Amber's 30th Birthday

This is the year we all turn 30 . . . well except for Cas! I'm hanging on to my twenty-something status for the last few months while happily celebrating with my friends who hit this milestone before me. On Saturday we threw a surprise party for my best friend Amber.

Here she is with her first-born:
And the whole family - kudos to Cas for getting a photo where everyone is looking at the camera. I'd consider this a 30th birthday miracle!

Here's the gang - friends since junior high days -

Our parties together used to start at 10pm, but at 30 with quite a few infants in our ranks, by 10pm we were all yawning and calling it a night!

Amber with her daughter, Esmae Sue -

Her boys cracking each other up -

Collin is wearing an outfit my mom gave to Amber's son Holden that then was passed down to Collin. My poor son, while everyone at the party was eating fajitas and birthday cake, he was stuck with green beans! By my 30th (which is 6 days before his first birthday), maybe we'll let him try some cake.

Here's Esmae with me for a pillow. Since Collin learned to crawl, the only time he's cuddly is when he's nursing, so I enjoyed sweet Esmae snuggling on my chest -

How did we go from girl scouts and junior high athletes and scary new drivers and prom group picture posers to professionals and wives and mothers and adults entering our third decade in such a short period of time?