Personality and Charisma

Maliana ~

As I think back on this week, I realize how much of it was filled with your personality and charisma. You seem to have an endless supply!

To start with, you had an amazing time at hip hop class, bouncing out into the waiting room to me and then producing this video once arriving home...Shake it off, shake it off!! Whoa oh!

Click here for cutest lip sync ever!

I’m so glad that you are having so much fun in your new dance class and I love to see you blossom even further. As you can tell by the video above, the following status on Facebook couldn’t be more true:

I guess we've entered an age where Mali makes me sit in the car at our destination until "her jam" is over.

We also got to put your telescope together this week and you are so stoked to use it. We’re all looking forward to a super clear night to bust it out and explore the heavens above. Daddy showed you the basics of how to get it in focus, how to work all of the knobs, and most importantly how to be really careful with it so it doesn't get broken.

Along with your telescope excitement, it was also school picture day this week! The following conversation had me rolling on the floor and wishing I could have snuck a video camera in the room with you:

Mali: “I’m so excited for picture day tomorrow!”
Me: “Oh yeah? What's your favorite part about school picture day?"
Mali: I get to do my own hair and do some of my moves!”

Ha ha!

The morning of picture day, I stayed and helped you get ready for school. We did your hair and you were thrilled to use nearly every hair product we had in the bathroom. In spite of that, it looked pretty good. Having breakfast with you at the table made me wish that we could do this every morning. Beginning my mornings with you really brightens my whole day.

thumbs up but under protest since the
morning air was so cold ~ brrr

That night, you went to a DeSales soccer game with Daddy and were so unbelievably stoked to get to help out with the ball boys. As you can see, you took the job very seriously and chitter chattered about it once you got home.

patiently waiting for some action

And, as if the night couldn’t get any more fun, you went next door and got to visit with Lalie and two of her friends. They let you hang out with them in her room and even included you in some of their “official teenage business”. By the time you came home, you were on cloud 9.

your arms and legs are like velcro...I think
you're part spider monkey

The weekend brought more fun as you attended Mia’s birthday party at Graeter’s on Saturday.

Mia with her mom and dad, and baby Ming Li

Mia's little brother, Freddy

making your own sundaes

watching the magic trick with dry ice

touching the bubbles

Then I swept you and Daddy away on a surprise family adventure to Young’s Dairy Farm that afternoon. It was more crowded than any of us expected since there was some kind of fall fest going on, but we made the most of it anyway.

surprise secret trip!

feeding the goats

painting pumpkins

pumpkin bowling

yummy homemade ice cream!

leading the way in the corn maze

feeling a little lost

wisely climbing up the staircase to see if you
could see which way we needed to go
to get out of that maze

batter up!

first time in the cage - you got a piece of
two of the balls!

When we got home, we were all pooped out from the day. I went to lay down and take a quick nap but you followed me in and insisted on watching the I-Pad while snuggled up next to me. I could say that it would have been nice to have the bed all to myself for once, but I know that someday I’ll miss these days when you actually want to be around me and snuggle. I’ll choose to be grateful instead. You are such a sweetheart of a kid. When I finally woke up, we still lounged around in bed just taking care of random things (for me, it was bills ~ blech!) while relaxing and watching TV. You stayed up and watched Saturday Night Live with me that night and it was the first show of the season so you were excited about it. I actually used to love that show when I was little too…like mother/like daughter, I suppose.

Since we both stayed up pretty late on Saturday (actually it was until 1am on Sunday!), you were so exhausted that I was able to slide out of bed in the morning without waking you up. Most mornings you pop right up the moment my feet hit the floor. I swear you have some type of “sixth sense mommy radar” that lets you know the precise moment I leave your side in the morning and some sort of “mommy tractor beam” that pulls you to my side no matter where I am in the house. But…I digress…

That morning I was actually able to sneak out for a run, walk the dogs, and even start a cup of coffee before your little frame ambled down the hallway to appear in the kitchen doorway, wrapped from head to toe in your soft owl blanket and topped off with a crazy case of bed head. As I turned to see you appear, I heard “Good morning, Mom” in your sleepy little raspy voice. Turning around to see you like that and hearing your sweet voice softens my heart. I love mornings like that.

The rest of the day went well. You carbed up on two(!) bowls of oatmeal before we headed off to your swimming lesson. I love watching you learning something new and every so often, you sneak peeks at me to make sure that I am watching your every move. The first thing you asked when you got out of the water was, “Mom, did you see me swimming by myself?” Yep, honey. I did.

