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My 4 Year Anniversary 09-November-2011
Today marks 4 years since I got my first ‘Yes’ on the best date I’ve ever had!
I spent some time going through pictures to find just a few of my favorite pictures from those nights… and, of course, I’m no longer allowed to call them ‘Date Nights’, but a Daddy Daughter Night by any other name still feels every bit as sweet!
It’s happening fast… she was a toddler on 09-November-2007, and now today on 09-November-2011, she’s just about almost a young lady… the story below is from that first date!
Here’s to 40-50-60 more years, Baby… You name the time and place Baby and I’ll wear any shirt you want.
Sophie’s First Date 09-November-2007
It all started out innocent enough. I had dinner with friends Tuesday night and the kids helped me find a suitable shirt. I haven’t worn anything but T-shirts for so long I had to revisit my button-downs to remember what I had. It came down to either an all-black long sleeve button-down or an all-white. I won’t go into the parallels between the color of my shirt and the color of my soul, but I do think it may have entered the picture at some point. Anyway, Sophie wanted me to wear the white one and Ezra was voting for the black one. I told Sis that the white shirt was very nice, but it might be a little formal for Mexican food. Besides, I’m doomed to spill salsa on anything that will show it. So black it was… however, on the way to drop the kids off at Angie’s, Sis said, “Daddy, if you would wear that fancy white shirt I would go on a date with you.” I said, “You name the time and place Baby and I’ll wear any shirt you want.”
Now I have to break from the story for a minute to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding this story. Ezra turned 7 and Sophie turned 4 in September. Ezra and I do lots of ‘guy stuff’ together, and do get some one-on-one time with Sophie, but it’s usually my idea and I usually have to talk her into it. I don’t take it personally- she’s still a Mommy’s Girl and that’s OK. But when she hinted that she might actually *want* to have some special time with me I got a little excited. She’s at that age where her personality is developing so uniquely and she’s changing from a toddler into a little girl. And she’s oh so sweet. And too damn pretty for her own good!
So Friday came and Angie ended up having the day to spend with the kids, although I was appointed to occupy my little lady while Angie had some business to attend to in the afternoon. A brief trip to Wal-Mart netted us the cedar chips that had been absent from the puppy pen, as well as some pink carnations that caught Sophie’s eye since they matched her fuzzy pink shirt. She said, “Daddy, can I have these for our date?” Of course she can. She said, “Can we go on our date soon?” I said, “Well, Baby, let’s ask Mommy if we can do that this weekend. I’m not sure when she and Ezra are going shopping.” Shortly after picking Ezra up from school, he asked his Mom if they could go shopping, and I said, “Well, Sis, do you still want to go to dinner with me?” She said, “OK Daddy, let’s go.” And headed straight for the door. I was so excited!
We first had to come by my house and get the aforementioned ever-important ‘fancy white shirt’, which pleased my little lady greatly. A little overdressed for Chinese, but hey, it made her smile. Our first stop was her ‘new favorite’ Chinese restaurant near my house. This is also significant because for years her fine pallet has only allowed Chinese from ‘China Buffet’ near where we used to live in Lewisville. The people there know Angie and the kids very well and always enjoy the visit. I’ve tried several other restaurants nearby but never found one to please Sis. This past Saturday we hit ‘Malay’ nearby and not only was the food acceptable, but they have a small fish pond inside where the kids were allowed to feed the fish! Success. She still prefers ‘China Buffet’ because she has so many friends there, but on our date she wanted to feed the fishies. So we went. She had plain lomaine like always, and I ventured into dangerous (cat for those of you who believe the rumors!) territory with General Tso’s Chicken. Mmmm. Spicy! Sis whittled her way through nearly half of her giant order of noodles and sampled all the sauces available. This seemed to make our (first) waiter a little grumpy, so I dismissed him and the second waiter was much more personable. Sophie’s favorite fish was the (very hungry) black one with white spots (or white one with black spots depending on how you look at it) who was by far the most brave.
OK. Flowers for the lady. Nice dress shirt. Get the door for her. Dinner at her choice of restaurants. Now what? The mall of course! Ice cream. The carousel. Escalators. Glass elevators. Christmas trees. Hell *I* was excited and I’m (supposedly) a lot older than 4!!!
