Date Night

Tonight was our church's annual Vision Banquet. It was catered by Blue Mesa Grill, so that alone was reason for us to dress up and head out! It was fantastic! We had lots of fun going out with our friends, and since I'm not in my typical jeans and sweater, I made Pedro snap our picture before we left. When Kyle got home from work, he was already stressed about getting there on time (Kyle is never late, he is rarely on time, he is almost always early everywhere he goes). I was asking him what I should wear and he said I should make a statement and wear my overalls. I may be a non-conformist, but I'm still too vain to do that!
So, you're wondering: "You have seven kids and you still have date nights???" As a matter of fact, we do, and not on rare occasions. Kyle and I go on a date at least twice a month. About three or four months after Maya, Isaac, and Daniel arrived home from Liberia, we were still having issues with Pedro's adjustment. He was very insecure about losing his status as the only Clark son. We wanted him to develop a stronger relationship with his siblings and we also wanted him to grow up in terms of responsibility. Self-centeredness (aka depression) leads to laziness in certain personalities. I won't name names.
Bottom line: in lieu of rent, we asked Pedro to babysit four hours each week. It has produced great dividends. Despite his come and go schedule, (between working 35 hours/week at Starbucks and taking 12 hours of college classes, we don't see him a whole lot) he has developed great relationships with all his siblings and he's learned the joy of being a blessing to others. And, oh by the way, we're benefiting from the arrangement as well.
Tomorrow night, Pedro is inviting a couple of his good friends over for a Poker night. So, Kyle and I are going out again! After we put the kids down for bed, we're taking off for a double date with some good friends. Two date nights in a row! Woo-Hoo!!!