Birthday, Round 1

We've successfully completed the first task of the birthday season--the Great Big Quadruple Birthday Camping Trip--one weekend, two sets of twins, three families, four birthdays, five kids under four (plus M), six adults (does that sound like a reality show in the making or what?). We had fantastic weather (despite torrential downpours being predicted last week) and the campground was nearly deserted (the weekend before Memorial Day must be the world's best-kept secret).

We celebrated with two cakes Friday night, two more plus presents on Saturday, and lots of playing on the beach (did I mention we camped at the beach?) I made grilled pizza, from Martha Stewart Living, May 2004 (Oh, yes, I held onto this issue for FOUR years, just waiting for the right time to make it). It could have been a total disaster, but wasn't. Seriously, can you think of better camping food than pizza?

Tonight we celebrate with a segment of in-laws. I baked a sheet cake last night, took the kids to daycare this a.m. and went back home, cut it in thirds and tried to frost it. I had just slightly less powdered sugar than I needed for half a recipe of frosting and only half the cocoa powder (I substituted carob for the other half). I thought the cake-in-thirds was a brilliant idea until I found out that frosting doesn't stick to the cut edges. Then I tried putting frosting letters and flowers on the cakes that my mother-in-law made and dropped off yesterday. They kept breaking when I tried to get them off the doily, and I had to turn an "I" into an "E" with flower bits because she spelled one of the kids' names wrong. The results aren't pretty, but it should taste pretty good, especially after the-only-good-pizza-in-town for dinner and Breyers ice cream on the side.

Now I just have to plan a party for a dozen kids this Saturday and then I can start to get some sleep...