if you take a little girl to Olive Garden

We love "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and the sequels.  In that spirit,

If you take a little girl to Olive Garden for her 8th birthday, she's going to want to go back.  She'll have so much fun with her friend, the girls will want to try it again with their mommies.  The girls will make plans for weeks so they can have the perfect mommy/daughter double date night.  The will plan every little detail down to their matching "8" birthday shirts and "Jesus Loves Me" necklaces Santa delivered from The Rusted Chain.

They will eat so many breadsticks and drink so much raspberry lemonade that their tummies will be bulging full.  They will make several trips to the fun bathrooms before deciding they should spend some time in retail therapy to allow time for their dinner to settle.

They start their retail therapy at Hobby Lobby.
Wandering through Hobby Lobby will remind the mommies that they need a fun new book bag.  The book bags are on sale 1/2 price so they will each get one.

If the bags are on sale for 1/2 price, Mommy Boese will decide she needs a pink flower to add to the purse to spice it up a little.

Since Hobby Lobby closes at 8:00 and the girls and their mommies aren't ready for the evening to end yet, they will head to Target for some more retail therapy.  The girls will have difficult decisions to make from the dollar bins. 

The shoe department will call their names and they will each choose a pair of rain boots since spring is on the way.

The mommies will run into some of their friends and need to spend time in the clothing department. Visiting in the clothing department will remind them of the last time they shopped at Target and found some great stuff.  Mommy Boese will realize how much she has enjoyed the 3/4 length blue shirt and pick up the matching green shirt.  Mommy Jones has been trying to get her to add some green to her wardrobe for a while.

On the way to the checkout, Mommy Boese will remember a bag she saw earlier and just can't leave at the store.  It's a great buy because it's reversible.

Once their tummies have settled a little, they realize they have plenty of room for frozen yogurt now.  They decide to venture into Orange Leaf on a Friday night.  It's such a happy place!

The girls will be so impressed by the tall stack of big orange bucket bowls.  They will each choose one and then wander around the shoppe trying to choose which kind of frozen yogurt to get.  Seeing all the choices will remind the girls that they don't have to choose just one flavor, they can mix and match all they want!  A little strawberry, a little bluberry and some chocolate raspberry sounds divine.  After dishing up their own yogurt, they will each choose some toppings to go with their new creations.

Once the girls create such incredible treats, the bowls will be weighed to determine the cost.  The basket full of fun shovels simply makes eating the treats delightful.

The girls will enjoy sharing their creations together.  Sharing frozen yogurt and laughing together will remind the girls how much they love each other and how thankful they are to have such wonderful friends.

And being thankful for such wonderful friends will remind Mommy Boese of the super, duper creative birthday gift from Mommy and Sophie Jones.

Isn't this just adorable?!  Mommy Jones made the magnets and Amy D. made the chalkboard.  Looking at this chalkboard everyday will remind Mommy Boese to pray for her friends and to be thankful for the many blessings in her life.  And being thankful for the many blessings in her life will cause Mommy Boese to remember this fun birthday mommy/daughter double date night.