This bouncing baby boy celebrated his birthday today.
We started the day with cinnamon rolls. In our household it is a crime for the icing to actually be white. Since Madeline got up as early as Daddy did, she got to pick the food coloring.
The Birthday Boy was, naturally, super excited about having his picture taken. Since we failed to provide him with tangible birthday gifts (thank you, Plague 2020), we procured one of his favorite meals, Raising Cane's (drive-through, of course). Don't judge. I had very mixed feelings about doing this. Because Plague 2020. But. I've got rationalizations. It's not against the stay-at-home order to get food from restaurants. It helps people keep their jobs, and it helps the economy. We might all die for Caleb's birthday because the college-age RC employees don't even know they have the virus, so there's that. But like everyone else, we're just trying to juggle all the needs right now.
Caleb made his own birthday cake today because he's really bored. And I wanted a nap. One of his favorites is tres leches cake. I haven't made it very often (exactly once before), and like many of you, I have to kind of make up my grocery list on the fly depending on what's actually on the shelves, so I bought a cake mix this year. We have some kinks to work out next time, but man, it still tasted good.
Also, we had no candles. Well actually we do, but we can't locate them.... And since we can't just dash out to the store to get more, we improvised. While I was setting the matches into the cake, Caleb talked about how he burned his hand making a "match bomb" like this (I didn't even ask). Bob and I both shrugged. But Sam freaked out. There was weeping and wailing and near hyperventilation. And that was before the matches actually finally lit up. But then? Then it was super cool! We all survived unburned AND the smoke detectors didn't go off, so win?
He hates this picture apparently, and forbade me to post it on Facebook. I complied with that request. But my blog is not FB. And I love this picture because it is his natural smile, possibly with relieved overtones that he didn't get fried.
After this we gave intangible presents to Caleb: we each shared a memory of him we like.
This was pretty entertaining.
Rex talked about that year we put the matches on Caleb's birthday cake in the middle of a pandemic. Bob told about how when Caleb was little he would carry his scripture case around like Daddy's briefcase, and then about how Caleb liked to walk with Daddy when he mowed, so Mom bought him a little lawn mower, and then Caleb quit.
Mom remembered fondly the first two years of Caleb's life, when he was a-mom-clinging monster. And then he turned two, and I had to have the policeman at the library keep him from escaping every time we went.
Disney singalongs and quote-alongs with his siblings were remembered by Rose.
Madeline talked for about 5 minutes straight; the gist of it was that she likes it when Caleb plays on the trampoline with her. Sam also said this, but in about 5 seconds. This was especially well received by Caleb, as he hasn't been able to actually do this with them since he messed up his knee playing YSA dodgeball this winter.
We even Facetimed Lizzi. Her tale was of the time Caleb ruined her birthday party by getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. I think she was 6. This seems like a long time to hold a (happily remembered?) grudge, but who am I to judge?
Happy birthday, Caleb! You are the best. We owe you a big birthday bash.
Tomorrow we have to walk off all these calories. While social distancing. Good times.
