I was lucky enough to be able to have dinner with my dad three out of the past four nights. My dad is an excellent eating companion. First because he usually orders dessert, and second because he gets pretty silly, and doesn’t care who sees him. Louie and my mom, who were also there for two of the three dinners, are no different. Family meals are never quiet. When Louie and I were younger, we’d actually get so worked up and silly over dinner, that my parents would have to sit us down beforehand and remind us that “Dad’s been working all day, and he is tired and would like to be able to have a nice dinner and get a word in edgewise for lord’s sake. So please try not to take up the ENTIRE conversation with your endless wall of sound.” We’d sheepishly agree to the New Dinner Terms and go about our day. But once we all sat down, someone would belch, mom would crack a smile, and it would be all over.

In honor of so many loony Cole Family Dinners, I would like to present a few photos of our dinners over the years.

Here are some choice moments from a lunch we had at Pea Soup Andersons a few years ago:

Louis went into hiding after we noticed how large the Christmas-themed centerpieces were.

Dad drank his coffee “handsfree.” I can’t remember why.

And why tone it down on foreign soil? Here’s a sample of what happened in Italy in 2004:

Louie photographs me being attacked by a fork.

Someone was doing something to make my mom laugh this hard. Tears and abdominal pain are common side effects of our raucous dinners.

A work of art by Louis.

And finally, our yearly trips to Seattle, wherein the entire Cole Family gets together to laugh and eat:

Someone brought a propeller beanie to the dinner table and we all took turns modeling it…

…even the Matriarch of the family, my grandma Nina. See where we all get it?

Bookmark this!