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!