We went out to grab a quick bite to eat before I took you over to your friend, Kassidy’s house for a play-date. We had a great conversation at lunch and then you had a terrific time at your friend’s house. It’s so nice to see you branching out in your friendships and good for me to meet some more really nice parents.

While the overwhelming portion of our week was great, there was a teeny tiny downside too. Here's how I shared it with Facebook:

~ That damn #toothfairy missed our house two nights in a row. Mali wasn't about to let her slip up a third night. And evidently, she really hopes that the tooth fairy comes to her "hose".

#mommyfail 

your bedtime note reads:
Dear Tooth Fairy,
How old are you? I hope you
come to my hose...
(drawings of tooth fairy on the left and
you sleeping in bed on the right)

While the Tooth Fairy had been a bit of a slacker, she did end up leaving you two gold coins (instead of the normal one coin) to help make up for her oversight. All’s well that ends well, right?

And I bet that Tooth Fairy won’t forget any more of your teeth…it sure could get expensive if she does!

Love,
Mama

See you next week, from our new pet saber tooth tiger!

Rawwwr!!
(you are so proud of your mask made
in first grade art class!)

A Plethora of Positive People

Maliana ~

I think the theme for this week is how blissful it is to have people you love and who love you back in your life. If nothing else, this week has shown how evident it is that you have a plethora of these kinds of people in your life.

Here is the first illustration. Evidently, a kid at daycare has been bugging you again. We talked about it at home, but you wanted to continue talking about it and evidently seek out second opinions, telling me, "Mom, I think I need to talk to Audrey." Luckily, Audrey Ayi was accompanying us to your dance class that night so the whole way home, you both brain-stormed about how to handle various social issues that can arise. I'm so thankful for such a special and loving auntie that you clearly feel so comfortable sharing anything with and to whom you can go to for guidance as you grow up. So blessed.

Here also is a little indicator (as shared on Facebook about that issue with the kid at daycare) that makes me think that you are actually an adult trapped in a kid's body:

...So tonight we talked about what to do and thought about reasons why the kid could be acting up, like maybe there are problems at home or something like that. Mali insisted, "No, Mom. Everything's fine. I asked Morgan." Puzzled about who Morgan is, I asked a few more questions and realized that Mali had actually pulled the little girl's dad (Morgan) aside and gently asked him, "How are things going at home?"

You surprise me on a daily basis, Monkey.

The second angel in our lives that I want to mention is Jo, aka Auntie Yoyo in Colorado. She had also sent some more of her special packages to you this week. As you opened the first one, your voice took on a very specific tone. It's a sweet and tender quality to your voice that you only get when you are feeling very special and loved. The fact that Jo is so thoughtful and kind to you makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. But the truest blessing is that she is an amazing role model for all of us in her generosity, advocacy, sensitivity, sense of humor, zest for life, love for animals and friends, and in her willingness to be vulnerable enough to share her own struggles with all of us to help connect and enlighten those around her. She always seems to share reminders about life at the perfect times when I can really use them. I'm so grateful that all of our paths crossed again.

pirate gear!

Jo's letter to you and all of your loot!

even a telescope! say what?!

learning how to adjust and focus

you insisted on addressing the envelope that
held her thank you note

your thank you note to Jo

insisted on mailing it off all by yourself too

Finally, I want to highlight some of the wonderful teachers in our lives right now. You spontaneously drew a picture for your first grade teacher, Miss Stenger, one evening...

"Stenger is the best tesh (aka teacher) on the whole wide world"

...and the next afternoon you shared with me a song that you had made up about your daycare teacher, Miss Jessica, and told me about how you like to sing it to her on the bus. I absolutely, positively love that you love your teachers so much.

And speaking of teachers and school, I was happy to hear that you have made two new friends at school now. Yay! I knew it was only a matter of time but I was still holding my breath until you finally felt more at home in your new class. You also were very proud of your first pinch pot made in art class, telling me all about the technique, the kiln, and the kinds of things that we can (and cannot) put in your new pot. It was so cute.

pinch pot!

You also began your KCAP classes this Saturday. The Mandarin course for first and second graders placed you in a class with a teacher and many kids that you aren't familiar with just yet. You were a bit unsure at first, however did fine once I snuck out of the room. I knew you were in good hands when your new teacher, Ms. Aina, introduced herself to us all and made a point to tell us that along with teaching the language, she likes to focus first and foremost on being a good person, being kind, and sharing with each other. That made this mama's heart swoon. Once again...blessed with another good teacher.

