Surprise!

The plan was devised, the wheels were put into motion and the mom's were about to bust in keeping the secret. But, it was all worth it!

I should start by mentioning that Katey's birthday is coming up on Thursday and Mike and I were trying to figure out how to celebrate that with her. Should there be a big party, a slumber party with a few friends or a small something with just one friend? Decisions, decisions, decisions... I should also mention that we have some very dear friends, the Molendorp's, who used to live here but moved to Indiana 4 years ago. They have a daughter and a son whom our kids adore. We try to see each other a couple of times a year. Oh, and their daughter, Anna, is Katey's best friend.

Mike and I thought it would be fun if Katey and I had a special girls weekend away as the birthday celebration this year. And, it would be even more special if Anna could be there. So, Anna's mom, Sara, and I started planning and scheming! We decided to meet in Cincinnati at a hotel with a water park inside (Coco Key Resort) and also decided to keep the fact that we would be together a BIG SECRET! We couldn't wait to see the look on the girls' faces when they saw each other.

It was utterly amazing (and due in part to the oblivious nature of our daughter) that this secret was kept until the very end. Katey knew we were going away, it would take at least 8 hours to get there, it was in Cincinnati (to which she asked, "Is Cincinnati in Texas?"), and we needed swim suits. We had a great car ride there and enjoyed spending time with just us. We listened to some new music on my I-pod (a new fascination for my daughter!) and listened to a book on CD. When we arrived at the hotel Sara and Anna were already there. They rounded the corner and Sara and I were giddy with anticipation of the girls seeing each other. It took a minute for it all to register then the conversation went something like this:

Anna (with wide eyes and mouth dropped open): Katey, are you staying at this hotel, too?
Katey (with eyes just as wide): Yes.
Anna: Mom, is their room close to ours?
Sara: Honey, they are staying in the same room with us.
Mouths drop open even further and kids begin to jump up and down with glee as the moms realize that both girls think this is all a coincidence.
One of the moms: This weekend was planned - it is a surprise to you both - we knew we would all be here together.
A look of realization crosses the little faces
Anna: Can the kids sleep in the same bed??

I, of course, had hoped to capture the big moment on camera. Unfortunately, in the excitement of it all, I forgot to get my camera out of the van. So, I settled for a shot after we got to the room. Notice, the girls are in the same bed.

We had such a wonderful weekend with our friends. There were a few more surprises for the girls - we had a birthday cake waiting in the room for them (Anna's birthday was a couple of weeks ago), the hotel had left goodie buckets for each of the girls, we spent part of Saturday at an aquarium, there was fun at the water park, eating out, painting nails and special matching t-shirts for the girls as well. It was definitely hard to say good-bye on Sunday. Katey loved spending time with Anna and I had such a great time catching up with Sara; it makes me miss having her nearby. We hope to do something like this again - and maybe even include the boys next time!

Here are a few cute pictures from the weekend: