Camie's Birthday Party

This year was Camie's turn to have a birthday party. She decided (or maybe I talked her into it) to have a Halloween theme party because there are so many fun things to do with a Halloween theme.

 These were the party favors that went home with each child. Inside them was sweetened popcorn in fabulous Halloween colors.

 Some of the food: mummies

 Cheese ball

 The whole gang enjoying the creepy food.

 The kids LOVED the dry ice in the punch and how it smoked.

The played the mummy game where they had a time limit to wrap someone in toilet paper. Camie had so much fun with this game.

Candy Corn Parfaits. It is cheesecake moose. I really have no idea how to spell that word. At first it looked like mouse. I know I don't have it right.

This is the dart game we played. They threw darts at the balloons. And it was so much fun!

This is the cake that Camie wanted.

And this is the popcorn that I put inside the witches' brooms.

Witches fingers from string cheese and slivered almonds.

 It was a super fun party and Camie felt like a super star. Mission accomplished.

Grateful #13: My Little Helper

A little too much help in the kitchen. He pulled the bowl of flour mixture onto his face!

Grateful #12: Good Nurses

My family has had the stomach bug recently. It has been bad. Nathan started first, threw up for about 3 hours and then slept through the night and seemed almost back to normal in the morning.

Before nathan even woke up, Gavin started in on it. Around 1 the school called because Danielle was throwing up. The only problem was Gavin was still throwing up, even as I buckled him into the car to get Danielle. I went ahead and got Camie. She started throwing up a few hours later. By Friday morning we were all done except for Gavin. He was still vomiting everytime he drank anything, within a few minutes.

For a 13 month old, that is scary. I called my sister who is a nurse, and asked her what she thought. She asked the doctor who was at the ER with her, and they said the give Gavin a small dose of the Zofran that I took while pregnant. That did stop Gavin from throwing up and enabled me to get him hydrated. But he still wasn't eating.

Today he kept the vomiting up. And spencer also took his turn in there. Even as I was going to the store to grab a few items, Gavin started throwing up in the parking lot. It was horrible.

I have done more laundry, washed more bedding, changed more sheets, and scrubbed more carpets and washed more sinks than probably ever.

Taneal and I are the only ones left to get this.

Gavin really scared me with how much and how frequent and how long he had been vomiting. I called the pediatrician, along with my sister, and they both suggested I take him to the ER.

So that is what I did tonight.

The doctor didnt really do anything different than I was already doing. They gave me a prescription for Gavin to have his own Zofran. But they kept telling me to continue doing what I had been doing because I was keeping Gavin hydrated with how quickly he was vomiting. I received a peace of mind and also and way to go. Which I really needed amidst the bleakness going on within the walls of my own home.

It is pretty hard to take care of that many throwing up children all by myself. And I was succeeding. It was pretty bad. The nurses at the hospital were feeling for me and I really appreciated that. It was what I needed.

If I do have to get sick, I just hope it waits until I get Gavin better.

I am grateful today for good, supportive nurses. The ones at the ER that I visited and also my sister who gave me the advise of Zofran that kept my baby hydrated.

Grateful #11: Humor

Oh, the weather outside is delightful,
But in here it's really frightful.
And there is not place we ought to go,
So let it flow,
Let it flow,
Let it flow.

A few years ago we had a similar throwing up bug. It hit us all at once. I remember laying in bed with blankets laid out all over my bedroom floor and children sprawled all over and just wondering how we were going to survive. This time it was a few days before Christmas.

And then Evan started singing the above song.

I was thankful for that moment and how the humor just lifted the mood and made things almost comical. Almost.

Which is exactly what we need now.

A little humor.

Camie started in on the vomiting and then bawled. She said she had just gotten over pneumonia last week and missed 4 days of school and now here she was throwing up and missing even more school. I hugged on her, sweet talked to her, hugged her some more and still she just bawled.

And then I started singing. Camie got quiet for a minute and then suddenly shouted, "I just want to throw this pillow at your face! I can't stand it when you sing that song!"

I ignored her comment mostly, I did stop singing. But I did something else that was a little funny, and suddenly Camie burst into laughter.

Laughter is the cure for pretty much everything.

So glad to see the humor in our situation. Because I have the right to bawl, just like Camie, because our situation is pretty bad. But we will get better. Just hopefully soon.

And thanks so much to Tisha for the Chicken Noodle Soup. We had it for supper tonight. And the Popsicles from Wendy were a pretty big hit,too!

Yah, we're loved!

Grateful #10: Sanitize Function

Today has been one of those not so great days. But Only because I am up to my elbows in throw up and poop. I thankfully haven't been hit yet. But everyone else in my household seem to be afflicted with one or both of those ailments. Which means a lot of washing and cleaning. Because of the condition of my home today, I will keep this short and sweet.

I am thankful for the sanitize function on my washer. Not really sure how it sanitizes, but it say it does, and i want to believe that it does, so we will just say it does.

Hopefully we keep out sickness contained to just my household. This stiff is nasty. You don't want it.

Grateful #9: Service

There was a lot of service going on around here today. Not more than normal. But Today I really noticed. Because I am trying to think about what I am grateful for. And this is one of those posts that I have to recreate, so I hope I can do it justice.

Today I am thankful for service. I have friends that serve all the time. It is something daily. Service sometimes becomes so commonplace that we forget to be thankful for even the small acts of service. But today I am going to focus on even the small:

Jana - She called this morning and asked if I needed anything at Costco since she was headed that way. Maybe some freezer bags for the chicken order I was getting?

Wendy - happened to be at my home when I was going to put a turkey in the oven. I realized I didn't have any turkey bags, so she ran home and got her turkey roaster for me to borrow.

Nicole - my kids took off from me on the way home from school. My kids are on bike, I am on foot pushing a stroller carrying 50+ pounds. Nicole patiently waited with my children in front of my house while I ran in hopes to keep up.

Valerie - picked up my 80 pound chicken order so i didn't have to wait in the car for 2 hours with three boys.

Spencer - played with Gavin while I bagged 80 pounds of chicken. Yuck. Raw meat is so gross!

I know I am missing so many little acts of service that transpired throughout the day. It is those little acts that make the world a better place. I did a few small acts myself, and I am going to list a few of them. Because I want to completely loose all blessing received from doing those acts. No, just because I want to show how small things really do make a difference.

A boy got his shoe strings caught around his petal on his bike and was thrown off. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, but I helped him untangle his shoe lace and get back on his bike.

I watched two children for two different ladies. Hopefully they enjoyed the break and were able to be renewed. And if not, maybe they accomplished something that would have been a little harder with a child in tow.

I walked the 5-yr-old neighbor girl to school. Made sure she got there safely. And I hugged her, along with my children, and wished her a good day. She came over after school and played.

I didn't do much else, other that cook and clean and all that normal everyday stuff.

I really do believe it is the small acts of service that can make life a little easier for those around us. And in so doing, making things a little brighter for us in return.

Grateful #8: Deadlines

This is a lame-o post, but today I am thankful for deadlines.

I really shouldn't preface a post by telling you how boring it is going to be. Of course you aren't going to read it now. It's going to be downright mun drum. But that's okay. Because in a few months I will be able to do this post justice. I just need to practice a little patience.

Today I spent pretty much the entire day focused on a project that had to be done by midnight, because that is when the sale ended.

I am not really a procrastinator. Pretty much not at all. I get stressed and uptight when I procrastinate things. And then I get grumpy and irritated and quit having fun. So I try to not push the clock and then we have happiness.

I finished the project by 8pm. 4 hours to spare. That was cutting it too close for me. But I couldn't have really sped things up, I didn't get notice of the sale until a few days before. And I soon as I decided I was going to do the project, I started formulating those creative juices in my head. So I didn't really procrastinate much at all. Right?

I have been wanting to do this little project since August. Now it is November. And with the holidays coming, I needed to complete it before the holidays started. This fun little deadline got me to do it. And I can't wait to get the final product in the mail in a few weeks.

After Christmas I will share with you what it is. I would love to give a preview, but that would ruin the surprise.

Grateful #7: Scriptures

I can usually whip out a blog post in about 5 minutes or less, unless I include a bunch of pictures. Of course if I write a post and then for some reason it gets deleted, or lost, or corrupted, I have such a hard time recreating that post. The first time I write something it CAN have humor, emotions, etc. But when I try to recreate the same thing, all the good stuff is lost, all the stuff that makes it meaningful and interesting to read.

This is a post that I am trying to recreate. And I just can't seem to get it. I have this really cool phone with a really cool app on it that allows me to blog wherever I am. So I blogged and don't quite know where that blog post went. Somewhere to oblivion. Tried another post the following night and same thing. And you know how hard it is for me to recreate blog post? And especially in the month of November where I am writing about thankfuls for that particular day? I am going to try to redo this, but please be patient with me if my post is very dull and unemotional. I am trying.

Monday, the 7th, we were reading scriptures as a family, and we read 2 Nephi 31:20. One of my children read it in their sleepy, monotonous voice, but fireworks went off in my brain as they read this verse. I made them stop, reread the verse, and then we briefly discussed it.

I have read this same scriptures I don't know how many times. A whole lot of times. And yah, I remember having read it before, but I kept reading and didn't think much about it.

That is what I love about the scriptures. They are written for us today. What was meaningful and profound to me last week or last year may not be what touches me this week. The other many times I read that particular verse in 2 Nephi, wasn't what I have needed to hear in the past. But today it was. It carried me, uplifted me, and was exactly what I needed TODAY.

I know the scriptures are true. They were written by inspired men. Prophets of God. And they are the word of God. They strengthen, redeem, and nourish my soul. No wonder we are commanded to "feast upon the words of Christ". As we do we will be blessed, instructed, and know how to be happy.

Grateful # 6: A Big Tub

Today I am thankful for my big tub that is in the master bath. I can put all three boys in it and assembly line bathe them. I start by dumping a cup of water over each of their heads. Then I add shampoo and scrub. Then I dump cups of water over each of their heads to rinse the shampoo. After they have blotted their eyes on a towel, I pull out the tooth brushes and tooth paste. And right there in the bath I brush their teeth. You got it, no spitting. I am a horrible mom and make them swallow their toothpaste. If needed we scrub dirty legs and arms and faces. Usually the splashing and craziness of three boys in the bath together gets them all squeaky clean.




Assembly line style. Just wait till you have six kids. You'd do it too!


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Grateful #5 children

Today was a busy, busy day. Between soccer games and then regular Saturday activities, today was just filled to the brim. But ya know what? It was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed my children today. Not to say I don't usually, but today was great! And for my "gratefuls", I am focusing on the daily things that I am thankful for. The somethings of today. And although I am thankful for things like cookies and cake and a clean house, etc., none of those things happened today.

My children happened today.

Two soccer games where Spencer played first with great defensive strategies and high energy. Danielle played the next game with some pretty cool moves and almost scored. Camie played with Nathan, spencer, and Gavin during the game so I could watch. And it was so much fun! Everyone with a good attitude. Taneal watched Biggest Looser on my phone.

Check out the stick Nathan found. He was shooting everything up with his new found gun.


We headed to Costco and the kids loved that I rolled down the windows to enjoy the cool breeze. Nice puffy clouds in the sky. Taneal took a picture of this one because she said it looked like a dog.



After the games we headed to Costco to get their $1.50 hot dog and drink. I also wanted to grab a few things. As we ALL got out of the car to head in, I realized I didn't have my purse. Yah, no money. Taneal had taken my purse out of the car earlier and I didn't realize it. So I scrounged up enough change in the car for the lunch, and we ate and had fun. Afterwards we window-shopped. It was fun to walk down the toy isle at Costco with absolutely no money, six children, and excitement. The kids were ooing and ahhing at everything. 13 month Gavin was even excited and he didn't know what was going on!

Later tonight we went to the school to play on the play ground and got creeped out by a guy hiding in the play ground equipment. So we didn't get to play. But we did go on a nice walk/bike ride.

Then we had spaghetti and meatballs. Everyone ate their vegetables with minimal complaint. And then we all pitched in and cleaned up.

No crying about going to bed.

Just a nice enjoyable day with my children. And I LOVED it!


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Grateful #4 Ideas and Creativity

My grateful simple today happening is ideas and creativity.

And that probably was the worst run-on sentence without a clear verb or noun anywhere to be found. And I have a feeling that this post is going to be full of run-on or incomplete sentences. It's how I do things. Take what is out there, tweak it, and make it my own.

I am thankful for all the really cool  ideas out there. I am not a creative person. I have no original ideas. If you think I am creative, you can be sure I did not come up with the idea on my own. I am good at copying. I am good at replicating. And I can "tweak" things to fit what I need them to be. But I have no originality. And I am so okay with that. Because what I do works for me. And I have fun with it. And my children enjoy it. And it adds spice to my life.

The picture I am going to share today is something I created. I can't remember where I got the idea, probably off YOUR blog. But YOU didn't have the huge tree made from wrapping paper or the specially die cut leaves with five colors times 25 days, like mine does. And you also probably don't have the super awesome sister who cut out all those leaves for me and then stuck them in the mail and got them to me on day 4 of this Thankful month. And that is how creative I am. I saw or read the idea somewhere, sometime ago and then made it work for me. That's how I pretty much do everything. Minus making my sister work for me. I don't usually do that.



This is our thankful tree that the five of my children who can talk can each get their own color and everyday add one leaf to the tree that they have written on what they are thankful for. It is only day 4 and already the tree is taking shape.

I'm pretty excited.

Grateful #3 Primary

I know I am not going to do this one justice, but it is what I am grateful for today.

The members of the Primary that I serve with. And for those of you who have no idea what that was that I just said, I will explain:

I work with the children ages 18 months to 11 years. We call the children's organization the Primary. And there is a President over the Primary who usually has two counselors and a secretary.

I am in the Primary Presidency at church and it is a big job. The children are wonderful, the music is fantastic, the lessons we get to teach on Sunday are so much fun. It's the adults that make it interesting. We have the best teachers in my Primary. Ones that serve consistently, faithfully, and who really love the children they teach. I couldn't say enough positive about the teachers in the Primary.

But to run an organization like this is hard. Maybe not hard, but it requires a lot of time. And memory. And brain power. All the which I am lacking in. But thankfully I am not doing it by myself. I have two great counselors who are always more than willing to help wherever needed. And I have a great secretary who picks up the slack and probably sleeps for days following each Sunday because of how busy she is.

Today we met together and planned and prepared. We have to get together the class lists for next year with all the babies moving into classes, etc. We have to figure out where to move teachers. It takes a lot of time. But what it truly takes is revelation from our Heavenly Father. It doesn't matter what makes sense on all this organization, what matter is what the Lord wants. He knows what would work best in our Primary and we have to do our best to listen and do what He wants. I am truly thankful for counselors who make their lives good and clean so that they can receive the revelation given to run this wonderful Primary. I couldn't do it without them. And none of this would even matter if we didn't have teachers so willing to serve and magnify their callings.

Grateful #2: A Great Pediatrician

Today I am grateful for a fantastic Pediatrician.

Two days ago the school nurse called me saying Camie was running a fever, could I come get her and please don't bring her back the following day. Well, Camie coughed a bit, and played hard. She did not act very sick, so I sent her to school today. Around lunch the school nurse called again and said that Camie was back in the clinic coughing so bad it was disrupting the class and could I please come get her.

If a child of mine gets a call twice in the same week from the school nurse, I probably ought to take her into the doctor. Suck up the copay and just go.

About a year ago I found the best pediatrician. And GOOD pediatricians are really hard to come by. This Pediatrician takes the time needed to fully, conservatively diagnose, and then fully explain her findings. She really is fantastic. Never in a rush. Never thinks I have a "stupid" question. And isn't a prescription antibiotic happy doctor.

Today I was glad I took Camie in. Dr. R listened to her lungs. Listened to them some more. And then listened even more. She explained as she was going. Grabbed the pulse/ox. Listened to Camie's lungs some more. Asked a few questions. And then said Camie has Walking Pneumonia made worse by Asthma (She previously had asthma). We were prescribed antibiotics, couch medicine with codeine, and an inhaler. Camie's pulse/ox was around 94-96. She was having trouble getting oxygen thus causing the cough which helped her oxygen levels.

This is just a sample of my Pediatrician. She takes time to listen. She explains. She isn't in a rush. And she is good. She has 6 children of her own that she raised and then went to medical school. She has the mother experience backed by the medical. She really is good.

I have been going to pediatricians for 12 years now (not me personally, but me with my children). Only one other time have I found I pediatrician that I loved, and that was when we lived in a different state.

A good Pediatrician is so hard to find. And I finally found one. This may not be a simple thing, but it is the thing that today I am thankful for.

Grateful #1: Showers

I love November and the chance I have to reflect on the good things in my life.

As I begin this month full of thankfulness, I will begin with the small and simple everyday things. Because it is truly the small and simple things that bring to pass the great things. If only monumentious things signified anything great, I wouldn't have much to write about.

And because I need to laugh, I will share the following story.

So here's #1:

I am grateful for a shower. Each and every day.

Today especially. If you don't want to hear a disgusting story, just stop reading right now. And if you do choose to read this story, well . . .  What do I have to hide? I am a mom and things happen. And then you take care of them.

My little Nathan, age 3, has a toilet paper problem. He seems to have to use a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a WHOLE LOT! Enough that over the last 2 weeks he has clogged the toilet FIVE times! I am so tired of plunging the toilet!

In my house it doesn't seem to matter if the toilet has been flushed, you can still use a toilet. You can make your deposit right on top of the deposit left before you. No problem. And then if it doesn't flush, just yell, "Mom! The toilet is clogged!" If I don't hear them calling, the next person has no problem depositing even more in that disgusting clogged toilet.

So sorry to share such a grim picture, but it really lets you know why I am grateful for a nice, hot, scalding shower.

One that hopefully sanitizes.

Today was a clogged day. And unfortunately during the "unclogging process", my hand slipped and was submerged into that nastiness. I only gagged a few times, never really threw up. But I immediately jumped into the shower and washed myself clean. A simple wash in the sink wouldn't do. Taneal and Camie questioned why I was taking a shower at that time of day, and I related how they contributed to the problem. And you know what their response was?

Uncontrollable laughter.

There is no sympathy around here.

They did say I got bonus points. And later said they would rather do dishes, mop floors, clean the play room, etc before they would plunge a toilet.

And I'm going to remember that next time we have this problem again. I might just get my house cleaned.

I just wish I could teach Nathan about the appropriate amounts of toilet paper to use.

Halloween Luminaries

I have some super crafty, super motivated friends. And those super awesome friends invited me to a super late night impromptu craft night. And I crafted! I made these really cool illuminates that were so fun. And I love the result. I love doing crafts, it is just so hard to find the time to squeeze in fun projects like these.



My kiddos think they are pretty cool too.

And as a side note, they are just old jars with tissue paper mod podged on the outside. I printed off the faces and used a glue stick to put them on. Set a tea light inside and wha la!


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Family Picture Preparations

I seriously don't know why I continue to take family pictures year after year after year. I do love having them as part of my families' history. And my mom has ingrained in me the importance of pictures and I really do love pictures. But Oh! the agony of getting 8 people ready for an hour or less session. The coordinating outfits. The shoes. The hair. The ribbons.

Did I mention the coordinating outfits?

And did I also mention that my better half does not share the same love for pictures as I do?

Here we are again this year and family pictures are only a few days away. I got my hair done today at a new place. Had to get those roots covered. And I LOVE the new place.

Hair done.

Boys hair cut a few weeks ago. Done.

Now what to wear. I came up with/saw this really cool idea of everyone wearing black and white with a splash of lime green. A little different, but so cute. We all have black and white and a few of us have the lime green. That leaves a few simple items to buy.

Not bad.

 Of course I needed a new shirt. And one of the girls needed a new pleated homemade green skirt. And why not throw in a few matching ties for the boys? Homemade of course so that I don't have to search to the ends of the earth trying to find the right ties in the right size. Much easier? Maybe.

And as I am trying on that beautiful new shirt that I found . . . Did I mention I hauled three little boys to the mall to shop? As I modeled the coordinating shirt that enhanced me, I asked Spencer if he liked it. And he really did.

He liked it so much he said, "Mom, you look like an ELF!"

Screeching halt.

 I did not buy that shirt.

Later that night I wanted to prep Evan for the event. I mentioned we were having family picture this weekend and could he be prepared. Yah know, mentally. Because he knows how important family pictures are to me and he knows I can stress a lot little. So he just grins and bears it. He kindly asked what I had in mind for clothes, and I told him my idea of the black and white with a splash of green.

And he, just like his son, made a matter-of-fact comment, no malice involved, "Oh. Okay. So we are going to look like a bunch of leprechauns."

And there you have it. Above is my new family picture. Saved me the trouble of coordinating outfits, wrestling children into a pose for the camera.

(banging head on table) Why do family pictures have to be so hard?

They really are going to be great family pictures. And the results will be worth all the effort. They will, they will.

Even if I do look like an elf with a family of leprechauns.

My boys make me chuckle.

Halloween German Pancakes

Nobody will eat the breakfast I made for them.

Camie walks in and exclaims, "what is that? It looks like poop!"

And Taneal, "mom, I just can't handle the texture!"

My kids favorite breakfast is German pancakes. They love, love, love them. So that is what I made them.

I thought I would be fancy and super healthy by adding spinach to it. It's flavorless and packed with healthiness. I also wanted to add blueberries, but the blender wasn't big enough. So I came up with this incredible idea of pouring half the mixtures in the pan and then blending blueberries in the remaining half and then swirling the two together for perfect Halloween fun. What could be better than green and purple German pancakes?



I guess it looked like poop. I ate my plate of them and they were really good.

I can't get any of my kids to eat them. And I really thought it would be cool, Halloween fun.


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I never thought I would want to take a hairbrush, tie a rope to the end of it and nail it to the wall.

I have had it.

Regardless of how many hairbrushes I buy, I can never seem to find one. I don't know where they go either, because I can't find one.

I am pretty organized so you would think they wouldn't have too many places to hide.

But they do.

I've got to find a solution because this is going to drive me insane.

Course, maybe it already has. 'Cause who blogs about hairbrushes? Yah, that would be me.




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Gavin's 1st Birthday

My little baby is officially ONE! For each child's birthday, I try to make them their favorite meal and really make that day feel special to them. What can you do for a 12 month old baby? I love that first birthday because, well, it's pretty easy to make them feel special about their birthday. They don't even know it's their birthday. And they already feel special because if they didn't, they'd sure cry and let you know. Oh, I wish we could all be more like babies sometimes!

And Gavin's favorite meal? Breast milk. And I am NOT serving that up to my family.

 I was good and weaned the others. Cut me some slack here. I have too many children to follow the rules. It is too hard to wean. And too hard to have rigid schedules. And too hard to do just about anything.  Thus, Gavin still loves to nurse.

So we decided to have some fun with his "favorite" meal and make it be baby food.

We invited SIL Becky and her children over for supper. I hid all the delicious food I had prepared and hurried and did all the dishes and wiped off all the counters before they showed up. I had my kids stack jars and jars of baby food on the counter along with baby spoons and sippy cups. Oh, I wish I had gotten a picture. It would have been priceless.

And that's what we served them up. Let me tell you it was the easiest meal ever. No cooking, little cleaning, no choking. On the expensive side. But it was fun. My kids dug right in and grabbed a jar and filled their sippy cup up with kool-aide. Audrey dug right in too. Tyler and Austin were hesitant but finally gave in an indulged on a jar of applesauce. I don't think Becky ever joined the ranks of a baby food eater. Probably 'cause she knew I wouldn't really serve up only baby food. Maybe also because she could smell the yummy supper I had prepared. We had enchilidas with rice and a salad. Maybe I had some other vegetable. I can't rememeber.

Nathan actually eating green beans baby food. That is one I do not like. But he actually ate it. He always has been great at eating his vegetables!

Gavin really doesn't like baby food. He doesn't drink from a sippy cup either. No, he isn't exclusively breast fed, he actually drinks from a regular cup really well. And he eats what we eat. Plus goldfish.

This is Austin finally giving in and realizing baby food isn't so bad.

Sweet little boy hadn't napped that day. Too much excitement. He took his long nap for the day between supper and opening gifts. I think the nap was at least a good 15 minutes.

He LOVED his birthday present. He still plays on it daily. Such a hit. Thank you Costco!

The following pictures tell this story pretty well. Taneal made Gavin's birthday cake. No, I haven't attempted another cake since my last outburst. She did a nice job. And it is a red and white cake. Not pink.

Gavin was very interested. He was reaching to grab that sparkly lit candle.

Evan was ready to stop Gavin from grabbing the candle.

Evan actually stopping Gavin from grabbing the candle and in the process all of us yelling and scarring the living daylights out of Gavin,

Gavin backing off from the candle. Too much of a reaction from all of us, he knew something was wrong with that candle.

He refused to touch his cake or get anywhere near that candle. Evan finally made Gavin touch the cake hoping that if Gavin at least took a taste, then he would dive right in.

No such luck. Gavin refused to get near that cake. But I did like this picture of him sucking the frosting off his finger.

We finally gave Gavin a fork and then he was okay with touching the cake. With the fork.