Christmas pics and jamebo's utah b-day party pics: it was da bomb

here are some pics from Christmas in utah at the hodges... good times. also, there are some pics from jameson's b-day festivities in utah: a trip to lazer assault and the build a bear workshop. you will also notice the cake aimee prepared for jameson. no, you're not confused that black ball you see was jameson's cake. no, it's not the death star. no, it's not a bowling ball getting acupuncture. it was a bomb.

it actually looked pretty cool. what you can't see is the candles... well, they weren't actually candles, they were sparklers. aim thought it would be fun to add a little extra spark (kenna would be so proud of the double entendre there) to the birthday cake by using sparklers instead of candles. after all it was a bomb and that would make things more authentic... i mean, who doesn't want to feel like they are eating an explosive device as they celebrate someone turning one year older?

it was a great idea in theory. what kids doesn't like sparklers? what's more is my kids are a bunch of pyros, so it was the surest way to create cool parent birthday legend. like i said, it was a cool idea in theory... it was actually even a cool idea from an aesthetic standpoint. when the lights went down and the signing started, the pyrotechnics were in order as we all sat bedazzled by the sparkling display of light before us. wow.

then it started to get a little stuffy in the kitchen and some of us had trouble breathing. then we had to crack a few windows to let the smoke out and the really cold air in. then we had to withstand the stench of burnt sparklers in close quarters. no matter, the crisis had been averted and it was time to enjoy a forkful of ice cream and a weapon of mass destruction. i grabbed hold of my first bite and stuffed it into my mouth with great anticipation only to realize my sense of taste wasn't agreeing with the sparkler ash that had gathered on the black frosting as a distinct blend of amaretto and sulfur was tantalizing my taste buds in a way taste buds weren't meant to be tantalized. as caleb would say, "delicious" (it sounds a lot funnier when he says it).

no hard feelings aim. the cake and sparklers looked cool and as long as you got a piece not affected by the radioactive fallout of the ash, the cake was great... or so i am told.

in closing, let me just say that Christmas and new year's at the hodges was great fun and i'll leave it at that since i think i am about to break a record for the shortest blog post ever by me (not including the pictures).