Castle birthday cake

Thing One wanted to have a Robin Hood-themed friend birthday party. I had decided to make him a castle cake with some Robin Hood figures around it because I thought that was a workable idea, but when I could only find knights-in-armor figures at the craft store, I set about changing his mind and having a knights and dragon party instead. He agreed.

We made dragon invitations out of fancy paper, drew a pin-the-tail on the dragon board and researched castle cakes online. Thing One had some definite ideas of that cake he wanted me to make. Specifically, he wanted me to make this cake:


But this cake would also be acceptable:


Since I didn't even know what materials were used to make the first cake, and the second cake would take me until his next birthday to complete, we discussed finding a backup castle cake design. No problem:


I tried to explain that a dragon cake with a full castle cake sitting in the background would actually be more difficult than making just a castle cake. So he started sketching his vision.


It took an afternoon to bake and four hours to decorate. I dropped it two hours into it, ruining a large corner and rendering part of the salvaged area lopsided, so I had to reconfigure and redecorate part of it hours before the guests arrived. It got the customary underwhelming response from the birthday boy, but it did the job.


Now that his birthday has passed, Thing One has moved on to designing his own Battle on Mustafar "Star Wars" set and describing it in detail in a letter to Santa because even though Hasbro hasn't made it yet, Santa's elves can build anything.


(Letter dictated by Thing One and transcribed by Dapper Dad. Sketches may follow.)

Blasters

The boys were playing Star Wars.

Thing One to Thing Two: Great shot, kid.
Me (being cute and quoting the movie): Don't get cocky.
Thing Two: Why did you say that?
Me: Well, that's the rest of the line. From Star Wars.
Thing Two: Cocky's not in that movie!

Star Wars lingo

A lot of Star Wars lingo is (mis)repeated while the boys are playing. Including these phrases, usually shouted by Thing One and echoed by Thing Two:

When someone is being chased and can't get away, Thing One: "I can't shape them! I can't shape them!" Thing Two: "I can't shape them! I can't shape them!"

When the group has completed their task, Thing One: "Mission: Assessed!" Thing Two: "Mission: Assessed!"

When I grow up

Thing Two: When I grow up, I going to have a REAL lightsaber and reach the orange juice and drive a car!

The importance of the hyphen

During a cleaning session, Dapper Dad lifted the recliner and was feeling around to get toys out from under it. He inadvertently put his hand in kitty throw up. He was so grossed out that he tipped the recliner all the way over so that it was upside down so that he could hurry to run and wash his hands. That's when he spotted a long-missing Star Wars guy tangled in the underside of the recliner. During the ensuing celebration, he left the room to wash.

Thing One (to me): Wow! Daddy's a good-looking guy!
Me (to Dapper Dad): That's random. Thing One thinks you're good-looking.
Dapper Dad: I think he means that I'm a good looking guy.
Me: That does make more sense.

Our Star Wars diorama

We entered a Hasbro Star Wars diorama contest (had to use only the 3-3/4" Hasbro figures and a terrain of our own making). The prize is $1,000 in Star Wars toys, but we aren't holding our breath. Here is the result:

Get on your tauntaun!

While playing Star Wars,
Thing One: Luke! Get on your tauntaun! I'm going to take you to Davanni's.

You are unwise

Thing Two likes to pretend he's Darth Vader when he calls out to Luke with increasing volume, "You are unwise to lower your defenses!" It comes out more like:

"Yah weh yah weh YAH WEH!"

My Christmas present

The boys shopped with Dapper Dad to get a Christmas gift for me. After they bought it, Thing One dropped several hints over several days about what it would be. Can you guess from the hints?

1) "We got it at the store we went to after Best Buy and before Cuuuuuulvers.
2) "I don't know what that store was, but they had lots of Christmas decorations."
3) "The guys are squirting water at each other in the face."
4) "You will really love it."
5) "I'm not supposed to tell you what it is."
6) "You have to wait until Christmas to open it. Then you'll know what it is."
7) "It's an ornament."
8) "Don't tell Daddy I told you what it is."
9) "There are guys fighting on your present."
10) "You will REALLY LOVE it."

Can you guess? After opening it up, Dapper Dad said that the boys saw this gift and knew it was the one for me. There was no talking them out of it. They knew I'd love it. What is it?

Warning: Star Wars spoiler alert!

While playing with his Star Wars guys,
Thing One: Can Anakin fight Darth Vader?
Me: Sure.
Thing One: But Anakin IS Darth Vader!
Me: Oh. Then, I guess, no.
Thing One: We'll they're fighting now!

Dance instruction

Thing One (to Dapper Dad): You dance like a ballet person. I'm going to dance like a crazy General Grievous.

Urgent question

Thing One walks out of the bathroom after doing his business, wearing just his underwear and holding his pants.
Thing One: Mom? I haven't washed yet, but I'm just wondering why you can't see very, very good when you come out of the carbonite (á la Han Solo in Return of the Jedi)?

Me!

While picking up a Darth Vader toy out of the Star Wars bin,
Thing Two: Me! (to the Imperial Theme from Star Wars) Dun dun dun dun da-dun dun da-dun.

From the archives ...

The day after Christmas 2007, Thing One and I played with his new Star Wars guys. He wanted to be the bad guys, so I was the good guys. We sat in opposite corners of the room plotting how to "get" the other group. I made plans aloud to infiltrate the bad guys and rescue R2, then I paused to hear how he was plotting. He was holding Darth Vader and R2-D2 facing each other.
Vader: What are you going to be for Halloween?
R2-D2: A bad guy. What are you going to be for Halloween?
Vader: A robot.

Who would win?

An ongoing discussion at our house is "who would win a battle between," with it a given that each competitor uses his natural weapon.

Thing One: Who would win between Count Dooku and General Grievous?
Dapper Dad: Count Dooku. Who would win between Mace Windoo and Ki-Adi-Mundi?
Thing One: Mace Windoo. Who would win between Grito and General Grievous?
Dapper Dad: That's easy. General Grievous.
Me: Definitely.
Thing One: Why?
Me: Because he's really tough. Who would win between The Emperor and Darth Vader?
Thing One: I think Darth Vader. Who would win between the Emperor and the Umpire?