It takes us more than a week to pack for a vacation, but traveling with toddlers requires serious planning. My iPod is fully loaded now with an appropriate mix of kid songs for the flight, Phil Wickham for the rare moments I'll have a few minutes alone, and country songs for me to get back in touch with my roots including several wholesome, old-school country boys.
Not every adventure is a success and my "Daddy date" with Layla was one of those duds. We've been hyping up a real tea party with Daddy for days. Sunday afternoon I decided to make good on my promise. We play tea party in her room often, but when it came to the real deal it just didn't measure up. The disappointment set in the second we stepped foot in the Starbucks. She said, "This isn't a tea place, this is just Starbucks!" I convinced her they have tea there and purchased an overpriced hot cup of caffeine free chamomile. She took one sip and said, "This tastes yucky". She gave her honest opinion of the tea and I went for plan B.
The cake pop! It's pink and tasty. Her yucky face turned to elation and I consider her joy in this moment as the only positive thing to come from our afternoon together.
She raised her voice a little and exclaimed, "This is the best day EVER!"
Then it went down hill. She wasn't interested in conversing at all. No matter what I did she was more interested in people watching and squirming around the chair. Then we went inside the mall to find some fun. She asked to ride the Thomas ride and showed some excitement at first.
Then it just swayed back and forth for 30 seconds and I could see the disappointment on her face. She learned the hard way that she is too old to enjoy something so simple.
I could have redeemed myself with a trip to the Build-a-bear factory because she hasn't experienced that before. Instead I stopped by the jeweler to get my watch sized, which took way too long. Layla grew impatient and I kept her entertained by playing peek-a-boo around the display cases.
The date wasn't a total loss, but I have fairly high standards for adventures and know it could have been much better. Luckily I have many more chances to step up my game for Daddy dates. Not every outing has to be a huge production or wildly expensive, but disappointment is tough to take especially when it comes from my beautiful princess. I give myself an A for effort!
A funny thing happened the other day when Easton and Layla were playing. I asked them to do something (or not do something) and both of them disobeyed. I said, "Go sit in time out for 1 minute as a bad consequence for your choices." They continued giggling, but obeyed my directions. I expected them to sit quietly with sad faces because they were being disciplined. However, the silliness continued and I couldn't help but take a picture of them having the grandest time while in time out.
They did as I asked by sitting in timeout, but I will explicitly tell them no laughing or having fun or else split them up between rooms. Do they look "sorry" to you? NO...
I thought the slide would lose it's appeal after a week or a month, but the twins continue to wear that thing out having the best time every day.
Easton is showing a good amount of interest in soccer and basketball. We taught him how to catch and throw so now he's always up for playing catch with anyone who will participate. When no one will play catch he plays basketball by himself. I had my doubts early on whether he would be interested in sports, but lately he's improving hand-eye coordination to a level where he can have some fun now.
For some unknown reason I listened to Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman. It's on my "do not listen" list. I (should) have better things to do with my time than tear-up with thoughts of Layla growing up so fast. People often say things like, "Enjoy every moment because kids grow up fast". I nod cordially in agreement, but inside I'm thinking, "Yes, i agree, but you have no idea how intentional I am in parenting to make sure I don't miss it." That's what I see as the best word to describe my personal parenting style: intentional. The truth is that parenting requires intentional, hands-on, active participation in their lives. Anything less will lead to regrets and I'd rather be at the other end of the pendulum. :)
See you soon!
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