Cowen had a birthday!!--almost

As some of you might know, Cowen's 7th birthday is actually tomorrow, March 1. However, I teach Thursday nights so the lucky kid got to celebrate a day early. (I let him pick between a day early or a day late--duh, Mom.)

I know this "fort" birthday cake isn't one of my greatest but we're doing a Star Wars cake for his party (my kids get parties when they turn 7 and 11) so I was looking for something simple. And no, I didn't think it was a fort when I made it but Cowen did when he saw it, so a fort it must be.

Look at Harriet's face. Awesome.

I have pointed out numerous times on this blog that Timothy is the better present-picker-outer of the two of us. However, this birthday I get full credit for picking a present that Cowen is in love with and that all the kids instantly and vocally and, for one, tearfully, wanted for their own.

An Uncle Milty Explorer Vest.

The thing is LOADED with pockets--which is pretty much its entire appeal. Timothy and I put something in each one of the pockets. One pocket had a flashlight, another a multi-tool, another a penny, etc.. The cooler things were contributed by Timothy. I thought of the idea, though.

Cowen spent a good 30 minutes looking through each pocket, oohing and aahing, and thinking out loud about other things that could go in each pocket. The other kids were riveted. They all loved the vest.

Except Harriet--she was at the table working on her first sugar high. She didn't want the cake. Swatted my hand away when I tried. No, she was all about the Kit Kats and Reese's Pieces. At one point she had the other children in a laughing fit because she kept trying to pick up a Reese's but she wouldn't put down her Kit Kat to do it, so she just kept bumping the candy around the table. Her other hand was already full of Reese's. So was her mouth. It was pretty hilarious.

All of Cowen's presents (except the penny and a few other items Cowen found in the pockets) came from . . . Smith and Edwards. Where else do you go to find presents for a 7 year old boy other than the Country Boy Store??

The binoculars were $10. We'll see how well they hold up.

The vest seems extremely durable and well-made--not a "kids" item in the Toys-R-Us vein. (Not knocking Toys-R-Us, they sell Schleich, after all. Just not your go-to spot for well-made explorer vests.)

Speaking of Schleich, my mom gave Cowen a Schleich figurine--a woodsy looking fellow with an elk familiar. It. is. awesome. Good pick, Mom. Good pick.

Grandma Rasmussen spent the day with us. She held Harriet while I swam with the four older kids for an hour before their swimming lessons. Then she helped with lunch, watched the kids while I took Miriam to Liberty Girls, helped me with my cupboard and mending and Relief Society birthday party, and basically just made me feel a little less stressed.

My kids heard me talking on the phone when I asked Mom to help me out one day. When I got off the phone they wanted to know who I was talking to. I said, "When you really need help, who do you call?"

They all said, without hesitation, "Your mom."

"Yep," I said, "That's who I called."

Thank heaven for moms.

PS Someday I am going to write a poem about swimming with young children. Basically the poem will go like this:

Watch me!
WALK!
Watch me!
WALK!
Watch me!!
WALK!!!!!!!!!!!

The end.