Ian's 16th birthday surprise party

November 14th Ian turned 16 years old! I had a hard time believing that I was about to have a 16 yr. old son. Time goes by too quickly! As the date approached, I couldn't decide what we should get him for his birthday. The only thing I could think of is how much he likes having family and friends gather together for parties and of course, to eat (what 16 yr. old boy doesn't think about food!). So we decided to have a surprise birthday party for him the Sunday before his birthday. We new he wouldn't be expecting it since we typically celebrate his birthday with family on Thanksgiving. So, I put together a party invitiation and mailed it out to family and friends near and far. We planned to have the party at the Cutting Edge Youth Center (http://www.fbcmedford.com/cuttingedge.htm) where Ian spends a lot of time. The day turned out great and we had a wonderful turnout of both friends and family. Ian's Aunt Teresa and Uncle Dan came all the way from Eagan, MN just for the occasion. They were also kind enough to take some pictures of the party and send them to me! (very nice since I totally forgot about the camera...at least I remembered the food!) Speaking of food...we had a wonderful spread! Jay made pizzas and we had a fruit and veggie tray, taco salad, chips, pop, cookies and of course cake and ice cream. Thanks to those that helped out and brought some of the food!

Photos from top to bottom, left to right: 1)Ian's birthday banner and buffet spread, 2)Ian's birthday cake made by MeMe, 3)Ian with cell phone & Girl Scout cookies (our gift to him), 4)Ian programming his phone (this phone was Jay's idea...Ian's Aunt Teresa calls it his electonic umbilical cord!) 5)Jay the pizza chef, 6)Some of the party guests (Aunt Lynn, Cousin Bri, Uncle Richard, MeMe & PaPa, and Dan Nowak in the far back), 7)Ian, Christopher and their Uncle Dan.