Monday, April 28, 2008

Happy Birthday Jennifer

Yahoo! The girls are excited about celebrating their mom's bday.


Our beloved and dear wife and mother turned 30 over the weekend. We had a fun time of opening presents, hanging out with friends, and eating cake. I reflected on just how wonderful it is to have Jennifer in my life for another year. She is friend, counselor, teacher, gardener, and all around grace-filled, strength-giving, and a help whoever-whenever-wherever-woman.
Friday night Hector and I watched our collective kids together for a bit while the moms went out for an adult birthday evening. Saturday morning we made birthday breakfast. Saturday afternoon Shael W., Jennifer's friend from Greenville, came down and they spent some hours together. The girls and I scrambled to get a carrot cake made (it tasted better than it looked), and tried to install Jennifer's birthday hammock (It's surprising how hard it is to stabilize a pole in the ground attached to a hammock). On Sunday Grandmother Gail (my mom) and Aunt Anna (my sister) came down and took us out for a birthday lunch. Happy birthday Jennifer. We love you very much.

Here is evidence that the cake was edible...OK, so there is more to it than just mixing the batter. That got me taste. But presentation. That is a whole-nother story. Level cake tiers, consistent icing spreading, these are not attainable for the uninitiated.




The birthday hammock. Mixed a little concrete, dug a whole. Sat in the hammock (after the concrete was set) and the pole leaned about 30 degrees. Dug the pole back out, knocked the concrete off, set it another 1.5 feet deeper, poured new concrete, packed in old concrete around it, crossed fingers, and it may last us through the summer (I had to fight one of those neurotic urges-I wanted to tell the girls not to swing just to save my pole's integrity. I resisted. They are loving it. The pole is not). Should last a little while though.


Birthday girl blowing candles. What was her wish?

7 comments:

William Kruidenier said...

Happy Birthday, Jen! I thought you were 24. (?) Looks can be deceiving, huh? :-)

jbulluck said...

Hey Daniel. Way to work hard to make that birthday unforgettable. Enjoyed the run-down, and your description of the hammock installation took the cake (sorry). Oh, how that sounds like endeavors of mine, especially when under a deadline.

And Jennifer, Happy Birthday to you. I am not believing this 30 thing.

Hey to to the little ladies.

much love to you all, jason

Tracee said...

Happy Birthday! We are just a few days apart...I am April 24. Daniel, awesome gifts and hard work for your wife's birthday. She's a lucky lady!

kellycowan said...

jen! i remembered you on the 26th! we actually had kanah and grace's first birthday party that day so it was all consuming (and fun!) as you can imagine. i've got to get geared up for 30 myself here in a month or so. let me know if you have tips! :) love you! happy birthday!! (*hey random -- when we come in september we will be going through columbia to go to the beach. maybe we can stop in?)

Kallie said...

Daniel, what labors of love! That is absolutely fabulous.

Anonymous said...

Hey all! I loved seeing ya'll this weekend. I love the 4 of you so much and am so proud that you're my family. Hope to see you soon. I love you!
Anna

Anonymous said...

Hi all! I love seeing you guys this weekend. I love the 4 of you so very much and hope to see you soon.
I love you,
Anna