Well, time to report on the birthday festivities for the month of February. We started with Rowan's 1st birthday on the 4th. We just had a fun little day at home. Rowan loves whipped cream and waffles. So, he got that for breakfast and kept asking for more whipped cream. We made pizza for dinner and had yummy sugar cookies with lots of frosting. A great day all around.
Then on the Friday, the 6th, Andy and his friend Rachel came from Portland. They came to do some run in the Mojave Desert, not for the birthdays, that was a bonus. Then my dad, Pam & Adelle also drove down Friday night, not for the run in the Mojave, but for the birthdays and to see Andy. It was cold and rainy all weekend and Andy & Rachel got up at like 3am to get ready and drive to the desert for a run in the windy rain and cold. That sounds like A LOT of fun, doesn't it? Weirdos. Rachel has a boyfriend and we always wonder about them b/c Andy and Rachel are always out doing stuff together – backpacking, running, etc. After this weekend, I am beginning to think her BF is a smart guy – who would want to run in the desert in the rain and cold? You know? Rachel was teilling us she's a runner and her BF is a cyclist and neither enjoys the other's sport. So, it works out for them. Back to the weekend…. Andy made a great pre-run dinner on Friday night with some wild rice called Oregon Jewel. According to Andy it is the best wild rice ever. Schelley, I had him bring some for you, it is waiting for your arrival in LV : )
While Andy & Rachel were freezing in the desert, the rest of us went to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. We had not been before and the kids loved it. It is small and crowded, but it was nice to get out of the house. Adam, Dad and the kids went back to the house and those of you who know this, Adam is horrible with directions and getting around. His report to me was – I don't think I impressed your dad with my driving skills. Ha ha. Pam, Adelle & I did a little shopping – gotta keep the teenager happy!! I did put the teenager on a time hack (military term) to keep us movin' along and not shopping all night. Adelle was pretty cute with the time hack – she'd check the time frequently and report how much time we had left. In fact, in Juicy Couture, I got a few weird looks when I said, "Adelle, 5 mninutes, Hack." These ladies looked at us like I was from Mars. Pretty funny.
Sunday, we had planned to go to Red Rock Canyon and do some hiking, but it was still raining!!! Dad, Adam & Russell headed out to Bass Pro to fart around. Pam and Adelle went back to Juicy to shop some more. Rachel went back to Oregon and Andy and I stayed home with Rowan and Rachel. I made a hamburger cake which turned out AWESOME. During this time, Rowan caught a cold and was very grumpy. So that night we did the cake and presents for both the boys. Needless to say they had a very fruitful birthday.
Let me report on the cake. The cake was delicious!!!! We made hamburgs and hot dogs for dinner, so I had thought it would be fun to make a cake that looked like a hamburger. After reading endless tips online on how to make it, I realized the key to a successful hamburger cake would be Peanut Butter Frosting. I don't like to make frosting from scratch, I always screw it up. Unless, it has cream cheese, I can do that, don't ask me why. So, I searched for a recipe and didn't find one to my liking. So, I turned to Schelley, as I always do when in a recipe dilemma. Of course, Schelley has made PB Frosting and gave me a great recipe. Hello, BONUS – it was made WITH cream cheese. I didn't even ask about a recipe with cream cheese, I just wanted a good recipe. It was meant to be, I had to make the frosting. Can I just say – YUM. Yum yum yum. It like melted in your mouth, it was so good. It is now everyone's fave frosting. YUM. I also used fondant for the lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Whipped vanilla frosting for the mayo and red icing for the ketchup, All of that was pre-made or pre-colored. It was a really fun cake.
On Monday, everyone went home. It was a houseful, but didn't seem like it. Adam left on Tuesday for New Mexico and he'll be there until the 21st. Russell's actual birthday is Feb. 12th. So, I made cupcakes for his class – beach and shark cupcakes. The shark cupcakes had blue frosting with a grey cardstock fin sticking out of the water and the beach cupcakes had white frosting with graham cracker crumbs and little umbrellas for embellishment. The kids loved them. Russ's classroom has a beach theme too, so the kids really liked that. Russ had a great day – calls on the phone, emails, a video email from the McKinneys singing Happy Birthday with the cha cha cha and at the end a triumphant HI-Ya! Hi- Ya indeed, a great way to end the birthday celebrations.
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