Kim & Justin

One on one time

Having a big family means we do lots of things together.  Sometimes that causes us to miss having personal time with each kid.  During school breaks we like to have scheduled one on one time with each kid.  They get to pick what we do, where we go, and if they want to include anyone else.

Yesterday was the last day of school for my kids, so I started one on one time with a middle child, Evelyn (since we normal go oldest to youngest or youngest to oldest).

Evelyn did not want to “go shopping” but she wanted to leave the house.  It was too cold to play outside, so we decided that playing with puppies would be the perfect thing to do.  We started at one pet store that did not have dogs, but we pet some cats and picked out Christmas treats for all the animals. 

Then we stopped for dinner at the first Mexican restaurant that we passed, since Evelyn said she wanted something spicy.  We ate way too much chips and guacamole and had to pack up half of our dinner.

It was getting late and Evelyn pondered if we should just head home.  I asked if she still wanted to pet puppies and she really did.  So, we headed to another pet store that had almost 2 dozen puppies.  The staff were more than willing to let Evelyn run around with some puppies and tire them out before bed.  She really loved a husky puppy there, and I reminded her that they get huge.

Right next to the pet store was one of our favorite used book stores, so we walked.  We both found some good crafting books with ideas for projects to do over break.

It was an amazing evening.  I got to see my normally quiet and reserved girl giggle and blossom in front of me.  She was so joyful being free from deadlines and hard decisions.  We got to talk about school, her friends, and her dreams for the future. 

Today I get to go out with my youngest, Cecilia.  I don’t know what she plans yet.  I selfishly hope it includes the huge plant nursery that we both love.  I also hope for talk about Santa, surprises, and Christmas wishes.

(Pictured: Evelyn and her crazy bee keepers hat she crafted all on her own for crazy hat day.)