Merry Christmas

Here's our almost-five-year-old and her second year of visiting Santa. Sydney impressed Santa so much with her dress, he asked to see the photo before we left. He actually got up out of his big red chair and came over to where we were standing to look at how it turned out. Sydney was giddy and excited.

She has been pondering how Santa operates. She thinks there is more than one Santa. "One at the North Pole, one at the mall, and one up there watching us." When she asks questions, we always reply with, "What do you think?" We are cherishing every moment of these young years of magical belief.

Fall Happenings

Sometimes, all you need is a little gelato.

The other day, Sydney, Brian and I were relaxing on the couch. She had brought out one of her baby dolls (which, by the way, she rarely plays with) and sat back down. All of a sudden she pulled her nightgown down from the neck hole to expose one of her nipples. When I asked what she was doing, even though I had the idea, she replied, "I'm feeding my baby." Then she proceeded to attach the baby's mouth to her chest. Brian and I looked at each other and tried not to crack up or overreact. I asked how she knew to do that. She said, "From watching Natasha in the nursery. That's where the milk comes from." Natasha is the daughter of one of Brian's cousins who is still nursing her baby and had fed him at the family Halloween bowling party. Sydney was apparently right there watching. So I accepted that valid answer and told her to make sure she covers up. She pulled her Pooh blanket over her shoulder and eventually over her head to watch herself.

They grow up so fast...

Some highlights of the past few months:

Vancouver's Sausagefest, where Sydney rode the little roller coaster with a complete stranger (little girl) and they had so much fun, they did it again together. Not to mention the fun times with Mom on the bumper cars.

Going to preschool three times a week, learning new songs and meeting new friends (one boy named Brier is going to marry her, and another boy, Xander, gives her goodbye hugs and thinks she is the prettiest girl in the school).

Taking Tiny Tots Hip Hop dance class and meeting a new friend, Dayna, and her parents who recently moved here from Hawaii. They exchange little gifts every week now (drawings, snacks, candy).

Dressing up for Halloween as Snow White "because I have black hair like her."

Helping haul pumpkins at Bi-Zi Farms.

Riding a horse named Sugar behind Grandpa and Grammy's house.

Writing her name! (Along with Mom's.)

Riding her bike without training wheels - we're still working on that, but the training wheels are gone as well as the pedals so she can practice balancing and coasting.

Getting together with another Fu family for a hot pot lunch. It's always nice to see our "friends for life". Here's Sydney with Maya (Fu sister) and her little sister Anya.

We're moving rapidly into the holiday season! Hope everyone (anyone?) out there is enjoying life to its fullest! Here's a little clip of Sydney at her hip-hop class.

Tattoos and stuff

Hello, blogcheckers! Procrastinator here. Seems that life always gets in the way of blogging. I keep telling myself to post whenever Sydney says or does something worthy, before I forget. And so it goes - memories are fading!

Sydney has returned to KidSpace preschool, this year for three days a week as a 4.5-yr-old. She gets to continue her gymnastics through KidSpace. She is getting ready for Kindergarten for sure! We got rid of her "baby" carseat and she is now in a booster seat and can buckle herself in, which she loves. She also just started a "Tiny Tots Hip Hop Dance Movement" class, which is highly entertaining to watch!

Today as I was driving Sydney to preschool, she commented from her booster seat in the back that her duck tattoo from Burgerville was starting to come off her arm. Thus began our discussion of tattoos and what she and her mom and dad are going to get when we all grow up. I kept telling her that real tattoos are permanent - that they inject ink with a needle under your skin. It almost didn't phase her. She ultimately said, "Maybe when I'm not so afraid and I get braver, I'll get one."

By the way, wanna know what she chose for all of us?

For her Dad: Mario and Bowser. For me: Yoshi. And for her, Princess Peach.

Is Anybody Out There?

I have yet to see any comments on my return to blogging. That's okay. I just wanted to document some thoughts and things. Like I said earlier, I will not likely post many photos here. But I feel like I have to get things down in writing (?) before I forget. Some things may not be too significant. Some may even bore you. Thanks for reading, if you are.

Yesterday we visited our good friends, the Hawkins' family. Short history: Steve and Tressy have two kids, Xander (6) and Lucy (almost 5). We have all dreamed of the girls becoming lifelong friends ever since we brought Sydney home. (Xander is also included in the mix. In fact, he is such a sweet, smart boy and so incredibly nice to Sydney that we all half-jokingly talked about arranging a marriage.)

For three years, Sydney and Lucy have had a love-hate relationship. Chalk it up to age and immaturity. We have had to leave their house with one or both girls crying. But not last night! Sydney and Lucy played unbelievably well together. I won't go into the details, but there were no tears, only lots of laughter and hugs. Mark this day down in history!!

