Monday, February 21, 2011

Happy Birthday, Jon!

Last week we celebrated Jon's birthday. As the designer of the birthday celebration, I can tell you that it wasn't what I'd pictured Jon's birthday to be like, but it certainly was memorable. Several obstacles tried to derail the celebration--no oven (to bake his birthday pie), limited access to presents (what to give someone when you're living in a hotel?), limited time to celebrate on the day (he gets home from work around 5 and the girls go to bed at 7), etc.

So Kate had the idea to do a surprise party. I was able to procure decorations and a few fun surprises for Jon, and we told him he needed to call us and let us know when he'd be getting home from work that day. He knew something was up (obviously!) but I think he enjoyed the suspense.

After naps, we got to work. Here are the girls helping me blow up balloons and decorate.





We hid in the girls' room and Kate wanted to shut the door and turn off the lights and hide behind E's crib--I thought Daddy would never find us! But he did and we had a great time surprising him when he did open the door and turn on the lights. Ellie wasn't a fan of the hats, so she dissected hers.



If you know Jon, you know on his birthday he gets his own homemade cherry pie. As previously mentioned, this presented a problem as we don't have an oven in the hotel. So I improvised with a mix of cherry desserts: Jello No-Bake Cheesecake (which reminded me of you, Shari!:)), a pre-made tart w/ German cherries (I had to look up the word for cherry and scour the market), a chocolate cherry roll, and last but not least, cherry toaster strudel (not pictured). Here is the birthday boy about to dig in.



Kate showing off her excited-for-dessert face.




Of course, when you're the parents of a preschooler and a toddler, there's never a lack of people wanting to help you open your presents.



The birthday boy and Ellie (wearing the hat for .7 seconds)




Happy Birthday, honey! I love you so much and am incredibly thankful that we are on this adventure together. You are the best.

6 comments:

b.niel said...

Yay! Happy Birthday Jon! Despite the circumstances, an excellent surprise and excellent improvisation on the part of the party planner(s). What a sweet memory and a unique time in your family history! Wish we could've been there to celebrate! Love you guys!

Anonymous said...

Oh my, to chat this AM w/ all of you and then to see this wonderful blog! Sunshine for our hearts! Love the birthday celebration. You go, Jen, being so creative. Jen, you certainly did a TERRIFIC job w/ cherry treats, Loved the balloons and hiding. What fun! Blessings to you all as you continue your adventure. Love the blog, love you all...G+P

Irishdrums said...

Happy Birthday Jon! Great job Jen coordinating a surprise party with 2 little ones as helpers. Looks like it was a big hit. :)

Shari Baker said...

I am quite impressed at the resourcefullness that you showed Jen! It sounds like a fun celebration. The hats are super cute. And yay, you rocked the Jello Cheesecake. It's pretty tasty, if I do say so myself! :)

Mom said...

This is a birthday that all of your will remember forever. What a fun time and what great creativity. And you learned new German words, Jen! Good job! Jon you couldn't help but be thrilled that the girls rallied for the big celebration and did not let lack of an oven stop the tradition! Happy Birthday young man! And we're happy you finally got our card and gift! Love,

Mom said...

Oops, I did want to ask. Can Kate and Ellie really blow up balloons? I can't do that. What fun for them. The pics are great. Thanks for sharing. Love,