Monday night was one of the best nights of my life.
Last week at soccer, A's friend's mom mentioned wanting to take her daughter out for a special evening, just the two of them.
It's not easy being 11.
I remember conversations with my uncle at that time in my life and how he always seemed to understand that I didn't feel like a kid anymore...but I was not yet ready to be an adult either.
That is where A is right now.
Not a kid, not an adult.
But she has a silly little sister who still manages to convince her to play dollhouse sometimes.
It's not easy being P's sister either.
Although my girls adore each other {most of the time} they are not twins,
they do have their own personalities and interests.
Often, when A wants to have a girlie chat with me,
P insists on being there, laying on top of me or some other intrusive thing.
But I have a hard time excluding P.
{It's not always easy being the mom of two girls either}
Monday morning, I woke A up and asked her if she would like to go out,
just the two of us.
She excitedly nodded yes.
{There may have been a tear in her eye.}
I suggested a few restaurants,
but she said those were the family restaurants,
where we all go together.
While making her an English muffin,
I had an "ah ha!" moment.
Every time we go to the mall,
A raves about the smell of
McCormick and Schmick,
but P gags at the smell of seafood.
{differences}
When I suggested McCormick and Schmick's,
A grinned from ear to ear.
We spent the afternoon doing our hair.
I let A wear a little blush, a little face powder ;-)
We left her sister in the capable hands of Jason and the {homeschool} neighbors ;-)
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| {showstopper? show stealer? Little sister!} |
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| I am proud of the young lady she is becoming |
Everything we do around here is a photo opp...just in case you hadn't noticed ;-)
I asked A if she minded if I brought my camera to the restaurant
{sometimes she feels embarrassed by my incessant picture taking}
She didn't mind.
I asked if I could blog about this experience.
{Sometimes she likes things to be just between us}
She didn't mind.
We attempted to take pictures of ourselves at the restaurant.
My girls knows me SOOOO well.
She saw this little drink menu on the table and said,
"You should get the Grape Refresher! It sounds like something you would like."
Now, if that doesn't sound like a Deeee-vine cocktail - I don't know what does!
But, I stuck with water with lemon for our GNO!
But if raw or seared tuna is on the menu...
you can bet this Mama is getting it!
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| tuna tartare - out of this world awesome! |
We shared everything.
Lots of noshes.
A true, bonafide GNO!
California Roll {A loves her sushi!}
Shrimp, Crab & Artichoke Dip {it would be against GNO protocol to not indulge, wouldn't it?}
and a
Chopped Salad
{because that is the other thing - if chopped salad is on the menu -- this Mama is getting it!
I love a chopped salad!}
We had the waiter take our photo!
We spent hours talking about growing up,
sisters,
P,
how much A loves P,
but how P is always right there when A just wants to talk to me.
We talked about how A tries to give P and I space when she sees us alone,
but P doesn't do the same.
We talked about how much A enjoys homeschooling.
We talked about skincare regimes.
We talked about when she could wear make-up and heels.
We talked about music
and television
and books.
We talked about our favorite books and why we love them.
We talked about why we love reading.
We talked about our favorite characters and why we love them.
Then we hit the mall!
First stop was Sephora for a skin care regime!
Then we scored some cool accessories in Forever 21.
Next we found the {perfect!} skirt for Thanksgiving!
We bought P one too!
A said she was DYING to go to Yankee Candle....I think she was being sweet, knowing
that I was DYING to go back to Yankee Candle for some more fall fragrances!
{McIntosh Spice! Harvest! Maple Pancakes! Be Thankful!}
Our final stop was Cheesecake Factory.
Where we picked up some goodness to go!
a little Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough...
a little Hershey's Chocolate Bar...
and we brought them home to share :)
P was thankful that A asked me to buy P a Lemon Drop EOS lip balm
and the Thanksgiving skirt!
{These girls missed each other!}
and we settled in to eat some cheesecake
and to watch
Despicable Me
with P and Jason!
A most perfect evening if ever I have had one!
