National JayDee Day Day #51

With our oldest off to Scout Camp for a week, the younger kids decided it would be fun to each have a day dedicated just to them. On that day Mom's focus would be mainly on them and we would spend time doing a craft or a project...whatever they chose. JayDee came first, and he's always had an artistic side that I cater to whenever possible. For months he's been begging to make a cake and decorate it with fondant. It was quite the endeavor. First there was scouring the internet for pictures of the perfect cake. Then the baking and layering. Followed by over an hour of coloring fondant to the shades needed. His tenacity was impressive, and he saw it through to the end. His finished product was something to marvel at; he was pleased and I was impressed. I coached him a bit with each phase, and helped him learn how to gauge sizes and shapes for fondant, but he did all the "heavy lifting" At the end I threw in a few more intricate fondant decorations to help the cake feel cohesive, but he made all the large focal points. It was a fun day and I was reminded how important it is when you are in a big family, to set aside some one-on-one time with each kiddo. It did great things for both of us. Here are some photos of his masterpiece from start to finish:

grease it up, and flour it down!

mom was too cheap for another cake mix...but who doesn't love rice crispy treats?

time to dirty ice it

major concentration here!

the turtle is coming along nicely!

the back of the cake

the front of the cake

My artist and his masterpiece!

*Just in case you wondered...it too two days before he was "okay" with cutting into that thing! :) I know just how he feels...every birthday, for every child!