Later Gator

Today my sweet baby boy turned four years old. It seems like yesterday he was born, and now he's officially a little boy, no longer a toddler. I cried!

His favorite movie right now is Peter Pan; he adores Captain Hook and is obsessed with the crocodile that ate Hook's hand. Of course, he thinks it's an alligator, because that's what we have on this side of the world. So, he wanted Alligator cupcakes, which is exactly what he got. Best part: these were easy!

Instead of doing a bright green frosting, I opted to mix a little black into the green in order to make it more of an amphibious green. If you use too much, it turns out gray, so you really need to use it sparingly. If it does turn gray, just keep adding the green until you get it back to the right shade. I used Spearmint leaves for the eyes and attached eyeball candy to them. They turned out to be just what I wanted.

For the nose, I used green Swedish fish (cut off the tip of the tail.) The fish has a nice bumpiness to it that works well. I used chocolate-covered peanuts as nostrils; and lastly, I sprinkled a nice shimmery green on top to give the gator a little texture. Fortunately, Jack is super-excited and can't wait to take these to church tonight to share with his friends.

Jack insisted on decorating his own; I think it's very avant-garde for a 4 year old. Happy Birthday Baby!