Counting up my gold coins for the week...

Maliana ~

Going through and writing these letters to you is like counting up gold coins, my good fortune from the past week. If I don’t necessarily always realize how good I have it in the moment (I try really hard to though), it definitely becomes crystal clear as I review our time together for this blog, and what a windfall we had this last week!

First, I’ll start with our Sunday together, which can only be summed up by labeling it a “M and M” day…(aka Mali and Mama Day). Daddy was on-call for work, so you and I spent all day, and I mean ALL day, running like mad women. We attended mass with Memaw at 8:30am, then met Papaw and a bunch of their church friends for breakfast at Bob Evans.

singing a hymn with Memaw

ahh, off to start a new day!

but not without a kiss from Memaw first

After stopping home briefly, we headed back out and picked Memaw back up to take her to Slate Run Farm with us. It was so much fun, more than I expected! That place is awesome! It has a living historical farm on-site and you got to check out the house and grounds, get up close and personal not only with the animals there, but with old-fashioned chores like watering the garden from a well and helping to clean the corn to make corn brooms too. I had no idea you would so thoroughly enjoy it, but you did. And it was so nice to spend this one on one time with Memaw too.

heading into the farmhouse

surveying the garden

watering the plants with well water pumped into a bucket

Mama wants to help too

found a bug!

Hi Mr. Moo Cow!

up close and personal with the horses

you favored this dappled guy

peee-yewwww! those pigs stink!

helping with old-fashioned chores

I heart that smile!

Memaw and a silly monkey

gorgeous red barn and even more gorgeous little girl

beautiful big girl

ornery smiles on our way out

After Slate Run, we headed over to watch your cousin Joey’s soccer game. It was good for you to see the soccer game, since you’ll be playing on your own team in exactly two weeks. And you loved seeing your cousins again, after having spent the afternoon with them on Saturday too (but I’ll get to that in a bit).

watching the game with Alex and Sam from the shade

running for some post-game donuts

good game Joey!

Once home on Sunday, Lao Lao met us and we all took a walk on our nature trail, stopping at the playground (of course!) on the way home. You had a blast and dragged Lao Lao all over that playground, making her imitate all kinds of strange words you made up before you’d let her go down the slide. I taught you how to play “I spy with my little eye…” earlier in the day, so we played this during the last half of our walk home. You LOVE this game! And it’s so adorable to hear you say “I spy, with my little ‘oy’…” You tried so hard to convince Lao Lao not to leave once we got home, telling her she had to stay because of the ‘neetos’. We were very puzzled, until we realized that you were saying ‘mosquitoes’, afraid they would get her if she went out to her car. Ha ha! Nice try sweetie, nice try.

taking in the wonderful night with Lao Lao

trying something new

you girls are silly

no one can say Lao Lao isn't in the moment...what's up with that face?! ha ha

Moving back through the weekend, as I mentioned above, you got to spend Saturday afternoon with your cousins, Joey, Alex, and Sammy at Memaw and Papaw’s. Daddy and I took advantage of this and spent our own quality time together, winding up at the Zucchini Fest and then hitting Franklin Park Conservatory before coming back to get you.

at the fair, on a ferris wheel...first time for Daddy and I in YEARS!

Daddy and I really needed this time to relax...but we still missed you!

however I think you were having quite a good time yourself

I can't believe Papaw actually got all of you in one shot, looking at the camera, and smiling ~
I think this might be a good candidate for a Christmas card!

your surprise from the Zucchini Fest ~ a spidey hat!

