Taking the Scenic Route

edited for clarity.  I started calling my parents “Mom” and “Dad” instead of “Grandma” and “Grandpa.”

Got a call from my Mom this morning asking if we would be available to go out to Caraba’s Italian Restaurant tonight for Zach’s birthday (which is on the 11th).  Oh yeah! 

We met them at the restaurant and had a great dinner.  The kids were great and both ate with gusto. 

When Zach was helping Zane decide what to get (we decided beforehand to get Zora whatever Zane wanted to avoid her trying to steal his food, which she is apt to do if it is different than hers).  At one point, Zane was trying to say “tomato”, but was not pronouncing it quite right, and they were doing the typical going back and forth working on how to pronounce it, when Zane paused for a minute and gave his Dad an exasperated look and declared “RED sauce”.  lol.  He was tired of trying to get the pronunciation right I guess.  He knew what he wanted and was not interested in speech skills just that minute. 

Zora tried to eat about everything not nailed to the table and she insisted on using a fork.  Of course, sometimes she was holding the fork in one hand and picking up food with her other hand.  lol.  The fork was HUGE in her little hand. 

At the end of the meal we got the kids ice cream sundaes.  Zora was sitting on Grandma’s lap, sort of between Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma was feeding her.  Grandpa swooped in with the spoon and scooped a bit of the fudge sauce off the side and Zora’s open mouth, tongue extended, followed the spoon all the way to Grandpa’s mouth and she gave him the dirtiest look when he ate it.  It was hysterical to see such a dramatic dirty look on such a little face.  lol.  (a note here:  Grandpa was not doing it to tease her or anything, he just has no side vision at all and didn’t see her looking at him)  The next bite my Grandma gathered with the spoon evidently did not have enough chocolate on it for her taste, so she pushed the spoon back and pointed to the chocolate, making it clear that that is what she wanted.  She got her chocolate.  Then she got some of her brother’s chocolate because he was too full to finish his ice cream.   The girl has good taste!

Zach also had the birthday song sung to him and got a piece of Tiramisu for dessert.  Zane helped him blow out the candle, and then Zane and I helped Zach finish his dessert.  (probably why he didn’t want to finish his ice cream).  It was very tasty.

When we went by our place afterward, Grandpa made a detour to the parts store and got something to put in the gas tank that might help our car.  Then they wrote us a check (a loan) to help us out so we wouldn’t lose our electricity, water, and phone, which were all set to be cut off by the end of this week.  That was a relief.  I am so grateful for their help through this time.  It helps a lot that I know we can repay them on a more definite time frame because it makes me not feel so weird accepting the help. 

On a fun note, Mom asked if we would be interested in having a date tomorrow, gave Zach some birthday money, and offered to watch the kids for us.  So, she is coming back tomorrow and we are off to see a matinee!  Now we just have to decide which one to see.  I am so excited!  Zane was pretty happy about the situation too.

Zora was asleep within minutes of them leaving.  She was so worn out from all the food and the excitement.  She did wake up later rather gassy, but after nursing, is back in Daddy’s arms and about to drift off again while I write this last paragraph.

A great day.