Family Valentine's Date

Last Saturday morning, the boys and I were all lazing around the den when Jeremy asked if I wanted to take the boys out for a nice dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day. ALWAYS. When I asked where, he said, "Ruth's Chris." Um, YES, PLEASE.

So that's what we did. Because it was Valentine's Day weekend, we couldn't get a reservation ahead of time, so we decided to just show up when they opened, thinking we'd have a shot at a table. Well, we didn't. We did, however, get a spot at the bar - first come, first served! - so we hoisted ourselves up to the high top and held our breath, waiting for the boys to make us regret our decision.

But they never did. They.were.PERFECT. In fact, I couldn't believe how perfectly they behaved. They were polite and played quietly with two of the Hot Wheels Payton gave them for Christmas. They even used their cloth napkins - though Jones's default setting was still to wipe his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket.

In keeping with our Stultz Family Fancy Dinner Tradition, I ordered the boys Shirley Temples, which they LOVED. They also loved their salmon. Well, Freddie did. Jones took a few bites, but it was too peppery for him, so he downed a giant side of mashed potatoes and both his and Freddie's pieces of bread.

And, also, a second Shirley Temple.

Now that they've done so well once, I'm more than ready to make fine-dining a regular part of our routine!