Roller-Skates and Autumn Moons

Maliana ~

One of our first family fun night fundraisers for your school happened this week. We attended a skating party and it was the first time you ever roller-skated and the first time Daddy and I have skated in years! It was so much fun to watch you branching out, wanting to skate off with a friend or two briefly, like a little bird testing her wings and leaving the nest for a quick flight, then returning after a few minutes to the safety of her mom and dad. I got a glimpse of you growing up and moving on. It was bittersweet...but mostly sweet. I am so happy for you and all that lies ahead.

ready to roll!

these skate-mates are awesome!

I'm happy to say that I only wiped out once!

We also celebrated Mid Autumn Moon this week on a few different occasions. On the 19th, the actual beginning of the festival, it fell on a week night so we were a little pressed for time. We ended up having a small celebration, eating moon cakes and admiring the big, full, harvest moon as a family before bedtime.

On Saturday we attended a larger Autumn Moon celebration with some new friends that we met at a picnic we attended this summer through the Cleft Lip and Palate Support Group at Nationwide Children's. The Wallers had us over to their house where many of their other friends also gathered and we ate a lot of really good food, enjoyed all of their red and gold decorations (including lanterns strung from tree to tree and all around their patio), decorated lantern cookies, and even marched in a lantern parade where Daddy got to help out by being the "bootie" of the lion. It was so much fun and so nice to meet and get to know new people! They really did it up and we felt so fortunate to find ourselves in their company. While you were shy at first, you thankfully have a very silly Daddy who isn't afraid to do anything for a laugh. Once he pulled out his "magic marble" trick, it was 'game over' on your shyness. We just love our daddy!

the magic marble...ultimate ice breaker

the lion arrives!

you weren't so sure...wanting me to hold your
hand and march along with you

warming up a little bit to the lion

love your little face here

Daddy did great as the lion's bootie, ha! of course,
you were so concerned about his back hurting
from having to walk bent over for so long...
you are so sweet.

decorating lantern cookies

This week we also found ourselves at a bridal shop with our cousin Allie who just got engaged to Blake recently. (Yay!) You were so patient while we were there and as I sat there watching Allie try on dress after dress, I couldn't help but realize what a beautiful bride she is going to make and how much she looks just like her mother, Aunt Lori. When we got home, I was overwhelmed with a mixture of joy and grief. I just kept thinking that Lori should be here for this, for all of this. She would have loved it so. It is just not fair. I stood there in the kitchen and cried, unable to speak for a bit. I guess when you lose people in life that you love, the grief train will come and smack you down when you least expect it. It's all about riding the waves, I suppose.

this is the photo where Allie reminds me so much of
her mama...I'd like to think that Lori was right there with
us that day, even if we couldn't see her.

We had a couple family movie nights this week as well. Lao Lao came over for one of them where we watched Goonies and ate junk food! You were so excited to see Lao Lao, and Daddy and I are so excited that you are finally getting into a new genre of movies now. The Goonies is nearly 30 years old and still as funny as ever. A classic in our book.

The rest of our weekend we took it easy. We cleaned, we played, we cooked, and as I wrote this blog, I reminisced about our week together. Here are just a few more snippets of our life this week...

I adore this silly grin right here

your school sends me pictures of you each day and I just
love seeing what you're up to throughout the day.

evidently, your teachers had you order yourselves
by size...I wonder if you will always be on
the shorter end...my lil peanut!

"reading" me a story just like your
teacher does at school

helping me vacuum...you were so excited

still not as tall as the vacuum cleaner, ha!

I love having help in the kitchen!

And finally, you rounded out the weekend playing with your buddy, Juan from up the street. Here's a picture of the two of you after he helped you get buckled in the car before we went out for the evening.

It's nice that you have friends and I love to hear your laughter as you're playing and to watch you navigating relationships, really growing up. Like I said before, it's bittersweet...but mostly sweet.

Love,
Mama

Break Out the Overalls and Hoodies...It's Finally Feeling Like Fall!

Maliana ~

Monday was a rough day (they usually are after fun weekends). You were so wiped out that you climbed into my lap (as I sat at the kitchen table) and actually fell asleep. I love it when you sleep on me and the shot below is one of the most adorable pictures I have taken of you lately, in my opinion.

Even though you fell asleep early that night, it was not before you surprised me with a beautiful family portrait you'd drawn at school. I love that your new "thing" when drawing yourself with family is making us all hold hands.

Abby's on the grass, there's a pond, a huge sun, blue sky,
but evidently this was pre-Pipsqueak??

Tuesday was your ortho follow up and voila!! Officially no more boot! Yay! On the way to school you said, "Miss Jessica and Mrs. Fitzpatrick are going to freak out!" Ha.

