Mommy Daughter Date // Mall Edition

Nicole needed new shoes for the warmer weather, so on Friday evening we journeyed over to the mall and I decided to turn the outing into an impromptu mommy-daughter date. It's been a while since I've spent time with just her outside the house, aside from an occasional short walk. I want to always make sure to spend one-on-one time with each of my kids as they get older, even if it is something as simple and unplanned as this:

We listened to a playlist of Nicole's favorite songs in the car. We sang unashamedly at the top of our lungs to pop artists like Justin Timberlake and Chainsmokers, as well as Disney hits like "Part of Your World" and "Let it Go".

We got the shoe shopping out of the way first, since Nicole finds it unpleasant to have her feet messed with, and then we went and explored the Disney Store! After pulling out every stuffed character she recognized (Minnie! Mickey! Sulley! Nemo! Moana!) Nicole finally found an Elsa doll. She held that Elsa doll in the tightest embrace until it was time to leave the store. Homegirl is obsessed with Elsa.

Next we sat on the ledge of the outdoor fountain pool and watched the colorful water dance to the beat of "Thriller". Nicole was mesmerized. We finished up the night splitting some treats over at Sweet Tooth Fairy. She wanted cookies instead of cupcakes, so we got two sugar cookies--one with lemon frosting, the other with strawberry--and shared them while sitting at a little table and talking about her favorite things she saw in the Disney store.

Then we both got thirsty; the store doesn't offer water cups and silly mom forgot to bring the water bottles, so back home we drove, singing all the way while Nicole intermittently commented on how dark it was outside.

The poor girl fell asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillow. Being up 1 1/2 hours past your bedtime will do that to a girl, ya know? I love my little Nicki. It was good to spend some time with her without Austin in tow. Oh man, I'm SO excited to go on mommy-son dates with him once he gets old enough!