A is for Ames

Birthdays have been on my mind. Tate's fifth birthday is coming up in a few months and he has been vacillating between a dinosaur party, a space party, a ghost party (?!?!?) and a trip to the zoo. I feel like I have to plan ahead because spring around the Holmboe household is a virtual gauntlet of celebrations. It all starts with Valentine's Day, which is one of my favorite holidays (I know, I know, but I just can't help it!) Shortly after that I start thinking dyed eggs and Easter baskets. Five days after Easter is Tate's birthday. Next comes Mother's Day. Ames' birthday is a few weeks later, with mine following less than a week after that. Zach's birthday is 18 days after mine, with Father's Day conveniently located just two days earlier.

Whew. 

If I don't start planning early, I feel like I get caught off guard, and I want to feel like I have the bandwidth to focus as much on the events at the end as I do at the beginning (poor Zach always gets the short end of the stick). So I am trying to start thinking early.

Predictably, I am thinking cake.

We celebrated Ames' first birthday last year and I had so much fun with his cake. It featured a super (super super super!) easy and cheap cake topper. A big letter "A" made out of wood from Michael's. White glue. Lots of sprinkles. Skewers. Piles of whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

I think it was really high impact without taking a ton of planning, and it felt so happy to me. Much like Ames himself, really.

I am having so much fun trying to decide what the cakes will be like this year! I love finding ways to make birthdays extra-special. How should the cakes do that this year? Any ideas?