When One Door Closes

It usually slams on my toe causing me to stifle obscenities so the kids dont pick anything up they shouldnt know in their tender years. OK seriously, Today was filled with endings and beginnings. Ashe has been in speech and developmental therapy since the beginning of this year due to speech issues. While we stopped speech therapy awhile ago due to the fact he and his Speech Therapist didnt quite mesh so well, we continued on with our wonderful Developmental Therapist Nerissa because frankly, she rocks. She was able to teach Ashe what his Speech Therapist could not do, plus help me help him learn how to overcome obstacles without getting on the floor and crying...much. Not to mention she's just so damn funny. I loved sitting there chatting with her while she and Ashe played, both of us talking about the issues moms go through on a daily basis, funny ways to try and help Ashe out, and just chatting. Right before Soren was born Nerissa declared him a perfect 2 yr old, but we decided to keep the lessons going because of the (very good) potential of him regressing once he had an infant to deal with in the house. With her help we bypassed all of that and he is now a very well adjusted, and verbal 3 yr old.

BECAUSE he turns 3 tomorrow, we can no longer work with her through the county. Nor do we need to anymore. So today we had our final DT lesson, filled with cupcakes, chocolate milk, coffee for the adults, and played Mr. Potato Head. It was bittersweet today, seeing Ashe and Nerissa have their final "Play Date". We're going to miss her.

Nerissa with Ashe and Soren at todays celebration

Ashe turns 3 tomorrow. And that's a big deal, because this is the first year he actually gets what birthdays are all about. And the first year that he has his own idea of what he wants for a birthday celebration. This year he was adamant about having a Transformer Cake and Transformer robots for his presents. He doesnt care about anything else except that his cake HAS to be chocolate!

I'll be honest. I Suck with a capitol S at baking. In fact I have never ever made a real birthday cake before. Ever. Pitiful I know, being 30 and having 3 kids. I realized long ago my shortcomings and have always bought a premade cake. But this year, after watching my friends make their kids cakes at birthday parties, and seeing how they made it look sooo easy I thought, Aww hell, why not? It's got to be cheaper to make it on your own right? And it cant be that hard. Right?

I say, looking back in hindsight.....

BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

/sniffle. I crack myself up

NEVER again shall I make a cake unless it is either

A> The weekend and someone can watch my kids for me

B> Someone can watch my kids for me

C> I am left completely alone to work on the damn thing, no matter how long it may take me.

And this cake, between baking, and frosting, and running out to get more frosting, and consoling sobbing infants, and yelling at crazy 2 yr olds to leave the dang cake alone until tomorrow and repeatedly telling 7 yr olds No you can not help let me do this please.... DO NOT TOUCH THE FROSTING I SAID..... WOULD YOU STOP LICKING THE FROSTING OFF THE SPOON I NEED TO USE THAT!!!!!! took me almost 5 hours to make. And it sucks.

It's supposed to be the head of Optimus Prime (the leader of the Autobots, or good guys for you who are not in the know). I followed the instructions per frosting as best as I could but you know what? I think next time I'm just going to do it my way. Wait... I already said no fucking way was I going to do this again over and over as I was in the middle of the process. Instead, I have no idea what it looks like, but Optimus Prime it ain't. Of course as I was working on it I posted on Facebook how awful it was going to be. My friend R said not to feel bad, it couldn't be worse than those on cakewrecks. Of course I looked at the link she so graciously provided and wept at how much better they looked than my own monster creation. Thanks R. I know you were only trying to help. And after, I was able to laugh at myself while I continued trucking on.

So here is the monstrous notquiteOptimusPrimebutmaybeifyousquintalittleyoumightkindofgetwhatIwasgoingafter cake. And yes, I realize you will be laughing. I'll walk away from the computer until you calm down. Go ahead, I won't take offense. I laughed too.

....Need a tissue to wipe your tears of laughter away? I've got a couple if you need them. ok now. Breathe a little. Look at the print here. Focus. Don't let your eyes stray back up or you'll start laughing agai.... oh hell. Go ahead. Keep laughing. And when you've got a hold of yourself scroll down a bit and we'll continue.

I hope we've now got a hold of ourselves? Good, let's move on. Now I know this cake sucks but I also knew going into it that it would, this being my first time baking a cake, as well as trying to get it done while juggling 3 antsy kids at the same time. And really, all that matters is that it tastes halfway decent. Scratch that. All that matters is that it doesn't poison anyone. And I'm 95% sure that it wont. I can deal with that percentage. And when all was said and done, when Ashe caught site of his finished cake, his very own birthday cake he flipped out in pure excitement. From the moment I finished it until he passed out in his bed all he could say was "WOW! That's my birthday cake!I have a birthday cake! Mommy made ME my birthday cake! I WUV my Birthday cake!!! Daddy did you see the birthday cake Mommy made me? It's AWESOME!"

And that's all that matters. My son is in love with his birthday cake. So much so that I had to threaten him with time outs 3 times if I caught him touching it before tomorrow when we sing happy birthday to him. So while my cake may be the WORST looking Optimus Prime birthday cake ever to grace the earth, in the eyes of an (almost) 3 yr old boy, it's the Best. Cake. Ever!