let's make a deal...

background: my mom doesn't do anything normal or boring. she loves to make things special for people. she does a good job and, although we complain about how embarrassing something may be, we appreciate it and definitely remember the occasion/gift. example. disney world trip 2 years ago. on christmas morning, she sent us on a scavenger hunt around town before sending us to our disney tickets. this is where we made a stop at the nursing home, in our pajamas, to sing "we wish you a merry christmas" to the staff and patients. we haven't forgotten that one (and i'm sure it made their day!).
back to 2010. she had decided a few months back that we were going to play "let's make a deal" for our big gifts. i was in on the secret only because i had helped her with lane's gift. for a month leading up to it, lane, lauren and kyle complained and were dreading mom's idea to make it "special". they kept joking by saying, "didn't baby jesus already make it special?" she had recruited my in-laws and brother-in-law to help with the behind the scenes stuff and set designs. after the boys did santa and we ate a yummy breakfast, we were whisked back 40 years ago and the game began.

i was up first and everyone had to go through all the doors where the real prize was at the end. i know i turned down toilet paper and ended up with a new outfit. lauren was up next. she turned down an owl (she hates them) for my mom's wedding dress. surprisingly, she turned that down and ended up with a new piece of luggage.


chloe turned down a date to the boulevard ball with "jethro"(i can't remember what he called himself) and an ice cream cone for a smoothie maker.



lane was next. he traded a stack of vhs tapes for a first aid kit for a blu-ray player.

kyle traded a honeymoon to the lotawata resort for sparkling grape juice and a smoked sausage gift set. reluctantly, he chose a new door and ended up with a new grill for their new house.


lauren and lane were "randomly" chosen for the bonus round. lauren ended up with my mom's dog and lane ended up with a new tv! it was definitely something we won't forget for awhile. my mom and the moss' put a lot of thought and time into planning it. thanks to dawn and dylan for running the show "backstage" while my mom and steve were the announcers. we laughed a lot that morning.

the rest of the day was spent opening presents, eating, playing with new toys and going to see a movie. the day just felt right and slow! only 50 more weeks :)