Surprise!

Yesterday was my mom's 60th birthday.  So, given that it was kind of a big milestone, we wanted to make sure it was extra special.  And, what better way to do that than to have me show up for the celebrations!  :)  Kidding.  Kind of.

Given that it is my busiest time at work, I wasn't sure we could make it happen, but we ended up finding flights that allowed for me to not miss any work. Granted, that meant being in Houston for approximately 36 hours and arriving at 12:30 in the morning on Friday night/Saturday morning, but it was worth the trip. 

So, clearly, given my arrival time, Mom was dead asleep when I got to the house, but just to make sure she didn't see me, William and Lexi thought it would be best if I slept on a totally different level of the house than her.  For those of you who are familiar with her house, you may be asking yourself, but there is just their bedroom on the first floor, so where could you have possibly slept?  Silly you.  The closet, of course!  Don't worry - this is Texas after all and everything is bigger in Texas - including my little sister's closet, which as it turns out, can fit a QUEEN SIZE BLOWUP MATTRESS in it.  But, I'm not jealous. 

William had a great plan for the actual surprise.  Mom was in the family room with the girls, so I waited in the bedroom (which is right next to the family room) while William went into the kitchen and - 1) Asked my mom if she wanted some coffee, 2) Asked Lexi if she wanted coffee and then 3) "Whitney, would you like any coffee?"  We missed that part on the video, but you can at least see my mother's reaction, which was pretty cool...

The rest of the trip was great.  That day, Lexi, Mom and I went shopping and then went to lunch - it was 70 and sunny, so we were able to sit on the patio and enjoy a bottle of wine - just the girls.  It was great!  That night, we went to dinner at a local Brazilian Steak House.Holy meat, batman!  I think that I consumed my weight in cow, pig, lamb and chicken. But, it was delicious.

I think that mom actually ended up with 3 cakes out of the deal.  This one from the restaurant...

And, this one that Lexi made for that evening after dinner decorated with....tea lights?  Apparently, the Davie household was out of candles at the time...

And, then Lexi made her cupcakes on her actual birthday.  Note to anyone who is reading this - I too would enjoy 3 different forms of cake on my birthday, please.  Thanks for your consideration.
Sunday, we just relaxed (as you can see I was taking full advantage of no kids and no responsibilities that day) at the house and had Mom open her presents. 

Not only was it great being able to surprise mom for her bday, but it was also really nice to get away and recharge for a bit.  Both kids were being rather challenging the week before I left, so I really needed a break.  At one point, Josh looked at me and in all seriousness asked if I was actually going to return home after the trip.  When he asked me?  I wasn't sure.  However, you will be happy to know that I was very excited to return and I do in fact like my kids all over again (don't worry - I never stopped loving them. But, liking them? Well, I may have stopped that for just a bit), so it was a successful trip on many fronts!  :)

Happy 60th, Mom!