Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

We wanted to do something memorable to celebrate grandpa's 64th birthday, which was just a few days after Christmas. Kevin took me to Medieval Times almost two years ago when we first moved to Texas, and we thought grandpa would enjoy it as well. It was fun keeping our celebration a mystery. Kevin kept saying things like, "I hope you don't mind getting wet" or "Do lasers bother you?" My personal favorite was, "Dad, just to give you the heads up; you'll be wearing a wet suit tonight".

The dinner theater and show takes you back to the 11th century.

From high above, King Philippe and his daughter-in-law, Princess Leonore, preside over a four-course feast. Below, privileged royal guests are transported to faraway lands including a romantic snowy rendezvous in the woods and an authentic medieval tournament -- with the help of Hollywood-caliber special effects, of course.

We purchased a special "Knighting Ceremony" for grandpa. It was a complete surprise to him to be called out of the crowd and be made a knight of the realm.

Lauren received so much attention. It appeared that every single person that saw her or walked past us had to comment on what a beautiful princess she was. She, of course, loved all of the praise and was more than willing to pose and bat her eyelashes in response.

Sir Kaden and Princess Lauren

My handsome photographer and knight complete with cheesy paper crown

Kaden and Lauren posing in front of the torture chamber.

Grandma and Grandpa Parker

Once the tournament and show began, Kaden was completely enthralled. He would hardly look away and was completely disinterested in his dinner. I knew he would love it.

Our knight the "Blue Knight" kissing a carnation just before he threw it to Lauren. Good thing for her that her daddy was willing to climb under the bleachers to retrieve it for her. She

I have to admit that Lauren, grandma, and I all had a bit of a crush on our knight. He was so suave and pretty good at knighting too! We actually think he looks a little bit like our friend Tyler Jensen. What do you think Candice?

The horses were magnificent.

The display of skills during the tournament was quite impressive. In the photo above, you can actually see our knight breaking his lance on his opponent's shield. The screens were a much needed safety precaution. Probably my favorite event was the sword fighting though. The knights actually came at their opponents so forcefully that you could see sparks as the blades met.