Happy Mothers' Day!

Maliana ~

Wow! Another whole year that I got to be called Mommy. What a lucky, lucky woman I am. It's flying by so fast. I’ll begin with our Mothers’ Day celebration on Sunday and then work my way backwards through our week.

For MommyFest 2012, we had our Moms over for a cookout on Sunday. Lao Lao, Memaw, Papaw, Uncles Flint and Forge, as well as the three of us were all in attendance and it was basically a nice, quiet evening spent together. It rained nearly all day with a light drizzle so we had to stay inside, but that was no big deal since we now have our new kitchen. It was our first family gathering since all of the remodeling was completed and the extra room made a world of difference. Everything went off without a hitch and you had a blast playing with everyone, getting crazy with your uncles after dinner. By the time they left, you hardly had any voice left and you were as wound up as the Tasmanian devil.

getting ready to chow down on your creation

destroying the fruit pizza

the gang on Mothers' Day 2012

silly group shot

just the ladies

loves her uncles!

Prior to everyone’s arrival, you helped me make a fruit pizza for dessert and were so proud of your project. In fact, as soon as you woke up on Sunday morning you wanted to work on it right away, but Daddy convinced you to help him make me breakfast first. Thank you Daddy!

scrambled eggs for Mommy!

And when it came time to finally make the fruit pizza, what are we adding to the icing, Mali?
Click the link to find out. Ha ha.....http://youtu.be/zDXZqeQd4xM

mmm...licking the beaters!

getting started on her fruit pizza masterpiece!

and voila! complete with a strawberry "stonehenge" and
a red raspberry forest!

And speaking of Mother’s Day morning, I had the best wake up. We snuggled together all night, and the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was your sweet sleeping face. Daddy snuck this picture of us while we were still snoozing and I swear, there is no way I’d rather wake up. Ever.

this is actually a common way we sleep together...I
have more than one picture like this. I love it!

And if this week ended with a celebration of moms, the week began with you and Daddy doing some serious bonding together. You requested a date with him one night so you both headed to Easton where you suckered him into some Yagoot and a Lightening McQueen ball cap. You obviously thought you were Miss Thang with it on…

"So what, So what, So whatcha want?!"

When you got home, I asked how your date went and you said, “So cool. Awesome!”

Another day Daddy took you fishing at Sharon Woods. While Daddy actually snagged the fish on the hook, he let you reel it in. Your reaction was priceless!!

http://youtu.be/Qg_3HGiBnIM ~ watch the video here!

You are officially a fishing enthusiast now! And spending this time with Daddy is so good for both of you.

got one!

our little fisher-woman

And finally, Daddy swears you didn’t learn this from him, but I have to share one more story and let you be the judge of where you think you learned it. As Daddy was buckling you into your car seat one morning, you acted like he pinched your thigh. You then ever so dramatically grabbed your leg near your crotch and yelled, “Ow! My balls!” It was early in the morning, and even without coffee, Daddy was at full alert when you said that, asking, “What did you say?” To which you repeated that infamous phrase again. It was all he could do not to burst out laughing. Later that day when I picked you up at school, you told me all about it. “Mommy, did you know that Daddy hit my balls this morning?” (Having heard this story from Daddy already, I was able to maintain a bit more composure). I asked, “Really? Well, where are your balls?” To which you replied casually, “Um, I don’t know.” And that was the end of the discussion. Daddy is sticking to his story that you didn’t hear it from him, so we’ll blame it on the boys you hang around with at school for now. Never a dull moment with you, kid.

Saturday of this week, we had our monthly Fu playgroup and this time one of the families rented a bounce house and hosted a huge potluck cookout for everyone. It was so much fun, always good to spend time with the other parents and watch you crazy kids together. Remarkably, with the large group of kids at any given time in that bounce house, there was only one small injury (easily cured by a kiss and hug from her mom). And fortunately, for once, it wasn’t you.

a great turnout for our Fu Group cookout!

