Happy Birthday Dad!

Yesterday was my dad's 53rd birthday. Eric and I bought him something he never would have expected: a new bike! My dad has been saying for a while that he wanted a new bike, because he used to enjoy riding all the time. Eric bought himself a bike about a month ago, and my dad would occassionally mention that he wished he had a new one so he could go too. So on Thursday Eric and I were on a mission. The first few stores we went to had nothing. Then we went to one more store and found the perfect bike. It was green and it just seemed like exactly what he would want. My dad was volunteering at the nursing home and had no idea we were on this mission. We stuck the bike in Eric's trunk and tied the trunk down. We laughed each time we hit a bump hoping that both the bike and the car would make it through ok. But then my dad called just as were pulling into the driveway. He said he would be home soon. Eric and I ran into the backyard, with a flashlight and managed to stuff the bike in our overcrowded shed. We laughed so hard as we tried to pull the rusty door shut before my dad got home. We made it and he didn't notice a thing.

The next morning, the day of the birthday, Eric moved the bike into our screen room after everyone else had left for work. Then when my dad came home, we presented him with a card. The card was a Spongebob card. (Probably hard to believe but the three of us get such a kick out of Spongebob. We have been watching it for the ten years that it has been on TV and we still find it so funny. There are without a doubt jokes in there that are meant for adults, not kids, but not in a bad way. You just need to know certain things that a kid probably wouldn't get. Its funny, my students will sometimes mention the characters or a specific episode. I play dumb, but I usually know exactly what they are talking about.) Then we pretended like we were going to let our cat, Ashley in the screen room. We guided my dad to the door and told him to look under the tablecloth. He did and was shocked when he saw the bike. He was so excited! He said when he was picturing a bike that he hoped to someday buy, he wanted it to be green. It was the perfect suprise.

I baked a mandarin orange cake for my dad. I had never made this recipe before, but my dad loves creamsicles so it seemed like a good choice. Then we sat down to watch a brand new episode of Spongebob together...

Ashley's ready for the birthday! And her close-up!

Dad's getting ready to peak at his present.

It's a bike!

Trying it out!

Ashley's checking the bikes out! (Eric's is the blue one. Maybe I'll get a new bike so I can ride too!)

Mandarin Orange Birthday Cake!

Happy Birthday Dad!