Tag Archives: hunter

Choo! Choo! Train Cake for Hunter

2 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Events, 4 Home & Garden/Food & Seasons, Stuff I Actually Think, , , , , , ,

  

Whereas last year’s firetruck cake (see here) was about 80 pounds and I toiled in fear over it, I have now realized I am not really “into” novelty cakes and was very relaxed.  It was simple and straightforward (with Dave explaining to me what a train must have) and instead of doing lots of piping and icing stuff, we “glued” Tropical Twizzlers and M & Ms and Dots, along with a couple of varieties of cookies onto this train cake for Hunter’s 4th birthday.  Dave piped windows for me and I came up with mini-Kit Kats as the idea for the railroad ties.

The board it was on was 13 inches wide by 3 feet long.  The engine was 3 2-inch layers of cake at it’s highest part and was 4″ wide by 14″ long. The other cars were 8 inches and 12 inches long, respectively.  The “coal” was a box of Junior Mints.  It was just plain white cake wih the almond-infused buttercream, which, it turns out, Hunter is not a fan of.  He wants his icing (which he prefers to cake) to be plain, old vanilla-flavored.  Next time, Magoo, next time. 

The smokestack was my favorite part: icing glued cookies, and a “Dot” base holding a cocktail pick threaded through popcorn for the smoke.  Pretty cute!

 

I had looked at a bunch of train cakes online and cracked up at them and wondered why people would even post them.  Then mine turned out like theirs.  Ha!  But there wasn’t any sweat and the grandkids loved it. It was quick, simple, easy, fun and in the end the candy was the huge hit!

There are still vats of buttercream here…takers?…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  A Candyland cake!  YES!  Using MMF and lots and lots and lots of candy!

pictured: the cake, the chalkboard in the kitchen;  and Hunter at his house about to blow out his candles!

Hunter Magoo – I love you!

2 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Events, 5 Songs I am Singing, Stuff I Actually Think, , , , ,

Yesterday, October 9, on Hunter’s actual turning-four-years-old birthday, I was once again explaining how his mommy had been my baby and I remembered her turning four and how now he was her baby.  The concept is still mystifying to him in some ways, but he pondered, “So that’s why you love us both so much?”  Yes, pretty much – that is why.

Hunter is four.   Happy Birthday, Magoo!  I really really love you!  Isn’t turning four fun?  You’re having a whole birthday week!  Monday you got your new trampoline (mommy and daddy were too excited to wait – so they led him to it, eyes closed.  He liked it, he smiled, he jumped.  Then he said, “I really wanted a motorcycle.”  ???).  Wednesday, on my birthday, all the cousins were at your house and you were more excited about that than your own birthday! 

Then yesterday, we got to spend the day together and wow was that fun!  Shapes and colors and letters and school-work and cousins and play and indoors and outdoors and making funny faces as we sat in Pa-pa’s big leather office chair.  You were my cuddle-bug and silly man.  You asked a million questions (your favorite being “why?”) and you watched some Sprout and jumped some rope and had plenty of candy and Rice Krispie treats and snuggled with me and made me chase you around the house and made me laugh!  But the best part?  When we got out the old vinyls and how much you love the ceremony of changing a record and learning how you must be careful not to scratch them or bump into the player (NOT an I-Pod!).  And I love how interpretive you are in your dancing, from marching your head off to “76 Trombones” from “The Music Man” soundtrack to an aggressive, very modern and physical rendition when I introduced you to “Footloose.”  Kevin Bacon had nothing on you, my little man!  Seriously!  I’m so glad we had this time together…

   

pictured: I knew I had, within the past two weeks, taken lots of pictures of Hunter, but when I went to look at them – they are ALL a blur.  I swear he is looking me in the eye and looking cute when I pick up the camera to shoot, but by the time I press the button-he is already long gone.  But this is the current view of Hunter, in reality.

 

Pictured:  Finally, I snuck up on him as he was side-by-side with his cousin, Gavin, one of his all-time favorite people, and I was ready as I whispered his name and he turned his head!  Yea!  And on the right-Hunter’s first day of pre-school with Nonna, juice mustache and all.

We are still celebrating you, Hunter,because we love and adore you!  Chucky Cheese with mommy and daddy last night and your party still coming up (“I hear a train cake comin’…”).  I love your deep, inquiring melancholy side, your gruff little voice and the cowlick right on the front of your head.  I love your greenish-blue eyes and brown skin and your little M & M toes.  I love that you know a million songs and lots of scripture and that you still determine whether or not you are going to be flying today based on whether you have the Superman cape on or not.  You ARE a superhero to me!

Happy Happy Birthday week, Hunter Magoo.  I love YOU!…Nonna

NOTE TO SELF:  More “Footloose” and other great movie dance sequences for Hunter while he is still living and interpreting the music unabashedly and with great passion!