Illness is ravening the ranks of our family and friends. Nothing too catastrophic has struck our family yet, but I'm holding my breath. Julia turns 18 months and Allie turns five on Sunday and the birthday party is Saturday. No one can get sick.

Who am I kidding. Allie had a nasty fever for her first birthday party (she looks very flushed in all of the photos) and neither Julia nor Allie ate any of their respective first-birthday cakes. We'll see if this party can turn out better.

Don't tell, but Allie's getting an Easy-Bake Oven. Her Grandpa Mike in Florida actually bought it for her when she was two and we figure she's now old enough (and she's been begging for one enough lately) that we'll give it to her.

It freaks me out a little. The box says, Age 8+. As my boss said when I commented on that, however, at age 8 Allie will be using the real oven. She already loves to bake. She started cracking eggs, more or less successfully, at age 2.

I know her favorite part of baking is licking the bowl (I know some eggs have salmonella, so sue me). She's always a little annoyed when she has to share the licks of the bowl with her daddy.

I never had an Easy-Bake, but my friend Connie did. We couldn't use it very often though, because the mixes were too expensive. Since we're not actually buying Allie the oven, I want to go hog-wild with getting her Easy-Bake mixes.

She can mix a batch of little brownies and eat the whole thing for all I care, without baking it. As long as she eats a good dinner first (don't get me started on her eating habits lately).

Anyone for a cupcake size cake?