it's just you and me kid

a few months back pops and i were sitting at the kitchen table together chatting.  the rest of our crazy clan was not around and it was just penelope and i.  at the end of our chat she looked up at me and said, "it's just you and me kid."  she hopped down from her chair and she gave me a little squeeze.  and then she skipped out of the room with her little pony tail bobbing behind her.

it is one of those "click" moments where you try and carve it into your brain and hold onto the memory forever.

i have no idea where the wee one heard those words.  i had never said it to her that i can recall.  i don't remember anyone saying it to her.  but certainly, she picked it up somewhere and stored it in her head.  and then she pulled it out at a moment that was perfect.

since that day, when she and i are together and alone (which happens very rarely), i say it back to her.

"pops, it's just you and me kid!"

and she giggles and repeats it and snuggles up for a moment as if to savor the moment of alone time with momma.  as my third, she knows that this is rare and special.

this past weekend, the hubs took the e and d on a saturday rafting trip for y princesses.  p and i were to hang back at home.  a few days before the trip i told pops about it.  i told her that it was going to be her special day and that she could choose anything she wanted to do with me and that she would have me all to herself.

we snuggled in my bed and brainstormed ideas about what we might do.  after much debate (and me trying to throw out some grand offers), she landed on frozen yogurt.  that's it.  that's all.  nothing more.  the kid wanted ice cream. once that negotiation was settled, pops paused and said, "are you sure sisters won't be with us?"

i nodded my head and reassured her that it was just for her.

and then she said, "wahoo!  it's going to be 'just you and me kid' day!"  and she bopped off of the bed to go tell her sisters.

it made me giggle.  the intersection of wanting alone time with me and yet choosing to share it with the two she is desperate to be away from immediately.  the need and the love for her sisters and yet the need for me...  without them.

and so saturday arrived two sleeps later (those are preschool time measures, if you didn't know) and we went off on our day together.

the first thing she asked when she surfaced in the morning was if it was time to get yogurt yet.  i told her that we had a few things planned for before the yogurt party.  she was skeptical but eventually succumbed to her momma's plan.

we started out at corner bakery with a little lunch.  together we colored and talked about letters (her choice, not mine).  mid-way through our lunch, she exclaimed, "i can't even believe my sisters are not here!  this day is the best!"

but it is funny how things go.  even though those are the words that came out of her mouth, her actions told a very different story.  she seemed shy and quiet and not quite as "poppy" as she usually is.

but she warmed up as they day went on.  we made a trip to the shoe store and had me all to herself while she selected a new pair of shoes for going back to school.  my pops really likes predictability in her fashion selections.  she finds something comfortable and sticks with it.  like her uggs.  that she wears in july.  or the black velvet cropped jacket...  or the...  you get it!  anyways, in true poppy fashion (pun intended) she selected the exact pair of shoes that she had just outgrown.  she tried them on in the new size, nodded, and wore them out of the store...  happy as a popstar could be.

and then (finally) we made our way to the frozen yogurt shop.  she selected her yogurt and her toppings and made her way to the counter beaming.  it was delicious (the time with the girl AND the yogurt).

as we were leaving the yogurt shop, i asked her if she wanted to get a treat at the berry patch (a quasi toy store).  her eyes lit up and she declared, "this is the best day EVER!"  and so in we went where she carefully selected a plush mermaid doll.  it was fun to watch her pick and to observe the process she went through without having to rush.  we don't get that too often and both of us enjoyed the experience together.  i learned some things about her that i wouldn't have known before.  she is a decisive one when she finds what she wants.  she doesn't get sidetracked by the choices, but is willing to do some looking until she lands on the "right" thing.  once she finds it, she is quick to make a decision.  i didn't know that about her before "you and me kid day".  now i do.  i like that about her and i like that i had the chance to learn it.  you think you "know" your kids.  and then you learn something new and it is pleasant and surprising and pleasant all over again.  

i am thankful for the chance to "know" her in this new way.

and then we headed home.  in the car as we approached our street she seemed sad.  i looked in the rear view mirror and asked her what was wrong.

"you and me kid day is all over and all the fun has ended."

"did you have a good time today?"

"i did but now i am sad."

and then she saw a garage sale at our neighbor's house and she begged me to go.  i was an easy "yes".  she marched up, found a bin of toys and selected a fashion designer kit from the collection.  done.  she looked, she found what she wanted and she executed the decision.

and for $1 she grabbed her kit, her doll and her change and marched in the direction of home.  the smile, now a great big grin.  

it was a good day- one i won't soon forget.  and it was also a good reminder.  "you and me kid" day, should happen more often.  it's good for both of us!