Happy birthday - part I

Mr. Big's birthday has come and gone. We celebrated for about two weeks straight...first locally and then with a big trip to Las Vegas. It was loads of fun, but it came at a price. This household packed on a whopping 12 pounds in two weeks of indulgence! This is part I of a three post recap (covering exactly where those pounds came from).

For the local party, we celebrated with about 80 friends. Of course, yours truly couldn't just throw up a few "Happy Birthday" signs (which would have been more than Mr. Big expected). I was inspired by these votives, but couldn't come close to stomaching such a crazy price tag to create an ambience.


Instead, the lovely Martha Stewart helped create a similar feel with white paper bags, a bit of sand, and small candles. I got the bags ready and enlisted the help of four kids to help fill the sand. They methodically filled each bag with just the right amount of sand and carefully placed a candle in each one. It was a fun project, albeit completed about 15 minutes before the start of the party (in our typical style...)



We hung white Christmas lights and a few Cince de Mayo flower balls to keep the festive mood.


We even brought in a few extra tables for dining on the dock. Fortunately, the rain stayed away (despite pouring most of the day) and a mosquito couldn't be found anywhere. That's Mr. Big for you...lucky, lucky, lucky.


The margarita bar stayed busy, tequila was served in ice shot glasses, and Mexican food filled our stomachs. Unfortunately, I was having too much fun that I completely forgot to get the camera out during the party! Good lesson for next time...

Most people wandered home around 1am, but the pool table and cigars remained active until 3:30am...proving that we're not getting that old. By the end of the night, things were looking about this hazy. And yes, Mr. Big's party hat was out in full force.


Even poor little Jordan couldn't keep his eyes open at the end of the evening, even though he still needed to be the center of everyone's attention (of course).


It was a lovely evening and we were fortunate to share it with many fanstastic friends. Thanks to everyone who joined and celebrated the big guy with us!