Jake's 16th Surprise Party

On Saturday, my sister & brother-in-law threw a big 16th surprise birthday party for my nephew, Jake. Can it really be true that he is going to be 16 already? I remember his birth...I was a junior in high school and my mom got me out of school when my sister was going to the hospital that day. I drove like a maniac to get home so we could get to the hospital in time for his birth. What an exciting moment for our family welcoming the first grandson & for me, becoming an aunt for the first time!

That's one proud stylin' Aunt!

My sister asked us if we could come up with a plan to keep Jake away on Saturday until the big surprise. So Kevin called him up and asked if he wanted to spend the day with him and then we would take him out to dinner that night. Shanna had all the guests really dress up and had a "tie" theme, so we told him that we wanted him to bring his suit & tie because we were going to take him to a really nice restaurant. To get Jake back to his house, we told him that his dad wanted to borrow a drill from Kevin and that we were going to drop it off quickly before going to dinner. When we arrived, their parking lot was full of cars and their house was full of his friends & family. Everyone was asked to bring a tie as a gift or as part of their gift that reminded them of Jake, then share a story about why they chose it. I gave him a red tie to remind him of the day that he broke my nose and made it bleed a lot. He was four (Caedmon's age) and our family was having a picnic at the Hurshtown Reservoir. Everyone was throwing rocks into the water, so he did the same except his (a really big one) hit me right on the nose instead of making it in the water. Kevin was standing right beside me thankfully and caught me in his arms before I collapsed into the water. There was a lot of bleeding and a broken & very swollen nose! I've given him a hard time since. =)
A devotional challenge to the teens by Clint, Jake's DadRylie dressed in one of Jake's suitsWe're all very proud of you, Jake, and the man that you are becoming. You bring a lot of laughter & joy to our family. May you continue to be a shining light & positive influence to those around you! Happy 16th! We love you!

Watch out drivers, here he comes!