Janet's Epic 60th Birthday

Sunday morning, July 24th, 2018.  There's definitely some excitement going on at the Wells house in Northport, New York.  Good thing their new driveway holds so many cars.

Doesn't the backyard look splendid?

Inside the house, there are some darling clues about the upcoming celebration.

Awww, this was Janet's baby blessing dress.

And that school picture?  Priceless.


Aunt Janet's amazing children organized a surprise party in honor of her 60th birthday.

Friends and family from all over the nation gathered to celebrate.  We came far from Salt Lake, but Janet's sister from Oregon traveled even farther.  Here we all are waiting for the guest of honor to arrive.

Surprise!  Our youngest guest traveled pretty far too, coming all the way from Washington.  While Janet knew that our family was coming, the party itself was completely unexpected.  The fact that we managed to keep it all a secret was a miracle all of its own.

Here we have Janet and her amazing children, hanging out at the diner.  From left to right we have Gregory (recently returned from a lengthy adventure in New Zealand and Australia), Jeanette (a freshman at the Chicago Art Institute), Janet (AARP inductee), Katelyn (just graduated with Honors from SUNY Oswego in biochemical engineering), and Alesia (1st grade teacher extraordinaire).

Here's the crew again as featured on TV.

The birthday girl with her two sisters-in-law, Alison and Cathy.

Such attitude!

As you can guess, my own children enjoyed the photo booths as well.  Talia and Eli fit right into the 1958 crowd.  Isn't the handpainted Chevrolet great?

Plus, Eli looks too cute in those glasses.  (By the way, these two won the awesome jelly bean sundaes as prizes for the trivia game.)

Back to the diner, Brooklyn matched the occasion perfectly.

NomiAnn and Papa Kay look thrilled to have Janet join them in the 60s club.

Callie and I were delighted to go for a spin with our grandpa John Wells.  It brought back memories since I drove a car for the very first time under Grandpa's tutelage.  I was fifteen years old when he let me get behind the wheel of his convertible during a long drive from New York to Vermont.  He took back the wheel after I drove into a ditch and busted the front headlamp.  True story.

Maybe grandpa will have better luck with Eli?

Here's GranElaine practicing gymnastics with our Annika.

As you might expect, the party had tons of delicious food (hamburgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, chicken, cucumber salad, green salad, baked beans...just don't ask Greg about the coleslaw.)  Still, the culinary star was the cake from Copenhagen.  It looked amazing and tasted even better.


Getting ready to light the candles.

Annika helped Janet blow them out.

Yup, she's a munchkin, but at least she's a cute one.

During the party, I peeked in the sunroom and caught Annika and Eila blessing their snack.

Their food of choice?  Fruit by the Foot.

Party playtime.

The weather was delightful, so our munchkins also spent a lot of time outside playing with the dogs, Addy and Rondack.

The funniest part was when the three youngest kids all crawled in the doghouse and Addy decided to climb in right after.

Naptime.

Everybody out.

Well Callie, motherhood may be exhausting, but at least it's entertaining.

Impossible as it may seem, Elaine loves animals even more than Annie.

Yeah, my folks are pretty adorable...

...as are these two.  Guess who's taller, Callie or her niece?  (Just don't ask about Brooklyn and me.)

As long as we're doing photos, here we have my Grandpa (84 in a week) and Elaine.

Aunt Alison with her friend Chuck.

Alesia with her best friend Dana and a pretty cute photo bomber.

And goofy Jason with Jay's business partner, Greg.


Now for some candid shots.  Eila and Annika entertained themselves for hours by constructing a fire ring.

Eli joins in the fun.

Meanwhile, Anders decided that his mama didn't need lips.

This little man is the cutest.

I guess he takes after his big sis.

Janet's party seemed the perfect place to grab few family photos.  I absolutely adore this picture of Papa Kay trying to comb Anders's head.

Rondack wanted to join the fun.

Looking sharp!  We are missing Janet and her kids, but they were pretty busy with family upstairs.

Once most of the guest had left, we grabbed them for a photo shoot of their own.

Everybody say...

...sixty!

Happy birthday, Aunt Janet.  Whether near or far, young or old, you are loved by so many.

Thanks for loving us all in return.