Just a Friday

Ken and I pulled Mandy out of school early today to take her to Red Robin for her birthday lunch.  It's so easy to forget the little things that matter so much to a child.  A special lunch date just for them and about them.  She loved every minute, although she was very, very quiet during lunch.  

Mandy's meal was her usual favorite: grilled cheese sandwich and apple slices.  She was so happy that we told her she could have a shake.  Ken and I went over some plans and ideas that we had for the upcoming week, things we needed to get done - just the married mundane discussion, and all the while, Mandy was in her own world.  

The only discussion I could get out of her was that she wanted to help make her birthday book this year.  That was it.   

She had the rest of the afternoon at home.  She got things cleaned up around the house like we asked, and then she enjoyed the sunny afternoon outside on the swing set by herself.  Mandy kept checking the time because her best friend, Kiley Egan, was to come over after school.  She couldn't wait!


And then the doorbell rang.....


And I didn't matter anymore....Kiley's dad, Tom, was also an after thought as they girls ran into the house.  They hadn't seen each other since Mandy's birthday last year.  No matter how many times Tom and I tried to get the girls together, nothing worked out.  

The two girls who have been best friends since Kindergarten were reunited!  They could not get enough of spilling the past year of their lives out to each other so they could catch up and then get on with things.  (As Mama, I have always felt bad that I had to pull Mandy out of the charter school where she was with Kiley, but the cost of daycare and transportation killed me at the time.)  It is so great to see that these two can just pick up where they left off.


Mandy and Kiley were wondering what "to do" with their afternoon.  Mandy was so happy to have time alone with her friends before her sisters came home - which was how Ken and I planned it for her.  I had purchased a beading kit for the kids to try for the evening. Mandy got as far as separating the beads....and then they ran off to the room where they could start playing, and it's where they stayed for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  

We were going to watch a movie, but the kids all kept running around, so I watch TV while stitching, and then suddenly, all of the kids were in the living room watching Law & Order with Ken and me.  Mandy and Kiley stayed glued to each other all night.

It was great to see the two of them together again and having a blast.  They had turned the bedroom into one large tent, and they couldn't wait to sleep under the "open skies" as they kept putting it.

I looked over at Ken, and saw him holding Jordan.  She still crawls into his lap and snuggles with him as she has done since she was 3 (when we met Ken).  He was completely wrapped around her little finger from that first meeting.  Jordan always take "privilege" of cuddling with Daddy.  And then I have to be the sappy female and get emotional about something so simple.  Jordan never wanted to snuggle with her actual father - in fact she always feared him.  To see this much love and trust with a man is amazing to me both as a teacher and as a mother.  It completely warms my heart!

A few minutes later, I glanced back over, and Jordan was curled up asleep.  She was totally at peace, and then I started to get all blubbery.  To have this relationship with a great man who is their Daddy - even if not by blood - makes me know that the girls will turn out OK.  They have this amazing bond with their Daddy, and hopefully, they won't look to fill any void and make horrible mistakes because Ken not only filled the void, but he created a standard for them to look for in a future husband.  


Just a quiet Friday night which proves everything in the world is right and OK!