The Perfect Mommy-Daughter Date

Ana and I just had the most fun night together, and she was an absolute angel through the whole night! I've been feeling overwhelmed by her lately, with Bart at work so much, and tonight made it all so much better.

First, I picked her up from Mom's. She had a chance to ride Mom's horse while I was there, and then said goodbye, gave kisses, and we got in the car and left. The fastest and easiest pick-up in quite some time.

Then, we drove to Kid's Club in Salmon Creek. We played for over an hour, climbing through the jungle play yard and sliding down slides. We both had a blast. I was exhausted, and she was giggly and playful the whole time - even with the other kids. Once again she left without a fuss when I told her it was time to go.

On the way home, we stopped at Fred Meyer for a little shopping. We wandered around a lot of the store, but she didn't fuss about being in the cart the whole time. An off-duty employee noticed us by the bakery and brought her a cookie, and she didn't get shy like she normally does. She was talkative and friendly with the cashier too, and on the way out, showed off her ASL skills to another customer. I'm not trying to encourage her to talk to strangers, but it's nice when she doesn't start screaming the moment somebody looks at her.

At home, she played quietly when I was on the phone and then got ready for bed when I asked. She got on the toilet and went potty, then got her jammies on and climbed right into bed. I tucked her in and she gave me three sweet kisses - one on the lips, then one on each cheeck - a nightly ritual she started on her own a few weeks ago.

My little angel is growing up so fast...