Oh NUTS! Look who's 60!!

Ok, it's kind of hard to admit, but I am, indeed, turning 60.   Not that I'm one to spend much time dwelling on age, but I do recall thinking that 60 was "old" in my youth.  On the other hand, I also recall wondering if I'd end up being "pleasingly plump" and dressing in cotton shifts, as it seemed that is what Grandmas wore when I was a little girl.  Except for my Baba, her preference was velour pantsuits. What a trend setter!

Well,  here I am, a Grandma for nearly nine years, so you'd think I would have made some connection to age.  Not many grey hairs yet, but obviously plenty of "laugh lines", which we all know is just a nice way of saying wrinkles. And I'm pleased to announce that I don't own one cotton shift or, for that matter,  a velour pant suit either.

And so, sixty really isn't bad is it?  In fact, I was recently made aware that it is, indeed, a reason to celebrate.  And, how lucky am I to have children who would make the effort to assure that this year started out so special?

On Saturday, when I arrived at Stacey's house for a "steak and cake" dinner with she and her family, I  was overwhelmed when I opened the door and heard, "SURPRISE!"

And it was obvious that I was the guest of honor at an amazing party!   Not only were Amy and Jim with his family there, but my brother and his wife had driven from Va,  and my parents had made the trip across the state, all unbeknownst to me.   

Guests included several of my close friends from the area, as well as my nephew and his wife.  (Unfortunately, our oldest daughter was unable to make the drive.) Everyone, including my husband, had managed to keep the event a complete surprise!   

I know what you are thinking.....well....it's a surprise party....it's supposed to be a surprise.  But we all know how easy it is to let something slip, and I had to laugh when my son mentioned that they turned off their location apps on their phones, just in case I might think to check to see where they were.  (No worries....I DON'T make a habit of checking their whereabouts.)

It was obvious that Stacey had somehow managed to plan quite a party right under my nose,  which couldn't have been easy, as I was at her house several times over the last few weeks, with the most recent being on Wednesday!  

Amy and Jim both took a vacation day on Friday so that they could drive out to help with some of the last minute preparations.  And I can just imagine the chaos that must have ensued with four kids, five adults, and a pig all under one roof!

At the end of the day, I heard Amy say, "Well, Stacey.....we managed to pull it off".  And, that they did.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might recall my Sneaky Snacky Squirrel series, which seems to have entertained many followers, and has since been a source of imaginative gifts from my children from socks to books to figurines and ornaments.  

So, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to read that the theme behind the party featured Sneaky, or at least the premise of Sneaky!  And what fun they had with that!

There were these scrumptious cookies made by Amy

Chocolate dipped Oreos made by Stacey

and packaged so beautifully

A box for each guest to take home:

How special was that?

Squirrels on the cake

and a Squirrel piñata (also made by Stacey)  filled with candy.  I can't quite figure out where she found the time to do all this!  Let's face it....that's one HUGE squirrel.

Luckily, the weather was fine, so the Piñata could hang outside on a tree, setting up some real entertainment by these two: 

I didn't personally see that set of Squirrel cheers, but I did find those photos to be extremely amusing.

By now, you must have noticed the personalized shirts, each sporting a squirrel on the back

with the front featuring the the name I am called by the wearer: Mom, Gramma G, Gamma, Barbara Ann or Barb, whichever applies, and note that the "0" in 60 was actually an acorn!  How clever was that?  

A photo booth was set up for fun, and as you can see,  there were plenty of laughs

Did you notice the squirrel peeking through in some of those photos?  He certainly can be sneaky!

I'm not sure if my brother was avoiding the photo booth, but there was no escaping!  I think that squirrel is smiling at him!  

Back outside, the little ones had a blast taking aim at the piñata.

And, of course, Gramma G needed to get in a swing.

In the meantime,  while all this fun was happening,  Wellie was having a field day of his own, munching away.   Obviously, it's not too difficult to figure out who decided to "Piggie up" this photo! 

Then it was time to head inside for cake! Is it just me.....or is that squirrel watching me blow out the candles? 

Who knew that a squirrel could be so much fun?

Before everyone left to head home, we managed to get a group photo: 

Smiles all around (except for the little one who was accidentally bumped on the head....no worries....she recovered in short time).  Don't we all look great?  

Honestly, I could't have been made to feel more special.  I had a fabulous time with everyone, and am touched by all of the efforts that my children put out to make the day such a special one for me.  And a very special thank you to Jeff and Stacey for hosting the party!

Let's face it, I am certainly one lucky lady!

By the way......is 61 considered to be a special birthday as well?