Nate's Birthday Decor & Cake

We tried to keep things simple for Nate's birthday!!! We all wanted to just enjoy the moments and so we didn't try to do too much. So on Saturday night we had a simple meal, only a few friends, playtime, and some cake!!

And I think it went well. I mean having 8 adults and 9 kids, 6 and under, 3 of those were new walkers... it was busy!! A little crazy. But we we're thankful for our little party and the extra hands;)

I am an anti-decorator. I really don't decorate well, wished I did better. But I found some basic colored and coordinated napkins, balloons, plates, and cups. I picked up a few matching tablecloths and plastic-ware and we were good to go:) All at the Dollar Tree and less than $20!!


I also made linked chains and a little banner with Nate's name on it out of construction paper, to make our carport a little more inviting... LOL!! But I was soo thankful how simple the decor was and how nicely it came together:)


The one thing I did work hard on was the cake!!!

I've been wanting to make a Rainbow Cake for years but all the kids get to choose their favorite dessert for their birthday. And no one would choose that one;) Until Nate.... he didn't know any better;)

Late into the night I worked baking 6 8-inch cakes after dying them into different colors;) I did put them in the fridge overnight to help with icing them the next day. Had I not been afraid of them tasting like "frozen cake", I would have put them in the freezer to make them even easier to ice;)


On Saturday, I iced them and stacked them!! And DON'T count the layers... just don't:)

While icing with Anna I realized the challenge of the cake is really icing it. It was tough to ice all the layers around the edge. I definitely recommend some sprinkles if you are lacking talent, like me;) And I was ever soo thankful for my big helper;)


After icing it I left it out until it was ready to be served. Cutting into a "white" cake and having the "bold" layers peak out was soo much fun. It really was a pretty cake!


And I thought it was funny how well all the colors were coordinated... all the way down to the colored layers of the cake, yes, all 5 of them:) And the crumbs were really pretty, too!!



For those interested about making cakes like this with our food allergies.... I used cake mix, icing and sprinkles that were dairy and egg-free. The food coloring was just a generic brand, no worries there. And the ingredients in the cake were the 2 boxes of cake mix and 2 cans of Sprite. Mixed with a mixer until mixed and fluffy:)

After the cake, the kids played more, blew some bubbles and then Lydia and Chris "helped" Nate open his gifts:)




And having the party outside with the yard for the kids to play in and the carport for us to eat worked perfectly!!! The weather was great (minus the mosquitoes at dusk) and the housework was minimal which means more time for Momma to enjoy the moment!!

***Nate's Cake Smash Pics with video is coming tomorrow... very cute and messy:)***

You can find some more Wordless Wednesday at
5 Minutes for Mom,
Go Graham Go,
To Be Thode
and any other linkys I find !!!