Merry Christmas from the Lindsays!

Greetings family and friends! This year we wanted to share with you the different P.H.A.S.E.S. of our lives.

P - Professional

Craig continued his instrument engineering work at Jacobs Engineering, where he had the opportunity to work on 4 new projects. Candi didn’t do as much photography work this year besides taking pictures of the kids. However, she did take some Christmas card pictures for a friend. She also helps her friend Amy Shelby with their homeschool group, Bayou Cajun Homeschoolers, planning field trips and blogging about their events.

H - Home Life

Craig (39), decided to plant his first vegetable garden, with some help from PawPaw Rick & Uncle Randy, and saw his “first fruits” (cucumbers, okra) come in July. Candi (36) is pregnant with #7, coming some time in February (Miriam and Craig are both pulling for their birthdays). Luke (8½), the “Grasshopper”, continues to be a great student, fact-finder, and helper, and even began reconciling the credit card statement and receipts every month for Craig, even looking forward to it. Cameron (7), commonly called “C-Bob”, is our entertainer, flirt, and aspiring athlete, and back in the spring, he asked Craig about his Cardinals’ baseball team, “Why don’t we have any girls on OUR team?” Miriam (5½), aka “Girly Girly”, 5 going on 15, “handles” the boss duties, even when Candi is around, and has been a great help with Cole. Levi (4½), the “Chicken-Man”, started riding his bike without training wheels, and is awfully proud of beating Miriam to it. Micah (3½) has “grown-up” so much, especially in her little sassy and animated way, as she’s always singing, dancing, cheering, and bossing. Cole (1½), aka “Roly Poly”, finally started walking in October, and likes to point at just about any object on the wall, and growl at it as he thinks it’s a tiger.

A - Academic

Luke is in 4^th grade and continues to excel in math even doing a 5^th grade curriculum. Cameron is in 2^nd grade, but still doesn’t care much for school. He just tries to complete it as quickly as possible. Miriam is in Kindergarten and is doing really well. She will start learning to read pretty soon. Levi is doing a structured preschool program and is doing really well with his numbers thanks to sports. Micah is doing some preschool work focusing on letters, numbers, shapes & colors. She gets to do a lot of hands-on craft activities.

Our field trips this year included: Star Wars Exhibit at Lafayette Science Museum, Sweet Wishes Gourmet Cupcake Shop, Post Office, K-9 Training and Special Response Team Facility, Landry-Poche Strawberry Farm, Cabela’s, ExxonMobil, Sound Radio Station and Camp Van Dorn WWII Museum, Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center in Hammond, David Vincent’s Martial Arts, Cajun Country Corn Maze, Baton Rouge Symphony, 4^th Annual Homeschool Thanksgiving Celebration at our house, Old Governor’s Mansion.

S - Sports

In the winter, Luke (Bearcats) & Cameron (Wolves) played Upward basketball at Woodlawn Baptist. During the spring at Istrouma Baptist, Luke (Rays) and Cameron (Cardinals) played coaches pitch baseball and Miriam & Levi played tee-ball for the Marlins. This fall at Istrouma Baptist, Luke (Jaguars), Cameron (Colts) & Levi (Jets) played flag football and Miriam cheered. Craig played softball for the first time in quite a few years with the Parkview team in the summer, and then in the fall got his chance to be Rex Ryan as he coached Levi’s Jets 4-5-yr-old flag football team, which was definitely a case of organized chaos, but so much fun nonetheless.

E - Extra Activities

This was the 2^nd year that Daddy took Miriam to the Baton Rouge General’s Sweetheart Dance. She always enjoys their time together and asks about it throughout the year. At the end of May, Luke, Cameron, & Miriam attended a week-long children’s choir camp called “Art-is-In”. At the end of the camp, they performed a musical entitled “I Only Want to Be with You.” Luke had the role of a professor and sang a solo while both Cameron (surfer) & Miriam (cheerleader) were dancers in different songs. In August, Luke & Cameron attended a week-long fine arts camp where they learned how to use fine arts to worship God. Luke also had the opportunity to learn a little guitar at this camp.

