Tonight was an impromptu date night. And for having a 7, 5, 3 and 1 year old… that’s a pretty hefty feat we pulled off.
It was also special because it was the first night we had gone out, by ourselves IN A YEAR AND A HALF.
Man, it’s been awhile. Part of that is situational (having a nursing baby doesn’t mean nights are optimal for just taking off) and part of it is circumstantial due to the ongoing pandemic. And part of it is simply logistical: Who in their right mind would walk into that scenario and watch four lively kids ages 1-7?
Our intrepid babysitter, Kathy. That’s who. And no, you may not have her number. Or her whereabouts. Her name isn’t really Kathy either. She’s far too valuable to disclose any other information. She handles our kids like a boss.
I had her come over tonight at 4PM. She took all four kids to the park with a picnic I had prepared. Dave walked in at 5 PM from work, which is extremely early for him on a work weekend. He saw me cleaning the second they left and he jumped in on it too. No one is more motivated than a parent when the kids are all out of the house.
I didn’t expect Dave to be home… I was just hoping to get some respite with a babysitter. So we cleaned our brains out until the kids came home around 7. Then we jumped in the shower, threw on some decent clothes and sneaked out the back door like a couple of teenagers.
We hopped in the trusty Honda and left the Pathfinder to Kathy in case of the zombie apocalypse and she needed to make a hasty getaway.
We headed to our favorite restaurant and sat out on the back patio enjoying the perfect Arizona weather. We marveled at the insanity of this year and made a list of the things that went down:
- Had a “surprise” daughter
- Welcomed two more darling baby girls into our family via my brothers (yes, that’s 3 baby girls in one year)
- Did a lot of not sleeping
- Navigated “online school” with a kindergartner and a first-grader and a three-year-old running around and a nursing 2-month-old baby
- Had all children home all of the time until actual real school started and I cried with relief
- Got used to wearing masks everywhere (not really, I hate them)
- Dave saw waves of patients struggling with an awful virus
- Dodged the corona virus like a bad game of frogger on the Commodore 64
- Vaccinated against said virus and that was plenty not fun
- Changed property management companies for our rental properties
- Designed and built a deck in Sedona
- Paid for two air conditioning units that went out at two separate addresses at the same time
- Got into some debt and worked hard to pay off that debt
- Refinanced five different properties when interest rates hit rock bottom
- Watched our kids’ language program at school get axed and decided on a new school
- Started a publishing company as I ventured into a new career
We talked business about some things we needed to think about and dates we needed to nail down, but it was always interspersed with our signature banter and I thought to myself “a date out with this guy is pretty much like being at home, we’re just interrupted WAY less.” I just love him and love how we’ve grown together. I have learned to depend on him more, and take my defenses down faster. I love how we can challenge each other and sharpen each other and then turn around and snuggle up when one is feeling tired or down or insecure or any other fill-in-the-blank that’s going on.
We survived this year and none of it would possible without God. Who helps us with perspective. Who helps us feel safe. Who gives us assurance that the next minute is not ours to worry about. Who holds our family and kids in His capable hands. After a year like this, my eyes are more tuned to look for those hands reaching out for me like my little daughter throws her hands up for me to lift her and hug her tight.
We walked into the blissfully quiet house after our date. Boys asleep? Check. Baby asleep? Also, check. We said goodbye to Kathy, locked the door, turned out the lights and called it a night; thankful for the opportunity to feel normal again for a few hours. And hoping the next time will be sooner than a year and a half.
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An American humorist, writer and author. When boiling down the chicken soup of life, she finds those golden, fried nuggets of truth & writes them long after the kids go to bed.
