Surprise!!

Yesterday (Saturday September 13th) I threw Brian a surprise birthday party for his 30th birthday. It was so much fun and he never suspected a thing. I was a little worried he wasn't going to leave the house to watch the Iowa/Iowa State game but a friend of his talked him into coming over to watch it at his house. Besides, my mom was coming to 'hang out' (actually to help get ready) so Brian didn't feel any pressure to be at home hanging out with me and the kids. I told him to go and have fun and that he might as well plan on watching a couple games there since we were just going to sit around and watch TLC all day anyway! He called around 4 to check in and I told him we were feeling pretty hungry and wanted to plan on going out to eat around 6 so he needed to be home then. It worked like a charm! People arrived between 5 and 5:30. We all hid in the garage and when he got home the door came up and...SURPRISE! He just sat in his car laughing! We grilled hamburgers, chicken, and hot dogs and ate plenty of other food. There were so many leftovers! Some of the guys played bean bags, but mostly we all just hung out and talked (and drank beer!). Austin was a big help in decorating with Keith! Jamie put together the veggie tray and Brian's mom mixed the hash browns in a roaster and marinated the chicken along with bringing some deviled eggs and chex mix. LaVonne (Brian's grandma) made him a wonderful cake (pictured below). She used to make wedding cakes, and oh my...it was delicious! My mom spent all day Saturday with me just getting ready for the party and helping with more things than I can list! She is always great to have around. I love her company! Thanks everyone for your help in making it a successful party!