Dan's birthday

Today Dan turned 36 and we (meaning Jackson and I) did our best to make him feel like king for a few days.

Last night we threw a surprise poker party for him with some of the guys from church. And it actually worked! He was truly surprised when the guys knocked on our door at 7:00 carrying with them folding chairs (because we literally only own 4 chairs) and beer from the local brewery. Thankfully, he was tired from his long work week and hadn't noticed the man snacks (chicken wings, taquitoes, and spicy, manly chip dip) I had cooking in the kitchen. Once Jackson and I revealed the fancy 400-piece poker set in the incredibly heavy aluminum case that we'd picked out for Dan as a birthday gift, the party was a complete success!This morning we started off the day with birthday cards and gifts, the traditional birthday banner, and a leisurely birthday breakfast. My favorite party of Dan's birthday was when Jackson gave him his personalized card and gift. Ok, I admit I helped him a little with the idea and the execution of the card and the personalized Starbucks travel mug boasting a colorful collage of pictures of Jackson and his daddy. Now Dan won't have to borrow my travel mug that's covered in pictures of me and all of my girlfriends to transport his orange juice to work in the morning.The original plan was to spend today adventuring to a nearby mountain for some snow but instead Dan opted for a slightly less exciting drive to Target to pick out Jackson's first potty. (Yep, we're soon to be headed down the one-way street to a potty-trained toddler.) Dan was hoping for a toilet with sound effects but in the end we opted for the froggy potty. Hopefully, it will do the trick!

Tonight we finished out the birthday extravaganza with a Blankenship Family dinner and game night in honor of Dan and his fellow birthday celebrants...Uncle John, sis-in-law Jeri, and big brother Steve. There's nothing else quite like a Blankenship Family game night - all of the hollering and laughing while buzzers are buzzing as time runs out on a heated round of guys vs. girls (plus Glen) Catch Phrase is PRICELESS. We capped off the night with Dan's favorite cake...homemade German Chocolate Cake. It was a great day!