The biggest thing I've done this summer has been planning & throwing Chris a SURPRISE 40th Birthday Party!!!!! Whew.....I was soooooo glad when it was over!!!!! It mushroomed into a bit more than what I was originally thinking in my head, but honestly, God blessed it, and it turned out fun & great & a SURPRISE!
It really helped that in the 9 days prior to the party, he was only home 1 of those nights due to being at our church's elementary camp & going on the Junior High mission trip! I could make a mess working on his scrapbook, decorations for the party, and laying out all of the supplies to see what else I needed to buy!
I wanted to throw this party for Chris because I wanted to honor him for the wonderful Christian husband, daddy, & friend that he is! He is an amazing man who doesn't crave attention and doesn't need validation from a lot of people to feel good about himself, BUT I wanted him to have a day that was a lot about him since this was his BIG birthday! :)
I put together a scrapbook for him that held a note from each of the girls & me, along with special letters I collected from favorite professors, former bosses, and "old" friends & family. It was fun to track down some of these people and special to read what people wrote to & about him.
Below is the page I created to showcase Gracie's letter to her Daddy. I don't guess I took a picture of Katie & Ellie's page...oops.
Like I said.....that week he was gone....I made a MESS getting ready for the party!
This board was created to showcase some of his famous Facebook statuses. Oh goodness....the man may be 40, but his FB statuses could lead you to believe he's only about 14. Burritos & gas...yep, that pretty much sums up my husband's humor! It was funny to have the funniest ones all in one place for everyone to read!
I was originally going to serve burritos at the party, but it quickly became apparent that pizza was going to make more sense. His good friend Shawn, my best friend's husband, wrote a hilarious poem for him and had a verse that was perfect to showcase!!!!
Here is the poem (if you click on it, you can probably see it better) along with a letter from Shawn & Melissa. Their beautiful family is in the picture. Shawn is currently serving in Afghanistan. (It's been a tough week for their family because one of his best friends, who served in the NC National Guard, was killed Sunday when his plane crashed while fighting the forest fire in South Dakota. It's been tough on them...so, so tough!) We so appreciate that Shawn was able to have a part in Chris' scrapbook, even from Afghanistan!
Another page from the scrapbook....
The party was a Texas Tech/Dallas Cowboy theme. I was thrilled to find this perfect t-shirt for Ellie to wear! "All Dolled Up...Red Raider Style!"
Ellie & Briley were sweet helpers!
What would I have done without these wonderful women?! (and Lisa Gordon!) Angela, Amanda, & Lisa helped me TONS before, during, and after the party. Seriously, their help is immeasurable, and I'm so thankful for it! Krista & her family came in from Dallas and were a great part of the 'Master Plan' of getting Chris to the party at the right time. They were awesome and Krista helped with decorating & setting up. We were so glad they were able to be at the party and spend the night with us visiting. Special, special friends since 1995!!! (and really even longer for Chris & Bret!)
Texas Tech & Cowboys!!!!
Chris' mom made the picture board with old pictures.
This made me laugh as friends traveled across the HOT parking lot after parking across the street.
Waiting on the birthday boy!
Bret, giving a little speech.
We had a quiz about Chris for people to complete while they were waiting for him to arrive. After giving out the answers, it was determined that Bryce & Jennifer had the most right answers, so they won a box of frozen chimichangas!!!! Our sweet niece, Sara Jane, was proud to help give them their prize!
Chris with some of his buddies!
We are thankful for the 17 years our families have been friends!
Chris & his girls!!!!! Celebrating with their Tech & Cowboys shirts!
Chris is now reading Shawn's poem....
which he, obviously, found hilarious!
Our girls with Bret & Krista's children before church the next morning.
Special family!
Pappasitos can make anyone smile! :)
We have an adorable nephew!!!
Gramps & Gramme with all of the grandchildren...4 girls & 1 boy!
Chris & his big brother!
Gracie & Blake....friends!
Katie & Beau are pretty much 2 peas in a pod!
Ellie loves Briley!
I have many more (better) pictures on a cd that someone took for us at the party, so what's here is just a sampling. It was a great party, but I don't want to plan something like this for a loooong time. I told Chris I don't want him to reciprocate for me next year...I want to go on a trip! :)
Here are a few pictures that didn't make it into previous posts, so I'll just add them here!
Ellie enjoyed playing with some of the dolls that are still out in Gracie's room. Gracie doesn't play with them anymore...sniff, sniff...I'm glad Ellie is around to play with them now!
While Chris & Katie were at camp....well, we had to find something to do! ;) One night, it was cheesecake....
....one night it was pizza in bed! (I actually think that was the same night!)
While Chris & Gracie were on the mission trip, the little girls & I enjoyed the pool!
The week after the party, Ellie enjoyed Teddy Bear Tea at church!
