Six years ago today, my daughter, Christa, was born.
I spent the wee hours of Christmas Eve 2000 doing laps around the nurse's desk in the birthing center. The nurses plied my three older children with Christmas cookies and urged me to deliver before their shift ended.
Coming 12 years after my third child, I dubbed Christa my  "caboose baby." My dad called her "Twas"--as in 'Twas the night before Christmas. She's also known as "Sugarplum'" (visions of sugarplums danced in their heads) and "Boo" and "Loo Hoo."
Since Christa's birth, I've started supplementing our Christmas decorations with trains--ones with four cars: An engine, for her big brother Josh, two cars for her big sisters Katie Beth and Amy, and a caboose for Christa, of course.
This year we started a new family tradition. I found a pan that makes train shaped cakes. So, I baked some and the kiddos decorated them this morning. Josh decorated the engine and the girls decorated two train cars and Christa decorated the caboose.
Maybe as our family expands thanks to marriages and births of grandchildren, I'll add more cars to the train.