Surprise!!

I am a liar (it's alright now, as I've already confessed this).  I sent our flight arrangements to Portland, but doctored the dates.  I led my dear dad to believe that Thomas and I would see him mid-October, and he went so far as to plan our family dinner and game night for the trip.  Really, I was able to pull off a fourth surprise birthday-visit. 

Tom and I hit the road early, early Thursday to catch a flight to Oregon.  Greeted by Marty, we headed over to hang out with Ollie before dinner with Pat, Amy, and the kids.  Fifteen minutes of quiet in between was all Thomas got.  Dinner turned into a dance party, but wound down to story-time before we headed to see Mom and the pair of pillows waiting for our heads.

 Pat and Ben after some tasty ice cream

Friday we headed out to the zoo with Teddy and Ollie.  Teddy evidently didn't like my fashion statement, as he "spit up" not once but twice before we even left the house.  Tia's pants were a bit damp from sour milk - yum!  Ollie was excited to see his friends Eddie, the sea otter, and Lily, the baby elephant.

 Tio and Ollie

Baby Lily

The boys checking out the giraffes

After zoo and some lunch, it was time for the big surprise.  Tom and I hung out at the airport briefly, waiting for the call from Mom that Dad called her.  She was who he was expecting.  Instead we fell in line behind him as he headed for his bags.  "Sir, excuse me; sir."  He didn't recognize my voice, but when he turned around to see if it was his attention being sought, he dropped his carry-on and gave me a big hug.  He was really surprised, though he then wanted to know if we weren't really coming in October.  Alas...

Saturday would be a full day, not only preparing and hosting Dad's birthday party, but we started with a celebration of Hannah's baptism.  She was delightful as ever and didn't fuss at the water or oil.

 showing off her pre-baptism spiky hair

Hannah with her godparents, Father, and parents - with her new 'do

The day was fun and full.  The party was a great chance to see family and friends, enjoy tasty treats, and even dance a little with my handsome man.  There weren't many brave souls willing to roast Dad, but there was some teasing about his years as a "cheerleader" in college when Mom met him.  After a late night, it was good to sleep late before mass.  It was really a sight to see all the family together at mass and quite a feat.  After family pictures everyone scattered for a little quiet time before meeting out for Dad's birthday dinner.

What a way to end a great weekend with the Ford-side of our family!  An early, early morning flight didn't get us home as early as we would have liked, but we made it back with a truck full of groceries.  Now we're ready to get down and dirty and get some more work done on the house.