That night the neighbor kids came over and you all played together so well. It is so sweet to hear you all chattering away and encouraging each other (e.g. at one point you were having trouble opening a Play Doh container and Brooklyn said to you, "You're my best friend. You can do it!") It was even sweet to catch you all getting into mischief together as I walked into the kitchen and spotted this:

3 little monkeys up on the counter eating all my apples

Here's a little conversation that made me chuckle on an otherwise very somber day. It was the 12th anniversary of 9/11 this week ~ I'm sure you will learn about this tragic day in American history as you get older. I wouldn't be surprised if the teachers formally address it next year in first grade, but for now I just want to protect you from even knowing about these atrocities and the evil that lurks in the world. You are only young and innocent once, after all. Anyway...with that being said, this little tidbit definitely brightened my day:
~ conversation in the car tonight ~
Mali: "Mom, you want me to show you how to make thunder?"
Me: "Sure."
Mali: "Ok, the hot air and the cold air make an effect in the cloud. Just like karate. It goes BOOM! But they're just playing."
Me: "Oh! I didn't know that. Where did you learn that?"
Mali: "Mom...(said with a side smirk, raised eyebrows, and a shrug)...When you're in kindergarten, you just gotta know stuff."

The next day I picked you up from daycare and the first thing out of your mouth (after surprising me with a huge hug which felt so good since it doesn't always happen at pick up) was telling me that your friend Haley (who goes to daycare as well as kindergarten with you) had a REALLY good day today. Evidently she had listened to the teacher, behaved really well and didn't get in trouble in class for the first time ever today. Your teachers at daycare told me that that was also the first thing you had announced to them upon hopping on the school bus and coming in the classroom after school. I just love that you are rejoicing in a friend's success. Makes my heart very warm.

By the time the weekend rolled around, we were so ready. We kicked it off with a quick surprise trip to the zoo. I wouldn't tell you where we were going at all but you figured it out once we got to Sawmill Rd. Smart cookie. After the steamy heat wave that had rolled through town, the crisp, cool weather rounding out the week felt refreshing. The animals were up and active, giddy almost. It was perfect. We even got some love reciprocated in the petting zoo (where the animals are usually pretty blasé about being fawned over). About 3 goats enjoyed our grooming so much they kept putting their little hooves on my leg when we would stop. It was hilariously sweet.

After arriving home and adding the latest photo booth picture to our collection...it dawned on me that our family just might have a photo booth addiction. What do you think?

Lao Lao commented that at this point, it might have
been more cost effective to have just bought
our own photo booth for home ~ ha!

We also finally convinced you to go to another movie in the theater that night. You generally hate how loud the sound gets, but you braved it once more for Planes and we are so glad you did because it was a super movie! We had to sit in the front because we got there late since Daddy had to work a little longer but it all worked out because we felt like we were actually in the movie. So cool! We hit Fuzziwig's for candy afterwards (much cheaper than movie theater prices) and strolled through Easton on this brisk, fall evening. It was a really nice, impromptu family date night!

We tried out a new KCAP (Kids' Chinese Arts Program) class this weekend too, Pre-K/K mandarin. It is with a teacher that you have had before and she is really good with the kids, so we officially signed you up again. Exposing you to the Chinese language is something I don't want to regret not having done when you're older. We'll see how this goes but since you are more accustomed to being in school now, your ability to focus and absorb what you need to during this bi-weekly class should be just about right.

We spent some more good family time this weekend just doing some simple things. You took Daddy and I over to your playground behind the elementary school where we played on the kindergarten and then the big kids' playgrounds. We realized that our little family is very serious when it comes to playing 'monster'...in fact, it turned into full contact 'monster' and we even sustained some injuries. Ouchie! Daddy and I both agreed that it was so much fun to stop and take the time to play and just 'fart around' together. You ran from jungle gym to jungle gym and through the "forest" (as you call it) behind your playground, so excited to show Daddy all of the new stuff you can do now (e.g. swinging all on your own super duper! (as you like to say) high, climbing on the monkey bars and going almost upside down, etc). It was so cute.

a little lesson in static electricity and slides ~ look at your hair!

