Tragic Endings, Happy Beginnings, and Savoring the Present

Maliana ~

We began the week with a very important job, picking the special cookies we made the day before to be left for Santa on Christmas eve. You took this job very seriously, even making a list and carefully selecting each one for the man in red. We then placed these cookies in a bag and put them in the freezer so they would be nice and fresh for his big night.

choosing Santa's cookies is VERY serious business

Audrey also came to visit, after her last final (yay!), and hung out with us for quite a while. You were so wired by the time she left...we could definitely tell you'd had a fun time. You taught her how to break dance, we all played one of our rousing games of hide and seek, a little bit of the Littlest Pet Shop thrown in, and of course bath time (of which Audrey is a highly decorated veteran 'bath giver' at our house). During bathtime you surprised us all by joining your very own version of the Polar Bear Club by requesting (and then reveling) in freezing cold bath water. It started as what Audrey and I thought would be a joke as you wanted me to rinse your hair with cold water. I wanted to let you go through with it (to see what it felt like), but Audrey and I just thought you'd freak out and it would be the end of it. However, once the water was dumped, you squirmed and squealed as we expected, then laughed your butt off...and requested more. We cracked up too, thoroughly convinced you were completely nuts. You loved it! Such a goofball.

you kept clapping and spraying bubbles
all over your face

Despite the rather chilly bath, you refused to put any clothes on for quite some time afterwards. We played Go Fish for a bit and then it was time to get serious about bedtime. We said goodbye to Audrey, finally got you in some warm jammies, and then hunkered down by the Christmas tree to read the "Elf on the Shelf" in an attempt to conjure our beloved "Santa Claus Jr" for the season. I actually was going to suggest we read it by the Christmas tree anyway, to make an extra special kickoff to our time with the elf, however you beat me to it. I guess great minds think alike.

naked Go Fish

waving goodbye to Audrey Ayi from the window

Santa Claus Jr. appeared on Tuesday morning and you were so excited to see him, (asking Daddy a million questions about how he got here)! I love doing Elf on the Shelf as it adds just another little piece of magic to the season.

keeping a nice safe distance from the elf so you
don't touch him and take away his magic

After school we put together our cards, colored picture, cookies, and gift cards together for our mailman Will, and presented them to him on Wednesday. He LOVED the gift and you were using your silly voice when we talked to him, so I could tell you got a kick out of giving him his surprise too.

very pretty picture for Will

After talking to Will, we hopped in the car and drove to Hoover so you could ride your bike across the top of the dam and Abby could enjoy the sunshine. As I ran in and gathered Abby's leash and some gloves, I could hear you on the driveway, thoroughly enjoying your discovery of busting chunks of ice on the blacktop. It really is cathartic after a tough day and over and over I heard, crash!, then "Aww, yeah!!! Awesome!" Ha. It was pretty funny.

it was pretty cold but that didn't stop you from riding close to a mile!

Thursday you had dinner with Memaw, Papaw, and Daddy while I enjoyed a couple hours to myself. Ahhh...I love ya kid but there is nothing like a little peace and quiet to myself too.

I took some Nyquil on Thursday night due to a cold and hence, was late to work on Friday. However, it gave me a chance to wake up with you, fix you eggs and sausage for breakfast, and take you to school (also picking you up, about which you were very excited). The only part I flubbed on was not making silly faces as I scraped the ice from my car windows while you waited in the backseat. You yelled at me, "Hey! You didn't make funny faces!" and I surmised that evidently, this is what Daddy does each morning with you and you love it...and I love that you guys have this "thing" that is so special for you that when it's missing, you notice. A small but very cool thing.

Aside from the great beginning, Friday was a bit surreal as the day wore on. Sadly, the largest school shooting our country has ever seen occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. As the news unfolded, all I wanted to do was get home and hug you, then never let you go. It sickened me as the devastation of it all sunk in. Even President Obama got choked up during a press conference about the incident. It's every parents' worst nightmare. Terrifying.

As hard as such a senseless act of violence can be to understand or process...I feel the need to put this beloved quote from a beloved childhood icon of mine in your blog as well.
"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world." -- Mister Rogers
So just remember, for every evil person in the world, there are many, many more good people. Always look for the good people, the heroes Mali, always. And if you don't immediately see any heroes, remember this quote... "Go. Be. Love. The world needs you."

After I picked you up, hugging you VERY tightly the minute I saw you, we headed to the store and picked up homemade pizza fixings and a Christmas movie then hunkered inside for the night, just our cozy little family, soaking in every minute we are fortunate enough to have together. With all of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, how distracting and demanding it all can be, it felt so important to slow down, take a moment and step back, and really truly appreciate each other and all that we have together. There are no guarantees in life, which is why none of us should take a single minute for granted. Even the most simple of moments are precious. Just before you went to sleep that night, I watched you smiling and laughing just before drifting off to dreamland and was overcome with how sweet and innocent and beautiful your smile is. Twenty other moms in Connecticut cannot do the same thing ever again, and my heart is breaking for them. I can't even imagine what they are going through. Which is why I will never forget...I must be the luckiest mom on Earth. I hope you know how much I love you.

Saturday morning Daddy took the reins and let me sleep in a bit (since I've been sick) and took you with him to get his hair cut and then to breakfast and shopping. While you guys were out, "Santa" got to wrap all of your presents (whew!) and you had a ton of fun going to town in the music store, rocking it out on the drums!


Saturday night we headed to the zoo for the Wild Lights with Daddy, Lao Lao, Amy, and Chloe. Aside from my accidentally taking a dose of Nyquil (instead of Dayquil) and being in a fog most of the night, it was really fun and always beautiful to see all of the millions of gorgeous lights through the zoo.

decorating cookies in Mrs. Claus's kitchen with Chloe

in front of the pond

you were CrAzY!

Sunday was a day that was a long time in the making...Audrey finally graduated from OSU!! We were so excited to attend her commencement ceremony and then celebrate with some yummy German bratwurst and beer afterwards. Jack Hanna (our beloved zoo director emeritus) was the speaker and he even brought some animals with him (a first for OSU I think!)

over 2000 graduates!

it was hard to find Audrey in all of those black
gowns but we finally did!

a cheetah!

Audrey Ayi getting her picture taken just before
getting her diploma

yay!!

the Wideman family

so proud of you Audrey!

Couldn't think of a better, more uplifting finish to a rather tumultuous week for our country, than watching a dear friend embark on the next exciting chapter of her life. And to think, someday you can march at your very own commencement ceremony as well. I wonder what you will be when you grow up...

Love you more than life itself kiddo.

Love,
Mama