The kids have really been missing their dad a lot, and so for Family Home Evening this past week, we decided to give him a little heart attack.
We cut out hearts from red and pink paper, and the kids went to town decorating them with stickers, and drawing pictures. Jack was very proud of the picture he did of he and his dad, wearing hats, and holding hands. It was very sweet, and he wouldn't let go of it all night! Once our stack was complete, dinner was over, and the kitchen cleaned up, we were off!
What I didn't realize, is that Rick parks in a secure parking lot, where you need a badge to get in. We've always met him other places--in visitor lots--so I really had no idea. I actually wasn't even sure where he did park, but we finally found it. As we sat in front of the gate, for about one minute I seriously considered parking the truck on the side of the road, and walking all of us past the gate into the lot. I figured they wouldn't arrest a very pregnant woman with 5 kids in pajamas, a stack of paper hearts, and a roll of painters tape...right?
In the end I decided to play it safe. Being pregnant in jail really isn't in my short or long term plan, lol.
I didn't want to, but I finally called Rick to see if he could come out and buzz us through. It's a good thing I did call, because he was at another location!! He was planning to be there in about ten minutes, so we told him we would go get our ice cream first, then come back and meet him. Sure enough, a little while later we were both parked in the visitor's parking lot across the street from his office. He asked if the kids wanted to come in and get a treat, and of course they couldn't wait to go. I thought this was an excellent idea...I assumed we would follow him into his parking lot, and after he thought we left, we could hurry and decorate his car. No such luck.
He came and got into the truck with us, and scooted me over into the passenger seat so he could drive and show his badge as we went through the security gate. Once they kids went in and got their treats, we would all drive back to the visitors lot together. We could go home, and he would drive his own car back through the security gate.
Got all that? Lol. It was very convoluted, and what I thought would be a simple project turned out to include some major strategy and planning. We followed Rick's outline (after I swore the kids to secrecy...no mentioning our plan...and they didn't!!!), and once we were all back at the visitors lot, and he thought we were ready to leave, I finally had to ask him if he would mind leaving his car there for about 10 minutes. He was very skeptical, but I finally talked him into it. He walked away, but we saw him stop at the road, and sit down on the curb. What?? How could we be all undercover if he was sitting right there? I drove over and asked him what he was doing, and he replied that he couldn't walk through the gate to that office--he had to drive through. Without a car, he had no options, and would have to wait there. I told him to go for a run. He loved that suggestion. :) He did walk down the road and around the corner, and was being a very good sport for someone who had NO idea why he was being asked to do it.
Finally, he was out of sight, and we got to work. We only put hearts on the windows, so it wouldn't ruin any paint, and used painters tape, which comes off very easily. The kids were DYING of excitement. This was just about the coolest thing ever---out at night, past their bedtime, and sneaking something for Dad--this was a definite highlight. We got all the hearts on, and it was time to go!
We thought Rick would discover the hearts very soon, when he came back after the ten minutes were up to move his car. We waited all the way back home, but no call. In the morning we found out that he had discovered a way into the building, went back to work, and didn't find the hearts until the early hours of the morning!
So, in the end, we got a little bit of what we had originally planned, but all the craziness of the night actually made it more fun.
Rick love the hearts. The kids and I loved doing it.
I don't know how I'm going to top this next week!!!
He came and got into the truck with us, and scooted me over into the passenger seat so he could drive and show his badge as we went through the security gate. Once they kids went in and got their treats, we would all drive back to the visitors lot together. We could go home, and he would drive his own car back through the security gate.
Got all that? Lol. It was very convoluted, and what I thought would be a simple project turned out to include some major strategy and planning. We followed Rick's outline (after I swore the kids to secrecy...no mentioning our plan...and they didn't!!!), and once we were all back at the visitors lot, and he thought we were ready to leave, I finally had to ask him if he would mind leaving his car there for about 10 minutes. He was very skeptical, but I finally talked him into it. He walked away, but we saw him stop at the road, and sit down on the curb. What?? How could we be all undercover if he was sitting right there? I drove over and asked him what he was doing, and he replied that he couldn't walk through the gate to that office--he had to drive through. Without a car, he had no options, and would have to wait there. I told him to go for a run. He loved that suggestion. :) He did walk down the road and around the corner, and was being a very good sport for someone who had NO idea why he was being asked to do it.
Finally, he was out of sight, and we got to work. We only put hearts on the windows, so it wouldn't ruin any paint, and used painters tape, which comes off very easily. The kids were DYING of excitement. This was just about the coolest thing ever---out at night, past their bedtime, and sneaking something for Dad--this was a definite highlight. We got all the hearts on, and it was time to go!
We thought Rick would discover the hearts very soon, when he came back after the ten minutes were up to move his car. We waited all the way back home, but no call. In the morning we found out that he had discovered a way into the building, went back to work, and didn't find the hearts until the early hours of the morning!
So, in the end, we got a little bit of what we had originally planned, but all the craziness of the night actually made it more fun.
Rick love the hearts. The kids and I loved doing it.
I don't know how I'm going to top this next week!!!
3 comments:
LOVE IT!!! And I love your kids faces by the car- you can literally SEE their excitement!!
so cute!
That is very sweet and cute!
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