Versus II

Ladies and Gentlemen...


In a rematch of epic proportions....

 vs. 

Bud "The Button Pusher"                 Big "The Head Butt-er"

Age: 5                                             Age: 3

Height: 43.5 in. (63.4 %tile)             Height: 38.5 in. (76.4 %tile)

Weight: 37.92 lb. (29.6 %tile)           Weight: 37.7 lb. (93.3 %tile)*

BMI: 14.09 (8.9 %tile)                       BMI: 17.88 (91.87 %tile)

                        

*Note: To be fair on the weight thing, Big was wearing jeans and socks while Bud was just wearing lightweight shorts and had bare feet. So, maybe they're really way further apart--like a whole half a pound?                              

Who's Three?

Big's three! Since he was absolutely positive that turning 3 meant he'd be getting a real 4-wheel-drive truck, and I was absolutely positive that it wasn't going to happen, I did my best to satisfy his desire with a cake. 


It was supposed to be fabulous. But then, in trying to avoid the grout lines of the tile countertop, I made the mistake of rolling the fondant out on a big wooden cutting board. The wood sucked the fondant totally dry. Bah. Not easy to work with, but I did my best and ended up with this. 

Luckily a 3-year-old doesn't notice cracks and rough edges. 


But, before we put the cake out of its misery we had to open gifts. Big whipped his way through them, trying to get to the big one he had his eye on. I used food boxes to contain some of the presents, and it was funny that Big seemed just as satisfied with the idea that he'd received a box of Ritz Bits as he was with the shirts he eventually discovered the box contained. It was obvious that neither was what he wanted. 

Ahhh... the BIG one...

Now, on to the cake. 

Then his dad stood him up for a better angle and he blew the candles out so fast that I missed the shot. And the pictures were all blurry. But I'm posting them anyway.

And then the dismantling began. 

Happy Birthday, Big! You're so smart and funny, our lives just wouldn't be the same without you. We love you!

We've Moved

Last week was super crazy and busy-- there was so much going on. Not the least of which was that we moved. Yup. We packed up our stuff and journeyed to the most elite and coveted neighborhood in the world-- The Land of the Diaper-Free. In case you're wondering, it is everything that people said it would be. In this case, the grass really is greener on the other side. 


I just can't believe how abrupt it was. Big went from having no interest in even sitting on the potty to being potty trained in no time flat. All on his own. I'm just glad he's tall enough to pee standing up-- that played a huge part in him being more eager to go in the potty. It makes it more exciting for all of us, really. 


Big always reports what he's made with the bubbles in the toilet when he's done and we're always interested to hear what he says. Often it's, "I made a balloon!" or "I made a puppy!". But, I must say that there's one that is my absolute favorite, and he's made it twice--


"I made a mailbox!"


Oh, yeah. The Land of the Diaper-Free is the place to be. It just smells so much better.

Five! with Friends

Bud had his very first friend birthday party last Saturday. Having to wait a week for the party actually worked out great since the weather was much better than it was on his birthday. The party worked out great, although waiting until 2:00 in the afternoon for it to start was pure torture for Bud and me. Bud was filled with excitement, while I was filled with nervousness and trepidation-- the thought of successfully entertaining a group of 5 year olds for an hour can be daunting!


To begin with, Bud had a pretty big list of friends he wanted to invite, but by the time the invitations needed to be sent out he was down to 3 friends. He began eliminating people from his list a few weeks before the party-- "I'm not going to invite her any more, Mom. She was mean to another kid in class." or "He was disruptive in class today, Mom, and didn't listen to the teacher." I'm just glad the 3 kids remaining on the list could all come!


His best friend Evie was the first to show up and they waited together (with Big) for the other kids to arrive. 

I think that Evie was just as excited for the party as Bud. She even painted her nails for the occasion. 


One of the party-goers had to leave about halfway through, so we made sure to do the really important stuff first. I wrapped up each child's party favors in a different wrapping paper and then had Rophone hide them around the yard. Each kid was looking for a tub of sidewalk chalk, a Hot Wheel (Bud's favorite toy), two mini tubs of Playdoh, and some scented bubbles.


After informing them of which paper was theirs, I sent them on their way. 

It was partially a group effort...

...and partially a solitary one.

The best part of the treasure hunt was that it took a good chunk of the party time that I was worried about filling-- I was afraid the hunt would only last 5 minutes, leaving me a ton of extra time to kill. My insides were doing a little tap dance of joy at this point because now I knew I could make the party activities last the whole hour, thus avoiding having to deal with a group of disgruntled and disappointed 5-year-olds. Seriously, they're tough!


Bud wanted to decorate sugar cookies instead of having cake and ice cream, which was fine with me-- I mean, it was a seriously good time-filler! So, I made 5 colors of super kid-friendly frosting (you know, the kind so bright that it attracts kids as strongly as it repulses adults), gave them 2 cookies each, a bunch of marshmallows, candies and sprinkles, and let them have at it.

Then it was time for some present opening.

For the last activity, I tucked crepe paper tails into the waistband of their pants and had them chase each other, trying to step the on everyone's tails while keeping their own safe. 

It was a lot of fun. Happy Birthday again, Bud!

The Cake Request

I had grand plans for Bud's birthday cake this year. I was all set to outdo myself and make him something kind of like this:

But then, a week before his birthday, I made this cake and it changed everything. 

Once Bud tried a bite of the lime yogurt cake (without the blackberry sauce) his mind was made up. It just had to be his birthday cake. Not that I minded. He just unknowingly saved me hours upon hours in the kitchen. (Hallelujah!) And this cake is soo much better. 

Really. Even I ate a piece. 

It even ended up making a pretty cute birthday cake. If you ignore the fact that the car on top is disproportionately small, that is.

Who needs trick candles, anyway?

Happy Birthday again, Bud!!!