We were all very tired nearly all day on Saturday, so ended up cutting our outing that night a bit shorter. We did make it down to the Oak Room gallery to see Audrey's art show which also included your artwork as well. I was able to notice things about her paintings that I hadn't picked up on during her reception and you asked some really great questions about the exhibit too. After 'getting our culture on', we walked a few blocks down and ate some Jeni's before heading home to relax for the evening.

in front of your artwork

cool mural outside Jeni's

Sunday you woke up well-rested and the whole day was superb for you. I actually woke up to your grinning face and this conversation:

You: "Mom, I had the funniest dream last night."
Me: "What was it?"
You: "Abby and Suzy were clowns and doing funny tricks."
Me: (knowing that you don't like clowns) "They were funny and not scary clowns?"
You: "Yeah, They didn't have makeup. They just had poofy hair."

I love it when you share your dreams with me.

As you ate breakfast, I went through your backpack to look for homework, I noticed that you are now writing your name in cursive. Almost all of your papers have your name written this way and I have noticed that it's been a building trend for you over the last month or more. I think it's interesting since no one has taught you how to write in cursive and I don't even think they teach it anymore in school. It will be interesting to see what kinds of things we'll see like this from you as we move forward in school.

After breakfast, we went for a family walk in the cool morning air, enjoying the sunshine and the emerging autumn colors in our neighborhood.

It was a very peaceful stroll, jazzed up by your own little dose of pizzazz. Here is your "dog-walking/family stroll" outfit...you crack me up.

Daddy titled this one, "So whatcha whatcha whatcha want?!"

While I had a ton of errands to run on Sunday, you had a fantastic day with Daddy. He took you to swimming lessons where you are getting better and better every week. Daddy also brought his trunks so that you both could swim for a while after the lessons (Daddy rocks!) and then you guys hit Piada for some more yummy noodles (which Daddy said that you "totally pounded").

As I ran errands, I was notified of something Daddy had shared on Facebook and it made me smile.

On the way to swimming lessons. 
Mali - "Hey dad!"
Me - "Yeah?"
Mali - "I can speak three languages!" 
Me - "Oh yeah? What are they?"
Mali - "Sign Language, Chinese and Ohio!"

The rest of the day you spent between our house and Lao Lao's, helping Daddy get Lao Lao even more moved in and settled. By the end of the day, she was nearly all done with only some fine-tuning of her new home left to do. When you finally came home, you were in such a loving and talkative mood. I could tell it had been a terrific day. It just goes to show how important spending time with our loved ones and being helpful to others can be; it can truly work magic in our lives.

Before Lao Lao left for home, you went on a bike ride with her. She had needed some help getting her seat lowered and so naturally, Daddy came out to help her. As you pedaled away, he overheard you say, "See, I have the best dad ever!" ...so along with all of the wonderful other adults in your life; teachers, aunties, and grandparents...last but not least is your dear old dad. Where would we be without "the best dad ever!"?

Love,
Mama

Hip Hop, Autumn Moon, and Moving Day

Maliana ~

You woke up in a fantastic mood on Monday this week...a huge gift after such a long and busy weekend. While you had to go to school that day, Daddy and I took the day off and spent it together doing something fun. Daddy surprised me with Segway tours of downtown Columbus! You're not quite old enough to do it yet but you better believe we'll be bringing you down too as soon as we can.

After school, I took you to your very first hip hop class. You were so excited, a little unnerved and apprehensive once there, but then bravely stayed in class the whole time and learned a step or two. You were so silly and excited to show us all of your dance moves once you got home. It's so cute and I am so hopeful that this will continue to captivate your attention and be a good fit for your personality. You sure seemed to like it that night!

my little Sprocket, ready to hip hop

Since you were so brave and stayed in class without me, I took you across the street to Graeter's after class and we got ice cream together. With all of the recent hub-bub, it's been hard to relax. On this particular night, I finally felt at ease and completely present with you. The first time in a long time, I hate to admit. You were in such a good mood, triumphant and silly, as we ate our scoops. You had me laughing and I was reminded of all the ways you bring me joy every day; the way you joke about things that I have no idea you know about, or the way you deliberately pause as you tell me stories or explain something about your day. I can honestly say that I love your personality and it is beyond enjoyable to just hang out with you. Nights like these are priceless and as I listened to you talking about this or that, I realized how desperately I wish I could bottle your voice at this age and keep it forever. So cute.

your "hell yeah, ice cream!" face

Ice cream treats were had later this week as well as we celebrated TGIF with a trip to the Lego Store and Jeni's after school. Actually, the entire day deserved a celebration because we were both relaxed (once again) and in great moods from start to finish. I was even inspired to share this on Facebook after dropping you off at school just that morning.