This week brought a surprising shift for you at tang soo do. You expressed an interest for the first time ever in moving up in belts there. I don’t really know how serious this interest is since you don’t necessarily practice much at home, but you have definitely shown improvement while there in class. Instructor Wolfe allowed you to attempt to show him that you know the first fighting combination, which after practicing with him a few times, you were able to muddle through. You definitely need to keep working on memorizing the steps, but are definitely showing progress and so he awarded you a little yellow stripe (basically yellow duct tape on the end of your belt) to reflect this fact. You were proud of it, and it was very sweet when we opened the mailbox a couple days later to find a personalized postcard from Instructor Wolfe, addressed directly to you, congratulating you on your hard work. Cool stuff kid.

We also headed over to the Park of Roses this week to visit Uncle Dustin’s stone, to say hello to him and take your annual picture, as well as have a family picnic on a beautiful spring evening. We brought your big girl bike with us and you loved riding it along the paths that snake throughout the park. I’ll have to remember this bike riding option for you this summer, as well as come back when the roses are in full bloom. If you think it’s pretty right now, just wait until the roses are all open and smiling at us! Wai Gong grew up not far from this park and used to hang out here all the time as a kid, so not only is it pretty special because we get to visit Dustin here, but it holds a lifetime of memories for Wai Gong, as well as Ggma Hart.

Love you Uncle Dustin!

the roses are just starting to bloom

you loved the freedom of all the paths here

one of Mommy's silly timer picture ideas

a rose and a rainbow...go to the below link to an old blog's
post to find out the significance of these two symbols
(http://waitingformaliana.blogspot.com/2009/05/roses-and-rainbows.html)

And of course, I can’t let this week go by without giving a big heartfelt thank you to your birthmother. The woman who selflessly carried you for ten months in her belly and under her heart, only to find a special place where you could be found so that the red thread could bring you halfway around the world, into a new life with our family. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for her and I hope that somehow she knows how grateful we are for the blessing she has given us in you. Daddy and I are so lucky, words can’t even begin to describe.

Happy Mothers’ Day!

I love you!

Mama

Enjoying the Outdoors

Maliana ~

Well this week has been pretty darn good if I do say so myself. It’s been full of bike riding, nature runs, practice fishing, a visit to the zoo, and spending time with family and friends. In fact, it was such a good week that I wasn’t even all that depressed come Sunday night when I knew I was going back to work the next morning. We’d done this week up right so I was nice and relaxed going into Monday morning.

This particular week we’ve had super weather, gorgeous during the day and some very impressive thunderstorms at night. You’ve decided to begin practicing on your new big girl bike every single night, going around the block not once, but twice each evening. You are doing amazingly well too. You have your brakes down to a science, and are even standing to pedal when you need to get uphill. We’ve also made it a game to see how many worms we can “save” from the hot sun or trampling feet on the sidewalk. This week you were pretty proud to say you saved 4 worms from their imminent demise. My little nature lover.

slick little wave as you roll by

You are such a natural athletically, even Ms. Theresa and Ms. Krista (your Tap and Tumble instructors) made the comment that you are doing really well. A super strong kid.

Here you are on your bike ~ look at you go!
http://youtu.be/u2qczI4MR_U

And speaking of loving nature, you and I went on a few different runs together. After school one day I took you to Sharon Woods, and since you have chosen to begin skipping naps at school, on this particular day you slept the entire 3.8 miles that I ran with you. You love to sleep outside and the lull of the jogging stroller really puts you out when you are tired. You may have missed the 6 wild turkeys I spotted along the trail, but I’m glad you got your nap in. For our next run you were wide awake and I’m so glad because we ran into an old friend, Mr. Turtle! We’ve seen this little guy off the trail by our house for at least the last 2 years. We know it’s the same one because he has a little chip on the side of his shell. Pretty cool stuff. I wonder how old he is?

hi again little guy!

Also, upon leaving the house for this run, the fog had not yet burned off. You were so excited to see the “frosty” as you called it.

This week I also took a little personal time from work to get things done at home before picking you up at school. As I attacked your room, cleaning and sorting all of your accumulated stuff, I had to laugh at what I found in your bed. It’s always interesting to see what your kids stash in different places. Between your sheets I found: Spiderman, the Green Goblin, part of a spaceship, 10,000 various sized blankets, Dora, Mickey Mouse, and your Innotab (or as you call it, your Ipad).

