Last Saturday, Niko and I went to La Cantera, which is an upscale outdoor shopping mall. We planned it the night before – Lolli and Pops, Barnes and Noble, and Luciano’s.
But first, we had to sit in traffic as they had parts of a local highway closed down. They are working on expanding that highway from two lanes each way to several more each way along with an HOV lane.
First stop, once we arrived, was Barnes and Noble and something must have been happening because there were a lot of kids and parents waiting in a line. So, I made the dad decision to skip the bookstore and park somewhere else.
That new parking spot was in front of Macy’s. We strolled through the store; mainly because, we had to use the bathroom and there was a family bathroom in the kid’s area. That kid’s area had a lot of toys from Super Mario Bros, which right now is Niko’s favorite game and person. Of course, I had to buy him something!
Next stop was Lolli and Pops, where Niko had free will to get some chocolate. I just had to make sure he didn’t break my bank, because it’s not cheap. I got some Cracker Jacks for myself! When we checked out, I asked the nice lady behind the counter if she knew what was happening at Barnes and Noble? She answered, something to do with Hello Kitty, and I totally understood. If it was Super Mario, I would’ve been in that line.
Final stop was Luciano’s for pizza and strawberry lemonade for Niko. We actually ate inside the restaurant and that was our first-time eating in a restaurant since before the pandemic in March of 2020. Niko and I had garlic bread and a pepperoni pizza and throughout the meal, Niko kept telling me this was the best food ever and was happy to be able to sprinkle parmesan cheese all by himself.
When we were leaving and walking through Macy’s to get in the car, he was so tired, that he didn’t think he could make it and I was like, Niko, I can see the car – you can do it.
The following Wednesday, Nina and Niko did the same things we did on Saturday but were joined by my parents. They did make to Barnes and Noble and Niko came home with a Minecraft and Captain Underpants book. And, he had more pizza, strawberry lemonade, and chocolate. Man, he isn’t spoiled at all!
This weekend, I told Niko we will not be doing La Cantera!
Instead on Saturday, our neighborhood had an Easter Egg party, so we attended, and Niko enjoyed hunting the clubhouse premises for eggs. When we moved in in 2019, it was the same weekend as the Easter Egg party and then Covid happened in 2020 and 2021. Before we left the party, Niko and I grabbed some cheeseburgers from a food truck. I think this was also the first time in a long time that the three of us have ventured out together. Usually, on weekends, Niko and I will do things and during the weekdays, Nina and Niko do things. I let Nina have some freedom on the weekends.
And today, we are staying home. I will do my normal Sunday house chores – laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, mowing the backyard, moving some plants back to where the belong in the backyard, preparing food for tomorrow at work, and cleaning any mess we make in the kitchen. The only time I get to relax is in the evenings when Niko is sleeping.
