Another Birthday Extravaganza: Caleb's 3rd!

We have a final installment of Bissett Birthdays to report, and then we promise we won't bother you with another one for at least six months or so. Our birthday season finishes with Caleb, our sweet new three-year-old! Dallin asked him in the morning if he was "still a little baby or a big boy now?" Caleb replied that he was, "Three! A big boy!" Dallin groaned. He wants Caleb to stay a baby forever and still dotes on him and calls him his "little Caleb baby" and wants to "hold" him, even though Caleb weighs about as much as he does. Mardi can relate to Dallin's feelings, but we're sure happy to have had Caleb a part of our family for three years now. He's our little sunshine with the golden hair!

Caleb and Taylor, our boys with the February birthdays. Caleb was excited for his third birthday to arrive on February 11th, and his brothers were excited for him!

It should be noted that the February birthdays always place somewhat of a strain on Dallin (see face). However, he cheered up, recovered very well, and had a good day doting on Caleb.

Caleb, with his new yellow bucket, and opening his clock puzzle.

The clock puzzle was a big hit!

A new toy tractor!

Caleb had lots of visitors on his birthday. Grandma Bissett and Great Nana Bissett came over and spent the late afternoon and evening with him. Great-Grandpa Regehr, and Grandpa and Grandma Smith came too. Great-Grandma Matkin talked to him on the phone, and he has a date with Great-Grandpa and Grandma Smith for the day after his birthday. What a lucky little boy to have so many wonderful grandparents!

The great Bissett dry ice tradition was continued, though we didn't incorporate it into the cake this time. Caleb decided he wanted a cheetah cake, and we were pretty sure that cheetahs don't breath smoke. So, we just made a big bowl of brew and added some dish soap. Good times ensued.

Dallin and Caleb

Caleb and his cheetah cake. Mardi was relieved to have a much easier cake assignment for this birthday.

The sparkler was so exciting, and Caleb blew out all the candles in one blow!

Caleb has always been a boy who enjoys having his cake and eating it too.

Grandpa Smith and Caleb go through the sea shells that Grandpa and Grandma Smith brought from Hawaii. Caleb had fortunately received his great little bucket as a gift earlier in the day, so he has a perfect place to keep them! Caleb declared that he was going to build a "tidal pool" using his new shells.

Taylor tries out the new conch shell that Grandpa and Grandma Smith brought him from Hawaii for his birthday. Grandpa proved that he's really good at getting a great sound out of it! Taylor is practising.

Surfin' Safari

Do you ever start to get the feeling in about February that you've been cooped up in the house for too long, and that its been winter for too long, and its been too long since you've felt the sun? And then you realize that winter is only half over (maybe) and then you whimper and wish you could be like the bears and hibernate until it's over? I'm getting that vibe around here lately.

The boys keep asking if we can go to a "real beach", and I'm guessing that an ocean is required for that. Last evening, we found Dallin and Taylor doing this, and I admired their attempts to break out of their winter funk. Who among us is brave enough to try this? (I should add that they had put on The Beach Boys for their background music.)

"Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world."

Surf's Up

I don't know that even the best surfers in the world are brave enough to do it while holding pointed skewers in their mouths.

Eight is Great!

Taylor was so excited for his eighth birthday! He is always glad to share his special day on February 2nd with the groundhogs of the world.

Waiting to open presents.

A plush black rat that Mom and Dad found at Ikea (that place is so great for finding toy rats!). The rat was immediately added to Taylor's growing rat family and was declared to be "the daddy, who goes off to his dangerous job every day!"

Taylor, opening a box containing two Webkinz. The envy on Dallin's face is palpable.

Taylor happily shows Dallin his new caterpillar and lemon-lime gecko Webkinz. Dallin is not a happy camper. How was I to know that Dallin had long cherished a desire for a lemon-lime gecko? This day was the first I had heard about it. Birthdays can be so sad when they're not yours.

Taylor, with rat, gecko, and caterpillar. Dallin lost it about now.

Taylor and his Great-Grandma Smith, with his new baptism book. He is excited to be baptized on February 27th!

Taylor, with his new 'Guess Who?' game from Grandpa and Grandma Bissett. Dallin had recovered nicely from his disappointment of the morning.

Mardi's culinary skills were once more strained as she attempted to fulfill Taylor's desire for a "yellow, fire and smoke-breathing dragon cake, with wings". Fruit roll-ups did the job for the fire and the wings.

Ever since Dallin's epic volcano cake, the boys feel that every cake should incorporate dry ice in some way. Travis now has a 'dry ice guy' who is more than willing and able to equip him, so we managed to get the dragon to breath smoke. The boys were very impressed, I'm happy to report.

So, since Dallin's birthday last November, we now have a new birthday tradition which involves playing with the rest of the dry ice after the cake has been cut. I think this is their favourite activity for birthdays now. Caleb is already talking about the "smoke" for his birthday coming up next week.

Stirring the brew.

Travis decided to add a drop of dish soap to the dry ice mixture to see what would happen. This gives a general idea of the result.