Weekend Plans is our exclusive lifestyle feature where we highlight the real off-duty routines of the most exciting people in culture.  This weekend, Congressman Brandon Gill and his wife Danielle D’Souza Gill take time out of their D.C. schedule to chat with The Daily Wire about why being a dad is Brandon’s most important role, how they’re making equally wholesome memories on the family’s Texas ranch and inside “the Swamp,” and what they hope their kids remember most about this magical chapter of their lives.  *** I legitimately feel like I’m running a casting session for the next Superman movie, watching actors auditioning for Clark Kent and Lois Lane get mic’d up for a chemistry read. Rep. Brandon Gill unpins the congressional flair from his lapel and knocks back a Celsius Arctic Vibe. Sporting heritage-chic in pearls and a white tweed skirt suit that sparkles like fresh snow, Danielle glows as she steadies her husband with a gentle touch.  I get teary watching a revealing off-camera moment unfold between them. Brandon and Danielle are a perfect match. Just over a year into his first term on Capitol Hill, Brandon has swiftly taken opponents to task, breaking out with viral moments in congressional hearings on illegal immigration, abortion, and alleged donor fraud by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Danielle’s warmth belies her fierce advocacy for faith and family. The daughter of political commentator Dinesh D’Souza, she has published works like “The Choice: The Abortion Divide In America,” which prove she’s developed a distinctive voice in the political arena. The couple couldn’t be busier raising their two young children Marigold and Winston while jet-setting between their home in Flower Mound, Texas, and D.C. I ask about their plans for Father’s Day. Danielle refuses to ruin the surprise, but dishes a few hints. “I’ll tell you what Brandon did for me for Mother’s Day,” she says. “It was so cute. He got one of those clay crafts, so we have Marigold’s handprint in it. I definitely have a high bar set for me to top for him for Father’s Day.” Assuring me there will be handmade crafts, she adds, “Marigold has recently gotten into painting, and we’ll do a couple extra things for the grandfathers.” “Conservatives believe that the family is the fundamental unit of society, and we do everything we can to live that out,” Brandon says. He clearly enjoys dad life. “Being a husband and a father is honestly far more rewarding than even being in Congress and being in the political fight because it’s something that’s going to stick around a long time.” An Ivy League romance Just looking at the Gills, anyone could assume it was love at first sight. “Eventually, I was able to get out of the friend zone,” Brandon jokes. Cue the popcorn, I wanted the full story. “Danielle and I met in college,” Brandon explains. They first crossed paths through the faith-based Christian Union on campus. “Dartmouth is a very, very liberal college. There aren’t a whole lot of Christians at Dartmouth, so it was a pretty small pool for Danielle to choose from.” He laughs, recalling their initial meet-cute at a bonfire. “I thought that she was very pretty, so I wanted to go up and start talking to her.” Their first dinner date didn’t spark a romance, but it definitely set the table. “Basically, the whole dinner, Brandon was asking me all these questions,” Danielle says. “I felt like I had gone an hour and was literally talking the whole time. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I really don’t know you,’ so I was like, ‘Where are you from?’” Danielle says Brandon then detailed his rural upbringing using the only supplies he had to work with. “There were paper tablecloths at this restaurant, so Brandon found the crayons, which were there to entertain children, and he started drawing different equipment. I didn’t grow up around ranch life, so that was new for me.” “It ended with me getting her flowers, and then getting stuck in the friend zone for two years,” Brandon remembers. The couple went on to marry in 2017. “You did write me a very sweet card,” Danielle assures Brandon of their first date. “I still have the card.” Brandon and Danielle Gill But first, coffee  Despite raising their kids in two different cities, the Gills try to keep home life as relaxed as possible. One-year-old Winston is usually the first to rise and shine, but Danielle says, “We have very slow mornings when Brandon has a day off.” “We’ll usually hang out in the living room and just drink our coffee and play with Winston and Marigold,” Brandon says. When they’re in Texas, they enjoy a stroll around the neighborhood. “Our neighbors got a donkey and some goats. Marigold loves the animals.” When they get the chance to visit Brandon’s parents, the kids get a taste of ranch life. “We take them out there as often as we can, drive around the ranch in the truck and give Marigold plenty of space to run around and see the wide open spaces,” Brandon says. “She loves cows and the deer whenever they’re out. We’ll drive the tractor, get a little bit of the Texas full-on ranch experience.” Cooking with lots of love When it comes to kitchen duty, Danielle’s doing most of the cooking. But what she’s cooking sounds like a scene out of “Dutton Ranch.” “We have a lot of meat from Gill Ranch,” Danielle says. “Brandon’s parents gave us half a cow a year ago, so we technically always have food on hand. We have the ranch meat that they raise, so we know it’s good quality.” She’ll happily hand over grilling duty to Brandon, and Danielle admits, “I probably am the baking person.” In an era where everything can be instantly ordered with a click, her perspective feels refreshingly analog. “Marigold and I made a cake for Winston’s birthday. He just turned one, so she did all the sprinkles on top,” she says. “I want to keep the tradition where we always bake the cake from scratch at home for a birthday, as opposed to buying a cake.”  