SURPRISE!
Finally. A chance to sit down, take a breath and sneak a blog post in. This past week was insanely hectic finalizing details for my Mom's 50th surprise party. We booked the party room at The Lookout Bar & Grill back in December and felt like we had plenty of time to plan the perfect party. As usual, time snuck up on us - but I think we actually accomplished most of our visions.
During this entire experience, I learned throwing a surprise party is difficult. I talk to my Mom everyday, so the last few weeks I really had to be careful to make sure I didn't give anything away. The week my parents were in Missouri celebrating the 4th of July, we snuck into their house to raid the photo boxes. Mitch and I shared quite a few laughs looking through pictures of my parents. Classic 1980's and 1990's wardrobes and big hair.
Not only were we keeping the party a surprise, but my Mom's entire family was making the trip to Minnesota to help us celebrate. They did a great job keeping everything a secret, and going along with our plans. My Aunt Nita played the distraction role. She talked to my Mom a few months ago and expressed her interest in visiting sometime this summer. She stuck to our plan, and said flights were cheapest her birthday weekend. My Mom was distracted with entertaining Aunt Nita Friday & Saturday, so we were able to pick up Aunt Joan from the airport and have my Grandma, Grandpa, Judy, Aunt Margie and Shane sneak into town.
By 7pm on Saturday the patio room at The Lookout was stuffed with friends and family waiting for my Mom to arrive. I got the text that they were in the parking lot, and everyone took their places. SURPRISE! She was taken back, and definitely surprised. We spent the rest of the night sharing old stories, laughing and chatting with family and old friends. It's safe to say the birthday girl had a great night, and a wonderful 50th!
During this entire experience, I learned throwing a surprise party is difficult. I talk to my Mom everyday, so the last few weeks I really had to be careful to make sure I didn't give anything away. The week my parents were in Missouri celebrating the 4th of July, we snuck into their house to raid the photo boxes. Mitch and I shared quite a few laughs looking through pictures of my parents. Classic 1980's and 1990's wardrobes and big hair.
Not only were we keeping the party a surprise, but my Mom's entire family was making the trip to Minnesota to help us celebrate. They did a great job keeping everything a secret, and going along with our plans. My Aunt Nita played the distraction role. She talked to my Mom a few months ago and expressed her interest in visiting sometime this summer. She stuck to our plan, and said flights were cheapest her birthday weekend. My Mom was distracted with entertaining Aunt Nita Friday & Saturday, so we were able to pick up Aunt Joan from the airport and have my Grandma, Grandpa, Judy, Aunt Margie and Shane sneak into town.
By 7pm on Saturday the patio room at The Lookout was stuffed with friends and family waiting for my Mom to arrive. I got the text that they were in the parking lot, and everyone took their places. SURPRISE! She was taken back, and definitely surprised. We spent the rest of the night sharing old stories, laughing and chatting with family and old friends. It's safe to say the birthday girl had a great night, and a wonderful 50th!
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| The next day... LAZY! |
It also happened to be Maple Grove Days this past weekend. They kick off the weekend long event on Thursday with their annual parade. It's always a very long parade full of marching bands, cheerleaders and dance teams, city ambassadors, and other local businesses. We decided to bring Harper up to the festivities Thursday night and introduce her to the madness that is the Maple Grove Days parade. Since we live pretty close, we decided to load up the stroller and walk. Amanda and Nick joined us for a quick dinner, then we were on our way. We finally settled in at the parade, seeing many familiar faces along the way. Harper spent most of her time sitting in the grass eating her puffs and hanging out with Jenna's dog, Dude Juris. It's always a fun time of year. A mid summer gathering of the city, where you see old high school classmates and co-workers with their families. I can see this parade becoming a tradition in the Helleen house.
Harper turned 7 months officially on Sunday. In the last month she has conquered a lot. Eating solids, check. Going from her belly to a sitting position, check. Crawling, check. Pulling herself up, check. Every week it seems like she unveils a new trick. It's so much fun watching her grow, but sometimes I think she might think she's a little bigger than she actually is. We're in the process of baby proofing the house since she is consistently crawling around. Yesterday, we were getting ready to go to Mitch's softball game and I was running from room to room to make sure we had everything we needed. I had a little shadow following me, that shadow being Harper. She would crawl her way room to room, trying to figure out what I was doing. She is quite curious about everything, which is another major reason we're in baby-proofing mode. I still don't have a tooth picture to share, she keeps those things well hidden. Usually by a hand or toy in her mouth. I'm convinced I'll eventually get a photo of her two pearly whites.
This weekend I'm looking forward to relaxing. Sleeping in, even if that means 7am when Harper wakes up. Laying around, maybe soak up some rays. No plans, just going with the flow.
Until next time...
The Helleen's
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