Another Busy Week!

I feel like we have been going non-stop again.  Last Friday, we took the kids to Monkey Joe's for a birthday party.  We got to see some of our friends who also have kids in Drew's class so Andy and I enjoyed ourselves too.  That said, I won't be upset if I don't go to Monkey Joe's for another year or so (or maybe ever)!  The kids and I spent Saturday running a lot of errands while Andy worked outside in the yard.  Saturday night, we went to Washington for dinner and a bonfire with our friends Chuck and Jamie and Jeff and Amy.  Drew, Sam and Brody are all in the same Pre-K class and Maia is just a year younger than Kayley so the kids play really well together. 

The boys dressed up in Sam's costumes for the bonfire.
Brody, Sam, Drew and Maia

The first s'more Drew has ever eaten.  Nothing
like a little peer pressure to get him to try it!

Way past their bedtime and enjoying
some late night cartoons!

I left really early Monday morning for Toronto for work and then flew home first thing Tuesday morning.  So early that I was back in Peoria by 10:30am after a layover in Detroit.  I went straight to Kayley's surgery follow-up appointment.  The doctor said she is looking great and everything appears to be completely healed.  She was just happy about the sticker he gave her.  :-)

Yesterday was dentist day for the kids.  When I picked the kids up from daycare on Tuesday and told them we were going to the dentist the next day, Drew said he wanted to eat healthy for dinner.  He wanted pizza and an apple and said he was going to brush really good that night.  :-)  Last time we went to the dentist, Drew cried most of the visit while Kayley was great and sat in the chair by herself and didn't cry or whine at all.  I was nervous this time for how Drew would do so on the way there I told him he could have a new monster truck if he was really good without any whining or crying.  Even though I knew Kayley would do good, I told her she could have a small toy too for being good. 

When we got back to the room they asked who wanted to go first.  I looked at Kayley thinking she would be easier to get up in the chair.  She burst into tears and Drew quickly volunteered to go first.  He jumped up into the chair and sat perfectly still the entire time.  No whining.  No crying.  Kayley, on the other hand, was trembling in my lap.  The girls noticed and asked if anything with her had changed because she was so good the last time.  I said no except that she had her tonsils out earlier this month.  They started shaking their heads and said her reaction is very common after having tonsils out.  By that time, Andy had arrived and they took her and Andy to another room.  I got off easy with Drew who was happily watching a movie while they cleaned his teeth.  After they were done, I was helping Drew into the car and I told him how proud I was that he was such a  big boy (yes, I realize most 4 1/2 year olds are good at the dentist without bribery).  He looked at me and said very matter-of-factly, "well, that is because I wanted a monster truck."  I learned two things yesterday - (1) Drew is VERY easy to bribe; and (2) Drew doesn't need to be bribed next time because he is clearly capable of acting like a big boy at the dentist. 

Kayley got a small toy too because I felt bad that she was so traumatized by having her tonsils removed!

Bribe toys

After all the hard work at the dentist, Andy let me have a girls night with some friends!  We went to the neighborhood bar Andy and his friends own.  That is probably why he was so willing to let me go out - we were bringing him business!