Happy Birthday Mark!

Mark is Four! Its hard to believe its been 4 years since Mark was born. He had a rough start, spending a week in the NICU because he could not breath. Maybe that accounts for his deep smokers voice!

Mark had pre-school on his birthday. This year the teacher asked that no cupcakes be brought for birthdays, because I guess it was making too much of a mess. So the kids, or rather the parents, were instructed that if they wanted to bring something to share for birthdays, to do birthday bags. Mark and I went to the dollar store and picked out the toys and candy to put in his birthday bags to give to his friends. Mark and I put the bags together the day before his birthday, and he was so excited to pass them out to his friends.

All the goodies for Mark's birthday bags.

The completed bags!

Mark came home from school with a cute birthday crown. For his party at home I bought a Thomas table decoration. Mark played with it all afternoon.

Grandma and Grandpa bought Mark a Thomas blanket.

He LOVES the blanket. It might replace his other blanket!

Opening presents.

From mommy and daddy Mark got Thomas trains and track. I know big surprise, but it is what he wanted. The Island of Sodor, aka the office, has now grown, and the new trains are currently making introductions with the old trains, and the track is under construction, with new branch lines being added.

Arianne and Keith sent Mark a Thomas flashlight, that also whistles. Of course he thinks its the bomb. I expect to be seeing light in his room at night and hearing the train whistle.

Grandma and Grandpa Hales gave Mark a tent and sleeping bag to use in the back yard this summer. I don't know who is more excited about it, Mark or Lauren.

My Thomas loving son of course wanted a Thomas cake for his birthday. So I agreed. I found a train cake pan at the party store. It was not a Thomas train but I figured I could decorate it to look like Thomas and his coach Annie. The kids of course wanted to help. Lauren knew I would be decorating the cake in the afternoon after Mark got out of school. She begged me to check her out of school early so she could come home and help. In a moment of weakness I agreed. So at 1:00 p.m. I commenced the decorating of one Thomas cake. I began by making a large batch of white frosting, and putting a base coat of white frosting on the cake. Then I had to make the decorator bags out of parchment paper, and color the remaining white frosting. The kids loved putting the colors into the frosting. Mark was on my right side, Lauren was on my left. Katie was munching away on crackers in her highchair. Mark kept wanting to get really close to the cake. I was sure we were going to have a disaster, and frankly quite surprised we did not. About half way through the process Katie decided that she was tired to being in her highchair so I got her out. BIG MISTAKE. I had the trash can out so I could easily dispose of material, she of course sashayed herself over to the trash can, and promptly found the foil top of one of the food coloring bottles. The next thing I knew Katie was covered in brown food coloring, while at the same time Mark and Lauren were trying to steal licks of colored frosting. By the time I finished and cleaned up it was 3:30 p.m. Two and half hours to decorate a birthday cake.

You may be asking why I just did not purchase a cake at the bakery, and save myself the time and hassle. There is a simple reason, my mother. When I was growing up my mother would bake and decorate the cake of our choice for our birthday. I have wonderful memories of watching my mother decorate my cakes and being amazed at her ability to make this wonderful cake. I learned to decorate cakes by watching my mother. I wanted to create that same memory for Lauren, Mark and Katie.

Blowing out the candles. Mark had a great day.