess Clara

Papaw's hand and Clara's feet.

Call me crazy but I love pictures of the kids whether it is their face, feet, hands, it is part of them and since time passes as fast as it does....I love these pictures that are uniquely theirs....

Uncle Larkin and John inspecting the big package and trying to decide where the best place to begin opening this would be? Ok, so one of John's other Uncle's (it is very hard to tell which one this is, since they are twins too!) is helping with this big present. John said he liked the John Deere tractor that Granddaddy and Grandmama sent the best!

Seth and Katie set the date

Seth and Katie have set the date! July 11, 2009 will be the day that Seth and Katie get married! WooHoo! We are happy and excited for them and cannot wait until the wedding....it's about time Seth (after all 30 is fast approaching!) and you are behind on the baby schedule.....we are looking forward to grandchild #7 from you and Katie....all in good time! After all a woman of 29 with 6 grandchildren is doing pretty good! Yeah me! Did I mention that I love big families and babies like no other woman in this world!?!

Larkin earned his Yellow Belt and talked Mom into taking TaekWondo

Larkin earned his yellow belt in TaekWondo at KUMC Thursday night. He is doing very well in TaekWondo. His favorite part is that when I started taking TaekWondo with him (I've been to 4 classes now and have 2 stripes ---that I earned in my 2nd class)....well, he outranks me and I have to call him SIR!
He also loves telling everyone my true age (since I tell everyone that I am 29 with 6 grandchildren).... He sings this song.....Momma's 44, and he sings it over and over and over again! Well, not anymore as Thursday was also my birthday. Brandon Luke said it couldn't be my birthday because I didn't have a cake! How true.....so I just decided to skip this one!
Larkin is getting better about going to school and received his first "grade card".....it was just as we expected.....it was excellent with a little comment about "him talking too much!" Imagine that!

Jonathan Duran Wade

Jonathan Duran Wade was born September 7, 2008 at 2:09 pm. He weighed 6 lbs, 13 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long at birth. He is doing great and he is so handsome! Dark hair and Dark blue eyes. I prayed for months that Brandy's eyes would turn brown and at 18 months, they finally turned brown (from blue to hazel to brown!) Brooklyn has blue eyes, Brandon has hazel eyes, Taylor has brown eyes, and Jonathan.....we'll see. How awesome to have children with all different colors of eyes! It is just way cool! Jonathan will have to be the tie breaker! I'm thinking brown like Mommy. Anyway he is just so darn cute! Mommy is on the road the recovery and thank goodness Christy is here...she has been a life saver!

Baby Jonathan sucking his fingers,.....here's your sign....."hurry up and take me to my Mommy!"

Brandon, Brooklyn, Taylor, and Larkin looking in to see Baby Jonathan.....

Taye Bug is just happy to see Mommy!

Does she look like a woman who just gave birth?

Daddy looks a little overwhelmed and ready to go home!!!!....

Baby boy looks happy and satisfied!

Sissy looks tickled to be holding another baby brother!

Brandon Luke looks like he will be a great big brother!

Our Family

The Karate Kid

Ok, so it is really TaeKwonDo, but to him it is Karate and that is fine with me. He said he really loves it and doesn't ever want me to sign him off (since we signed him up)! His instructor was surprised to find how disciplined and focused he was, so he moved him up the 1st day to the next class. On his second day, the instructor had him calling the shots and teaching three older children the stances! Lookout world! Here comes Larkin!

The 1st Day of School

Look at my baby boy opening the big old school door! This was hard, very hard. I am so grateful that he is so smart and able to go to school, but so sad that this time has already come. It happens all too fast, one day they are dependent on you for absolutely everything and the next off to school. He is so precious. I try sometimes to squeeze him and keep him small, but it never works. He says "Mom you have to squeeze from my head and my feet at the same time!" I try, but he is getting so tall, it is hard to reach his head and his feet at the same time....my baby boy is growing up....I might actually age a little with this one!

Larkin in the library. He loves reading books (I hope he always does!)
It seems that we are color-coordinated with our backpack and the Library!

PreSchool Graduation 2008

The Granduation Boy! He was so glad to graduate from pre-school and move on to Big School!

Here he is admiring his medal for most Creative Imagination! His teacher said that one day she expects him to write sequels to every Super Hero movie ever!

A wink for MOM! Thank you baby!

Saying a prayer at graduation before moving on to BIG School where this isn't allowed.
How sweet and precious my baby boy is!

The Last Shower Together

This is the last shower these guys got to take together! It has been so much fun watching these babies grow up...it's hard to believe that the time has come for separate showers. They had so much fun with Daddy/Papaw's shaving cream! I hope they always look this happy! Always!

For those of you who know Taye so well, just look at the "look" on his precious little face!

Thank you God for shower water to wash away the shaving cream! We have too much fun at Nana and Papaw's....no wonder they always want to stay!

Jeff's Birthday

For Jeff's Birthday, we had a low country boil. It was great! It was also Mimi's birthday. So Mimi and John were here as well as Brandy, Jason, Brooklyn, Brandon, and Taye Taye. Seth and Katie were here and Lora, Chris, Olivia and Jordan. We had a great time. Larkin insisted that Dad have a race car birthday cake (sorry MiMi). It was a fun night and I got so hot, I jumped in the pool with my clothes on...you should've seen the look on the kids faces! They really do have a very cool Nana!!! Anyway, Seth made a "Volunteer" Corn Hole game for Jeff for his birthday...it was cool....even though he told us he was making it for himself...now he wants one..we had fun with it all weekened. Brandy and family got Jeff shorts and a pirate shirt that Brandon picked out (too cool, Lucas!) and I had the quilt that his Grandmother had made him quilted. It was such a neat gift. It was the only thing left in the house when we moved in (May 1999)....thank goodness. He wants to hang it on the wall...it was his "whirly bird" quilt. It means a lot to him. All in all it was a very good weekend. We also went over to Uncle Kenneth's house for a cookout Saturday night and got to see Uncle Robert, Aunt Curly, Aunt Tinker, Aunt Marie, Aunt Ally-O, Uncle Sherman, and lots of other family and friends. Everyone commented on Larkin and how handsome he is and dark and what a great disposition he has! He is a wonderful child and so much fun.
Update: Lori waited until Jonathan was born (since it was only a few weeks away) and made Jeff a coffee cup with all of his grandchildren on it (trimmed in orange, of course!).....he drinks out of it everyday! Taye Bug said "hey Papaw, dats me papaw, dats me, on the tup, Papaw!"






In case you are wondering or haven't guessed yet, No he did not eat the watermelon, he just licked the salt off.....but he had fun doing it!