Gabriel’s birthday

 

Today was a perfect fall day – very much like the one six years ago when I gave birth to our Gabe.  Ollie, Carina and I brought lunch to Gabe at his school ( and let me mention really quickly that their new school is so gorgeous). 

Gabe was happy to have us there, and his little sister got a lot of attention.  It was very nice to see Gabe in his school setting and to set how relaxed and comfortable he seemed.  We had lunch with Colin too, and his lunch was before Gabe’s (doesn’t make sense, I know), so Ollie was pretty over the whole thing by then. 

I picked the boys up from school and we headed over to California Pizza Kitchen.  I know, I know…Red Robin is usually the Coleman birthday tradition, but they haven’t been bringing birthday sundaes lately, and we just haven’t been super happy with them, so we decided to try something new.  CPK gives a free kid’s meal and sundae for birthdays.  They didn’t sing when they brought the sundae, but Gabe was sure okay with that.

        Chad met us there straight from work and the boys had a good time “sitting “by the fountain while we waited.

                       

Gabe was really happy with CPK.  He rated it above Red Robin and Golden Corral but right below Dragon Buffet (his all-time favorite).  We went home and did presents, which he also loved.  I could tell he had a really great birthday because he kept spontaneously hugging me, which is Gabe’s way of saying he is just as happy as could be.  We sure love this kid.

Tomorrow is his Harry Potter birthday party – stay tuned!

How do we celebrate? FOOD!

When I was looking over the pictures from Chad's birthday celebrations, I had to laugh to myself. Everything was centered around food!

There was another thing that made me laugh - our cheapo date on Chad's birthday. I mentioned the other day that a week after we moved to Charlotte, for his birthday I got Chad a pair of jeans (from Walmart) and a new phone for our apartment. For dinner that night we used a gift certificate from Papa John's for a free pizza that we had gotten as a part of a welcome package in the mail. Chad had just graduated from college, we had just moved across the country and had not yet been reimbursed for it (this was back when companies actual did that!), and Chad hadn't received his first paycheck, so we were absolutely broke. It was okay though - actually one of the most exciting times of our lives really - because we knew that things were going to be better very soon, and even though it was a lame celebration, Chad did not mind in the least.

However, we laugh about that birthday and sometimes Chad teases me about it...which brings me back to this birthday. I bought him a hoodie from Old Navy (which he is wearing in all these pictures) and some sweats from Target. We had Bobby and Sabina babysit our kids for us while we went to Outback using a gift card that Chad got for Christmas from a colleague, and then we went to a movie for free using coupons that we got from the back of cereal boxes. Six years have passed, we make twice as much, but Chad just hasn't changed that much! Everyone knows that free food tastes better anyway!

So here we were on his birthday - Bloomin' Onion, my delicious wedge salad (don't worry, that was just a side, I haven't changed on you either), and ribs. YUM! We had a wonderful time.

Chad had a ton of work this week, but managed to work from home the day after his birthday, and Colin had school off that day, so we did our family celebration then.

I made sausage and monkey bread for breakfast. In this picture we are all waiting for him to finish a work call so he can join us. We ended up starting without him, which was good because he didn't get off the phone for another 40 minutes.

Poor guy!



We went to Red Robin for a late lunch. I couldn't stomach a burger, so I tried this fish sandwich. Even though it is fried fish it sounded like it would make me feel better than red meat. The first two bites were awesome, and then the breading on the fish got soggy and it was kind of gross. And yes, I got a salad on the side instead of fries. What is going on?! I will tell you what - pregnancy has not been kind to me lately and Tums are becoming a close friend. Chaddy got the faithful Whisky River and was as happy as ever with it.

For the first time in probably two years they didn't bring out a "surprise" birthday sundae. The kids were pretty bothered by that. We stopped on the way home to get some ice cream to go with his birthday cake.

I was planning on making him a cheesecake, but when I was at Target I saw this peanut butter brownie mountain thing that looked perfect for him, so I got that instead.


And finally, the only part of the festivities that wasn't about food - we lit some fireworks to celebrate the most popular member of our family.

The Coleman Guide to Red Robin

Since we go to Red Robin at least four times a year, let us offer you some sound advice.

1. Red Robin is very very tasty, but $9 for a burger! Gulp. Sign up with their eClub to receive a free birthday burger, which you can use up to a week before, or a week after your birthday.

2. Have your kiddos split a kid's meal. Trust me, my kids can eat and it is still plenty for them. The Red Robin waiters are not the least bit snooty about it either. They even bring two drinks, and once when Colin finished his mac and cheese, the waitress brought him more at no additional cost. Plus the kid's meals have a wide selection of sides - mine usually choose the melonslices or mandarin oranges.

3. If you want to be sung to, present your birthday coupon early in the meal. They will also bring you a free (delicious) sundae! If you don't want to be sung to, pull the coupon out right before the bill and they may not come around, but you may be forfeiting your sundae too!

4. All burgers come with bottomless fries! The thing is, I have only gotten a second helping a couple of times because the burgers are so filling. Which brings me to...

5. It is always tempting to get a shake or the onion rings, and yes, they are SO tasty...but trust me, you are going to feel like crap if you eat those and then your burger. Too much of a good thing, and your wallet will thank you if you refrain.

6. After many a trip there, our firm menu favorites are:

The Whisky BBQ River (onion straws-yum!)
and The Royal Red


...which has bacon, cheese, and a fried egg on it. Sounds very breakfast-y but it isn't. Just very rich.

Runner-Up:
Banzai Burger, which has
a slice of grilled pineapple on it.

6. They often run special burgers, but we have never had one we were impressed with.The Wise Guy Burger I tried in October was a huge letdown (pictured below - I know, it looks tasty, but it was just okay.)

7. Sometimes you will look around at the other tables and see a dainty little lady eating a turkey and avocado sandwich on a croissant, and you will think, "Oh, that looks yummy. I should try that." But you shouldn't, because yeah, it is okay, but it isn't a burger. End of story.

8. Don't forget balloons for everyone on your way out.