Saturday evening, we headed to Wai Gong and Memaw Lisa’s. We grilled out, then all headed over to the nearby pond and you went fishing for the first time ever. You were excited about casting and reeling, but not so sure about baiting with the worm or the fish we actually caught, at first. After a few minutes, you were checking out and even touching the fish…but never did enjoy those worms though.

explaining the basics of fishing

watching that bobber

peace and quiet...fishing at dusk

yay! we got one!

not so sure at first, but then agreed to touch the fish before we threw him back in

I just couldn't resist this shot...so cute

After fishing we came back over to sit in the crisp night air, so cool already that we needed a blanket to wrap ourselves in as we sat there relaxing. It was like the first taste of fall. You were playing and giggling, adorable as you scampered barefoot through the yard that was completely dark by now. The only light was from tiki torches that surround the patio and a shooting star that your Uncle Blaize spotted. It felt good.

sharing a moment while walking back with Memaw Lisa

and now fleeing from Wai Gong's teasing

having fun, all piled on the same chair with Uncle Blaize and Memaw Lisa

So, moving even further back through the week, you began with your new pre-school class this week. It was an adjustment, but they transitioned you all pretty well, and while there was one day where you had misplaced your silkie (hidden it in a play purse in your new classroom), and couldn’t fall asleep for naptime, you all in all had a terrific week. You even had Ms. Brandi cracking up one day at nap when you tried to convince her that you had already slept, pretending to snore with your eyes closed, then quickly saying, “But don’t tell my mom!” You also saw Ms. Beth come in and got all excited, (she is one of your favorites at school), and yelled to her, “Hey Ms. Beth! It’s me Mali! M-A-L-I!” while grinning and waving furiously. Ha ha. You are a character!

Out shopping one afternoon immediately after school, you even saw some flowers at Kroger and said, “Ms. Brandi and Ms. Rachel don’t have flowers! We need to get some” and insisted on buying them and taking them back over to them at school. Of course, how can I argue with that kind of thoughtfulness and generosity, so that’s exactly what we did. Hopefully, it helped make their night. I told you later that that is exactly the kindness that makes you such a great person, and that I was proud of you. You beamed.

Daddy attempted to take you to kick the soccer ball around another evening this week too…you were so cute in all your gear.

I took Abby for a walk while you two headed off for the field. Unfortunately, both girls (you and Abby) lost interest fast and wanted to come home. However, it left time for you, Daddy, and I to take a long walk together, with you being “Chatty Kathy” in the stroller the whole way.

We helped to celebrate Aunt Tina’s birthday with her this week too, going to their house for Uncle Joe’s lasagna and cupcakes. You, Sam, and Erin do so well together, with Erin being so thoughtful, having bought you a cute little bowl when she was shopping a while back (just because), and Sam acting like such a good ‘pseudo-big brother’ to you. We stayed so late that we got you ready for bed before leaving, pleasantly surprised and touched by the fact that they actually have a toothbrush with your name labeled on it at their house that you must have used a while back. How sweet. It’s nice to be blessed by such loving people. What great friends. It confirmed my conviction once again of, “Who says family is biological, right?"

one of the sunflowers that we gave Tina for her birthday, as BIG as your HEAD!

3 stooges, watching the 3 Stooges

As for your quirks, there have been many emerging. For one, you are obsessed with your soccer shorts. Daddy said he was in the shower one morning and noticed the bathroom door opening slowly. When he peeked out, you were standing there with a ‘shit-eating grin’ on your face, holding your soccer shorts up and nodding…the same soccer shorts that you had already worn at least two days in a row and changed into every night after school as well. He texted me on that one…laughing at you. You are quite the little tomboy, turning your nose up at anything girlie during a shopping trip to Kohl’s with Dad and me, insisting on another pair of athletic shorts and a toy motorcycle instead. You chose the motorcycle and “vroom”ed from the backseat the whole way home.

You got upset with me one day when I asked you, “How was your day at school little one?”…correcting me by saying, “I’m not one, I’m three! AND I’m not little, I’m big!” Ha ha. And speaking of corrections…I was also explained another difference between boys and girls, in the world of Mali anyway. Evidently, boys have butts, while girls have hineys. Hmmm. Good to know.

So….anyway….with that, the week is about all wrapped up and summarized…gold coins counted and put in the priceless bank of our memories, with one more final note.

