Caleb's Birthday!

Happy birthday to Caleb, happy birthday to Caleb....! One year older and wiser to, happy birthday to Caleb!


Here is the cake I made him. In my mind it was supposed to look a lot more epic, but the idea is still cool. It is supposed to look like the board game Settlers of Catan. The yellow represents wheat and is a yellow cake cupcake with frosting in the middle. The red represents brick and is cheesecake with a raspberry topping.  The light green represents sheep and is mint chocolate chip ice cream. The neon green is to represent forest and is a chocolate cupcake with green frosting. The white is to represent ore and is moose tracks ice cream. The blue represents water and is a blueberry yogurt pie. On top are white chocolate circles with numbers written in icing like the chips from the game. 

The cake took a long time to make because I had to make each different kind of cupcake, but it was delicious.

I also made Caleb a special birthday dinner of crockpot ribs, corn on the cob, and deviled eggs (which he made to show me since I didn't know how).

Lastly, here are his gifts. He did not get them until yesterday when we got back from Florida (more on that later), though I did tell him what I had ordered on his actual birthday. He was very patient and was pleased when he opened everything: Lots of Romney gear and expansions for two of our favorite games.

Richfield Parade

 We took Aleeyah to her first parade here in Richfield.

Here is is covering her ears from the fire truck sirens. 

 Crazy lady on stilts

My cousin Donald is the one playing the tuba on the right hand side of the picture. 

Lots of really neat old cars and a horse drawn carriage. 

 Aleeyah with my uncle and their new puppy at the parade. 

Transcription Network and Kirtland, Ohio

Not too long ago, my mom's transcription company found out they are going to be given a 30% work level increase. She jokingly sent me an e-mail saying that I might have to come work for her. I laughed back, but when I really thought about it the more it sounded like a good idea. I worked for her during the summer when I was in high school and it is a good way for us to have an income while Caleb is still looking for a job. We talked about it and decided that Caleb and I would give it a try. We did about 8500 line in three weeks (in comparison my mom does about 20,000 a month) and the first few days were slow, so we are hoping to do more. Caleb really enjoys doing the reports from the mental hospital as it is good work experience for him, learning the medical terminology and drugs used, etc. Plus, we work as a good team, one works while the other plays with Aleeyah or helps around the house.  

Here are a few pictures of the new office chair and headphones we bought, along with the foot pedal we use to do transcription. (Excuse the mess in the background, we are still in the process of cleaning out Grandpa's room.)

As a treat the weekend before we started working, I whisked Caleb and Aleeyah off to a secret location, Kirtland, Ohio. Kirtland is a special place in the history of the Latter-day Saints. The first modern day temple was built here and it was one of the first gathering places for the early Saints. I have been to Kirtland on many occasions before but this was Caleb and Aleeyah's first visit. 

Sensory Play and Learning to Stand

 I follow several blogs that give ideas for playing with children. Several of them have recently talked about sensory play and introducing babies to different sensory experiences. 

Based on that idea, I put together this tray full of different kinds of balls, all different sizes and textures. Aleeyah enjoyed pushing them around the tray, picking them up, eating them, and dropping them. 



She also heard the different noises they make and I showed her which ones would bounce and which ones would not. 

Recently, Aleeyah has been learning to pull herself up to a standing position on furniture. I told Caleb that he needed to be sure to make sure he pulled up the drop down side of the crib because we don't want her to fall out. While I was out running errands one day he called and said, "Remember when you told me that pretty soon we were going to have to be sure to put the side of the crib up? Well that that time is now." I thought she had fallen out, but luckily this is what he found when he went in the room. 

New Outfits and Room Decorations

My mom has sent Aleeyah several new cute outfits lately, so I thought I would showcase them.

I found this decoration that was used at my baby shower and used it to give a cute, feminine touch to Aleeyah's room. 

Just some cute pictures of Aleeyah in her bouncer