I took 99 pictures this weekend. Not 100... but 99.
The kids and I headed up to Phoenix this weekend to visit with GREAT friends that I have had for many, many years. I met Natalie and Karen in junior high school and we all met Laura in high school. We were inseparable.
Then, time separated us. But not for long! Now that we are all settled down and back in AZ, we are back and it is like things never changed.
Here we are! Laura is behind me, next to her is Natalie (aka Hostess with the Mostess) who is in back of Karen.
Prior to this dinner, however, was a lot of playtime. I mentioned the water table and outside toys in my 20th post, but here are a couple other pics of fun outdoor play!
We got to Natalie's on Friday evening, and had a delicious dinner of pizza and grapes! 
Natalie and her family live in a beautiful neighborhood with lakes and very hungry ducks. So, we had to go feed them a couple times.
Me and my man hamming it up!
Laura and her family drove up Saturday, and we met them at the toystore for Peter Rabbit. Isn't her daughter, Sara, an absolute beauty?!?
Lilly took storytime seriously.
Zac was just a ham the whole time!
Then... more outdoor playtime!
Saturday night was when Karen came over (her baby boy, Tyler, was sick at home with husband Bernie). We had an amazing dinner of lasagna, bread and salad. Then. Came. Dessert. Natalie is an amazing cook and baker in addition to so many other things. Look at this cake. Fully homemade. From scratch. Served with port that Michael so generously opened for the occasion. Delicious doesn't begin to describe the entire meal, and especially this dessert.
That evening, Sara and Zac ate dinner and went to bed at their normal times, which was before out dinner. Lilly and Spencer are so independent that we were able to have great conversation and visiting during dinner. Then, Lilly and Spencer went to bed and we enjoyed our dessert. 
A HUGE thank you to Natalie for hosting my crazy kids and myself. Check out her blog post about our great weekend too, by clicking here.
That evening, Sara and Zac ate dinner and went to bed at their normal times, which was before out dinner. Lilly and Spencer are so independent that we were able to have great conversation and visiting during dinner. Then, Lilly and Spencer went to bed and we enjoyed our dessert. After dessert, Karen had to go tend to her sick baby and the rest of us headed outside to the patio swing with a bottle (or two?) of wine.
We laughed, we cried, we spilled a little wine...
It was amazing.
Sunday, it was time to head home. Driving during naptime is a very good thing.
A HUGE thank you to Natalie for hosting my crazy kids and myself. Check out her blog post about our great weekend too, by clicking here. Another HUGE thank you to Karen and Laura in addition to Natalie for being such great friends for such a long time. Love you all girls!
And yet another HUGE thank you to Michael and Josh, who had to listen to so much girl talk and cackling!
Two side notes.
1. Check out my new "button" for my Thankful Through Thursdays posts made by my friend Becca! Isn't it great?!?
2. Speaking of long time friends, I had drinks last week with Stephanie, who was my BFF from preschool through junior high school. Different high schools helped us grow apart, but thanks to facebook we have reconnected and I am thrilled!
7 comments:
Michael's comment: Did you take the picture of the kid's while driving down I-10? Ha!
My comments: I'm laughing and crying simultaneously at your beautiful post. It really was the best weekend. Do you remember in high school how we all used to joke about being in college? There was that running joke about buying a washer and dryer at Sears and putting it on layaway until we were old enough (like 20) to need it. I just don't remember us joking about hanging out with our husbands and babies though. Maybe we just couldn't fathom being this age! I'm so glad we're all still friends because of things like this. TOO much fun.
P.S. Thanks for using the prior approved duck feeding picture and the better picture of me at Peter Rabbit that didn't even have approval.
P.P.S You really are hot in that picture of you and Zac at the ducks.
Yea, you are really hot. :D
So wonderful to get a weekend away with girlfriends...and girlfriends that you've known for a long time!! Hope your week back is going great.
Um.. I believe you owe us 86 pictures.
And I LOVE the shoe in the middle of the kid's seats... I can picture you whipping it off (because they are super uncomfortable) and tossing it (carefully) back there :)
The button looks cute!! :)
So I went and read the other blog...6 bottles of wine and 18 beers!!! You go.
I was waiting for this post for SO long.
I am so happy that you had a good time. You deserve it! And, yes, to concur with everyone else: you are hot (at least that guy at Ragnar must have thought so!)
PS - Ummm, Sara's hat is beautiful and I want one. For me. Okay, for Shyla.
What a fantastic and fun post to read! I have to agree that photo is hot, like Natalie said, and that you go girl, on the drinks! No wonder yesterday was rough!
Girlfriends are the best, definitely! I love the new layout too! I was just looking at scrappinblogs last night, from seeing it on Jessica's, and will pick one out soon too. Time to change Soren's snow picture!
How wonderful that you've stayed in touch with your junior high/high school friends! There's something special about having all that "history."
And that dessert? Wow! It looks like something that would be served at a 5-star restaurant. Impressive. :)
stephanie@metropolitanmama.net
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