As I got ready for work on Monday morning (just yesterday), you stumbled into the hallway and stood there quietly, half asleep, until I noticed you outside the bathroom door. It was 5am and you were refusing to go back to bed, insisting on watching me getting ready for work. I pulled your little blue cushy chair out and set it in front of the bathroom and let you curl up there. Luckily, you fell fast asleep in a couple of minutes.

just wanted to be near Mama

It struck me as bittersweet. Part of me, (ok, all of me since I am not a big fan of Monday mornings anyway), wanted to stay home, go back to bed, and curl up with you, then wake up slowly and happily, ready to set off on another adventure together. However, another part of me is grateful that I have a job, can go and allow each of us to have our own little worlds independent of one another too, and then come back to spend quality time together, which is all the more sweet and appreciated because we do have our days apart. I definitely don’t take our time together for granted, simply for the fact that it’s not there day in and day out. And, oh how you love going to school too ~ Heaven forbid if I ever took your daycare time away!

So, while the anxieties of motherhood surround me, second-guessing every decision for how it might affect you for the rest of your life. Panicking or worrying about things that will likely never happen, but are conjured in my mind nonetheless. (As a side note, Lao Lao said that this anxiety never goes away, even when your “baby” is somewhere in her mid-thirties!) So, even though I have a long road ahead of sleepless nights, I take heart in mornings like this one, with you curled up and dozing next to me while I prepare for the week ahead. Although I know you won’t always want to spend so much time with me, especially when you are navigating those turbulent teen years, I can rest assured that at least for now we are adoring our time together, one moment at a time. Like I told Lao Lao as we took a walk this week, I just hope that when it’s all said and done, your entire childhood is filled with this same happiness that you are so full of right now. I know it’s a tall order, but that is my prayer. One day at a time, I suppose, one day at a time.

Love,
Mama

Family and Fun…a recurring theme for our weekends

Maliana ~

Yahoo! Soccer season is pretty much upon us! Not only are you registered for soccer on Sundays, but this week you “tried out” for a soccer program that comes to your school once a week. You were so excited for these “try outs”, shooting out of bed in the morning, and trying to run out the door without even getting ready first. You are going to have soccer coming out of your ears by the end of the year, and you are thrilled! Prior to the big try-out day, I surprised you with a soccer ball and shorts after school, and then took you to Soccer Plus to get fitted for cleats (they are so tiny!) and also let you pick out the color of your soccer socks (you chose bright royal blue). You were so sweet and appreciative of it all (saying ‘Thank you Mommy!’ repeatedly), and insisted on wearing your socks and shoes home from the store.

so stinkin' cute!

these shorts are more like pants!

Evidently, you are a natural so far. When you showed up with all of your soccer gear on, the people with Soccer Shots took one look at you and said, “Wow! You are ready to go, aren’t you?” They loved it. And at the “try outs”, Ms. Phyllis luckily snapped this shot of you with her cell phone…you are scoring a goal and if you look closely, both you and the coach have your arms up in a victory cheer. So cute!

Mali! Mali! Mali! GOAL!

I also took you to get a haircut since you will be starting pre-school next week! Wow ~ my own little pre-schooler! Officially, you will have two years of pre-school since your birthday is in March and they won’t allow you to start Kindergarten before age 5, but that’s ok. It’ll give you plenty of time to get your speech nice and polished (which is already getting better and better every day – many people make comments on how well you’re doing which is really encouraging). Anyway, so about the haircut. We were both excited about it, then you got the jitters just before. You did great though; however, I was a bit in shock once the woman started cutting. We decided to try to do some layering to make it look a little fuller in the back, with me saying I would like to keep as much length as possible. Well, with the first snip, my heart dropped. She took so much off! However, we were already committed by then, so I just let her do her thing. I think I was just having all of MY “bad haircut flashbacks”, so I got a little nervous. Let me tell you, there are PLENTY in my lifetime (I will have to show you some old photos sometime – yikes!). So, your ‘do is pretty short now, not what I expected, but over the past week, it’s definitely grown on me, and of course looks adorable on you (any haircut probably would because it’s on your beautiful little head). And you LOVE that it is now, “short like Daddy’s” in the back…ha ha ha. Jen next door said that ‘surprising’ haircuts are a rite of passage…we all get them for our kids at least once. That made me feel a bit better, whenever I would start missing how long it was. And she said it looks like an official pre-school haircut, so that also made me feel better since, well, you ARE a pre-schooler now. So, there you go.

a little pre-haircut anxiety

cute! and yes, you DO look more like a pre-schooler with that hair!

