Time is flying!

And yet some times seem to crawl by....oh well. The kids both have a cold, and hopefully it will be done with quickly. Couple updates for what has been going on with us.....

Thursday night I had the annual mom's swap of cookies and subsequent gathering. We always say we wish we had more of an excuse to get together more often than once a year, but still....I'll take the fun whenever I can get it. I remember last year I had to leave pretty early because I had to come back and help put the kids to bed. But this year I was able to hold out until the end. 10:30 baby!!!! I even partook of the White Elephant game. Because of it I got a fun blue scarf for Gwen to play dress-up with. And she loves it....it is so soft and fluffy!

Then on Friday, Russ and I were out for his company's Christmas party. Again childless, I felt like I didn't know what to do with myself! Granted by this time I was exhausted because both kids had been up due to their colds. It was nice to see some of the family again without kids. Even if we go somewhere with the kids to visit, I can't stop myself from wondering, if it happens to be too quiet where or what the kids are getting into.

The food was great, the company was better and a fun thing to do once a year.

Saturday was low key....hopefully the kids were able to rest up and we stayed inside all day because it was very cold. Sunday, we ran some errands, and got ready for dinner. It was a dinner celebration for "Grandma" at Benihanas. We haven't been there since last year and this time we went to the new one open in Maple Grove. I am very thankful for the distraction of both the scenery and the many people that were in attendance. Both kids enjoy the attention, but right away Trevor was asking about the chef and when he was going to come out. (If you aren't familiar with Benihana's - they are a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant that also serves sushi.)

So we ordered our drinks, got our soup, followed by the salads before the chef came out. He started to do his thing, and Gwen looked a little frightened. But as soon as people started laughing and clapping she settled down. Trevor was really excited. It was interesting trying to watch Trevor who was very hungry, you could tell. And he REALLY wanted to use the chopsticks. So he asked for them to put a rubber band on the end so he could use them that way. He ate some vegetables and then the shrimp he was given. Now, he has always liked fish, occasionally liked crab meat, but I've never gotten him to try shrimp. I'm guessing it had something to do with the way the chef prepared it in front of him. But he ate all of it and asked for more. Thankfully everyone was offering him their appetizer shrimp to him and I had ordered shrimp for him as part of his dinner. The other interesting tidbit...he was determined to eat "octopus" for dinner. Derek ordered it and said he could have some if he wanted...so he tried it and of course had a few more pieces. I think everyone thought that it was going to be more squid shaped, but it came out in square patties. So I guess we have a few options for future foods.

So not only did Trevor have a good time, but he played "Benihana" for a good portion of the morning today. That kid is so funny. And we begin our Christmas celebration in two days. Merry Christmas all!