As I said before, you have been way into fishing lately. You love to practice casting with your new Lightning McQueen fishing pole, so Daddy and I decided to take you to Hoover to let you cast for “reel” (ha ha). We were racing a storm and so you only got to plunk your bait in a few times, but again you were a natural. You casted effortlessly and probably farther than I could, and you loved it.

heading to the water

your fishing "game face"

testing the waterproof-ness of your boots

just like Daddy

someone is "hooked" on fishing

Here you are casting your line...clearly a natural!
http://youtu.be/32cye5TDMac

Memaw and Papaw visited for dinner another night, and you were happy to see them both. Of course, you pulled out your doctor kit and got to work on them right away. This appears to be a standby game when they visit. Perhaps to you they look like they need a little TLC, or you just know that they are suckers and easy patients. Either way, you all have a great time playing together. But should we be concerned that you chose your Animal Hospital scrubs to work on them? Ha ha.

giving Memaw a shot in her ankle

now giving Abby a shot...she doesn't seem to mind at all

prepping Papaw for surgery

reversing roles

We hit the zoo over the weekend with the Neuhausels. When we woke up that morning, you announced, “I’m gonna be a girl today. Where are my heels?”

feeling girly in your requested heels

We had a super time eating a picnic lunch and then visiting a bunch of animals. We always enjoy spending time with the Neuhausels and it’s nice to see you and Mia together. All three of you kids, (you, Mia, and Freddy), were pretty tired with not one nap between the three of you, so there were challenging moments towards the end, but we had a great time nonetheless.

the Neuhausels
(Mia, Michelle, Freddy, and Fred)

you girls were more interested in checking out
the lake than eating lunch

feeding geese

checking out the carp with Dad

the tunnel that is always fun to yell in as you go through...
to see who can make the biggest echo

riding a manatee

note to self: take group photo before the kids begin
their meltdown...all three of you were beyond
the point of no return

boat ride!

(love that face!)

Mommy trying to steal a kiss from you

you look a little constipated, but that's just your fake smile, ha.

Dippin Dots!

Once home, Daddy headed out with friends and you and I waited for Lao Lao who came over and made guacamole with us for Cinco de Mayo. While you waited for Lao Lao, you raided my thank you cards and created some masterpieces especially for her. On more than one card, you had drawn pictures of Lao Lao, which remarkably all looked about the same and so we surmised that this is in fact how you must see her. It’s a pretty good likeness too!

your artistic vision of Lao Lao

You loved helping make the guac and even enjoyed some tastes too, although were more into the lime tortilla chips than anything else.

smooshing the avocado

cooking lesson with Lao Lao

guacamole is done!

and the first taste ~ yum!

Sunday felt like a lazy day, but was anything but. Daddy took you to Safety Town in New Albany so you could try out your big girl bike there and so I could get some flowers potted and the house cleaned.

After you worked up an appetite, he took you to a Chinese restaurant nearby (Great Wall) where you made a new friend, Selena. Her parents own the restaurant and you are both only a month apart in age, however she just returned from living in China most of her life and so does not speak much English at all. No matter though, because “play” is an international language and boy did you guys “talk” up a storm.

"silly" is understood in any language

After returning home you needed to take a nap, but were fighting it tooth and nail. You had wanted me to lay down with you, and so both Daddy and I did for a bit (in our bed), but then you kept kicking (because you were angry) and several times they landed on me. I gave you fair warning, and when you didn’t stop I got up and went back downstairs to repot more flowers. You immediately got very upset, but I felt like you needed to learn a lesson and suffer the consequences of your actions, so I stayed downstairs. A little bit later, I was pleasantly surprised when you came outside with Daddy. Evidently, all on your own you had asked to come down and apologize to me. I was very impressed (making sure to tell you how much I appreciated that). But I was even more shocked when you decided to sleep in your own bed for nap. You even went in your room and did it all by yourself. That’s a first that you did it all on your own. There are usually many arguments, stalling, and creative negotiations to accompany any type of sleep in this house. So wow! Mark this date in the record books.

