Yo Gabba Gabba! Finn is 2!

It has been a crazy busy two weeks.  Sofia and Isobel went back to school.  I started a new playgroup and have been busy meeting new mommas and littles.  Eloise has started preschool.  Mathilde is mobile.  We served as housing during evacuation from Hurricane Irene for Mark's folks, sister, our niece and nephews and an assortment of 4-legged children.

But the biggest news Finn is TWO!!!!

And we welcomed in the TERRIBLE TWO's with our biggest themed birthday celebration yet!  This momma has been known to "over do" birthdays in the past, but this one was huge!!!  Our family has a strange and great love for Yo Gabba Gabba and Finn is IN love with them!  So the planning started way back in May, when I found a few tiered Gabba cakes.  And things kinds spiraled from there. 

There are very limited party supply places that stock the Yo Gabba Gabba theme so we ordered a pinata, plates, napkins and favors from Birthday Express.  The box arrived and this mommy was giddy...so cute, so Gabba.  (Mark and I decided that there was no way we could bust DJ Lance's boombox pinata, so it served as decoration and will be displayed in Finn's room.)



And then there was the cake.  I drooled and pondered and schemed and finally settled on modeling Finn's cake after one by Sweet Elizabeth.  She was sweet enough to respond super fast (within 12 hours) to a query I sent on pan sizes and Brobee horns.  (FYI 10", 8", 6" + 1/2 a sports ball)

I knew I could tackle this cake, I had confidence, I had a vision, I HAD a clean kitchen!  (If you have ever worked with me or near me you know I'm not a neat worker :) )

The cake was going to be Plex, Brobee, and Muno.  I decided that I wanted the cake to be edible and didn't want to recipe test and have to eat numerous cakes to find the "right" from scratch recipe for us.  So I took the easy way out and used the box mixes.  Lemon for Plex, Strawberry for Muno, and double chocolate for Brobee.  I'm not an icing fan!  So I did go in search of a butter cream recipe, and found not only a great recipe, but a "crusting" recipe AND smoothing technique to make it look like fondant.  (Fondant = I think I'd love to try but to daunting in detail and cost to venture into)   And it worked beautifully :)  I forgot to buy the "right" paper towels for smoothing not once, but three separate grocery trips!  So tried a few things and the best alternative was a sandwich bag!  It is clear so you can see what your doing and doesn't cost $3+/roll!!!


I was able to mix one batch of icing for Muno, there would have been extra, but I colored it all before I thought about it.  And one batch for Muno and Brobee.  For Brobee, I did mix 1/2 butter-cream and 1/2 Wilton's decorators icing because the butter-cream was trying to fall off.  (My sister said the green didn't taste very good...oops!  But I was going for icing to stay on the cake not taste.  Backwards priorities?!  Maybe :))  For the coloring I used Wilton's black, red, green and yellow.

Since, I didn't want to battle with learning to handle and make fondant, I was thrilled to find sheeted sugar by Wilton.  It worked perfectly to make the eyes on each character.  And for Brobee's horns?!  This took some thought, but I stumbled on smallish coconut macaroons at the grocery store.  They were perfect!!!  Squished Molded them into horns, attached 2 toothpicks each and covered with Muno's red icing!!!!

And to escalate the sugar high to epic levels...I made Muno pretzels, Foofa chocolate covered oreos and Tootie Marshmellows!  All inspired my original "dream cake" maker over at Two Parts Sugar.

 And then the big day came - September 4, 2011 - FINN TURNED 2!!!  And all the planning and prep was complete and it was time to celebrate Yo Gabba Gabba style.  For dinner/lunch we served a "party in my tummy" meal - pizza, chicken nuggets, carrots, broccoli, cheese and popcorn...Brobee would have been so proud of all our little eaters!!!

Oh, and we found a Gabba shirt on ebay and it arrived just in time for the birthday boy to wear his Brobee shirt to the PARTY!

His guest were all his "Hassett" cousins...now numbered at 11 total little "Hassett's"!!!  Other cousins and friends would have been fabulous...but we are a walking party and Finn had a fabulous day :)  He did not seem quite aware that all the fuss was for him but he loved every bit of it.

We had a wonderful day celebrating!  I can't believe our boy is already 2!  He is learning so much and turning into such a little boy!  Suddenly within the last few weeks all attention has turned to wheels and building and tools....  We are so excited to watch him grow this year!!!!

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, FINN!

(Blogger is being very cranky so I'll be back with pics!!!!)