Chuck E.

This afternoon Jason and I took Dillon to Chuck E. Cheese's for the first time. He seemed to like it OK, but there really wasn't much for him to do. Most of the games we geared at older kids. There were a few little rides, but he would try to hop off in the middle of a ride. And there was a climbing tube thing that he was just a tad too short for... and he ended up getting stuck and I had to climb in after him. Yeah, that was really fun.

While we were there I said to Jason: Is it just me or was this place a whole lot more fun when we were kids or is it that it was more fun because we were kids? I remember them having ball pits and shadow box rooms and way more stuff than they do now.

And the food was expensive... and not that great - hardly any cheese or toppings on the pizza (but I did like the salad bar). Dillon is already asking to go back, but saying he doesn't want to get any pizza next time.

Swish Swish

Saturday night we went out to celebrate my sister-in-law Sherre's birthday. Her first choice of restaurant went out of business a few months back (darn economy) so after much debate and deliberation, we decided to go out for Shabu Shabu, which basically translates to "Swish Swish." Someone in our party described it as Teppan but instead of cooking the food on a grill, you cook it in boiling water. Ummm... no, sorry, not even close. It's basically an Asian version of one of my favorites - fondue. The food was good and it was a lot of fun trying something new. My meal consisted of a plate of tofu, vegetables, udon and glass noodles and a plate of meat - four shrimp, thinly sliced chicken and thinly sliced steak (and by thinly sliced, I mean like lunch meat thin and I think that there was only like four pieces of those, too). The meat cooked in like five seconds - It was literally the time that it took to swish swish it through your water and it was done. Talk about fast food! And, while it was fun and tasty, it's more of a place to go for the atmosphere because, well, we left hungry. Yes, hungry as in I could have eaten again as soon as we were out of the place. Oh, well, at least it was a new experience.

Eating Out

Tonight we went out to eat for dinner. This is nothing new for us - we usually eat out a few times a week. And the restaurant that we went to is one of our favorites - a Mexican place called Carnitas - we usually eat there a few times a month. What is new for us is that Dillon asked to eat out and to eat at Carnitas! I was all set to make chili for dinner when Dillon said to Jason: I eat at ni-neat-nes! I eat taco at ni-neat-nes. Well, I guess that Jason couldn't say no to Dillon since that's where we went. He is getting so opinionated lately!

Great Birthday

So I'm still not sure about this whole turning thirty thing. I woke up this morning feeling no different than I did yesterday. Maybe it takes awhile to sink in? But, I do know that it was a great birthday!

Jason had been planning a surprise for my birthday and didn't tell me where we were going. It turns out that he had made reservations for us at The Melting Pot. I have really been wanting to try it for quite a while so I was totally excited that he chose to take me there! And I was totally impressed by the fact that he actually made reservations (which is pretty much a must) - he always makes me make reservations for us when necessary. And not only did he make the reservations, but he did some research on their website so he already had in mind what we would order. The menu is a tad bit overwhelming so I am happy that he had already looked it over! We ended up getting the "Big Night Out" which is a four course meal. Oh, it was so yummy! We picked the Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue for our cheese course. It was so heavenly - I could have eaten just that over and over! Jason had the Spinach Mushroom salad and I had the California Salad. My salad was really good - but next time I'm ordering the one Jason had. For our main course we selected the Fondue Fusion which included two of my favorite things - lobster and Filet Mignon. The dessert was out of this world - dark chocolate, marshmallow, and crushed Oreo's. To. Die. For. Good!

He also got me an awesome present - a Disneyland pass. We had them before for a few years, but didn't renew them when I was pregnant with Dillon. I have been begging him for one again because it's so perfect to go now since Dillon is free. So, now it gives me the perfect place to take him when we just need to get out of the house - we tend to go stir crazy being home. I want to go today (right now it's actually two thirty in the morning - I think I drank too much iced tea at dinner because I can't sleep) because I am so excited! I guess that thirty year old's can still have fun after all!

So, like I said: Fantastic birthday - yummy food, cool gift and being thirty doesn't totally suck! Now if I could just get some sleep...

Football Fun

Sunday afternoon we went out to watch the football games. We, along with some of our family and friends, went to a new Irish pub called the Auld Irisher. My little cutie had fun flirting with the waitresses, running around the room we were in, eating ketchup, and most of all sitting on the barstools watching the games with Daddy. And the best part of the day was that my team has moved on to the Super Bowl!

Lonestar

Tonight we went out to dinner to a place called Lonestar. It is a steak place and was really yummy. Jason and I had never been there before and we both loved it and definitely want to go back. We got there early (for a Friday night) and there was a 90 minute wait for a party of 8 plus a high chair! Holy cow (no pun intended)! We decided to take 2 tables and it reduced the wait to a little over 30 minutes. Not too bad...

While we were waiting, we overheard one of the funniest things I have ever heard. Now, it might not have been as funny if the lady would have been a young girl or even a teenager, but she was in her mid to late twenties. She was sitting there reading the menu when she asked the guy she was with if Prime Rib was ribs or some kind of steak. Are you kidding me? Where has she been hiding? Under a rock? Susan & I just looked at each other in disbelief... and then we laughed when she left. We're so mean.