We had a nice mid-week break from the heat and the daily grind with an invitation to the pool from the Sheltons. It was SO much fun ~ I loved watching you laughing, splashing, swimming (yes, swimming…using your arms and legs to move around in the water – with a floatie of course), eating snacks on the lounge chairs during break, and just generally reveling in the fun of childhood in the summertime with good friends. You, Carter, and Cassidy are quite the trio, getting funnier and funnier to watch with each play date we have. At one point, Carter grabbed your head, shook it back and forth a little bit, and said, “I love you!” Then during a rest period, you and Cass were sharing a lounge chair and she got you laughing so hard, you couldn’t stop…literally, you really could not stop. I have no idea what was so funny, but it was hysterical to watch you guys. So, anyway…a big shout out to the Sheltons ~ thank you so much for treating us to an amazing time at the pool!

oh boy!

using arms and legs!

silly kids

It must have been a nice time, because when you got home from the pool we decided to have dinner out on the deck. After I had set you up in your little chair with your food, you stretched your arms out, took in your surroundings, sighed, and proclaimed, “What a nice day!” I turned off the air conditioner so it was quiet enough to hear the critters waking up to begin all of the nighttime sounds of summer and you really enjoyed it. You are one of the few kids I know that would rather sit outside and hang out with Mom than watch TV. I continue to be impressed with you more and more every day. You are such a neat kid.

checking out the backyard at dinner

getting ready to tell me off after realizing I was taking pictures of you through the window

We kicked off the weekend with an impromptu bonfire at home with some neighbors, Uncle Lu Lu, and Aunt Lindsey. You had so much fun playing with the kids, and it’s nice that you have some new friends right here in the neighborhood. You did really well playing together, disappearing into your room and playroom. It’s nice to see you all doing your “kid thang”, and to hear your laughter in the house. Plus, it gives all of us adults some time to socialize too…so I decided to give Mamarazzi the night off (it had been a tough week and I needed to relax for once). There is only one picture that I regret not snapping all night. You were snuggled next to your Aunt Lindsey, watching the Browns pre-season game with her and it was so adorable…you clearly love her and she clearly loves you, more than you know.

Saturday began with a birthday party at the World of Bounce for one of your classmates at school. This is your first schoolmate birthday party and you had a blast! Initially we showed up an hour early for the party, since the invitation had the wrong time on it. So, since you would be bouncing it off anyway, I decided to take you down the road to Giant Eagle to let you pick out a few pieces of bulk candy. When I said we were going to Giant Eagle to get candy, you asked, “Up in the sky?” I was puzzled but then realized that, yes, Giant Eagle is a strange name for a grocery store…I forget how literal 3 year olds are. Then I told you about the old Big Bear groceries that were around when I was a kid, which you thought were equally hilarious. "That's silly Mama!"

bulk candy aisle ~ can it get any better?

When we finally made it back to World of Bounce, the party was a huge hit! The kids (and parents) were all very nice and you kept tabs on the birthday boy all day, wanting to play with him, insisting on sitting next to him, and even grabbing and holding onto his hand at one point. It was adorable!

this place is awesome!

cheering for Amare as he races down the slide

run!

awww...holding hands

group shot ~ you all are so cute!

