So They Say it's Your Birthday...

Makoto was born on the 24th, Hikaru was born on the 30th, so with 6 days between them and (so far) no weekend in the middle, we've spent the last two birthdays celebrating them both before Makoto's.

Of course, we also know that we can get away with that because Hikaru has no idea what a birthday is and Makoto is just all about presents right now. God help us when they're old enough to demand separate birthday celebrations.

For the most part, we're pretty low key. We haven't had a full fledged "Let's invite everyone and their dog" to a birthday bash, and honestly, I don't want to. I have memories of going to them, and a few of having one or two of them, but I don't remember really being impressed with them all that much (Except the getting more presents bit) and I'd much rather keep it small, for now at least.

God help us when they get old enough to demand separate and large birthday celebrations.

Low key by the way doesn't exactly mean that. Sure, we didn't have decorations and a clown, but Daddy was up early (Saying "ow" with every step) because he had a cake to bake and Mommy would be heading out of the house to get the last minute shopping done for the large birthday dinner she was making.

The cakes are my bailiwick mainly because while Beloved is an excellent cook, she can't bake. Even more so, she is terrified of burning down the house with the oven so for the last 5 years, if we wanted a birthday cake, Daddy would have to make it. And I did, with the usual issues of trying to find a cake that wouldn't be too sweet or full of sugar and attempting to get the style right for whatever has been demanded. Betty Crocker I ain't, but so far I've had somewhat good luck with it.

This year Makoto wanted carrot cake... a Go-Busters! carrot cake.

Told ya I can't draw

Of course, carrot cake mix doesn't really exist in my area of Japan so once more it was time to bake a cake from scratch and figure out just how to do something with Go-Busters! as he wanted them fighting on the cake.

I think I've mentioned that I have less than zero artistic skills.

But of course it's unfair to Hikaru that the cake is Makoto style only. Last year for this first I made a small smash cake for the kid, but this year they would share a cake so I didn't have to spend the whole day baking cakes. So I decided to add a Snoopy to it and spent most of Friday trying to draw one.

God help us when they get old enough to demand separate and large celebrations and their own styles of cakes.

Birthday Dinner

I also came prepared for "help" with the DVD of Superman the Movie, popping that in gave me some peace while I busied myself in the kitchen. Still, the cake came out great and done just in time to hand off the kitchen to Beloved who proceeded to make a meal fit for the birthday boys, sushi, karaage (A kind of Japanese fried chicken), fried shrimp, and other yummies.

While that was going on, we had the party. The swag, the singing, the cake, and of course the loud fight over the new toy that Daddy was attempting to assemble which ended when Hikaru bit Makoto on the knee.

Still, at the end of the day we had some good food and a nice celebration for the boys. Both of them ended up watching their DVDs, playing with their toys, and loudly demanding more carrot cake so I think we can chalk it up as a success. Even better, they both also more or less collapsed into bed due to very little nap taking on Hikaru's part and none at all on Makoto's.

God help us when they get old enough to demand separate and large celebrations, their own styles of cakes, and still have energy afterwards... because I think I'll be the one falling over!