It took a while to act on this well intentioned date with Alexis. She is learning to read so we went to Barnes & Nobles to read some books – I read to her and she to me. It was especially nice since there were lots of Father’s Day books available. I read the first book about the Berenstain Bears and then we took a break. Since it was 90F outside, Alexis enjoyed a strawberry cream icy beverage. She got so cold that she snuggled up into my lap. Lastly, Alexis read a book called, “My Dad” which told of all the adventures of a father’s imagination. But the part of the book that was true was that Dad loves his little girl.

This date with Rachel took us to Target to return some items from the “Garden”ing party and to buy Rachel some “hair pretties” (hair clips). Rachel seemed to enjoy herself most at Menards when we played in the indoor playground. She said that next date we had to do something fun. Well, at least her hair looks better.

Rachel’s date consisted of a tour of Hancock Fabrics and a trip to Menard’s to buy some lights. At Hancocks we purchased some purple ribbon for Rachel’s hair and a package of Twizzer’s candy.

This date was fun going to the pet store and then for some ice cream. Spring weather has arrived but not enough to merit a date at the park. So we enjoyed God’s creation at The Birds and Beasts pet store in Crystal Lake. They stock some strange critters like whip scorpions, reptiles, tropical birds, sting rays, coral, and lots of exotic fish.

On my date with Alexis, we went to Culver’s for ice cream. Learning from Rachel’s experience with hard, cold gummy bears, Alexis chose to sprinkle her ice cream with Oreo cookie crumbs. We then went to Aldi’s to buy some frozen peas, two gallons of milk, turkey-ham, and fruit. Alexis chose four nectarines. Heather doctored up the fruit in slides, sprinkled with cinnamon. Yum.

This date with Rachel was sweet and simple. We went to Culvers and then to McHenry Community College. At the college, I met Paul Bayer, Communications Specialist, who described the audio/visual departments of the school. Rachel and I walked the halls looking at strange paintings from the students. A couple of photography students wanted to take our picture looking on into the photo lab. Rachel enjoyed the tour and concluded by watching a few boys playing catch with their “whistle football.”

Rachel and I went to Colonial Cafe for dessert. We ordered some ice cream and shared from the same dish. Rachel wanted me to sit right next to her in the booth and hold hands. We had a non-stop conversations and played lots of tic-tac-toe and dot games with the provided kiddy placemat.