Sports

 Soccer

 Volleyball

Dance

Hahaha!

Spring Training...

...aka name that tune night.  

Could not have been more perfect weather, or better lawn seats, or better licorice, or better games 

(like who can get a reaction to a stare down. Go Ang

although dancing is not technically a stare down).

Next year we gotta hit this more!

Strawberries!

 Sarah taught me how to can homemade strawberry jam this week (thank you!!) and it was super easy and fun! We had a few strawberries leftover so these kiddos decided to put them to good use.

 Luke had no desire to wait for the chocolate to set to eat them.

Yummmmmmm!

Friends Over

 My kids are so lucky to have the nicest friends!! 

(missed those Vallery girls on vacation!)

I honestly love all of them and am so glad when they get to come and hang out and bake cookies...

 or play video games...

or play more video games after they have taken out every single game in order to decide which one they want to play.  

Nothing better than having friends over!

Christmas Eve 2012

 We started the day off by hitting the movies....we all loved Rise of the Guardians!

 Then over to the Heaps we went for Christmas Eve Festivities!

 BINGO was a huge hit.

 Matt and Jamie's combined knowledge of the game made it exceptional this year. 

After everyone cashed in on their BINGO winnings, we headed outside.

The gang, Ashley, Max, Angie, Libby, Bree, Luke, Shawn, Jer, Mike, Matt, Hayden, Ethan, Jack, Dax, Jamie, Grady and Jace.  Yes it was warm enough for some to go shirtless. And shoe-less. 

 Fireworks.  Jer was honored to do the honors.

 It was quite the show.  And the cars racing down the street might not have paused long enough to appreciate what we had going on here.

Then back inside for Luke 2, Dessert and lots of talk.

Loved this night with friends old and new.

Unbelievable food, fast paced fun, Matt's addition to BINGO, kids hide and seek, Smith's special contribution of broken glass and unacknowledged spilled liquid, and best of all, the real reason Jamie was hurrying us all outside for a long fireworks show.

THANK YOU HEAPS!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Last Day of the World Party

 With Jake making an official declaration up and down the aisles of Walmart that this was the last day of the world (he was with his parents Matt and Jamie Heaps at the time), 

I thought this would be the best post title for the night.

Even if it wasn't really an official Last Day of the World party.

 It was actually an official gingerbread house making party.

Even if that was decided as we stood in line at Walmart and then made the boys wait while we raced back to the candy aisle to gather the goods.  And we might have lost Grady for a second.  Or maybe Matt did while he was picking the longest line to stand in.  Which Jer made even longer by using his fancy e-gift card.  

Walmart loved us that night and so did it's customers.

 And then we were almost too tired to make these bad boys.  

Good thing the kids did not let us forget that's what we were doing.

Sugar burns and runny frosting...Gingerbread houses with the Smiths are ALL THAT!

And all the while these two were working as hard as ever watching that BYU game.

While we were working pretty hard catching up on talk that was long over-due.  

Loved this night!

12-12-12....

 It was a once in a life-time kind of date so we got together to celebrate!

 And later that night we went home to find a bull in our neighborhood just hanging out.

Lock your back gates:)

Happy Birthday Riley!!!

We celebrated in true GNO style with dinner at the Culinary Dropout.  It was the perfect birthday atmosphere (except for those of us olides who were too blind to see the menu in the dim light haha!)

 Then we hit the town and played a few birthday games including find the trolly, first one across the street and recruit the most people you can to say happy birthday to Riley.  And although the Paradise Bakery staff yelling it in unison was pretty fabulous, I think Jamie won this one when she got this guy to play along.  He got up close and personal and we all thought his stache was the best.

 Sarah Jamie and Angie won the most yogurt samples game and as for the game grande finale....

That would have been hitching a ride with this guy...."Um I'm only supposed to have one other person riding"  "That's ok,  we don't mind...Sarah can sit on Riley and my lap." "I'm having so much fun!"  "I'm probably gonna get fired!"  "So is the mall crowded this time of year?"  "How about dropping us off in Anthem?"  

Almost peed my pants laughing so hard flying around the streets of the mall with this guy.  

However this little adventure did cost us a sighting of a "professional football" player.  

Or so they say.  Too bad those pictures got lost.

Such a fun night with some of my all time favorite people!!

Happy Birthday Riley, we love you!!

And PS- I think mustaches are gonna be big for you this year....better tell Jon to get going!

The Phangs Were Out....

 Along with the fruity smiles, singing voices, empty cup trash contests, book club discussions, and first class seating in #7.  

ALWAYS fun with this group and although we did not all agree on the exact ending of Down by the Banks
I think we can all agree...

So glad it was 10:00 this year!

Summer Date Night Finale

 Sadly we are all about to start taking off for summer vacations but luckily we got to squeeze in one last date night before we all split.  It's always tricky to pick a place because there are some "difficult" people in the group.  But with votes cast, we headed out to that BBQ place in Black Canyon City. 

It was fun to try a new spot with Jamie's special seating (vetoed), amnesia waitress, stray dog, "relations",  nuts, racks, dog ribs, and the saddest stories ever. 

But it all ended well because we hit James' favorite pie spot after.

And it was hands down the best pie anyone's had.

Don't worry Vals, we'll be making a trip back there again with you!

  I tried to get my payback pic of Jamie, but the camera wasn't cooperating...

and neither was she.  Impossible to get a bad picture of her.

Then we came home and watched the movie that I rented for the kids but accidentally left in my purse and took with us on date night.   

Sometimes my no-brainers end up working out just right:)