After missing the Tuesday, December 16, episode of Today, Dylan Dreyer returned to the NBC morning show to send a sweet message to one of her kids.

“I also want to wish a Happy Birthday to Calvin! Calvin turns 9 today,” Dreyer said at the top of the third hour of Today‘s Wednesday, December 17, episode. Surprised by how much Calvin has grown, Al Roker quipped, “Wow, that was fast.”

Dreyer went on to note that she’s been busy working on Calvin’s “very specific” homemade birthday cake. “It’s all sports. He wanted four different sports on one cake,” she shared. “ I’m making marzipan baseballs and footballs and all that, but I have the cake with me right now, so I’m making all different sizes so they’ll dry in time for later.”

Roker was slightly confused by Dreyer’s comments, as he asked her, “Do you actually have the cake with you?” Dreyer clarified, “No. I don’t have the cake with me, but I have the marzipan with me.”

Sheinelle Jones said she saw Dreyer working on the cake’s decorations “all morning” before telling her, “You’re such an amazing mommy.”

“I love it,” Dreyer said of making her kids’ birthday cakes. “It’s like my hobby three times a year.”

Dreyer gave fans a glimpse into her birthday cake design planning via Instagram on Monday, December 15. “Homemade birthday cakes have really become a thing. The kids put in a request and I try to figure out how to make it happen,” she wrote alongside snaps of herself using a water bottle cap and spice bottles to trace shapes on a translucent piece of paper. “Cal’s request this year: a sports cake with 4 sports. Football, golf, hockey, and baseball. Stay tuned!”

Fans applauded Dreyer’s dedication to making the sweet treat in the post’s comments. “So cool. I used to make/create cakes for my Godson every year based on the theme of the party that year. Some definitely turned out better than others 😉. Yours are always 💯,” one person wrote.

Another user shared, “I can’t wait! You’re the he best mom ever!!! FYI, they really will expect/want only the birthday cakes you make! Forever!❤️.” Someone else wrote, “Wow-what a super mom you are Dylan!! Stay strong and keep it going. Blessings to you and your dear sons! 🙏.” A different person commented, “Looking forward to seeing your creation. Sure it will be great🏈⚾️⚽️🏀⛳️.”

Dreyer shares her sons Calvin, 9, Oliver, 5, and Rusty, 4, with her estranged husband, Brian Fichera. Back in July, Dreyer announced via Instagram that she and Fichera had separated a few months prior.

Dreyer opened up about how the split has affected her kids while cohosting the November 5 episode of Today With Jenna & Friends. “I asked Calvin, ‘What do you think a family is?’ And he said, ‘Well, it’s a group of people that love each other.’ And I said, ‘And that’s what we are, and we will always be that for you. But Mommy and Daddy work better as friends than as husband and wife,’” she shared. “And he doesn’t care about a title. He doesn’t care what we are officially. None of them do. They are surrounded by love every single day.”

Dreyer also highlighted the importance of her sons continuing to have their dad in their lives, stating, “They need both the dynamic of a father and a mother, and we’re providing to them in the best way possible. We’re still having that relationship for them, and they know us as friends who will be there for them no matter what.”