Jim's 30th Birthday Party

Boy, it's been a while since I last blogged! I was really busy last week planning Jim's 30th birthday party and this week I was distracted by other things.

Before I get to the party pics, here's a bit about Jim's actual birthday (Tuesday the 29th). Our friends, the Krenzes, had their second baby girl, Mackenzie Elizabeth, the day before. So on Jim's birthday we went to the hospital to meet her. She looks exactly like her big sister, Madelyn, did when she was first born.

Jim with Mackenzie. I'm not sure if she is yawning or crying in this picture.

Now for the party pics. The party was Friday night at the Grand Rapids Brewing Company, one of Jim's favorite restaurants. It was kind of a surprise party. He knew he was having a party (I couldn't really plan one without him knowing), but he didn't know where it was going to be or any of the details.

I created a slideshow of his first 30 years and played it on a big screen tv at the party. People really enjoyed seeing pics of him when he was young and the silly pics I have taken of him.

Mom came up on Thursday to help me with the last minute party plans. We decorated the room with lots of balloons and "30" decals. Hilary and Scott came up a little early on Friday to provide technical assistance with the slideshow.

Jim insisted we buy this hat at IKEA in April, so I made him wear it.

We had a great crowd. Altogether there were about 35 people there. The party guests enjoyed onion rings, soft pretzels, three different kinds of pizza, and soft drinks. It was so nice being served and not having to clean up dishes afterwards!

Our friends, Tom and Brenda, drove all the way from Racine, Wisconsin to come to the party. I managed to keep it a secret and the look on Jim's face when he saw them was just priceless!

Lena had so much fun at the party. She spent a lot of time playing with Aunt Hil and the rest of the time getting passed around from person to person. She had a blast.

I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but the flames on these candles are all different colors. Pretty!

Blowing out all 30 candles. Look at all that smoke!

Aunt Hil feeding Lena birthday cake.

Hanging out with Uncle Scott.

The evening ended with Jim trying to give Tom a goodbye hug (and kiss!). It was hilarious!

So the party was a great success. I'm glad I did it, but it was a lot of work! Planning two major birthday parties in one year was quite enough for me! No more parties for us for a while.

Thanks so much to Mom, Hilary, and Scott for all of your help. And thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us. Jim was so glad to have you all there!