thanksgiving surprise!

this has been a really difficult secret to keep but big pop and grandma are coming for thanksgiving! papa is having some surgery so he and nana aren't making the trip this year. we decided to extend an invitation to my parents - and they accepted! we really didn't think that they would be able to come and almost didn't invite them because we didn't want to make them feel bad. 

this was the first holiday they have ever gotten to spend with our kids and the first i have spent with them in almost 12 years. i was just a little excited. and then the kids had today off from school - for the first time in years and years the district gave off the wednesday before thanksgiving. surprising the kids was going to be more difficult with the older ones there too. the original plan had been to take the littles to the airport and have the bigs surprised as they got off of the bus in the afternoon. oh well. at least i had the excuse of matt's birthday this week. i told the kids that we had to go pick up one of daddy's presents from the airport.

and it worked! they went into like shock when big pop and grandma started walking towards them. they recognized them before i did but had no reaction. i had to tell them that they could go hug them.

but then they were super excited, jumping all over and telling them all the words! we haven't seen them since june and big pop hasn't been here in two years!

we picked up some lunch on our way home and big pop entertained the kids with a special activity - marshmallow/dart shooters - while we waited for daddy to get home early from work.

the kids were super excited! maddux said that he always wanted a marshmallow gun.

big pop brought all of the pvc pieces and decorative duct tape.

madelyn used all the colors.

ready for battle. big pop brought one for daddy to defend himself.

after trying out their new dart blowers (big pop brought nerf darts and marshmallows for them), everyone took a break for the wild kratts christmas special. there had been more than a few tears shed when we missed it this morning. there was no way we were going to miss the afternoon showing.

this will be a shorter visit and we are going to make the most of it! love.