The Almost Homestead: World's Best Surprise

This picture is pretty much identical to the one a couple of posts down, but I love it too much not to post it as well. I was so happy in that moment--and I think it shows. And Nate! Good golly he's gorgeous.

The last time he came home we had a friend keep the kids overnight so we could have some "alone time" if you know what I mean. (You do know what I mean).

This time around, the kids were so excited about how and when we'd welcome him home that we let them call all the shots. From the outfits we wore to his welcome home posters, the kids planned every last detail. Jensie insisted that the day and time of his arrival would be a surprise. We role played many scenarios and I was well versed in how I ought to respond to every situation. Example:

Me: What if Daddy's plane comes in at dinner time?

Jensie: Tell us we're going to a special dinner at a restaurant.

Me: Ok, but what if Daddy's plane gets here in the middle of the night?

Jensie: You just need to tell us that you have a doctor's appointment and you couldn't get a babysitter.

Me: A doctor's appointment in the middle of the night?

Jensie: Yeah, how would we know?

(Good point)

Me: Ok, but now that we've talked about it, if I wake you up in the middle of the night and say I have to go to the doctor, won't you know we're really going to get Daddy?

Jensie: No, I don't think about stuff like that in the middle of the night!

(Okay!)

In the end I told them there was a special one-day-only sale on Halloween candy at the Commissary (Ft. Benning's grocery store) that we couldn't miss. The prospect of early Halloween candy far outweighed any suspicion that might have been aroused by an unexpected drive toward an Army airport. Their little minds heard CANDY and that was diversion enough.

Grabbing the posters and our mini-ACUs on our way out the door would have been a dead giveaway, so we'd stashed our gear in the trunk of the car weeks before Nate's expected arrival date. On the way to "the store" the kids began to grow skeptical of our route, but when questioned about whether or not we were driving in the right direction, I was able to keep a straight face long enough insist that it was one way to get there.

We arrived just in time to watch a large plane (not Nate's but I thought it was) land and I said "Hey look, a plane. Whose plane do you think that is?" A look of complete surprise followed by a slow smile crossed Jensie's face as she dared to hope "Daddy's?"

Yep!

The kids hurriedly changed out of their jams into their Army uniforms in the parking lot, grabbed their neon signs, and we dashed inside just in time for this