Saturday, December 06, 2008

The night finally came...the night we've been planning for so long!  After much coaxing, we finally had the special someone get dressed up in her new birthday dress.  After that, the little girls, mom and I left the house to get the goodies from the bakery (we decided that actually baking the desserts ourselves would be a little obvious :)) and get to the church to decorate for the surprise birthday party. Approximately thirty minutes later, the special someone made it. Just as she walked through the door, the lights were turned on and sixty some-odd people shouted "Surprise" and "Happy Birthday!"  Mr. Candler observed that it was the first time he'd ever seen her speechless. :)  Yes, Jessica finally had a birthday party, and we successfully kept it a secret for two months!  My mom put together a slide-show and has posted it on her blog.  So, as pictures speak louder than words, I'll let you enjoy those. :)


Somebody started the question, "How many deacons does it take to get a slide show to work?" 

Such a darling Retro display of dessert!

One tower of cupcakes.

A Princess scepter.

The cake, or the top of it anyway.

A closer shot of the cupcakes...remember, no drooling allowed. :)

The vigilant guards, awaiting the arrival of a certain someone.

And there she is!

Once everybody was seated, a few of the guests read the letters, or spoke encouraging words they'd prepared for Jessica.  My mom read the letters so beautifully written by two dear friends, Jennie Chancey and Mrs. Davis, as well as her own. 

Mrs. Sanford delivers her charge.

Mom and Jessica, with the lovely cake...and Miss Elizabeth is hiding behind the flames. :)

For the second time that evening, she's looking a little shocked...

Dad must get hugs before we find out why...

And then pictures must follow...Dad's wondering when we'll be done taking photos, but honestly, aren't they just so cute?!?! ;)

Aha!  Yes, Jess finally got her hope chest! :)  She considered climbing in, and then remembered the poem, The Mistletoe Bough and decided against it. :)

The birthday girl.

The birthday girl and the birthday girl's mom (who happens to be mine too :)).

Three fair maidens.

Jessica and I trying to decide what to eat...although, poor Jess was still in a state of shock and didn't have much of an appetite. :)

"Do you pop out at parties?" ~ I Love Lucy

Even William was dancing!  The Virginia Reel is such a popular dance.

Jessica and Peter are in the blur somewhere.

Jessica and Melinda were very obliging and let me take a picture of them in the middle of a dance. :)

Reeling the set at the speed of lightning! 

Yet another picture of the set.

Three devoted sisters...thoroughly wiped out from the party. :)

Three devoted sisters and their knight in shining armor just before they all turned in for bed.

11 comments:

  1. We had so much fun! Isn't that baby just the sweetest thing???

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  2. Thank you so much, Tiff for all the work that you, Mom, Moosh and Dad put into this very, very special surprise for me! I was pleased beyond words! I am so blessed to have such a dear, wonderful family! And, of course, wonderful friens as well! :-)

    Thank you for everything.

    I love you!

    Love and Hugs, Jess

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  3. Tiffany,
    Thank you for sharing your sweet pictures with us...my favorite? The three sisters. We love you all. ~Heather Davis

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  4. How sweet! You didn't mention how old she turned! 16, 18? :-)
    As always I love all the photos!

    Blessings,
    Sarah

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  5. Mrs. Ryken,

    We were so glad y'all were able to make it! 'Twas a lovely party. :) And yes, that baby just darling!

    Jessica Darling,

    You are so very welcome! We had loads of fun planning it and even more scaring you have to death. :P If we could only go back in time and make our childhood better than it already was... I love you and am so grateful for what the Lord is doing in your life and in mine, though you.

    Mrs. Davis,

    There were so many to choose from! I'll have to get the rest uploaded to a web album so you can see the rest. :) We love y'all too and can't wait to see you in the Spring!

    Sarah,

    lol...how silly of me!!! She turned 18 back in October, but we were so busy with our Reformation Day Faire that we decided to have a surprise birthday bash in the near future. Because of schedules, December 5th ended up being the "perfect" day!

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  6. Oh, what a wonderful suprise!!! I wish I could have been there to see Jess's face!!! What a sweet party!

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  7. Those desserts (especially the cake) look beautifully delicious!
    Is that a laptop computer Jessica is holding as she walks through the door?

    ~Amanda~

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  8. Elissa Dear,

    Yes, 'twas a lovely surprise indeed! :) Especially for those of us on the surprising side. :) I wish you could've been here too!! It would've made the party complete! :(

    Amanda,

    The desserts were delicious! And I'm not usually a huge fan of purchased desserts, but they were fantastic! And yes, Jessica is holding a Mac and it's power cord...we were very relieved when she didn't drop it. :)

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  9. Never let it be said that the McDonald family does not know how to throw a party! From the pictures it looked positively enchanting, and it was likely even more so in person.

    The desserts, though purchased, were still gorgeous! Did you get them from a specialty bakery? I can't imagine the local grocery store having those fascinating candles... (Sorry, easily fascinated.)

    It looks like a lot of special fun, for a very special girl.

    Happy Birthday PARTY Jess!

    BFH

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  10. Ben,

    'Twas a beautiful party...complete with dear friends, wonderful fellowship, scrumptious food, dancing, a few tears...a night that will carry unforgettable memories. :)

    A good friend at church took us her favorite bakery and upon entering, we knew it was soon to become our favorite. :) We bought her desserts there. :) lol...yes, the candles were purchased at the bakery as well! I don't think I ever thought about what grocery store candles looked like! Hobby Lobby has some nice ones...

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  11. Great Blog! I will enjoy checking back often! Hope you have a great New Year!

    Jennifer

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