Good Stuff!!!

So... today started out like any other day... Yeah right, we have all come down with colds, so we are a hot mess to put it lightly. 

So much so, instead of writing a note to the teacher stating we left Patrick's name tag at home and he would have to go without it. I just slipped $4.00 into an envelope and bought a replacement. 

Today, was going to go something like...

1. Drop Abbie off at school. 

2. Make pancakes for Patrick. It's his comfort food.

3. Get him in his uniform and drop him off at the bus stop.

4. Go home soak in the tub, because who doesn't when they don't feel well.

5. Take a nap. Rest is always good when you don't feel well right?

So we made it through the first three right on schedule and then came time for drop off at the bus. And you could tell my bus mom, my battle buddy was not having a good day. It's her birthday and at 10:20 am she was at the end of her rope. 

Might have been because her son woke her up at 7:00 to wish her happy birthday.

Could be she really wanted her hubby to text her a happy birthday. (He's currently out in the field prepping for Gunnery or another field exercise). Could have been the notice she received from the school notifying her son's account was negative and would need money put in. (When she knows she budgeted the right amount and sent it in with him). 

So right then,  I was thinking no one deserved to spend their morning of their birthday in a crappy mood. I do believe your attitude is everything and will make or break you day.  If some way, somehow,  I could do just one thing to brighten her day, I was going to do it. 

So I suggested lunch, well suggested implies I gave her an option. I really said, lets go to lunch. My treat, its your birthday. So, now to decide where we are going. I just started aimlessly, and then I remembered a conversation about Chinese food. Bullseye we are going to Mama Fu's. They have a pretty decent lunch deal. Entrée noodles or rice with your choice of meat, an appetizer and a drink around $10.00.  So we get there and they are still in kitchen prep. Offered to let us sit, get our drinks and peruse the menu. (If I didn't already love this place today would have done it). 

We sit, discuss what we were I've decided Thai Cashew Stir Fry my biggest dilemma

choosing chicken or beef. Another one was to order the large potstickers or small to split. 

My friend ended up ordering Teriyaki with chicken. We also got a  large Edamame, also to split.

We were set. 

We ended up chatting for a couple hours, didn't get her back to her car until 12:30 or so, just enough time to for me to get home and soak in the tub. I found out later she ended up with my nap, so all in all it turned out to be an okay day. 

Volcano Cake!

So this year I asked Patrick what kind of cake would he like for his birthday?

He excitedly said: "A VOLCANO CAKE!!!" 

I was thinking of doing one for him before he even said it. He has this fascination with Volcanoes. Whenever we go to Barnes & Noble or any store that has books we head to the book section (cheaper and education that getting toys for the kids). He loves the easy reader National Geographic books. 

I do not know how many times I've read The Volcano book but Patrick can tell you all about magma, lava, magma chambers and vents. I love it because he is learning science at such a young age.

So I started planning his Volcano cake. I bought rice crispies to make a base and then had the thought I wouldn't be able to store it in my refrigerator. So I didn't use them as a base.

I went with a chocolate (his pick) box cake. Used our bunt pan. And made up a couple batches of frosting from the Wilton Cake decorating class I took back in May.

Cake out of the pan.

I wasn't worried about it being pretty. I was going to be covering with frosting.

First batch of frosting. 

I used black and brown gel dye to get the right color for the lava rock.

The rock.

I wasn't sure how much darker I want so I stopped here. It turned out really well.

Rock portion down.

I had got this far before Swim aerobics. Have I told you I work better under pressure? 

The finish product. 

I didn't get pictures of just the lava before the candles. I used orange and red gel to get the lava color I liked. I decided to make it look like the lava flowed down to spell out happy birthday Patrick. 

Lava Flows and the Vent

The back side of the cake.

The lava!

Happy Birthday Patrick!

One happy boy with his Volcano Cake. 

Celebrating Patrick!!!

The Zoo for the birthday boy!!!

The Train we had to ride first.

The birthday boy!!! He's turning 3. Can't believe how fast its gone.

My mere cats. Abbie, Aurora, and Patrick.

They also got to ride the carousel. Talk about spoiled. 

Abbie, Aurora, Amelia, and Patrick

We found out that you could go see the sea loins from underneath. Pretty cool. One of the sea lions was trying to eat the kids hand through the glass. 

Patrick found the water park. Played for a good long time. Ended up dry by the time we got finish going through the rest of the zoo.

One of my favorite birds. I think its the bill. When the kids and I went through they decided to serenade us. Pretty interesting.

Of course we had to have a Thomas cake!!!

Can't believe its been 3 years. He is getting so big. Tried to blow out his candles before we were done singing Happy Birthday. Right before that he was singing it to  himself. Love him. 

This birthday will always be remembered because he slammed his thumb in the car door. Poor boy. Getting so big. Just loves everything specially his Grandma & Grandpa

Ancitipation

Anticipation: that is the word for the day. Abbie was so excited to hear that her Grandparents are only 4 1/2 hours away. They will most likely be here before school gets out. I can't wait. Patrick is so in love with his Grandparents I know he is looking forward to this visit.

I'm not ready yet, I never am. The floors in the kitchen need to be mopped. I need to finish my grocery shopping. Clean the bathrooms. You would think I haven't be preparing but that's all I seem to be doing. That and keeping up on the house work: dishes, laundry, pretty much everything thing else that falls into my category. Oh that is everything.

Missing my hubby, which has become a full time job. I'm hoping this deployment isn't actually going to be a whole year. I would take any smaller amount of time. Like say homecoming in February. We hit 10 years of marriage and I'd really like to spend it with the one I love and married. (Highly doubt that is going to happen).

I started my new project. It's a shall for my sister-in-law. Pink, she is going to love it. I also got yarn for Kimberly's shawl. Can't wait to start that. I need to get crack-en.

I find it interesting that I found an old college spanish book. Picked up and opened it and was reading the spanish. Was totally comprehending what was on the page. I wonder why I can't understand it while its spoken. I catch phrases I know and what not but not whole conversations. I'm going to keep the book and see if I can't brush up on my spanish. Maybe even get J.B.'s log on for the Rosetta stone.

I also have to thing of what I'm going to do for Patrick's birthday. I'm not really into it this year. Which is very sad to know. I don't know what to get him. If I should order him a cake or make one. He wants a Thomas the train cake. Abbie wants to do his birthday at the zoo. I'm just not sure how long my parents are going to be here. I'm think Sunday, but even then it I don't want to do it. UGH!!!!  Wish I had my battle buddy here to bounce ideas. The things we take for granted.