We did it!!!!!!

WOW! I'm still in a little bit of shock. My mom, sister and I have been working on a surprise party for my dad for a few weeks now. It was risky and we knew that from the start. You see, my dad can sniff out surprises from a mile away. However, I think his senses are starting to fade with age because we actually pulled this party off!!

First step, send out the invitations. Here's a copy with some obvious changes made for privacy. I was so happy with the way they turned out and had a blast making them.


With an elaborate plan in place and lots of twists the day finally arrived. M had been traveling all week so it was quite convenient for me to tell my dad we wouldn't make it in on Saturday but would see him on Sunday instead. My mom got my dad out of the house, K and I arrived and set up for the big shindig.

We took off for the restaurant and greeted my dad's family. We had people drive in from out of town and it was so nice to see cousins that I rarely see now that we have all grown and are busy with our own families.

When my dad arrived he said it was an out of body experience. All the people from his family sitting there saying "SURPRISE!!" threw him for quite a loop.

But then it registered! He was in a state of shock for most of the night.

It was really fun, but only because we actually pulled it off! :)

After dinner we all went back to my parent's house for cake and adult beverages. The cousins have all had children. On my dad's side of the family my sister and I are the youngest cousins. So with all the second cousins running around, we had 14 kids ranging in age from 3 to 21...it was a blast! I hardly saw my boys because they were so occupied with all the other kids. They loved every minute of it. And I enjoyed just catching up.

Here's my cousin, C. She and her family just moved back from Malaysia this summer. So great to see her after their two years overseas!

And the cake!!! Mmmm....my sister did a fantastic job with this one. A little cake with your fruit...just doesn't get any better than that.

Of course it didn't last long before we cut into it...

My mom went through a bunch of old photos and I put together a collage inside their coffee table. It brought back so many memories for everyone. It was a great conversation starter, not that we needed it! :)

And here we are after the festivities. The house grew quiet and we were all tired but it was so worth it!

Happy 60th Daddy! May you have many more years of good health, great memories and open water triathlons! ;)