Category Archives: Birthday Parties and Cakes

Well, true to second born fashion, John’s 1st birthday post is being done a little over a week after the fact! Just so you know John….I really have made a conscious effort to do all of the things for you that I did for Jessica as a baby. I purposefully didn’t do more for Jessica than I thought I could do for you, and I took notes along the way so I could look back when I got to you. It was always important to my dad to try to be as fair as possible with all of us, and I have tried to do the same with you guys.

For Jessica’s first birthday, David’s parents were able to come down (to bring me and Jessica back from recovering from my Melanoma surgery). For John’s first birthday, my family was able to come down and we invited two friends who have become like family (truth be told we have A LOT of friends like that down here but we had a house full already with my family!)

A friend of mine gave me some leftover plates, hats, and decorations from her son's 1st birthday party, so we used those with a few solid colored paper plates. David decorated the porch....didn't he do a great job?!?!?!

John loved eating the birthday hats!

The Three Musketeers: the baby pictures of me and my brother John have been confused frequently and Little John looks A LOT like us!

Jessica enjoyed showing everyone what a good job she does riding a big bike with training wheels! (She totally skipped the tricycle and the strider bike! Now we are working on skating!)

John's 1st Birthday Cake!

I used a pan my mom used on one of my sister’s cakes, but the instruction sheet had been lost so I had to “wing it” using what Mom remembered and the help of a nice lady at JoAnns who had the same cake pan! Considering I have never taken a cake decorating class and have minimal cake decorating supplies, I thought it turned out GREAT! Definitely an improvement over Jessica’s 1st Birthday Cake! That was a long story, but suffice it to say that I was still limited in my range of movement from my surgery, and I was trying to avoid eggs and milk because she hadn’t had them at that point (By the time my kids turn one, they always eat their cake because I don’t ever remember to cut up their food into tiny pieces!!!) I couldn’t find a proper cake carrier so I used an upside down plastic box! It worked perfectly!!

Getting ready for cake time! (John is looking to see where his mommy went...he's a big fan of his mommy!!!)

Mommy helping John blow out his candle!

Chowing down on his first piece of cake!

I know we have a picture of me as a baby with this same exact expression!! I'll have to some searching for those photos later!

John actually ate 2.5 pieces of cake in one sitting (after eating a can of black beans...he's going to eat me out of house and home!!!!)....don't worry, they don't eat that much sugar all the time....birthdays are special occasions!

Jessica and her best friend putting on a show with some of John's new toys.

Jessica was a little concerned at first that it was not her birthday, but she seemed to conclude that John having a birthday was the next best thing! She was also very concerned when she saw the birthday cake my mom made me. She had seen a picture of a Little Mermaid cake and was just certain that was the kind of cake “Momma” (that’s what she calls my mom….my dad is “Poppa”) had made! She was a little disappointed….we may end up having an Ariel birthday party in 6 months….

Another shot of Big John and Little John!

Happy Birthday my precious baby boy! I think God knew we needed a little boy like you in our lives, and although I was very sad about the miscarriage we had before you, I am so thankful we ended up with you. You and Jessica are very different, but you obviously love each other very much. You will never have to worry about being a doormat. You always make your preferences known…loudly! You are also such a cuddle bug! I used to always wish that Jessica would sit still so I could cuddle with her. She never did, but you do! I am really enjoying it! You are also very verbal and musically inclined! You get so excited and start kicking your feet and laughing when I turn Elmo on, and you love to play musical instruments! You may look like me and share my interests, but I think it is pretty safe to say that you get your personality and way of seeing the world from your dad! You are a very special boy, and I hope that you will continue to grow into a man of character and discernment like your daddy. We love you precious boy!!!!

Part of the reason I have been so busy the last couple weeks is because as soon as we got back from Christmas, I had to start getting ready for Jessica’s birthday party. I had it all planned out, but several things didn’t go according to plan…..our cat died (more on that later)…..the cake didn’t turn out right and I had to start all over again….I found out after I got the food that most of the people we invited were sick….It was just one of those weeks!! Amazingly enough the party was just right! This year we did a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme!

Jessica opening presents….while her friends are distracted by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video we had playing. We bought those last year for me and Jessica to watch as I lay on the couch trying to keep from getting dehydrated and running to the ER while pregnant with John! That might explain why she likes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so much!

 

Jessica blowing out her candles! It took 3 tries, but she finally got it!!

he entire party except for David and one of the kids. It ended up being the perfect size! We were all able to have fun and relax!!

Jessica thought the cake was awesome!!!!! In fact, she ate so much of it that it took about a week for her poop to stop turning green….gross, I know!

debated for at least a month on whether or not to get foam swords for the party…..I wasn’t sure how the girls would react. I decided to get some at the last minute (so of course I ended up paying more)…..I shouldn’t have worried! The kids LOVED them!!!!

A picture of all the kids playing in Jessica’s room. This was the best picture I got…..seriously……taking pictures of kids is like herding cats!!!!!

So…now you have the story of how my $10 party turned out to be much more expensive, but we all had a great time and enjoyed celebrating Jessica, so I guess that is all that really matters! 