Brandon and Danielle Gill The politics of playtime Ever since the couple went all-in on Brandon’s run for office just three months after Marigold was born, the family has been balancing life in public service through the playful eyes of their children. “Politics is a family affair for us,” Brandon says, describing his kid-friendly digs. “We’ve got a whole bookshelf built into the wall that’s full of toys for Marigold and Winston, so they can play whenever they’re in the office, and make a big mess of everything. Marigold will play hide-and-seek with us around the Capitol dome, or we’ll take them to the White House lawn and Winston will just speed crawl all over the place.” Based on the family’s recap of the White House Easter Egg Roll, this checks out. “We definitely have a lot of fun with it, and take them with us everywhere we go.” Danielle manages the travel days for a family that’s always on the move. “We try to be with Brandon as much as possible,” she says. “I think with our kids being so young, they’re very used to seeing Brandon every day, having him be a big part of their lives in a deeply involved way,” she explains. “It’s nice for him to be able to see them in the morning, or do bedtime routine, or just see him at some point in the work day, which wouldn’t be possible if we weren’t traveling with him.” Classic parenting in modern times The Gills have no rules around screen time at home — because they don’t need them. “We actually don’t have a TV in our home,” Danielle confirms. Still, if Marigold tunes in, it’s only for the vintage stuff. “When she travels on the plane, sometimes we let her watch ‘Tom and Jerry,’ ‘Popeye,’ like very old cartoons.” The family also sticks to the classics for bedtime stories. “As far as books … of course Bible stories, ‘Frog and Toad’’… Those are just so much better than the modern ones.” “We’ve got this children’s version of ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ that we’ll read to her,” Brandon says. “We’re reading a lot of Dr. Seuss now, too, as she’s getting a little bit older.” Brandon and Danielle genuinely agree that neither one has had to become the “strict” parent. “I feel like we have the same parenting philosophy,” Danielle notes. But if she has to pick, she says, “Probably me, just because I’m kind of with [the kids] a lot. But when Brandon needs them to go to bed, I can trust that he will make sure it happens.” Danielle calls Brandon “the spontaneous” one, confirming that her husband brings the adventure to the daily routine. “In Texas, he’s much more apt to do crazy things outdoors, take them to the water, take them to see animals, things like that. I’m probably more of the snuggly, cuddly parent, and maybe like a source for food,” she laughs.  Still, there may be another parental figure in the household. “Marigold has been obsessed with her little brother from the very beginning,” Danielle says. “She’s very motherly, she’s like always watching out for him. So, she’ll tell me, ‘Winston wants milk. Winston doesn’t want that.’ I think she thinks of herself as kind of the Winston interpreter. She loves dolls, so Winston’s just like a more fun version of the baby.” Brandon and Danielle Gill Family time designed by a toddler I’m curious as to what a busy young family in politics ever does to recharge. Brandon immediately flashes a glance to Danielle. “Do we rest?” They laugh. (I get the feeling that they don’t.) “I feel like a rejuvenating thing is when we get to go on a date night,” Danielle shares. “And I think running is a nice way to clear your head, to just get outside. Brandon definitely runs more.” Doing whatever they can to keep the whirlwind of Brandon’s career from overwhelming the family, Brandon explains, “A lot of our downtime is really just casual family time. It’s just being together, playing with the kids.” When they happen to have time to themselves, Marigold steps in as the family’s social chair. “We’ve got this little ball pit that Marigold likes to jump into, and she wants Winston to get into it, and then she wants Danielle and me to get into it … Marigold basically decides what we’re all doing.” For anyone curious about the soundtrack to these idyllic family moments, you won’t find this playlist on Spotify. “Marigold is a very good memorizer. She can recite ‘Wheels on the Bus.’ She likes to skip over a lot of verses,” Danielle says. And yet, Brandon explains that his daughter won’t be limited to bus lyrics. “She’ll walk around the house singing a combined mixture of ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and ‘Wheels on the Bus.’ She can somehow combine it all together.”  A time to remember As Brandon and Danielle forge their path in D.C., I ask what they hope their children remember about this unique American experience. “We want to make sure that Marigold and Winston have a very secure place,” Brandon says. “They’re young right now, but obviously we love them a lot.” I can tell. Danielle hopes they remember “that they had a very magical childhood that was very warm and that their parents were deeply involved in their lives. That they got to have a lot of adventures, and of course, a Christ-like foundation for life, and that they got to spend a lot of time being happy kids.”