A Pandemic Birthday

We interrupt our regular weekend adventures to document an important and momentous occasion - Thatbaby turned 5! 

I, of course, turned another year older too, but as usual, that's less of an occasion than his birthday.

Turning 5 during a pandemic is definitely a different kind of birthday.  And since there's no Disney trip, and no party, we decided to just make him in charge of the day, getting to do whatever he wanted.  We also went a little overboard with presents.

The thing he wanted most of all was an Elsa costume, complete with wig, crown, and shoes.  He was so happy to open it up the morning of his birthday - and immediately had to put it on. 

He said he was going to wear it every day for the rest of his life.

The other thing he loves as much as Frozen is King Trollex from the new Trolls movie.  Oh you don't know who King Trollex is?  Probably because he's really only featured in the first 5 minutes of the movie and there's almost no merchandise related to him.  There is a DJ set, since King Trollex is a DJ.

I managed to find a sheet set and we put in on his be while he slept.  HE LOVED IT.  He brought it out the living room so he could cuddle in it all day, and that night he took all the stuffed animals off his bed so he could see all of it, all the time.

We let him pick all the meals for the day, and so he got pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles for breakfast.

And the rest of the morning was really just playing with all his new stuff.

For lunch he wanted a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and hard boiled eggs.

In terms of a party, I had thought about doing a Zoom party run by Storybook Entertainment - the company that had been keeping my kids entertained for months with their Princess led crafts and Superhero led activities.  We had talked about Wonder Woman hosting the party and doing crafts and activities with Thatbaby and his friend.  But a couple weeks before the his birthday I talked to Thatbaby about who he would want to invite....and he only wanted to invite 2 people.  Wonderwoman and 2 kids seemed a bit overkill.  

I had read about a company out of New York, Camp.com, that was running free virtual birthday parties every day.  You signed up in advance, sent them information about your child, and they sent you a link to share with your friends and family.  They promised singing, dancing, puppets, magic, and personalize it for each birthday kid.  We sent the link out to the 2 friends and our family and logged in at the appropriate time.

They separated the "guests" from the birthday kids (we had one other boy there besides us).  The guests were in a non-interactive Zoom room where they could see and hear us, but we couldn't see or hear them.  We had a "host" who came out with a puppet and started out by trying to the kids pumped up.  He addressed each birthday boy, had them introduce their families and how old they were going to be.  

A screen was made for each boy with their picture and their favorite things, while one of their favorite songs played.

Then they brought out a different "counselor" who led the kids in a dance party and then a Disney trivia game.  Around this point I don't know if it was because they had a poor connection (they'd been coming in and out thus far) or whether the other boy really wasn't into it (he didn't seem like he was loving it), the other boy dropped off the Zoom and it became a private party for Thatbaby.   

After trivia they brought in the other room with our friends and family and they all got to say hi and give birthday wishes.  The host and puppet led a scavenger hunt for all the participants, and then had everyone grab their cakes and cupcakes so we could all sing Happy Birthday.  (We sent cupcakes and goody bags to all the participants before the party so they could join in for this part)

And that cake?  Oy that cake.  Thatbaby had originally asked for a watermelon that looked like a cake as well as a cake that looked like a lobster tail and corn.  2 days before his birthday he reminded me he wanted chocolate chips in his watermelon cake and seemed astounded when I told him I can't get chocolate chips into the middle of an actual watermelon.  Right then and there he decided he didn't want either of those cakes.  He wanted a cake that looked like a watermelon - so he could have chocolate chips in it that look like seeds.

So that's what he got.

After Thatbaby blew out his candles, the host did a fun little skit with the puppet and then hosted a dance party for all the friends and family.

In fitting with the theme of "do whatever you want" day for Thatbaby, Thatboy blew up the pool and let them play in it - a big deal since we don't usually let them play in the pool during the week.

He took a little break for some cake.

After he was pooled out, we headed back inside to watch Frozen 2 and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.

But before bed, we did a quick happy birthday for me too.

Where I gave him a little frosting "kiss"

And he gave one right back to me.

Photo Bomber:Egg Noodles with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

 

 

One of my favorite new holiday traditions we started last year is family pictures.  Technically we started this right after Thatbaby was born, but I don't know if I'm quite counting his newborn photo shoot.  

 

This year I started getting really anxious about getting our family pictures done in time, especially since our photographer of choice is due with her first child any day now, and I wasn't sure she'd be up to it during the one weekend we were in Orange County.

So we went on the search for a more local photographer and met Michele, who met us at the beach a couple of weekends ago.  Poor, poor Michele, who had no idea what she'd be getting in to with Thatbaby.   Our little photo-ham who refuses to do anything you ask him to.  Oh 3 is so much fun.

 

Our first mistake was going to the beach, a place with lots and lots of sand and rocks.  Which are far more interesting than taking a silly picture.

 Our other mistake was bringing a 3 year old.

At one point, Thatboy took off down the beach.  Michele must have thought we were derelict parents as we watched him run.  "Should I chase after him?"  "Naw, he'll come back."

Despite the fact that we had some difficulties, we did manage to get a decent family shot to use for our Christmas cards.  Photo success!

Equally successful is this pasta dish.  Which makes sense, because it has goat cheese.  And goat cheese is the opposite of taking pictures of a 3 year old.  Malleable, easy to use, makes everything better.  And unlike many mushroom pastas, this one uses portabellas.  Meaty, dense, rich portabellas.  Creamy, rich pasta, perfect for a cold winter night.

 

 

 Egg Noodles with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

 1 package egg noodles

3 Tbsp butter

2 large portabella mushrooms, de-stemmed, and sliced

1 tsp salt

3 scallions, sliced

1 Tbsp flour

1 3/4 cup beef broth

1 cup sour cream

4 oz goat cheese

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Increase the heat to high and add the mushrooms and salt.  Saute about 5 minutes.
3. Add the white parts of the sliced scallions and saute another 3 minutes.
4. Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and cook for a minute.
5. Add the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Stir in the sour cream and goat cheese.  Partially cover and cook for another 3 minutes.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Stir in the noodles.
9. Sprinkle with the green parts of the sliced green scallions and serve.