SURPRISE!

This past Saturday, Ella and I flew to Colorado for a surprise visit to Jess! It was so much fun to surprise her and to see her reaction when we walked into the coffee shop. She thought she was meeting Kate there for coffee (her sis in-law) and instead it was us! Mike has been helping me plan this for Jess since the first part of April, so I was so excited it was finally time to go! Thanks, Mike! And a huge thank-you to Kate who was sweet enough to take care of everything the day we arrived, from picking us up at the airport, going to a pretend "interview" (our cover story for Jess!), and getting the Pack-n-Play for Ella to sleep in (thanks, Sarah!). Here are some pictures of the surprise reunion:

Our first surprise hug. Tears were shed, of COURSE! But they were happy ones ;)

Jess talking to Ella. She hadn't seen her since January so I was super excited for her to see how much she has grown.

All of us girls laughing. I LOVE this picture.

A huge bonus of visiting Jess: getting to hang out with her precious dog, Sarge. He is the loviest (is that a word?) little thing. Such a gentle dog. I love him like my own pup!

Ella, just hanging out at Aunt Jess's house!

Turning the kitchen into a wave pool. She was almost too big for the sink, but it actually worked out quite well! Nothing like measuring cups and spoons to play with during bathtime. Notice that the actual "toys" (the green and blue rings) weren't being played with...just the kitchen utensils!

Getting Ella ready for bed, post bathtime all wrapped up in her towel.

Shopping in Old Town. They have the cutest little shops and boutiques. You could literally find a gift for anyone there.

Outside after lunch on Sunday.

We had such a wonderful time. Jess is the kind of friend you can talk to for hours at a time (which we did!) and never run out of things to talk about. We shopped, played with Ella, ate with friends (she has some great ones there in CO!), drank wine, and chatted until we couldn't hold our eyes open anymore. It was a perfect trip. We love you, Jess. Thanks for a great weekend :)


p.s. this was Ella's first trip on an airplane. I was so nervous about it and she did wonderful! I will post more pictures of her because there are some really good ones from the trip! There are just too many to choose from! More later.......