Let's Go Irish!

Before heading to South Bend for the weekend, Caroline had another big first- her first trip to the dentist. She has been eagerly awaiting this day ever since we first talked about it in August. I described what it would be like (moving chair, squrting water, tickling your teeth) and many nights she would say "tell me again!" After expressing such interest, we got a Dora goes to the Dentist book, which she regularly enjoys. On the morning of her visit, she asked me if there would be pigs in the waiting room, which was very entertaining to me. In the Dora book there is a family of sheep and a family of pigs awaiting alongside the other people, so I guess it was a good question. And, just in case you were wondering, there were neither sheep nor pigs at the dentist.

She did a great job, although after the chair was leaned back she decided that she would still sit upright and tried in earnest to stay sitting up.

Her favorite part was the water squirter, which she asked the hygenist to do multiple times. She left with a bag full of goodies and was very proud to put on her "lipstick" (chapstick).

Later that afternoon, we left for South Bend.

Saturday morning the girls got dressed in their ND cheerleader outfits and we began preparing for the tailgate, which included my high school friends, their parents and a few kids. Also, Jamie's aunt, uncle and their friends came down from Michigan to cheer for the opposing team.

Caroline got right into the spirit of things and helped herself to some food. She particularly liked the fruit kebobs, and we all got a kick out of her chipmunk cheeks full of melon. She learned another trick, too. She grabbed a brownie and then changed her mind and started reaching for a different brownie. I told her that once she touched one, she had to take it. While looking me in the eye, she proceeded to touch a second one and then took both! Just making sure she was following the rules!

Caroline also spent a lot of time pouring bottles of water, while Katie did some crafts.

Barbie, Suzie and Grandma supervised some dot painting, which ended with the girls being dyed green (it kept them busy, though).

Here we all are before Mom and Dad took the girls home for a much-needed rest.

We enjoyed the game, although it was stressful right until the end. After the game we let traffic clear out while we pillaged our car for remaining treats. When we got home, Mom and Dad had pizza waiting for us and the kids were almost ready for bed. What a treat!

The next morning, we had a little down time.

Then we went to the ND bookstore and brunch at a friend's house, which included lots of potentially dangerous activities, like bocce and croquet. We feared that someone would end up with stitches!

After a while Jamie took Caroline home for a quick nap (which never happened). She was up in the night on several occasions so she was exhausted (and so was Jamie). Katie enjoyed running around with some of the other little girls and found a "secret hiding place" in the garden.

It was great to see everyone!

After the brunch we packed up and headed home. Thankfully, Caroline fell asleep, and with a few bribes Katie was delighted to stay quiet and watch her choice of movies. We all enjoyed the hour and a half of silence- a nice break from Caroline's usual incessant requests for a different toy!