Surprise attack

Last Wednesday, in the cover of darkness, we flew out to Arizona to surprise my Dad for his 55th birthday. This is no small feat for several reasons. One, my dad is impossible to surprise. Seriously. Two, we were taking a 4.5 hour flight with an 11 month old. Seriously. And three, we've been planning this since last October and it's an absolute miracle I didn't slip and say something because I talk to my dad 4-5 times a week. The look on his face was priceless.

Our arrival was the first of many surprises. My sister also flew in and showed up at his house which he had no idea was happening, and Christine, his awesome girlfriend, threw him a really nice surprise birthday party with 20 of his closest friends and old co-workers. She really went all out- cigars and personalized matches, gorgeous decor and floral arrangements set against Dad's amazing view of the lake and mountains, personal chef, it was gorgeous and really sweet. And of course, like always, Madelyn stole the show.

I'll spare you the story about how we got put in a holding pattern (TWICE) over Mississippi on our return flight home and then got re-routed to an alternate airport due to weather, all while calming our screaming baby who's little ears clearly couldn't handle all of the up and down. I'd prefer to end this on a happy note :) Needless to say, we had a great time but after two weeks of serious traveling we are beyond happy to be home. Here are some pictures from our adventure- enjoy!