Miley and Mason Birthday PARTY

Miley's buddy Mason is just a coupe weeks older that her. So we parent folks decided to celebrate their first birthdays together in one huge party. Carri and Brian (Mason's parents) were a great team. I really don't think we could have pulled it together without them. They did a run to Costco for food. That might not sound like much, but Costco is on the other side of the island. They also came over the day before the party and helped us with yard work, cleaning, decorating, and food prep.

We took a short break to watch our friend Eli climb the coconut tree in the back. He went up so fast, I almost missed the action. He chopped down about 40 coconuts: bombs we were afraid would take out some of our guests. One of those puppies would surely kill ya if they landed on your noggin. We enjoyed the refreshing coconut water from a few nuts before heading back to work. The guests at the party enjoyed choke coconuts. Timber learned a sweet way to chop them open and insert straws for your sipping pleasure. Our friend Sonny, didn't use the machete; he stiled the process with a sharp stick. He could hack into em in a few minutes. The coconuts were a hit!

I stayed up late the night before the party making the cakes. I made Mason and Miley their own little cakes. They were actually sugar free, oil free muffins. I shaped each cake into a personal sized number one. Then I frosted them with yogurt. They were perfect little cakes for the first timers.

Then I made a huge cake for guests. DISASTER! I started with two boxes of cake mix. They didn't even fill the bottom of the pan. Timber and Brian valiantly went to the store to get more. I used four more boxes...and then had too much. The 12x18 inch pan was too big for the batter to bake evenly. The outsides were done but the middle was still a marshland. When it was finally done in the center, there was quite a crust on the outside of the cake. Yuck.

Now, imagine flipping a 12x18 inch cake out of the pan onto cooling racks. Bad image? You're right. Timber helped but the darn thing held tight to the pan and then finally camp out in three large pieces and hundreds of dry crust droppings. At this point (probably 10:00pm) I was still optimistic that a bit of frosting and magic could salvage the thing.

At 1:00am I was less optimistic and almost called Carri and Brian to pick up a cake at KTA in the morning. Somehow, a first birthday fairy dusted me with some magic and we managed to pull the cake together. (Lots and lots of butter cream frosting.) The magic even allowed me to find space in the fridge for the beast cake. I think it turned out fine. Our guests ate it up so quickly neither Timber or I got a piece.

On Saturday morning, we were up early. Brian and Carri hit the store for the keg, ice, and other last minute items. Timber and I were moving tables, putting on table cloths.... When we joined forces, things came together wonderfully. The inflatable pools were set up, balloons were filled, bowls of fruit were prepared, the cakes were decorated... The party came together. When the first guests arrived, we were finishing up, but ready to enjoy the company. The guys had the BBQ ready, there was plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, there was a heap of rice, nachos, and lasagna. YUM!

After a bit of lunch, Miley and I went in the pool. This inflatable pool is the best. It is a whale with a tale for shade, and a spout that sprinkles water when hooked to a hose. She loved it! We splashed and played with other kiddos who joined us. Then daddy turned on the spout and interest was ignited again. There were kids jumping through the sprinkler into the pool. One time, Eli, plowed right into Miley. She came up smiling. She just loves the water. She didn't want to get out, but we had to take her out and warm her up. Her jaw was chattering.

After more playing and enjoying the company, it was time for cake. Mason, however, had a bit of a cold and was taking a nap. He slept forever. So we went ahead and gave Miley her cake. It worked perfectly that there was a small rain shower, so everyone came into the carport. We all sang a powerful "Happy Birthday". Miley loved being the center of attention! She thought the flame from the candle was amazing. She was a bit confused about the cake at first. Then with some help from daddy, she dug in. After a few seconds she decided to forgo her hands. She leaned over mowed the thing. Timber picked the cake up, so we could get a photo and Miley wined with attitude, "Daddy that's MY cake!"

Mason wasn't so sure about his cake. He didn't like all the attention (after waking from a nap and having a bit of a cold, you wouldn't blame him). He had a couple bites, but I don't think he liked the muffin/cake.

We had a wonderful afternoon with friends. A few folks stayed late in the evening to help finish the keg. We are so grateful to Carri and Brian for the team party. We are blessed to have wonderful friends and a cool community for Miley to grow up in.

Miley's first birthday was AUTHOME!

Here's to many more.

(although I don't think we'll have such a big celebration

until she's at least 16.)

Earth Day

We went to the zoo for Earth Day. (Sheesh that was April.) The white tiger, Namaste, was relaxing right by the fence, just 4 feet away from where we were standing. It was a bit unnerving being that close to something with six inch paws. However, we do think Miley could have handled any tricky tiger business.

Miley's shirt, "Ask me about my compost pile." She is so environmentally friendly! Happy Earth Day to you. Remember, every day is earth day (so I'm not late).