"Life has just begun!"

Eric is 30! Hooray! It was a pretty exciting day. The kids and I started the morning out with a quick trip to H.E.B. to get the requested birthday donuts and some candles. NEVER take young children who are very excited about a birthday with you if that's all you expect to come out with! We also picked up balloons, birthday horns, plates, and a card, which really wasn't too much compared to what I had to bargain down! The day before Isaac and Carter made Eric a big birthday banner that we hung and we decorated the dining room and the "birthday" tree.

Ashlyn helped herself to the donuts. After gnawing off the top of one, she was ready to go after another, but I just flipped it over for her. She got very excited and said "Thank you, Mommy!"

We had Eric's traditional "birthday" tree decorated beautifully until Ashlyn got a hold of it. Notice there are no balloons on the bottom half of the tree. Ashlyn thought it was hilarious to take them off and bite them until they popped.

After breakfast, Eric and the boys went and shot bows, and then we took the boys shopping and to the movies. When we got home, I desperately tried to frost Eric's cake and clean the house in an hour. Yes, I procrastinate, but we had planned on an earlier movie and no shopping! Anyway, I had to try and have everything nice before we met Eric's parents for dinner for the big SURPRISE party afterward. Thanks Amanda for saving me after a panicked call of "Please help!" Dinner was great and then we headed home. I haven't been able to surprise Eric for ANYTHING lately (not even his Christmas and Birthday presents), so I was feeling pretty smug that he didn't have a clue about what was waiting for him. Well, he of course had to drive in a different entrance to our apartment complex then he usually does and just started laughing when he saw all of our friends' minivans lined up in a row. He told me not to feel bad, though. "It's just like finding out what you're having at the ultrasound instead of waiting until the baby is born. It's still exciting!"

We can't all get together without our youngest party goers. As the four years have gone, it has gotten harder and harder for all of us to fit in one apartment!

Not just anyone can do it, I'm sure - but Eric blew out all 30 candles like a champ!

Can you find him through the haze?

I've been a little nervous about how Eric would take the big 3-0. He's not one for growing old. But as people teased him about his ANCIENT age, his best response was "Life ending? Are you kidding? I'm getting my first real job this year. Life has just begun!" Happy Birthday!