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…back in the day

During Ryley’s birthday party, my brother asked if (during my totally awesome 80s youth) I imagined my future child would request a Pacman theme for his birthday.

Like, no.

Ryley turned 12 on Saturday. His first priority was breakfast at a 50s-themed diner. He’s a growing boy with a fondness for eggs over easy and crispy bacon, so we were happy to oblige. He polished off the Big Bopper platter he ordered, much like a certain lemon-hued munching mouth devours Pac Dots.

After breakfast and after the waitstaff made him do the twist during his birthday song, he attacked the pinball machine. A crowd gathered. He’d still be playing, but cake and ice cream were waiting at home.

I thought a Pacman cake would be a snap to make. Cut out a mouth, make a buncha yellow frosting, it practically decorates itself. Right? I thought the ghost would be easy, too. I froze two round cakes to make cutting the shapes easier. The cakes came out okay. The tricky part was frosting inside Pacman’s mouth and around the fringy bottom of Clyde, the orange ghost.

He really loved how the cakes turned out, especially my attempt to make it look like the game. The only bad news is that it appears Pacman is about to DIE. If Clyde moves down, he’s toast. If Clyde moves up, he lives to munch a few more dots.

Ryley’s birthday was an interesting melding of the 50s, 80s, and today. But he’s an interesting kid. He is musical, a computer whiz, an animator and cartoon creator. He recently animated a school project all on his own. Ryley is quick, kind, tenderhearted, a workhorse, enterprising, but a dreamer, too. I am so proud of our eldest son and the biggest of the brothers.

(his birth story can be read here…it’s my shortest)

9 comments to …back in the day

  • Sounds like a GREAT party! Love the cake(s). Happy Birthday to Ryley!

  • Jill

    Happy birthday to your 12 year old! Sounds like an exceptionally fun way to spend the day! (My code is Dwad… sounds like an eighties word – like totally, you know???)

  • Sounds like a totally awesome 12th birthday to me! Good job on the cake!

  • Happy Birthday Ryley… Hope that you have a fabulous, brilliant, awesome year!!!

  • Amy

    Happy Birthday, Riley!

  • edj

    what a fun kid! And I LOVE that cake! 🙂 🙂

  • bro-de-mopsy

    I loved how when he got that neat little hand-held digital camcorder, the first thing he said was that he could use it to do stop-motion animation with his new posable Sonic figure.

    I had similar aspirations and dreams of movie making when I was a kid. My friends and I were gonna make the new Ghostbusters movie!

    Hope he sticks with it, its much easier these days for a kid to make their own movies.

  • Melanie

    Happy Birthday to Ryley! Your cakes are always so cool! (I’m not lurking today 🙂

  • i just read and loved the birth story. happy 12 to ryley! 12 is really something. i have a 12 year old brother, he turned 12 last month. it’s right on the brink of something, but not there yet. your cakes are always the best. i am choosing to believe clyde moved up.

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