Mikey's birthday

We had a very busy day planned for Mikey's birthday! It started with donuts AND kolaches from Shipley's, which is pretty much how all special days start in this house. And then Mikey won the award for the best sport on his birthday once again (we had a very annoying experience on his 29th birthday - we were supposed to come home from the hospital with William at about 8 am, and we didn't get home until about 9 pm due to a series of circumstances no thanks to my ex-OB). 

Anyway, my MOPS group decided to take part in the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk the morning of Mikey's birthday. It was held on the grounds of Minute Maid Park. It was a bit of an ordeal to get there and herd two kids through the crowd, but we all ended up having a great time. I was so grateful that Mikey was a good sport about it. His laid-back, easygoing nature is one of the many reasons I keep him around. :) 

Then the real fun started. A&M played #1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Johnny Manziel had started his rise to fame, but he had a long way to go to win the Heisman...and that game was as exciting as they come when your team is on the winning end of it. We went over to Mikey's fraternity brother's house out in the Woodlands to watch the game. I actually took the boys to my friend Jennifer's house for a couple of hours, and then we joined back up with the game-watching crew for the end of the game. I don't think it would have mattered if Mikey had been locked in a box underground for his entire birthday. As long as he got to see his Aggies beat Alabama, he was going to look back on it as one amazing day. 

The only way to beat Shipley's is to go to the Shipley's by our old house in the Heights. Oh my gosh their stuff was to die for. I was skeptical that I would notice the difference, but it is even better than every other Shipley's out there.  

You know he was in heaven here. And they even gave us four passes for free bowling, including shoes. Score! 

After the Buddy Walk, we now know that Ryan does NOT, I repeat, NOT, like people dressed up in character costumes. He may claim afterward that he saw/liked them, but in fact they freak him out. I am confident that he will chill out about this soon, but boy he would not even look at that giant bowling pin.  

Golf too? Could it get any better for our sports-loving guys? 

Good thing this was not crowded. 

This blow-up thing was made for us. It had baseball, basketball, soccer, and a dart-tossing section.  

William was determined to get a train ride in before the actual walk. 

This is almost everyone who came along for the walk with us. I considered it a huge success for something we have never done before! If we decide to do it next year, we will know better what to expect and can really explain the event to everyone. 

Such sweetness. 

Some of our friends walking the walk. 

More than likely a score check for all the football games that had started. 

Three out of Jennifer's four kids were out of town, so Ellen was our little hostess. She was excellent at providing snacks. Olivia had fun checking out all the big kids. 

I have no pics from the game-watching party. There was too much yelling, high-fiving, and jumping up and down. The pictures would have been all blurry anyway. 

I'd say Mikey's birthday was a lot of fun and a great success! We had a ton of family fun, and he got to enjoy a big game with friends. Hard to beat that.