Date Night

On Cinco de Mayo we had plans to go out for Mexican food as a family. I had talked it up with James so he would be excited. Well, Jimmy ran late at work, so we had to change plans last minute. Jimmy called a sitter and James and Brendan had pizza with her while Jimbo and I went out for dinner. It ended up being a good thing it worked out this way because there was a long wait (duh) and I don't think the boys would have lasted.

My point.

James was pretty sad about Dad and me going without him, and the next day he said to me, "I want to go on a date with you tomorrow." So we planned it!

He said he wanted to go on a "cupcake date," and to "Old McDonalds." =)

I asked what I should wear and he said a dress. I asked if he was going to wear a tie and he said "sure!" So tonight we dressed up.


At the last minute I got a text from my friend Lissa saying there were model trains at the Amtrak station because it was National Train Day. What a perfect idea! James was in heaven!

We stayed there for a long time. The conductors (?) let James push the button on the remote control to blow the whistle. He thought he was pretty big stuff. Eventually we both decided it was time to grab a bite.

I convinced him P. Terry's had better milkshakes than "Old McDonalds" So it was off to P. Terry's where we shared a strawberry milk shake and french fries "with ketchup." (I insisted on a burger as well)


Then it was time for the "cupcake date" portion of the date. We drove to Central Market for a cupcake. James picked out a tres leches cupcake (it had a cherry on top). As luck would have it there was live music. James and I enjoyed the blues band while we sipped ice water and ate the cupcake.



Soon it was evident that the sugar was kicking in. I knew we had a little bit of sunlight left, so I suggested a trip to the park. "SURE!" was the response. Big surprise =)

James quickly found a couple friends and was off running and playing "hide and seek tag."


After all of the kids left James and I went on a short hike to see some of the forest that had been burned in a recent wild fire. He was concerned that everyone was safe (luckily everyone was). We talked about it for the rest of the night.

He was exhausted by this point and wanted to go home. I even told him he could go down the slide once more and he refused, so I knew he was pretty tired.

We got home, blew Daddy a kiss good night, read The Lorax (his current favorite) which he was trying to find a connection to the burned trees we saw at the park, and he went to sleep (after stalling for only a little while).

It was a magical evening. James and I differ in many ways. It makes it a challenge for me to parent him sometimes. Tonight we really bonded, for the fist time in a long time. I truly enjoyed his company as a person. Homeboy is funny, charming, smart, and has the best smile. He is a huge blessing and I love him fiercely. He my not remember our date tonight, but I will cherish these memories forever.