Big Kid Date Night

Last night we took our two big kids on a very spur the moment date.  We changed our plans for the evening, raced home to "dress up" and within an hour, we were dropping Stella off at Nana's house and heading out to dinner and a movie.  We called it a Big Kid Date.  Honestly, it is the first time since Stella was born that we took both big kids out to do something as a family, without our littlest member.

Kids-Pick dinner took us to Noodles and Company (of course).  As we sat waiting for them to bring us our food, both kids were excited and bubbly.  Gushing about the surprise date, the movie we were going to see...everything.  Then Myles said, "This really reminds me of before Stella was born when it was just the four of us."  My heart skipped a beat.  My mind was racing 1,000 miles a minute.  Afraid of the answer, I asked, "So, do you miss her, or do you like this time without her?"  I had decided that even if he said he liked the time without her, it was okay...  We all need time away sometimes.  His answer brought me nothing but pure joy.  He responded, "I miss her.  It seems really quiet.  I definitely miss her."  Jillian chimed in that she did too.  My momma heart jumped for joy, sighed relief, and smiled.  Of course, when we added a fifth member to our family, we considered the change and adjustment for Myles and Jillian.  I know they love Stella with all of their hearts.  Yet, to hear his actual answer, brought such an awesome confirmation to what we have known for a long time, sibling love is strong.

The rest of the evening went just as planned.  Of course, three quarters of the way through the movie we had a freak out and one wanting to leave the theater because it is "just so scary".  At that point, you just gotta finish it out...Of course you need to make it to the end to see that Paddington makes it out a-okay.  Oh - and don't call me out for being a spoiler, because if you didn't think that everything was going to be okay at the end of a Paddington Bear movie, then...I'm not even sure what to say about that...

We made it through to the end and rushed home to pick up our baby girl.  Back to the five of us.  I'm not exactly sure why, but after all of the kids were in bed for the night, I came here.  I came to read old posts.  I'll be honest, I rarely ever do.  I'm not exactly sure why I don't, but I don't.  Maybe last night my mom heart was drawn to read because of Myles's comment.  I have no idea.  I read, I laughed, I cried, and I remembered things that I had totally forgotten.  Those memories were preserved because I had written them down.  It reminded me why I love this little corner of the web for my little family.

I hope you were able to make some memories of your own this weekend.  It's not always the big life events that matter the most.  Those little things, on those random days, add up to a lot of memories to cherish.

They add up to a life.