Pages

Monday, September 9, 2013

UP Birthday

So I found this half-written post of mine that I had started before we moved...
Rather than re-write it, I'm going to just post it as-is.
Simply because I can.
& also because I giggled a little when I read through it just now.


I've had so much going on with the move that I've really been slacking on my blog.
But that is a-o-kay with me...
I honestly don't want to have to stress about catching up on here in addition to the other million things that need to get done.
But I will still write a little here and there.
I will publish my posts once my thoughts are actually complete.
I am entitled to a break from packing every now and then right?
Good, because I am burnt out with this whole packing/moving thing & want it to be done already!

So we had a Cars party for Little Dudeman's birthday a while back
and the following weekend we had an UP themed birthday party for Hubby's 30th...
Ya know...
Since he's growing "Up".
I'm punny.
He really wanted to avoid his 30th birthday altogether, but I told him that it was inevitable.
Sooner or later he would have to face the fact that we all get older, and that it's not such a terrible thing.
It just allows for different phases of our life to happen.
For example, take Carl in the movie UP...
We get to watch him & Ellie grow old together,
and that's a beautiful thing.
We get to see how life can be an adventure,
and that we create new adventures throughout each phase of our life.

Hubby recently decided he wants to learn how to fly...
So for part of his birthday present,
I told him that he can start flying lessons after we move
so that he can get his pilot license.
What an awesome new adventure now that he's 30 right?


We had a busy, yet fun-filled weekend.
I spent all day Friday making 'balloon' cake pops
& filling up balloons with helium.


After work, he was greeted with this Spirit of Adventure balloon attached to a stick.
I forgot to take a picture of it flying solo,
but at least I remembered to take a picture at some point.


He saw the rest of them when he got into the kitchen...


You see, I had sent a facebook message to family & friends asking them to write messages on the balloons and then mail them to me.
I'd say I got a pretty good response (:


81 balloons.
Only 2 partial losses.
One flew away (to the ceiling).
One casualty while I was filling it with helium.
(which I laid next to the house so he could read the message)
We had pizza for dinner, then watched Up.

Saturday morning I gave him a Wilderness Explorer pin badge and told him,
"The wilderness must be explored! Caw, caw, RAWR!"
I informed him that we had some badges to earn...
I was going to make sashes & everything, but time got the better of me with the move.
Ah well.
First, we went to the park and had a picnic lunch in 110+ degree weather.
It. was. hot.
The kids wanted to play at the playground, so we spent quite a bit of time there.




We looked at the clouds and tried to make shapes out of them.
We didn't see any turtles, flying elephants, or babies,
but we did see some pretty cool clouds.
To be honest, I don't remember what shapes we saw.
I guess that's what I get for finishing this post almost 4 months after the party...

 After the park, we visited the Palm Springs Air Museum.
It was pretty cool since we had never been there before.


Hubby even got to try out a flight simulator!
Well, sorta...
They have a super advanced one that he wanted to try,
but they wouldn't let him since he doesn't have his pilots license yet.
Lame.
Instead they let him do a computer game version...


It was pretty similar to the flying app that he's been playing on his phone & the tablet.
Only the lady wouldn't let him do that by himself either...
She was constantly hovering & telling him to do this or that rather than let him just do it.
Her instructions made him stall the plane when he already knew what to do.
Silly lady.
Never underestimate my Hubby (;

The museum was getting ready to close
and we had seen just about everything that we could see,
so we loaded up the car to head to our next stop.

We were going to get ice cream cones,
sit on the corner,
 and call out red & blue cars...
But it was waaay too hot.
We decided to just go home and have ice cream there instead.

When we got home I put 3 balloon shaped toothpick candles into one of the balloon cake pops.
Then we sang Happy Birthday so that he could blow out the candles & make a wish...


