Crazy Awesome

This past weekend was one of the most enjoyable ones I’ve had all year. I don’t know if the rest of the family agrees or not, but I had a blast. 

Friday marked the 28th anniversary of my mom pushing me out into this great big world.  Thank goodness she did. I’m having a great time.  In celebration, Jud secretly arranged for Gideon to spend the night with my parents and made reservations at Ms Pub (I heart this place.  HEART) where I enjoyed a delicious Thai Chicken Salad.  We watched a movie and ate ice cream and poked around some retail stores talking about things that don’t matter and some that really do.  It was a great evening out, although it was odd to not have our little guy sleeping soundly in his room when we got home. 

Saturday was yard day and food prep-ing and a fun evening spent at our friend’s house helping with their daughter’s graduation party. It was a lot of fun to chat with my friend Kristi while we replaced chicken salad sandwiches and chocolate dipped strawberries or refilled the punch bowl (RECIPE NOTE: One Raspberry Sherbet [no, Ellen, there was never another R in there] plus one or two Frescas equals delicious).   When I got home, I worked some more on preparing food for Gideon’s second birthday party (yes, he is only one, but since we did the east coast party, we still wanted to do one here in the great plains too.  Thus, the second birthday party). 

On Sunday, after church, we raced home and my mom came over to help me decorate the mouse cake for the party.  I made a chocolate cake base and a funfetti mouse cake for the top.  We (poorly) frosted the base with white butter cream frosting (RECIPE NOTE: Probably best to not use coffee creamer in your frosting.  I know it will taste delicious, but you will end up adding tons of milk to the frosting because creamer has some sort of incredible ability to suck up moisture.  Coffee creamer is the sponge of liquids).  Then we made some bright colors and started starring up the mouse.  It looked nothing like the cake pan suggested (thank you Mom M for sending such awesome pans.  Too bad I am no good at using them!  Maybe I’ll get better at it), but Kaylee thought it looked like Elmo (which is a compliment right?  Er…). 

After the party had cleared out, Chris, Amy and the girls stayed around to chat and hang out.  We all watched the storm blow in and my dad predicted that the front would produce tornadoes.  Sure enough a tornado touched down in Iowa for an hour.  It spanned 45 miles.  Six people are dead and a bunch more are injured.  Homes and business are destroyed.  It was pretty devastating.  On the back side of the storm we watched a double rainbow form, God’s reminder of the Noahic Covenant and the His great mercy.

Monday brought nicer weather, a trip to a state park and a new wagon for Gideon.  My parents gave him a red wagon for his birthday, which he deemed “Tegun!”, his word for crazy awesome.  And it is.

[Check out flickr for all the pictures]