This place is one of those places where all the servers take periodic breaks to dance. They all line up in the aisles and line dance. It was pretty cool - except for one thing. Apparently Dillon doesn't like country line dancing. He cried.

Did I mention that we sat at separate tables? (I think I did, but am too lazy to scroll up and double check.) Well, anyway, Jason & I were at different tables and we slid the highchair back and forth between the two of us. While Jason had Dillon, he was throwing his up in the air and catching him. One time he got him a little too close to the light fixture above the table. So, to be funny, I decided to act like a concerned citizen and went over to tell him. Excuse me sir, you are almost hitting that poor little boys head on the light, I said a little rudely. The people in the waiting area looked over, slightly surprised. Hehe. So then I kissed Jason and took Dillon...

The last thing that happened at the restaurant was that Tiffany broke the paper towel holder. It was one of the wave your hand at it and it spits out the paper towel ones. It worked fine for me, fine for Jordan, fine for Alyssa, and then along comes Tiffany. She waves at it and one comes out. She waves again and nothing. And then she waves again nothing. Haha - broken. I guess that's what pants are for.

How I Spent Saint Patrick's Day

Our day started out nice and early. We woke up at 6:15 (thanks, Dillon) and got ready to go out. We left the house at 7:30, hit Starbucks around 8 and dropped Dillon off at Jason's parent's house at 8:15. Next stop: The Auld Dubliner. We got there right around 9:30 (and yes, that's AM). I know, we're crazy - But at least I am part Irish and not just a random drunk. I won't bore you with all the details of the day. I will just give you some of the highlights of our 12 1/2 hours spent at The Auld Dubliner...

The Gross Things:

• A guy puked at the bar. Literally at the bar - not just in the bar - but at it. The worse part was that it was right near our table. Umm, yuck.




• One thing that I find disgusting in general is when people take their drinks and/or food into the restroom. I could not believe how many ladies were bringing they glasses of beer into the freakin bathroom. Do they not understand how many germs one encounters in the potty? Ewww... and some of them were even drinking their drinks in the bathroom. Once again I have to say: Umm, yuck.
  

Strangest Thing:

• There was a couple who decided that they needed to make out in the middle of the bar. They were going at it for over 10 minutes and they didn't even come up for air. The only time they took a short break was when someone threw wadded up coasters at them - and even then they only paused for a second. Everyone was gawking at them and laughing. People were yelling "get a room." Me, I was half expecting that they would start disrobing.
  

Worst Thing:

• The line for the bathroom sucked. There are only 2 stalls and what seems like millions of women. From about noon on there was a line that averaged 8-10 women. The desperate ones were even using the men's room. The reason I have put this under "worst thing" is because I mostly drank iced tea all day... and I have a small bladder. Not a good combination.
  

Cool Things:

• Our friend's mom made the girls green scarfs with the fuzzy yarn.


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• I got to sit at a table with 7 firemen. Just me and them. Jason said that I had to take a picture with them. So I did - but not with all of them.


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• Weeman from Jackass popped in at our bar. I never really thought he would be one way or another, but he is totally different than I guess I would have expected him to be. He was a totally cool guy. He sat at the table next to ours and shook Jason's hand before he sat down. People were coming up to him and he only gave him a short handshake, but when he got the chance, he turned around and shook his hand again. He let people take pictures with him and was really down to earth. I tried to get a picture of him, but alas, my camera batteries were dead. Totally sucks how things like that always happen at the most inconvenient times. (Someone in our group did take a picture of Jason and Weeman, and I finally got it emailed to me...)


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• Some random guy bought me a beer. Now you may not think it is really that great of a thing and not worth mentioning, but I've never had some random person buy me a drink. I have been with Jason since I was 21, so I never did the whole "bar scene". So, it was the first time a guy (well, anyone actually) ever bought me a drink. Too bad that I don't really like Harp. But like they say, it's the thought that counts.
  

Best Sayings on Shirts

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  You looked better on MySpace
  


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  Kiss me I'm Mexican
  


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  Kiss my Irish

Best Overheard Quotes

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  A girl saying: "The last time I got a DUI" (hello? the last time? how many has she had?)



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  Someone said "I'm only 25% Irish, but I take full advantage of Saint Patrick's Day" to which some girl replied: "I'm not Irish, but I'm Catholic" (I just thought it was funny)

All in all, it was a great day. It was great hanging out with our friends and celebrating. It was fun people watching. It was smart that we stayed down the street within walking distance. It was nice to actually have a drink or two... or three... or... (and yes, I do know how much I had to drink... and I'm not saying.)

Dillon's Fortune

Last night we went out to dinner. I know what you're thinking, and no, we do not generally eat every meal out. We do go out maybe once or twice a week, but not often on the same day. The truth is, I love cooking. So, we were going to go to Taco Bell, but then on the way there, Jas decided that he didn't want Taco Bell. He had no idea what he wanted, so there we were aimlessly driving around. We finally chose to go to a different Mexican place (can you really call Taco Bell a Mexican place?) but then at the last second, we ended up going to a Mongolian BBQ.

