My Mangled Meanderings: "Let Them Eat Cake!"

Sawyer's first birthday party was so much fun. We made a day of it that's for sure! The party was scheduled to begin at 5:00. Uncle Ty, Aunt Jamie, Brittany, Tyler, and Jordan came early to spend some time with Sawyer since they weren't able to stay for the party. Uncle Matthew, Aunt Jackie, and Uncle Mark were there early too. Aunt Jackie was VERY pregnant, but she was able to be there and we were all very glad. I really wished that Dad and Aunt Tisha could have been there too. That would have made the day that much better. I decided to enjoy everyone who was there and be happy about Sawyer being with so many people who love and care for him.

What a great picture of the grandkids!

Lorne and Tyron enjoyed playing horseshoes that afternoon.

Tracy tried her hand at the horseshoe tossing.

Mom, Matthew, Jackie, Mark, Larry, Velma, Uncle Larry, Paula, Aunt Net, Tammy, and Tracy came to his party. We all feasted on brisket that Larry had barbecued. It was delicious. Velma made corn, green beans with new potatoes, marinated tomatoes, and bread. The food was very "summery" and went perfectly with the brisket. Mom brought her stuffed peppers and barbecue sauce. We had cake and ice cream for dessert.

Uncle Larry, Jackie, Mark, Matthew, and an irritated Lorne eating BBQ.

I wasn't sure how the cake eating would go based on how he'd done a few days before. I had his twelve month pictures taken the previous Tuesday. I brought a cake from Albertson's so that he could dig in while the photographer let the flashbulbs fly. The only problem was that he didn't want to have any part of the cake in front of him. The only reason he had any icing on his face and hands was because the photographer and I put it there. I told the photographer that we should have taken a picture of the two of us since we were more covered in the sugary concoction than he was. We thought that he was just unhappy until the session was over and I was wiping off his face. Red whelps had formed under the icing on his cheek. It looked like someone had slapped him because his little fingers had left marks from where he was trying to remove the icing. I called the pediatrician right away. A nurse called me right back and said that if his eyes weren't swollen then he was probably just allergic to the Red 40 or Red 5 dye that was used in the icing. At least I discovered this, albeit accidentally, before his Big Day.

I made homemade buttercream icing for his little birthday cake on Saturday. I was going to use store-bought white icing, but even it had the Red 40! Who knew? Click here for a short video Lorne shot of him digging into his cake. As it shows on the video he wasn't overly impressed with his cake then either. This irrevocably shows, without a doubt, that he cannot be my child! :) I would walk across shattered glass for a piece of cake and here's my child turning up his nose as if I'd offered him a platter of liver and onions. I would like to think that he'll stay this way, eating his fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats, but I have a sinking suspicion that he will fall victim to the strategic marketing of sugar-filled drinks and sweet snacks soon enough.