Happy 30th, Daddy!

I am in the midst of a pre-party FREAK OUT because Ruthie’s birthday party is on Saturday and my house looks like, you know, two toddlers and an infant live in it. Not to mention Scott’s twin (yes, my husband is a twin!) and his family are staying with us this weekend, so the guest bedrooms and bathroom must be prepared as well. The girls always have a blast with their little cousins, though, and Scott and I enjoy having some adult friends to hang out with too! I am so excited about both the party and the twin-laws coming to stay, but there is just so much that needs to be done!

When my mom used to run around like a chicken with its head cut off (sorry for the slightly grotesque Southern expression, but it accurately describes the scenario) before guests came over when we were growing up, my siblings and I used to roll our eyes at her. Never again, Mom! I had no idea all that went into entertaining (when you are doing it right, that is).

Anyway, my husband’s 30th birthday was yesterday! Happy birthday, my love! When Ruthie woke up yesterday morning and I informed her it was her Daddy’s birthday, she asked if we could make him a cake. I feel like I tell my girls “no” so often, it felt good to reply with a “yes!” She was so excited.

Unfortunately, I had no ingredients with which to make a cake, so I had to pack all the girls up in the minivan and head to the grocery store. Thank you, random man in the parking lot, for helping me clip that annoying clip in the back of my Ergo when I was trying to strap Wren on, by the way. Any awkwardness by your offer was totally outweighed by my gratitude.

We made it back to the house, ingredients in hand in time to have some lunch and start making the cake!

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Ruth is always such a little helper. No matter what you are doing, she wants to help out. The prospect of making Daddy a cake on his birthday thrilled her to no end. Rose was clearly only in it for the spoon licking. We made the batter and put it in the oven (well I did that part). Then, Ruth and I made the frosting while Rose lost interest and entertained Wren.

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Once the frosting was finished, the girls took their naps while the cake baked. I took it out of the oven when it was ready and let it cool. When the girls woke up from their naps, Ruth was quick to remind me that she needed to finish the cake. So I got out the frosting and the Disney Princess decorations and sprinkles and let them have at it. We were in the midst of all the fun when Daddy arrived home from work.

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I think more of that frosting made it into Rosie’s mouth than the cake, but oh well.

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I like to call the following photos: “Rosie, smile! Smile, Rosie!”

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The finished product!

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And there you have it! A Pinterest worthy yellow cake with vanilla buttercream icing, compliments of two sweet toddlers. We love you, Daddy! Can’t wait for our next thirty years, God willing. It makes me ridiculously excited that we will be spending our next thirty together. Love you.

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0 thoughts on “Happy 30th, Daddy!

  1. EH Jeffries

    Rosie is wearing her new dress!!! I am so proud. Do you think it will be her new favorite? (there is a right answer)

    Reply
  2. Siné

    You are a braver momma than I! This year my husband had birthday root beer floats; just the thought of making a cake with a 3 yearold, a 2 yearold, and a nursing infant made me want to cry.

    Reply
    1. sylcell Post author

      It wasn’t too bad! Ruth is almost 3, Rose is almost 2, and Wren is 8 months! They’re all girls, though, so maybe that makes a difference? Also, if Wren were younger, I probably would be way too overwhelmed to do these things. Love finding fellow Catholic mamas!! We understand each other;)

      Reply
      1. morgan

        From own experience: nope, it’s not (entirely) a gender thing. My boys LOVE it when we bake a cake together. And usually all three (including the one girl) end up in a fight over who gets to lick the spoon/bowl/counter NOW.

        your cake looks delicious and truly made with lots of love. and sprinkles. my kids would’ve loved it.

      2. sylcell Post author

        Oh, I was referring to whether a huge mess would come out of it if you did it with boys. Do the boys make a bigger mess than the girls? I don’t know anything about raising boys, haha.

      3. morgan

        hm. do boys leave a bigger mess…? I don’t know. I only have ONE girl and she can leave a huge mess all by herself 😉 I’ve been baking together with them for over three years now – my eldest was allowed to spoon-licking when we made his cake for his first birthday party. That was a HUGE mess. It got better over the years. And worse. We had episodes when they put the bowl on their heads to reach the bottom. When the spoon flew through the kitchen. On sunday my daughter fell on top of a cupcake (thank god she missed the 23 right next to it!). And if they don’t need a full bath afterwards, the whole thing was not successful (I’m really impressed that your girls wore aprons and looked pretty un-messy at the end. My kids are covered in all kinds of stuff – but they magically miss the aprons…)
        If you send me an e-mail, I’ll send you a link where you can find pictures. Germans are NOT comfortable with sharing pictures via instagram or facebook. And hubby is even more paranoid 😉

      4. sylcell Post author

        Cubans must be the same, because my grandparents and parents feel the same! I had no idea how lucky I was that the girls didn’t make much of a mess. Only I made a huge mess with the powdered sugar and the stand mixer. Probably, next time I won’t be so lucky, but oh well. As long as we are having fun.

        Email me! I want to seeeee! Sylvia.hobgood@gmail.com

      5. Siné

        Now that Atticus is a little older, I have been able to bake with the older two fairly frequently. It’s amazing how much easier it is to accomplish things now that he is a tad bit older. Wren and Atticus are pretty close in age; he just reached 9 months on the 2nd.

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