Tucker turned 30 this year! I wanted to make it special to show him how much we love and appreciate him. He does so much for our little family. He misses so many things because he works so hard to give us the wonderful life we have. I couldn't ask for a better partner in this crazy, chaotic, terrific thing we call life.
I began planning Tucker's surprise party even before I began planning Hudson's party. You would think that would make it less stressful, but no. I was a crazy person for several months. I'm sure Tucker was wondering what in the world was going on with his wife. On the day of the party, Tucker was going to play golf with his dad, while Hudson and I were going to the lake. I remember being so stressed out that morning and Tucker saying to me "Why are you so stressed out? We're just going to the lake!". He had no idea what was going on, and I realized if I didn't chill out, he would discover what was really happening.
The party was during Mother's Day weekend at the lake. Tucker's birthday was actually on Mother's Day this year. This was one of the only reasons I was able to pull the surprise off, that and Tucker's aunt, grandmother, sister, and mom's help. I could not have pulled off the surprise without them. They took care of the decorations and the food. Phyllis and Al worked for months gathering pictures of Tucker and creating a collage of each decade. Delegating tasks is not one of my strong suits, because I am such a control freak. I realized I had to delegate some responsibilities in order to pull off the surprise. I'm just so thankful for all the help I received!
Tucker knew we were celebrating Mother's day and his birthday at the lake. This is what we normally do every year anyway, so this did not raise any red flags with Tucker. The plan was for Tucker to play golf with his dad at the AU Club, then they would join us that afternoon at the lake. All was going well, until the weekend weather forecast called for rain. If it rained too much, they couldn't play golf. Fortunately, the rain held off and the plan was still in tact. However, because of the afternoon showers, we were not able to greet Tucker the way I had planned. We knew it would be too hard to hide all of the cars, so we were all going to line the driveway and shake Auburn shakers when Tucker arrived. Instead, we all lined the hallway and shook our shakers. It was a wonderful surprise for Tucker!
Hudson checking out all the pictures of his Daddy. They look so much alike, I'm sure he thought some of those pictures were of him!
Tucker's cake came from Publix. This picture was taken after Tucker had a bath one night. He ran, naked, and jumped on his tricycle out in the garage. Priceless!
(Side note: The women at Publix treated me as though I was a pedophile. They made me put a sticker over Tucker's little boy parts. In hind site, I know they were just doing their jobs, but it sure was annoying at the time!)
Tucker with some of his best friends!
P.S. Big Al is rocking some serious skinny arm!
Josh, Nick, Reese, & Tucker
Hudson and I sure do love this guy!
Hudson helping Daddy blow out the candles. Good practice for H, since he had his own candles to blow out the following weekend.
The surprise and look on Tucker's face made all the planning and stress worth it! I would do it all over again in a heart beat. I thank everyone who helped me with the planning and preparations, and I also want to thank everyone who came out to help us celebrate. With it being Mother's day weekend, I knew it would require some sacrifice and extra planning for a lot of people. We are fortunate to be blessed with awesome family and friends!
Amanda
