So are they stupid or am I smart?

[djmom]

Try packing for a trip to St. John without the kids having the slightest clue...

Less than 48 hours to keep the secret!

(ps. Don't post anything on my FB page about this. My
daughter got a page- have I lost my mind, but that is another story!)

[PA Girl]

Hold the phone! What did I miss? Are springing a surprise trip on the kids? Or is the surprise that they are staying at home while you sneak away?

[djmom]

We got a good deal on tix (and a frequent flier popped up) and then a good last minute on a villa-

This all came together a little over a week ago.

So we decided to continue to tell the kids we were going to Grandma's and Grandpa's (the original plan) for Thanksgiving. We are taking them out of school for 4 days (bad, bad).

They have no clue.

It is a little hard to pack though.

And there are a few little odd things I am surprised they didn't question. But as Ned says, they don't pay any attention to us.

We have a running bet on how long it will take them to figure it out. I think they will figure out before we leave the house. Ned thinks it will take them all the way up to the gate.

We normally don't fly to my parents but we told them we got a good deal.

I am slightly concerned that they will burst into tears when they find out they aren't going to grandmas. They miss them a lot, but will get to go over Christmas.

Anyways, this is fun.

[bnsilly]

What a great surprise..How old are they? Give us a report upon your return!

[djmom]

They are 9 and 12. No place on earth they love more than St. John. (except Grandmas??????? )

[loria]

FUN!!!!! sounds like a great time --your kids will be psyched!!!!

[samholtz]

ahhhhh; how fun. I don't know how my daughter would react...of course this is my 16 year olds 3 year going in a row over thanksgiving, but i think she only likes going because she misses school for a week.

please let us know how they respond, we did this our first year to St. John to my brother, it was his 40th birthday and we took him out to diner (a whole group of us) and at the end of diner his daughter stood up and read a poem about flying and having a good time and how much she would miss him...needless to say he freaked out about going because he owns his own business; in the end he loved it however i don't think as much as my husband & I, we have been going once a year ever since; he has not returned.

[Ms.Montana]

I want to by your kid!

[piscesgirl0314]

SOOOOOOOOOOO awesome...they are going to be so excited...love it!!!!

[XOXO]

That is so cool! What a great surprise! It will be fun hearing about their reaction. Do you have a camcorder? It would be a great video--espcially if you don't tell them and we get to watch their "wheels spin" as they put it together.

Is it too late to get a flight for Grandpa and Grandpa??

GG

[mindehankins]

I sure hope you can catch their reactions! So awesome!

[STX lady]

After your wonderful story, I'm reliving last Feb in STX! We bought our condo on Feb 24th, on Feb 27th, in a moment of "complete insanity", we decided to fly down our kids & grandkids, (two weeks after we moved in).

We somehow managed to surprise the hell out of them & fly 15 of them down (they got to pack themselves) over an 18 day period & 8 round trips to the airport!! Kids & spouses (7 of our 11) 33 yrs to 39 yrs. Grandkids (8 of our 9) from age 2 yrs to 24 yrs old!! They came in 4 groups & the last 4 left 2 days before we returned to NH. WHEW!!! (Explains why we returned for 2 weeks in July)

It was both insane & the most fabulous time ever! You'll have a fantastic time & the kids will be talking their SURPRISE for years to come!!!

[SS in NC]

Hi djmom,

Smooth move...do you plan to tell them when you get back? (Or perhaps let them figure out on their own where the new tan came from?) This being Thanksgiving, I can't wait to hear the Christmas plans! Cudo's

[SS in NC]

my bad...didn't read the post thoroughly enough...but if they haven't put the pieces together yet, maybe you can tell them when ya'll step on the plane...

[jimg20]

Our daughter and SIL took their three kids (15,11,7) on a car trip from NW Arkansas to the Gulf coast of Alabama last summer. She managed to get them all the way to the water (12 hr drive) before they knew. It was very funny. It wasn't until they woke up the next morning that they realized that they were there for the week.

JIM