Date night with the kids

I don't think it's any secret that Joe is not a fan of large crowds, especially large crowds of people that he doesn't know. So when I found out they were going to have a father/daughter dance at school, I discreetly warned him that he may be getting an invitation from a very enthusiastic 5-year-old little girl. Sure enough, Jadyn wanted to go and of course, Daddy couldn't refuse her.

I decided to take advantage of the event in more ways than one. I got to spend special quality time with Jadyn getting her all fancied up for the dance. She decided to wear her Easter dress from last year, which I thought was a wise choice since she hadn't had occasion to wear it again and she had made a pretty big deal about wanting this dress. You know, the one I nicknamed the "ridiculous dress"? Yep, that's the one. I also took her to get her nails painted while indulging in a pedicure for myself. It was the first time I had taken her - does she look excited or what?

I also curled her hair. With her shorter length, I found it much easier to get some ringlets. So yeah, she was pretty happy to be dolled up like a princess for her date with daddy:

And from all accounts, Jadyn had a blast. Joe was satisfied just to make her happy, so while he may not have had the greatest time, I think he would concur that it was worth it. They capped off the night with milkshakes from Sonic.

Finally, if you are going to ask where the picture is of Jadyn and Joe together, never fear - such a picture does exist. However, the memories of some special occasions are best preserved by keeping them to ourselves and that is exactly what Joe has requested.

So how else did I take advantage of this event? Well, I used it as a much needed chance to spend some quality time with Jake. We went out to dinner at Applebee's and enjoyed a nice meal and well, some conversation - he is not the most talkative boy these days. We also went to Wal-Mart to shop for his best friend's birthday gift, which he was celebrating with him the following day. Feeling quite generous, when we picked out the classic game of Battleship for Kyle, I also decided to buy the game for our family too. Therefore Jake and I capped off the evening trying to search and destroy each other's battleships, which he eventually did. The entire evening was a success.

Our date nights with the kids couldn't have come at a better time and as with the mention of our Nerf Wars, I still have a blog post brewing that will detail exactly why that is.