When Joe asked me how I would like to celebrate my 30th birthday, the answer was easy: something fun and relaxed with as many of the people I love the most in one place. I ended up with two sweet birthday celebrations in one week. Joe organized a family party the weekend before my birthday. On the night of my actual birthday, we had a bunch of local friends for birthday cake and ice cream. To say I felt loved and thankful is an understatement.
Grammy and G-Diddy came into town the night before the party and treated us to a special dinner. Then, we made our first trip of the season to the "Shake Shack", our neighborhood ice cream stand, for the perfect summer dessert.
The best way to end the night was running off all that sugar on the big hill behind the ice cream shop. Look at the pure joy on Ella's face. I think they ran down the hill at least ten times each. This is what summer looks like.
Earlier in the week, I had been looking through old pictures with the girls as I reminisced and thought about turning 30. One morning, Abby picked a bunch from the pile and snuck off to the dining to work on a surprise project for me. She put all of the pictures together as a birthday decoration in our Gathered Round, just like I do for other special occasions. From start to finish, Abby took the process of celebrating my birthday and planning a special day for me very seriously. She has such a big heart for people and celebrations.
The morning of the party, Abby went with Daddy to the party store. She wanted to make sure they picked the perfect balloons and decorations. I wish I could have captured the look on her face when they got home from the store. She was so proud of her planning and excited to set everything up. While Joe and Abby were gone taking care of the last minute details, Ella put on her apron to bake some Cornbread Casserole for the party with Grammy. Did I mention that I wasn't allowed to do anything to help? It was a sweet birthday gesture, just a hard one for me to follow when everyone was working so hard around me in my house.
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| proud helpers |
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| I love my family! |
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| baking with Grammy |
Ella's excitement hit a new level when she saw the cars start to arrive. This was her "Grandma's here" pose.
I loved being able to sit and enjoy everyone's company without having to worry about any details. The Dinosaur BBQ lunch that Joe had catered was pretty amazing too!
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| Jamie, Alana, Aunt Cyncy and Cory |
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| Grandma (The Baby Whisperer) loving on Baby Hannah |
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| Mike, Lindsay and Tommy |
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| Rob and Kelly |
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| Abby and Papa |
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| Grammy and G-Diddy |
My dad even brought my very favorite kind of birthday cake! It's not everyday I get to celebrate with a Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Blizzard Ice Cream Cake. Yum!
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| my baby brother |
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| Wait a second! That isn't your two week old baby? :) |
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| Where's my mom? Always with the baby! |
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| Friends for 14 years! Wow! |
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| The original four. |
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| with my momma, the one who gave birth to me thirty years ago |
I couldn't have asked for a more perfect birthday party. I'm so thankful for everyone who made the trip to share it with me and for all the love sent from those who were too far away to be there. Thank you to my sweet husband and precious girls who did everything they could to make this one of the most memorable and special birthdays yet.
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| the second celebration |
It's hard to believe I'm 30, but I couldn't be more thankful for all the years and life that has filled them. What a ride! Thank you Jesus!
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