Okay, off my soapbox. This last weekend was Mama/A date day and Daddy/B date day.
A and I started out at the food pantry. This is by far one of my fave things to do with little girl once a month. Somehow we miss it every now and then and I cannot imagine why. I love watching her interact with people she knows, love watching her keep my table stocked, and love watching her think it is good and fun to help others. During this time we forget what toys we want, what shows we want to watch, etc and focus on what others need. But we obviously don't forget how to make silly faces.
Then we met up with Daddy and B again, who had been out hiking somewhere. We took the kiddos to Cosmo Park, but it had been partially torn up so we didn't stay long.
Next we went to the Columbia Mall and had dinner and the littles rode on the carousel.
I know I said it before, but date your kiddos. Sometimes we spend so much time reading how to be good parents, researching fun things, looking into how we can improve our kids {grades, skills, chances} that we forget to just spend time with our kids. They will be much better humans in this world when they know their parents love them by spending time with them. They don't need more busy-ness, more programs, more sports. They need more YOU. Glennon Doyle from Momastery posted this picture on Facebook earlier today and it is EXACTLY what I was thinking. Wish I had known this before.
After we dropped the girls off at the softball game, B and I decided to get a snack on our way to our hiking destinations. I got White Castles, and was heading to Taco Bell to get him a cheese rollup when he decided to try a bite of my cheeseburger. I figured he would take one bite then give it back, but instead he ate it all and asked for another one! After that he wanted a third, but I was all out of cheeseburgers. He went on and on about how those were the best burgers EVER, and that Mommy and Sissy just HAD to go there sometime. When I told him that Mommy doesn't like White Castles, he said "Well, did she REALLY try one, or is she just saying that without knowing?" Hmm, I wonder where he learns things like that. Must be at Montessori.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, with our bellies feeling fuller, we headed up to Pinnacles Youth Park north of Columbia. First we had to check out the poster showing non-venomous snakes of Missouri, so we would know what to look for. We headed out on a few well marked trails, winding through the forest and along a creek. Every time we came upon a picnic shelter or a bridge, he had a story about things that probably happened there. He showed me his rock-climbing prowess, checked out a shallow cave, washed his hands in the creek (and dried them on my pants), posed on a tall outcropping that probably would have caused Mommy to have a stroke, and explored a large hollow tree trunk inside and out.
All the while, he was talking about how Sissy has GOT to see this and Mommy just HAS to see that. I'm not as good with words as Rachel, but it was wonderful to see him enjoying God's creation and wanting to share it with others.