The Surprise Birthday Party

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Johnny wasn't too excited about becoming 38.  So, while he and Jessica normally celebrate their birthdays on the same day, we granted his wishes...and just sang to her on January 9.  However, that didn't seem quite right....so earlier that week, I thought of how  much he would enjoy a party with many of his friends.  (Johnny ALWAYS likes a party!)  So with the help of his sister, Beverly, we planned a small get-together at our church building....for the day AFTER his birthday.  Several people he hadn't seen in a long time responded positively to the e-mail invitation.  We didn't tell any of the girls about it, except Emelie and Marissa, as certain of the younger ones have a propensity for "spilling the beans".  The plan was that Johnny and I were going out on a birthday lunch date that Saturday while Beverly and Toby babysat the girls and Chase.  Friends of ours had also asked Toby and Bev to watch their children that day so that they could go out for their anniversary.  That worked out perfectly, because then Beverly just said, "Well, it would work out really well if we kept them all at the church building, because there's so much open space for them to play in, etc......just make sure you're all back by 2pm, because Toby and I have something we need to do then!"  Perfect!  As we headed over to the church after our date, Beverly called me to say that we could slow up a bit.  Some of the attendees were not quite there (would be 10-15 minutes late)....so us showing up late would be great.  I related that to Johnny by telling him that our friends who also had children there were still 10-15 minutes away, so we had time to kill...suggesting that since we had extra time we could stop here....or there......or there!!!, but his answer was, "Nope, we said we'd be there at 2!  We're not going to be late!"  Oh well.  Pulling up to the church and seeing all those unexpected vehicles parked out front really confused him, but I tried to say as little as possible.  Then he said, "did you plan something for my birthday?"  I replied with something like, "Okay, yes....but act surprised when you walk in!"  I didn't need to say that, because he was not expecting to see so many people there, and he was definitely shocked when he stepped inside! 

Having a fun time w/ old friends was a huge boost to him.   He loved it!  

We had snack foods, cake, and punch.  

Yes, the cake got smashed somehow.

Beverly and Toby really did all the work, so I have to give them the credit for it all.  

Fun time for everyone!

Julie Spears is one of my very dear friends.  I loved the chance to see her and Dean again.  (Dean is one of Johnny's closest friends!)

The children enjoy playing teeter-totter on this huge aluminum walkway which is on wheels out in the field near the church.  This type of walkway is used to get from your lake home to your boat dock, when you have a sloping lot on Smith Lake.  They would play on it for hours if they could!  :)