SuRpRiSe!

One of our family traditions is throwing a SuRpRiSe birthday party when our sons turn 10. They never know when it's going to be or what form it will take. When our oldest son turned 10, we decided to go bowling as a family. When he rounded the corner to pick out his bowling ball, all of his friends (donned in personalized bowling shirts) jumped out and yelled, "SURPRISE!" It was such a fun-filled night!

Our middle son turned 10 just a few weeks ago (see post below). He awoke this morning, believing that this would be an ordinary Saturday. He soon learned it would be anything but ordinary! His dad and I excitedly announced that today was his day! I felt like I was the announcer on "Price is Right" as I enthusiastically described the morning's plans!

You see, the surprise party was a surprise for his friends, too. Prior to today, I'd spoken with all of his his friends' parents and they'd promised that they'd keep our secret under lock and key. I'd arranged for our son to arrive early in the morning to wake their unsuspecting sons and whisk them away for amazing fun and adventure!

Once the van was filled with all the buddies, the first stop was breakfast at a favorite restaurant. Our son loves breakfast, so it was only natural to start out the day with chocolate chip pancakes and bacon!

With tummies full, we went on our first (but certainly not our last) letterboxing excursion! The boys were really into it, and they loved following the clues to the hidden box. Our son is a true outdoorsman, so enjoying and exploring nature was just another natural choice for his birthday!

When the boys discovered the box, our son stamped the enclosed journal with an appropriate stamp...a porcupine saying "Happy Birthday." In turn, each one of the boys left their mark on the page. Then we carefully put everything back in the box for future adventurers to discover!

Needless to say, it was definitely a high energy morning of memory-making and fun with friends!