Hi, sweetie! It was a strange mix of freezing cold and mild spring temperatures this month. We had one latent snowfall and figured we should take advantage of it. Being Ohio, you never know which one will be the last once you hit February. One day after school, I took you, Evie, and Ana (as well as the dogs) to our local park/playground. We had it all to ourselves.
Not sure what was happening here, but I walked past your room one day and saw the dogs hiding with you. Must have been a loud noise or something. Scaredy-pups.
Another day we were driving somewhere and got behind a car with this "I love School!" bumper sticker.
This was your reaction.
My little school lover! Ha.
The winter Olympics were this month and you were much more interested in both the USA and China this year. You were especially stoked to dig out your authentic Olympic jersey for the 2008 Chinese volleyball team from the games they hosted in Beijing. A family friend who works for ESPN gave this to us years ago. Bonus cool points that this jersey is from your birth year too! Pretty neat.
So, unfortunately Abby has been sick lately, super congested and exhausted. We have taken her to the vet and are trying to get her feeling better. One home remedy we tried was making her chicken noodle soup and then taking her in the bathroom with the shower on to give her a steam bath and open up her sinuses. Here you are tending to your fur-sister. So adorably sweet of you.
And...here's your fur-brother. Being a jerk, as usual.
This month I came in to your classroom to help with your Valentine's Day party which consisted of exchanging Valentines, making sundaes, and having a dance party. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and I love being able to help out. Here you are with two of your good friends this year, Jalysa and Jude.
We took the picture below specifically so you could put it in a frame that Jalysa made you out of popsicle sticks for Christmas. On the back it says, "Best Friends Forever".
That weekend, we wanted to get out of the house and get some fresh air. In spite of it being soggy from a lot of recent rain, we piled the dogs into the car and took them to Blendon Woods. Abby was a little sluggish as she was still feeling under the weather, but it was nice to let them explore some new smells with us. It makes me happy to make the dogs happy.
Daddy has been working a LOT of weird (and long) hours this month so we had a subdued celebration for Chinese New Year with a lunch at your favorite Chinese buffet. In researching a little bit about Chinese history, you were excited by the discovery that fireworks originated in China. That weekend, to make up for his crazy schedule, Daddy took you to the fireworks store and let you pick out a bunch of different displays so we could do it up that night. It was quite the show!
He even let you light one of them (against my better judgment). Happy to report you still have all 10 fingers. Ha.
In spite of the celebrations this month, we unfortunately had a huge blow to our community with one particular tragedy. Two of our local police officers were shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call. It actually happened not far from our house. Our hometown was brought to its knees. It was powerful how the community came together. Blue porch lights went on, memorials sprung up, blue ribbons appeared around trees and street signs...all of this throughout the entire city.
Actually, it just so happened that the day we were wrapping up at our Chinese New Year buffet lunch, we happened to be in the exact location where the funeral procession for the two fallen officers was about to occur. You, Ana, and I stayed and found a spot to wait and watch it go by in the freezing cold. In total, the procession took 2 1/2 hrs and included 2,700 law enforcement vehicles from all through the state of Ohio. It was overwhelming. Below are pictures of one of the memorials the Westerville police department had out at city hall...it was the fallen officers' SUV covered in notes, flowers, balloons, and touching mementos...as well as a blue star with memorial banners that hung over our main street in the 'ville. All so heartbreaking.
In spite of enormous tragedy, life moves on. For better or worse. Time is unstoppable.
Laundry still needed done at our house and the pic below is what happened when I asked you to help fold laundry. Evidently, a laundry basket makes a cozy seat.
We also took a family trip to the bowling alley one Sunday afternoon. It was fun and I didn't expect you to kick both Daddy's and my butt so handily. Dang, kid!
And...a typical month in our house would not be complete without animal shenanigans. As you can see below, our pets have become very adept at positioning themselves on our king size bed in such a way as to leave no room for the humans. Little stinkers.
Big yawn from GG.
Our lives even involved a little wildlife love. Lao Lao and I found an injured bird on our trail. Something was wrong with his wing so we scooped him up and kept him warm and fed in a box in Lao Lao's tub until we could take him to the wildlife rescue center the next morning. I have no idea if he made it or not, but I like to think that at the very least we gave him a fighting chance.
And finally...here are just a couple of your Mali-isms from some of our recent conversations.
Love you so much, kiddo.
Fiercely and forever,
Mama
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