Mr. Smarty Pants

No, not Ethan. That’s the name of the balloon twister extrordinaire who made Ethan’s night last night.

We discovered yesterday that Ethan had developed an ear infection to match mine (copycat). Rather than one of us having to run out after dinner, we decided we would meet on Southport for dinner and just pick up the prescription on our way home. So John quickly pulled the cranberry stuffed acorn squash out of the oven, and I made sure I was awake enough to get off at Southport, rather than go all the way home.

We were going to meet at Blue Bayou for cajun food, but as I was walking from the El, I remembered that Tuesday nights are family night at D’Agostinos, and they have a model train track running overhead.

Ethan, who must have been feeling particularly flexible last night, quickly agreed to the second change of plans for the evening, and we headed back up the street.

We have never been to Family Night at D’Agostinos, but we’ve seen the flyer when we’ve eaten there in the past. Really, what makes it special is they have Mr. Smarty Pants walking around making balloon creations for the kids. And let me tell you – he was good.

We have been many places in the past where someone was making balloon animals, and while he watches the process intently, Ethan has never been interested in getting his own creation. (Like is frequently the case, until he has actually tried something, Ethan is a little hesitant about it.) And last night he waffled back and forth about it again.

Seeing some of the creations Mr. Smarty Pants was making for other kids, I told Ethan that if he didn’t want a balloon for himself, he could get one for me. Of course, by the time Mr. Smarty Pants was at the table next to ours, Ethan was definitely getting himself a balloon and was bouncing up and down in anticipation.

Ethan had decided he wanted a coconut tree – with coconuts if possible. (He had a cat for Mom as his backup plan.) As you can see, Mr. Smarty Pants rose to the challenge of making a non-animal creation (he told us he has a life sized palm tree in his living room that he created as a model for decorations he did for someone’s party).

Ethan could hardly contain himself. He told the people ahead of us at the intersection not to back up because he was holding a coconut tree. He showed his coconut tree to the woman in line at the pharmacy behind us. He showed it to the little girl that walked past us … to the pharmacist … you get the picture.

I was finally entrusted with the beloved tree about half way home, when a light breeze came up and made Ethan worried about losing his grip and having the tree blow away. It is now sitting in his bedroom in a place of honor.

I suspect D’Agostinos may have just become one of his favorite restaurants.