Monday, March 24, 2008

One year already!

I know! It didn't seem right to us either. But we checked the dates and it's true: our little Lolo is 1 year old...already!


Here he is enjoying the yarn cupcake I knit for him from bits of the Bernat Satin leftover from my original Buddy Bags. The cupcake pattern was a happy Ravelry find and is available for free from Ava's blog here. It was so much fun to knit and everyone who's seen it wants one. Dada's might look a little strange with 30 candles sticking out of it though!


I made a few mods: worked 2 extra increase rows for the base (I thought my gauge was off and that it looked small otherwise...but now that it's done and is huge I realise I should have just stuck with Ava's instructions!), I also improvised an i-cord candle instead of the cherry and added a generous sprinkling of sprinkles! Finally, I filled a clean Heinz baby food tub with rice and used it to shape the bottom of the cupcake before stuffing which weighs it down nicely and serves as a fun rattle for 1 year olds!


Julian and I also baked a birthday cake for our little lemondrop. Behold our bee and hive cakes above. We cheated with the cake batter (as we always do) by using Betty Crocker's German Chocolate mix which is by far the closest to homemade I've tried (and I've tried many).

I baked the cakes in metal bowls to get the dome shapes and iced them generously with homemade butter cream and chocolate icings (using this Martha Stewart recipe). The bee also got super cute Sweet Tart candy features with a licorice mouth and host wings and was a total hit with the birthday boy! We just gave him the bee and let him have at it while the rest of us shared the hive.


Julian was a terrific helper leading up to Lolo's big day. In addition to helping bake the cake, he helped us pick out Lolo's gift and even decorated the wrapping paper with a little paint and some potato stamps we made using letter-shaped cookie cutters.


He really enjoyed helping out and getting creative and I think he even discovered along the way that doing something nice for someone else can be a reward in itself. He had such a great time helping us celebrate that I really don't think he felt left out or short-changed despite all the attention Lolo was getting and I felt really good about that ;0)

And Lolo? Well he basked in celebrations all week long long. And we basked in his delight and all the joy and wonder he has brought to our family since the day he joined us just one year ago...

Happy Birthday Lolo bean! We love you beaucoup, beaucoup, beaucoup ;0)

18 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:57 a.m.

    What an adorable set of cakes, knit and baked! Happy b-day to your littlest one and congrats on making big brother a happy part of the process. Great work, all around.

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  2. Happy Birthday! It seems the big day turned out great and I love the honeybee birthday cake too.

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  3. happy birthday lolo!!!

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  4. Ooo I love the cakes, and I'm so happy for you that you're going to get to stay home with your boys! Congratulations, and happy birthday, lolo!

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  5. Anonymous10:44 a.m.

    Hard to believe it's been a year. Just wait until they grow up- my baby turns 19 today; I can hardly believe it. (Especially since I, of course, haven't aged a day.)

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  6. Happy Birthday to you little Lolo!
    What wonderful cakes!

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  7. Logan looks so pleased on his new ride on. That picture is precious. You did a wonderful job on the cakes as well.

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  8. That cake is just too cute!

    Happy birthday little one!

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  9. so cute, you have such a beautiful family, what a blessing kids can be (I've got 4). Enjoy them before they grow up too fast, Happy Birthday Lolo!

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  10. Anonymous3:23 a.m.

    Happy Birthday to little Lolo!

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  11. Happy Birthday to Lolo! Strangely enough, I started reading your blog while you were pregnant with him, so I guess that means I've been lurking for over a year!

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  12. What a cute cup cake!
    I'm expecting my first baby in a couple of months - I've saved the pattern for a future birthday!!:-)

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  13. Happy Birthday lolo! I love the knit cake, the baked one is so adorable too! Awesome to see big brother into the celebration too!

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  14. Happy birthday, Lolo! That cupcake is so cute :) I still have 6 months before our grandson turns 1, but already went out and bought a Heinz container and have the yarn waiting in the wings!

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  15. Anonymous5:10 p.m.

    Hi Anny
    Thank you for your advice about finding some blog-friends :-) I will be looking on the knitting ring when it gets to 1 month old. I do have one comment on my blog now thanks to you - hurrah!!!

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  16. Wow, all three cakes are so wonderfully done! Happy b-day to your little lolo :)

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  17. I absolutely love this post! Love your cakes and Lolo's face looking at the little bee in front of him. Just adorable. I made a red wagon cake for my son for his first birthday with presents inside. We also bought him a wagon (although it wasn't red) for his present. Thanks for sharing your pictures!

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  18. Beautiful kid, and yes time is passing very quick, next thing you know he is already dating..lol

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