dinner with the Dicks, part 2

We had dinner at Uncle Norb and Aunt Emma's house last night. {Sometimes I really want to just call her Auntie Em because how cool is it that I have an Auntie Em? Very.} They invited us over because Helen and John were passing through Utah and hoped to see us again. Remember last time? Dinner with the Dicks. Click on it. Cate was such a cute wittle baby.

We missed Grama Bama though. Uncle Norb is her brother. Helen is her cousin. She lives in Canada. We're hoping we can get them together on Saturday before Helen and John have to head home (since Grama Bama will be arriving tomorrow!!).

Dinner was yummy. Pizza, veges with dip and that scrumptious strawberry spinach salad. I asked Auntie Em for the recipe and she handed me the card and a blank card (so I could copy it). I saved a tree and just clicked a picture of the recipe with my phone instead. Besides, I don't know what I'd do with a recipe on a card.

I made peanut butter sheet cake for dessert and ate way too much of it. That's what happens when you have kids who don't eat their dessert. You eat yours and then you have to clean their plates too because there's no way we're throwing a perfectly good piece of cake (or 2) in the garbage.



We ate. Kids played. Outside. Then inside. Then outside again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Then it started to get dark and rain a little.

Cate asked if she could go out again.

I told her no because it was dark and rainy.

Her reply, with her head cocked to the side and in her sweet voice, "Can I go in the front then?"

I told her no again. It's raining.

"I'll put on my hat."

And that's when I quit. I was running on fumes by that point anyway. Thank goodness for the fuel of peanut butter sheet cake or I'd be a goner.

Other highlights of the evening:

Watching a modern version of the slideshow (clicking through pictures streamed through the television) that Helen brought of a trip to the old homestead. I think that's where their grandma lived. I'm not sure. I wasn't in on much of the adult conversation due to a little girl who is all out of sorts without her play kitchen and a show to watch on tv. I did watch a show about whales with her in the basement for a while. All she cared about was where are the baby whales?

Cate bonking her forehead on the corner of the counter and having a pretty good cry about it.

Danny being an absolute gem the entire evening. I knew he would though. He's plenty happy with Daddy's iPad or my phone in his hands.

Dan being totally willing and kind about visiting with my relatives. He enjoys learning about my family and chit chatting with the grown ups.

Unicorns. Cate played an ABC game on the iPad for the drive home. She scrolled through the alphabet and when she got to U it was like the best day of her life. "Unicorns! Oh, goody! I love unicorns!"

Nobody needing to stop for a potty break on the 30 minute (or something like that) drive home. That's quite an accomplishment since I forgot to have them empty their bladders before leaving Uncle Norb and Aunt Emma's house.

It was nice spending time with the relatives. I sure wish Grama Bama could have been there too. I know she would have loved the strawberry salad.




p.s. How do you like this extremely unflattering picture Cate took? Down low looking up is not a good angle for me. I usually walk around feeling like a giant and when I see pictures like this I realize that I am a giant. Helen's chest is at my waist for cryin' out loud. On the other hand, it's nice that people can look up to me once in a while.