Circ de Dipp

Tonight the circus spent a little time out on the town. We went to Outback for dinner and then visited Gander Mountain. The occasion was brought to us by an Outback gift certificate that has been in my wallet for a few months now and a Gander Mountain gift card that Brett received by trading an old golf club he no longer wanted on Craigslist.
Now, when Circ de Dipp goes out to dinner, it is always sure fire entertainment... for everyone else but Mommy and Daddy Dipp! Upon opening the front doors of the restaurant, Ryan announces to the hostess with such excitement, "Tonight, we're eating at a restaurant!" As if this was his first time ever, even though it's only been about 2 weeks since we've eaten out. The boys and I sit down at our booth and wait for the hostess to bring us a booster seat for Liam, and wait for Brett to meet us since he drove straight from work. I told the hostess that Brett would be arriving behind us and that he would be wearing a Lafayette Ford shirt. Before she could register my statement, Ryan blurted out, "He's bald!" Poor Brett. :) However, there was no need for any of us to make the hostess aware of Brett's impending arrival because as soon as Brett walks in the door, Liam spots him and screams, "DADDY!!!!!!!!" at the top of his lungs. At least the others in the restaurant new who he was (and that he was there)!
So there we sit, table scattered with crayons, kids menus, and action figures to keep our little loves busy long enough to give our drink orders. Then we get the inevitable announcement that we get each and every time we sit down to eat, whether at home or out..."I have to go to the bathroom." I think Ryan is on a mission to explore every public rest room we come across. He certainly doesn't get this from me, as I have a phobia of any public rest room regardless of how clean it is.
We are eventually able to place our order and after a longer than normal wait, our food came. Of course by this time, the boys had already consumed two loaves of Outback bread, including the mini bowl of butter. My dear sweet Liam, butter is to be used sparingly. It is not considered a dip for your bread, but rather a "taste enhancer". We will continue to focus on this issue.
In lieu of eating their entrees, Ryan spent most of his time testing how long he could stay under the table without us noticing and Liam spent most of his time attempting to see how far he could throw his broccoli. I had a quick vision of Liam's half-chewed broccoli floret landing in the fancy hair do of the lady sitting in the booth next to us. The outcome of my mini daydream was not pleasant. I don't even remember savoring my meal. As a matter of fact, Brett suggested I may have early onset Alzheimers because I brought up the same subject three different times during dinner. Yay!! Family outings!!! In an effort to look at the glass half full, the boys will be the only kids at school tomorrow with Outback lunches. I can't wait until next time. Anyone have a suggestion for a manners tutor? :)