Two dates

Ordinarily Noel and I divide up the kids the same way every day. Cady Gray is especially attached to me, so I take care of her while Noel supervises Archer.

But Noel had a great idea last month. He promised Cady Gray that they would go out to a movie one Saturday, whenever a good kid's flick might come out. Archer doesn't like movies -- he says they're like videos but "too long and too loud" -- so Noel has been frustrated in his dreams of taking his kids to the theater as a special treat.

As a daddy-daughter outing, though, the movie idea has gotten serious traction. Cady has been talking about it ever since Noel told her. "Oh, it's only six days until I get to go to a movie with Dad!" she says, literally wringing her hands with delight. Bolt has finally come out, and the big day is tomorrow.

Which raises the question: What will Archer and I do with our mother-son afternoon? I asked him that question. He thought about it, and then asked, "Can I go to mommy's school?" You can't put one over on me -- I'd already thought about that possibility.

You see, Archer is obsessed with the number of floors in buildings. He asks us constantly if we can go to New York so we can go to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building, and he's pinning his summer '09 hopes on a trip to Chicago that we might take -- a city with many skyscrapers, you see.

So he wants to go to Mommy's school because it's the location of the tallest buildings in Conway -- four floors. We'll send our day riding elevators in every hall and dormitory that has an open door. And I imagine it will be a wonderful day for him, just as it will for Cady Gray.