Birthday Celebrations

Over the past couple of weeks, it's been one birthday party after another. Add to that, it has been their 30th birthdays, so it is pretty much our last hoorah.

Allison's 30th Birthday
I threw Allison a big surprise party for her 30th. My sister hosted the party at her house, and all the kids (18 in total) were at my house with several babysitters. Logistically, it was difficult for the guests to drop off kids, get around the corner and get inside within the 30 minute time frame I allowed them. Anyone with kids knows time frames don't work. Ever.

We walked into the house, and everyone yelled surprise! Allison isn't a fan of the spotlight, but the big crowd slowly dispersed and became many smaller groups, much more agreeable with Allison's spotlight levels. It was a great night, and Amy (my sister) decorated the house wonderfully. We had Whole Hog Café BBQ and a cake from Rick's. It was a great evening.
(pictures courtesy of Brooke Robinson)

Brooke's 30th Birthday
You can read all about it on Brooke's blog. All I will say is yeehaw, and it was a great evening.

My 30th Birthday
First of all, I was out of town for work on my 30th birthday. So I got to spend an enjoyable evening with 9 people I met 2 days prior. Though not the worst way to spend a birthday, it wasn't ideal. Allison, my sister, and my parents had a Cookie Bouquet sent to my hotel room, so it was in my room when I got back from the day's training. It was really neat and warmed my heart.

Since I couldn't celebrate on my birthday, Allison threw me a "Guy's Night" party on Saturday night. She spent the day cooking, getting the house ready, and packing up the girls to spend the night at my sister's house. Tons of work from a loving wife. She even made my favorite cake: yellow cake with chocolate icing, and put it on her new cupcake tree. We played Loopin' Louie, Nintendo Wii, Halo 2, and poker. We finished off the evening by watching Miami Vice. Around 1:30 AM, Allison called to let me know Emma wasn't sleeping well over at Amy's house. So I went and picked her up and brought her home. She zonked out, so the guys continued watching the movie. We wrapped up around 3:00 AM, which is WAY later than I normally stay up. It was a great night, despite the fact that I'm now 30.