Recently we have been strongly emphasizing "Good Choices" to Sydney. It's amazing what a little positive reinforcement and a lot of reminders can do! I've even caught myself being less stressed about her behavior because she is making those good choices. And she's so much cuter when she's happy.

Cowgirl Sydney with her friends and their horses!

Sassy Sydney

For some reason unknown to me, our precious four-year-old daughter has been turning up the sass-meter. And not in a good way. She seems to answer almost every request we make with a sassy, attitude-filled remark. Some real examples:

Mom and Dad: "Sydney, please clean up your toys."

Sydney: "I'm too tired to do that." (Spoken with a touch of whine and cheese.)

Sydney: "What are we going to eat for dinner?"

Mom: "Curry shrimp with rice and peas."

Sydney: "Eww, I don't like that!"

Mom: "You haven't ever tried it yet."

Sydney: "Well I just want ramen!"

Mom: "I'm not making anything else."

Sydney: "Then I'm just going to bed!!!" (Runs down the hallway to her room.)

Mom: "Sydney, go potty please, before you have an accident. Remember, that's what we do when we first get up."

Sydney: "I'm just going to go at Grammy and Grandpa's."

Mom: "AAARRRGGGGHHHH!" (Well, not really, but that's what I wanted to say.)

Last night Sydney got into trouble at the bowling alley child care. When I went to pick her up, Krista (the dear high schooler who was having a rough evening with the kiddies) informed me that she had to put Sydney on a timeout for running out of the room. She also told me that Sydney sassed her about it. What happened, Krista asked, to the sweet Sydney we know and love? Oh how I wish I knew!

So we had a talk on the way home and before bed, to remind her how bad choices make us mad and sad, but good choices make us happy. Her response?

"I'm not going to make bad choices ever again." Dream big, I say!

Making Friends For Real

Follow-up to the "Making Friends" post: Sydney made a new friend at the playground!

We were just about to leave, having been there for about 40 minutes by ourselves, when a mom showed up with two kids, a grandma and two little dogs. The little girl immediately headed to the play structure where Sydney ran right up to her and asked if she wanted to play... she said YES! Aahh, the joys of childhood. They ran and ran and ran and ran for the next hour while us moms compared notes on the challenges of making friends at our kids' tender ages (the other girl was five and a half and her little brother was three and a half). This other mom told me that her daughter went through the exact same thing a couple years ago where no one wanted to play with her and she kept trying to make friends with everyone.

I find this interesting, how the social dynamics of making/shunning friends starts so early and carries on through our lives. I suppose it is just passed on from generation to generation, from older kids to younger siblings, and on and on. I wish the trend could be broken. But then we'd probably have to move to an unoccupied island or live in a bubble. As they say, with risk comes reward. I will encourage Sydney to continue putting herself out there, risking rejection, for great friendships to come.

Scary Moments, Close Calls

I pride myself (and Brian) on keeping Sydney safe and virtually accident-free. She hasn't had any horrible injuries or boo-boos yet to get the heart going. We used to joke, after we had her home from China for a little while, that, hey, she's still alive! We're awesome!

Yesterday, while walking in the crosswalk to Fred Meyer from our car, Sydney yanked her little hand free from mine and ran back behind to retrieve - a penny. Meanwhile a large van was moving towards the crosswalk. I had to run back and grab her. She has never done that before, ever. Heart racing slightly.

And then, later on that afternoon, during quiet time/nap time, she came out of her room whimpering a bit. A worried cry. I asked what's wrong, what happened. She replied, "I put something in my ear and I can't get it out. It's stuck." Yikes! Heart pounding again, I sprung into action. "What did you put in your ear?!!" Turned out to be a tiny, sequin-sized jewel off the edge of one of her dress-up costume skirts. I got her into the bathroom, grabbed a flashlight and looked. I really couldn't see much - the hole in her ear is so tiny - but I got the tweezers, stuck 'em down in there and pulled out the object. It already had earwax stuck to it!

Needless to say, we had a talk about good choices and bad choices. I am realizing, once again, that we really don't have any control over this little creature. Scary ride, this parenting!

Making Friends, or Not

For those of you that know Sydney, you can attest to the fact that she is a friendly little girl. She will walk up to total strangers, both adults and children, and greet them. Luckily, so far she has done this with us close by and in safe surroundings.

We visit our neighborhood playground every now and then, which serves probably hundreds of kids in the area. So you rarely see the same kids there each time. About a month ago, Sydney tried playing with an older girl (6 or 7) and her little brother (4 or 5). I watched from a small distance as she pursued them on the play structure and they ignored her. I listened carefully as they plotted to keep her away from them or beat her to the area they were going. And I gathered her over to me and tried to explain that not all kids are nice, and if they're not, you shouldn't want to play with them. What I really wanted to do was chew out those other kids for being mean.

