Big Mac's First Birthday

For Malcolm's first birthday we decided to have a small gathering of immediate family. This would consist of Malcolm (of course), Tash & I (also of course), four grandparents, two pairings of Aunts & Uncles (one from each side), two cousins (from Tash's side) and a great-grandfather (from my side). Of course, not everyone could make it. Tash's brother & his family live in Burbank, CA and have already made a trip out here this year and it was also their 10th Anniversary, so plans had already been made. My brother's wife had to work late. And Hoppy (my grandfather, Malcolm's great-grandfather) wasn't feeling well.

So it'd be a bit smaller than we hoped, but still nice.

Tash decided the menu: make your own pizzas, a salad and carrot cake for dessert. We asked the photographer who's been chronicling Malcolm's first year to be there so we didn't have to think about taking pictures (more on that later).

We spent the day prepping things. While my father-in-law and I put the finishing touches on the playset (the picture is of us using Malcolm to level the swing...you can get an idea of why the thing took us 5 days aside from rain issues)
Tash spent the time finishing up a matching bib and table cloth for the party as well as putting the finishing touches on the carrot cake (it's an Alton Brown recipe). When we were done with the playset, I showered and cut up vegetables for pizza toppings.

When Lori (the photographer) arrived at 6pm, everyone else who was coming was there...so we started dinner. Unfortunately, Mac was already getting sleepy and he barely made it through dinner (He rubbed pizza sauce in his eyes he was so tired).






With him so tired, we decided it was time to move onto the cake.







We lit the candle and brought it out. Malcolm knew something exciting was happening, but was too tired to really enjoy it. We quickly sang happy birthday and demonstrated how to blow out a candle (something Tash was hoping to practise with him a few times before). Unfortunately, just as the candle went out, Mac reached for the wick and hurt his fingers.
Tash quickly cut a piece of cake (as in true Fenster tradition let's make the mistake of using food for comfort at such an early age), but he just kind of looked at it.












He then proceeded to use the frosting to soothe his sore fingers he burnt on the just extinguished wick.











What's this? Yummy!





Yes...the kid likes cake (well...at least carrot cake)...so much so that when Tash cut a piece for someone and accidentally passed the plate over Mac, he grabbed it and started eating it as well. It then took mommy and both grandmothers to clean him off he made such a mess...and then was up for quite some time because of all the sugar.

So now Malcolm is one year old. He's just over 24 pounds and about 32 inches long (he's gonna be tall). He got some cool presents in addition to the playset that Granny & Grandpa bought him. The one that he wanted to like, but had a hard time with is the talking Elmo doll that Tash & I got him. It can be programmed to say his name and know when his birthday is (though for some reason, even though I programmed it right, the doll thought Malcolm was 2). He wanted to smile and laugh at it, but everytime it spoke he ran away (at least he wasn't running away screaming like he does when I pull out my remote control Daleks).

You can catch more of the birthday photos at http://www.seemegrow.net/gallery/fenster. The new photos should be up in a day or so.

I'll be back in a day or so with other new stuff.

Be seeing you.