Mother/Son Date

Before our new baby comes this week, Eli and I enjoyed a mother/son date to the mall last Friday evening! When we went to the mall a few weeks ago for miniature golf, Eli spotted this train and has been talking about it non-stop. I knew this would be a memorable activity for the two of us and it was a perfect date I'll cherish for always.

My favorite part of the train ride was when I looked over and Eli had his little hand on my leg. 

Of course I teared up. A few months ago, a lady with grown boys of her own said to me that she didn't miss the stage of life that I'm in. (I concluded I must look pretty exhausted being 9 months pregnant chasing a toddler!) Her comment has run through my mind often, and all I can think about is how I wish I could bottle little Eli up and keep him just like he is. He makes me so happy and I love watching him learn new words, letters and numbers. I'm trying to figure out the whole discipline thing, and I'm realizing more and more how each stage of childhood will present new challenges, obstacles and achievements.

Anyway, back to our date! 

While on the train, I spotted a little pet shop so when our ride was over, we walked over to the shop and I almost caved and bought Eli a puppy. And then I remembered I'm having a baby and the idea quickly vanished. ;) But look at his face...

Our final stop was dinner at Chick-fil-a. Eli's friend gave him a Valentine with a coupon for a free ice cream cone. We shared chicken strips for dinner, but they were too hot to eat right away so we opted for dessert first! And look at these cute little tables...

When we first got to the mall, the fire alarms were going off and I thought our date was going to be ruined, but after waiting about 15 minutes at the doorway entrance, we were both relieved when everything turned off and we could go back inside because we had the best date night ever!