Happy Birthday Sam!

My husband celebrated his 73rd birthday today! We went to Red Lobster and invited Elton and Carol to go with us. I did the inviting and Elton paid! I didn't expect that.


I didn't notice until we were seated that the table beside us had a toddler and an infant. Normally...y'all are going to think I'm terrible...but normally I ask to sit someplace else...like all the way across the restaurant from the children. However, when that little blonde looked at me and smiled. Well, you had to use your imagination because she had a stopper (pacifier) in her mouth, but she smiled...and I sat down. She was so cute. Started to fuss only one time and I caught her eye and smiled at her and wiggle my eyebrows. That child sat there and waited for her food like a big girl. Music was playing in the background and she would 'dance' sitting in her chair. For dessert, mom and dad shared a chocolate goodie with a scoop of ice cream. Mom would head toward the little girl with a spoon of ice cream and the little birdie's mouth would pop open. She'd take the ice cream then put her hands over her ears. Carol and I finally realized that she was pressing on her ears...cold ice cream...press on ears. Bite of cold ice cream...press ears. She was trying to take care of brain freeze! LOL She was such a cutie!

RE: Ill- that's 'ill' - mannered children in restaurants. Many times adults set kids up to be a pain in the behind. For some unknown reason, the parent(s) decide to bring a child into an restaurant after a morning (or day) of shopping and plop an already tired child into a high chair, pull them up to the table, and expect them to act like adults. HELLO! At home you don't put a child in their high chair until food is on the table. Sit down...eat...no waiting. Then in a restaurant you want them to be civil when they are hungry and tired because their naptime was an hour ago?!

Then there are those little darlin's that it just doesn't matter. You can't do a thing to please them. This phase is called the 'terrible twos,' but unfortunately can continue into the 'trantrum threes' an on occasion become the 'formidable fours.' Shudder. I remember only too well never going into a store with sweet - ahem - little Jonathan. I lived for Mother's Day Out on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

Sarah was complaining about her littlest one's tantrums. I recalled a time when I was trying to get Jonathan stripped and into the bathtub. He did not want to go. In the middle of the tantrum, I looked at the sock that I'd just pulled off his foot...I was holding it in my hot little hand. I looked him in the eyes and said, "Open your mouth." He looked at me quizzically. "I said open your mouth." He did. I stuck the sock in it. He had this startled look on his face. I laughed...then so did he.



Changing gears - I just remembered something about our trip. In Mercedes, after Claraine and I hugged our greeting, she turned to me. "I didn't remember your accents being so thick." (Claraine and Harold are from Atikokan, Canada.)


WHAT?! What accent? I don't have an accent. I don't know why she said that. ;o) And I told her so! I do not have an accent.


While we were sitting in her living room visiting, she turned to Harold and said something which she followed with, "Eh?" I looked at her and said, "Eh? Eh?" She pointed her finger at me and said, "And we'll have no more of that."