What was that birthday LIKE?

It was fun. All Noah really wanted for his birthday was a clock radio for his room, for our family to go bowling together, bbq hamburgers and hot dogs, and for me to make his FAVORITE CAKE. What cake might that be, you may ask. Why, my signature cake of course: Pecan Pie Cake!
Having used ALL the critical ingredients for this cake several weeks ago when our friend Rhonda was visitng from Cambodia meant making another trip to Walmart for "Stuff" ( he didn't mention THIS was T H E CAKE when he asked for birthday cake so I didn't shop for this "stuff" earlier or the day before. oh no.) RUSH RUSH, can you hear my after burners yet? Got it all together as Charlie was driving home from work...so far only an hour behind the schedule I had hoped to follow. Turn on the oven as I am adding the eggs, one at a time to the batter, and NO HEAT builds up in my typically fast nad wonderful gas oven. Malachi pulled it all apart, the broiler works, the cook top works, the oven is not getting propane though the system. OK then. $8 worth of pecans (off season, none from our trees are left) 9 eggs, (its a chiffon cake, lots of whites, lots of yolks in different steps in the cake and the filling) plus the other ingredients. HORRAY for having a few neighbors whien living out in the country!! My neighbor two lots south was home and happy to bake out cake while we bowled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU BOBBIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And what, you may ask does it cost to pay for 4 adults, 6 Smith kids, one grand son and one friend, to bowl two afternoon games AND rent shoes? (Jael and Leah declined to bowl, Sopheak was eager, well, maybe eager, maybe not, to try this sport) It costs as much as a decent bicycle: $106!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Good thing the only other thing Naoh wanted was a clock radio, yes??)
We had so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was worth every family-shared moment for all of us. Sopheak did jsut fine, grandsone Blake did just fine, Malachi the cut-up was his usual comic relief oreinted self.
Bar-be-que-ing burgers and such later was the perfect end to the day. We retrieved the cake from my sweet neighbor Bobbie the HERO, I cooked the filling and assembled it all just in time for candles and singing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY". OF COURSE the camera batteries were dying so the photos are pretty bad. Maybe Jael can work her photo magic on them and make them share-able!! I love my son so much and celebrating his 12th birthday was MY PLEASURE!!!!! Heavenly Father THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for blessing our family with Noah for these past 6 1/2 years. Please bless us with many many more years into the future as precious as these have been!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!