Since Daddy was working all day at home, you and I kept our own party moving and headed out to a town picnic for Harlem Township, where Lao Lao lives. We hung out with Uncle Forge and the Boy Scouts, where you loved checking out their geo-dome they built, helping them make dinner, then making your rounds and trying to ask them questions about what they were doing. They were all very sweet to you, and you were so cute as you would recognize some of them around the park, and walk over and yell, “Hi guys!” like you were old pals. We walked around and shopped the tents, got your face painted, watched a really good juggling act, and checked out the tractors and race cars on display. At some point, both you and I decided it would be a good idea to take off our shoes and go barefoot the rest of the day. Towards the end of the evening, we wound up under a tent lit up with lights around the perimeter, circle dancing and line dancing with a bunch of the locals. It was good old hometown Americana fun, almost surreal. The soft, cool green grass under our feet; the scent of a summer evening mixed with the lingering smell of carnival food and a bonfire in the air; the peppy innocent country square dance music and hokey pokey intermixed with a little cha cha slide and electric slide; a distant sound of crickets when you stepped away from the tent into the darkness; the light from the Scout’s fire across the field; and of course the smiles and laughter ~ yours, mine, Lao Lao’s, and all of these strangers that somehow felt like friends that night. Before leaving, we watched a flag retirement ceremony by the Scouts, and then washed our feet in the bathroom sink before climbing into the car. If the amount of grass and dirt on a child’s feet at the end of the day is any indication of how much fun he or she has had, then I would say you had an absolutely fantastic night! (If only I would have gotten a picture of those feet - wowee!!)

face paint

race car!

helping with dinner



eating your Scout burrito - yumm!

Uncle Forge's tent

ahhh...barefoot in the grass

some kind of game you made up...touch home plate, give high five, then get a bunch of points

your turn!

trying to keep up but...

we had completely lost the rhythm by now...however we were laughing hysterically

skipping along to the music

having an absolute blast!

On the way home, I made sure to tell you how lucky I am to be your mom ~ SO LUCKY.

Sunday brought more family fun with another picnic (gotta love summer) at the local campgrounds where your great grandparents, Bob and Marilyn (Memaw Lisa’s mom and dad) are staying while up from Florida. Their camper is parked nearly a stone’s throw away from Alum Creek lake, so we hung out by the water for quite a while, with you begging to take your shoes off and get in (you just love to get good and dirty, even picking up a tiny little dead fish at one point ~ yuck!) You really took well to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa McAfee too. It was awesome to watch! You have only met them maybe once in the past (probably over a year ago) since they live so far away, but you warmed up enough by the end of the night to begin teasing Great Gpa Bob and go for a walk with Great Gma Marilyn. We were excited to spend time with Ggma and Uncle Johnny, as well as Uncle Brent and Aunt Denise, too! We ate dinner and visited, staying until well after dark, so hard to say our goodbyes after having such a fun night with everyone.

with the Great Grandparents

Daddy and Uncle Johnny

Uncle Brent and Aunt Denise



with the McAfee/Harts



taking a walk to the lake

Ggma watching you and Wai Gong begin to explore the shore

Ggma and I having a chat

throwing rocks with Wai Gong and Uncle Blaize

watching you guys throw those rocks

Daddy getting a lollipop kiss

I love this girl!

writing your name in the sand

now your turn to practice

teasing Ggpa McAfee

talking to Ggma McAfee



Daddy and I



being teased by Wai Gong

paying him back with the help of Blaize

I have no idea...but you thought it was fun

snuggling with Memaw Lisa once it got dark

So, as summer is beginning to dwindle down, I have noticed that family has been quite the theme for our weekends. And let me just say, I LOVE this. I think it has special significance for me, touches me in a way that it may not affect someone else, because I did not have quite so much family as I was growing up. For whatever reasons, relationships between my extended family members were strained at various points of my childhood. I never had many of these regular or intimate types of interactions with family, at least not with the variety of family members that you have. While I never realized I was missing anything…now that I see how much you enjoy all of these loving relationships in your life, it does complete a part of me that I did not fully realize was empty. I wouldn’t say I necessarily regret any part of my own childhood (after all, it made me into the person I am today), but it does mean so much more to see you growing up with so much love, support, and encouragement surrounding you. It is truly spectacular in a way that I can’t quite describe yet. Perhaps I will have the words for it someday. For now, I’ll just enjoy the ride with you.

Love,
Mama