Mommy Daughter Date

It's no secret that Addison and I have been struggling with our relationship.  Nothing crazy of course but we do spend most of our days butting heads.  I'm stubborn and she's stubborn.  We are very much alike and sometimes this can be a great thing but it can sometimes drive us bonkers with each other.  I love Addison very much and am trying my hardest to improve my patience with her and give her the love and attention she needs in the way that she needs it.  I realize that I do expect a lot of her and have to remind myself that she's only four years old.  She's so helpful and smart and mature for her age that it's an easy mistake to make.  

Lately, I've been spending some time thinking about what I could do to improve our relationship.  One night, I had a wild idea that I just knew she would love.  After Jonas went to bed one night, I whispered to her that she and I (and Brooklyn of course since she's still mastering the bottle) should go on a girl's date together.  Of course, she LOVED it.  Mostly because she loves anything that involves staying up late (past her 8:30 bedtime) and anything that allows her to soak up some undivided attention.  After relaying our plans to Daddy we headed out.  It was a quick trip to the McDonald's across the street from our house but it was a great time to just sit and visit with her and actually LISTEN to her.  She loves to talk...a lot...and I'll confess that most of the time when she's jabbering away I don't pay much attention to what she's saying.  But this time, I made sure to just listen and talk to her about the things she liked to do, things that are important to her.  

She loved it and I loved it.  It helped remind us just how much we love each other.  I need to do these more often.  We sat and talked about everything under the sun....boys and how they are gross (thank heavens), about how preschool is getting ready to start (she's sooooo excited), and how we were the only ones in the restaurant because as she said "everyone else is at home asleep, Mommy!"  Technically, it was only 8:30 but it's fun to imagine it was true.  I need to spend more time looking at things from her eyes and listening to her.  She is my twin and I'm grateful for her.