Date night with Char

Rob & I had the joy of taking this adorable girlie out on a date last week....

Simply knowing that life is about to get a bit crazy coupled with someone showing that they may benefit from some two on one attention made the decision easy to plan a night out.  Earlier in the week my mom had taken the girls over to Downtown Disney for the morning to ride the Carousel, Train & just wander around. Charlotte came home talking about "Dinosaur Land" which is the T-Rex restaurant with a giant skeleton of just that displayed outside. She really likes dinosaurs right now so that was just over the top exciting. 

Rob finished work early so I woke Char up from a nap & helped her get dressed. She chose the sweater & dress shoes which I think really jazzed up the outfit : ) We told her that she was going on a date with just mommy & daddy & that it was a surprise. We thought she would enjoy the time away from her baby sis but within the first 10 minutes of our drive she told us that she really missed Eloise....SO SWEET! She kept asking the whole way there & we kept our mouths shut. Once we drove onto Disney property & saw the big Mickey & Minnie signs her eyes got really big & she immediately said "Are we going to Dinosaw-Yand?" I think my eyes filled up with tears (I am a bit emotional right now) as I affirmed that her guess was correct! She was in charge of looking out the window for the "Dinosaws" so we would know where to park. She could not have been happier skipping along the sidewalk all the way to the entrance.  We waited in line to put our name in & then walked inside. I think that she had NO clue that there was an inside to "Dinosaw-Yand" & we (the protective parents) had no idea how horrifying it might be for a 3 year old. Here we are all excited to go in....

I so wish there was a video of what we walked into.  It was dark, the dinosaurs were gigantic & they were all growling....is that what dinosaurs do? Charlotte was TERRIFIED! She climbed up Robby & he held her close as he attempted to explain that they are all robots. She was begging to leave & go somewhere else. We quickly obliged as we were a little scared ourselves ; ) 

Our plan was to park close & have a minimal walk for me. Well turns out I did more walking that night than I had in about 2 months as we sought out a restaurant suitable for a surprisingly timid Charlotte. We decided on Rainforest Cafe...same idea, not as scary. The wait was a good 45 minutes so we had some time to kill. Just next to the restaurant was a store called Little MisMatched that sells mostly socks & as you might have guessed by the title, they don't match. Socks are one of Charlotte's love languages so this was the perfect place to make a girl feel special. They are sold in packs of odd numbers with coordinating but not matching socks. Charlotte is particular, especially about what goes on her body. Much to her delight there was a giant bin in the center of the store that had all single socks that you could buy in odd number quantities & we just happened to find a few matches in there. She got to pick her 3 socks so of course she chose two that matched & one random one she deemed a gift for Eloise. It turned chilly while we shopped so she requested to put on her new socks upon exiting the store....

Char with the matching socks & Rob with the lone polka dotted sock

We made it to Rainforest Cafe in time to wait about 10 minutes. We walked in & Charlotte got really nervous when she saw a snake hanging from the rain forest like canopy.  We talked all about robot animals & she became more comfortable. We walked around & then sat at the bar for a few minutes. I asked Robby who's name he put on to be called. He said I would know when I heard it & suggested we walk over to the check in table. Just then, I heard "Triplehorn party of 3" & another lady immediately ask the guy if that is what he really said. He said "Yes ma'am" & she & her husband burst into laughter while I tried to keep a straight face & say "We are the Triplehorns."  If this makes no sense as to why we would find this funny, you need to watch Date Night.  Quick summary, Steve Carell & Tina Fey are an ordinary married couple with young kids who decides to go into the city on a date. The restaurant is completely booked but they hear "Triplehorn, party of two" & they say "We are the Triplehorns" taking someone else's reservation.  Long story short, they get into ALL kinds of trouble with their stated identity & it is hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing and truly appreciated Rob's humor on our "Date Night."

So Rainforest Cafe proved to be a great pick for Charlotte. After the first rainstorm (one happens every 30 minutes) she was completely comfortable with the idea of giant robotic elephants & gorillas going crazy mere feet away.  She was really excited that we sat near an aquarium that had Dori & Nemo swimming around.

Rob & I ate burgers while Charlotte got some dino-shaped chicken nuggets & a banana.  It was pretty yummy! We surprised her with her very own dessert called Lava Mud. It was chocolate pudding, crushed oreos & gummy worms. She was SO excited & got started right away....

The picture was taken just moments before Robby had to do the Heimlich maneuver to get one of those worms dislodged from her little throat! She sucked the middle of it into her throat with both ends sticking out the sides of her mouth. It came out easily but really scared her.  Since then she regularly requests for us to tell her the story about how she choked on the worm haha! Likes to relive it I guess!

We enjoyed our leisurely walk back to the car stopping to watch a hula hoop contest so I could rest.  Charlotte was absolutely delightful relishing in the attention of her mommy & daddy. We kept looking at each other throughout the evening & smiling as our 3 & a half year old kept all the conversation going herself, giggling here & there. It was a smile like "when did she get this big?"  It was such a special evening for us & really makes me realize the importance of spending two on one time with each child as our family grows.  I can't believe she is about to be the big sister to not only Eloise but Owen & Anson as well! Time is a flyin!