Since the grocery store was right by the school, we stopped to shop. Since you were not at all happy about this, Daddy decided to make a game out of it and bribed you to cooperate by agreeing to go on a mission to sneak around and secretly spy on me while I picked out our groceries. You both took this mission very seriously and needless to say, the looks on other shoppers' faces was hilarious. They seemed at first confused (probably thinking that Kroger was under attack) and then amused when they figured out what was going on. I love that Daddy is such a good sport, isn't afraid to look like a fool (one of the many reasons I married him), and knows how to make the most mundane tasks fun!

what I saw during most of our shopping trip

Spent a much needed evening with Uncle Joe and Aunt Tina (Sam and Erin) this weekend too, eating delicious Italian cuisine inspired by their recent trip to Italy. It was an amazing meal (as usual, they both ROCK when it comes to cooking) and always a nice time spent with this crew. We feel so fortunate to have this family in our lives.

you and E in the fort you built

I love to see you so comfy with everyone...and it looks like
Alice the dog is pretty comfy too...she must have
had an itch on her "unmentionables" ~ nice.

The weather continued to be awesome all weekend and so we enjoyed some more of it with a walk on our trail and time at the playground with Lao Lao on Sunday. I love the new 'hide and seek' phase that you are in...it's so much fun!

showing Lao Lao how you can pump the swing yourself

counting while playing hide and seek

you were in charge of Abby the entire
way home from the playground

love this...you were so proud of being able to
walk Abby home, just like Lao Lao
was walking Iroh

taking a breather at the top of the hill

Sunday evening we had Marky over for a birthday dinner. Always good to spend time with family and I think he enjoyed our birthday decorations and special gigantic birthday cookie *almost* as much as you! And somehow...some way...I'm sure Aunt Lori was celebrating with us as well. I just know it.

goofballs

out of all the costumes you could have chosen, we
came home with a Ghostbuster costume.
super cute...even when being
photo-bombed!

Love you, girl.
Mama

Apples and Honey

Maliana ~

A short week. Started Tuesday with Uncle Flint coming over to chat with me while Daddy took you to CPK and KDB for a fun date. So glad I got to spend some time with my little bro and that you got to spend some quality time with Daddy. Good bonding for us both.

Daddy dates are the best!

silly Uncle Flint

Before we went on our respective ways that night, you had "read" me a book you'd been working on at school. You put it together and colored it yourself. So proud of it. Since the night was not the norm for any of us, I wanted to make sure you knew how much I enjoyed your book, so I left you this note taped to your backpack on Wednesday morning. Daddy called to tell me that after he read it to you, you wanted to keep it taped on your backpack all day. It literally made me tear up right there at work.

Another 'proud mom' moment on Thursday when I received these updates in your folder at school. 

your teacher wrote: "Mali always has great ideas about how to be a
good friend. She always sets a great example too!"

during races for your classmates, it reads...
"she cheered on her friends"

I love that you are not only a smart kid, but are growing up to be very emotionally intelligent as well. The older I get, the more I realize how much more important that type of intelligence can be versus simply being 'a brain'. The wisdom of the heart is truly priceless. 

Friday finally arrived and we had our usual morning together (which I always look forward to each week). You were pretty giddy and I love your choice of outfit for the day...very colorful and cheery!

plaid dress, rainbow leggings, and green Converse

And since it's September and autumn is just around the corner, it's getting pretty chilly in the mornings. Luckily, you had your new school sweatshirt to not only keep you warmer but show a little school spirit on Friday! Go Pioneers!

Saturday morning we met some friends at Lynd's to go apple picking. We originally met this family through the cleft lip and palate support group that we belong to and it was so nice to see them again outside of the usual cleft group events. Lynd's was amazingly crowded (everyone and their brother must have had the same idea), but we finally got in, found an orchard and picked TEN pounds of apples...plus, you kids all got along so well together. It was a great way to kick off our Saturday!

Joseph, Angel, Skye, and you

what is it about kids and big hills?? you love them!

you and Skye got caught on the spiderweb

After apple picking we met your cousins, Aunt Beth, Uncle Kevin, and Memaw and Papaw at the Lithopolis Honey Fest. Afterwards we went out to their house for a visit and then you actually agreed to spend the night. First time ever with anyone other than grandparents! Daddy and I were so surprised that you actually let us leave and that we didn't get any "Can you please come and get me? I need you!" calls that night. Our baby girl really is growing up!

watching the demonstration of a man get a 'bee beard'

ta dah! bee beard!

waiting for your burrito at the taco truck

hiding from Mommy aka Aunt Tee

some of Uncle Kevin's chickens, rooster, and cat

Sunday was a much needed 'lazy-ish' day. I got some housecleaning done before you came home from your (super fun!) sleepover with the cousins...then we spent the day hanging out, being silly, watching movies together in bed, holding World Championship Bathtub Swimming competitions, and baking! We used up at least half of our apples making apple pie bites and apple crisp. You were so happy to help and even made me this note all on your own...I love it.

baking apple pie bites...yeah, this is how we roll at our house.
#pleasedon'tcallthehealthdept, ha.

Love,
Mama