Chloe's Special Day. Finally.

So toward the end of the summer, the kids asked to each have a "special day" with Mom.  (I think this had a lot to do with constantly having to have my attention divided amongst all of them all summer).  Audrey got a trip to go school shopping (shocker there), Carter took a mini-golf trip to Waltz Farm (shocker there too), and then we went away on vacation, school started, and here we are in October.  Last week Chloe reminded me that she had never had her special day, and she wanted to go....to the mall. (As Audrey said: "she's just copying MEEEEE")  Yes, but the mall it was. So we planned her mall trip for after school one day.

When I picked her up from school that day, she proudly pronounced "Today I was the pawprint winner at school!"  (It is a good behavior award.) She had this special pencil to show for it:

Then we were off to the mall.  Chloe wanted to eat lunch at Chick-fil-a.  They unexpectedly gave us ice cream!  Score!

 Mmm, that was a fun surprise!

 I asked her where she wanted to go next....she said to the fountain. :)

So we went and threw pennies in the fountain.

And rode the escalator about 25 times.

 We went to Bath & Body Works and bought sanitizers (and some Christmas presents...) then we wandered through a few other stores.  Rode the escalater again. Then we went to look around Build A Bear.  

We didn't really plan on making something, but I thought - why not?  This is Chloe's special day!

And she has only been here one other time (which she doesn't really remember).

 She picked this rabbit and named it "Rainbow" because, well, it is all rainbow-y.

 She especially loved taking it to the bath station. :)

An Icee and a Build a Bear....what more could a 5 year old ask for from her special day?

I have to say - when I look at this picture, I can almost picture her carrying Starbucks and some shopping bags one day.

What fun days those will be!

It's hard to communicate with pictures, but this was such a special day filled with so many special memories for me, and I hope for her too.  

Next year we won't be able to do this on a weekday afternoon. :(  

But I am enjoying it while I can.