Violet is really keeping us entertained these days. She always does but lately she has been coming up with some pretty funny stuff. Last Thursday she was sitting on the potty and this is the conversation that we shared
Violet: I sending my poops to school. They are all going to school.
Me: Oh really. Do you have more?
Violet: Yes, but some of them have to stay home today.
Me: Okay. (trying not to laugh)
Two weeks ago she was sitting in my lap nursing when she started this conversation
Violet: I use my hands for hugging, mommy and I use my mouth for kissing. I use my feet for running.
Mommy: Oh and what do you use your eyes for?
Violet: For looking for scary monsters.
Mommy: What do you use your ears for?
Violet: For listening for monsters.
Mommy: What do you use your heart for?
Violet: For listening to Jesus' voice. And for Mary's voice too. For listening to Jesus and Mary's voices.
Mommy: And what do they tell you?
Violet: Love.
Mommy: That is beautiful baby.
Recently while she was sleeping peacefully next to me in bed she started mumbling in her sleep. Usually she doesn't say actual words and she cries in her sleep pretty often too. I think she is having bad dreams. But the other day she started giggling in her sleep. Then she said, "Flying Cookies!!!! Can I have some milkies mom?" I had to try really hard not to bust out laughing . I giggled so hard that tears came to my eyes. Last night she was saying "Daddy, may I have something else please? I love you Daddy."
She has been doing so well with her manners. We are trying not to force them but trying to lead by example. She says may I? and please and thank you, yes please and no thank you. She also says she is sorry and please forgive me. The other day she really impressed me with her ability to understand that she had done something wrong. At school she sees other kids hitting each other and sometimes the teachers give light swats as discipline (we will touch on that later. we are very upset about this) and so she has started swatting at us when she is angry and she has also hit herself when she is frustrated. We tell her that we don't hit in our family and she has to take a time out or a time in (daddy or mommy sits with her and we do some breathing exercises to calm down). Well, the other day she was frustrated with me and so she hit my leg. I looked down and told her how sad that was and that she was going to need to go calm down in the other room. She cried and cried and finally came and apologized. We left it at that and had a wonderful rest of the evening. That night when I was putting her to bed she kept hugging me so tightly and kissing my face. When I held her in my lap to nurse her to sleep she stopped nursing and looked up teary eyed and said, "Mommy, I'm really sorry that I hit you. I didn't mean to hurt you Mommy. Will you forgive me please?" And the tears started falling down her cheeks. I held her tight to my chest and told her that I had already forgiven her and that I was so thankful that she said she was sorry. I told her she didn't have to think about it anymore. She looked up at me again and said "I love you Mommy. I love you so much!" "I love you so much Violet!" It was very sweet.
Violet has been doing much better about going to school lately. She especially likes when she can take me to school. She tells me to have a good day and that she loves me. Also we have been reading "The Kissing Hand" before school. If you haven't read it before try to check it out at the library and give a read. It is a sweet story about a little raccoon that doesn't want to be away from home. I gave this book to my mom for mother's day when I was in college and we both loved it so much. I never wanted to be away from my mommy either. I recently told an acquaintance of mine about Violet not wanting to go to school and she mailed me a copy of this book along with her son's raccoon toy. Violet loved it! She named it after the little boy, Noah. When we read the story she asked me if she could have a kissing hand too. So now every day before school I give her a kissing hand and she gives me one too. Then when we pick her up we ask each other if we used our kissing hands. We both always say yes. It is very sweet.
