Sweet Surprises

June 21st came and went...not without cake and ice cream, of course, but without friends and games and goody bags.  Christian Joseph, my last little boy, turned 8 this year.  In this family, because of the sheer number of members we have, we take turns on who gets a "big" party.  Mind you, a "big" party is not necessarily big, rather, it consists of the extra special things.  We have a group of our favorite friends over, cute (but cool) games planned, fun foods and good times.  For some reason, although the date never changes, every year Christian's birthday seems to sneak up on us.  That's right, there's always a million other chaotic life events going on where we/I feel that he somehow manages to more often than not miss out on having his turn at the "big" events.  This year...it happened again.  We had a Royfam7 birthday.  He was so sweet and never once complained, but did ask if his friends were going to be able to come over.  Sniff.  We told him to be patient.  Be patient?!  For what exactly, I wasn't sure.  The only thing I did know is that Mike and I were in agreement we were not going to allow this birthday to pass us by without a good celebration...even if it was late.  After weeks of deliberation, scheduling conflicts, more family stuff we picked a weekend and decided the entire thing would be a surprise!  I'm a sucker for surprises, especially when it comes to my kiddos.  As the preparations began to come together, I was more than shocked at how every little detail seemed to fall into place.  It was as if this was somehow the way it was meant to be.  Huh...maybe there is something to being late.  If that's the case then things will definitely be looking up for me, as punctuality is not a strong point for me.  Anyhow, I digress.  The big kids were such dolls to help me plan and keep everything a secret.  Even they were excited for their little brother.  As for all the friends, well I made sure I only spoke to their parents.  I know kids can't keep secrets...not. my. first. rodeo.  The big day was finally upon us and 3 things happened.

(1) I got sick.
(2) My parents had to cancel their trip to visit because I was sick.
(3) I realized Mike had to work most of the day.

Now I knew why God had allowed everything to fall into place so perfectly.  Only He could have seen the curve balls ahead.  Aside from a little added stress, the show went on.  My antibiotics had kicked in, Mike made it home in time to help and Christian was able to go play with a buddy while we got everything set up.  When he walked into the house he was immediately surrounded by friends all shouting "SURPRISE!  Happy Birthday!"  The look on his face...pure joy!  It took everything in me to keep myself together.  I was just so happy for him.

 

Although Mr. Weatherman called for thunderstorms all day, God blessed us with a beautifully clear 3 hours for the kids to play, play, play!  God's grace never ceases to amaze me!