Sunday evening we wrapped up the weekend with dinner at Northstar Café with my cousin Amy and her little girl Chloe, as well as Lao Lao, Uncles Flint and Forge, and Papaw Rick. They (Amy, Tre (who is Amy’s husband), and Chloe) live in Tennessee since Tre is in the army and so we don’t get to see them much. In spite of there being 2 years difference between you and Chloe’s ages, you found a common interest in rearranging the condiment counter together. I’m sure the staff loved that. Ha. Anyway, it was nice to catch up and have you spend some rare time with both of them. Amy is expecting a baby soon (who will be your new cousin, Eva), but unfortunately Tre is being redeployed to Afghanistan this fall. Because of this, the girls are all moving back to Ohio for 9 months or so. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see them more often and help make the time pass a little quicker and easier while they wait for their Daddy to return.

the gang at Northstar after dinner

Love,
Mama

Dust

Maliana ~

This week has been a pendulum swing back to normalcy and it feels glorious. However, it was not without its final pinches of guilt before the era of craziness found its way out the door. We finally got our house back this week (thank you Uncle Ross and John...it's beautiful!!), and slowly but surely we have been putting both our kitchen and living room back together. The final product in the kitchen remodel has turned out wonderfully and once things were pretty much all settled back into place, Daddy and I just sat and marveled and agreed that all of the uncomfortableness was worth it.

One of the pinches felt revealed itself as we were trying to put all of our belongings away and I must have appeared obviously stressed by it. You came up behind me and put your hand on my shoulder as I was ordering, muttering under my breath, then reordering the pantry and said, “Mommy, I’m sorry”…and when I asked you what for, you replied, “That you’re so sad.” Ouch. The other pinch of guilt was in my overall dismay that reorganizing our house was taking so much time away from activities that revolved around or were enjoyable for you. You kept following us around all week, asking how you could help, and when we sometimes couldn’t think of anything in that particular moment you’d say, “But Mom, I just want to help you.” It stung more than you’d expect to hear that, knowing that all you wanted to do was spend time with us and have our attention. You had to entertain yourself quite a bit, which I know is not the worst thing in the world. In fact, I read somewhere that allowing your child(ren) to become bored sometimes actually stokes their imagination. However, I just had this horrible ache for you all week long, finally dissipating once the house began feeling more cozy again and realizing that this insanity was temporary and our “normal” life would eventually all come back together.

As I’ve said before though, there is always a silver lining to situations and this one involved your Dad and I. Lately, we’ve been having trouble feeling connected and have fallen into a rut where we take each other for granted and let stress come between us. Not a good place to be in a marriage, but I’ve found it to be more common than you might think. However, along with some other factors that I won’t go into here, this project has helped Daddy and I work together and the fact that we had time this weekend to jointly work on the house, have some great talks while you napped, and reconnect again has been a total blessing. By the end of the weekend, we felt great and were having more fun doing not much of anything together than we have in a long time. What started out as insanely disruptive, has turned out wonderfully and brought Daddy and I closer together. Can’t argue much with that.

As the week unfolded, the glimmers that our life was coming full circle again were obvious. You and I both physically felt tremendously better, finally over that awful virus completely, and as you accompanied me on a trip to Old Time Pottery to pretty up our kitchen, we both were back to our silly selves, making the best out of the most mundane tasks. 

parenting trick #53 – bring along a tape measurer to make boring shopping trips immensely more fun

Your silliness continued as you busted Daddy out one morning as well. From other posts in this blog, I’ve probably noted that you choose your own clothes very often for school, and frequently this includes your pajamas. You are just in preschool right now, so if you want to wear your pj’s to school every single day, power on sister! However, on the actual “PJ Day” at school, you let Daddy pick out your clothes (shocking, I know!) and were quite dismayed upon arrival to see that you missed out on the official pajama day. While trying to console you, Daddy said, “But look honey, I forgot my pj’s too!” to which you replied (in front of multiple teachers and your entire class), “Daddy! You don’t wear pj’s! You just wear your underwear!” Ha ha. Gotta love a four year old’s honesty! Thanks for sharing and giving everyone a good chuckle.

