Cole's 3rd Birthday!

My Bubby turned three!

I leave the creative (i.e. time consuming) meals up to Jake, but I figured it wouldn't kill me to go out on a limb and make blue pancakes for the kid's birthday. Plus, we remembered to get out the birthday plate! Woot!

 One of Cole's birthday wishes that he had been talking about FOREVER was that he wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese's. Well, we're all about making wishes come true (when they're easy), so it was family night at Chuck's to celebrate three awesome years with Brother. When I say he was so excited to  get there that he about dug out his own eye, I'm not exaggerating.
No flash:

 Flash:

 Surely there's an in betweener flash?

I react to this place much like you see Paige above. Sensory Overload. But the kids had a blast playing games and earning tickets for cheap prizes. And that made it fun. I personally enjoy the character songs that are familiar enough knock offs of popular songs tweaked a bit so Chuck E.'s doesn't get sued and then plugged in with lyrics about pizza and other foods you can get there.

I will forever sing "I wanna barbeque aaaaall night..." to the tune of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" whenever I attend a BBQ. Count on it. 

If you are epileptic, don't watch the next video...

 Chuck E. Cheese delivered in just the way it promised. Cole talked about it for days on end afterward.
We headed home to put Paige to bed and then open presents and have cake.

I made these pool noodle "light sabers" from super fat noodles, not remembering that thinner/cheaper ones were at the dollar store which would have worked better. Now, though, I wouldn't give up the gargantuan sabers because they have provided us with some serious maniacal fun and pack quite a wallop.

 I am really good at providing the bare minimum. I was even that kind of student --do just enough to get the desired grade and no more, thank you. I don't go above and beyond often. And so it is with this cake. I have absolute admiration for those who have the talent and patience to put together edible works of art, but I have accepted the fact that I have neither. Thank heavens my children don't require much of me. Tessa wanted a pink cake for her last birthday -no problem! And Cole wanted a blue ice cream cake for his. After mulling it over, I came up with possibly the easiest route for this possible. And he was happy.
The basic layer was ice cream sandwiches cut to fit where necessary, a tub of Cool Whip with blue food coloring whipped in spread on top, then crushed Whoppers sprinkled, and finally a bunch of neon lizards from the dollar store he said he wanted on his cake. We freeze the whole thing together, and Ta Da! Mediocrity at its finest....and tastiest.

This little boy is so much fun. He can be as exasperating as any other kid his age (for us, but I think it's entertaining for other people when they see the joy he finds in pushing boundaries). However, the fact that he is exerting his desire for independence is awesome. His silly and teasing sense of humor cracks us up. His sensitive nature toward people's feelings (when he's paying attention) is heart warming. His laugh and his random conversations with either us or his toys makes us want to bottle him up and not let him age one more day. 

Try as I might, I don't think I'll ever appreciate the dinner messes.

But we love this kid fiercely. And he knows it.