and now he is 4.
July 22, 2009
At about this time four years ago I was eating a post-labor cannoli from Elena's. Never has a cannoli been so good.
Today, the Boy is four. We celebrated with a party on Saturday. Tonight we will do things that make the Boy happy, which is go to the McD's playland* and to the Golden Guernsey for ice cream. Because he's four, that's why.
The party, tho, was monkey themed, not because the boy likes monkeys** but because I found a Martha Stewart party kit that was on sale at Michael's that was too cute to pass up.
Monkey cake:
I went with a Betty Crocker Gluten-free cake mix because I wanted the Diva to be able to have some, too, and wanted to give ol' Betty a try. I'm not a big fan of the boxed mix but, dang, this was the best GF cake I've had. Nice and moist, with none of that weird rice flour grit. I did make my own buttercream, tho. The stuff in the plastic tubs shouldn't be allowed to call itself frosting.
Water balloon fight, a must for any summer birthday.
A shriek of glee.
The ritual opening of the gifts.
The kazoo was a big hit.
You will note his many changes of clothing. We spent a good portion of the day convincing him to just put some clothes on, since people coming over appears to be his cue to drop trou. He will be a big hit in college.
Onward we go.
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* Once the children are out of the house, I swear to never go to McDonald's again. It is a sad, sad place once you're over the age of consent and know what food should taste like. Still, the kids love it, just like I did when a kid. *shrug*
** He doesn't dislike monkeys, mind. Just wanted to make that clear before monkey hordes showed up at the house to pelt me with bananas and poo. Which around here we just call "Thursday."
According to the Cake Doctor, you're exactly right--box cake is fine (and even better when you doctor it) but you MUST make your own frosting. You're in good company--it's what my cousin does and she's semiprofessional.
Posted by: Anna | July 22, 2009 at 05:08 PM
It's good to know that even professionals use boxed cake mixes. I just can't seem to acquire a nice, tender and yummy crumb from my homemade attempts.
Posted by: Adrienne | July 23, 2009 at 10:56 AM