Daughter Date Night

About a month ago, I bought two tickets to see Mary Poppins at Bass Hall here in Fort Worth.  I kept it a secret from Abi up until 2 days before the big night.  She woke up early one morning and climbed in the chair beside me as I was reading.  She asked to play with my phone and I handed it over.  I didn't realize what she was looking at until she said, "Mommy, it says Mary Poppins on your calender for Tuesday.  What does that mean?"  I had almost made it to the actual day without her knowing anything!  She reads a little too good these days. :)

After she got home from school, we finished up homework and got dressed for our Mommy-daughter date.  She picked the restaurant and I didn't complain.  Chili's!  She's my chips and salsa partner.  I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the fact that I ate it 3-4 times a week when I was pregnant with her.  We went for yogurt after dinner and sat by the window for a fun little chat.  I love getting them one-on-one with no distractions.  She is growing into such a sweet lady. 

She LOVED the play.  She danced all the way back to the car.  It was a special time with my big girl!

While Abi and I were on our date, Adison and daddy had a date night of their own.  Right up Itty's alley!  They went to feed the lamas at Mrs. Flor's house.  And then they went to Mr. Bari and Mrs. Vicki's house.  She rode the donkeys, drove the tractor and rode a horse as well!  She had a "hay-day", literally! 

We will cherish these "date-nights" where we get to show our girls how special they are and get to

really stop and listen to their hopes and dreams.

Some of the things Abi shared with me on our date:

Math is her favorite subject.

She likes music more than P.E.

She is currently a proud member of a "Fairy Club" at recess.  She's a little nervous that

she might get kicked out because she doesn't believe in ALL fairies.  Just the Tooth fairy and maybe Tinkerbel.  I held back the smile as I assured her that belief in the Tooth fairy earned her the right to be a member in the club.

She wants to practice the church praise songs more, so that she can sing all the words.

She offered to work in the school library during recess because she wanted to help out.

She wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up and will settle for living in Paris, TX as long as there are fashion design studios in that town.

Time away

Time away.  Just the two of us. A new and exciting destination.  Time away.  A pause from the day-to-day.  A relaxing conversation over lunch in a quaint Italian cafe.  Laughing at each other as we got

drenched by the rain.  Time away.  Just the two of us.

We stepped off the plane and we saw the rain drops.  It didn't matter to us.  We got to the rental car and hit the road.  Our first destination - The Golden Gate Bridge!

We never saw the city on a totally clear day, but it was still beautiful.  I actually left my camera at the hotel for an entire day. (crazy, huh?)  I think God probably used the rain to make me slow down a bit and

just enjoy the time.  Here are a few of the sites we saw and places we went.

We were able to meet up with an old college friend, his sweet wife, and their three boys.  They have started a church in the city and it was really exciting to hear what God has been doing through them.  It is so fun to have people we know scattered all around the country and even the world.  Getting to
cross paths and hear their testimonies is such an incredible reminder of how big God really is.

They gave us some restaurant suggestions before the trip and we were pleased!!  The first morning there, Steven and I headed to a little, corner place called Mama's.  We were warned that it would probably be busy.  As we walked up to the door, we could see that all the seats were taken.  We decided to wait outside until someone came out of the door.  We just stood there a little while as people headed to work and kids were being walked to school.  A lady walked on inside and then popped her head back out of the door and asked if we needed anything.  We told her we were just waiting and she kind of half smiled as she said, "Oh, come on it and order.  We will get you a seat."  So we went on in, ordered, and stood there for about 10 mins until they had us a seat.  In the mean time, the line behind us began to grow.  A couple beside us said that we were extremely lucky to get in that quick.  There is usually a wait time of anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hours.  The line you see below was there all three times we passed this place over the next couple of days. 
All of that to say, it was delicious!!!!

I laughed when I saw this and had to take a picture. Crab and tulips!!  I was in heaven. :)


Steven had been waiting to see the one and only Alcatraz.  And he was not disappointed.  It was so intriguing.  So much history.  Such a neat island.


I finally got to put him in solitary! :)


There were beautiful flowers and plants all around.


We had a great time away.  The plane ride back was a bit rough and rescheduled, but we made it back to our girls.  We owe Gami!  She gave the girls a vacation of their own while we were gone.  We were thankful for our time together.  It's important to carve out time away.  It can't always be to a far-away destination, but it can always be together.

Marching right into Spring!

March started out with a crazy 5 year old in my bed.  I had worked a double the day before and she decided she was my alarm clock!  It's pretty hard to get mad at that sweet little face.

 

Abi is reading everything these days.  She loves reading to her sister!

Adison is working on her letters at school and Abi is working on spelling and comprehension.
I couldn't help but laugh at her word mix-up on this sheet!

Itty Bitty treated her big sis to "salon time" one afternoon.  Homework and a hairstyle! 
The girls also helped me make "Bunny Bark".  It was super yummy!

We have been in the yard a bunch this month.  There are many weeds to be picked!

One rainy weekend before I headed out to work, we all played a few rounds of Guess Who?.
Adison was in full, fairy attire!

Spring break officially began with breakfast at McDonalds!

Our two blessings this month.  Seriously.  The ignition on my car went out and we've had
a continually leaky roof.  Our gut reaction was to grumble and worry about how much
these would cost.  What we are constantly reminded of time and time again, is that
these are opportunities for the Lord to bestow blessings.  Blessings for us and blessings for others. 
We are eternally grateful to have seen God working through these circumstances.

A girl and her dog.  Nothing more and certainly nothing less.

Abi made her daddy proud.  We went out to eat and she wanted RIBS!!

I planted tulips and was looking forward to seeing all the beautiful blooms.  Well, the deer were looking forward to them as well.  Too bad we live in the city limits. :(
The weather has warmed up a good bit and they seem to not be coming around as much.
I actually have a few that are blooming!!

Looking forward to April and all that it has in store!