Mama's Memories for M: Traditions

Maliana ~

So, I prepped you the entire way to speech…and it worked!! You were so cooperative, probably the best session you’ve had in a long time. Yay! Your good mood carried over afterwards too, giving me a private concert on an elevated sewer lid in the parking lot. You alternated between being Mudslide Crush and Justin Bieber. It was quite impressive!

my rock star

Then on the way home we stopped at Once Upon a Child, where you found a helmet and bike and pretended to be “Officer Mali”, directing patron traffic through the store.

Officer Mali

We made it home where you helped me make omelets and then we looked at the Facebook pictures of our trip to China (upon your request). I can tell you’re really trying to piece things together more. There was no whining at all, ALL night long. It was so nice! I can tell you must be feeling much better than you have been the past few weeks.

I was (really) late leaving for work on Tuesday, so I helped get you dressed while Daddy was in the shower. We decided you’d wear your purple patent leather hiking boots we’d bought the night before and you strutted into school like you owned the joint, showing off your new kicks to your teachers. I showed up to pick you up that day just as you were going outside, so I hung out chatting with your teachers while you played with your friends for a while. I got to see you being so helpful before going outside, making an extra effort (all on your own) to pick up toys in your classroom and then running to get your teacher when one of your friends got hurt in a tussle with another classmate. It adds extra time onto my routine of the day to hang around while you play outside at school, but I love getting to observe how you truly are at school. I can honestly say I’ve never been disappointed.

When we finally got home, you and I made some snowmen out of felt, then you helped Daddy make dinner for us all. All in all, a great day.

working hard

Ta Dah!

Daddy's little helper, in charge of the garlic bread

You and Daddy had also gone out recently to pick up some things, including my Christmas present from Daddy. On the way home later in the week, you let it slip what Daddy had gotten me, however I cracked up when you quickly added, “You never never asked me though. Ok, Mom?” Ha.

Also lately, your questions have become more in-depth, and not as easily appeased with simple answers. For instance, you saw Daddy’s wedding ring this week, and began asking him why he wore it. When he told you that it was because he married me, you asked “Why?” and he said it was because he loved me. Then you asked if you would ever get married too and Daddy said that you could if you wanted to someday, to which you then wanted to know, “How?” Endless streams of questions, with not so simple answers as you are getting older. It’s remarkable to watch your brain develop and work in whole new ways with each passing week. We love it!

You also were watching old videos this week, from when you were first home and before your cleft lip was repaired. (On a side note, I was so surprised to see how tiny you were! You sure didn’t seem so small back then, but looking back I realize you were very much like an infant. You’ve grown so much since then!) Anyway, you asked a lot of questions and we talked about your surgeries, etc, and then out of the blue you told me that you wanted your cleft lip again. I have no idea why, and you couldn’t really answer my questions about that for you. But regardless, I’m so glad to see that you love that first smile of yours, because we sure fell in love with it (and you) from the first moment too!

As for our resident elf during the Christmas season, Santa Claus Jr., I am happy to report that you are completely and utterly into this game. You search for him every morning, and once when he fell from his perch on top of a pineapple, you spread your arms very wide and looked at us all saying, “Don’t touch him!” (since according to the book, he’ll lose his magic if anyone touches him). We had to use tongs to pick him up and place him back in his spot. You are also starting to spot elves in other places as well. While shopping the other night, you saw a statue of a little boy in a gown singing Christmas carols, and quickly said, “Mom, go back! I think I saw something!” When I pulled our shopping cart back a few paces, you pointed to him and whispered incredulously to me, “Look, an elf!” It’s really cute. I just hope we’re not implanting a paranoia in you where you think that little elves are spying on you everywhere. Ha ha.

Lao Lao picked you up and hung out with you one night while I went to a late Christmas lunch for work. When we came home, we brought with us a gift from you and Lao Lao. Lao Lao has started a tradition where she makes a couple of ornaments every year, one is an engraved frame with a picture of our family in front of our Christmas tree, and the other is a recordable gift-shaped ornament. She places a picture of you in the front of this one, and then you both work on recording a message to Daddy and I. This year you were very excited to give us this ornament. So excited, in fact, that you insisted on unwrapping it for us, then in your haste to show us how it worked, flipped the ‘record’ button on and deleted the message that was on it. (Grrr.) Daddy and I had you rerecord ‘Merry Christmas!’ and the ornament was good as new. In spite of this tiny fiasco, you had a ball with the ornament…we look forward to these gifts from Lao Lao on our tree each year.

what could it be?!?

