SURPRISE!!!!

This past Saturday night was like a breath of fresh air. Literally. The fam got together for a surprise party for my Aunt DeeDee (whose age shall remain confidential) at her house outside of Shattuck. It’s so pretty out there…the air feels so fresh and clean. Uncle Lonnie has been planning this surprise for awhile now and recruited her brothers and sisters to help out. Aunt Lana kept her busy all afternoon with shopping and getting their nails done while we all waited for her to arrive. While we waited I was having an itchy trigger finger and I just needed to get to snapping some pretty faces with my camera. Spencer and Bailey served as my subjects and I’m sure Hallie enjoyed a nice break from camera time while she ran to the grocery store with great aunt Lisa. Here’s a glimpse of my pretend engagement pic session….

The birthday gal was taking a little bit longer than planned so we found plenty of ways to keep busy….

It was time to gather round and greet the birthday gal as she pulled up. It was so fun watching her expression as she stepped out of the truck and walked up with Lana’s arm around her….

She was completely surprised!!! Lonnie and his helpers did a great job with everything and I’m convinced that we need to do that more often. It’s official, everyone gets a surprise party! Every year! How fun would that be?! I’m guessin’ that Lonnie earned some major points for being such a great husband….

Hallie was a free spirit outdoors exploring every inch of the yard and getting into and onto things she probably shouldn’t have. While being the curious toddler that she is, she made a friend. Seven-year-old Tatum befriended our girl and made sure to let me know that she could take care of Hallie all alone. ;) A rousing game of peek-a-boo had me smiling almost as big as Hallie was…..

My cousin’s wife, Amy, and I have been anxious to get Hallie and her handsome cousin Aaron together for awhile now. Their last playdate was quite a while ago and we couldn’t wait to see how they would interact now that they were a bit older.  We plopped them both on the grass facing eachother and my independent woman was up and running within two seconds.

"Sorry cuz, but I've got places to go, people to see..."

"I'm outta here"

"Man, she's cold"

She wanted no part of this organized play time. We tried this two more times and the result was the same. Not until we got them on the swing together did they actually acknowledge the other….

"Sit back so you don't fall off the edge"

Little stinkers

It took a whole crew to keep the babes’ eyes on the camera…this included me jumping up and down like a fool…but hey, it worked.

I think this is the point where they realized we'd tricked them into smiling and playing with one another....

"Hey Aaron, do you see what just happened?"

My food scavenger went in search of her next person to snag food and drink from.....

"Ah, that was too easy...."

"Are these the cold ones?"

"It's like taking candy from a baby"

You may be wondering where on earth Riley is in all of this story. It turns out I couldn’t drag him away from all of the fun that moving brings. I, on the other hand, was ready for a much-needed break from the lifting, packing and sorting. Not only did I not have to do any heavy lifting, but it was also nice to have a break from chasing around a certain one-year-old. She had plenty of family members to keep her occupied. She even got to meet some of mom’s cousins from Texas who joined us from the party. And of course she got in plenty of time with Gman and Great Meme….

"Meme, you know we too well...."

"Gman, dude, I'm stuffed."

The weather was wonderful and cooperated for the party. A nice quiet evening on the outskirts of town with the only sounds being those of people laughing. What a perfect night! Here are a few snapshots of our fun......

Hallie ended the evening with a little indecent exposure on the riding lawn mower....

With a little help from Aunt Lisa she fixed her shorts and her riding form....

Finally, finally at the very end of the night we were able to get the two babes to interact. Although it only involved stealing eachother’s binkies, it was a sign of love…

What a way to celebrate a beautiful lady, a wonderful wife, grandmother, sister, and a great aunt! Happy ?th birthday Deedee!!!