The Best Birthday Party Ever Part 3

The birthday boy arrived not once, but twice since we missed the picture the first time. I'm pretty sure he was surprised. he was expecting a surprise party, but not until much later and at home. He made the rounds and thanked all his guest for coming.

It was then time for cake and singing.

(Making sure the photographer didn't miss this moment. HA!)

Next came my absolute favorite party of the day. I invited all of his friends even those who live out of state. I didn't expect any of them to drive or fly here for this party. However, one couple emailed me back immediately and said they were coming. The husband's roommate, Andrew and his wife Heather said they would be here along with their little girl. This was back in January. I gave my out of towners a bit of a heads up in hopes that they might make it. I was still in shock the night before the party that the Eckharts were coming. They were a much harder surprise to keep than the party. There were so many times when I wanted to tell him they were coming.

They were running a little late and arrived after we finished singing Happy Birthday. It was perfect. They truly were a second surprise. Andrew had his back to the door when they walked in. I told him to turn around and when he did I'm fairly certain his jaw hit the floor. He was shocked to say the least. He couldn't believe they were here. His face was absolutely priceless. It was then time for presents. We ended the party with some basketball. I rented a court for the last two hours of the party. They played the entire two hours. Andrew had a blast. This is definitely one of his favorite past times.

A shot of the whole gang... This was the first party I have ever planned. I enjoyed it. I had fun scouring the Internet for ideas and putting everything together. There were times though that were a bit stressful, when I didn't know how I was going to pull it off. The following facebook status made every second of time and every dollar spent more than worth it... "Thank you for the Birthday Wishes. My wife threw me the best birthday party ever. I love playing ball with my family and friends. 3 or 4 generations of family running up and down the court together. Can't believe Andrew and Heather drove from Joplin to be here. Your presence was an amazing gift. Gotta love friends like that. Today I realized that I live a very blessed life. I love you all."