A picture of Jessica out in the garage with her daddy for the first time. She hammered, glued, clamped, screwed, measured, marked, sanded, and used a saw! She had a great time!!! This particular picture makes me think of my father-in-law.

The last 3 years have been a fun and crazy ride, and I am sure that what is left to come will be even more exciting!!! Jessica, you are a very sweet and fun child to travel the journey of life with. May you never loose your sweet, compassionate spirit or your exuberance for life. They are gifts that will only bring joy to those blessed to share the journey with you! We love you!

You have no idea just how proud I am of myself right now!!!! I wanted to make Jessica’s birthday cake myself even though I had limited to no experience with some of the aspects involved….if you know me or have read this blog for very long, I should not have to explain why…..it’s pretty obvious that I like to do EVERYTHING MYSELF! (You can imagine how trying this type of attitude could have been for my parents when I was small…) Making your own cake from scratch is also significantly cheaper than a store-bought cake (and possibly even a box-made cake, depending on what options you choose).

As we are having a Veggie Tales themed party, I decided to make the cake to look like a French Pea! (I considered Bob the Tomato, but I wasn’t sure if my red food coloring would taste bitter. I also considered Larry the Cucumber, but he would have been slightly more complicated….besides we are using the French Peas for just about everything else!) First I baked the cake using a recipe I found in my Betty Crocker cookbook. I did not have a cake recipe that I knew for sure was good, and Betty Crocker is almost always a safe bet! I baked the cake in two round pans. I chose not to press the cake down with wax paper when it came out of the oven because I wanted a slightly rounded top. I trimmed bits of the cake just a tad so I could taste it and to make it fit together just perfect!

Earlier in the day I had made up some Marshmallow Fondant using the recipe I found here. I had never done this before and it turned out great! I made two colors: green and black. I shaped the black pieces by hand and used a small biscuit cutter to cut out the green nose. Once the cake had cooled, I made up a buttercream frosting recipe of my mother’s (green of course). I iced the top of the bottom layer, placed the top later on top of the bottom layer, and lightly iced the entire cake. Then I put it in our freezer. After about 30 minutes, I took it out and finished icing the cake. I followed up with a spatula dipped in hot water periodically to smooth the icing. Finally, I sprinkled some cocoa powder on for freckles and carefully placed the eyes, nose, and mouth on the cake! It now sits in a cake carrier in our freezer where it will stay until a day or two before the party. I am so proud of my first, real, all-by-myself, decorated, kid’s homemade cake making experience that I don’t want to risk messing it up!

Jessica didn’t have a birthday party last year. I was still recovering from surgery, and my in-laws had just driven me and Jessica back home after our 5 week recovery stay in Memphis with my parents. I did manage to bake a cake; however, it did not turn out quite like I expected…. I decided to try a new recipe for an eggless, milkless, butterless cake, since Jessica had not had milk, eggs, or wheat yet. I know most people say that at their first birthday most kids just play with the cake, but Jessica has always been a very good eater!! She did eat the cake, and it did taste good. (I have included the recipe at the bottom of this post). At any rate, then I sent David to the store for a cake topper (before I realized it was supposed to be baked in a bundt pan), and he came back with a large cow!! Turns out I should have doubled the recipe for my bundt pan. Then the icing was a little thin so I added a little powdered sugar on top. By the time I was done, it looked like a giant cow coming around a large dirt hill covered in snow!!!

As I have mentioned before, Jessica has been invited to 5 birthday parties in less than 2 years, and I have decided that it is time for us to start reciprocating!!! I am trying to keep it pretty simple, since we are inviting all of her friends (total of 8 but I don’t think they will all come). Here is the plan: We are going with a Veggie Tales theme. I made up some cute invitations on the computer (see below).

I also asked that instead of bringing traditional birthday presents, everyone bring dress-up clothes items. That way the parents don’t have to stress about what Jessica likes, and no one has to spend an arm and a leg since you can get some awesome stuff at thrift stores and the back of your closet! Also, we will end up with one large present that she will love instead of lots of little presents to find room for!

They are all to arrive at our house on Saturday the 23 at 10:30 and stay till 12:30. I might put up some streamers and balloons I have leftover from other projects but that will be it for decorations. The plan is to let Jessica open gifts and everyone play dress-up. Then the kids will eat lunch (veggie stir-fry to go with the theme) and cake (This week I am going to attempt a Bob the Tomato cake….I want time to make another in case it bombs!). Then while the grown-ups eat, the kids will watch a Veggie Tales video. I think it sounds pretty simple. Hopefully it will all go off without a hitch!

I plan to use regular dishes and ask parents to bring their child’s sippy cup, so I won’t need to buy any themed paper goods. I also need to finalize the party favors. More on the party favors and the cake in the next week or two! Total cost should only be ingredients for the cake (most of which is on hand) and some bags of frozen veggies (I have rice and ingredients for the stir fry sauce on hand). Oh and we will only be serving milk and water to drink….I am NOT going to have up to 9 children 4 and under running around my house jacked up on sugar!!!!!!