Birthday Baby

Last Friday, December 7, our little baby turned the big ONE. It's hard to believe that a year has passed since she was born. She is the greatest Christmas present we could ever receive. Carlee has quite the personality. She has always been more stubborn at getting what she wants and loves our attention. Carlee is perfectly content and happy when I sit by her on the floor all day long while she plays but the second I get up to do something she follows right after me to "help". She crawls as fast as she can saying, "Daddy" when she hears the front door open for Joe to come home. She also loves her brothers and sister. Her face lights up when she sees Clark and she smiles when he carries her around. Katelyn has always taken really good care of her and gives her lots of kisses. They will be great friends when they get to play with dolls together. Jake just loves to tease and tickle her. Sometimes she laughs really hard and sometimes she goes after him. It won't be too long before she can take him down. Carlee is a great blessing to us and a special part of our family. Happy Birthday, sweet pea!

Carlee didn't really have any interest in opening her gifts so her brothers and sister helped her quite a bit. But once her gifts were open, she got interested really quickly. She got a Cabbage Patch doll that walks and talks, a Little People airplane, jeans and a sweater, a pink Build-a-Bear and some outfits for it, and a coat. She got so excited when her doll started walking. She would bounce on her knees and wave her arms and laugh. It was so cute. She also dances when the airplane plays music.

While Joe was growing up, his family had a tradition that on their first birthday they would lay out a piece of bread, some money, and a book for the birthday kid to choose. This was supposed to predict their future profession. The money means they will be in business, the book means they will be a scholar and Joe actually can't remember what the bread means so we have come up with our own prediction--either they are supposed to be good eaters or the bread winners of their families. All of our children have gone for the bread. We just think they are meant to be good eaters. They start that way as babies and they'll end up that way too. :)

Carlee loved her cake. I made a white cake with chocolate ice cream in the middle. I then frosted it pink and used fruit-by-the-foot to make a ribbon so it looked like a present. It didn't turn out very well cuz the fruit rolls ended up looking globby in the middle but oh well, it tasted yummy and Carlee ate it up. You live and learn.