Matt outdid himself.  I knew he was sneaking and constantly planning and putting together surprises and dropping hints, but I had no idea of all that he had planned to ring in my 30th year celebration!

I have received homemade cards of every variety!  Apparently, I have some incredibly creative friends and family.  One card was a knit card… yes a KNIT card!  It was knit from this gorgeous wool and then tacked to some thick paper and folded with a message inside.  Some friends made something on their computer, some made paper cards, some used pictures, some used stickers, some used breakdancing… it was incredibly cool to see the creative genius of friends and family at work!  I even got a handmade Christmas card with a Happy Birthday message!  Some bought cards that were so perfect for the occasion that it was even better than a handmade one!  Matt revealed his plan to me and I was so impressed:  with him for asking people to make something creative for me and with all the people who did!  Thank you!  The whole week leading up to my birthday was a surprise every day and I really enjoyed it.

Then there was the party… I knew Matt was planning something and I grilled him with questions all week.  “Sweetie, tell me something at least so I’m prepared… what should I wear?  Which day should I plan to look presentable?  Do I need to clean this house?”  He didn’t reveal much at all but he did suggest that we clean the house together on Thursday night.  On Friday, I spent a fun day with the babies and was told to be ready at 4:30 and not to make dinner.  The babies and I waited impatiently in our sparkling clean house, wondering what was going on!  Matt got home at 5pm and wouldn’t let me in the kitchen as he made several trips from his car through the back door.  At 5:35ish, our front door was being pounded down and I wasn’t sure what to do!  I asked Matt to answer the door because I was corralling the babies, and as soon as he opened it, a chorus of Happy Birthday blasted through.  I came over to check it out and there were friends piled on our porch and ready to attend my surprise party!  I was completely overwhelmed… there were dear friends I hadn’t seen in awhile and people with their kids and one set of friends brought their new puppy… it was amazing!   I was so touched… I KNOW how hard it is to get anywhere with kids but my porch was covered with people willing to make it work so they and their kids could come and celebrate with me!  And there were plenty of friends without kids who made time to be there too!

My husband outdid himself, I tell you.  He had dinner for all of us, a gorgeous German chocolate cake from my favorite sweets bakery, and he even planned for several of the guests to take care of the babies so that I could just enjoy myself.  They fed them and put them to bed and everything, then rejoined the party.  I gave the babies their first taste of pizza crust and they were BIG fans!  “mo mo Mo MO MOHH MOHHHH” Rissa screeched as she clapped her hands together to sign what she was saying (more).  Zach and Riss did a great job handling the chaos of the party — they loved being held by so many friends and they went to bed without incident.  I was so proud of them.  I flitted around the party chatting with people I love and enjoying the mayhem.  I held tiny Bella, the DelVillano’s 8 week old mini schnauzer, who came to surprise me.  We played my new game from Tim, Puerto Rico, and went to bed way too late.  It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time!

It didn’t end there!  Saturday was my actual birthday and I spent the morning with the babies while Matt went to a meeting.  They loved my green birthday balloon, but I had to take it away eventually so they didn’t pop it and develop a life-long fear of balloons.  For lunch, I got to celebrate with friends from college!  Lynn and Ben and their adorable son Isaac drove in to do birthday lunch with us at Panera and to hang out for the afternoon!  I love them and it was so special for me to see their son and our children interact… that’s two generations of special friendship!  The babies loved Isaac!  He touched their noses and made them laugh and gave them each a sturdy board book for their upcoming birthday that they cannot destroy no matter how hard they try!  Isaac sang Happy Birthday for me and gave me a cool book too!  After they headed home and the babies began their afternoon nap, Matt and I had time to play Alhambra and open some gifts!  I even won, which is a miracle because Matt nearly always wins that game.  Regardless, it is one of my favorites.

There is a couple at church who throws a big picnic/pool party every few years for the many volunteers at church who make everything run smoothly as a thank you for all their hard work.  It was scheduled for my birthday so Matt asked me what I wanted to do.  “I want to go to that party!” I exclaimed.  It’s super fun and they even have fireworks at the end!  We went and we kept the babies up way too late to do it, but we didn’t stay for the fireworks.  That wouldn’t have been fun for them at all.   Our little fish loved the pool and we had a great time!  As a surprise to me, as the entire group gathered in a circle to pray before the meal, Matt produced a Spiderman cake out of nowhere and announced that it was my 30th birthday and then over 100 people sang to me!  I was floored.  He is a scheming birthday fiend and it just keeps coming!  I was overcome by feeling so loved.  Matt said he considered decorating a cake himself but then he saw the Spiderman one that already said Happy Birthday! and thought that was even cooler 🙂

To round out a weekend of birthday bashes, our entire family made it to our Bible study for the first time in forever!  And they had surprise brownies for me!  Turning 30 could not have been a more joyful event and I have Matt to thank, as well as all of you whom he enlisted to help make it special for me.  Thank you so much!