Christmas Celebrations and Sleepovers

Maliana ~

So, Tuesday of this week was your big Christmas show at school. First graders only. You had volunteered for a speaking part and were nervous but then totally took the bull by the horns at showtime. Daddy showed up at 5:30 pm to secure seats for the 7 pm performance. Total dedication.

As you marched out to the stage, you kept motioning for us to put down cameras and watch the performance, even giving us hilariously exasperated looks each time we'd pick up anything to snap a quick shot. Ha. That meant that I couldn't get any pictures of you on the microphone, but I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the professional DVD of the entire performance which we ordered earlier. Yay! Lao Lao, Audrey, Memaw and Papaw all came to watch you. Your own fan section. It was great. We laughed and of course, I cried. I always cry. Good cries. Just so proud of wonderful you! You played the xylophone, sang many holiday songs while doing hand motions, and recited two lines on a microphone to the entire audience, "Warm mittens to keep my hands warm as toast, On cold winter days when I skate or coast" ~ I was amazed at your stage presence, even reaching up to adjust the microphone to your height before belting out your lines, which you nailed (I might add)! It was fantastic. You got it goin' on! Afterwards, I got to meet your friends' (Ibti and Morgan) parents. You ran around with a bunch of your friends on the stage and had a great time being silly. I had a great time watching you completely in your element. You even gave some friends great big hugs before leaving, which was awesome to see since you can be selective with your affection sometimes. It was such a great night and I was a very proud mama! Love you so much!

Dr. Hazlett (your principal) welcoming everyone to the show

you are in the middle in the front row, appearing as though
you're singing but that was really a big yawn. ha!

you and Morgan on the xylophone...I love your smile!

with your absolute favorite teacher,
Miss Stenger

I came to help at your class holiday party on Friday which just so happened to be pajama day to boot and it was a lot of fun. The excitement for winter break in the air was palpable. Never fails. I always rethink my career aspirations right around winter break, spring break, summer break, and snow days every year and wish I had chosen to be a teacher. But, I digress. We headed home after you gave Miss Stenger a bunch of big hugs, realizing just how much you'll miss her over the next two weeks. It was very sweet. You even told me, with a sly grin, on the way home that you wished Miss Stenger could be your mom. Ha. And I have to admit...she is very very awesome!

reading the Night Before Christmas to your class

snacks after we played a bunch of games with you all

The very next day you woke up in the morning and said, "We've got a busy day ahead of us!" and you weren't kidding! It began with our friends, Ziying, Zuchao and Enle coming up from Cincinnati and bringing two more of their friends, Tanya (aka Mengyao) and Didi, with them. It was so fun to see them again and make new friends with Tanya and Didi. Daddy and I were surprised by the amazing feast they brought along with them, treating us to making dumplings together, as well as Zuchao's "famous" tofu with broccoli and ginger as well as a dish with bean sprouts, celery, ginger, onion and egg. Our entire house smelled so wonderful and the taste was fantastic, way better than we could ever get in a restaurant around here. It was so incredibly generous of them! Not only were our bellies well-filled, but we had a great time talking and catching up, and getting to know Didi and Tanya.

Ziying, Enle (Lucas) and you

giving Enle his Christmas gift

making dumplings

Enle "helping" with the dumplings

Zuchao making his delicious tofu

here we are about ready to eat their delicious meal! yum!
(you were already crashed on the couch at this point)

of course, Daddy had to pull out his magic
marble trick for everyone

Ziying and Enle

Tanya was so good with you

you had so much fun playing with her

here Enle is playing with the same exact toy we bought
you in China 5 years ago...and he likes it as
much as you used to!

such silly laughing...

After our visit, we relaxed for a bit until your cousins invaded our house to begin the 2nd annual Wilkinson girls Christmas sleepover. We had fun making ninjabread cookies, going to see Big Hero 6 at the theatre (which I was so proud of you for staying for the entire movie (in spite of whining and asking to leave multiple times during the intense parts) and then exclaiming, "I want to see that again!" at the end ... talking you through the rough parts is definitely the secret and I am so glad you realized how much you actually loved it!), then heading to Easton on the way home to see the lights and gigantic tree in the middle of the square. By the time we got home, I was convinced that everyone would pass out from exhaustion but you and Sammy were still going strong at close to midnight while the older girls had, in fact, passed out already. What is it with you littles? You sure can party!

ninjabread men cookies!

by the big tree at Easton...so pretty!

yes, I got all the way down on the ground to get this shot

not sure if we were supposed to climb into the nativity...
but you all had fun

Sunday was basically a quiet day with some silliness splashed in here and there. We all needed to recover from the day before...so much fun makes us all awesomely worn out. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. We are so blessed.

And finally, I can't believe it is so close to Christmas already. Time sure is flying!
Love you so much, MonkeyFish!

Love,
Mama