My Birthday Boy

I can't believe this little guy is 2 already.  Such a blessing, this kid is.  He's almost always this happy.  Even when he's mad (and he does have quite a temper), he's so ridiculously funny.  I just know he's going to be that kid in school that everyone likes.  Even though Charlotte and Gavin beat up on him a little, there's a whole lot of hugs and kisses in there as well.  They think he's pretty neat, too.

His party is on Sunday, but we still wanted to celebrate with some birthday cake!

Last week, on my hunt for stocking stuffers, I found these in 5 Below:

I didn't know what I was going to use them for, but I bought them anyway because I thought they were so cute!  And then the stars aligned, and I read this post from Serena, and I knew exactly what to do with them! (Okay, so her cake was WAY cuter....whatever!)

I started with a yellow cake from a box.  Short on time, you know?

Here's the yummy buttercream icing recipe I used, except I halved it:

Buttercream Icing (yields 5-6 cups)
1 cup butter
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
2 tsps. vanilla
8 cups confectioners sugar

Cream the butter and shortening together until smooth.  (I had my mixer going for about 10  minutes).  Gradually add sugar, milk, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

Then I added all of the chocolate cones and mushrooms for the winter-wonderland vibe.

Okay, it's not nearly as pretty as Serena's.  But Nathan liked it! And that's what counts!