this is the place: Twenty Six Weeks: 2011 Family Theme Dinner!

Dear Sweetheart,

You are the love of our lives! You turned six months old this week! How the time has flown! We enjoy every moment with you, even the tough ones! Fortunately those are few and far between- you are such an easy, happy, and fun baby. You are obsessed with laughing right now. Your papa breaks out the tickle hands and you start laughing before he even touches you. It's so adorable. You laughter is music to our ears and our hearts.

On Labor Day we had our First Annual Family Theme Dinner to celebrate the start of a new year (we plan on keeping this tradition through your school years and decided to start it when the school year starts). We unveiled our 2011 Family Theme of "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" Matthew 22:37. Mommy made her special salted caramel chocolate cake (it took five hours, but was oh so worth it!) and Daddy made the most amazing salmon and we had both sets of your grandparents over to celebrate with us. Mommy had two stained glass stars made with our family theme on them. One of the stars has your name and the other says McCaslin Family. We plan on building a collection as the years pass and then decorating our Christmas tree with them. But the most important part of the theme is the implementation of it! We discussed our family plan for keeping the 2011 Family Theme at the center of our family this year. We are very excited to see how we learn and grow as individuals and as a family this year.

This week was pretty low key for us otherwise. We enjoyed playing together and you continue to learn and grow so much. You are loving sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pears, and brown rice cereal. You don't love green peas too much quite yet, but we are confident you'll get there eventually! You can't get enough of the pupas, especially Bella. You think her pre-dinner temper tantrum is hilarious. We love you so much, Ashbee!

Five Hour Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake