…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.

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)