Every daughter needs a special date with her dad…many dates actually. And from the first week when we found out about Sophie’s anencephaly, one of the top things on my list to do with her was to take her on a date. (Oh, by the way, this is Kevin–not my incredibly talented blogging wife, Lindsey.) I want my daughter to know with confidence that she is deeply loved, that she is incredibly beautiful, that she is always worthy and valued. Because of Jesus’ perfect life, death, and resurrection, all of those things have been secured and I want my daughter to hear and experience them constantly from me, her dad. I want her to know that I think the world of her. I want her to feel special. And I want to enjoy sweet times as just father and daughter together. And that’s one of many things I’m going to really miss if I don’t get to do them with Sophie when she gets older.
But we do have the time now with Sophie, and a few weeks ago some awesome friends (Savannah, Christine, Jimmy, Chad, Tiffany, Nick & Alicia, Russell & Emilee, Kate, Sarah, Mac & Elyse, Ashlie, Jessica, Brooke, and Joel) made it possible for me to take Sophie (mom came too) on a special date at Epcot for the International Flower & Garden Festival!
To start the evening, I made Sophie a little scavenger hunt card with a note about how beautiful she is, and then explaining how we were going to go to Epcot and find together the most beautiful flower, butterfly, and animal.
To match, I got her an orange rose corsage to wear for the evening (which Lindsey proudly pinned on her dress for Sophie to wear).
Then, we were off to Epcot! On the drive over, we had fun listening to some Disney tunes I had put together for Sophie. Once at Epcot, we said hi to Mickey and the gang on the way in and headed straight for the butterflies.
We found some beautiful butterflies, but decided on a bright orange one as the most beautiful (which we wrote on the card with our crayon).
As we walked to get some snacks, we laughed as we played on the carnival games of Oz as a family (Sophie & Mom got really tall, and I somehow got really short),
and then we found the most peculiar orange flowers, which we decided were the most beautiful. After grabbing some lemonade and watermelon salad, we discovered a little bunny rabbit who had hit the jackpot of dinner spreads, and we decided he was the most beautiful animal of the night.
But the night wasn’t over yet!
The grand finale of our date was an incredible dinner our friends set up for us at Canada’s Le Cellier restaurant. Neither Lindsey or I have ever eaten there, so to take Sophie on a date there was extra special. The food was amazing, and although we think Sophie had fallen asleep by this point in the evening, I’m sure she was enjoying the food in her dreams. Grilled asparagus, warm bread, filet mignon, and even maple crème brûlée.
I so deeply love my precious daughter Sophie, and her amazing mom that is tirelessly taking care of her. I long to hold her in my arms, and to watch her grow, and to take her on many special dates that help her know how beautiful God has made her. I long for those things with her on this earth, but I also know that if God chooses for those things to wait until heaven, they will be all the more rich and pure and glorious in his great presence.
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- Teaching Them to Hope, Birthday After Birthday. - January 15, 2020
- A Taste of Hope Fulfilled – Briella Dawn’s Birth Story - August 3, 2018
