Birthday Balloons

Elvis' birthday fell on a camp day this year. He was excited to spend the day at one of his favorite places & let everyone know it was his special day. When we went to pick him up at the end of the day I brought these balloons to surprise him with. He was grinning from ear to ear! It made him feel special to be celebrated in front of everyone. To top it off as we were walking to our van friends of ours stopped and sang 'Happy Birthday' to him at the top of their lungs. What great friends!

Homemade Ice Cream Cake

I decided to make an ice cream cake for Elvis' birthday party. My best friend, Megan makes a scrumptious one but Elvis thought it too sweet. Those words do not exist in my vocabulary but since it was his birthday I complied. Lol! I researched online & came up with a combination of Megan's recipe & and one online. Here is the result.
First we baked two 9x13 chocolate sheet cakes. This is one of them. It will be the base. We actually baked them the night before & froze them. It made them a lot easier to work with & saved on freezing time before the party.

Next I spread whipped topping on top of the base layer. Then I started to sprinkle crushed cookie crumbs on top. You can use Oreos but to fit in the budget I bought a similar brand at Aldi. I crushed the cookies by putting them in a Ziploc bag & then rolling over it with a rolling pin.

The next layer is ice cream. I cut chunks from a boxed 1/2 gallon of ice cream. I ended up using an entire 1/2 gallon & then one slice of another. The amount depends on how thick you want your layer to be. Like Megan, I recommend you splurge & use a quality ice cream. It really does make a big difference. We used Purity.

My little helper enjoyed licking the lid of the whipped topping container while she watched.

I forgot to take a picture, (I was in a hurry that morning b/c of the party), but I added another layer of cookie crumbs. Then it was time for the 2nd cake layer to be added. Before I did that I put globs of whipped topping in each corner. This helped to hold the top layer to the rest of the cake. After that I put a thick layer of whipped topping over the whole thing using it like a frosting. It was hard to get on the sides b/c of the hot weather. In the end it didn't really matter. Once it was all assembled we popped it in the chest freezer to await it's debut.

A very important step! Don't forget to let your sidekick get a lick of the spoon when you are done. This will make them very happy.

Princess & Bugsy were fascinated by the whole process. They waited patiently & were each rewarded with a spatula to lick.

Add a few sprinkles, a candle & some Star Wars figures and here is Elvis' birthday cake! We poured hot fudge sauce over each piece as it was served too. This treat was a HUGE hit with the kids & adults. Our kids are now all asking for the same treat on their birthdays! =0)

Elvis' Birthday

As more birthdays are approaching I realized I never posted photos of Elvis' birthday. Oh no! I apologize to the relatives I've kept waiting.
We had a grand time on his special day. On his actual birthday we went to the lake & then out for Chinese food. Oh so yummy! Of course he enjoyed his presents too. He got a big surprise this year as you will soon see.

At the lake with his new goggle

It is our tradition for our birthday child to pick both a special place to go on their big day & what they'd like to feast on for their birthday dinner.

Having fun at the lake.

Boo made this turtle sculpture free hand.

Enjoying out picnic lunch.

Time for dinner!

These ladies were so sweet. They heard us talking about it being Elvis' birthday. Before we knew it they came out with this beautiful cake & sang happy birthday. Elvis was BEAMING!

Beautiful design!

Now for presents!

This was from Boo. She knows how he likes clowning around. Lol!

Could it be?

Y-E-S! Silly bands!

A Buzz Lightyear cup from Sweet Pea.

For the pool.

He's been wanting one of these for a long time.

Do you see a theme?

MORE!

Perfect!

A bank from Sweet Pea.

He LOVES saving his money.

Yes, he received all 3 sets of Toy Story 3 silly bands.

A very grateful boy!

Now for his biggest surprise!

A BRAND NEW BIKE!

And his favorite color to boot!

I don't think his grin could get any bigger!

Some of his new silly bands!

Showing off his new, glow in the dark shirt.

Bugsy couldn't resist. Lol!

Trying out his new bike.

His birthday cake.

Making a wish............

Our birthday boy!

Yummy!

It was a fantastic 2-day celebration!