Allen was scheduled to work on the actual holiday (of course) so we celebrated a day early on Sunday. We headed down to Fort Collins to enjoy a Japanese sushi and hibachi lunch. I felt assured the Samuel would stay entertained since our meal would be cooked at the table. We hadn't tried this restaurant before, but at all other hibachi restaurants the chefs also perform tricks while they cook, so I felt confident he would have a good time.
He sat still long enough to eat a few pieces of vegetable tempura, shrimp dumplings and Unagi (eel) sushi. That was about 15 minutes. The rest of our hour plus visit was spent taking turns chasing him around the restaurant. Even when our chef arrived to cook he could have cared less. The dirt in the potted plants and blinds on the windows were much more interesting. In the front room he even found a table with two little girls and they became fast friends.
So much for an intimate family dinner! At least he was quiet and didn't run around the restaurant screaming. Everyone at our hibachi table commented that he was very well behaved, considering his age. Even though we didn't spend much time sitting together, I still wouldn't have wanted to leave him home. Having a busy little boy keeps up on our toes and makes every outing an adventure. There's never a dull moment!
Once we got home and had Samuel settled in bed, Allen and I were able to spend a romantic evening together enjoying fondue. We used our mini crock pot to heat milk chocolate and dipped a delicious assortment of treats including fruit, marshmallows, pretzels, brownies, Oreos and ladyfingers. Even after we were full, and our sweet tooths fully satisfied, we still kept eating. No use letting perfectly good chocolate go to waste!
Earlier in the day we also exchanged small gifts and cards. Our gift to Samuel was a collection of books about love and kindness. One book featured his favorite Sesame Street character, Elmo, and another had the characters from Yo Gabba Gabba. Allen brought me a dozen beautiful roses and I gave him a box of his favorite confection, chocolate caramels. By the end of the day we were all feeling very loved!
