Mommy Dates

Over the last few weeks I have been so blessed to go on two dates with my Ava Anne.

She has been a little down lately and (like her mother) a little hard on herself. Sometimes I feel like she is a old soul. She is so tender, sensitive and loving, but these traits sometimes work to her detriment because she feels things deeply. Since having Talmage I have noticed that she feels a little put off. She often states that she feels less important or ignored. While I do think she is over dramatizing it a bit, I realize that sometime she is right. She often has to wait while I tend to Claire and Talmage who are smaller and can't do for themselves. I had been feeling like she really needed some 1:1 time so we planned a few dates. (Which when I explained to her what a date was I made sure to say that it often included hand holding and lots of talking so that I could reap the benefit of those two things).

Our first date was to a movie she had been asking to see called Oz. It is a movie that tells how the Wizard of Oz came to be. The night started rough at home with an overly emotional and whiny 5 year old, but once we finally regrouped and left for the show; all was well. We stopped at the gas station for some treat and then headed to the theater. After the show we talked as we rode home and she related her favorite parts and relaxed sleeply in the back. I loved every minute of it.

Our second date night had been in plan for a month.  I had bought tickets to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Hale Center Theater. I planned this along with 5 other moms. We decided to do a mom and daughters date night with our girls. We started out by grabbing a bite to eat at the Pizza Factory. On a side note, I tried the carb free noodles with my pasta (which was zucchini and spinach cut up like pasta) and it was very good. We then grabbed some treats at the gas station and headed to the Theater. We let the girls all sit together in the row in front of us and we all sat behind. They did so good. They were not too wiggly, giggly or loud except when it was appropriate and you could tell they each felt so grown up. They are such a cute bunch of girls.

The show was fantastic.  It was funny and held the girls attention really well. The songs were fun and Ava was in heaven watching the kids in the show that danced and sing on stage (her current greatest desire). We were even more excited because one of my cousins, Brooklyn Pulver was the play (she might really be a 2nd cousin but I always have thought of her more like a 1st cousin because we are the same age). She was in the traveling Broadway play of Hairspray as Tracy Turnblad and has a fabulous voice. Plus she is a great actress to boot. She played the "not so nice" part of the Baroness and did a wonderful job. Ava was so excited to tell the girls we were related to her. Afterwards we got some pictures with the cast. My cousin's husband was also in the cast as the Child Catcher. The girls were a little more hesitant to greet him after. His make up didn't help either.

 Here are the main Characters. Ava loved the female lead who played Truly Scrumptious. She especially liked when Truly Scrumptious pretended to be a life-sized wind up ballet doll. I must say her isolation dance skills were pretty impressive. The girls kept asking if it was a real person or really a doll.

We had so much fun we decided we should do a moms and daughters GNO every few months. Here is the whole group, mom and all!

I must say that my date was pretty darn cute! I loved my Ava time and I plan to continue dating her.

I hope these dates will yield lots of great conversations and build a wonderful relationship with her. I love the relationship I have with my own mother and have always desired to have the same kind of open, loving, accepting secret telling kind of relationship with my own children. I hope we continue to know each other and growing together.