Ha Ha Ha! Such a fun ornament!

During the entire Christmas season, it’s fun to stroll by the tree and peruse the previous years’ ornaments, pictures, and crafts. I can’t believe that this is our 3^rd Christmas with you. I can only imagine how marvelous our tree will look in the years to come ~ filled with memories!

It’s hard to believe that this is the last weekend before Christmas. We kicked it off with Daddy’s work Christmas party. You fell asleep shortly before I had to start getting you ready to go, so there was a bit of a struggle between us in getting you dressed. The concession that was made was my letting you wear hot pink Crocs with your Christmas outfit. But hey, you still looked adorable!

I think you were explaining how Santa gets in your house
to a co-worker of Daddy's, Leslie

who says hot pink Crocs aren't Christmas-y?

I want this one!

I'm sure the staff at Hoggy's appreciated your hide and seek game in their cupboards

You went to the gym with Daddy on Saturday morning, and rather than playing much with the toys they have there, you pulled up a seat and watched them work out. Then, you insisted on getting in on the action and went to work in their Kids’ Fit section, trying to copy everything that they had done in Daddy’s workout. I came home from running after you guys were home, and you had the biggest swagger. You told me all about the workout, flexing your biceps ever so subtly as you did so, and then telling me, “You gotta go to Daddy’s gym…it’s so so cool!”

loving the rings at the gym

We had dinner at Olive Garden that night, where you insisted on signing the bill. Too cute. If only you had really treated. Ha ha.

After dinner we headed to Wai Gong and Memaw Lisa’s for another tradition, our annual Christmas movie night with them. In spite of Wai Gong’s recent shoulder surgery, he still managed to create a winter wonderland of lights for you. We even got lucky enough to have our first light dusting of snow for the season, to add a finishing touch. It was all worth it when we pulled up and you saw everything, exclaiming, “Holy Shit!” After chuckling, I said, “What did you just say?” to which you corrected yourself with, “Holy….uh…Crap!” (Hmm…not great, but a little better. Ha ha).

inspecting all the lights...and eating a little snow from
these miniature trees too (ugh, as long as it's not yellow!)

You presented them with the tree topper that we had put together for them, upon Wai Gong’s request. We used your own hand prints, glued together with fingers facing out, into a fanned out circle that resembled a star, then a picture of you with Santa in the middle, and lights strung through your fingers (the arms of the star). It was a huge hit and you were so proud of it!

the unveiling

love

Uncle Blaize

topping the tree

so proud of our tree topper

We watched Polar Express and Wai Gong lit a huge firework (like Wai Gong loves to do) out back for all of us. We all camped out under the Christmas tree, in front of a nice warm fire, to sleep for the night.

waiting by the window for Wai Gong's firework

Abby sleeping with you by the fire

cozy kiddo

now it's Reuben's turn to snuggle with you

In the morning, we woke up and had breakfast, then made a gingerbread house together. Wai Gong had also snuck outside to make a snow angel on their patio table for you. He does that every time we spend the night too, although we never actually see him do it. Just a little something, but pretty cool.

your elf Santa Claus Jr. found you, even at Wai Gong's!

being silly with Memaw Lisa

watching old videos of yourself with Wai Gong

hee hee hee

Wai Gong's snow angel

beginning construction of the gingerbread house

advising Wai Gong

decorating the roof

finishing touches

adding a door

sneaking some candy

concentration

the progression ~ number 1 of 3

the progression ~ number 2 of 3

the progression ~ number 3 of 3

You were so tired when we finally got home, that you took over a three hour nap! We were going to go to another Christmas party on Sunday night, but the fatigue set us back quite a bit. We decided to stay in and relax, preparing for the week ahead. I came across these little red and white fuzzy jingle bell anklets and collar that Abby used to wear. I tried them on her and to say she was less than thrilled would be an understatement. Poor dog would hardly move. But you sure loved them! We were getting you ready for bed, and while you were changing and still pants-less, you were dancing around with the anklets and collar on. It was a hoot. While the picture I took of those shenanigans is clearly the funniest, I’ll put up a cleaner version, with training pants on, instead.

so sad about my making her wear her jingle bell anklets and collar

you were much happier to oblige!

And finally, I’ll wrap up this post with some of your gorgeous Christmas pictures. You were a bit less than cooperative during the photo shoot, but they still turned out great.