Brian's Surprise 30th

I don't know anyone else that makes thirty look as good as Brian. I knew I had to do something BIG for the guy that NEVER wants anyone to make a fuss over him. After mulling it over I decide to do a city-wide scavenger hunt for the hubby. My parents did one of these for my aunt so the idea came from them. (Because Lord knows I have very few creative juices these days.) 

It literally took me six months to get everything planned out and there were STILL bumps along the way. But by the end of the night when Brian walked into his very own surprise birthday party it made everything worth it. 

The day before Brian received an anonymous letter in the mail telling him an address and time to arrive. He talked about it all day long and it made it really hard for me to keep everything a secret. His first stop was a luxury car rental where he was supposed to receive a Mercedes Benz for the weekend. However, Shanay-nay messed all the reservations up and Brian had to go on to the next secret spot without his car. Nonetheless that was my only hurdle and it ended up being a quality day despite the craziness at the starting line. 

His next few stops consisted of a haircut/shave, the shooting range, and an upscale hotel in Uptown, Charlotte for some r&r. At the hotel there was another secret letter that instructed him to go to a bar in the city. It stated that there would be a special guest waiting for him. Little did he know his older brother had driven into town! We were so thankful Erik was able to be here for his special day! Erik then treated him to drinks and gave him the last envelope that told him to meet me for dinner. 

He arrived thinking he was going to get a quiet evening with me. Little did he know all of our family and friends were waiting inside! The night was a total blast. 

A huge thank you to our best friends, Paul and Austyn. They were such a big help and the party really wouldn't have been the same without them! 

Happy dirty thirty to the love of my life and best friend! Can't wait to see what the next 30 years brings for us! 

Family, Freedom, and The Fourth

July hasn't even hit its midpoint and we have already done so much. We spent our 4th with Brian's entire family. We basically lived on the boat or at the pool.  Each day was jam packed with fun in the sun. Between Brady's birthday, family coming in town, and planning Brian's surprise 30th (more on that in a later post) it truly has been a whirlwind of craziness. Not to mention the final piece of our office renovation goes in tomorrow! (Another post on that one coming soooooooon.) 

 Our community goes all out for holidays. When we were newlyweds minus a kid we rarely thought twice about joining the fun, but now I look forward to all of the celebrations. One of our newest traditions is the 4th of July neighborhood parade. The fire station leads the way while all of the neighborhood kids deck out their bikes in streamers and balloons and race to the park. There the truck lets the hose go full blast at the top of the ladder and the kids stand under the sprinkler. Brady was seriously enthralled with all the big kids. It won't be too long before he is joining them. 

If you remember last year's 4th of July was full chaos. We wanted to go down to the middle of town to watch fireworks and set up camp. Well apparently so did everyone else in Lake Wylie. It was so crowded and with a one week old babe it was pretty stressful. So this year we took the "less is more" mantra and set up on the green by our house. We saw every fire work, it wasn't too loud, and there was maybe a handful of people around us. Perfect setup for cold drinks and soft music. Plus it made for one a happy baby. 

Birthday Party Fun

I LOVE parties. Weddings, showers, ravers, whatevs. I love a good party. Planning a kid's birthday party... seriously was almost the death of me. NEVER. AGAIN. We will be planning a simple to the point soiree from here on out.  That being said, would I do this day over again? ABSOLUTELY! Having all of our favorite people in one place together was the absolute best.

I'm not really into themes for Brady so I decided to stick with a fun summer mint and navy color scheme. We were able to reserve the beach park in our neighborhood for free. It made for the PERFECT venue. 

Because of the lake atmosphere I did incorporate some summer fun decorations. The shark and crab masterpieces were the work of Brian. One of my bestie's was able to use her silhouette to personalize all of the buckets (bought at Wal-mart) for less than a buck. The buckets were filled with goldfish, shovels, water balls, and bubbles. 

Brady's cake was the same cake from his cake smash photos. It was made by Sweet Anna's Cakes. She seriously makes the best cakes and has the most reasonable prices. His bunting and glittered candle were quick DIY projects. 

All of the insanity that went into planning this party was completely worth it once I watched Brady eat his birthday cake. We sang Happy Birthday while he danced to the tune. After looking to me for approval he revved up and dove head first into the cake. That memory will be one that makes me smile for years to come! 

Happy Birthday Brady Walker! You make our lives so very rich and exciting! 

A Year in Review

 

We have been partying nonstop over here. Between Brady's birthday, July 4th prep, and all of our favorite people stopping in for a little staycation action it has been a revolving door. And we LOVE it! Brady's birthday was a huge success! Even the weather decided to show up and out with some of the most beautiful sunniness we have seen.

One of my favorite projects for his party was a 'Year in Review' board. It showcased one picture from every month that Brady has been with us. How awesome it was to see his little face and personality grow. I wanted to give everyone a little peek just in case you weren't able to party down with us.

We are so excited to watch Brady continue to grow and learn and thrive now that he is the big 1. Our family photographer, Kristin Dustman of Kristin Dustman Photography took some amazing birthday photos! As always she never ceases to impress me with the moments she captures in our family. 

And now for some cake smash fun...

Little baby Brady you have captured our hearts and we can't say enough how much we love you! Happy Birthday sweet boy!