Happy Birthday William!

For those of you who were in the know, William's surprise birthday party was this past Saturday. (see pics on Flikr) We hit a few bumps in the road Saturday morning, but nothing that couldn't be resolved with the help of our friendly neighbors, Malora and Charlie, and a few frantic phonecalls, emails, and text messages. :) William spent the afternoon with Charlie at his first (and apparently the fastest ever) Cubs game. Charlie then stalled for about an hour and a half by plying William with booze and icecream. Meanwhile, I set up, with Malora's generous assistance, here at home. By the time William arrived, we had a goodly amount of giggling people hiding behind our couches ready to jump out and yell at him. :) And they were excited about it too. I think my hubby was surprised, but handled it quite well. We settled in for an evening of food, drinks, and good company. The final surprise, however, was Andrew's arrival. He flew in from Canada just for William's birthday. I think his arrival shocked William more than the screaming people behind our furniture. ;)

William and I had a wonderful time and we would like to thank you all for coming and helping us celebrate. We appreciate your friendship more than we can say. It has made living far from 'home' easier. We would like to say a special thanks to all of you who offered to help and to Malora and Charlie for being such wonderfully reliable and helpful neighbors. :) Lastly, a big thanks to Andrew who made such a long trip and endured many hours at the airport just to spend a few hours in Chicago. You're a trooper Andrew and a true friend!