Ryan is 7

Ryan is 7. His birthday was yesterday, and boy was he excited. We had the hardest time coming up with a gift. He wanted video games. That is all. Well actually he also asked for a dog. But that is so out of the question it doesn't even count as a request. He has too many video games and he spends too much time playing so the answer was no, not a one. Which was hard on us - because they are so much easier to buy. They don't take up a lot of room or make a mess. They don't cost all that much and they don't require any assembly or very much help on our part. Other than playing video games Ryan spends his time pestering my other kids into letting him play with them. Without parental intervention the chances of Taylor or Dallin letting him play anything but Wii with them is practically nil. Anna and Rachel will usually let him in on a game of house or barbies. But buying him a barbie - even if it was Ken - just didn't feel right. He does like legos but I'd say in a contest to see who owns more Lego's - us or legoland - it would be a toss up. I have stepped on one to many in the dark and cleaned up 1000's too many. I vowed I would never buy another Lego - and I aim to keep that vow.

So Outside toys sounded like a good idea, but he has a bike and a scooter. We got a basketball hoop for Christmas (still in the box), we just got a new trampoline and we have a swing set. I thought about a skateboard or roller blades but considering his coordination and watching him on Dallin's rip stick nixed that idea. I looked into swimming pools but even if we could afford one chances are one of my kids would drown. Nothing was sounding right. Then Anna suggested a wiggle car. Several kids in the neighborhood just got them. It is a little ride on car that you make move by wiggling. They seem to be a hit with Anna's friends. So I decided to get one. Looked it up online and several stores sold them and the price was right. So I stopped thinking about it. Wednesday morning (day before his birthday) I got Rachel up and headed off to Walmart to buy his gifts, some cake pans, and a mario figure for the top of his cake. I figured I would have enough time to do all that and go to the temple before the kids got home from school. Trouble was Walmart didn't have any. Apparently the car was an online only item. Toys R Us, Target, Shopko, Kmart, Sears - same thing - only online. I was getting frantic.

I was too cheap to pay for new cake pans so I hit DI thinking I could find some for cheap. He wanted a tiered cake. All I have his 9" inch round pans so I needed a couple other sizes. They didn't have any. I did find a camping mess kit though that had several different sizes of round pans. So I bought them. Someone had drilled a whole through the center of one so but I figured a little foil would fix that. I did find the mario figures at Toys R Us for $26 for the one's he wanted - they had a couple for $8 I could probably get away with although they weren't the one he requested. But even $8 for a cake decoration was bit much. I was thinking he would have to make do with bottle of sprinkles when I did find a bottle of candies with a little toy mario on the top. Bought it, cut off the mario and the cake was saved.

Back to the wiggle car. I was losing all hope and realizing I would probably not make it to the temple if I couldn't hurry and find something to buy when I decided to call my friend, who had the car, and find out where she got hers. I had tried earlier but she wasn't home. This time she answered and not only told me where to go she also looked up the address online and then went outside (in her bathrobe) and looked through her recycle can to find the coupon that had come in last weeks paper. What a saint. I did have to drive quite a ways but I found one and was able to tell the clerk I had a coupon at home and he honored it anyway. So I got the car for less than I planned, made it to the temple only 15 minutes late and had a cake pans and a cake topper.

Got home feeling great. That feeling went away as I took the cake out of the oven. 4 out of the five layers had a big crater in the middle. 1 layer (out of five) slide nicely out of the pan onto the cooling rack. I never have so many problems baking cake. I decided to shove them all in the freezer and see if I can freeze the crumbs to the cake so I don't break it apart trying to frost it. I decided just to fill in the craters with frosting. After all the more frosting the better, I always say.

Next day I clean up (which takes a long time as it always does on Thursdays after I got to YW on Wednesday nights and leave Rick home with the kids) and then I take Ryan to lunch at McDonalds. That went well although the kids didn't eat their fries which means I did- which made me feel guilty all afternoon. Dropped Ryan back off at school and started decorating. I was really nervous, I got myself in over my head I thought. Then school let out and Dallin walked in the door. Wow he said, then ran back outside and called his friends in to look at "the cool cake my mom is making". Made my day. After a frantic rush to get the cake finished, kitchen cleaned up and the new trampoline mat on by the time the party started the kids began to arrive. 8 boys were invited and 8 boys showed up. They played, they ate, they made a mess and they had a great time. When it was time for cake I brought it out and set it on the table, Taylor says - "now who else has a mom who can make something like that" Sometimes I really do like my kids. In order to be honest I think I better post a picture of the cake. It's definitely not as good as my kids were making it sound, I was happy enough with it but it is not that great.

Ryan loved his party. I got all cleaned up and called the kids to come up so we could go out for pizza. Ryan didn't come - I finally found him playing the wii. He said, "mom couldn't you just pick some up from Little Ceasers and we could eat here. I couldn't believe it, wii over going out to eat. Good thing I didn't get those video games. After dinner he opened his presents and was excited over them all. Although I think the one that got the biggest Hooray was the boxer shorts which he promptly put on over his jeans. Grandma and Grandpa got him a remote controlled car, and some cash which he loved. He rode his wiggle car down the sidewalk in the dark a couple times and managed to break 2 lawn darts we bought him on their first throw. All in all he was happy, and that is what I was aiming for.