Before Daniel left on his mission, he took Malia to the state fair. It was a chance for him to give her some one-on-one time before he left. With Nathan’s departure drawing near, an outing with his little sis was in order and today was the appointed day. The two of them had lunch at Crown Burger, Malia’s favorite burger joint since Carl’s Jr. jumped on the plant-based bandwagon and off her safe restaurant list. Nathan said that whoever was cooking at Crown Burger today was fantastic. The food was delicious, cooked just right. In particular, he commented that the fries were perfectly crisp and hot. I’ve never been disappointed by Crown Burger fries, so I have to wonder if they were really super extra amazing today or if Nathan’s semester of eating at McDonald’s with his roommates has given him a new appreciation for food of a higher caliber. 😜 Either way, they enjoyed their lunch immensely.
After eating they were off to paint some ceramics. We have owed Malia a trip to paint two ceramic pieces for almost two years now. She earned the first when she passed off all her multiplication facts at school. Unfortunately, that happened in the midst of the 2020 shutdown and even after things began to open back up, supply chain issues meant the pieces she was interested in painting were unavailable. She has been waiting very patiently for the world to calm down a bit, but it has been a long wait. In fact, it has been so long that I don’t even remember how she earned the second piece, which is really sad. Even today, only one of the two pieces she wanted to paint was in stock, so we are going to need to schedule another trip at some point.
But all that aside, Nathan drove her up to the ceramics studio after lunch and they spent several hours blissfully creating some art. Malia painted the horse she has had her eye on, and Nathan chose a happy little fish. The had a lovely conversation with the business owner, who Nathan said was super nice. She is a small business owner, not part of a larger chain, and based on their experience, we would gladly visit her establishment again. We’ll have to check back in occasionally to see if the dragon Malia has her eye on is in stock. Apparently, it is a popular piece and with the supply chain oddities, it was out of stock today.
I’m so glad Nathan was willing to take Malia on an adventure. The age gap between them is big which can create challenges, but she definitely misses her brothers when they are gone. I know that being the youngest can be a challenge for her as she often feels left behind and left out as the boys all move forward with their lives. But moving on is a part of life, one that Kevin and I have worked to prepare our children for. I think I understand just a bit of her sadness at being left behind since they are leaving their mother behind as well. But I wouldn’t want it any other way. And even though my little crew is beginning to scatter far and wide, we all look forward to those times when we can gather together again. In fact, my little flock is already planning a temple trip when Nathan returns home in two years. By then Malia will be old enough to do baptisms for the dead and all six of us will be able to go together. I love that the temple is the future outing they are all looking forward to the most.
In the meantime, Malia will always remember that Nathan took the time to spend a day with her and that they both had a great time. Those memories are priceless. And in less than a week, their ceramics will be ready to pick up and she will have a tangible reminder of some quality time spent with her second oldest brother.
