Joy Moments: A mom reflects on birthdays past and present

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I only had one kid {{okay, okay... it wasn't that long ago, I know}}. 


I started the tradition of making her birthday cake.  Every year she asked for another special cake from Mommy.  {{Well, except for this year she designed her own cake and a professional made it for her.  I was ditched.  I know.}}


Then Mommy got a job... a husband... a house to take care of... and two more kids. 


Mommy realized that all of this is a bit overwhelming... and Mommy decided to "say No" to homemade and time-consuming birthday cakes.  {{Silly tradition.}}


Making the type of homemade cakes that I make {{with my little skill}} requires baking the cake two nights before the party and then dedicating an entire evening to decorating the cake on the night before the party.


Making the birthday cake has turned into a joy buster... a total project... that I do NOT have time for... until NOW!


This year, for the first time ever, making the cake was not about doing something crafty or fulfilling an obligation... it was a labor of love.  {{Thank you Moms Club for this insight.}}  As I piped every little dot and squiggle {{squiggle = technical term... hahahaha}}, I thought about loving him and all of the little things he does that make me laugh and smile.  It was like four years of DVD replays were turning through my head... the whole time.


Wow!  I didn't know that was going to happen!

 
So, my project turned into a therapy session.  hahahaha!

What moment of joy surprised you this week?

It's another birthday

This is the first year that Bro is inviting his friends, not just family, to his birthday party.

He is uber-excited about his Home Depot party.

I NEVER... in ONE MILLION years... thought I would be hosting Home Depot party, but I am.

This is the best party for my helper man.  {{Oh the things we do for our kids.}}

Happy Happy Happy 4th to you my little man!
{{No, that is not a typo - the extra "happy" words are there for emphasis.}}

Yes.  I did a photo shoot IN Home Depot.
Yes.  I am making these little photos for each of the kids' birthdays... as a memory.
Yes.  I know that first word is unreadable (I'm hiding his name for goodness sakes).



If you are thinking about a Home Depot party for the builder in your life, you need to know that only some of the Home Depot stores offer parties and scouting activities.  This is on a case-by-case basis and at the discretion of the manager.

Since I live in the city... we have plenty of Home Depot stores to choose from.  I was confident that we would find one that would let us have a party.

If your local Home Depot does not offer birthday parties, they most likely hold a kids workshop each month and these workshops are equally as hands on and equally as fun.

What is the craziest thing you ever did for one of your kids?

Your spouse?

13 Revisited

We did it!

We survived a 13th birthday party!

Guess what?  I didn't cry!

I don't have too many pics to share because most of the pictures involved kids, other than mine, and in bathing suits.

There is some stuff I can share.

That is:

The Justin Bieber decor rocked!

We had lots of food... um... and Bro insisted that he eat in his regular spot, which was a tad bit crowded -- ya think?

Someone made these cute mini-burgers cookies. 

We kept the presents out of reach of Brielle.

We went crazy about the cake that Lulu designed!  (ahem... not made by me)

And Lulu blew out her candles.

Even better... the girls were in their sleeping bags and asleep by 11:30.  By all accounts, it was a very busy day.  Perhaps Friday-night sleepovers are the best -- the kids are so tired from being at school all week. 

Have you had successful Friday-night sleepovers?

Bee's birthday cake.

We also celebrated Bri's birthday with my husband's family.  This post doesn't have many pictures because his family does not want to be ALL over the internet?  Who knew?   Really?  You mean some people don't like to flash their kids all over the internet?  What?  {{They know I am teasing.  Hi y'all - love you.}}

I do want to show you Bri's official bee cake.

She was a grumpy-pants after her nap so we did not get pictures of her eating her cake.  This is most unusual behavior for her, but we try to be flexible in this house.

{{What?  I'm flexible.  Stop rolling your eyes.}}

Nonetheless, here is her bee cake... in all of its glory!

Ta-da!

Now y'all know what I always say -- If you can paint-by-number then you too can make cakes like this.  The cake pan was the Wilton Ladybug pan.  The original directions called for wings made of cardboard and covered with icing.  The lady at our local cake supply store suggested I use rice paper instead and I did.  I just love it! 

Baby "Bee" Birthday Recap

This is the first in a 3-part birthday series. 

Part 1.  Bri celebrates her birthday with my parents.
Part 2.  Bri's bee cake.
Part 3.  Bri and Bro play in a sandbox.

Bee (a.k.a. Bri) turned 1-year old last month.

