Scouts Cake Bake

Funfetti cake mix.
Buttercream frosting, colored blue and green.
Red food gel.
M&Ms.
Hershey kisses.
Add it all up and you get....

DINOSAUR CAKE!

Each year in Scouts, they do a cake bake. It's a fundraiser, meaning all of the cakes are presented, then auctioned off. 9 times out of 10, the parents end up buying their own kid's cake. Wanna guess how much we bought our own cake for?

MOMS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO HELP!
Isn't that the best part? ;)
I mean, uh, the best part is the learning experience for the boys, and the time they spend working on the cake with their dads.
Yup.

We tossed around a few ideas, and decided on this dinosaur cake.
We made a similar cake a few years back, so we already had the needed pans, etc. It was presumed this would be cheaper. (again, guess how much these cakes auction for...)

Aidan is creative and artistic, so he enjoyed decorating his cake. I enjoyed watching him engage in his culinary side.

Adding M&Ms on as the rocks

 placing each one carefully

 Next up: add the Hershey Kisses

 The finished product! 

 Aidan and his buddy, Charlie

 Our awesome troop leader...he drew a name of one of the Scouts & let him throw a pie in his face! The kids thought it was wonderful. :) Such a good sport, our leader!

Aidan and Pat did a good job on their dinosaur cake.

Before I go, some of the other cakes that were fun to see:

The Absent-Minded Blogger

From the looks of it, I've abandoned this blog. Say it ain't so!

Several things have just been consuming me and every ounce of my time lately, and not just the 3 little charmers in my life (ok, the big charmer, too;).
More on that to come.

For now, I want to post the big "catch-ups", the highlights from the last month that I've failed to post, capture, and later on treasure. Why else blog? ;)

Let's see, I'll start with:

Pinewood Derby! 

Aidan's 2nd year in Scouts, 2nd race. He really dedicated himself to making his Star Wars-designed car, and we are so proud of him. On top of it all, he won 2nd place prize for design for his den! 

 Aidan with his big trophy

 Next up: Brennan!

Brennan has been doing very well in preschool. He is well-behaved in class, and his fine motor skills are developing nicely. The boy can color very well! Here are some pictures to share his preschool fun.
Groundhog Day hat

 Valentine's Day 

 I adore this picture. It's so Brennan.

More Scouts: the Blue & Gold Banquet 

Cillian!
My sweet baby moved into his new convertible car seat. He's loving it, and I don't miss luggin' around that baby carrier, either. I do wish they didn't have to be rear-facing (my older 2 were forward facing after age 1). But hey, he has 2 brothers to keep him company back there.

 Speaking of Cillian,
he had his FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!

 Already. How on earth did he turn 1 last Saturday?! It went by way too fast. 

 He sure loved his cake.

 And we sure love him.

 He also experienced his first Spaghetti Dinner at our church. It's a big tradition in our parish, and they make over 5,000 meatballs for it. Cillian enjoyed himself.

 Here he is enjoying one of his birthday presents, almost walking completely on his own

 Loving another birthday gift, wrestling with Brobee

So yeah, 22 pictures later (are you actually still here?!), I'm almost caught up.  Life is busy busy busy, but good. My boys are growing up before my eyes, way too fast.

I have many reasons to be more present in the blog world, and hope to do so starting with this post.

I'm a Sucker for a Man in Uniform

Especially when it's my 6 year old. :)

Aidan participated in his 1st Boy Scouts Pinewood Derby Race today.
He was just awesome.

He took pride in doing his own car, only accepting help where needed. Many of the cars we saw were obviously done mostly by a grown-up. While that was fine for them, we were so proud of Aidan for actually doing the job intended for the Scout. He painted his own car, using every color available to him.

He had a blast. He cheered for his friends, didn't care if he didn't come in first, rejoiced when he succeeded,  and just remained a great sport. We are so incredibly proud of him.
My heart when out to the kids I saw crying (not many but a few, bless their hearts).

 placing his car on the track

"Mom! I came in 2nd!"

Aidan made for quite a Scout today. 

He made us proud.

Way to go, kid!

 

He Earned His First Badge

Aidan earned his first Cub Scout badge last night!
I'm so excited for him & proud of him.
It's the first thing I guess they all do: recite the pledge and show the handshake. He memorized it and recited it with no mistakes. Go Aidan! ;)

I love the satisfaction he feels from Scouts, and that sense of belonging. He's really enjoying it, and it's only just begun.

Last night's meeting was long. It started at 7 and they didn't get home until just after 9. (thank Pat for taking him!). I was concerned about Aidan because he woke yesterday at 4:55 in the morning.

The Scouts & their dads were asked to make a creative cake, with no help from mom.
YES!
Aidan & Pat did a great job. Even though it was rushed, I think they had a good time.
And from what I hear, Aidan was very happy to show his cake.
Check it out:

ignore the umbrellas...

They made a rocket ship cake! (ignore the umbrellas...they were the only toothpicks we had, and it was simply to keep the saran wrap from pulling on the frosting. Not a part of the cake!)

This was right up Aidan's alley. The boy loves to cook, bake, etc.
They had fun. :)
Now we need to buy his Cub Scout uniform~ he has a badge to get sewn on!

The Big Boy's 1st Campout

I wasn't there, but I can share the pictures sent my way, and attest to the exhausted boy that returned home to me Sunday afternoon. :)

Aidan had not only his first Scouts campout, but his first campout, period!
He & Patrick headed out late Saturday afternoon, meeting up with the other campers about a half hour away.

Aidan returned home a more manly-boy.
He climbed sand dunes.

Shot a BB gun (didn't shoot his eye out;)

Lit sticks on fire
Ran around in the dark with his friends and flashlights
Stayed up til almost midnight (still woke before 7 the next day)
Ate donuts for breakfast

Filled his shoes with sand
Slept in a sleeping bag in a tent. Just him & his dad.

I know he had a blast. I am thrilled for him he had this good experience. :)
(and for a husband who is such a good father!)