A few weeks back, Cole mentioned having October 16th and 17th (the day before his birthday and the day of his birthday) off from school. So after a quick confirmation with the school calendar, I emailed Josh with my freshly concocted surprise birthday plan for Cole.
And on the morning of the 16th, we let Cole sleep in while we packed up the car, pawned off the kid (Courtney Lee was already at her mom's, and my mom stopped by around 10:00 to pick up Yans), and planned how we were going to get Cole in the car without spoiling the surprise.
By 11:30, our unsuspecting son was in the car and on his way to what he thought was a new restaurant in town to have lunch with his parents. As we turned onto the street where his best friend lives though, he immediately grew suspicious and asked, "What are we doing on Wyatt's street?"
Unbeknownst to Cole, Wyatt was in on the plan as well, and even after greeting him at the door and peppering him with questions, Wyatt was still keeping a lid on it.
Once he got back into the car, I handed him a gift and told him there was a clue inside.
Turns out the new OSU t-shirt and sweatshirt we got him wasn't clue enough.
So his dad hopped out of the car and hung an OSU flag outside the window, which was a dead-giveaway that we were on our way to an OSU football game.
And then we drove for a bit while talking about the rest of our plans (a hotel with a swimming pool, lots of good food, a good run to get prepped for their upcoming Cross Country meet, a tour of the OSU campus, and an appointment with an Air Force Captain who works for the OSU ROTC program both of the boys are hoping to join their freshman year of college.)
And then there was a quick pit-stop for restrooms and football.
And then it was time to get going on homework.
I told Cole it was a shame he hadn't gotten his homework finished up before the trip since that meant he couldn't start reading the new, hard-bound book (The Blood of Olympus) I had just got him.
And then we stopped for lunch at Tolly's, of course. (My husband has sensitive eyes, which is why you usually see him with glasses on.)
Before we ordered, the boys decided to change into their Beaver's gear.
And then we played some Trivial Pursuit while waiting for our burgers.
And one bite in, Wyatt proclaimed it to be the best burger he had ever eaten - a fact the rest of us already knew.
And then the waitress said, "How about I get a picture with you in it too since I see you taking pictures all the time, but never see you in any of them."
I already liked her, but now I like her even more.
And then it was back to homework.
And then we arrived at the A&W just off of the exit to Corvallis where we were supposed to wait for Reverend (the guy who married us and used to be Josh's boss in the military before Josh moved from the Civil Engineering department) and his dad, who were going to the Beaver's game as well.
And since Reverend and his dad hadn't arrived yet, the boys had a bit more time to play football.
And then we got back in the car and made our way to Josh's favorite parking place near the OSU campus.
Where the boys under 21 partook in some more football, and the boys over 21 partook in a few beers.
And with that magnificent kick, the ball landed here...
Which meant the boys spent the next 45 minutes trying to throw rocks just behind the ball in order to create a ripple effect that would bring it back to the shore.
And during that time, the boys were too far away and in way too muddy and steep of a location for me to shoot, so I grew bored and started taking photos of things like this...
Eventually, the boys recovery strategy morphed into Cole repeatedly hitting the water with a stick in the hopes of sending the ball to the shore of a little jetty, while Wyatt trekked far enough up the river's edge to access the jetty.
Mission complete.
And then, we were off to the game.
And then it twas' game time.
Double Overtime, with a (sad) loss for the Beavs.
More photos to come.
Happy Birthday, Coley!!! What a great birthday surprise!!! How great that you were able to pull it off. :) Your photos are fabulous as always!
Posted by: Michelle | October 22, 2014 at 07:13 PM
Happy Birthday Cole! 14 looks good on you! (wahhhh...) Love the surprises!!!
Posted by: kat-in-texas | October 22, 2014 at 08:29 PM
great birthday surprise!!Good to see you got your mojo back and there are some more posts appearing again
Posted by: ClaireT | October 23, 2014 at 03:29 AM
You are the coolest parents. Happy 14th birthday Cole.
Posted by: tere | October 23, 2014 at 09:20 AM
Gosh I'm so glad you're shooting again. I forgot how much I've missed your pics. My favorites are all the ones of the boys throwing the football. Beautiful light and gorgeous bokeh. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Deanna Misner | October 23, 2014 at 11:41 AM
Now I'm officially bummed. This is the third time I've been at the same place as you and I would love to meet you. From the looks of it I was sitting right in front of you. :( My daughter goes to school there too and I think their campus is gorgeous. Happy birthday Coley. Thank you for letting your Mom take pictures of you and letting us watch you kids grow up. It's my favorite blog to watch each day since you guys were soooo little.
Posted by: Renee | October 23, 2014 at 01:18 PM
OMG!!!!!!
YOU ARE IN FOCUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Also, Happy Birthday, Cole!*
Posted by: Tracibub | October 23, 2014 at 11:06 PM
Happy Birthday, Cole!
You can see the excitement for the game in the photos!
Posted by: Kelli | October 24, 2014 at 07:31 AM