My Emmy Date

Nick is gone to North Carolina and New Mexico for two weeks of training, with just one "refuel" day in between.  We made a snap decision that, instead of quiet time, I'd take our Emmy out on a Mommy-Daughter date while Nick stayed home with the others.  We really needed to "reset" and have some fun together.  I think the last time we did any such thing was when my mom was visiting in July. :(  Our first stop was lunch at "Old McDonalds."  At first she wanted to eat at a restaurant that served Cheetos (how she knows about Cheetos is beyond me) and pickle sandwiches (?), but then decided she wanted to look for Ronald McDonald when she saw the golden arches.  (Some background: In an effort to promote clowns, after she stumbled into a scary "clown show"/haunted house with Auntie Kristi, Uncle JP and cousins at the pumpkin patch, we had a long conversation about Ronald McDonald and how he builds homes for families to stay at while their sick children are in the hospital.  She was impressed by his altruism and her clown Halloween costume was once again acceptable.  Crisis averted.)

After lunch, our next stop was my old salon (from the days when I actually felt like spending two hours of precious "me" time at a salon) for her second haircut!  She did a WONDERFUL job, and looks so grown up with her new 'do!  We took a little more off that we had previously negotiated with Daddy (in the name of healthy hair!) and Emmy was a little concerned about Daddy's reaction.  As we drove away, she told me, "Daddy will say, 'Ah! Why is your hair short?' And then he will cry."  Luckily, he didn't cry, but did admit he'll need to get used to it...He agreed that she looks very beautiful, though.  Which made Emmy light up. :)

We went to Kroger to pick up some ingredients for the dinner Emmy chose to serve to her friends at church group on Sunday, and she got to push the kiddie basket around the store (something she's wanted to do for a long time, but we haven't been able to with Hannah in tow.)  We ran a couple more errands before heading home, with batteries recharged.  It was exactly what the doctor ordered, and something we'll need to do with much more frequency (minus the haircut.) The last couple of days she has been back to her sweet, helpful self, which I have missed dearly since the babies' arrival.  So grateful for the respite between Nick's trips for many reasons, and our Mommy/Emmy date being a big one of them!

Before

After!

I had to include this gem from our story time last night...She has been focused on the book "Madeline" for the last couple of days.  She asks to read it to me first and then asks me to read it to her.  Each time she reads it to me, she does an even better job...Watching our baby learn is the most exhilarating, awe-inspiring experience:

During