Cake Pop Flavors:
Red - vanilla cake w/ pink lemonade frosting & red candy melts
Orange - chocolate cake w/ orange frosting & orange sherbet flavored candy melts
Yellow - vanilla cake w/ homemade fruit dip & yellow candy melts
Green - vanilla cake w/ key lime frosting & key lime flavored candy melts
Blue - chocolate cake w/ cream cheese frosting & blue candy melts
Purple - mystery flavors of cake & frosting (basically whatever was left) & red/blue candy melt mixture

After getting stuffed with cake pops & ice cream,
it was time to open presents.
The kids & I got him some UP themed gifts...


Clockwise:
With this baby, you'll NEVER get lost! - Certificate for Black Ops II map packs,
81 balloons with messages from family & friends,
Paradise Falls jar with approximately $65 dollars of change in it,
Caramellos - His favorite chocolate to lure snipes (we all know Kevin loves chocolate),
an Adventure Book with plenty of pictures & memories of his life thus far,
his Wilderness Explorer badge,
and of course,
an Ellie badge...
He earned it.


Happy {belated} birthday Justin!
You're the besterest!


xoxo


48 comments:

  1. Wow- what an awesome idea!! So creative and very well thought-out! Happy (late) b-day to Justin! You can tell him it won't be too much longer before I'll be joining him in the growing "up" thing, too! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. 30 is but a babe...I'm 53...I just don't know how I got here so quickly. It sounds like a lovely birthday for the hubs. Moving is always a pain...but in a good way. Happy birthdays and settling in and flying!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow--such a fun idea. I love the messages on the balloons--might have to steal that idea! Oh and my little boy has the same shirt! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is an amazingly awesome birthday party idea.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How fun! You did such a great job celebrating your hubbies b-day even if it got posted a bit late :) I love "UP" theme! I would never have thought about doing that for an adult, but why not? I honestly love the movies as much as my kids do. I'm a new follower! It's nice to meet you, and thanks for bringing out the kid in me :) Krista @ A Handful of Everything

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the idea of getting birthday wishes from loved ones that are far away and putting them on balloons :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a fun idea for an adult birthday! I would never have considered it. You definitely themed it perfectly!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What an amazing birthday! You are so sweet to go to the all the trouble and what incredible friends you must have to send all those balloons! This is just such a cute, adorable and well-planned birthday. Just wow!!!
    xo ~kim & chloe

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the message on the balloon idea! Will have to remember this one for when the hubby turns 50!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very cute. I've never had a cake pop. Justin looks like he enjoyed his day. Tell him welcome to the club - Grownups!
    Jae Mac @ I'm Just Sayin'...(Damn!)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such a cute family! And I love the idea of the messages from family and friends on the balloons...

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is such fun idea to incorporate family and friends that couldn't be around for the occasion! That is really smart!
    I love the cake pops- making me crave cake in the middle of the day! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. That looks like it must have been such fun! Great job!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. An "Up" party -- that's way too cute! (And why didn't I ever think of that?? My youngest LOVES that movie and my oldest, 12 years older, is, too...hmmm, thinking about doing this for someone now that we enter our birthday phase.) Love the cake pops, too! Def look like balloons!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What an amazing gift you gave him. While I read the post I kept thinking, "she loves him SO MUCH!" It's so awesome to see you want him to reach his dream of being able to fly. It looks like everyone had a great time at the party. Justin is incredibly blessed ...
    Hugs & Blessings ...
    Lani
    Simply Fresh Vintage

    ReplyDelete
  16. What an awesome gift of love for your husband. As I was reading the post I kept thinking how blessed he is to have a wife that encourages him to follow and reach for his dreams.
    Enjoy the process of starting a new life in your new home. Enjoy your hubby and kids. The blog will always be here!
    Blessings ...
    Lani
    Simply Fresh Vintage

    ReplyDelete
  17. Awwww this is such a sweet party idea! My boyfriend LOVES the movie UP and cries every single time he sees it. He's such a sap but he's my sap! Awww how cute!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I don’t like packing either. The first sign I can tell I need a break from that task is when I wright something crazy on the box. Something like… “ I can’t remember what is in the box so SURPRISE you get to unpack it if it ends up in your room” I loved the movie UP, it made me cry and my hubby pretend he didn’t. Good times.. lol

    ReplyDelete
  19. Very creative idea! This must have made your husband feel so special :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Aww lovely pictures and what a great gift! Sadly my 30th birthday was last year, but hubby's is coming up fast in October, so you've given me some tips. Thanks :-)

    Leyla
    www.motherhooddiaries.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a great gift and celebration!!! Sweet idea to include messages from family and friends.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I will definitely remember your tip about getting family and friends to make comments and then writing it on the balloons. The personal touch is what makes it so special.

