Eight siblings surprised their parents with an adult sleepover and enjoyed a night reminiscing about their childhood; playing games, watching a movie, and more.
Cody Andrew and his seven siblings: Teresa, 57, Chad, 55, Chris, 53, Bobbi, 50, Danny, 48, and Heidi, 40, are fortunate to live close to their parents: John Andrew, 82, a retired company vice president and Luedeen Andrew, 80, a former stay-at-home mom.
The idea of a surprise sleepover was sparked by a joke that family matriarch Mrs. Luedeen Andrew once made.
“My mom loves hanging out with her kids,” said Mr. Cody Andrew, a marketing professional, adding that his mom once expressed that she'd love to go on a one-day trip with all her kids again.
Hearing this, Mr. Cody Andrew’s wife, Christine Andrew, suggested the siblings organize a surprise sleepover, knowing his mom would love it.
After Mr. Cody Andrew shared the idea with his siblings, they all jumped on board.
Needless to say, setting a date for the sleepover wasn’t easy. The siblings, most of whom reside in Centerville, Utah, and with one of them four hours away, took a few weeks before deciding on a date that would fit their schedules.
After coming up with a plan, the siblings executed their surprise sleepover mission. On March 13, all of them drove to a parking lot near their parents’ house where they secretly parked their cars.
Mr. Cody Andrew had informed his parents that he was stopping by to drop off food.
Mrs. Christine Andrew arrived at the house with a camera to film the event, maintaining a discreet presence so her in-laws wouldn’t see her.
Then, the troop of siblings arrived at their parents’ house with sleeping bags in tow.
“My mom was first caught off guard,” Mr. Cody Andrew said. “Then it hit her and then, she got excited.”
Mr. John Andrew immediately understood what was happening, and invited the siblings to come inside.
They kicked off the fun night with a takeout dinner from their parents’ favorite Chinese restaurant and played indoor games such as Farkle and Truth or Dare.
Although Mr. Andrew’s elderly parents hadn’t been in the best of health, they had some extra energy that night. After playing some games, the siblings shared stories reminiscing about their childhood days. While watching Top Gun and snacking on popcorn, Mr. Cody Andrew’s sisters did their mother’s hair, a ritual that Mrs. Luedeen Andrew always enjoyed.
Around 11:30 p.m. everyone was still wide awake, jumping on the bed and sharing old memories. Their parents eventually fell asleep in their bedroom, while the siblings went into the family room and stayed awake talking until the early hours of the morning.
“You could tell there was just a newfound excitement ... all night,” Mr. Cody Andrew said. “It turned out to be a really good surprise.”
Mr. Cody Andrew expected his parents to be tired the next morning, but he was wrong.
“They had energy,“ he said. ”They were excited.”
The family enjoyed a breakfast with donuts and chocolate milk.
‘The Reaction Has Been Huge’
For Mr. Cody Andrew, the sleepover was fun but “bittersweet.” The siblings shared memories and enjoyed their time with each other but also wondered about the number of years they’d have left with their parents.After the sleepover, Mr. Cody Andrew decided to post the video on social media. It has since racked up more than 2 million reactions.
“The reaction has been huge,” he said. “It has been all positive.”
Other social media users have echoed similar sentiments, with many parents saying that they’d like their children to do something like this for them.
‘We Love Hanging Out With Each Other’
Though it’s rare for the Andrew family to get together under the same roof, Mr. Cody Andrew usually sees his parents two to three times a week.With most of the siblings residing in the same area, they love hanging out with each other on the weekend at someone’s park or pool.
“We’re lucky enough that we’ve all stuck together,” Mr. Cody Andrew said.
Through sharing his heartwarming story, Mr. Cody Andrew wants to emphasize the importance of family bonding and connection.