(over please)

In July, Craig took Cameron on his special trip, to St. Louis. It was a long road trip, but well worth it, as they toured the Gateway Arch, did a good bit of trail bike riding, and finished the trip with a Cardinals baseball game, and Cameron even got to run the bases (not during the game though). By the way, congrats to the World Series champs! In August, we took a trip to Houston to visit Lee, Lauren, Grace, & Teddy. While we were there we toured NASA and did some shopping. In September, we took our annual trip to Fort Morgan Beach with the Lindsays, Stanfords, and Busbys.

S - Spiritual

We continue worshiping at Parkview Baptist where Craig and Candi sing in the sanctuary choir and Craig sings in the praise team. Craig leads WAK (Worship Arts for Kids) on Sunday nights and Candi leads Children’s Bible Drill on Wednesday nights. Candi also attends a monthly ladies’ Bible Study at the Shelby’s church, Trinity Baptist. The kids were able to attend 3 Vacation Bible Schools this year. Luke, Cameron & Miriam spent a week with Aunt Laura & Uncle Eric to attend the VBS at their church, Morrison Heights Baptist. The weekend after that the 5 oldest attended VBS at the Shelby’s church, Trinity Baptist. Finally at the end of June, we had a family VBS at our church where Craig & Candi got to attend classes with Luke and Cameron.

And finally, our Top 11 of 2011 (random funny and interesting things):

• One August morning, at 8:47 am, Candi heard Cameron talking to someone on the phone. It was Amy Shelby asking if Candi and the kids were on their way to a Field trip in Hammond. Candi had forgotten about the field trip, and quickly started getting the kids ready. Believe it or not, in a 17 minute span, the kids were in the van, pop-tarts in hand, and they made it in time, man (Craig’s try at a rap). Anyway, she really is the most unbelievable mom.

• Sometime recently, our Music Minister Bro. John decided to pick Luke up and flip him, which if anyone who knows Luke really well, he doesn’t do well with leaving the ground. It was hilarious for us, scary for Luke.

• One day Micah was trying to figure out if a plastic cup on the counter was hers. Craig told her to spin it around to look for her name on it. She proceeded to spin herself around at least 3 or 4 times…oh well.

• As most of you know, Candi comes up with some of the most creative ideas. For our Children’s Choir “Wacky WAK Kickoff Party” in August, she dressed everyone up as a color-coded Boomwhacker. (Go to the website to see what a Boomwhacker is) Worked out that 8 makes an octave, as everyone was a note, from low C to high C, and even the ages and heights somewhat worked out.

• Every July brings Cow Appreciation Day to Chick-fil-A, where if you dress-up as a cow, you get a free meal. This year Candi and the kids showed up for breakfast, lunch, and supper…3 free meals in one day (with lots of leftovers)…possibly a Lindsay record.

• Also in July, when riding bikes in the St. Louis area, Craig asked Cameron, “Why do you keep drifting to the left side of the trail?” Cam says, “Cause I’m left-handed Daddy.” Well, of course.

• The kids played their first games of “football freeze tag” upstairs, which always results in a good bit of crying eventually.

• Micah wants new leadership in our country. Recently when asked what she wants for Christmas, she said, “A Presinent”, which we would agree, a new one would be great.

• Sometime in October, while the kids were playing outside with the Shelby’s, Miriam must have decided that acting like a dog would be fun, as she found a perfectly innocent tree, and commenced to peeing right by it.

• Generally speaking, when eating fast food, Levi doesn’t ever want French fries or tater tots. He only wants to eat chicken nuggets, because he’s a “chicken”! (BTW, he gets his nickname from running like a chicken)

• The Top 11 just would not be complete without mentioning the Neville Tigers (4A State Football Champs) and the LSU Tigers both going undefeated, with one very big game left on Jan 9^th. Oh, and don’t forget the LA Tech Bulldogs going 8-4, and the Saints heading toward a great playoff run.

  We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year, and please do not forget the reason for it in all the busyness.

  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17