Off to the flower shop – again – for this date with Rachel. It was the cutest scenario that Rachel was wearing a purple dress with daisies. I asked her to pick out some flowers to take home. She found some daisies in a pot. Perfectly coordinating with her dress.

For this date, Alexis and I went to Sternes Woods, a forest preserve, early in the morning. We pretended that a bear lived in a dark cave somewhere in the forest. The path looks like the entrance to a cave. We rushed through the trail so the bear would not get us – and because the mosquitoes WERE getting us.

For Alexis’s Daughter Date with Daddy, we went to the downtown ice cream shop. Alexis picked the Blue Moon flavor. We ate the ice cream as we walked down Main St. and sat on a bench. Alexis wanted to sit in the shaded outdoor restaurant nearby so we used her charm to secure a table with her ice cream cone and all. This date was back to back with Rachel’s but after dinner.

Daughter Date with Daddy was to Home Depot and then to Chuck E Cheese. We purchased some paint in a racing kart. At Chuck E Cheese, Rachel enjoyed a game of air hockey and the Merry Go Round. It was a quick date b/w work and dinner.

Rachel wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese again for her date. First, however, was a quick stop to the lock and key shop. Come to find out that the shop owner had twins and his wife was a twin. Rachel enjoyed playing with the key combination on a safe while I finished my chores. At Chuck E Cheese, Rachel darted to the Merry Go Round. She entered the coin and I purposely leaned into the ride to wave hello as she approached. She giggled as the post collided with my head and started to “pull” me around in circles. I amused her several more times with the same trick, adding more laughter with each collision. We played skee ball, had photos taken, and other ticket games. My favorite was playing air hockey.

We went off to the bank, returned to Chuck E Cheese to retrieve the forgotten photos, and back to the lock and key shop. A wonderful date!

At 7:03am Alexis woke up. Allowed to disturb her parents only after the first number on the clock reads “7,” she quietly walked down the hall. I asked her if she was ready to go on her date to the Richard Walker Pancake House. She quickly got ready and we were off. We ordered one plate of strawberry pancakes. Alexis poured the syrup and cut. I fed every bite to her and every other bit (or two) to myself. She even drank some of my coffee (the “it makes you go fast” kind).

After breakfast, we took our picture by the fireplace and headed outside. It rained the night before so there were large puddles in the parking lot – perfect for Alexis’s green frog boots. We stomped in the water and then headed home.