Surprise!

When you have 5 children, there is always a birthday on the horizon. There have been some years where we've taken a year off of birthday parties and used that energy and money to do other things. When Abby turned 10, we had an all-out slumber party and we told her that we would not be having another party until she turned 13. Instead, we would let the littles have parties for a while. She agreed and we haven't discussed it since.

However, when her 12th birthday was approaching this year, I just had the sense that I wanted to do a party. For a variety of reasons, it seemed like a good idea. But, since she wasn't expecting it at all, I thought it might be fun to try and surprise her. It helped that she was at camp the week before the party, so it gave me time to make and mail invites as well as plan and pick up supplies.

I just knew someone in her Sunday School class would spill the beans at church, but they didn't and we were truly able to surprise her. So much so, that she had to go to her room for a few minutes to regain her composure before she joined the fun. When it was all said and done, she had a great time!

Ready and waiting. Aren't those lovely flowers Ryan cut out of a highway ditch for me?

She thought she was coming home to rest up after her annual birthday shopping day with Grandma, but...

instead she was coming home to this gaggle of girls!

Everything was orange. Here they are playing "orangeagories."

Decorating flip-flops.

Enjoying orange snacks and that orange punch was a big hit. Several girls asked for the recipe, which cracked me up. They are changing into little homemakers, already!

Our orange cake. My second try at homemade fondant, and it worked!

The birthday girl!

Sisters