Happy 40th Birthday Joe!

There are many reasons why I wish Joe were here with us instead of in Afghanistan. One reason that really makes me mad is that he somehow got out of the big "turning 40" bash I was going to throw him.  Everyone who knows Joe, knows how much he loves a good party.  It's such a shame to miss this great opportunity.  So we'll have to make due with making him a cake in his honor and eating it for him.  We have a tough job.

One thing I CAN do, though, is give him a good little dose of embarrassment on his birthday.

I was thinking the photo here with the cake was Joe, but I think it's maybe James.  Down below is Joe, with the fashionable beanie.

Look at that sweet little boy with cowlicks that I'm sure gave his mother nightmares.  I now have those same nightmares, since he passed the cowlicks down to his kiddos.  You know, I rarely see Joe in such formal attire, let alone a plaid leisure suit.  Looking good, Joe!


Awww, what a cute little smile.

 It's way too late at night for me to fix the orientation of this picture.  Sorry!  Just tilt your head a bit and check out that great smile and cool Stanford shirt.  Little did he know that one day he'd be calling Stanford home again.

Now we make a pretty big jump in age to Joe as an adult.  I do have an embarrassing shot or two of Joe in those awkward years, but I fear payback, so I'm going to hold off.

Those cowlicks may have gone the way of the fallen hair, but those boyish good looks are still his. For this birthday he said he wanted a bacon cake.  Well, I couldn't go so far as to make him a cake out of bacon, though I'm sure it's been done, but I did make him a red velvet cake with a pretty good adornment of crispy bacon.  Baby Samuel looks like he wants a bite.

And here we are at last year's 39th.  At least he has a smile on his face, which isn't a usual occurrence when a camera comes out.

We wish you were here to celebrate your 40th, Joe.  I'm sure I'm going to have to step it up a notch to meet your new Army cake standards, but I'm up to the challenge. And don't worry, we may eat the cake before you get back, but we'll save the party plans for your return.  You can thank me later.   We love you!