It’s been a milestone birthday week for my sweet hubby, Mark! He turned 70 on August 22nd and we celebrated the weekend before with a family pool party. We’ve talked about how fast life seems to be moving these days and how it’s hard to believe it was time for another birthday ending in 0. But, as much as we don’t wish for the years to fly, they seem to be and we are grateful for the life we have together. I’m so glad we found each other and at this stage of our lives, we have each other to lean on and celebrate life with. So very grateful we found each other when we did!
I don’t often share family pics from Mark’s side of the family, but I thought you all would enjoy seeing these today. Three of Mark’s 4 girls came over for a family pool party and I smoked a pork butt and turkey breast and they brought sides. We had a beautiful day out by the pool and of course, the kids loved that. It was a perfect summer day!
I bought a few decorations to celebrate the birthday boy and had everything set up before the kids came over. It was fun to celebrate Mark, since he’s hard to buy for and surprise. It wasn’t a surprise, but I did get the decorations up before he went out to see them.
That big balloon says Aged to Perfection, which was perfect for him.
I always set up drinks on this little side table and it works out perfectly for that. An ice bucket and sweet tea in the dispenser made for a festive day.
The kids all arrived and of course, the little ones wanted to get in the pool right away. They love our pool. That’s Hendrix, who is 5 years old, our little redhead. He started kindergarten this year.
That’s his mom, Kelly, with baby sister, Reese. Those babies are growing so fast, 2 of them are 9 months and Reese is 8 months now. They will be turning one before too much longer.
Rose is 5 too and loves to come over to Pop’s pool to swim. She’s been over a lot this summer and she just started kindergarten too.
Daisy loves the kids and has fun when they are here. She especially loves the babies and wants to lick them and be close to them. That’s Patrick and McKenzie with their big boy, Logan, but you can’t see him, since he’s behind Reese. He liked the water too.
And there’s Traci, mom to Rose and Ivy, holding Ivy. You can see all three babies here. I couldn’t wait til they were all playing on the ledge in the pool and here they are, so fun to see.
Mark is such a good Pop and those babies all really take to him.
Logan’s daddy is very tall (6’5″) and he has the tall genes already. At 9 months old, he’s already wearing 18 to 24 month clothing, so he’s going to be a big boy for sure. He’s such a cutie with his bald head and blue eyes.
That’s his mom, McKenzie holding him and Daisy wanted to be close to him. She’s such a baby licker!
I had a jar of pickles and the girls fed pickles to the two girls and it was so funny seeing their faces after taking a bite. They both liked them and wanted more, more, more. They don’t have teeth yet, but there was lots of nubbin’ going on.
It was so cute! We all enjoyed the babies and watching them play.
It was then time for dessert, so I brought out the coconut cake and strawberry cake I get from local bakery, McIntyre’s in Smyrna. They have a satellite location at Crossroads Gallery in West Cobb where we pick up our cakes. They are delicious in case you’re looking for a bakery. We all sang happy birthday and enjoyed cake for dessert! Mark dearly loves their coconut cake.
It was a beautiful day for a birthday celebration and I’m happy we got to do it all together. He loves having his girls and grandkids around and it made for a festive day. Our outdoor patio is the perfect place to gather for a party like this and we enjoy having this space so much. I wanted to share this with you all as we celebrate Mark’s 70th birthday. We are grateful for him and we wish him many more happy healthy years!
Happy Birthday, Mark! Grand children are God’s greatest gift. Lovely celebration, Rhoda.
So fun! And pool weather here in Georgia for sure!!
Cheers! Happy birthday, Mark! What a perfect way to kick off # 70 – at home with family. Wishing you life’s best and God’s blessings for good health and contentment.
Looks like it was a great celebration. Happy birthday, Mark. What better way to celebrate than with family. I love your backyard, Rhoda.
Happy Birthday, Mark! What a beautiful family. So happy you were all able to celebrate together and enjoy your wonderful back yard. Blessing to you all!
Mark is a great girl dad !! Best wishes to Big Pop !!! It was a beautiful celebration.
Yes he is, he’s had a lot of practice!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARK! May you be blessed with many more wonderful years! Rhoda, you did such a great job of Mark’s party. Those little grand babies are so sweet! Glad you were blessed with such a beautiful day. How great to be able to gather as family around your pool.
Tell Mark he does NOT look 70! What a wonderful birthday – the best when shared with family and babies! The babies keep everyone young and active! He can see the future right before his eyes! Ya’ll have a great week – and make good use of that pool in these hot, hot days!
Happy Birthday Mark! You are truly blessed, what a lovely day! Birthday Blessings! We need to see more of that handsome face!
What a lovely family! Looks like Mark had a wonderful birthday…may God bless him and your lovely families as well. Sending our best to your sweet folks, too. Hope they are doing well!
Happy Birthday, Mark. Wishing you many more. You don’t look 70.
Happy Birthday, Mark. Rhoda, terrific party you hosted for him and it was nice to have your sharing of Marks’s family as well. Hope they will be willing to visit your blog more often in the future. You display such love and respect when you share these family events.
Happy Birthday to Mark!!
It looks as if he had a wonderful celebration. May the Lord grant him many more 🎉🎉🎉
Happy 70th to Mark🎉
What a perfect Birthday celebration!!
Happy birthday Mark! This is the year my DH and I both turn 70 also. Rhoda, would you be willing to share how you smoked the meat? Do you have a dedicated smoker or do you use a smoker box on a gas grill? I don’t think 70 is too old to learn, is it?
HI, Gail, no it’s not too old to learn! Mark bought my smoker for me a couple of Christmas’s ago and it’s been fun to learn. It’s a dedicated electric smoker and mine is by Masterbuilt. It’s a great smoker and I’ve enjoyed learning it. I smoked the pork butt the day before our party for 12 hours and smoked the turkey breast day of for about 4.5 hours. I just go online and get ideas for marinating and rubs and that’s all that’s needed. My smoker has a thermometer attached so that gives me the temp of the meat as it’s cooking and I just follow guidelines for how long to cook meats based on how many pounds I have.
Happy birthday, Mark! Here’s to many more beautiful birthday celebrations. And Rhoda, I know that you made sure the day just perfect.
Happy Birthday to Mark!!!
70 is the new 50!
Loved seeing all the family photos!
Happy Birthday to Mark. Wow…..what a fun party by the pool! That coconut cake looks delicious too.