Smashing Success

Many of you know I threw Steven a whopper of a Surprise 30th Birthday Party. To pull it off, I had to tell a couple of whoppers as well. Never will I do this again. I learned it's way too hard to pull this off without his help.

I initially invited a couple of families from our church, a couple of families from the neighborhood and some of the people Steven works with. Then I extended the invitation to even more people from the neighborhood and even more people we go to church with. When 70 people RSVP-ed with a YES I thought I'd made serious judgment error (what happened to that 40% rule? - you know the one that tells you 40% of the people you invite will actually come). Plus, with this many people knowing about it, I thought FOR SURE he'd find out.

Stacey, my dear friend whom I now owe my first born, was a HUMONGOUS help. She helped watch and feed my kids, string lights on all our trees in the backyard, pick up folding chairs from the stake center, let people into my bursting-at-the-seems house, and when I almost copped out and tuned it into an open house instead of a party, she talked me out of it and I'm so happy she did!

60 great friends
10 dozen sodas
4 dozen assorted cookies
2 dozen capri suns
2 bags of ice
30 (swiped) folding chairs from church
2000 lights
1 full sheet cake
30 candles
6 1/2 gallons of assorted Blue Bell Ice Cream
bottomless chips and salsa
lots of plastic-ware

....and 1 very surprised 30-year-old

Steven entering the room.

Adam, little Lindsay and Stacey M*
(LOVE You, Stace!)

Denny L*, Josh O* and Todd N*
Leslie W*, Tyson and Nicole V*, Abby L*

Brody N*, Bradley Mickmonkey, David and Cole M*

Stephanie O* and Angela V*

Stacey and Mike R* and Steven

Shelley N* and Moi

Ste's Birthday cake (enough to feed 90-something)
with his 3 year old picture on it. Can I get an "Awwww!"?

Steven (needing THREE tries) blowing them all out.

Some of the little ones gathered tightly around the TV as to not miss any of the the all too important Meet the Robinsons. I just had to take this picture.

Anyhoo, it was a lovely evening and Steven felt special and loved and not too old. We wish all of you could have made it. Don't worry, we would have made room.

...I still have left over Blue Bell. Any takers?