Last night on my way home from picking up the kids at daycare we passed by the newly opened TGI Friday’s on Rte 3. Upon arriving home a few minutes later I kept the engine idling while I called in to the house.
“Hello?”
“Denis, do you have anything cooking for dinner?”
“Nope.”
“Then let’s take the kids and go to the new Friday’s.”
“Okay.”
“I’m in the driveway. Come on out.”
A few minutes later we were being seated and enjoying a night out. We very rarely go out to restaurants to eat. Partly because we’re broke and partly because CootieBoy is a bit of a 19-month-old spaz. However, 90% of the event went well, with CootieBoy alternately playing with a red balloon he had and stuffing french fries down his throat. CootieGirl had fun making a Jim Jones gruel in her water glass – chips, dipping sauce, water – you name it, she had no problem mixing it all together with her straw and then popping the straw in her mouth. I about :puke: a couple of times until I finally asked the waitress to remove the glass from the table.
Denis made fun of me for constantly trying to keep CootieBoy clean instead of letting him just go at it. But I can’t even imagine how messy he would have been by the end of the meal if I had just let him go – as it was he was a disaster anyway.
Towards the end CootieBoy’s bedtime fatigue kicked in and he fussed when I had to take his balloon away in order to go wash his face and hands, which were ketchup-covered messes. And then when we got home he was NOT happy about going into the house and threw an exhausted tantrum as we put him to bed without the balloon. I finally had to give in and give him a pacifier (which he hasn’t used in over a week) to get him to settle down into sleep. CootieGirl also got upset about not being allowed to sleep with her balloon, but she doesn’t really understand when I give her the old, “but the strong could choke you in your sleep,” speech.
This morning upon waking up both kids wanted their balloons immediately. I had tied them to the room in their chair last night. I believe CootieGirl planned on taking it to school, but I don’t know if that actually happened.
Suffice to say, a nice night out for dinner! Good times…
Denis: Here’s a pic of CootieBoy and his balloon.
CootieBoy and CootieGirl were both planning on taking their ballons to day care, but CootieBoy’s slipped out of the van before I could catch it and it escaped. I tied CootieGirl’s around her wrist and she took it to school.