Surprise! Happy 50th Dad!

For the past year, the kids have been talking

about having "the biggest party ever" for Dad's 50th.

But Mark is one that doesn't need a lot of fanfare or attention.

So having "the biggest party ever" in his honor

would not be his idea of fun.

So the kids decided to give him "the best present ever"

...but what would that be for a dad that is happy & content

and really never wants anything. Seriously.

He returns almost every shirt, tie or any other gifts

that I give him at Christmas or on his birthday

because he always insists that he has "plenty of everything."

After some thought and discussion, we all agreed

that the only thing that dad would like for his 50th birthday

would be to have all his family skiing on the slopes together.

But how could we make that possible?

Well, Brett came up with the great plan.

He and Kimber surprised everyone

and flew from AZ to Utah after Christmas

and meet us on the slopes on Tuesday morning.

Dad was totally surprised!

He said that when he saw Brett & Kimber, it was "surreal!"

That night it snowed.

The next morning we had an incredible powder.

As he was skiing down "The Pines" through the powder,

we all heard him singing,

"Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to me!"

We enjoyed 5 wonderful days, skiing together

and celebrating Dad's birthday with all of the kids.

Dad said it was the best birthday ever!