fine dining in New York

I love the look on Wyatt's face here! What a cute little waiter!

And don't you love the

gold lame' fabric of Mrs. Rockefeller's skirt? Very chic!

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I look awful here, I know. I wanted to change into "fancy-nancy" clothes

like Halle but ended up not having time, so here I am in

my grubbies with my hair pulled back sloppily. Oh, well.

Good thing our "restaurant" had low-standards.

They even let me in despite the fact I was barefoot!

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On the eve of Brett's NYC trip, the kids and I prepared a farewell feast fit for...well, a Yankee Fan. I let the kids dress up and thought it was so cute when they said they wanted "fake names" to go with their Big Apple Alter-Egos. Wyatt was our waiter, Joe DiMaggio, and Halle was a "fancy-nancy" New York lady joining us for dinner. Her name was Aurora Rockefeller. We pulled out all the stops, using goblets filled with sparkling lemonade, white tablecloth, and even candles (although I was too nervous to put them in the center of the table for fear the kids would knock them over when they reached for something). Our menu paid tribute to New York with our "New York Steaks" and a side of Parmesan-Orzo (which I claimed was from Little Italy. I was stretching, I know.). For dessert, we dined on delectable New York Cheesecake. It was so fun getting ready, since it was a surprise. The kids even practiced what they were going to say. Wyatt opened the door for Brett when he arrived home from work and this is a run-down of the conversation between them:

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Wyatt: "Welcome to New York's finest restaurant, sir. Are you here to eat?"

Brett: "Yes, it smells delicious."

Wyatt: "Please follow me." (Wyatt then walked Brett into the kitchen and dramatically swept his arm out to show the table.)

Wyatt: "Will this be alright?"

Brett: "This is perfect. Thank you." Brett sat down.

Wyatt: "Your food will be ready in a minute."

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Then Halle said:

Halle: "Good evening. I am Aurora Rockefeller. May I share your table this evening?"

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It really was so cute! Nobody even cared that our NY Steaks were in real-life Petite Sirloins and that our NY Cheesecake were actually "Cheesecake Bites" from the freezer aisle (the budget was tight that week). It was just a fun way to commemorate a trip we've all looked forward to for a long time!