Lunch Date

The boys have been very busy with their pet care business lately! They've watched pups for three neighbors (I'm counting that one day when Ollie came over to play :) for the past four weekends, with two more requested bookings into October (one of these they had to turn down)! This is in addition to their yard clean up services. They are certainly keeping busy, and being entrusted with people's house keys and garage codes shows that they are considered trustworthy and dependable.

In the midst of all this, Graysen said, "Mom and dad, I'd like to take you out for lunch and I want to pay for it."

I asked him, "Is it because we're being cheap and not eating out much because of all dad's medical bills?"

He paused (I asked when he was chewing a mouthful of food :), swallowed, and said, "No, it's just because you do so much for us."

Well, that is quite the special invitation! He decided that the two of us should go to Olive Garden for our meal. "Thanks for driving, mom," said he :) "We're ordering dessert," he added. I like this kid's style!

Since he invited me, he got to do most of the interacting with the waiter. He put in the order for more breadsticks (he'd promised to bring some home to his siblings), took care of the dessert request, asked for boxes, and then was handed the bill. Quite the gentleman!

We talked about all kinds of things, including proper tipping for the waitstaff. It was a fun lunch out with my sweet boy! And the powdered donut thingys he ordered were a unique treat, too. I told him they tasted like the mini donuts I like to get at the fair, but we've missed the fair the past couple of years, so it was a great order.



After our more pricey meal, G$'s funds were a bit low. But no matter, his dad wanted to get burgers at a fast food restaurant and that fit G's budget well. They also ordered dessert (ha, this is a treat, because we pretty much never order dessert when we go out to eat as a family :) and ice cream was enjoyed by both. Plus, Graysen had an opportunity to learn about ordering and paying in a different setting. Love his thoughtful heart for coming up with such sweet idea!



Brennen caught onto the idea his brother had and said, "I'd like to take you out to dinner too." 

We were up painting the hay box and he started talking about chocolate cake. "Mom, we should go to dinner tonight!" And so we did. Pizza and cake, yum! We also talked about all kinds of things, and learned how to be very patient when the waitress is over-burdened with tables. In fact, although we were close to home, we were gone so long Buck was wondering if we'd chosen someplace farther away! It was like an hour and a half for pizza and cake, but worth every second :)


Being the inviter to this occasion, it was up to Brennen to decide if we'd have an appetizer. After thoughtfully consulting me about my opinion on the subject, we chose not to, and ordered salads instead (which were tiny and expensive, but a good lesson learned--salads sold separately are not very cost effective). Their honey mustard dressing is almost worth it, though :) 

I told Brennen, who had put every dollar he'd brought along into the bill for just the two of us, "When you have a sweetheart someday, you'll have to save the nicer restaurants for special occasions, or else you'll be broke!" He thought that was funny, but agreed :) 

He's letting his funds build back up a bit before he takes his dad out for his meal, but he's already got the restaurant selected. 

Our kids are so cool! Not just because they take us out and buy us dessert, but because they want to do something thoughtful and special for us. Makes my mom eyes get a little teary. AND seeing a glimpse of the gentlemen my future daughters-in-law will enjoy spending time with someday (if God leads the boys down the path of marriage), just makes my heart smile. They're special guys and I'm glad they're mine ❤