By Friday, I needed some downtime so I called Aunt Tina for a girls’ evening out and you and Daddy went over to play with Uncle Joe, Sam and Erin. So, while Tina and I were enjoying dinner at a new restaurant, you and the gang were raiding the fairways of the Little Turtle golf course at dusk and playing dizzy bats, tag, and lighting the way with glow wands. When we returned, Daddy said that you squealed the entire time and had a blast. We all hung out for a bit longer talking and laughing, while Sam and Erin went to bed and you nodded off to sleep on my shoulder. Twas a good night for all.

playing some kind of game with a HUGE deck of cards

While guilt played a role in my menagerie of feelings this week, exasperation and utter gratitude came to the party as well. Exasperation arrived in the form of Daddy and I wondering how many times you yell, “Mom!” as you trail me around the house, my little 3 foot tall shadow. If Daddy tries to help, you insist that it has to be Mom, even though half the time you have no real request or question lined up when I answer you. I think someday Daddy and I are going to tally these “Mom!”’s and I honestly would not be surprised if we hit triple digits.

Utter gratitude came in the subtle feeling I got upon awakening with you after a much needed nap together. You and I slept soundly and snuggled for the entire 2 hours, opening our eyes gradually while savoring our time together in the quiet of the bedroom. Daddy said he came in at one point and we were both laying there, with your head actually resting on mine, cheeks smooshed together, snoring softly, with both of our mouths open like two sea bass. (I told him to bring the camera next time for proof.)

Anyway, it was one of those moments that hit me. I know these days are fleeting and someday you will have no interest in sleeping in our bed, let alone pressing your body so close to mine while you slumber. I’ll wish for your warm little wiggly body and the sound of your sucking on your silkie as you try to find just the right spot. I’ll long to wake up to pins and needles in my numb arms from cradling you in one position for hours on end. I may even yearn to be awakened to a kick in the nose while sound asleep, (well maybe not that one as much). But I know I will miss these days. No doubt.

We got an impromptu visit from Lao Lao this weekend too. Like us, she has had some rough transitions lately and so it was nice for us all to spend a little time together again. At one point, she looked at you with tears beginning to form in her eyes and a quiver in her voice saying, “I feel better just seeing you guys.” We do too Lao Lao, we do too. You got to not only show off your new kitchen to her, but also how you can ride your new big girl bike. You’ve only really gotten to practice on it a few times since receiving it two weeks ago, so we all agreed that you are a natural, making faster and faster circles in the garage like a pro. And of course, Lao Lao couldn’t leave without playing chase with you around the newly formed circle in our house since we knocked down the wall between the living room and kitchen. Lao Lao used to love doing this in her house as a kid, and the tradition is gladly being passed down to, and accepted by you. By the time she did leave, you were so crazy that Lao Lao said getting you dressed was like “trying to dress a raccoon.”

the chase is on!

it's good to see Lao Lao

Sunday was a more somber day overall for our family. We had our fifth annual gathering to celebrate your Uncle Dustin’s life. Ever since you came home, we have talked about your Uncle Dustin, whom you never met, but are familiar nonetheless with his face and the stories we have shared about him. He was Aunt Lindsey’s brother and was unfortunately killed on April 30^th 2007. It’s hard to believe that he has been gone 5 years, taken all too soon from this world. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. I know he would have LOVED you, and I’m sure vice versa. Our gathering was a bit different this year, set in a local restaurant where there was some fundraising to accompany it for Lifeline of Ohio. It is normally at the Park of Roses where you can find his special memorial stone. We still need to take you back there this coming week, as I’ve begun the tradition of taking a picture of you with his stone each year. I like to think he can see you from up in Heaven, keeping tabs on how much you’ve grown and cheering you on when you most need it. If there was one thing that was very important to Dust, it was family. And of course his beloved Cleveland Browns. *smile* 

your signature is in the bottom right corner (in green)

we love Aunt Lindsey!

you and your cousin Brianna filling out some Lifeline of Ohio forms

mmm, cake!

And finally, in wrapping up this post on a note to make you laugh instead of cry, I have to share your latest obsession. This particular song and video, The Gummy Bear Song, has been playing at our house a lot lately, thanks to Lao Lao. Here is a status post from Facebook to explain exactly how it is affecting both Daddy and I.

FB status:
~ so Mali is currently obsessed with this song and video. I want you to watch it ten times in a row....Have you watched it yet? Yes? Ok, good...welcome to my own personal hell :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=astISOttCQ0&feature=share

Love you, my little gummi bear.

Mama