I don't know if you have ever been to a Mongolian BBQ, but they are pretty cool. You pick out your (raw) meats, pile on your veggies, make a sauce concoction from all the different sauces, and then pile on the noodles to top it off. I have seen some people build their bowls to almost a foot high. Even though, we have been going to the BBQ for over 2 years, I am still mastering the art of bowl building. Anyway, after you build your bowl, you take it to the cooks who cook it on this gigantic griddle. It's a fun way to do dinner. Moving on with my tale...

So, I am up at the bar building my bowl, and I hear this baby scream. It sounds just like Dillon, but he rarely screams - and this baby is not happy - and Dilly is always happy. It was a short, mad yell. I look over to our table and Dillon is fine. As the guys are cooking my bowl, I hear the scream again. My eyes scan the restaurant and I don't find any other babies, so it must be him. I get back to the table and discover that one of the waitresses had given Dillon a Fortune Cookie. It was still in the wrapper and Jason had tried to take it away from him, which made Dillon VERY ANGRY! At this point, Dillon is happily waving around his wrapped cookie and banging it on the table. He hits it so many times that the package opens and the cookie falls out of the bag. I quickly whisk it out of sight and now the question becomes: How do I get the bag away from him? I try to take it from him - he screams. I give it back just as quick as I snatched it away. I try to make a trade - the wrapper for some Cheerios. He takes the Cheerios and, well, I get the short end of the stick. He got the O's and he still has the stupid wrapper. I decide to just let him have it, after all, he is happy. He is making so much noise: crinkling it and smacking the table, but no one really seems to mind - at least he is not screaming. Finally, he drops the wrapper on the floor. I tell Jason to slide it under the table before Dillon looks down and see it lying on the floor. He hasn't noticed yet that it is gone and once he does, it's gone forever. He is now happy without the dumb cookie and it's wrapper.

We have now entered a new Dillon stage: The "I want it and don't even think about taking it away from me or I'll scream my head off" phase. Oh boy! And the funny thing about Dillon and his new "talent" is that, well, he only screams when it's something he's not supposed to have. You take a toy away from him - he laughs. You grab his sucky out of his mouth - he smiles and then opens his mouth for you to put it back. He grabs a wipe (don't worry - it's clean) while you're changing him, you take that away from him - he screams and cries until you give it back.

Well, that is the end of this tale and if you were wondering, Jason ate the fortune cookie. Dillon's fortune was "Struggle as hard as you can for whatever you believe in." I guess in baby, that translates roughly to: Scream as long and loud as it take to get what you want.

Oh, and his lucky numbers were 1, 5, 18, 23, 47, 35...

The New Word

Today was an exciting day in the Slagle household...

Jason didn't have to work this morning, so we decided to go out to breakfast. It was pretty cool since how often do you get to go out to breakfast - as a family - on a weekday. The only time that this has ever happened for us, is when we have been on vacation. We didn't go anywhere all that special - just to IHOP - which is somewhere we never eat. Never. But, gasp, I felt like pancakes. Me, the one who doesn't eat breakfast foods for breakfast. Me, the "I'll have a club sandwich, no tomato with avocado" for breakfast girl. But, anyway, moving on... I was surprised to see how many youngish people there were eating breakfast, at 9:30 and on a Friday and in a restaurant, no less. I expected to see more older, retired people. Dillon sat in a "big boy" chair - which he loved. He really enjoys sitting in a high chair as opposed to being stuck in his baby car seat for the whole meal. He draws so much attention when we go out - more so now that he's not hidden away in his car seat. An older lady had to stop and tell us how cute he was on her way out and Dillon just had to flash his beautiful smile at her. And then there was the couple that sat in the booth next to our table - as soon as they sat down, Dillon turned on the charm. Well, anyway, none of this is really the point of my blog today, but it was exciting for us... so, once again, I'm moving on...

Dillon has been saying "mama" for months - since October, to be exact. He just babbles away, mamamamama. You say pretty much anything to him and his response is usually mamama or aaaaaaa. And if he wants your attention its: aa aa aa. You say "dada" to him, he says "mama" back. In fact, one day a few weeks ago, he got mad at Jason for saying "dada" to him. Their conversation went something like this:

Jas: da da

Dillon: ma ma

Jas: da da da

Dillon: a ma ma ma

Jason: da da

Dillon: MA MA!!!!!

We thought it was pretty funny, but still, I kinda felt bad. I have been working with Dillon on "da da" for months - even though Jason is convinced that I sit around all day just saying "ma ma".

Well, yesterday he upgraded his vocabulary to "yaya". Exciting! A new word. But, today, came a new word... finally, he uttered the word we have been waiting with baited breath for: da da.

When we got home from breakfast, Jason carried in the car seat and then took Dillon out. As soon as he popped up out of the chair, he smiled his huge heart melting smile at Jason and said "da da" and then hugged Jason. Jason & I looked at each other in surprise. My eyes watered and I swear that Jason was about to cry. It was really special and a great memory.