Just about done uploading birthday pictures -- the videos take awhile but will be worth it, trust me.
So how about we talk about the party food?
We like to keep it pretty simple around here, as you may have already noted.
We served hot dogs with chili, nacho cheese, and Fritos or tortilla chips.
This was actually a joint party for Josh and Natalie, so Karyna was a co-hostess. So I can literally say "we," especially considering that Mee Mee was a big contributor as well.
So the possibilities included chili dogs, nachos, or Frito pie*.
Very easy, had a Crock Pot of homemade chili and Crock Pot of the mega can of nacho cheese going. Put my brother in charge of grilling 100 hot dogs.
Here we have Ben, at the moment I told him that I was pretty sure he was babysitting some hot dogs on an unlit grill. ;-> (note he is already sampling some Frito pie)
We rented a sno cone machine, since we were expecting 100+ degrees of scorching heat for this party (which thankfully did not materialize). Delaney wound up being the sno cone maker, and very enthusiastically flitted around, making sure everyone got a sno cone -- whether they wanted one or not!!
Ava and Logan were some of the first customers:
If I had 500-1000 extra bucks laying around, I would sure like to buy my very own sno cone machine. Wouldn't that be awesome?
Then there were the cakes. Traditionally, I do not attempt birthday cakes. When I do, it goes something like this -- I bake a 9x13 cake and let the kids go buck wild with the sprinkles. Or I order one. But usually my mom is around to do the cake. Also traditionally, we have some kind of mishap with the cake. Each year I try to remove myself even a little more from the cake plans.
So here's what we wound up with, after much back-and-forth, eBay shopping, etc.
The R2D2 cake that Karyna stayed up until 3am the night before decorating. This was her first cake decorating experience, and I thought it turned out pretty dang good! Sorry girl, you're gonna be the go-to cake lady now!
The Yoda cake that my mom put together from some internet instructions. She left behind a bowl of green frosting that a lot of people had a hard time keeping out of. ;-)
The matching cupcakes -- including these nifty decals made with food grade ink that you sit on top of the frosting for some hours before eating, and they magically become part of the frosting. We were all a bit nervous to taste them, but I finally had one and they tasted totally normal to me.
I guess it must've all been pretty good, cuz I was lucky to get a chili dog and a piece of cake out of the whole thing!
Next up, video coverage of the Slip-n-Slide of Doom . . . .
*I understand that Frito pie might be a Texas thing. You start with Fritos, you put on the chili, you top with either shredded cheddar or nacho cheese. It is sometimes even served straight out of the Fritos bag. You will see this served at any self-respecting concession stand for sporting events.
