Kung Fu Panda

Last night was indeed a great popcorn night, as we snuggled together and watched Kai-Lan's Big Trip to China. We all enjoyed it, especially Madison, who gets so excited about movie night. You just say the word "movie," and she's going into the pantry to grab the popcorn bags!

The plot is pretty simple: Kai-Lan and her friends met a baby panda bear and decided to get her some nice gifts around town. Kai-Lan's a nice kid, but she's got nothing on Madison sometimes. For example, when Daddy got home from work, it was time to eat. Mommy had cooked up something nice as always, but Madison was preparing something for Daddy as well.

Dinner was great. You've got to love those little plastic pastries, and having an entire plastic tomato in your glass really does the trick. Of course, the best part is seeing your beautiful daughter in an apron and oven mitts carefully present you with your plastic dinner, put together with so much love and effort. Bon appetit!

Tonight's dinner was a little different. After a long day at work, we decided to make ourselves a veggie pizza. Madison knows how to say that word "pizza" really well now, and was instantly putting that apron on again in order to help prepare it. One problem though:

After spreading the tomato sauce over the surface, she just couldn't help herself: she had to lick the spoon! Busted!

After Mommy cooked up the pizza, Madison had three slices! It was that good. It was a pretty long day, and in fact it was a long night last night too. Everyone was up at all hours: Mommy is still a little under the weather, but thankfully getting better. Madison was a little congested too, and waking up a few times over the course of the night. We were very tired in the morning, but try telling that to an energetic three-year old! She wanted to play, and play hard!

Tonight after dinner, we got into our pajamas and snuck into bed once more for a movie. Tonight's feature was "Kung Fu Panda." You can see Master Tigress above, pretty happy because the Year of the Tiger is about to begin.

Poor Madison! She was so tired, she didn't even make it through half of the movie. Daddy had her milk ready, which she drank while watching...but she didn't even finish her milk. We carried her into her nursery after that and wished our little darling a good night. We finished the movie on our own.

"Kung Fu Panda" is the movie that I'll always associate with our journey to China. I'm fairly certain it was the last movie in the theater that we saw before going to China, and how appropriate that the whole thing takes place in China. The Beijing Olympics were coming soon, and everyone was thinking about China worldwide. I remember being over there in Beijing, just before the Olympics started, and seeing posters for "Kung Fu Panda." In fact, we saw all sorts of movie merchandise at the panda section of the Beijing Zoo.

The music always takes me back, back to the flight soaring through the clouds and leaving so much behind on our journey to a new life. The music always makes me smile, and takes away any heaviness. I used it when putting together a short movie some time ago, a short slide show of our adventure. Click here if you'd like to hear it again: Road to China.

Tonight, Zena and I listened through the credits, just to hear that music. "Panda Po," the short piece of music that will always remind us of Madison.