Night Games

One tradition I remember every summer as a child is 

NIGHT GAMES.

(aka Kick the Can, Sardines, Capture the Flag, Toilet Tag, Steal the Bacon, Hide & Go Seek, German Spy, Red Rover, & many more)

We played night games 3 times a week all summer long for as long as I can remember.  I remember playing them even when I graduated high school.  They were SO FUN.  So, since we were in UT for the summer, night games sounded like a fun thing to do.

We started the first Wednesday night we were there.  We were randomly knocking on neighbor's doors hoping they were up to playing with us.  That first night we had a total of 6 kids... three of which were my own.  ha ha ha.  My kids were worried nobody would play, but I assured them that as we kept going, other kids would hear about it & would come.  

Taya was always a mess every time we played.  She'd go outside clean as clean could be, & then would come back in looking like she had rolled in the dirt for an hour.  Silly girl.

My theory proved to be right.  Each night we got more & more kids to play.  The entire neighborhood was really getting into it & we were having a blast.  We even had cousins & friends from other towns coming over just to get in on the fun.

While they were having fun, I was getting to know the neighborhood better.  I made great friends there.  My parents have the best neighbors in the entire world.  I fell in love with all the wonderful kids.  Deacon was my little buddy.  He lived 2 doors down from us & by the time we left, he'd just walk into my parents house & start playing with the toys.  I already miss them all.

Every night we played night games, I'd provide popsicles for the whole crowd.  (That was my incentive to get them to play.)  One of the nights, the neighbors broke out their snow cone machine & we made snow cones.  We had SO MUCH FUN.

On the last night we played night games, we had 30 kids playing.  (the picture below was taken before everyone showed up)  We couldn't believe the WONDERFUL friends we had there in Utah.  They were great & we will be friends forever.

Good-bye Utah friends.  We love & miss you dearly.