Springtime Splendor!

I've been so thrilled with how our adventure with bulbs is turning out. First the crocuses appeared and now we have beautiful daffodils and tulips! Definitely a success! I had no idea that some of the tulips would be hot pink. I love them! Can't wait to plant even more next fall!

And then I made a Super Mario Cake.

O's birthday always sneaks up on me. It's only 6 weeks after C's birthday and that seems like a lot of time but it really isn't. So some years I just don't have a lot of creative fire when it comes to his cake. It doesn't help that most years he requests the same cake that C had. This year was no different. "I want the same cake as C had, Mom!" O said. "But with a Mario face instead of a Luigi face because Mario is MY favorite."

That would have been easy enough to do since I already figured out a method for the Luigi cake a few weeks ago. But this year I was determined to make O something special and unique.  I wanted to try to create a Super Mario scene.  But how to do it?

Luckily I was able to find a few mini figures on Amazon to help me flesh it out. (Hooray for 2 day Prime shipping since I only thought to order them a few days beforehand!) I made my typical two round cakes, but split one in half and stacked it to make the backdrop for the scene. Then I added icing for bushes, clouds, coins, and to cover an oreo cookie pipe.

The results?  A grumpy baby who was upset over being ignored, a very sore back from hunching over the cake for hours, and this....

I was a little worried that O wouldn't like it since it wasn't the Mario face he asked for, but thank goodness, he thought it was awesome!

Please take your own advice!

Yesterday, O came home from school in a very whiny mood. Everything was a problem. It took too long for me to make his sandwich, I didn't put it on the right plate, it wasn't fair that I was making him a sandwich in the first place because he only wanted to eat cookies, etc, etc, etc.  I knew he just needed a rest, so I said he could lie down on the couch and watch TV for a bit once he'd finished his lunch. I just asked him to drink some of his milk first. But apparently that was just too much to ask, because for the next few minutes he lay on the floor sobbing and screaming over and over:

"But Mom! It's not fair! DRINKING ISN'T ANY PART OF FUN!!!"

That's right, son. Make sure you remember that when you're in college!

My Funny Valentine

A few days before Valentine's Day, C came home from school brimming with excitement.

C: "Mom! Wait until you see what I made! It's a special Valentine's Day surprise!"
Me: "Oh. Well, maybe I shouldn't look at it until Valentine's Day then?"
C: "No, no, you can look at it now. Look what I made in school today!"

C pulled a beautiful handmade card out of his backpack. As he handed it to me, I could already tell that it was a masterpiece! The front of the card was filled with heart shaped stickers, glitter, and other festive decorations. C had clearly put a lot of effort into this one! I looked down at the card and saw "Dear Mom" at the top. "Awwww..." I thought, "Look at this beautiful Valentine's Day card C made me! And he's so excited about it, he just can't wait to give it to me!" I noticed that he had scribbled over the 'Dear Mom' with pink highlighter. "That must be for emphasis," I thought, "He was even trying to decorate the words themselves because he loves me so much!"

And then I kept reading...

The next few lines read "Dear Ms. T, Happy Valentines Day! You are so nice! I love you! C"

Wait...What?????

Me: "C? Is this card for your teacher?!"
C: "Yes! Do you think she'll like it? I really hope she likes it!!"
Me: "Well, it's beautiful, so I'm sure she'll love it....But why does it say 'Dear Mom' on the top?"
C: "Oh yeah...well, I started making a card for you. But then Liam said he was going to make a card for Ms. T. And I thought that was a great idea because I REALLY love Ms. T! So I crossed out the 'Dear Mom' and made it for Ms. T instead!"

Oh.......

C: "And then I brought it home so she wouldn't see it before Valentine's Day. It's going to be a surprise! Do you really think she'll like it, Mom?! Don't let me forget to take it to school on Valentine's Day!"
Me: "It's really special C! I think Ms T. really will love it!" I put a big smile on my face and gave C a big hug. "I'm so happy you like your teacher so much!"

But I couldn't help being a little sad inside. I would have treasured that card and probably kept it in C's memory box for years. Ms. T probably gets so many cards from students, that it wouldn't really be special to her. Hubby must have sensed my dismay because he said to C, "C, I think that's a beautiful card that you made for Ms. T. But you know what you have to do? You need to make a card that's just as nice for Mommy for Valentine's Day. Because you love her too, right?" C replied matter of factly, "Well, I would Dad. But I can't. Because I don't have any of those cool stickers. That stuff was just for at school."

Oh well.

I dutifully saved the extra special card on the kitchen counter, and on Valentine's Day I put it in C's school folder so he could bring it back to Ms T.  When he came home from school, I asked, "Did Ms. T like your card?" C beamed and said, "Mom, she said it was so nice! And then she gave me a big hug! I think she really liked it!"

Well done, Ms. T. She really is a great teacher, and I am happy that C loves her so much.

I just wish I'd thought to make a copy of the card before C took it back to school. It's not every day your name gets scribbled off the front of a love note from your child. I think I'll remember that card...the one that was almost mine...for a long time.

Let's Get Away!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we had a wonderful vacation in Florida last month. It was so nice for all of us to spend a week together. Since Hubby works long hours during the week, and I work on the weekends, "family days" (as we call the days where everyone is home), don't happen as often as we'd like. So to spend a long stretch of time together as a whole family was really great. We spent the first part of our vacation visiting my inlaws and the second part at Disney World!

The boys had a wonderful time checking out the ocean...

...and the new Red Sox spring training stadium...

...meeting some characters...

 

 ...enjoying the fireworks...

...riding the rides (Toy Story Mania was C & O's favorite)...

...and, in the case of Baby A, plenty of snoozing...although the rest of us can't say the same!

Yup, it was exhausting! But, we can't wait to go back again!