Celebrations

 Late May and the first half of June are some of the busiest times of the year for our family. This year it was even busier. We have celebrated with friends retiring and had two birthdays with family. 

My post today is to document the celebrating, but if you stick around to the end you will see it has been a little bit harried to say the least. The celebrations were still special and sometimes the craziness that comes with the days makes the good times even more important.

The first celebration ended up being a 2 FOR 1 Deal. Our niece Kristan comes each year from Texas. We try to get our small family together each year. Kristan is Lindsay and Paul Allen's only cousin. I have no siblings and Jeff has only one niece from his two siblings. Until Tucker arrived on the scene, Kristan's twins were the star of the show.

They still are but now they share it with Tucker. We planned our visit for Tuesday night. With Jeff's birthday two days away and it being his 60th, I decided to see if I could make it a surprise birthday party for him. FAMILY only party, but just a way to celebrate him.

The kiddos.

You may remember last September I had my 60th and the kids gave me a themed party. I loved it. At our age we don't need anything but what fun that was! 

After texting back and forth with the kids we came up with a "Born to Rock" party. 

Jeff has always loved rock music. It makes for "discussions" in the truck on trips when I want some calming old country music and he wants to listen to rock. I can take about two songs and I am out.

I did manage to surprise him and for me that was the goal!!!!

I ordered 3 banners to hang around the house. Here is one of them.

Tucker and PaPa rocking out.

Tucker was with me that day...More about that later. He was a little concerned that all the attention was going to PaPa and not him. I think he might need a little brother:)

Mother made a cake. 

When it came time to blow out the candles he wanted to help.

I made some brownies for the kids adding guitars to carry on the theme.

Donna added the fun with a shirt that Jeff wouldn't be caught in. I am sure I will have it as a sleep shirt or work shirt later.

We enjoyed pizza and family time.

On Jeff's actual birthday we had a simple out to eat at the Mexican restaurant where we had a long wait. There is a story coming soon about waiting in restaurants. Not today though.

We celebrated Paul Allen's birthday on Saturday. Jeff and Paul Allen have birthdays two days apart. Lindsay and I both have September birthdays.

I didn't have any candles so I made him blow out a candle in a votive:)

Now, there was one more birthday in all this! Gus turned 4 this week also. Mommy can't forget to celebrate him too. He got in on all the festivities.

Oh and Jeff and Paul Allen had a morning fishing since my last post. This happened Saturday a week ago. Paul Allen really gave his dad the best birthday present he could have given him with time on the boat fishing with him. They caught supper that night.

Jeff, Paul Allen, and Katie are leaving after church today for an overnight fishing trip to the east coast so I am grand dog sitting.

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Now, as you can see we have had some really good times, but wow...it has been crazy too.

Mother had an episode that involved a visit in the middle of the night to her home and then having her spend the next night with us. Watching a parent age is not fun. Good good days mixed in with some hard too.

Lindsay and Tucker have been really sick. I have kept Tucker so much that I was completely exhausted and plan to spend the day while Jeff and the kids are fishing too lay on my tail...praying Mama stays healthy and happy so I can do just that.

I will say keeping a baby is much easier than keeping a 2 and half year old. He is better and for that I am thankful.

Lindsay has had an awful cold and finally had to take an antibiotic and was told she could take Sudafed. In true family form (like her dad and brother) that was a HUGE no no. She ended up in the hospital ER for a day with an extremely high heart rate and then contractions that wouldn't let up. It was way too early for a baby to come.

Each time she thought she would be able to go home something else would happen. She ended up having to take the drug that is used to stop contractions. She is starting to feel better. 

Yea, in between the good there was lots of stress and tiredness. 

I actually made it all the way to Sandestin to the hospital through so much traffic that I began to wonder how in the world will she ever get to the hospital when she actually goes into labor. I am still pondering that and PRAYING about that.

Then I left to go back into that madness to go pick Tucker up from daycare. Just par for the course there was a bomb threat at our courthouse and that locked traffic down in the other direction even worse than I had already been through. 

In between all that celebrating I was a tired stressed girl but like I said at the beginning...it can make you even more grateful for the good.

Counting blessings,

Sandy