On vacation 

The Richter family decided to take a road trip in March of 2017. Amber, the mother, Erik, the father, and their three kids decided to get out of their home-state, Oregon, and hit the road for an adventure. It had been a while since the family was able to all get out together. They were excited to go on a vacation that they’d never forget. 

The world was their oyster. The family’s car was packed full of the group of five’s suitcases, and they were ready to hit the road. The parents were up front, and the kids all sat in the back. Before they started driving, the father, Erik, decided to capture the moment. He grabbed his phone, turned on the front camera and got ready to take the picture. 

What happened next shocked them all…

Oops! 

“Cheeeeese!”, Erik said as he pressed the button. The family looked straight into the lens for two seconds and held their smiles strong. The youngest kid realized that her father had accidentally started recording a video. The family burst out in laughter. 

“Oh shoot!”, Erik shouted when he realized his mistake. His daughter who was sitting in the middle of the backseat, leaned forward to help him but Erik kept the phone out of her reach and continued filming. The mother, Amber, didn’t try to help and just kept laughing in the camera. It wasn’t all as fun as it seemed! 

Then something happened that shook them all…

 

Peekaboo! 

The family was still laughing about Erik’s lack of technological savvy when the shape of a hoodie suddenly appeared. He had hidden himself in the backseat of the car. The family was too distracted to even realize he was there. Seconds later, the figure in the back of the car made its presence known. 

When he did so, the kids in the backseat screamed. They hadn’t noticed a thing and were shaken to their core when they realized someone had been hiding behind them. They had been convinced it was just the five of them in the car. This surprise was completely unexpected which made for a real shock.

Rowan

The fearful screams quickly turned into shouts of joy when they recognized the figure. It was Rowan, Erik and Amber’s fourth kid! The three girls were stunned. Their brother wasn’t supposed to even be at home that day. They didn’t understand how he was in the car all of a sudden!

The set-up 

“Oh my god”, mother Amber screamed. “You scared the hell out of me!” It took her a minute to realize what was happening. Erik must have been in on the surprise. “Did you know he was doing this?”, she asked her husband who sat next to her, smiling ear to ear. 

It turned out Erik was part of the whole plan. He had picked up his son when arrived at the airport. Amber realized she had been fooled and he had kept it a secret from her. She jokingly punched his shoulder and yelled “You’re evil!”. Erik started laughing even harder. Everything had gone just as planned. 

The set-up 

“Oh my god”, mother Amber screamed. “You scared the hell out of me!” It took her a minute to realize what was happening. Erik must have been in on the surprise. “Did you know he was doing this?”, she asked her husband who sat next to her, smiling ear to ear. 

It turned out Erik was part of the whole plan. He had picked up his son when arrived at the airport. Amber realized she had been fooled and he had kept it a secret from her. She jokingly punched his shoulder and yelled “You’re evil!”. Erik started laughing even harder. Everything had gone just as planned. 

The comments 

Many people couldn’t help but share their thoughts with Erik and the rest of the viewers. “[I] don’t know what I liked better, Mom’s extreme reaction or the love in Dad’s non-stop smile! It’s a tie.” said one Facebook user. 

“Watching this with a few tears in my eyes, remembering when our family’s special Marine landed his jet,” someone else commented. “There were lots of emotion [and] hugs. [It] will always be one of my most favorite memories, nothing can compare to the love of family.”