Surprise! 40 is the New 30!

Eric turned 40 over the weekend, and with a lot of help from family and friends, we were able to pull off a very fun and celebratory surprise party at a local restaurant. This has been in the works for 3 months, and I am relieved that I no longer have to keep a secret and cover my tracks. Eric was truly surprised and had a wonderful fun-filled evening with local friends, old high school and college buddies, a few work colleagues and even our parents. To make it even better, he and I got to spend the night out in a hotel while his Mom babysat the kids.
After a lunch out with the family at Muss & Turner (above), we headed out on our own for a few errands and then to our hotel. Our plan was to meet up with a few other couples for a drink and some games at the very same place the party was to be held (which Eric coincidentally chose as the location to start our evening, feeding into my plan perfectly!). Meanwhile, my mom and Nick and 2 of Eric's dear friends from childhood were all on planes headed to the ATL. I couldn't even let the kids know that they would be seeing Grammy and Grandpa Nick, so they were also quite surprised when they showed up on our doorstep.
After a drink at the hotel bar with The Killimetts and The Jameses, we were on our way to Ormsby's, where The Dekels were camped out, waiting for guests to arrive and texting me the full report every few minutes. After arriving at Ormbsby's, Eric admits he became a little suspicious that something was up, but at that point, I had no worries. I knew he truly had no idea what (or who!) was hiding behind those curtains!

One of the best surprises of the evening was a visit from old friends Kristine and Dave Allyn (who are intent on letting everyone know that they are brother and sister - not husband and wife!). Eric has known these two all his life, and it was really special to have them join us.

Coincidentally, both of Eric's best friends from high school now live in the Atlanta area, though we don't get to see them nearly enough with our busy schedules. So it was another nice surprise to have Dave and Matt there to celebrate with us!
Most of you reading this know that Eric is always on top of everything safety related for the kids. Not long ago, Sophie coined the phrase "Danger Ranger" as his nickname, which naturally all of our friends think is hilarious. Eric received a monogrammed Danger Ranger T-shirt and hat from the Kings and Bergstroms. And thanks to the Seymours, we also have a Danger Ranger kit complete with a book and DVD on fire safety and all sorts of other potentially dangerous situations that the kids have already watched repeatedly. Jack has now been named our resident "Junior" Danger Ranger.

All in all, it was a GREAT night and I think it's safe to say that everyone had a lot of fun. But most importantly, Eric was so happy to be surrounded by so many loved ones, and he even told me this was the best secret I've ever kept :-). Here's hoping that 40 really is the new 30!!

Off to First Grade

In what seems like the blink of an eye, our little Sophie is officially a first grader! She was very excited to return to school, but not nearly as excited about the early wake up time (which was pretty brutal for Mommy and Daddy too). This year, she gets to return to the same classroom and will have the same teachers, only now she will sit on the other side of the room as a more experienced 6 year old that gets to guide the Kindergartners who are new to the "Mighty Multiage" class.

I remember exactly a year ago, how daunting it all seemed at first. While she was excited about school, she was certainly cautious about entering a classroom full of new faces. Instead, this year she bolted into the classroom last week at "sneak a peak" and proceeded to introduce herself to kindergartners and their families, welcoming them to the class. What a difference a year makes!

We are excited to see what this new year brings, and are confident that it will be a great one for Sophie!