Weekend catch up...

On Thursday of last week (before the flu hit our house!) we went to the library and the park after we finished our school for the day. Anli had been studying the catalogue system of fiction and nonfiction books so we headed over to the local library! The girls were thrilled to go and check out some new books.

When we got there, I realized I had forgotten my card and so we went to the desk to show my ID so we would be able to check out their books. Weeeellll, it seems that I had a FINE! I don't mean a little $1.00 fine either. It was a HUGE fine! I couldn't imagine that. I came to find out that over the summer last year we had checked out 30 summer reading books for the program and they were all a week late...um...you do the math!

So, we had to pay that huge fine in order to check out the few books the girls wanted...and I didn't want to be on the "hit" list for the library! After that we had a great time there looking over reference books and I realized that since Google hit our lives...my girls had NO idea what an encyclopedia would be useful for finding!!! That's all I used to have at my house!

The girls had the best time looking up information about dogs, cats, sea shells, sharks, dolls, horses, etc. We looked at encyclopedias for about 30-45 minutes and Virginia asked if she could check THOSE out instead of her books! I told her that you can't check out encyclopedias...and she was disappointed. Never fear, my parents have the WHOLE set at their house. It was just funny to come face to face with a generation gap...Google vs. Encyclopedias!

After we finished there, it as such a nice day we headed to FBC Woodstock's park and had a BLAST! We enjoyed swinging for a long time and then we headed home to make dinner!

That night we had "kid date night" where each of us spends an hour or more doing something with our "kid" for the evening that they enjoy! It's a time where the "girls" get to split up and have we have one-on-one time with them. One girl gets to go out (we have a $10 limit) and the other girl (for that week) has to do something for free. Then, the next week that switches!

Anli and I went to Starbucks for some hot chocolate and hot tea. We sat outside because it was very nice and we just talked. Well, I did a whole lot of listening, and she had a great time talking! She gets it honest:) It was wonderful to just to sit with her and get to watch her smiles, hear her heart, and just enjoy her for who God made her!

Being with both of them 24/7 I don't always have this kind of time just to enjoy them! Jay and Virginia stayed at home and played on the Wii Fit. They did competitions and enjoyed hanging out together! They love "kid date night" and I pray this will help Jay and I get to really know each of our girls' hearts and lives better. I pray this will continue for a lifetime...maybe even it will extend to "grand kid night" one day!

I highly recommend taking kids out one at a time to get to know their hearts better. It doesn't have to cost anything (which is why they alternate free outings. We don't want it always to be about going out and spending money. Fun outings can be free and FUN!). Maybe you can only do one child a month...start where you can and enjoy something your CHILD wants to do. Maybe you and your husband want to do this together with the child. We don't have the childcare available for that in this season, but maybe one day we will do that sometimes! But, the important thing is to get to know your child as the person God made them!

Anli is a super organizer! She loves to make things organized and she must have gotten on a spree after her bath that night. She took her bath in our bathroom and when I went to get ready for bed that night...I found the organization fairy had visited! She organized the basket of magazines on the floor...

and our shower caddy. I don't know how she was able to reach all of that. I love the rag placement! So sweet...

and she even rearranged my memory verses on the wall. She is precious and one of a kind! Thanks for the organization Anli...I'll see you on Mission Organization one day I bet!