We Are A Package Deal.

Elle Bell is old enough to stay with a sitter (besides Daddy) now. She has always been fine anytime I had a photo job to do this season. I've left her alone over 10  times now for 2-3 hours and there has never been a problem. So this past week, to celebrate the end of the semester, AND to celebrate our engagement 6 years ago, Dustin texted me to let me know that he had reserved a table at a restaurant that we had never been to, (Table 34). I was SO excited to get all dolled up for a night of good food and conversation without forks banging on the table or water spilling or scrambling through my bag looking for more things to entertain the kiddos while we waited for our food..... If you're a parent, you know by now how NOT WORTH IT going to dinner is with kids. If I'm paying for a hot meal and getting dressed up, I want to really savor it and relax, not deal with kiddlets. Ahem, anyway. So I start having cold feet about leaving her with anyone, (besides her daddy) and before I could even ask Dustin if we could take her instead of dropping her off with her brother at Grandma's house, he says, "Honey, you and Elle are a package deal. I want to take my girls on a date! Put her in a cute dress and lets go!" My heart melted. (Cute dress from Bailey Levites. The picture does it no justice.) Our date was fun for a few minutes until Elle got super fussy. I tried to nurse her but wasn't wearing a very nursing friendly shirt..... I tried to walk her around the front of the restaurant but it was a little difficult wearing my high heel booties.... So we got the last bit of our meal to go and picked up Conrad..... It doesn't matter that our date didn't go totally as planned because I got to see my hubby with his hair done, cologne on & a tie. It was worth it, just for that. Sometimes During dinner when the kids go to bed, we sit at the table and eat, without speaking a word. Does anyone else do this? It's like, I'm SO thankful to eat in peace and eat my food slowly!

Going on dates just the 3 of us has been one of my favorite things to do since Elle has been born. Before too long, she'll be jumping out of my arms to crawl and explore the world around her, sleeping during movie dates won't be an option in a few short months. (then I'll just have to have ANOTHER baby! Kidding Dustin. Sort of....) 

The sweet lady behind Dustin made a point of stopping at our table on her way out to

 tell us that hearing a little baby during dinner (even a fussy baby) made her smile. 

On an unrelated note, we've been doing a ton of baking lately (diet starts tomorrow)... last night while waiting for hot gooey chocolate chip cookies, we both sat on the ground in the kitchen against the cabinets, cradling a big mixing bowl of cookie dough taking turns scooping out spoonfuls and reminiscing over the year we've had. And, what a wonderful year it's been! Hard to believe that this year is coming to an end. Hard to believe that Christmas is this week (and I've still got shopping to do.) 

 Hope you have a joyful week.