As excited as I was about this particular surprise, I'm pretty proud of myself for not spilling the beans early because it was completely worth it seeing his reaction after school when Joey (and Cooper and Casey) was in the van waiting for him! I even had tears in my eyes seeing them reunited (shocker, right?)!
They were excited to have a sleepover!
Casey and I had been talking about how we needed to plan a visit - either us to NC or them back to TN so when it worked out for them to visit us over Joey's spring break, we got to planning and decided to surprise Kemper. When Casey told Joey they were visiting TN (excitement in and of itself for Joey!) and that they were going to surprise Kemper (even MORE excitement!) she was stoked! I picked them up on Thursday afternoon and we drove straight to Kemper's school to pick him up. When he opened the van door and saw Cooper's car seat where his normally is, he looked confused and then started looking around to investigate. When he saw Joey, his eyes got as big as saucers and he exclaimed "Joey!!!" and started climbing back to his seat. After that, he was basically speechless - he just kept looking at her like he was checking to make sure she was really there! When we got back to our house they ran upstairs and played so happily until it was time for dinner...no fighting, no coming downstairs and asking us a million questions. They fell right back into their old routine and it made my heart smile.
Cooper enjoying a lazy morning.
If given the chance, I think these two would have been just as close as their older siblings!
The next morning, we let the babies get their naps in and then we headed out for a quick errand before hitting the park. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we wanted to get them outside and let them run off some energy!
They were all over the playground and had a blast!! Hit a bit of a snag when Joey found another little girl to play with and Kemper got a bit jealous but after a few minutes all was well again and back to playing they went!
Cooper got a little nap in while the big kids played.
Hudson and I swinging
It's so hard to believe how much older they look than the last time they were together!! We last saw Joey at the beach in September and I swear they are both a foot taller.
Up next was lunch at Chick Fil A! After spending the last hour and a half playing at the playground, they scarfed down their lunches and played in the play area there for a bit, too!
The lure of ice cream kept them from playing too long!
Cooper even got a taste!
Kemper asked Casey if he could hold Cooper. :)
Licking the beaters after we mixed up the cupcakes
The next morning was Kemper's birthday!! We loaded up and went to Dunkin' Donuts to pick up some birthday donuts for breakfast. Thank goodness they have a drive thru so we could all stay in our pjs! After popping a candle in his sprinkle donut and singing Happy Birthday, they quickly ate their donuts and disappeared off to play. Casey and I got to work getting everything ready for Kemper's birthday party that was later in the afternoon.
While we were getting stuff ready, this guy found a chocolate Easter egg and chowed down. I noticed he was chewing something so I stuck my finger in his mouth to find the wrapper and a ton of chocolate. He didn't look a bit remorseful. :)
Kemper and Joey played hard all day with a few breaks for snacks and lunch. They were VERY excited for Kemper's birthday party that afternoon and kept asking us if it was 3 o'clock yet.
All decked out in their pirate gear ready for the party!! We figured out that Joey has been at every one of Kemper's birthday parties from the age of 2 through 5. :) For an Army kid, that's pretty remarkable!
They had an early flight out of Nashville on Sunday morning so we all got up (except Hudson because I would have to be CRAZY to wake that kid up early!) to say goodbye to our friends. Kemper and Joey did much better than anticipated and then Kemper and I climbed back into my bed to cuddle while James took them to the airport.
We have been truly blessed that the Army has introduced us to such wonderful friends along our journey. Casey was one of the first people I met when we moved to Ft. Campbell and Joey was the first friend Kemper made when we moved here. I count my lucky stars that our paths crossed because they are some of the best friends our family could have ever dreamed of meeting. I'm thankful that even though the Army has separated us for now that we are able to keep in touch (thank goodness for Skype!) and that we've been able to visit and meet up with each other a couple of times since they moved. Casey is one of the people that I know I can call when I need to talk or vent or just throw an idea off of to see what her opinion on the matter is. I cherish our friendship and the fact that our kids love one another, too. One of these days, maybe the Army will bring us back together...by then, who knows, Kemper and Joey may not be able to stand one another (I bet one of them has cooties by then!) but for now, I cherish the memories of their laughter and happiness when they're together!
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