We went to Downtown Disney for our son Ben's 9th birthday yesterday.  We had made reservations for the new T-Rex restaurant.  It's similar to the Rainforest Cafe with the exception that the animals are all large, prehistoric, and extinct.  But they are all animated in their movements and life-like, including in their ferocious roars and growls they make.

Now Jerry loves dinosaurs, but I knew we were in trouble when our waitress, while introducing herself, warned us that every twenty minutes there would be "meteor showers" and we would be required to get under our table for safety measures.  The other kids giggled while Jerry stared at her wide-eyed and alarmed like a deer caught in the headlights.

He was already not fond of the noise upon entering the restaurant (including clapping and singing waiters/waitresses celebrating patron's birthdays), but when the lights dimmed low, thunder started clashing, and the dinosaurs raised their vocal levels by at least ten octaves, we had issues.  Jerry immediately started to yell for the dinosaurs to stop or be turned off.  I covered his ears while he sat very stiff and anxious.  Thank goodness we were sitting in the plant eaters section and not next to the twenty foot tall T-Rex!

We vowed then and there to only be there for a maximum of two more meteor showers and so we had forty minutes to get our food, eat, and pay to get out of there.  With the passing of each minute, the poor guy grew more and more anxious.  As soon as the lights would dim, he would lean over into my lap, his head under the table, and cover his eyes while I covered the ear that was not already being closed by my lap.  Once, he was in such a hurry to get under the table and into my lap, he whacked a knife on the table and sent it sailing up over his head and onto the floor...thankfully, not hitting anyone at the table behind us on the way down! 

We did manage to get a picture on the way out.  Can you see how happy Jerry looks?!

The family picture outside shows some relief.

The consolation prize for his making it through dinner was a Build-A-Dino (similar to Build-A-Bear) that he named Hammer Head.  Upon leaving the restaurant, Jerry proclaimed, "Mommy, I like shopping in the dinosaur store, but I don't ever want to eat there again!"  No, really?!!!