So off we went. The lady’s music of choice was ‘Kidz Bop 12′ which she knows most of the words to, and she was kind enough to sing to me most of the drive to the mall. Our first order of business was some window shopping (with her riding on my shoulders) at dresses and Christmas trees and fancy sheets and even a few whispering waterfall-type nicknack things at one of those kiosks in center of the mall. Our initial search was intended to find the carousel, but the waterfall thingies caught her attention. One was of the ‘floating ball’ type that has enough pressure beneath a marble ball to let it ‘glide’ over the water. Sophie’s curiosity got the best of her and she picked the ball up to find that there is significant pressure under there to spray/soak a small child! Profuse apologies from the vendor directed us to a nearby hot air dryer in the bathroom. Small pitstop and we were back in search of the carousel.
And it’s a fairly elaborate carousel for no bigger than the mall is. Just what you think of when you hear ‘carousel’, dancing horses and fancy carriages studded with jewels. A teacup. Her first ride was on a white horse with a fancy saddle, which proved to have a sharp bite when I tried to pet it. It gave her a nice gentle ride though, and she expressed concern that the black horse (the black stallion, significantly bigger and more spacious than the other horses) might have been more fun. Next time. For now though, she was itching to have the ice cream I had previously promised her for eating such a good meal. Hershey’s Ice Cream was convniently located near the carousel, so off we went. Sis had Mint Chocolate Chip in a cup and I hit the other end of the spectrum with Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough in a sugar cone. (See ‘Midnight Ice Cream’ for the significance of sugar cones…) Neither of us was able to finish our single scoop, but it did hit the spot. Several more references to the black stallion led us back for one more round on the carousel. An extra long ride this time as we were the only ones left at this point, and it was really time to head home as it was nearing her bedtime!!! (I know her Father personally and this is one date I didn’t want to bring home late!!!) A couple more trips up/down the escalators (totaling 437 times) and a brief trip in he glass elevator, and we were off. Er, I mean, after she talked me into a quick gander at Santa’s workshop. But then straight to the car with you little lady! Er, I mean, after she talked me into a quick stop in the family bathroom… But right after that we were done!!! (Sis loves the family bathroom at the mall because it has a tiny potty and sink and dryer just her size, and I love the family bathroom everywhere we go because I don’t have to stand guard in the *generally filthy* men’s room while my little girl goes tinkle. Win-win.)
Unfortunately, her Father is also a little forgetful, and couldn’t remember where he parked the car! A lengthy search of the (very large) mall parking lot gave her another opportunity to ride on Daddy’s shoulders as ‘lookout’ helping to find the car. Before we found the car though, we were accosted by a tiny (yet viscious) little attack dog in a car we walked by, which scared the daylights out of both of us. I think it was an American Eskimo, but in any case a small pfoofy little thing that sounded far more terrifying than it looked. Buckled the lady into her seat and took her music request again… her latest is ‘Girlfriend’ by Avril Lavigne, mostly because it’s a catchy tune that’s fun to sing. So I sing along, although if I sing too loud I get scolded for not sounding very pretty. I would rather hear Sis sing any day anyway.
By this time I noticed that she was starting to nod off, and we ran into traffic on Silas Creek Parkway due to an accident, so our brief trip home was extended significantly. She insisted that I put ‘Girlfriend’ on ‘repeat’ so we could sing it over. And over. And over. But this was enough to keep her awake all the way home, and as we pulled in the drive she actually said, “Daddy, can I go to bed early?” Of course she can.
Now, I’ll start a new paragraph here because this was my favorite part of the whole evening. I absolutely loved the entire thing, but this part got me. We were in the Camaro, and her carseat is in the passenger rear set, so I have to turn around to unbuckle her before I exit. She was oh so tired and wanted me to carry her to the house, and as he always does when exiting the car, she climbed over the console and into the driver’s seat to step out. I stood in the door and extended my hand to her to help her into my arms, and she paused as she took my hand and said, “I had a really fun date with you Daddy.” I’m a relatively tough-as-nails sorta guy, but I’ll stand straight up here and tell you I shed a couple of tears over that one. I felt like I was helping my Princess out of her carriage after a wonderful night of dancing at the ball. Why does she have to grow up??? I know she’s going to grow up all too soon… but not today.
I reminded her several times throughout the evening that if she didn’t remember anything else from our date, she *had* to remember that one day when she’s ready to date (when she’s 35 and not a minute sooner!) she can only go on a date with a boy if he treats her at least as good as her Daddy does. If she finds one that treats her as good as her Daddy does, I’ll walk her down the aisle. And not a minute sooner.
Baby Girl, someday a long time from now when you’re all grown up and on your own, please remember that you’re never too old to go on a date with your Daddy. You name the time and place Baby and I’ll wear any shirt you want.
Cheers from The ThreeFiveZero Home
These were such fun to see. Thanks for posting.
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