Christmas Surprises

So yesterday was Christmas...and Ryan and I enjoyed a morning at home together - and for those of you who have been aching to know what we got each other - I'll have a recap for you on that soon.

Then we loaded up the car, stuffed the hash brown casserole in the 9x13 insulated carrier and headed out for Christmas with my parents. It's usually just my parents, my sister Julie, and me...and now, of course, Ryan too. We miss the days of big Christmases, so Ryan and I invited his mom and Allen to join us...and Mom rounded up my Aunt B and my brother-in-law's mom, and we decided to have a big, fun Christmas with everyone!

Ryan and I headed out a few minutes early so we could make sure Mom had the Christmas dishes she was borrowing from me. {No hostess wants guests showing up to a partially set table.} We backed the car up to the garage and were in the process of unloading the first round of stuff, when a dark car pulled into the driveway.

It didn't quite look like Ryan's parents' car...and it was a bit earlier than we were expecting, but we waved anyway...and they waved back.

Except...it didn't really look like them.

At all.

As I waved, Ryan said to me, "Is that your sister?"

It was. My sister from Kansas. And my brother-in-law. And my niece. And the dog! All of them came tumbling out of the car at once...

the best Christmas surprise EVER.

They drove all the way from Kansas, on Christmas Eve {Cassie's birthday, no less} to surprise our entire family on Christmas day. Not a single soul knew they were coming.

I was crying and trying not to cry...and hugging them...

...and then I called my parents inside the house. I said, "We have SO MUCH STUFF to lug in. Any way you could open up the garage doors?

So she did.

Not much renders my mom speechless. {I get it honestly.} But she sure did have some silent moments as she took in the scene...

 Dad...well...he went straight for the granddog.

 And then the granddaughter. :)

 Sorry these pictures aren't the best photography. It was sort of an overwhelming moment.

Mom spent the rest of the day saying, "This is the best Christmas ever."

All her kids under one roof.

I'm not a mom - but that's probably all they really want. And for the first time in over 10 years, she had it.

It's true. Best Christmas ever.