birthday stuff + carving pumpkins

For weeks now, James has been begging (or demanding, rather) for "power ranger cupcakes" for his birthday. I used the kitchen-aid butter cake recipe (except with real butter instead of shortening--how can you call it butter cake? or butter cream without the butter? Making Paula proud!). I threw in some blue food coloring, because with James, everything has to be blue. I didn't realize I was out of confectioner's sugar for the icing, until I was making them, the night before. Of course. The kids were in bed already, so I tried to make do with regular sugar and some cornstarch in the food processor, but even after processing for a half-hour (at least), the icing came out more like fondant. Gross. The next morning after dropping him off at school, Riley and I ran to the store for some actual confectioner's sugar and some extra food coloring since I'd wasted mine on the crappy fail the night before. We rushed home and I threw everything together, frosted the cupcakes, pulled out all the power ranger action figures in the house and tried to replicate them with the sparkle gel we'd bought at Michael's. In the end, they were a little funny-looking, but birthday-boy was satisfied. And I had a huge mess to clean up.

His birthday also happened to be their dress-up day at school so he got to wear his Power Ranger costume and Riley insisted on wearing his monkey suit when we went to drop off the cupcakes. Cupcake-sugar comas all around by the time we headed home from school.

Even though we did presents when Daddy was home the other weekend, I saved a few for them to open on his actual day, too.

Success!

Notice that almost everything is power ranger?

The day after we had a playdate and pizza at Chuck E Cheese's with their friend, Izzie. Aside from being harrassed by a "homeless" guy, we had a great time!

James is wrapped around her finger these days! So cute.

Riley was double teaming the whack-a-duckie game.

Our pumpkin carving has been notoriously last-minute. The day [night] before Halloween, we pulled out the pumpkin James picked at his field trip and Riley picked one our big ones and I gave them each a pen to draw faces [squiggles]. I cut the tops off and gave them a bucket to throw the "pumpkin guts" in but the chickens wouldn't stick their hands in because it was "yucky". Are you kidding me? This coming from the boys who jump in mud and play with bugs and play in their food?? So mama ended up pulling out the guts.

Don't be fooled. I told him to make it at least look like he was sticking his hand inside.
"But it feels yucky" [followed by gagging noises]

Finished products!

After that we decorated our spooky gingerbread village. I had put it together that morning over my 2-year old climbing up the stove to reach it.