Hap-ppeee Birfday!

Mark's birthday is July 3. Because it's so close to the 4th, we rarely do a party because everyone has plans. This year, for the Big Three Oh, I told him that I had asked all of our friends and they were busy so we were just going to have to plan something for the next weekend.


Then.... SURPRISE!!!!!!


I wanted to do something really special for him, and I couldn't think of anything more special than giving him the chance to spend his actual birthday with good friends who love him.

I got very few photos, since I was trying to pull everything together without Mark finding out. My friend Jill took this one on her phone.



In case you're wondering, everything went off without a hitch. He really had no idea what was coming. It was so much fun planning something just for Mark without him having to worry about the details at all.

I had a couple of girls come and hang with all the kiddos downstairs during the party. My second favorite part of the whole event (after the surprise, of course) was after all the grown-ups sang "Happy Birthday" upstairs I heard Norah's sweet voice from downstairs exclaim, "Guys! It's time to start the party!"

Right now, officially in our thirties, it is indeed time to start the party.