Elf Kisses

This morning we woke up to find a certain elf dressed up like a large Hershey's kiss, resting amongst a bunch of other Hershey's kisses.  It was a sweet start of the day, no doubt!

We have the usual routine in the morning, a quick breakfast, a picture and prayers.  But in December we add finding the elf, and now opening two advent calendars.  One has a chocolate item inside, and the other a LEGO item that you put together.  Today's was IG-88, which is so wonderfully obscure that Daddy is super happy about that.

Madison has had her nose in another book lately, reading in the morning and later on in the bus or at home, just pouring through it and tell us details as she reads.  Last week, she went to the Book Fair at the school, and we gave her some money to pick up a book that she wanted.  Her choice:  "Making Bombs for Hitler."

A few reactions from Mommy and Daddy when finding out what she used her money to get.  We were thinking in a completely different direction, but Madison came home with a pretty heavy topic sort of book.  We're pretty proud of her, of course, and seeing her enthusiasm to learn about history, even the hardest parts.  This book is historical fiction, but given the topic, it is no doubt a darker turn from books like "Peter Pan" and "The Nutcracker."

The winds were growing cold today.  While Madison was at school, Mommy and Daddy were setting up "Whoville" at KidPak, tucked away inside.  We met up with Madison, and of course were racing off to Edge ATA for the evening's session.  She never wants to miss an evening there now - we had told her about something coming up on Thursday, and she wanted to make sure we were there for taekwondo as well.  Yes, we told her, and all was well.  Tonight, she had a special honor, something that was posted on a social media, a video demonstration of a particular form that all the students are working on.

You can see Daddy in the window at the back, to the right, sitting next to two other guys from the church with kids in here.  We have a little table out there that we can type on these computers as we watch our kids punch and kick.

Speaking of which, here's a screen capture of Madison mid-kick.  The instructor posted something to Facebook live, a sort of guide so that all the other kids could watch this and practice their routines at home.  Madison was used as the example, and she did a great job with it.  She's got great form!

While in there, Daddy got an email from one of our friends, whose daughter was with Madison on the school bus on the way home.  There must have been an incident with some 8th grade boys who were giving her a hard time on the bus.  As a dad, of course I want to crush these individuals with an Iron Fist.  Talking with a few of the other guys, I realized we were all ready for a rumble with some eight graders, which of course would be complete overkill.  Perhaps literally.

But talking with Madison, she seems stronger and more mature in a way.  She was annoyed and pretty much forgot about the incident, and her only request was perhaps moving to another seat on the bus, as the seats are assigned at the moment.

Regardless, it was troublesome, and we were ready to circle the wagons and be there for Madison in any way possible.  But she has a stronger character than I did at her age, and I believe she'll be just fine.

Tonight we watched a few things, but this was the nice one:

There was a live viewing of the Candlelight Procession at EPCOT, and we didn't want to miss it.  It was an online viewing, but we had it on our big television - hooray for technology!  We told Madison that the host of the thing is the guy who plays Count Olaf on the current television series, so she was all in.

It was just as nice as I remembered.  We went in 2005, and it was a special night.  Steven Curtis Chapman was the host that evening, and this was by chance.  That month, we had just finished our paper chase, completing all the necessary items on the check list, and sending off the fees and paperwork to China.  Mommy was feeling a little sick that night too.  A lot was going on.  She had cancer and didn't know it yet.  Also, we didn't know that the wait for Madison would be as long as it was, or that we'd be going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments throughout the next year.

We saw the Candlelight Processional with her parents in Florida, and it was a special night with beautiful music.  And there were memories pouring back in as we watched together tonight - it was a bit of Christmas magic, really.  It was nice.

We read from Luke tonight, from the Scrooge devotional, and from "The Nutcracker," as well.  After prayers and zerberts, it was time for another nice long winter's nap.  Despite the alarming moments late in the afternoon, it'll be fine.  It's a nice time of year.