All Things Boles

I thought Wednesday night would never get here!

My in-laws have been bummed.  Matt’s brother, David, and his lovely wife, Steffi, live in London and so we just don’t get to see them nearly as often as we’d like.  Usually, they are able to visit at Christmastime, but a couple months ago, David broke the news to his mother that they just weren’t going to be able to make it.  They were only going to be able to go to Germany to visit Steffi’s family, and a US trip just wasn’t going to happen.  Needless to say, we were all disappointed.  

Matt and I’s disappointment did not last long, however, because David let us in on his little plan…he and Steffi were planning to come after all, but it was going to be a surprise for John and Nancy.  Fantastically sneaky.  Just how I like it.

So for weeks, Matt and I have been scheming and plotting, trying to arrange details to ensure that John and Nancy would be as free as possible while David and Steffi were in town.   Matt was going to pick David and Steffi up at the airport Wednesday afternoon and bring them to our house, and we wanted John and Nancy to come over that evening for the big surprise.  It was no small feat.  But, I took my task to heart and spun a delightful web of lies…and it worked beautifully!  

In case you don’t know, my in-laws are incredibly kind and self-less folks who are always eager to come up and watch the kids for us.  However, this is one of the busiest times of the year for John, a professor at Rice, as he has dozens of lengthy papers to read and grade on a very strict schedule.  Nancy has also been furiously working to get things ready for Christmas.  They are both so busy, busy, busy.  It literally pained me to ask them if they could set aside all of their own important activities and make the 35 mile drive through Houston rush-hour traffic up to our house on Wednesday night  so that they could watch the kids while Matt and I went out for a nice dinner.  Sheesh.  Talk about obnoxious!  But, of course, they said they would be happy to.  Bless them.

As soon as they pulled up, we shoo-ed David and Steffi into our bedroom to hide.  Following my cleverly crafted plan, (hear my own horn toot-tooting?) I casually greeted John and Nancy at the door and ushered them inside.  I suggested that, since I had my camera handy, we take a quick picture of them with the grandkids.  I strategically posed them with their backs to the bedroom door, slyly switched my camera to video mode, and, while trying to contain my incredibly giddiness, began the “say cheese” countdown.  

Shocked is not the appropriate word.  I’ll go with dumbfounded.  :)  My favorite is John’s “What?  Hee.  What?  Heehee…what?”  (and confused Parker is asking “What?  No seriously, what??”)  And Nancy’s complete slack-jaw…classic.  Fantastic execution, Team Surprise!  I am SO enjoying our visit together.  There really is nothing like family being together for Christmas.