I couldn't decide what to do for a birthday theme for her.  We often call her our baby Bee... so at the very last minute I decided on a bee theme.  As if making 3 cakes (one for school, one for my folks, one for Dear Husband's folks) wasn't enough, I also added making-a-bee-dress to my list of things to do.  What?  I'm so crazy!

Seriously.  Look up crazy in the dictionary and you'll find something like this:

Crazy
[krey-zee]
–adjective

1. mentally deranged; demented; insane.
2. senseless; impractical; totally unsound: a crazy scheme.
3. Informal . intensely enthusiastic; passionately excited
As in... Napmom was crazy to make a bee dress just three days before her daughter's birthday.

The dress is reversible.  The reverse side is the black-and-white check pattern with a yellow bee border.

Lookie - lookie!  Occasionally I get to be in a picture too!

As promised, her first bee cake was a honeycomb cake.  It came from the Williams Sonoma store. 
No, I don't ever spend money like this. 
Yes, my family did give me a hard time for buying this cake pan. 
No, I don't care. 
Yes, I hope use it again someday. 
Yes, this cake was cute and easy {{which totally made it worth it, right?}} 

Baker's Tip:  I used a regular lemon cake mix from a box -- easy and yummy.  I made two of these cakes (one for school and one for home).   I used Pam Baking Spray on my first cake and the nooks and crannies were not crisp.   It is best to use real butter and flour to flour your cake in this cake pan so the details really show up, as in my picture below.

Dig in baby Bee!

Baby Bee and Daddy.  Oh... I almost forgot... Happy Birthday Dear Daddy!

My folks and baby Bee!

My favorite pic of the day.  A classic baby Bee smile.

I had to have this balloon too! 

We save the mylar balloons and use them again the next year.

Does anyone else do that?

Birthday Recap

Someone had a birthday.

So, the night before his big day we made cupcakes for all of his friends at school.  Lulu was never much of a helper in the kitchen.  But, Bro has to be in to everything I do.  So, he helped me put the liners in the cupcake tin.

And then he modeled his new skates that Daddy bought him.

Then, he selected all of the colors for the sprinkles for his cupcakes. 

Lulu's schedule was too hectic on Bro's birthday, so we celebrated with a birthday breakfast the next day.

He insisted on having a butterfly cake like the one in this book.

And Fairy Grandmother delivered.  Look at her awesome cake.  All of the colors are perfect.  The head, the nose, the antlers... all are exactly like the book!  Our birthday boy was delighted!!!

Before we ate breakfast, he wanted to open his gifts... and play in the boxes.

One of the other greatest joys of being a mother... one that I would never understand, since I am an only child... the surprise of my life... is watching my children interact with each other.  It's little unplanned moments like this that just bring tears to my eyes.  {{let me pause while I look at this for a minute}}

Who can resist purple icing?

Happy Birthday Little Man

Great Backyard Bird Count

Counting Down to a Birthday

I am very excited for Bro's birthday tomorrow and he is too!  Today, he is sick at home with Daddy so let's hope that he feels better tomorrow.  I know he will!

I am most sad that his birthday falls during a very busy time at work for me.  No one is granted any leave from mid-Jan to mid-April unless it is an emergency.  Thus, I will miss his school party.  Luckily, one Fairy Grandmother is here and able to attend the festivities in my absence.  I do not know what I would do if I didn't have her!

It was great to snatch Brody from the house on a mother-and-son trip to get his cupcake supplies.  He was so excited for just the two of us to pick out his special cupcake supplies.  It was nice to be alone with him for a change.

He picked out Toy Story toppers for his cupcakes, along with Toy Story plates and napkins. 

The cupcake wrapper has trucks and cars on it! AH... life with a little boy!

I had to purchase the tickets to the Monster Jam because I accidentally mentioned Monster Jam in the car one day when I was talking to Lulu while Bro was sitting in the back.  I finally remembered he was back there when I heard a little voice say, "What?  What's that mom?  What's that about Monster Jam for a birthday?  Did you say that mom?  What?  Did you say Monster Jam?  Huh, Mom?  Did you say that?"  Oh - I was soooooooo busted.

I finished shopping for his birthday gifts.  We didn't really get him much since the Monster Jam tickets are his main gift.  However, he saw this pack of Monster Jam trucks in the grocery store (of all places) that he was just drooling over!

After all of this, he is still asking for a butterfly birthday cake!  tee hee hee!  Can you believe it?

If I Were a Butterfly...

Someone we know... ahem... is about to have a birthday.

I don't have near enough time or energy to get as excited about this day as I should... but if you mention the word "birthday" he pipes up with an excited "I have a birthday in Jan-U-Airy."  {{How does he know this???}}

This guy is such a man's man.