Last weekend we were supposed to go to Sendai to visit our dear friend, Mutsuko in the hospital after her surgery but she was doing so well that the doctors sent her home early. We had built up staying in a hotel for weeks and Violet was very excited about the trip. So when we had to cancel our trip to Sendai, Gabe and I quickly thought of another plan. We decided to go to Kitakami, which is only 1.5 away by car. We stayed in a budget hotel for one night and Violet was so excited. When we got there she started running back and forth across the room shouting "I love being in a hotel! I love being in a hotel! I love being in a hotel!" Then she would stop and say, "Thank you for bringing me to a hotel mommy and daddy. Thank you for driving me here Daddy!" That night we had a free breakfast in the hotel and then free breakfast in the morning. After check out we went to the Ferris wheel in town. Violet loves the Ferris Wheel and she was so surprised that we were going to ride it that day. After the ride we decided to go have lunch at a little Italian buffet restaurant. Violet really enjoyed her pasta and pizza and mommy and daddy did too. She made a little friend there and they ran around together for a bit. Following lunch we went to Toys R Us and bought some diapers and a new stroller for her baby doll. She had one pre-tsuami and they just happened to have the same one and on sale too. So we bought that for her and told her we would take it to the park. Before going to the park we decided to have one more go on the Ferris Wheel and then a special treat of Baskin Robbins ice cream! Violet ate all my mint chocolate chip ice cream. She has her mama's taste buds! She thanked us over and over for the fun day and for the ice cream. Then we headed off to the park for a walk. Violet took her stroller and pushed it (without her baby because we forgot her at home). She loved pushing her stroller and once we got home adored pushing her baby in it. She loves pretending to be mama. She has us call her Vivey Mama. It is very cute!
I have recently become obsessed with making felt food for Violet's play kitchen. She has some that Baba got at a church fair and she loves making meals with it. I much prefer non plastic toys and so I decided I would slowly replace all of her plastic food with felt food. I am having so much fun doing it and she has been so excited every morning when I give her a new piece of food. She loved the banana that I made. I used this tutorial http://shelleyinspired.blogspot.jp/2010/04/felt-banana-tutorial-aka-mimis.html
When I gave her the banana she smiled so big and she said "thank you mama! Thank you for the banana for Baby Mei (her doll). I love it!" As I got into searching for tutorials for felt food I came across these little beauties...http://www.etsy.com/listing/86936913/table-playhouse-light-purplelavender?ref=v1_other_2
Now I am obsessed with felt playhouses! It is going to be my next big project after summer vacation. I am hoping to get it done by her birthday if I can...if not at least by Christmas. I have so many ideas and have drawn out my plans. I am going to try to make mine double sided, meaning decorated on the inside and outside. I thought, well I could just buy this one but man are they expensive!!! I know it is because it probably takes forever to make! So that is what my dreams have been about this past week. :)
Today Violet had to write her wish for Tanabata, the Chinese star festival. Each child writes their wish on a piece of paper and it is used to decorate a long bamboo stick. This morning I had to write Violet's wish down for her before school. So we asked her "Violet what do you want to wish for? You can wish for anything." Violet sat for a minute and looked around. Then she said "A baby." hmmmmm that is going to be a hard one. Maybe she meant a baby doll :)
Well that's all from the Crafts for now. Gabe made a movie about our vacation and I will try to post it later this week.
update little convo from last night 6/27
Vi: Mommy, Tigers are nice. Lions are nice too. Elephants too. Their mommy's help them to be nice.
Me: Who helps you be nice.
Vi: You do. And Daddy too.
This next update is just something I want to remember for myself. Last night as I was nursing Violet to sleep I was overcome with the feeling that my Mom was surrounding me with her presence. I saw her face so clearly in my mind. Usually when I picture her I see her as she looked before she had cancer. With her beautiful brown hair. Last night she had her post chemo hair (a beautiful purplish grey). She was smiling so wide and she was glowing. I felt so warm and full of light. My eyes filled up with tears and I whispered "Please don't go Mama. Stay here with us a little longer." When I started to feel her slipping away, I whispered it again. I felt her there with me for the entire time I was nursing Violet to sleep. I felt like she was holding us both and looking at her beautiful granddaughter. I don't know how to explain the feeling I had except to say it was close to perfect happiness. I couldn't stop crying and my tears were dropping onto Violet's tummy. She didn't seem to notice that I was crying, thankfully, and fell peacefully to sleep. What a blessing. Thank you for coming to check on us Mommy! I miss you and love you so!
Another update 6/29
Last night 6/28 I was making dinner in the kitchen and Violet was playing in the living room. She was playing with hiragana patches. (little precut Japanese characters). She came running into the kitchen saying "Mama, Mama Look what I did!" When I got into the room I found that she had spelled out
すみれ all by herself! I was so excited for her!
Then after her bath last night she told Daddy, "Can you go in the other room and I will dry off". That was a first for that one. She wanted to stand all by herself and dry off with her big girl towel (ie not a hooded towel). She was so pleased with herself. :)
