Mothers Day

The Ryan Home

Kevin Ryan stepped into his bedroom and sat on his bed, attempting to shake his wife awake.
"Jenny, Jenny, you gotta get up."
Jenny let out a groan and sat up in bed. She rubber her eyes with the heels of her hands, and ran a hand through her messy hair. She groggily glanced at the clock and her eyes went wide.
"Kevin, it's 3:00 in the morning! Why on earth are you waking me up?!" Jenny exclaimed.
        "Jenny, please, just trust me. But, um, I really don't want you any madder than you are now, so, uh, I think I should  tell you that you'll probably want to get dressed." Ryan nervously tried to reason.
        "Fine." Jenny grunted, and pushed herself off the bed. "What do I need to wear?"
        Ryan smiled from ear to ear, relieved his wife wasn't asking too many questions.
        "Just be comfortable." Ryan suggested, "You'll be sitting down for a while..." He muttered under his breath.
        "What was that?" Jenny called out from inside the closest.
        "Nothing Jenny. Finish getting ready, and I'll meet you in the car." Ryan said, kissing his wife on the cheek.
        Ryan trotted down the stairs, and pulled his checklist out of his pocket.
Luggage in the car? Check. Kids activity bags packed? Check. Cleaned the house? Check. The kids are in the car, all the lights are shut off, I've woken up Jenny, I think I'm all set. Ryan thought. Wait a second...  He reached into his back pocket and produced 4 plane tickets. Okay, now I'm set. Wow Kevin, you could've blown the whole thing.
        With the tickets safely in his pocket, Ryan climbed into the drivers seat. Glancing in the rear view mirror he saw that his youngest, Nicholas, was fast asleep, but his oldest, Sarah Grace, had wide eyes and couldn't sit still.
        "Daddy? Where are we going?" She asked.
         "It's a surprise sweetie, but I promise, you'll like it."
        "But Daddy, I'm not supposed to be here!" Sarah Grace exclaimed.
        "What are you talking about Sar?" Ryan questioned, furrowing his brow.
        "The sky is dark, and Mommy said when it's dark, it means the sky's asleep, and when the sky's asleep Sarah Grace is asleep!"
         Ryan chuckled at his daughters innocence.
"Okay honey, but since this is a special surprise for Mommy, you're allowed to be awake."
        "Okay Daddy!" Sarah Grace stated, thinking her dads explanation made enough sense.
        The passenger side door opened,  and Ryan looked over at his wife. She was sitting there half asleep, wearing her favourite jeans and an old t-shirt, with her hair in a messy bun and not a trace of makeup. Ryan thought she still looked beautiful.
        He started the car and pulled out of the driveway. Looking back he saw that Nicholas had woken up, but his eyes were drooping. Sarah Grace also looked on the verge of sleep.
        "Alright Ryan's," Ryan shouted. "Who's ready to have some fun?"
        In response, he got some weak claps from Nicholas who had almost fallen back asleep, what sounded like Sarah Grace trying to say 'I'm ready' while yawning, and a barely half hearted 'Woo Hoo' from an exhausted Jenny.
"Aw, c'mon you guys, this is gonna be awesome!" Ryan encouraged.
"Kev, I'm loving your enthusiasm, but none of us are feeling this! Nicky is out like a light, Sarah Grace can barely keep her eyes open, and honestly I just want to sleep. Can't this wait until tomorrow morning?" Jenny protested.
"Nope. I promise you, you're all going to love this."
"Can you at least tell us where we're going?"
"Jenny, that'll ruin the surprise!" Ryan whined. "You'll know when we get there."
Half an hour later, the Ryan's pulled up to the airport.
"Kevin, why are we at the airport?"
Ryan smirked, desperate to not give anything away.
"Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. It's a surprise, and I promise, you'll find out soon enough."
Jenny let out a puff of air, and a stray hair on her forehead flew up. She hopped out of the car and grabbed the luggage while Ryan woke up the kids.
"Sarah Grace, wake up sweetheart. Sar, you've gotta wake up." Ryan tried to wake his oldest up.
Jenny walked over to her family with their bags.
I wonder when he packed these. Jenny thought.
"You just gotta know how to motivate her Kevin. Watch." Jenny said with a wink. "C'mon Sarah Grace, we're going on an adventure!"
        Sarah's eyes snapped open. "I'm awake Mommy, I wanna go on an adventure!" She groggily exclaimed.
        Sarah Grace had always been somewhat of a thrill seeker, despite her mild mannered parents.
        She's been spending to much time with her Uncle Rick. Ryan though.
        With Jenny holding Sarah Graces hand, Ryan carrying Nicholas, and the family's bags divided between the 2 parents, the Ryan's prepared for the adventure of a lifetime.