Surprise Lunch Dates with Mommy

I decided to spend some one on one time with each of the kids before the baby comes. On Tuesday I went and got Bailey out of class just before lunch time. She was very confused, especially since her sister wasn't also being excused. She was afraid I had come to take her to the dentist or doctor and kept asking me what we were doing. I told her I was kidnapping her and that we were on our way to Canada. She didn't believe me, although I thought I was pretty convincing. When we pulled up to the Carl's Jr. I told her we needed to eat something first because it was a long drive. After our food came she proceeded to question me and finally asked, "Is this a Mommy/Bailey Day?" I came clean and said yes, and that I wanted to spend some time with her before the baby came because it would probably be a while before the next Mommy/Bailey Day. She was thrilled and enjoyed playing in the play area, eating, and talking with mom. Afterwards, we drove to Arctic Circle and got a shake and then I took her back to school. I swore her to secrecy from the other kids as it was supposed to be a surprise for each of them.

So, today it was Addie's turn. She came around the corner and saw me in the office and just threw up her arms asking what was going on. I took her out to the car and explained I was kidnapping her to Canada as well. I asked if she had gone to the bathroom recently, because it was going to be a long trip. Addie didn't believe me either. This time we drove to Del Taco and as we pulled up Addie asked, "Are we eating here?" . I told her yes, and explained that we needed to eat something before our long trip. She still didn't believe me, I guess I'm not very convincing after all. So, we went inside and ordered our food and she was absolutely excited! She had the whole play area to herself and loved the food. I explained to her what we were doing and she agreed to keep it a secret, too. It was a lot of fun, except for the moment I realized I had misplaced my keys and about had a heart attack, until I finally found them. I thought I had maybe dropped them, left them on the counter, or thrown them away with the food. I have no brain cells left at all! As we walked out to the car, Addie told me that this was the best Addie/Mommy Day ever! Well, then we drove back and instead of taking her to school I drove to the Macey's. She asked me, "Is this the way to school?", and then excitedly asked, "Are we going to get an icecream?" . I told her I wasn't done kidnapping her yet, so, we went inside and I got her a small soft serve twist cone. This time as we walked back to the car, she told me, "This is awesomer than Disneyland!" . Wow, I wish I had known that a couple of years ago, we wouldn't have wasted money on Disneyland and gone to Del Taco and Macey's for ice cream instead.

It has been fun spending time with each of the kids by themselves and appreciating their little individual personalities. Tomorrow, it will be Cam's turn, and then Emery. I will keep you posted on our adventures, and let you know if we ever make it to Canada :).