Brunch and Buy

Life with two little ones is wonderful and busy, and for the most part wonderfully busy. Still, there are times that I wish for special time with each of my special girls. Today, I got that wish. Conant is home on vacation, so Emma and I had a much anticipated mommy / daughter date. We have been waiting for a chance to go and buy her preschool supplies, so today’s date was the event of the year: “Brunch and Buy.” It started with a delicious brunch at The Machine Shed, Emma’s favorite restaurant. Usually she shares my meal with me, but today she got to order her own meal. She chose the Future Farmer breakfast (funny, since this week she told me she is going to be a farmer and a doctor when she grows up). She had hash brown casserole, bacon, scrambled eggs, and an English muffin. I had pancakes, and we gladly shared with each other. Pancakes are one of her favorite treats. I was very proud of my adorable date. She had chosen one of her nicest dresses, and she also used her finest manners. The waiter told her that she had the best manners of any kid he had seen all day. I was proud of my soon to be preschooler, and she sat up a little taller after her compliment. I probably did, too, as I knew she was trying to make it a special time for us and the other diners, and I appreciated her efforts. On the way out of the restaurant, she got to sit on the tractor displayed outside. Normally I wouldn’t have tried this alone with both girls, but today I could say “yes” more often than “no.” After brunch, we headed to Target to tackle her preschool list. She enjoyed picking out the supplies even though they will all be turned in to be used by the whole class. As a treat, she got to pick out one special folder to keep at home. She chose Dora and Boots and has been carrying it around off and on since. The highlight of Target for her was getting to walk beside the cart rather than ride in it. For weeks she has been telling me she’s too big to ride in the cart, but I don’t feel like I can handle the two girls and my shopping if they are not safely contained in the cart. Today, Emma walked proudly as the semi-independent, almost three-and-a-half-year-old that she knows she is meant to be, and I could (mostly) concentrate on my shopping. As our "Brunch and Buy" concluded, we both said how much fun we had had, and I promised myself that we would try to schedule another date soon. For our family, having two girls is the most precious gift we could have been given, but for today, I am thankful for the rare present of one-on-one time with my first-born. As she starts a new chapter of her life, I want to be here observing each milestone with her so that she knows that school is something to get really excited about, and she is someone who is very much worth celebrating.