March Madness Part 3: Ye Olde Oaks Boys

The last weekend in March marked the second annual Olde Oaks Boys Reunion.  Luckily, quite a few of Rob's good friends from his growing-up years have stayed in TX and were willing to drive to Houston (or fly all the way from Utah...thanks Alan!) for a weekend of sun, good food, and lots of fun.

Before: Playing Ultimate Frisbee at BYU circa 2005?

After: Jeremy, Amanda, Adele; us; Sloan, Taylor, Diane; Renn, Kim, Russell, Bennet; Gavin; Alan.  Not pictured: Fishers & Christensens

It's crazy that from March of 2011 to March of 2012, this group of friends has brought 5 new babies into the world....all girls!   So this year's reunion wasn't quite as footloose and fancy-free as the last was, but it was so fun for all of these little girls to meet each other.

3 of the 5: Only 2 weeks apart in age! 

Friday night we went out and had some delicious Italian food at a great little place near our house.  We spent the rest of the night digesting, chatting, and playing a rousing game of Mafia, where Amanda bamboozled her own husband to win the game. 

A classic: Knockout on the driveway

We got lucky and the pool heater was working this year, so a good portion of Saturday was spent lounging by the pool while Rob manned the grill.  Saturday night we put the babies to bed and roped a few high school boys from Rob's church class into making sure they all stayed asleep and went out for a GREAT game of Laser Tag. 

And, keeping with tradition, we did a fresh round of store-brand vs. name-brand taste tests over the weekend.

• Peanut butter cups: Costco vs. Reeses vs. Walmart.  Winner: Costco.  Loser: Reeses (!!!)
• Cookies 'n Cream ice cream: Blue Bell vs. Walmart vs. Dreyers.  Winner: Blue Bell.  Loser: Dreyers.
• Creamy Peanut Butter: Skippy vs. Jiff vs. Peter Pan vs. Walmart.   This one was tough b/c it was SO HARD to tell the difference between them!  Walmart was agreed to be a little thicker and cementier, while Peter Pan was a little oilier.  I don't think there was a clear victor.  (Rob wants it on record that he likes Peter Pan.  I liked Skippy. So, no clear victor. :)
• Miracle Whip vs. Mayo: I wanted to know if we really could tell the difference since people are so passionate about this one.  Verdict: You can definitely tell.  Miracle Whip tastes like salad dressing.

We are so lucky to have such a great group of friends so (relatively) close.  We're glad everyone was willing to make the trip with babies in tow.  I doubt that our numbers will swell so much before next year's reunion, but I guess you never know!

March Madness Part 2: The Helmet

Savannah was fitted for her helmet on the 21st of March.  Dr. T wants her to wear it for 8 weeks to help protect and shape her skull as it heals. 

First time in the helmet

I was pretty nervous about how she'd adjust to wearing it, but true to form, she took it like a champ.  Other than some serious head sweat the first few days, it didn't seem to bother her much. 

It's wayyyyy cuter than I anticipated! 

She's allowed to have the helmet off for 1 hour per day to let her skin breathe and to wash her smelly head.  Every evening when we take it off she starts rubbing her head back and forth, dying for some good scalp scratching (a la Baloo the bear in The Jungle Book).  I, of course, am more than happy to help her out! 

Savannah, Sloan Goggins, Lily

It's turning out to be quite the accessory; it pretty much goes with everything, and gets lots of attention when we are out and about.  So my only beef with it is that it makes it much harder to get at those chubby cheeks! 

March Madness; Part 1

We just had one of the most awesomest Marches everr. Seriously.

My dad, my sister, and her special friend Russ, all flew in to see Rob and me the babies and enjoy the beautiful Houston spring weather. 

Babies enjoying Kubb

We played Kubb, did some swimming, and had our own little tournament of pool, ping pong, and darts.  Katie and Russ owned ping pong, Rob and I took the pool crown, and the title of Darts Champion remains highly disputed.  

Savannah's first too-cool-for-school photo

Not our prettiest picture...

Loving it

 While she was here, Katie found out where she'll be spending the next 4-5 years of her life.   She matched at GW's psychiatry residency! 

Getting the news

She's very excited to finally KNOW, and she's also very excited about GW.  Hooray for Katie!

Cute. 

To celebrate Match Day, we drove downtown to experience the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show.  I, of course, was most excited about all of the cool food to try and had my Must-Eat list all ready.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize how HUGE the place was and didn't budget enough time to find/try everything.  Next year, I'll be better prepared.

Mmmmm...fried EVERYTHING

 We did manage to consume (as a group) a giant turkey leg, a bbq-stuffed baked potato, a humongous corn dog, an awesome cinnamon roll, fried snickers, fried oreo, fried red-velvet cake, and fried cookie dough.  

Babies were bummed they weren't getting in on the action

Best in show: deep fried cookie dough.   It was seriously awesome.  Second runner up: the corn dog, unexpectedly delicious.   Overall winner: my tummy....nom, nom, nom. 

Cookie dough on the right, Snickers on the left

We also didn't budget enough time to actually see any livestock or go on any of the rides.  Again, already planning for next year! 

Mom and Dad sharing the last of the corn dog.   Nice one, Russ. 

 The rodeo itself was pretty fun too.  Highlight there was DEFINITELY the mutton racing.  I don't think the girls will quite be ready next year, but you can never start training too soon! 

We had such a good time with everyone here.  It was really tough to see them go.   BUT....

...there's always next year!!!