Birthday Party!

Miles turned 3 years old this past Saturday. He had a Spiderman themed party where he was lavished with gifts of all sorts, especially spiderman gear. Mom and helpers (me, Amanda, Bob, Gay, etc) spent WAY too much time making a cake that, in the end, would have looked and tasted better if purchased from the store. Lesson learned? Guess we'll have to wait til next year to see!

Miles giving thanks to Grandma Janell. Awwww...

This is how the cake looked BEFORE it was impacted by a large bouncy ball thrown by the birthday boy, and before the black windows mysteriously started leaking black tears. And it was only leaning a little bit at this point...

Amanda and Sandi work to 'fix' the words that got messed up when Sandi put the web on without thinking. Sandi messed it up more before Amanda took over and finished the job nicely. Funny enough, there were a lot of handy-man tools (thanks Bob) employed to finish this cake. From a couple putty knives and a tape measure to wooden dowels, it was quite the project.

In the end, it looks like Miles had a fantastic 3rd birthday, leaning-crying-untasty cake and all. He had been looking forward to HIS party for nearly six months after attending a friends last Sept... and he was not disappointed. We arrived back in Chicago with our arms full of packages, and our hearts full of love. Thank you to everyone for helping us celebrate and spoiling our little man.

Valentines Day.

SO, I am always amazed at how much more quickly my child is expected to do something than I was... like how calculus seems to be slowly creeping towards the kindergarten level. For example, I thought Miles would AT LEAST have until he was in school before having to do those annoying fundraisers that every parent hates because you have to beg your coworkers and family to buy some candy or other product. But no. Miles, not even three yet, is already on his THIRD fundraiser for his daycare, or 'school' as they prefer to be called. So, cookie dough anyone? Candy bar? Ugh.
Tomorrow at 'school', the kids are having their Valentines Day party, and Miles was asked to bring in 14 Valentines and treats for his classmates. Mom, ever excited at the opportunity to make something into a creative project, got struck by the idea to make these little treats while shopping for those cheesy tear-apart cards the kids are required to give.

I found the pink strawberry flavored marshmallows first, and the idea came together. They are just like my almost three-year-old: Super cute, sweet, and got completely filthy while having fun. Miles helped me make them and realllllly liked eating them too. Hope his classmates enjoy them as much!