Lunch Dates with the Kids

One thing Nate and I have started doing with the kids is having a "one on one" lunch with each kid. It's actually "one on three" because it's Nate and I and Charlotte. We let the kids choose where we go to lunch and I pick them up from school and Nate meets us at the restaurant of their choice. We sit and eat and chat and I pull out their journals that I bring along and we talk and write. We ask questions and then write the answers in their journals. Right now the questions are: 1. What are you most excited about right now? and 2. What are you most anxious or worried about right now? I write down the answers to those questions in their journals and we talk about each one as they think of them. It's fun to hear what is important for them right now. They don't seem to be worried about much, but this gives them the opportunity to talk to us about things. We do lunch on each kid's "day" of the month (the day of their birthday). After we write in their journals we do finger talents. We ask them what they are good at and write a letter or little picture on each of their fingers that represents that talent. We let them come up with what they are good at and we whole-heartedly agree and we help them out when they get stumped. It's so fun to see how this touches their little hearts and makes them feel loved.

This month Owen chose Crown Burger:

Olivia chose Chick-fil-a:

Jonah chose Crown Burger:

And Charlotte gets lots of lunch dates with Nate and I and talent fingers at almost every kid lunch date.

I sure do love the crazy bunch and I'm so grateful they are mine forever!