So That Was Fun!

So I think most of you know that a little over two weeks ago, my mom had a double knee replacement. She had a big goal (pre-surgery) of feeling well enough and being home in time to host Thanksgiving. That was pretty lofty!!

What she did not know was that my sister from Kansas had been planning a trip to Indiana for Thanksgiving! We didn't tell her because trekking across this section of the country in late November is always subject to weather, and no one could fully commit until the forecast was set!

We realized a few days ago that hosting wasn't going to be possible for Mom, which was hard and sad for her, but we were able to step in and host in her place! (That's why I scurried so much to decorate our house last weekend!)

But before we get to the Thanksgiving Day part, let's talk about the surprise part!

Mom was still in the rehab hospital on Wednesday, and that was the day Lori and Jeff arrived. My sister from Indianapolis came up early too, and we all sneaked into the back door of the hospital so we could tiptoe down to her room.

I say tiptoe, because a skill Mom has developed during her hospital stay is the ability to determine a person's identity by their footsteps in the hallway. So I clomped down the hall first and once Ryan and I were both in position with phones to record and photograph...the tiptoe crew came in!

 She was indeed shocked! (And so happy!)

We hung out in her room for a while, talking and catching up:

 And then we ordered pizzas and had a party in the dining room! (My dad hates pizza, so he ate the hospital dinner they brought Mom. LOL!)

Quick family picture:

And a funny picture:

We let Mom rest and the rest of us came back for a big Shafferland B&B party! (AKA Thanksgiving dinner prep!)

It was a fun night! :) Our first Shafferland Thanksgiving hosting...underway!