Whack-a-Mole

My parents took Andrew, Oliver and me to an early dinner at Red Robin yesterday evening. Oliver rarely goes out to eat, so it's always new and exciting for him, and he does really well. He played with Grandpa Larry a lot and kept "sharing" his toys (we brought a piece of tupperware and a plastic kitchen cooking utensil). He shares by handing you something, although once you try to take it, he's usually a little reluctant to let go. Then, when you have it, he expects it back. He loves sharing this way, and does it over and over.

When dinner arrived, I gave him some of the chopped veggies on my salad as well as some Cheerios. He ate a little. Once he was full, he started pushing the Cheerios around with his utensil. Before long, he realized he could smash them with it (Don't worry; we cleaned everything up!). I'd put a Cheerio on the table, and in half a second, he'd WHACK his utensil down on the table and pulverize the Cheerio. He kept doing it, WHACK, WHACK. He had amazing aim. It didn't matter where I put the Cheerio, he'd WHACK it into powder. We started laughing so hard--full on belly laughter--and some of the adults at the table next to us started cracking up, too. Oliver was thrilled. My mom commented that he looked like he was playing the Whack-a-Mole game at the arcade, and, indeed, he did. What a great meal and show!

Pictured: Oliver is sharing his coaster with grandpa Larry and sharing his bread with Daddy. At home, he delighted in playing with the balloon from Red Robin. His pants are wet from drinking water out of a cup like a bog boy; it is not urine.

The Story of the $20 Pizza Tip

It started with $40. I left the house at 3pm with $40 in my pocket. Oliver and I were heading to his pediatrician to get him checked out, as he had a few bouts of diarrhea today. It cost $5 to see the pediatrician, so I left with $35 in my pocket.

I planned on stopping at the grocery store to pick up some items for dinner, as we ate through our cabinets and refrigerator this week. However, on the drive home, Oliver didn't stop crying. It was a half hour drive...

I decided not to stop at the store. For the first time in a long time, I had a little extra cash, and I thought, "I'm just going to order a pizza." Andrew and I have lived in our townhome for 14 months now, and we've ordered pizza once. It was going to be a nice little splurge.

Andrew got home from work minutes after Oliver and I returned from the doctor's office. I let him know my pizza plan, and we looked up a local pizza place. I ordered a large cheese pizza and a salad, and the total with tax & delivery was nearly $15. I didn't want to give the delivery guy just $15 and only tip him change; however, I also didn't want to give him a $20. I laid $15 on the counter and gave Andrew the $20 bill to break. He returned a few minutes later, took Oliver, and fanned out some bills next to me... what I assumed was for the pizza guy. I glanced down and saw a $5 and a few ones.

The pizza man arrived a few minutes later. I went to the door with my fan of money, handed it to the guy, and took the pizza and salad. He exclaimed, "Thanks!" and left.

After Andrew and I ate our pizza, he gathered up some money to deposit at the bank. He asked where the "other" money was. I looked at him blankly. "What other money?" I asked... and then, I knew. I told Andrew I gave the pizza guy the pile of money he'd given me.

Andrew looked at me, kind of smiled and said, "No, seriously."

Yes... seriously.

Cheap Dinner Idea

Andrew and I had bought some boxed pasta salad when it was on sale. Today, to use it and some leftovers, I decided to make it into a full dinner. I added some chopped hard-boiled eggs, some leftover green onions, and a leftover tomato. Once it's done, I'll top it with some leftover parmesan cheese. We'll get some fresh veggies and some protein, and it's super cheap! Less than $3 for a meal for two :D

Dinner with Phuong

Phuong and Cactus came over yesterday to cook dinner for us and my buddy Aminta. So delicious! They made a fantastic stir fry along with some bok choy and egg. Nom nom nom.


After we filled our bellies, we were taught how to play Mah Jong! I mean, I've played Mah Jong the solitaire game online before. This version was more poker, and it takes four people to play. Actually it was a lot like gin or rummy. I enjoyed it! Plus, it taught me all the Chinese number characters. Well, at least one through nine.

Hurray to a great night with friends. Thanks, Phuong!

Date Night!

I work odd hours. Actually, that fact doesn't bother me so much. Sometimes, it's nice to have my day start and end early (who else finishes off an 8 hour day before 1pm?), while other days (such as today), it's nice to sleep in and start the day out slowly.

The odd hours of my job get difficult when it comes to making time for family and friends and Andrew. For example, today, I slept in while Andrew went to work. By the time I'm home from my shift, he'll be in bed, struggling to stay awake to say goodnight.

So, in an attempt at a solution, Andrew and I planned date night! I had the day off yesterday. After he got home from work, we went out to dinner at Village Inn. I was craving a salad and a baked potato. Yum. We then made our way over to the Tamarac theater to see Run, Fatboy, Run. It's a movie about a man who freaked out on his wedding day and left his fiance at the alter... pregnant. Years later, he still regrets making that mistake, but she's moved on and is dating another man. The main character gets it through his head that if he can only run a marathon, she'll give him another chance. It was a really cute movie. Andrew didn't like how the main character was constantly humiliated and one-upped, but I think he started to get into it midway through the film. At the end of the movie (I don't want to give away any details--it's worth seeing for yourself), I looked over, and Andrew was wiping tears from his eyes. He still insists it was from "yawning so hard." I'll let you be your own judge.

After our movie, we made hot chocolate and snuggled and talked until we couldn't stay awake any more. The evening was perfect, and I'm glad I took that time out to spend a fun evening with Andrew. It's important to hit the pause button of life on occassion.