Dates

Kevin and I took turns taking dates with each child a few weekends ago. I've been wanting to do this for a while and am so glad we made the time to do it.

Saturday morning was my turn with Maren. We went to Starbucks at her request. This is probably because we went there last year for a date and she remembers it quite well. She got a pink iced doughnut then and wanted a pink iced doughnut again this time. Of course, when we got to Starbucks they had no pink doughnuts. Not to worry, she quickly chose a cinnamon roll instead and was just as happy. The Barista even wrote "princess" in chocolate on her plate. She also had a hot chocolate. The best part was listening to Maren order her food and drink, after she told the cashier all about how she and I were on a date and we were going to have SO MUCH FUN. Maren is quite expressive.

Maren enjoyed her cinnamon roll and hot chocolate while I enjoyed my vanilla latte. We chatted and looked through new games to download on my iPad. We chose two My Little Ponies games and a princess paint by number game. The rest of our date was spent playing the games, including Memory, which Maren is freakishly good at. 

For my date with Warner, we went roller skating. I realize roller skating isn't exactly popular anymore - and hasn't been for some time. But back in my day it was all the rage. I really wish that was still the case. It's so much fun!

We rented skates, got everything into our locker, and made it onto the hardwood floor without falling. Warner took it pretty easy but still fell quite a bit. But he was such a trooper! We skated together for over an hour, taking breaks for a drink. It was the same roller skating I remember - lights turned down, music loud ... and I'm pretty sure the Florence Fun Dome hasn't been remodeled since I last roller skated, either. Regardless of the state of the rink, we had a blast.

I realize we won't have dates with our kids every weekend, but I hope to make it a more regular occurrence. Quality time with these kids is priceless.