Turning 40 into 11

I'm not a think-ahead-sort-of person. I usually have great ideas AFTER the event. My family and friends are nodding their heads up and down!!!!

So, the other day was Ian's birthday. He wanted me to bring pizzas to school for him and his friends.

I did. (note to self for next time: 2 large pizzas isn't enough!!!! 20 large pizzas probably wouldn't have been enough)

So I was leaving the middle school. Feeling a little proud of myself for accomplishing "The Mom of the Day Award". When a thought occurred to me. THE CAKE!!! Oh my word, I didn't remember the cake!!!! I made a mad dash to Wal-mart to scour their bakery department.

Hummm...... all I see is Minnie Mouse, Cinderella, Bob the Builder and some "Grandma-ish" rose petal cakes. I keep searching.

Iron Man?

That may be as close to pre-teen that I can get. I grab it off the shelves and bring it home. (paying for it first, of course)

Then when we start preparing for the "cake ceremonies" (a.k.a. lighting candles, singing badly, and devouring), I remembered that I had no candles. Ugh!!!! We cannot have a birthday cake without candles!

LIGHT-BULB MOMENT!!!!! Rick's 40th birthday candles that we never used. Yup, that will work. At least we can MAKE it work.

Ian begins to protest. In a whiny pre-teen voice, "Mom, I don't want 40th birthday candles on my cake, that's weird!!!!!!"

ANOTHER LIGHTBULB MOMENT!!!!!! We will cut the candles to make 11.

Feeling a little like "The Little Engine That Could", I hand the candles to Ryan to start the chomping process. We are turning the 4 and the 0 into 1's.

Chomp, chomp.

More chomping!!!!

Ahhhh, an 11.

Then Ian pipes up and says, "MOM, I'M 12!!!!!" Opps!!!

He decides that 11 is better than 40, and blows them out anyway!!!!!.

NOW IT'S PRESENT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daddy is telling him over and over again NOT to open his eyes.

Dad doesn't trust him not to close his eyes, so he does it for him.

Then Dad starts making "loser" and "rabbit ears" signs behind Ian's head.

Dad gets caught!!!!!

Gracie bought Ian a nerf baseball bat and ball. Sweet. Yet another thing to run over with the lawn mower.

We pause to say hello to Bat-dog.

Gus loves presents. LOVE, LOVE, LOVES presents!!!!!

I put Ian's present in a different box. Tape it up with the stickiest stuff you have ever seen.

Then wind it up in a couple hundred feet of Saran wrap.

And about 50 feet of tin foil.

He finally gets to the gift. A Nook and a Nook cover. It's da bomb!!!!!

I'll take a Nook too please!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Ian Michael!!!!! You're da bomb too!!!!!