We drove 3 days to get to Houston and timing was against us because Ron had finished work and Danielle and the girls were stalling him. But we finally arrived, snuck in and hid in the pantry. Then they made up an excuse to send him to the pantry...
...and there we were!
After a few moments when it finally registered (he was totally discombobulated) his reaction was...
..."YOU GOT ME!"
Ron took a couple of days off during the week: Tuesday we're off to the beach to play in the water and the sand and fly kites.
Tiffany stayed completely away from the water until I took her hand and we walked out together, then we couldn't keep her out of the waves all afternoon.
The two boys initiated the new kite.
Which one had the most fun?
Now here's a talent that makes one wonder why he sits behind a desk all day.
Speaking of talent: Here's the official KARATE KID pose.
The braver ones go first.
"I scoff at danger."
"MY HERO"
And where are the older girls? Knitting????
Wednesday we drove to San Antonio for the day.
Remember the Alamo...we've been here enough times.
The following is an example of how a simple photo op can get out of hand.
It started with just a nice shot of Gary on the ledge.
Along comes crazy Tori,
then sneaky Tiffany,
then the rest of the girls.
...But wait!! The birthday boy is not satisfied. He thinks this whole week is all about him.
;0)
Now, is everybody happy???
Nice day...we even took the river ride.
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
Some mathematical genius figured out that 3.14 was more than just their dad's birthday.
Party guests included Grandpa Carpenter and cousin Marley.
Danielle is both the artist and the baker for this fantastic piece of work.
Ron blew out all 40 candles in one breath.
Opening gifts...ours was a memory book full of cards made by the kids and pictures of the week's fun.
A memory of his childhood when he thought the SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN was THE SIX DILLY BAR MAN. Handsome dude, huh?
Picnic at the park.
After the St. Patricks day treasure hunt.
Those nine days were a real blast! Before we knew it, it was time to leave.
Leaving Houston we made a short side trip to Conway, AR to visit Gary's new company. They wined (or watered) us and dined us, put us up in a hotel for the night, then hosted a very successful meeting with Gary the next morning.
When we told Bobbi we were going to Ron's to surprise him for his birthday, she hinted that it would be nice if we took an extra week to come and see them in O'Fallon, MO. We talked it over and sent her a surprise message in her BD card that we would come for a short visit after visiting Ron's family.
SO...ON TO BOBBI'S!
All the way through Arkansas and into Missouri we saw many of these beautiful flowering trees growing wild and in peoples' yards. We never found out what they are for sure but someone called them "redbud."
This is last summer's photo of Bobbi and her family.
Hold onto your old clothes and shoes and they will come back in style. Here's Ashlin modeling the new 2012 fad...boat shoes!
Marae and Bobbi showing off the new and the 80's version. Isn't my daughter beautiful?
Marae and Bobbi showing off the new and the 80's version. Isn't my daughter beautiful?
David's version of kicking the bucket.
The young kids played DON'T EAT PETE!
The old kids played PHASE TEN.
As usual Gary spent much of his time working. You can't keep a good insurance man down!
The trip home took two days from O'Fallon to Grandview, but they went by quickly. Here's a little scenery I caught between naps.
In spite of a wonderful time, there's no place like home!
1 comment:
What an awesome trip! No doubt you made Ron's bday the best ever ;)... its so fun to surprise people, knowing they'll love it :)
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