~ Today, I'm feeling thankful for cooler weather that makes me feel like my runs could go on for 20 miles; for the moment when your kids are old enough to truly appreciate, remember, request, and look forward to those special traditions that you've worked so hard to make "a thing" in your family; for the all too rare movie that resonates and sticks with me long after I've left the theater; for the sweet man at Tim Horton's who always remembers and chit chats with Mali and just today told her that they all miss her in the mornings now that school's started; and for discovering and rediscovering some good music that has me singing out loud in public before I even realize what I'm doing. Happy Friday, everyone! Make it a great day!

There's always, always room for gratitude. Every. Day. It's something that's unfortunately slipped my mind as of late but that I intend to make a conscious effort to highlight in the days, months and years ahead. It's crucial to a full life. Remember, Mali ~ "Happiness does not come from having everything you want, but from being grateful for everything that you have..." ~ no idea who said it first but I love that quote.

And speaking of happiness and gratitude, we are all very grateful that not only has Lao Lao been able to spend some precious time with us while staying here over the last few weeks, but that we were also able to begin moving her into her new home this week as well. You were so thrilled to be a part of helping with anything and everything you could. She is actually moving into a place that is less than a quarter mile from our house too ~ talk about something else to be grateful for! While the circumstances leading up to her big leap of faith were difficult at times, we are all hopeful that these big changes will bring her much happiness in the years ahead. 

Hannibal Mali

Audrey came to help out too and you all set up Lao Lao's bed

As I also mentioned before, this week has also had you asking about some of our special family traditions that we have coming up soon. For one, you asked if we were going back to a cabin again during the Christmas season to spend time together, explore, have a sleepover, and celebrate the holiday with each other. I had no idea that this particular tradition was a big deal for you, or at least a big enough deal to ask about it 3 months ahead of schedule! I love that. And, yes ~ of course we are!
The second thing you asked about was when we will make another trip back to New York City. The last time we were there was for Thanksgiving 3 years ago, but here you are, asking about another girls' trip. I definitely wouldn't mind going back there either...such a cool place. We'll stick a pin in that one, kiddo. Maybe in the spring?? Anyway, it just means so much that you are really appreciating and requesting special family time together. It warms my heart. 

Saturday night we headed off to the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival thrown by COFCC. You were a bit tired and therefore overwhelmed by all of the people and noises, however had a good time anyway. We got to see lots of our friends and celebrate the mid-autumn moon with them. Lao Lao even made the comment about what a nice group of people the COFCC community is and I have to agree. We are very fortunate to be involved with such a wonderful organization and great group of families.

all decked out in our Chinese shirts but you also wanted to wear
your high tops and silver-studded hat for extra flair

lanterns for the parade

making a mid-autumn moon craft

trying to figure out chopsticks for a relay race

noodles!

just like a baby bird

running from Mia's dad, Fred

you made a "phases of the moon" oreo craft

watching the shadow puppet play telling the folklore of
the Mid-Autumn Moon celebration

mooncakes!

lantern parade!

you were so grouchy when it came to taking pictures

look at that pitiful face...I just had to stick my lip out too



Sunday we finally got around to taking our family pictures, of course it was 3 months after family day (!) ~ but better late than never though, right?! Audrey Ayi came over and after playing and goofing around with us, she helped us with a casual photo session on the back deck. There was no way you wanted any part of wearing the skirt portion of your outfit (which you've almost completely outgrown anyway) so we agreed to let you wear colored jeans with your shirt. For an impromptu photo shoot, I think they turned out great! Thank you, Audrey Ayi!

a great mood all morning and then you flipped a
switch just before the shoot, transforming
into Miss Grumpy Pants ~ go figure!

here you have a half smile/half whiney face

Stormy decided to photo bomb our picture...

so we decided to have some fun with him

seriously, how cute are you?!

I love how your tongue is poking through the
little gap in your teeth ~ so cute!

your cheeks are just so kissable!

you are smiling on the outside but can't wait until we're
done on the inside ~ little stinker!

You headed off to swim lessons after that, where Daddy said you did awesome, then had a lunch date with your papa at Piada. All of that swimming worked up quite an appetite for you.

The rest of the day we just chilled at home, crashing out on the couch for a good long while. It felt fantastic to just sit there and do nothing. A rarity for me. That evening, Lao Lao came back down to our house to grab Max the Cat (or Maxi Pad as you lovingly call him, sometimes even yelling loudly to him outside in front of our neighbors). We went back down to her place with her to check out how she's settling in and you ended up staying and hanging out with her some more, making yourself right at home on her couch under a big soft blanket. It's so fun to be able to so casually allow you to go hang out with your grandma like that now. Having her so close...well...this is going to be fun.

Love you, Monkey.

Love,
Mama