A Guys' Trip and A Girls' Weekend

Maliana ~

So this weekend Daddy was going out of town, taking his buddy Jay up to Notre Dame to see the campus and Jay's first Irish game. As Daddy set out to pack his clothes, he realized that he no longer had a good overnight bag to use anymore. He asked if it would be ok to use your rolling suitcase just for this trip, to which you cautiously agreed. You made sure to provide him with a lot of lessons on how to use the combination lock and explaining about all of the secret compartments he can use to stash his stuff. The night he was packing, I ran out to the store and while there, I got this text from your daddy...

Had my clothes laid out on the bed. Went out to the kitchen to grab
something. I came back in the bedroom and found this. Love that kid.

The rest of the evening, you kept telling him that you would miss him. Friday morning, you even asked me if we could not talk about Daddy this weekend because you would miss him. And on our way to a birthday party (one of two on Saturday) we were listening to Ho Hey by the Lumineers and the chorus goes like this, "I belong with you; you belong with me, you're my sweetheart" which you actually think says, "in my sweet home." Well, you asked me to turn it down and then said with a sad look on your face, "Mom, you know that part that says, 'in my sweet home'? It makes me think of Daddy."

Honestly, you are the sweetest little munchkin on the planet. Hands down.

Since Friday was our first night flying solo with just us girls, you requested a dinner at the Chinese Buffet, just mom and daughter. Normally you get noodles, egg drop soup, dumplings, and the little sesame balls. That night you decided to try something new ~ clams! And you liked them. Correction...you loved them! You ate nine! I told you that maybe it's because you were born near the ocean in Xuwen, China, so it must be in your genes. You assured me that yes, of course it was.

my clam lover

You then asked me for some pennies to take over to their fountain so you could make some wishes. I watched as you threw each one in, clasped your tiny hands and squinted your eyes shut tightly as you made each wish. It was adorable. On our way back to the table, you said, "I can tell you the one I didn't wish because it's already true. I have the best mom."

Remember what I was saying about you being the sweetest munchkin? Yeah. That. Totally. No doubt in my mind that I have the best kid too.

After we filled our bellies, we scooped up Lao Lao and headed to Old Time Pottery to shop a bit and found they had drastically marked down their Halloween merchandise. We couldn't help ourselves.

On Saturday you slept in and I (for some reason) was up at 6:45am. Oy. However, it gave me a little quiet time to myself with a cup of coffee and my thoughts. I also was able to leisurely prepare some cheesy eggs for you without feeling like a short order cook, which was great. You finally woke up at around 8:45am looking refreshed and filling up on lots of protein in preparation for two birthday parties and inevitably lots of sugar for the rest of the day.

We got to Lainey's party first and celebrated her turning 6. It was a Frozen party with tons of cute treats and crafts, all themed from the movie and with your favorite being the Olaf cheese sticks. You were a bit shy, later telling me that you were feeling tired and that's why you were so quiet. In spite of that, you had a great time and of course it's always good to see our Fu buddies and meet new people.

evidence you were feeling tired...wanting to sit on
Mommy's lap during craft time

finishing up crafts

Happy birthday, Lainey!

munching with Mia

After Lainey's, we headed to the bowling alley for Keira's birthday (a friend from daycare) who was also turning 6. You were shy here too at first, but then warmed up and jumped in, having a good time bowling, helping with presents, and playing in the arcade before leaving for home.

the poor kid next to you was having a bit of a rough time
#buttcracksandblowouts

Since Saturday was our second night solo, Lao Lao and Audrey came over for a visit and Lao Lao ended up sleeping over. Nothing too crazy...just the three of us, two dogs, and a cat piled into our bed (which feels tinier by the minute on nights like these). Ha. Finally, I got up in the early morning and brought a pillow and blanket to the couch where I tried to get a little bit of sleep before the day began. You stumbled out into the living room and lounged with me under our blanket, cuddled into my chest as Lao Lao sat across from us reading and trying to wake up too. I love lazy mornings like that. And since you had just taken a bath the night before, using some of our good old Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo that I'd bought again for some reason, when I would bend down to kiss the top of your head as we snuggled, I breathed in your hair which smelled exactly like you used to as a baby during the months when you first came home to us. It's funny how a simple scent can take you back in time and make you feel so nostalgic for days gone by. Don't get me wrong, I love the age you are now...but I also miss you as that adorable little nugget with the huge smile and bald(ish) head, just learning about everything in your new home for the first time. It's the lament of every parent, I suppose. I guess I finally understand what parents who had gone before me used to say, "Every age is my favorite age"...yep, that pretty much sums it up perfectly.

Later on I walked the dogs as you rode your bike up to Lao Lao's to hang out while I went running. In spite of the weather being near freezing and sporadic flakes coming down, you bundled up and went for what might be your last bike ride of 2014. I think your chosen ensemble was perfect...what do you think?

pajamas, cowboy boots, and your backpack.
before we left, you asked me, "Do
cowboys tap dance?"

Once home, we checked our mailbox and lo and behold, you got a letter from our pal, Jo aka Yoyo in Colorado! You were surprised to see it was TWO whole pages and very excited to read that Raphael (of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is her favorite, just like you! You are so thrilled to write her a letter back but as soon as you sat down to do so, you got a bad case of writer's block. This coming week I have a feeling that this will be one of our big projects. You are taking this whole pen pal thing very seriously. It's all so sweet.

stoked to see that we got mail!

Just a couple more inches and I promise it will be much easier for you to get all the mail out a little more easily, Short Stack. Ha.


Daddy got home while I was in the shower and you were so ecstatic to see him that I could hear you cheering and yelling, "Daddy's home!" in spite of the rushing hot water all around me. You were so glad to have him home (as was I) and he even ended up being able to take you to swim lessons too! He says you are totally kicking butt on those right now, so... Yay for good swim instructors and a tough kid who's willing to overcome fears!

So, to sum it all up...we had a great weekend together as just us girls, Daddy enjoyed his guy time in South Bend, and now he is safe and sound at home with us. We're all back together in our cozy little home and they are calling for our first real snowfall tonight. Does it get any better? I think not.

Love,
Mama