Mommy Daughter Dates

The weather has been (for the most part) absolutely WONDERFUL! The mornings are a little chilly but once the day goes on, it becomes warm and breezy. You know how when the weather finally starts warming up, dogs just run in circles because it just feels so good? I wonder if it would be appropriate if I did that, because that's what I want to do. And it most certainly is what Madi does when she steps outside. The first thing we do when we go outside is water my garden. Sometimes she's interested in helping, and sometimes she couldn't care less. So she just runs and runs and runs. She runs around the garden, around the trees, around the house, etc. I totally think that she feels exactly like the dogs do when they just run in the wind.   Anyway, since the weather has been so awesome lately, we get a little stircrazy when we stay inside for too long. If the sun is shining in the window and I can hear the windchimes clinking together, I can not suppress the urge to go outside. Why stay inside and waste the sunlight? Madi definitely feels the same way. When she wakes up, she has breakfast and then heads directly to get her shoes on to go out. Since we both hate being inside, I've been taking her on little "dates" around town. It gets us out and keeps her entertained (usually for free).  

  Yesterday, we went to Market Street. It's a higher-end shopping center around here and I rarely take Madi there because it's usually so crowded. But it was a Tuesday around 3pm so it wasn't bad at all. I took her to get frozen yogurt at Red Mango. We sat outside and ate together and talked. It's so funny to sit and just talk to her. She's so full of questions, but equally as full of comments. She asks about the people walking by, and tells me that her ice cream is "girl ice cream" because it's pink. For some reason she's started associating colors with genders. I have no idea why. (It's probably something Kylie taught her... ;))   Then we started walking towards the middle of the shopping center where there's a big field, a splash pad, and waterfalls. That's usually where the kids gather to play. On the way there, we passed by a little salad restaurant where two ladies were sitting outside eating. As we passed by, Madi stopped in front of them and pointed at one of the lady's purse sitting on the ground next to her. It was white with pink trim and had a big gold buckle on the front. Madi said, "I like your purse! It's CUUUTE!" and giggled. The ladies thought it was the cutest thing. Then we kept walking and her comments about the things around her just kept coming. She dipped her hand in the cold water in the waterfalls, ran as fast as she could around the big open grassy field, and smelled all of the flowers lining the field.  

  One-on-one time with her is so much fun. It's amazing to watch her curiousity grow, as well as her personality. A lot of times, the days pass and we don't ever just stop and be in the moment. Even I find myself far too engulfed in my phone than anything else around me. I don't want to look back on the day and remember something I saw on the internet versus something I experienced. Just the other day, I was having lunch with my Mom and I heard a baby making noise at a table across from us. I looked over and see this adorable baby, about a year old, pushing a board book across the table trying to get her Mom's attention. Her Mom just kept saying, "yeah" acting like she was paying attention. When she really just couldn't take her eyes off of her phone. I don't want Madi to have to compete against my phone for attention.   So, on these little dates, I make it a point to be present. (besides snapping a few pictures, of course)     (Madi and Me is now featured on TopMommyBlogs.com! If you like reading this blog, vote for us. Just click the link, or the icon on the right side bar. All it takes is 2 clicks.)