Yesterday we found ourselves again at the playground. Sydney immediately saw an open swing next to a little girl that was her age. She was there with her dad and two older brothers. Sydney, of course, wanted to swing next to the girl, which she did. Until the dad stopped pushing so that he could play catch with his sons. The little girl got off to play on her own, and Sydney, of course, wanted to follow. The girl didn't say a word, but avoided Sydney like the plague. I again tried to explain that not everyone wants to play with her and to stop chasing the other girl. Sydney came over to me and said, "I just wanted to make friends." So heartbreaking. We got home and I told her that she should keep trying, and one of these days she'll find another kid who'll be glad to be her friend.

Sydney's First Purchase

Aahh, the power of money. After Sydney turned four, we decided that we'd start paying her an allowance. She has to keep her room relatively neat and tidy, make her bed, replace the small trash bag liners around the house, and clear her dishes. For these tasks, we give her one dollar a week. She does a great job with the trash bags (she'd been doing it for about a year now, for free!). She hasn't slept under her covers since mid-February, to keep her bed made. She hasn't broken any dishes yet. Her room is, well, always a challenge.

Anyway, she keeps her money in her small, purple, velour "Princess & the Frog" purse. I was hoping she would start understanding that it is actual, real money that you can buy things with (or save up to finance her college education). She tends to take out the coins and bills, play with it and leave it around the house. Today I decided to take her to our favorite store, Target, to see if there was something she wanted to buy with her own money. I tried to explain that she didn't HAVE to buy anything; that if she found something but didn't have enough she could start saving for that specific thing; if she wanted something that cost what she had in her purse she'd use it all up; or if she found something that didn't cost much, she would have money left after buying it.

She found something right away in the dollar section of the store. And we perused the toy section and the DVDs and books. When it was time to go, she kept saying she wanted to buy something else but she didn't know what. Again I explained that she didn't HAVE to buy something just because she had money. But she insisted on this:

A butterfly net!

On the way home, she asked me to open the window. She held on tight to the handle and let the wind blow through the net, squealing with utter delight. I guess some things you just HAVE to have.

Seven Months Later...Happy Easter 2010!

Zanna and Sydney, Fu Sisters for life!

And here we are again! I decided to try blogging again. Be warned, however, I will most likely NOT post many photos here. It is just a bit too time-consuming for me and I am also too lazy. Plus, I post my photos on Facebook, so if you want to see Sydney, check them out there.

So much has happened the past seven months, so I'm not even going to attempt to cover it all. Here are some highlights:

October - Sydney was a fairy (from Tinkerbell) named Silvermist for Halloween. She got to go to the Bi-Zi Farms pumpkin patch twice!

November - We all headed down to southern CA for Thanksgiving, Disneyland, and closure for Grandma Joe's ashes.

December - Sydney sat on Santa's lap for the first time! She was brave. We spent Christmas here in Vancouver.

January - Celebrated our third Gotcha Day Anniversary (Family Day) with Sydney's Fu sisters.

February - Sydney turned four! She had a big birthday dinner at Red Robin with about 13 friends and family. She also got to have cake at her Kidspace preschool.

March - Sydney's annual checkup results: 30 pounds, 38 inches! Growing girl, but still our little petite peanut.

Sydney continues to amaze us with what she learns and remembers. She has used words such as "appropriately" and "disappointed", um, appropriately and in context! We think there's something to Grandpa Joe's opinion that she has some sort of photographic memory - a few days ago she had watched a bit of the 80's movie "Clash of the Titans" which, we know, was probably inappropriate for her (and thus, might make the critics disappointed in us.) At any rate, she reported, in great detail, a play-by-play account of what she remembered, to Grandpa Jim. As Brian and I sat listening, all three of us adults were blown away by her description. Hopefully she won't relay the story to her preschool teachers; talk about "chopping off Medusa's head and seeing the blood pour out" or "that mean guy stabbing the bag with the head in it and the blood dripping out and turning into scorpions" may raise some red flags and get us some phone calls.

This past week was Brian's "Spring Break", which felt more like Winter Slushy Break. Nonetheless, we did have a couple of good weather days. One day I actually got outside to do some bulb planting. Sydney "helped" me out while Brian stayed inside to paint a wall. She got a bit cold, so she told me she was going in. As I was finishing up and cleaning up, I thought I heard crying - so I went into the garage and discovered that Sydney had gotten into my car and locked herself in (accidentally) and was crying scared. After Brian and I showed her how to unlock the locks and open the door, she calmed down and told us she would never do that again...

Happy Easter, everyone! (Whoever is still out there!)