Fifty and Fabulous!

What a weekend we had! For those who don't know, my mom turned 50 on Saturday!!!! Normally I would have written a touching post about how much I adore her and listed all of the things she has taught me. That didn't happen for a few reasons. First, I'm sure blogger has a limit on how long a post can be. Second, I was busy getting everything ready for my mom's "surprise" party. Third, I was also getting ready for company because our awesome Oklahoma family that I talk about so often was coming in for the aforementioned party to surprise my mom!! So she gets this post instead!

The party was a success. I was getting nervous about having enough space and food. Turns out, we had just enough of both. The day was absolutely beautiful (highs in the upper 60's) so the kids were able to run outside and stay busy. The new boathouse at Springfield Lake is AWESOME and even came complete with about 15 deer running and playing outside as the sun went down. It was such a fun evening. A HUGE thank you to the following:

1. Steph, Scot, Jarad and Ashley for helping with the party! I couldn't have done it without you.

2. Auntie Karen who came and took WONDERFUL pictures and Uncle Keith for being her date!

3. Pam, Steve and my wonderful mother-in-law who came early to help set up and wrangle the children.

4. ALL of the people who came out to celebrate!!! Mom was SO surprised when she walked in and saw 80+ people cheering!

5. A special thank you to Aunt Donna (we missed you Uncle Bobby, but we understand someone has to hold down the farm!) and also to Clint and Dana. They heard about the party and instantly replied that they would NEVER miss a chance to celebrate my momma! Thank you for making the trip and making her day so special. We love you guys!

6. Richard's Hawg Wild BBQ in Aurora who catered in the food. It is AWESOME BBQ and so reasonable. I highly recommend them! We have used them a few times and it's wonderful EVERY time.

7. The Boathouse and Marina at Lake Springfield. They were great to work with and it is such a beautiful place. The kids loved running around on the deck outside and we opened up all of the sliding doors for a wonderful breeze. (I tried to link, but it's not working for some reason)

I am going to do a slideshow but couldn't wait to share a few pictures! (I just saved them from shutterfly, so the resolution may not be that great...my fault....NOT Auntie Karen's!!!!)

Part of the group....sorry to the people on the right side, I am gonna work on photoshopping you in.

Clint reminding Mom that the first time they met, mom was in her 30's!

Steph & Levi

Party boy.

My Favorite Aunt!

Jarad and Lulu (Alivia)

These centerpieces were simple but LOTS of fun! Everyone had a good chuckle as they browsed the pictures of mom from the "old" days! I filled them with her favorite candy, Tootsie Rolls!

I LOVED that the little ones were crowded around waiting to wish Nanny a Happy Birthday!