Bookish in Evanston

This afternoon, we headed up to Evanston to exchange a few duplicate books at Barnes & Noble and go to dinner afterward as a family. The Dad supervised the kids as they browsed for books while I returned our books. The Boy and The Girl love going to the bookstore. Actually, The Dad and I love going to the bookstore. It was one of our favorite things to do as a couple before we had children and although it's a bit more expensive to do so now (because everyone has to get a book!), it is one of our favorite things to do as a family.

The Boy chose a book about insects by Anne Rockwell and Firehouse Tales, one of those crummy, badly written Scholastic books that I dislike (and The Boy always wants). The Girl chose Princess Baby by Karen Katz after watching another little girl read it four times with her dad, and a Sandra Boynton board book. The Baby did his favorite thing to do with books: pull up on their shelves and fling the books off the shelves.

Afterward, The Boy and The Girl raced down Sherman, while The Dad and I walked behind, to Nevin's for dinner in their well-lit and pretty-from-the-outside dining room. The Boy had mini-cheeseburgers and The Girl had mac & cheese from the kids' menu. I had a yummy corned beef dinner and a light beer. The Dad had a reuben and a Harp draft. The Baby sat on my lap and shoveled mac & cheese, bread, fries, corned beef, carrots, potatoes, and whatever else was in reach into his mouth. Unlike my previous visits to Nevin's (usually on a Wednesday and with a group of adults), the service wasn't particularly attentive. But the corned beef was really good, and everyone ate their dinners. That's about the best I can ask for on a Saturday night with 3 small children.