Family Date Night

Hubby and Thing 1 had a "Daddy-Daughter Night" church activity last night.  Thing 2 heard about it and wanted to go.  She probably could have, but I thought Daddy and Daughter 1 needed some face time.  So I told Thing 2 that she and I could have a date.
"Can we go for ice cream?"
Yes.  Thing 1 doesn't like ice cream.  Getting ice cream is what Thing 2 and I do when I'm making up for some fun thing that Thing 1 is doing that Thing 2 doesn't get to do.
We could also go to Old Spaghetti Factory (Thing 1 doesn't like) or Noodles and Company (Thing 1 doesn't like).  There are quite a few choices.
I also proposed to Thing 2 that we could see the Children's Dance Theater play at the Capitol Theater.  She vacillated.  She didn't know what to do.  As I kissed her goodbye outside the school yesterday morning I asked her one last time if she wanted to go to the play, because if she did I needed to get tickets.  She still didn't know.
She called me an hour later and said she'd been crying.  She made up her mind to go to the play and was upset that it might be too late to get tickets so her teacher let her call me.
I bought tickets.
The Capitol Theater is as close as we get to High Society in my world.  I told Thing 2 she had to wear a skirt and her dress coat.  I even took the price tag off the matching hat so she could wear that too.
We all had a quick pizza dinner then we raced off to our respective dates.

Thing 1 had a good time with Daddy.  When I asked  him later how it went, he kind of rolled his eyes and said it was fine.  A lot like last year, some relay games... whatever.  It was fun being there with Thing 1. Oh, okay.

Thing 2 and I... had a MARVELOUS time!  She liked the bright lights and the crowd of the theater.  The ticket taker directed us to the coat check room where they gave us a big cushion for Thing 2 to sit on.  I had brought binoculars.  Our seats weren't fabulous, on the back row of the ground floor, but I'd gotten Thing 2 on the aisle and she could see everything.  There was a pre-show, with some other dancers that Thing 2 did not enjoy so much... "When is the REAL SHOW going to start?!?!"  Then the lights came down again and Alice Through the Looking Glass started.  (I don't know how long that link will be active.)
We know one of the little girls who played the caterpillar and one who played a card.  It was exciting for Thing 2 to try and pick out her friends with the binoculars.  The little kids dances were by far the most entertaining.  The cards, the flowers, the caterpillar, and the teacups...  just charming.  As the show was ending, the different groups came out for their final goodbye dances and Thing 2 grabbed my arm...  I saw she had tears shining in the lights from the stage.  I asked her what was wrong, and she just whispered "I love you so much!"  Awwwwwww....


And even though it was 9:45 or so, well past bedtime when we left the parking lot, Thing 2 and I went to Baskett Robbins for ice cream.
It was a magical night.

Mom dates totally rock.