The Ryan Show!!

So last week I decided to bring the whole brood down to Binghamton NY to visit my mom for a few days. Surprisingly, she is always just as happy to see us coming as she is to see us going!! That said I really wanted to take just my mom out for a little quiet time, a bite to eat, a beer or 2 and to play some quickdraw (NY states version of bar gambling.) But of course asking anyone to babysit my 4 kids is also like asking them if they would have preferred to have been born without a face. I could not possibly spend one more night in the kitchen, making 8 different things and then cleaning up the floor for an hour, so I decided it was time to try to take everyone out to eat again. This is not something we do with my husband because of his embarrassment issues so it has been probably a year since we've even taken 2 of the kids out to eat! So after contemplating the most kid friendly environment I decided we would go to Friendly's!!
Everyone was excited to go and we got seated without incident. In fact, the restaurant wasn't very crowded and there were more than enough small children that my crew wasn't that big of a distraction.......yet.
The first problem arose when the kids had to decide what color beverage to get. The choices were red, dark blue and light blue. Knowing the girls would want red I ordered them red drinks while Ryan usally only wants blue things. Although, if he sees the girls with red drinks, he may think he is missing out and demand a red drink as well. I had to take a chance and order him blue. This turned out to be my first mistake. As soon as the drinks arrived, he saw the girls drinks and immediately pushed his drink away and insisted on a red drink, "like Georgie". Next thing I know Ryan is banging in his booth which backs immediately to another booth where a nice man and his wife and daughter are having a leisurely meal. I ask the man if Ryan is bothering him and he says, "oh no, not at all, I don't even know what is going on back there." The words are no sooner out of his mouth than Griffin gets a hold of a glass dish and pitches it on the floor. Bamm!! My mom says, "now you do."
Griffin, my sweet, sweet, baby!! He has decided the bottle, snacks and jar food that I fed him before we left were not enough and he is starving. He starts letting out a scream that can only be described as tribal. Something you would expect to hear in an African jungle.
The food comes!!! Yes, things will get better! It doesn't, because Ryan, dillusional from a lack of a nap, decides he is not hungry!! He wants out of his booth. He was not taking no for an answer. So we let him out of the booth and I see he has removed his sandals. As I am trying to put his sandals back on him he decides to grab one and whip it across the restaurant. There is this woman sitting with her husband looking very unhappy throughout the whole scene. Normally, I would have thought my children were making her unhappy, but this time I think she actually came in unhappy. I felt bad for her and worse when my sons sandal nearly gave her a black eye. I quickly apologized and she seemed to be very forgiving. By the time I made it back to the booth, Ryan is back in his seat turned around and grabbing the shoulders of the man behind us!! The man says, "just take my wallet, don't hurt me." Thank goodness he had a sense of humor! I normally do not embarrass easily but at this point I am mortified and so embarrassed that I feel all warm and mushy on the inside and just want to crawl out of the now crowded restaurant. We finally leave, giving the waitress a large tip, and get in the car where Ryan promply falls asleep! The moral of this story is, we will not be going to a restaurant with all 4 kids for a long, long time. Anyone have good take out suggestions????