    ReplyDelete
  23. My all-time favorite movie is "UP!" I love what you did with this party. How creative!
    --Gena

    ReplyDelete
  24. What a wonderful day! I love seeing all the smiles. Love the UP theme with the cute cake pops, very creative. All the balloons signed and sent to you- what an awesome idea!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Looks like it was a fun party! I totally love the balloon idea. All that and you were in the middle of a move?! You go!

    ReplyDelete
  26. How creative! I never would have thought to have a "theme" birthday party like that for my husband. And what a good idea with the balloons. Those kind of touches really made it extra special.

    ReplyDelete
  27. What an awesome birthday you gave him!!! I LOVE the balloon message ideas the most. How special!!! :-) I'll have to remember that.

    ReplyDelete
  28. What a great party and birthday celebration. I want you to come and be in charge of all of our parties. Your kids are adorable.

    81 balloons...that is a big bundle!

    ReplyDelete
  29. i really love the messages on the balloons. what a thoughtful idea!!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wonderful idea. My little girl is addicted to UP. I must have seen it about 50 times! Maybe we need to do this theme for her next bday. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  31. wow! You are so creative! I really liked the balloon messages idea. We live so far away from all our family that this would be an awesome way to get everyone involved.

    ReplyDelete
  32. What a fantastic way to celebrate your husbands birthday. I loved all the little details and the balloon messages are just so thoughtful.

    ReplyDelete
  33. That was ADORABLE! I think I'll save the balloon idea for my kid's sweet 16, or graduation parties! GREAT thought!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. We love that movie! What a cool idea for hubby's birthday!! My hubbie's 40th is coming up, and think this is such a cute idea!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Oh that's a very nice concept! Wish I could also do something like that for my nephew's birthday. LOL I am a great UP movie fan and the idea for the party excites me excited. :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Cute pictures - cute party. Hope your boxes are unpacked now!

    ReplyDelete
  37. What a fun birthday idea. I love the house with all the balloons. It looks like you all had a great time and I LOVE the idea of having people write messages on the balloons. So fun!

    ReplyDelete
  38. I love themed parties! I especially love the idea with the balloons! We celebrate birthdays all day, too, with just the four of us. Looks like everyone had a blast!

    ReplyDelete
  39. What a great party and special day you had for your hubby. Wow, 30. All of my children are already in their 40's. I love the balloon thing. What a creative idea. Hope that your life has settled down a bit now.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I love the balloons idea! Looks so cute and creative. I am like you too when writing posts on my blog. I feel I have to have them complete in my own way, but I'm inspired by your post now to just post a spontaneous one too! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Wow. You have been super busy and moving too! I think it is great that your husband is going to fulfill one of his dreams. The party ideas were great too!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Wow! What a cool thing you did for your husband's birthday! Can I get on your list so you can do my next birthday?

    ReplyDelete
  43. Such a CUTE celebration of your husband! What a wonderful wife to take all that time and effort to make the day special!

    ReplyDelete
  44. How awesome! I do believe by the smile on his face he enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  45. That is so awesome! What a Pinterest worthy party! ;-) I love that movie. It is one of my favorites from Pixar and my boys love it too. Very cool idea.

    ReplyDelete
  46. This is so adorable! I love the movie Up. What a fun present as well; I'm sure he loved it. :)

    Lauren from www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  47. Very creative and what a cute idea. I pinned this post! Thanks for stopping by and linking up at Saturday Dishes Cakes & Party ideas.
    Blessings,
    Diane Roark
    recipesforourdailybread.com

    ReplyDelete