Birthday Tradition

Every year Brian takes me out to dinner for my birthday. Not the kind of 'Oh here's a break from the cooking' kind of thing, since we all know that's just not the case. Instead this is the kind of dinner that makes a ribbon of memories for us. Brian always has to keep the location a secret. Not every year has out done the past, but we always spend some of our evening reminiscing about the past experiences and where they rank. This year was our own personal top ten list and we managed to crack the top three. Last night was spent at Courtright's. It was nestled in a forest preserve providing a beautiful drive in given the snow we just had. It was still decorated with lights everything was a pretty glow. We had the chef's tasting menu which included five courses and wine pairings. To me it's fun being surprised by each course (also why I like the location to be secret). One of the courses was Foie Gras which is something neither of us has had before. Both of us could appreciate the pairings and how they complimented it, but neither of us would order it again. Brian was wowed by the venison course and I was by the scallop. I think we would both say the chef's puree's were exceptional, beet and celery which are not ingredients I would expect to impress. The sommelier gave Brian a second after dinner drink and he now has a new favorite instead of port, Banyuls. A very lovely experience to add to our ribbon of memories.

Snow fun

Look out snow bunnies - the snow hunks have arrived.

Here's a video of the boys helping Brian get the snow shoveled. The snow pants really hindered Neil's mobility.

Feeding two growing boys

Many have commented with surprise how much Ben & Neil eat already. We were mistaken to think the mass quantities of food wouldn't be needed until their teenage years. So when our current fridge started giving us trouble - some fixable and some not - we decided it was time to invest in a new one. Here's what we have learned post appliance shopping. One, it is ridiculous to try to do this with two toddlers, but the salesmen appreciate your expedited decisions skills. Two, much has not changed from the days of Henry Ford and the Model A, you can get this one in Stainless Steel or Stainless Steel. Finally, appliance delivery men are extremely skilled at what they do and probably don't have to do Wii Fit to stay in shape.