It happens from time to time, usually when Connor is off on one of his big adventures. We go from having three little people to just two. And you wouldn't think it would make that much of a difference, but it does.
There's suddenly enough hands to go around, for one thing. We usually try, at least once, to take the little guys out for a real dinner somewhere. Not that they actually eat it, mind you, but we want them to have the experience, to spend more time in public and social settings. They need that.
Tonight we took them to the IHOP, one of our favorites. We don't do quiet or fancy, not with our boys. We do fast (though not tonight, unfortunately) and easy, and preferably noisy. Because that's what it takes. The boys spent most of the time we were there alternately bouncing in the booth seats (thank goodness there was no one around us) and taking turns underneath the table. The ring pops we brought along as a distraction didn't do much except make the bouncing bigger (sugar rush, apparently). They did manage to eat the yogurt that the waitress was kind enough to offer at the end of the meal.
We didn't order them anything for a couple of reasons. First, they usually won't eat food from anywhere other than McDonald's. And, in trying to reinforce the school lunch, we're on a slightly altered schedule at home anyway. I try both not to feed them a big breakfast (around 9:30) and also not to offer them a second lunch when they come home (around 1:30) in hopes that they will actually start eating the school lunch that is served around 11:45. We used to do late breakfast (around 10 or 10:30) and then late lunch (around 1 or 1:30). But clearly that wasn't helping with the school lunches. And the new schedule means that the twins are hovering in the kitchen starting about 3 o'clock. I usually try to hold them off until at least 4 or 4:30, but that's still before Josh comes in from work.
So they ate before we left. And they bounced while we were there. It wasn't the most peaceful meal ever, but it was a meal out and another experience for them. From three to two, just for a little while.
