50, 33, & 24

The big 5-0.  George turned fifty today, I turned 33 on the 17th, and John turns 24 on the 27th.  We started the day by opening birthday gifts, eating blueberry muffins, and watching Zoe try to eat a squirrel on the deck.  The sun was shining and the snow didn't last long.

Beth and I headed to church for nursery service.  As much as I love Lauren, I don't do as well with other folks' kiddos.  Being in a room full of toddlers is intimidating to say the least.  Thank goodness Becca was there to help or I would have been in trouble.  

After church we headed to the house where the Ledbetters had already heated up the tortilla soup and hot tamales.  John and I tried our hand at Halo 3 (I'm terrible--it's only been about 5 years since I played video games and my coordination just ain't what it used to be).  

Around 4:30 we packed up and went to Casa Viva, formerly Casa Bonita.  When I was a kid, it was a really big deal to get to go to a movie in the Cinema 150 in Little Rock.  Before the movie, we would always eat at the Casa Bonita which was just across the parking lot.  I vividly remember going to see Superman and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with Mom and Dad.  My memories of Casa Bonita are of caves, the flag, sopapillas and the treasure chest.  As it turns out, George used to work at the Casa Bonita in Tulsa and this was too good an opportunity to pass up.  

It was with slight trepidation of eating Mexican food for the third time in two days that I drove the family to Tulsa.  I was pretty impressed that we were able to fit six adults and one baby + baby seat into the vehicle at the same time!  When we pulled in to the Casa Viva parking lot, it was evident that it was closed.  The sign on the door said "Closed No Power."  I know it was disappointing for George because he'd really wanted to see it again after all this time.  

At this point, it was getting late enough that we needed to get Lauren some food.  We were fortunate to find a Flemings to eat at in Utica Square off 21st street.  Mary went in to see if they would let us in as we hadn't exactly dressed up.  After getting seated, I looked at the menu and immediately realized I wouldn't be paying for everyone's dinner...

I broke away and found our waiter, Justin, and told him that we were celebrating three birthdays, one being a 50th.  He said that he would take care of things.  Our food arrived and it was, for lack of a better word, magnificent.  I got a 12oz filet mignon, just under medium.  WOW.  We ordered three plates of veggies to share: Flemings potatoes, cream corn (jalapeno style), and sugar snap peas.  

Pam's meal already came with a dessert and because there were three birthdays, Justin brought one of every dessert they had: creme brulee, cheesecake, blueberry cobbler, ice cream,  and chantilly cream and fruit.  This meal was in the top 3 all-time.  The food was great, but the company was even better.  I'm hoping this was the start of a brand new birthday/Christmas tradition.

I was so proud of Lauren.  She was on her best behavior through a 2.5 hour meal--not a small feat for a 21-month old.  The whole way home we commented how fantastic the dinner was.    When we got home, everyone went straight to sleep.