Time for a relaxing trip to Olive Garden. Why? Well, it has been a long time -- and we have a gift card. Which makes it about the same price as our usual fare (Wendy's, KFC, McDonald's, etc.)
We could not find a babysitter. Either because all of the young women in our ward have seen the C-monster in action, or they are legitimately busy. Could be either. So the three of us went to Olive Garden last night. We thought we would let Cayden try sitting in a normal chair. He did alright. Until he discovered the chair had wheels on it. Then he started scooting around the dining room. I tried to distract him by drawing a car, a truck, a bike, and a snowmobile in that order on his kid's menu with the free crayons.
Fortunately, his $5.25 pizza arrived just in time for him to decide he was no longer hungry. I remember visiting my brother's family years ago and watching his kids NOT eat pricey meals at restaurants and thinking "I will never make that mistake."
Instead of eating his pizza, he was content to eat one bite of each of the bread sticks. He then found that he could stick them on his fingers and it made it look like he had big swollen fingers. Frustrating, yet funny -- I know. The sliding chair made me nervous and I finally found a high chair we could strap him in. Which...he did not like.
Do not misunderstand. It was still fun to go out and eat with our little family, but your realize you are no longer young when you sit at Olive Garden and wish you were at McDonald's.
On the way out I took him in the bathroom to wash the bread stick garlic off his hands. I had to use the bathroom and thought we would see how long he could stand still in one place. (Number One only, I'm not crazy.) So I had him stand inside the stall with me against the door and told him to stay still. As soon as he heard me "tinkling" he started poking his head around to see what was going on. Then the Italian music (that for some reason is always broadcast at concert level in Olive Garden's bathrooms) started to get to Cayden and he started jumping around.
This time was not as bad as in the Chili's bathroom the other day. I told him to be still and he did a good job until some bouncy music came on and I saw just one leg start to bounce. It spread precipitously to the rest of his body and in less than 10 seconds he went from standing motionless on point, to running around the bathroom with his arms out jumping, all the while proclaiming "I'm an airplane, I'm an airplane."
All in all, life has changed with the C-monster, but I would not change it for the world! Oh, tender...
4 comments:
So so so familiar! So when we go to the olive garden we put him against a wall. That way when he turns around in his chair to drive his car on the window it's not on the romantic booth of the couple behind us (although if they're teenagers I think it's exceptional birth control.) I wasn't going to be one of those people whose kids are all over the place but as it turns out there aren't people whose kids aren't like that (at least I REALLY hope so.) I wish I could have been there to see him dance (um...not in the bathroom.) and see him scoot his chair. Maybe at Lava he will show me the breadstick thing :) thanks for sharing your "date" night!
It is so fun to see that your children are as perfect as my grandchildren. Can't wait to see you and the C monster at Lava.
I've been to dinner with you two and Cayden. I've felt your pain... and your happiness! Hurry home and we'll try it again!
P.S. What's up with randblair.com? Have you been there lately?
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