He's growing up - in first grade already! We celebrated at the local community center with several of his school friends. His new obsession is Star Wars, and it has totally replaced monster trucks, an obsession that lasted several years.
When I asked him how I should decorate his cake for his Lego Star Wars party, he was very specific, a good thing for me since I was pretty clueless in the Star Wars department!
He explained that he wanted General Grievous with his battle droids fighting Boba Fett and that these were "bad guys". Boba Fett uses red bombs as weapons, and he wanted to represent Boba Fett bombing the battle droids.
He also wanted R2 D2, Anakin Skywalker and a starfighter to go on top of the cake.
I sketched out a drawing of the cake, which I always do first, and he approved.
I wanted to tackle General Grievous first, because I knew he would be difficult to model. (Note the long, skinny legs, wide hips and broad shoulders in the Lego minifigure below.) On the first day, I worked several hours. I laid General Grievous onto wax paper, put him in a Tupperware bowl and sealed him up. Overnight, I tossed and turned. (I'm weird.) I wasn't happy with him. Next day, into the garbage he went.
I started over.
This time, I tried forming the candy clay over a structural base of raw spaghetti noodles. I was really happy with him. Until night time, and I tossed and turned. Next day, he went into the trash.
Third day, I reattempted Grievous using floral wire as the structure. Tossed him out, too!
I couldn't tell my son he couldn't have General Grievous on his cake. This was a challenge now, and when I'm faced with a challenge, I usually don't give up unless I've tried everything in my power to succeed!
I ended up making General Grievous a total of five times. I decided to go with a less literal approach to sculpting him, and gave him a wider body to support his legs and four arms. The fifth time turned out to be a charm, because I loved him!
The rest of the characters in comparison were easy to make. The starfighter was very time consuming, though, as I had to first make Rice Krispy treats molded into the shape of the starfighter, then cover it with an initial layer of 50/50 candy clay/fondant mix, and then decorate with all those teeny-tiny Lego blocks.
I've noticed the cakes you work on for someone you love are always extra special and seem to turn out the best. Making my son's cake was a bonding experience for both of us, as it brought me into his 6-year old world. I know Brock was really proud of my efforts, and I'm proud of the big boy he is becoming!
Happy Birthday, Brock!
