Theo turned 30 on March 19th! It’s hard for me to believe that we are already entering our 30s, but sometimes I also sit back and laugh that we are only just entering our 30s. The 20s have been wild for us! And not in an irresponsible, crazy kind of way. In a “we are so tired we both work responsible jobs and we have 3 small children so we go to bed by 9:30” kind of way.
Last year Theo celebrated his birthday during the first week or so of our quarantine. It was during the times that we were afraid to go to the store, and that we spent every moment wondering if/who would come down with the virus in our family. I wasn’t in a good mental place, but I did my best to force a smile and a celebration. The kids still remember the cake that I made last year, so that’s good at least!
This year it was much easier and more natural to just celebrate Theo turning 30. I think that 30 is a big deal and would have made it such, but Theo requested that I not do any surprise parties or any parties at all. He preferred small and simple, and that’s what he got!
We started out the day by letting Theo sleep in. I took the kids out of the house and we went and picked up half a dozen donuts.
After breakfast, I told Theo that he could spend the rest of the morning all by himself. For an introvert, that is all the gift that he needs! Since it was pretty cold out, he decided to go shooting by himself for a few hours.
When he got home, we packed up the family to go for a hike at a new trail that we hadn’t tried before. We went about 3 miles and while we walked, we all listed 30 things that we loved about Theo.
- He’s tall.
- He’s patient and calm.
- He’s such a great leader for our family
- He wrestles with us (the kids)
- He builds magnets with me.
Have you noticed that apart from the donuts, we have spent no money and done nothing extravagant? And yet- sometimes it’s the simple and intentional things that can fill up those we love the most. For my introverted, words of affirmation husband, THIS is what he needed. He didn’t need or want anything worthy of Instagram or a Pinterest pin, he just wanted to be loved in the way that he most feels loved!
We headed back home for dinner and dessert – his pick, of course! Stroganoff meatballs and chocolate cake for dessert.
The next day, we had a little get together with one of Theo’s brothers and his family. We opted to stay outdoors and go for a long hike together, catching up after a full year of not seeing each other.
We ended our hike with some pizza and well-deserved ice cream cake!
Theo is quite possibly the hardest person in the world to shop for, so I thought I would share what I got him for his birthday.
I got him a water bottle- for some reason everyone else in our family has one, but Theo was always drinking out of someone else’s, drinking out of a galloon jug, or just going without. So I found this stainless steel one and he LOVES it. It also comes with three separate lids- a coffee spout, a straw, and a tip and drink spout.
I also got him this mat for kneeling on while shooting. I don’t know anything about it, except that he requested it. Ha.
And I also got him the game Tenzi. Sure, it’s more a family friendly/kid approved game, but so far we have all enjoyed playing it!
And since I didn’t blog about anything last year, I thought I would include his most used present from last year, too. It’s a fingerprint safe for a handgun. I won’t deny that we have guns in our home, but we are also extremely strict about them always be locked away where the kids can not even think about getting to them. The only problem is that Theo needs quick access to his gun. So the dilemma is- the adult needs quick access while the kids cannot have any access at all. So I got this safe for Theo- and it works so well, is the perfect size and doesn’t let anyone in who doesn’t have the approved fingerprints.
And that is a wrap on Theo’s entrance into his 30th year of life! He said it was a fantastic birthday full of his favorite things: donuts, shooting, family, hiking, words of affirmation, good food, hanging out with his brother and some fun gifts! We sure do love you, Theo!