Friday we went to MOPS. This was the first time that Gwen was able to come with us and I was nervous because I haven't really left her with anyone other than family for any length of time.

After dropping Ethan off (he didn't even give me a second glance!) we headed down to Gwen's class. I put her down and she was torn between her Mommy on the other side of the gate and all the toys and videos and other kids. She became distracted and I walked quickly down the hall. Right as I turned the corner I heard a little voice, "Momma?" but I kept going.

The meeting was good. Two ladies at our table had newborn babies and we worked on a really cool project. This group does projects that are much higher quality than I would have imagined. Half an hour before it was over, Gwen's number popped up on the board (meaning that I needed to go see her) and I could hear her crying all the way down the hall. The ladies said they didn't know what was wrong... fine one moment, sobbing the next. She came back into the meeting and helped me paint.

When I went to get Ethan out of his class, the girl said, "Are you Ethan's Mom? Oh he is the BEST! He's the perfect gentleman and was so helpful and kind. We love him!". Well, it goes without saying that I couldn't have been prouder!

As we walked out, Ethan said, "Mom, I had so much fun!". It was really sweet.

Last night Becki came over and babysat while Jason and I went to his work's anniversary party at Willows Lodge. I saw the Herbfarm and it was like seeing a celebrity. I kept trying to peek in the windows and view the food. This has been mentioned as one of the best restaurants in the nation, if not the world, and I was right there!

I was oddly NOT nervous (usually this type of situation would have made me a wreck) but there were plenty of awkward moments. We got a drink immediately when we came in (Cosmo for me) and mine was way strong and I downed it pretty fast. So for the next hour I was rather light on my feet. There was an hour of mingling (i.e. torturous conversation) and then the meal started.

The first course was delicious. It was a chicken and pumpkin ravioli. The first bite takes you back because its unexpectedly sweet, but wow. Jason's friend, Rex, liked them so much that he was taking leftovers from other tables!

Second course came a long time after (there was way too much time between courses), but was also delicious. A salad of "weeds" (that's what Jason calls mesclun) topped with a vinaigrette, cubes of a mild, creamy cheese, and julienned apples.

Finally third course came and Jason had a steak with a corn fritter thingy and I had salmon with wild rice. My salmon was overcooked, but still tasty. Jason's steak was good. The starter courses were much better than the main dish.

Dessert was a brownie type thing, with a ganache on top. There was a swish of pomegranate flavored whipped cream on the side. 'Twas ok. Nothing fantastic to me, but I'm not a huge fan of chocolate desserts to begin with, and never of chocolate and fruit together.

Right as the dancing started we left. It had already been 4 hours since our arrival and we weren't really interested in dancing ourselves. We had a good time!