Kimberly is officially OLD...

Well...it's not every day that your wife turns the big 3-0, so this year, the kids and I decided to throw her a big surprise B-Day party to celebrate her incredible "old-ness". We booked a limo for her and a group of girlfriends, and sent them out for a night on the town. They went to the spa, out to dinner, drove around the party scene (standing out of the sunroof, like in Pretty Woman), dancing in Scottsdale, a male strip club, and then dessert. OK, so maybe they didn't do every one of those activities - I'll let you try and figure out which one was fictitious (HINT: they skipped dessert). It was definitely an event-filled evening. I wasn't there, but I'm told that the old maid had a great time. I've attached a handful of photos - apparently there were not that many photos taken. I was repeatedly told "what happens during Kimberly's b-day party, stays amongst those at Kimberly's b-day party".

Since the kids and I had never been in a limo before, we decided to take it for a spin before the girls went out partying...the kids thought it was "totally wicked"!

The girls loading up for a night on the town...they were all looking pretty hot - as evidenced by the chauffeur grinning from ear to ear.

Girls at the spa - part 1 (apparently the cute little asian gal is really good at pedicures, manicures and massages, but not so much at taking "non-blurry" pictures)

Girls at the spa - part 2

Finished product

Out to dinner - some hip & trendy joint in Scottsdale...the food looks good.

Jen getting the party started. Funny story: when I was booking the limo, they asked which kind of champagne I would like, and were shocked when I said, "the non-alcoholic one". They insisted that it was "on the house", and that I just needed to tell them which brand. After going back and forth, I was finally able to convince him to leave out the alcohol when I said, "Trust me...you DO NOT want to see these girls drunk!"

Once they had a few drinks in them, they were ready for the dance clubs. Every Scottsdale club rolled out the red carpet for a limo full of hot women....that is until they realized that Jen didn't bring her ID. ;-)

This is where the night got a little fuzzy for everyone...and amazingly nobody captured any pictures of the next 3 hours......hmmmmmm.

Successfully returned after an eventful night...thanks girls for giving Kimberly a B-day she'll always remember

Cassidy turns 9

Our little baby turned 9 years old, and it feels like time is flying by way to quickly. In true Kimberly fashion, Cassidy was spoiled rotten, and had like 37 b-day parties. :-) I was only able to attend 5 of them, which are documented below.

We were allowed to bring treats into her class on the day of her birthday.

Here we are celebrating with the extended Bates family (both she and Kimberly had B-days in Aug)

Here she is on her night out with Mom & Dad (the waiter's / waitresses embarrassed her pretty good)

This is her b-day party with a bunch of family friends

Here is her "official" b-day party with all her girlfriends (they did a "spa" party)

Annual Jones (Draper) Family Reunion

It's reunion time! Oh...where do I even begin to describe Kimberly's family reunion. It has been a tradition for over 20 years...and is the highlight of the summer for many of us. It is a week filled with lots of love, laughter, food, late nights, games, memories, food, fun events, belching, farting, food, arguing, whining, and more red-neck moments than most people experience in a lifetime (all in 1 week)...but we wouldn't have it any other way! Unfortunately, this year work precluded me from being able to attend - and as much as it surprises me to say it, I found myself wishing I could be there.

Kimberly and the kids were able to attend the open house of the Oquirrh Mountain temple with the Prater family (Kimberly's cousins)

I just had to put this picture in ... this is what happens when Dad is not around to say "no". Notice how our 4-yr old son is sporting the Mr.T bling at the temple open house. Nice. :-)

Can't you hear him grunting out - "I pitty the fool!"

It's always fun to see Great Grandma Draper and Bill. Before the trip became too long to drive, they used to stop by and stay with us every year on their way down to CA.

PS - How's it hangin' Bill? I'm guessing "to the left".

Almost every year, Larry (Kimberly's dad) plans a sweet 2-3 day hike for us - through amazing & picturesque terrain...it's usually a tough hike, but these past few years, he's watered it down a little so some of the "girls" can join us. :-)

That comment will probably put me on a few $#!t lists. ;-)

Many of the hikers and loved ones at a restaurant "post-hike"

You will find a lot of this at reunion...laughing so hard that you cry.

This has to be my favorite part of the entire reunion - family programs! It's something I look forward to all year, and never want to miss (in case you can't tell, that last sentence is "dripping" in sarcasm). I think this is a pic of Cassidy and her cousins doing a skit of some sort. I'm sure it was followed by a 4-hr testimony meeting. ;-)

Feeding uncle Stu's horses...

Mom and Carter going for a ride

A bunch of the cousins peeing in the hot tub. I mean "swimming"...sorry, freudian slip. But assuming I was subconsciously correct, I get slightly sick to my stomach when I see them filling their mouths with water and spitting it at each other. This is the beginning of a series of increasingly "red-neck" activities.

Cute pic of the girls playing with cousins in the sprinklers

A bunch of the grandkids jumping as far as they can at the sand dunes.

OK...now we're getting heavy into the red-neck activities. Yep, that's Aunt Amy in her PJ's humiliating all the men with her shotgun shooting abilities, while the 30 grandkids run around within a few feet of the shooters. See if you can count how many shooters are lined up.

"Kids, when we say "PULL", you hit the deck! We don't want any Dick Cheney casualties again this year."

Uncle Rod....enough said.

Another classic family reunion moment. A close up on uncle Tyler's "pelt" - after having it styled with gel. If you think this is nasty, you should see his back....or even worse, his butt (don't ask how I know). :-)

But, in spite of all the red-neck moments, it's still a week of fun, filled with memories. We'll see you all next year!

A pic of the Larry & Debbie Draper family (everyone was able to be there this year, except Kaitlin and I).