Cheers to 30 Years!

Last summer, I had started planning a surprise birthday party for Mark's 30th birthday in October.  I really wanted to give him a night full of the people and things he loved, and just to show him how much I love and appreciate him!

Planning a surprise party for Mark was FAR from easy! Thankfully, with the help of sneaky friends, we pulled it off! He had NO clue, and had a great night :) My mom and Arthur was incredibly gracious to offer up their new house, where they had only lived for 2 weeks (!!).

The theme for the party was "Cheers to 30 Years!".  We put up pictures from his life as part of the decor!

To get him to the party, we told him that my mom and stepdad were going to watch the kiddos while we had a double date with friends who were in town.  The guys went golfing while the girls "swam" at my moms, and then the boys met us there.

I knew I would be able to tell if he was surprised once he arrived, and I would say he was based on these pictures!

Ashlynn was SO excited to celebrate her daddy!

And then she took a big spill...poor graceful girl :)

I am so thankful to everyone who was able to make it out!

We set up a photo booth in my mom's game room, and it was a hit! Those pictures will be a separate post!

When it came time for cake, we had multiple celebrations! Ashlynn had been wanting to give my brother and Stacie "baseball" cakes for their birthdays, and the day of the party was Jeff's actual birthday, so we sang Happy Birthday to all 4 of them!

We spent the evening enjoying delicious food, drinks and relaxing with friends!

Golfing and a new job had tired Mark out, but he was a trooper despite his exhaustion!

And Miss Bailey was sad to see the party end :)

Halloween 2014

Ashlynn was sick on Halloween day, so we stayed in and rested so that she would be up for Trick or Treating that night. Mark was a little more festive, and dressed up for work! He went as an "I cloud".

This summer, Ashlynn and I had agreed on an "owl" costume for her and Bailey.  That eventually evolved into the owls Little Hootie and Mama Hootie, from an episode of Paw Patrol. That then evolved into Mark and I being "Rubble" and "Zuma", 2 of the dogs from Paw Patrol. I made all of our costumes with felt, and was pretty proud of the final outcome!

On Halloween night, we met up with all of the grandparents at Mark's parents house for trick or treating. We walked around their neighborhood, and both girls had a BLAST! The pictures are pretty fuzzy, because it was dark out, but the smiles are still visible :)

My dad dressed up as a younger version of a guy from his work. It was pretty hilarious, although Bailey was not to sure about it.

Ashlynn was so polite all night, she made sure to say please and thank you!

Bailey was all about the candy. She refused to let go of her candy bag, and eventually wore it around her neck because it was too heavy to carry!

Arboretum, again!

Now that we live close to the Arboretum, I have a feeling we will be there ALOT! We met Mark's parents there last week, and enjoyed a beautiful fall day!