Easy Bake Oven

Do you remember these things? It was one of those toys I would have traded one of my siblings for when I was little. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world when I actually received a coveted Easy Bake oven for myself. I remember being so proud of my delicious creation when I first used it. My fond childhood memories of it end there, however, because my mom wasn't as excited about the mess or the cost those little cakes created. She pulled that mom trick that I have already mastered myself, and hid the oven away until it was forgotten and she could get rid of it.

Maybe that's why I was a little excited myself when our friend Amber offered to give Brynn their used-only-once Easy Bake oven (am I seeing a trend here?). Brynn had that same look on her face that I must have had when I got mine. As she looked over the pink plastic oven (so much cuter than the one I had), she got even more excited when she learned that it actually bakes real cookies and cakes. We just had to try it out (well, as soon as we could get Collin down for his nap)! We patiently played with playdo while we waited for the little cake to finish. Brynn loved being able to mix up her own frosting and put it on the cake herself. I think her favorite part was licking the frosting bowl. Exhibit A:

She ended up with frosting on her forehead, neck, nose, everywhere. She was loving it! OK, so our home is not going to turn into a bakery now, but I think we're keeping the oven. Brynn and I had some good quality time together today, I got to feel like a kid again, and maybe she'll end up being better at cooking/baking than I am (not a difficult feat).

You know, I always loved my little Snoopy Snow Cone machine too...