¡SORPRESA!

The ruse was this: make Gama believe that I finally needed my Acapulco chairs back (thanks for giving them a temporary home, by the way). 

Oh, and Gama - would you carry them all the way up to the roof? 

He did because he's great like that, and when he mounted the last of the winding stairs and turned the corner up onto the roof, we were all there to cheer and call out birthday wishes. He went from person to person, hugging everyone, and convincing us that he definitely was surprised. 

The coals were already stoked, sending a dry smoke curling around the rooftop. Tanya had secretly stashed meat, her famous salsa, and nopales in a diaper bag so Gama wouldn't notice. But now, those things made their way out of the bag and everyone else's contributions to the carne asada were unpacked onto the long folding table. The first round of grilling was underway and we started assembling tacos & quesadillas (and we didn't stop for hours). 

Heavy footsteps from the kids stomping and chasing each other around mingled with bursts of laughter floating away from each little cluster of friends. 

And slowly, the party wound down as the sun tucked away between layers of cityscape, leaving us with a 360 degree view of one of the most picturesque sunsets to end the night. 

We gathered the last of our things until all that was left was the set of Acapulco chairs. 

Gama brought them back downstairs and loaded them into the car again because I wasn't actually ready for them...sorry. 

P.S. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!