60th Birthday Party (and Free Printable)

It's been a while since I've tapped at my keyboard and posted decorating or party pictures... I've been busy having fun with the family celebrating some exciting events the last few months.  We finished a successful year of homeschooling our oldest daughter thru kindergarten (yay!), then we traveled to the northeast part of the country to visit family, attend a beautiful wedding and celebrated my dad's 60th birthday.

My sister, brother and I wanted to plan a special surprise for my dad since it was such a big year, a 60th birthday is definitely a time to celebrate!  I saw a birthday idea on Pinterest from Nothing But Bonfires to create a memory for each year.... so, we sent a note to family and friends of my dad asking for their help.... in the end, we compiled over 60 memories to honor my dad and present to him as we celebrated his 60th birthday.

Family and friends emailed their favorite memory of my dad to me.... I printed the memories (so they all had the same heading), stuffed the envelopes sealed with circle stickers and then stacked them in small boxes tied with bakers twine....

To present the memories, we planned a special evening at a AAA baseball game.  We rented a suite for our family and our kids, then surprised my dad as he walked in.  The surprise was a few weeks before his real birthday, so I think he was a bit shocked (and excited!).  Now it was time to celebrate (and watch a baseball game)!

In between all the game watching and eating, we surprised him with the memories.....

As my dad read through memories, there were so many great times brought back to life, some heart-touching, some super hilarious.  Lots of dare-devil stunts were mentioned, especially on four-wheelers and dirt bikes, and then of course over and over again we heard of my dad's humble heart and graciousness towards those he encounters....

Then we got a little camera crazy in between reading all the memories (the little ones took most of these photos!)....

Me and my dad...

... my sister and my dad...

... my brother and my dad....

... and I can't forget the mascot and my dad.

We had a great time celebrating, especially my husband!  He really gets into the game :)

And as promised, here's a free printable birthday banner for you.... there's three colors to choose: red, pink or blue.  For my dad's 60th birthday party I strung the red happy birthday banner across the wall with red and white bakers twine....

Here are the free printables:
Happy Birthday Banner - Red
Happy Birthday Banner - Blue
Happy Birthday Banner - Pink

Download the pdf file and print on 8.5x11" white/cream colored cardstock, trim along the dotted lines, then punch two small holes at the top of each card.  Thread twine, yarn, string etc in and out of the holes to create a banner just like the photo "happy" above.  Then hang the happy birthday banner and celebrate!

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!!!  We love you...