Surprise! Remember it was your B-day?

My son turned 10. Yes...he turned 10 in December. Yes...I have felt the guilt that his birthday was skipped over. I felt the guilt multiplied when I read blogs about other people's kid's birthdays.....usually accompanied by a list of why they love the kid.
Ryan had given up. There would not be a party (which is sad because I told him last year that 10 would be his last official birthday party). But, I had some tricks up my sleeve. I decided that if we were going to have a party, it HAD to be Friday. I decided that this would be a good chance to have a surprise party...he was so not thinking birthday anymore.

I decided we would embrace Minnesota winter and go tubing. The plan was to hit Trapp Farm tubing hill in Eagan. Invites out. 13 kids coming. Biggest snow storm of season scheduled the day before. PERFECT! Ry has no idea. HOORAY. As I am blabbing to everyone I see about the surprise party, I am told that Trapp Farm is closed for the season. What? Feb. and March are the snowiest months around here...what? Panick! We decide that Buck Hill ski and tubing hill would be better anyway. Especially because it is OPEN.

The party worked! Ryan was so surprised. In fact I don't think that he really understood why all these people were jumping out at him until they started singing Happy Birthday.

The cake helped set the theme.

I had never been tubing at Buck Hill. It was wonderful. We got there early, so it was not to crowded yet. We didn't even have to carry their tubes up the hill. We just attached the tube to a rope tow and rode up and down the hill. The kids seemed happy and had fun.

Here is Ry with his friend Trevor. Trevor has been to EVERY single one of Ry's parties. Here are some more of the party goers. That is the strap used to attach to the rope tow.

Quote of the day: "I should have been susupicious because you WERE cleaning the house." "That was the best day ever!"