He likes tractors and trucks and... climbing mountains.

I had planned a tractor cake for his birthday since he loves tractors... 

... and was a farmer for Halloween.

As luck would have it (and it was total luck that brought little Bro into this world) his birthday falls during session a very freakin busy time of year for me.

While I am in charge of all things baking-related in my home, Fairy Grandmother makes Bro's birthday cakes.  And he knows this.  He knows that she (not I) makes his cakes... so cute!

We asked Bro what type of cake he wants this year...

a tractor...

a train perhaps?

"I want a butterfly", he said, "a red and yellow and green butterfly."

Really?  OK.  A butterfly it is!

How To... make a zebra-striped hair bow cake

Step 1 {{the most crucial step of all}}:  Locate one loving Fairy Grandmother to babysit a newborn. 

Next, bake a cake in a Wilton butterfly-shaped cake pan.

Trace the shape onto a piece of paper.

Draw your design onto the paper.

Ice the cake with white icing.

Place your template on the cake...

... and outline with black icing.

Fill in the shape with zebra stripes. 

Voila!

Coming Soon

How to remove permanent marker from a vintage lunchbox,

how to make a "funnel" when you don't have a funnel, and

{{ my personal favorite}} easy, no-sew solution to attaching badges and patches to scout vests.

Stay tuned! 

Birthday Plans

Lulu has a birthday coming up.  We are gonna be low-key this year and invite 3 of her friends to dinner as well as my parents and her dad's parents... and her dad, of course.

So, I have to totally get ready for this party during this upcoming week.  This also means that I need Dear Husband to put together the trampoline that we got her for her birthday.  I also ordered her an insane amount of shaped rubberband bracelets.  While the rubberband-bracelet craze started over a year ago out West (I think), Lulu thinks that she started the craze here because she was the first person she knows to have them.  I accidentally stumbled upon the bands online one day and ordered them for her.  Next thing I knew... everyone had them... although I am sure that the craze was here before she got her bands.  Even one of the Survivor contestants (Tyson) was actually wearing one during the Survivor finale show.  I hope she likes the sets that I picked out for her.  Some of them came from her rubberband-bracelet wish list... a few were some new ones that that I found online.

Here is her rubberband theme wish list.  Note the few little items on the side... yes, it actually says, "nook/ipad."  Yeah right!  She's not getting a ipad for goodness sake.

The birthday and hipster sets are brand new.  Em LOVES peace signs so I know that she will love the hipster set. 

This birthday set picture is not that good.  I think that these bands are actually clear with glitter.

Her birthday cake request this year is... drum roll please... zebra hair bow.  I bet ya didn't see THAT one coming, did ya?  She loves zebra prints right now.  You can see her hair bows (some with bits of zebra print) here and her zebra pants in the last picture of this post.  She also has a zebra jacket and shorts, just to name a few.  So, yes, I have to make a zebra hair bow cake.  You can stop laughing now.  :-)

I'm also half-tempted to make some cupcakes with these printable toppers from an Etsy seller.  Actually, I'd prefer to just make the cupcakes but I know that Lulu will never let me get away with that.  :-)  Maybe I could serve cookies-n-cream ice-cream to go along with the zebra/black and white theme.  Huh?

Anyone here ever made a zebra print cake?  Do you have any other easy/inexpensive cheap ideas for the zebra theme?  

The day after...

I had such a good time celebrating Bro's birthday last night.  It was nice to celebrate with a small family gathering, rather than a large-ish party (which had become the NORM for Lulu).

First, Fairy Grandmother arrived with some balloons...

... and her homemade Cars cake.

Bro was being his same-old-wonderful self... here his is enjoying ignoring his soft taco...

"But Bro... it has cheese on it... and sour cream"

and lovingly posing for in a family photo.

Never mind - we took the pic without him.

He loves his "baby turtle" (Twilight Constellation Night Light) that he got from Fairy Grandmother and Luvs2Boat.  We already knew that he would love it because Lulu has a similar night light that he loves.  If you are looking for a unique, budget-friendly gift for the toddler who has everything... or if you just want to give a cool gift... this is your ticket.  Very cool!  You can read all of the reviews on Amazon... or just take my word for it.

Apparently Dear Husband knows a thing-or-two about toys for little boys.  The "fas cars" {{not a typo}} (as Bro likes to call them) were a big hit.... probably WAY cooler than the Magna Doodle that Napmom would have come home with.

Finally, we lit the birthday candles...

Happy Birthday Dear Bro ♪ ...

Happy Birthday to You ♫

Here is a pic of Lulu forcing a smile as she waits for a piece of cake the happy family.

The End.