Benne's visit

Benne came by for her weekly visit this morning. I made the mistake of taking the crew to the grocery store, instead of my usual online grocery order. Even with Benne's very capable extra pair of hands, it was a challenge. Julia was in rare form today, being quite difficult so I can't say anybody had a ton of fun except for Andrew of course. But it felt great to get all the groceries done, with even a meal plan for the week, so I'm confident we can live without another shopping outing for at least a week and a half. Many thanks to Benne for her infinite patience and assistance! Things improved once we got home, where we had a very nice lunch and then Benne read some stories before naptime.

Tonight, in recognition of Dad's birthday, we are having a very special treat. Jeff and I and Andrea and Craig have arranged for babysitters so that we can meet up with Mom and Dad for a special adults-only dinner at a nice restaurant in Woodside, the Village Pub. We are really looking forward to having some grown-up conversation with a quiet and peaceful backdrop, something we don't get to enjoy much these days. It should be a nice treat for everyone.