Uncle Scott's Birthday

...was on Monday, February 16th. He wanted to have a fun day out with the family. He had given the Dunnihoo boys a gift card to the trampoline park where he works, so we all went together. It was pretty fun! Julie, Diane, Mark and I didn't really participate; mostly we just watched the kids play. There were a bunch of different areas of the park, including a kiddy area, dodgeball, basketball, halfpipe, and some others. Brooke stayed in the kiddy park for most of the time, jumping and throwing balls around with Makai, Uncle Scott and Uncle Hou. She had a great time! It was so cute to watch her having such fun and playing with Makai. I got in the kiddy area for a few minutes to jump with her, but she was definitely not as interested in playing with me as she was with Uncle Scott. She left shortly after to go look for him and spent the rest of the time playing with him in the basketball area. I sure got the shaft!

After the trampoline park, we walked over to Red Robin for a birthday dinner. Mom and Dad joined us there. We had fun! It was a little hard, though, having so many people. We didn't really get a chance to connect with everyone.

It seems we have done something every night this week. That was Monday. On Tuesday night, Diane, Julie and I took Dad out on a Daddy-Daughters date. We went to see a late movie together, called Imitation Game. It was a movie about Enigma and how a team of Britains, including Alan Turing, was able to crack it and help to win the war. It was a very interesting movie. We had fun, and I think Dad felt good that we had asked him out. It was technically Mom's idea. Dad has been having a really hard time at work. He is working a lot extra trying to meet deadlines and he is really just having a miserable time. So Mom wanted us to help him feel better. I felt a little ashamed that I'd never thought of it before, to ask him to go do something fun. I think I'll make more of an effort from now on.

When we got home from our movie, Dad had his nightly bowl of ice cream. He saw some fudge sauce in a pot on the stove and dished a generous amount over his ice cream. He took a big bite ... and realized that he had put beef gravy on his ice cream. What's even funnier is that he ate it all anyway! Silly father!

Wednesday night, I believe, was the night the boys went out to see a movie together. We ladies stayed in and painted our nails and watched a movie. Diane got this really cool UV light and special gel top coat polish. She did my toenails one night and my fingernails another. It is supposed to last so much longer than regular nail polish and top coat. And they just look so cute! She brushed them with sparkles before putting the last layer on.

Our days have been filled up mostly with taking care of the babies, chatting, playing games, cleaning up and making food. We haven't done too much, really. Mom hasn't been feeling well all week. I feel kind of badly about it, that the week that we're all here is the week that her hand and neck and knees are bothering her so much. She had a bunch of appointments, too, this week, to help her manage her discomfort and get things taken care of. But Julie and I have been trying to help her as much as possible. We had Owen on Tuesday, because Diane and Hou both had to work. But that wasn't new; Mom always has Owen on Tuesdays.

Brooke has had such a great time playing with her cousins! It is just so cute watching her with Makai. They are seriously the best of friends. They play all day together, they watch Jake together, they hold hands; every time they wake up from night sleep or naps, they always ask for each other right away.

Thursday morning, Diane, Julie and I took Scott on a birthday breakfast date. We went to Morning Glory in Ashland, this quaint little breakfast/lunch place. Their food is SO good! And Scott had never been there. Mom agreed to watch the kids for us while we went; she had all 7 hooligans! We had a great time together, although I think Scott felt a little out of place in our conversations. I mean, really ... it's hard for a bunch of moms not to talk about motherhood or their littles. Haha! Poor Scott! After our delish breakfast, we went to Paddington Station in downtown Ashland. I got some cool jewelry and the COOLEST pajama bottoms ever!

Yesterday Mary and her boyfriend, Austin, came down from school to visit us. Mary had never met Camille, and she wanted to spend time with all the family. Drew and I were in the middle of the most intense game of Stratego at the time, so we didn't really pay that much attention to her, and I felt a little bad. But Drew was seriously stressing me out! Julie and I put dinner on in the midst of putting our kids to bed. And we ended up eating really late. I think we were partially waiting for Mom and Dad, but they had gone upstairs for a little nap.

I'm so sorry. My writing is so bad tonight, but I am so tired. I really just need to go to bed. But I felt like I should write what's been going on this week before I forget.

Anyway, last night after dinner, we left the kids with Gramma and Grampa and went to Coldstone for a little ice cream. And we just hung out and talked all night after we got home.

This morning, Julie's family went back home. It felt so weird not to have them here. So quiet. We really missed them. Brooke kept asking to see "the kids". She still had a fun day, though. There's so much to get into in this house, and new toys to play with. She didn't take a nap, so it was early bedtime; and even then, she cried to herself for a while.

Camille has been astounding the whole family this week. She such a good, chill baby, they were all marveling all week long. Julie couldn't stop talking about it! It was pretty funny. And she really is the best and cutest baby of all time. I really love her and can't get over her.

We finally had Scott's birthday dinner tonight: homemade spaghetti sauce, kale salad, garlic bread, grape sparkle, and truck stop pie. It was delish! And we've just been hanging out tonight.

There is so much junk food and candy in this house. Brooke has been sneaking candy all week. The other day, things were unusually quiet, and I realized that Brooke wasn't playing with the boys and we didn't really hear her or know where she was at all. Julie suggested that she might be where the candy is. So I started looking around. I looked everywhere and couldn't find her. I finally saw her under the table. Sneak-eating candy.