A stunned grandpa tried and failed to hide his emotions when his grandkids flew across the country to surprise him for the first time in three years.
When Stephen Hoffman, from Scottsdale, Arizona, heard the doorbell and walked outside ahead of his 70th birthday, he was met with a pair of blankets lying on his doorstep.
A confused Stephen then decided to pull the blankets back, revealing granddaughters Sienna and Sapphire, who jumped out from underneath to surprise their beloved grandpa.
Initially Stephen tried to act cool, freezing in shock before heading in for a run-of-the-mill hug – but, after a few seconds of realization, he started welling up as the moment became too much for him.
Sienna and Sapphire live in Merrimac, Massachusetts, with their mom, Christy Dole, 41, who captured the April 1, 2021, surprise on video and sharing it on social media recently in 2023.
She said: “It felt so good and also sad to see how emotional he got – it’s hard living so far from family sometimes.
“The video has received lots of heartwarming comments.
“You can see my dad’s genuine emotion; he is so loved and I think that moment was big for him.”
