A Wedding, a Dash, and Family Day Pics Round 3

Maliana ~

First day of the week brought our first official harvest of sugar snap peas. Love that you are so excited about vegetables!!

Then Daddy took you on a date to ride your bike around at Safety Town, out for frozen yogurt, and to demo some golf clubs which you were so stoked to tell me about when you got home. Daddy was pretty stoked to finally get a golf club in your hand too!

south paw?

So, as a side note, have I told you how cool it is to watch you begin to “get” the more subtle jokes in movies now? Or how fun it is to see you whip up a crayoned family portrait in no time flat? Or how you are getting old enough now to get into playing games together, making silly jokes and bantering back and forth across the table during Go Fish, Bingo, or putting puzzles together? Or even how slap happy you get telling stories or laughing at farts in bed as I'm trying to get you to settle down? Anyway, just a few of the cool things I had to mention about your getting older. As hard as it can be sometimes to watch the march of time, there are always up sides too.

Moving along, you had your first big overnight and out of town adventure this week. Lao Lao took you with her to Chillicothe so you could be a part of a Boy Scout campout event with Uncle Forge’s troop. You listened to Heywood Banks songs all the way down, made sure to spell your name for Lao Lao at the camp office check-in (supportively saying “Gooood!” as she printed each letter), got a personal tour of camp by one of the scouts (with you taking particular interest in their outdoor toilets-ewww), took your own tray through their dining hall for dinner (feeling big and swaggering as you told them where to put the gravy, etc), hang out with the scouts, learn how to tie all kinds of rope knots, climb on some structures they built, attend a bonfire, watch a bunch of silly skits, and of course have lots of fun with Lao Lao on your first girls’ trip away from home sans Mom. While I was nervous about you being so far away from home without me, I knew you were in good hands with Lao Lao. After all, she kept three of us kids alive, right? Anyway, while I bit my nails, I don’t think even an inkling of anxiety ever crossed your mind. You were SO excited. Lao Lao said the scouts really took you under their wing and enjoyed having you there and vice versa. You loved every minute of it. You didn’t get back to the hotel until 11:30pm, and to bed well after midnight. By the time you got home the next day I was expecting you to be exhausted, but you were still going strong. However, I can’t say the same for Lao Lao. Where you get your energy, I will never know.

the infamous Ski

learning to tie knots

with Papaw Rick

rocking out to Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger"

Friday the 13th lived up to expectations and brought with it a strange occurrence...an impromptu "wedding" imagined up and requested by you after school. I about fell over when you said, "I wanna get married" and proceeded to put on your frilliest dress, heels, make me create a bouquet for you out of a week old vase of flowers on the kitchen table, put a flower in your hair, and even wore your mood ring. It was hysterical (and so out of character for you), but what's even more hysterical is that you played along with me as your wedding day photographer. You also told me again that you wanted to marry me and when I asked why, you said, "Because you're my friend." Too sweet. I commented that you are wise because it is definitely always a good idea to marry your best friend. Hopefully you'll remember that when you are older. When you're young, it unfortunately can be all about the outside appearance, and more often than not that has NOTHING to do with how beautiful a person is on the inside or who they are as a whole person. And another truth of it is that the most gorgeous person in the world's looks will inevitably fade as they get older, their strength will dwindle, and they won't physically appear as the same person you met or married anymore. And vice versa for you to them too. That's a fact. But the good news is that if you can find someone who is beautiful on the inside, who knows how to make you laugh, who brings out your best and loves all of you (including and especially the imperfections), if you can find someone with whom you can continue to have good conversations with as the years go by, then that's a true keeper.

Romey let us borrow his skateboard
for an action shot in your "married dress"

you insisted on getting into this
little archway

what a poser!

getting ready to throw the bouquet perhaps?

"how YOU doin'?"
giving Braycen a sniff of your bouquet

All of this talk of relationship brings to mind a movie...Good Will Hunting. A classic in my opinion. Two scenes in particular stick out in my mind. Both include Robin Williams and Matt Damons' characters in conversation, the first outside by a pond and the second during a therapy session, both addressing in different ways the challenges of overcoming fears of intimacy. They are terrific scenes. In fact, the whole movie is fabulous. If you haven't seen this movie already, pick it up and watch it. You just might like it. It has been and probably will remain one of my favorites.

But I digress...back to the week.

So, just after sunrise on Saturday morning we woke up and hauled our butts downtown for a wonderful cause, the 5K Dash for Donation, to remember your Uncle Dustin and think about all of the other people whose lives have been changed by organ donation. You were amazingly perky for that early in the morning and did great for the entire walk. It was pretty moving to see that sea of green shirts walking and running through downtown.

getting ready for the Mascot Dash where you made me
carry you the whole way...

but you got a medal anyway!

silliness on the race route

while we walked, Aunt Lindsey ran this one...yay Lindsey!

rain or shine...we wouldn't miss this!

Immediately following the dash, we headed to meet your Fu Group at the Powell Splash Pad and playground. It was nice to see all of these families and in spite of being pretty exhausted, you rallied for a wild time at the park, as well as lunch and Graeter's ice cream with friends later.

Mia, you, and Delaney

you were so proud of yourself for being
able to run through the big sprinkler

goofballs

a little baby Freddy love

the Friend family; Joshua, Ting, Todd, Bo Bo, and Jane

the Neuhausels; Fred, Freddy, Michelle, and your bud Mia

little Freddy was thinking of going in for a kiss here...

and you were quite smitten with him too

high five goodbyes!

And finally Sunday we spent our time with the perfect mixture of chores and relaxing. I was able to sneak out early and take the dog for a run, and then came back where we gently started the rest of our day by lounging around the house until we headed off to get our third annual Family Day pictures taken. I can't believe we're on round 3 of these already! What made it all the more appropriate was your rendition of "Family" by Lori Berkner to serenade us on the way there. So cute!

sneak peak at your Family Day picture outfit

The rest of the day was spent doing crafts (construction paper, scissors, and glue are as magical as fairy dust to a 4 year old), a few more chores, and taking a nice long nap. It's been what seems like forever since we had a Sunday like this. We may not have been the busiest of families today, but the slower pace and fewer demands allowed us to better enjoy even the most mundane of tasks together. Our little clan of Wilkinsons makes a pretty good team if I do say so myself.

Love,

Mama