But Where Is My Cake? Life Is Full Of Surprises

A week after the Christmas holiday, we were visiting my parents (Matthew’s grandparents). During the week before the visit, we picked up one of those packaged Christmas cakes on sale and brought it with us. Matthew made a mental note.

My mom asked if we could save it for next week, as she had already bought some sweets for us to enjoy after lunch. That was fine with us.

So, we had cookies and tea, and Matthew had cookies with some drink.

When we finished, I told Matthew it was time to get ready to head home. Matthew looked at me, surprised, and turned to look at Baba (that’s what he calls his grandmother).

"Baba, but we didn’t eat the cake. Where’s the cake, Baba? Baba, I brought you a cake?" Matthew kept asking.

I thought he’d never stop talking about the cake. He really wanted to eat it. We spent about five minutes explaining to him why we weren’t eating it today. It was because next week, his cousins were coming, and they wanted to have the cake too. That settled it.

---

Last week, we were visiting my parents again, and for lunch, Matthew was enjoying his chicken soup. When he finished his soup and the second dish, he brought his plate back to the kitchen and then returned to the table. He lifted the placemat, looked surprised, and asked, "But where’s my surprise?"

It happened once on Christmas Eve—Baba placed $20 under each grandchild’s placemat as a surprise (way too much in my opinion, but I couldn’t argue). So, Matthew remembered and asked again. I couldn’t believe my mother went and found another $20 just because he asked!

He knows better than to say, "Baba, this is too much," but instead, he said he was going to the toy store to buy more toys. Yes, like he really needs more toys.

I think instead of having a serious talk with Matthew, I’ll have to have a serious talk with my mom.

The News Guy

Toys, toys everywhere. We live in toy land. We don’t have a big house, so containing a child in one small space full of toys is tough. We gave in and let it be.

This Christmas, we treated ourselves to a new television, a flat screen. It was time to retire the old beast. We strapped the new TV onto a stand, but with all the stories about TVs falling on children, we continue to remind Matthew that it’s dangerous to hover around it.

The other day, for whatever reason, Matthew ran toward the TV with his toy. As we needed a moment to scratch our heads, I raised my voice to stop him from going any further. Matthew got a little shy. I gave him a serious look but then lowered my tone to explain again.

"Matthew, you don’t want to fall into the TV," I said, for whatever reason.
"And yeah, I don’t want to be a news guy, too," he replied, laughing.

"Come here, you joker. I need to give you a hug and a kiss," I said, opening up my arms.

Santa Mommy Will Be Coming To Town!

All these wrapped gifts in my living room, and none for Matthew. 'Is this Matthew's present?' - Matthew would ask. 'No honey, this is for baby Lucas' - I would reply. I was wrapping a box of liquor chocolates. Matthew comes, pulls of the wrapping paper and says, 'Oh thank you Mommy!' 'Matthew sweetheart, this is not for you, its for uncle Ben' - I said it again, and gently took it away from him. Today, I put one of the wrapped presents on the table, 'This is Matthew's present!' - he demanded.

Well its time to have a little talk.

'Matthew dear baby - all these presents are for other people. Yours is coming with Santa. Unfortunately he is still shopping for your present, so that is why we don't have one here for you' - I told him. He nodded his head. It is so cool to have such a grown up conversations with the 2 year old (+ 7 months). 'Okay Mommy' - he replied. I went back to my wrapping, and Matthew went back to his playing. But then at some point Matthew comes running to me and says - 'Mommy sit with Matthew on the sofa and wait for Santa'. So I did, and I told him again about Santa bringing Matthews presents, and that he is shopping for many nice presents. I ask him if he knew what stores he will be visiting, 'Ahhhhh Wal-mart'. We laughed together.

Later in the afternoon, one of my orders from online finally arrived. The delivery man rings the bell. Matthew jumps and yells - 'Mommy Santa is here!'.

I guess this Christmas, first time in the three years, Mommy will be wearing Santa suite. Daddy offered, but I told him unless he looses some weight, he will be able to have the act. And for now I will have to keep Matthew busy for another week, otherwise there will be an early Santa in our house.

Happy holidays to all my readers!
Wishing you lots of love, happiness and peace.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year

To all my wonderful blogger friends, during the most wonderful time of the year, I want to wish you one thing - happiness, because happiness is everything else. It is hard to believe that this is my third Christmas on the Story Blob blog and going forward. See you all in January 2010, and thank you all again for keeping me on my toes.

This time I want to share with you some of my favorite happiness quotes.

'We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.'   ~ by Frederick Keonig

'The best vitamin to be a happy person is B1.'  ~ by Author Unknown

'Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.'  ~ by Maxim Gorky

'When you're really happy, the birds chirp and the sun shines even on cold dark winter nights - and flowers will bloom on a barren land.'  ~ by Grey Livingston

...and since I have engineering background, I had to include this one:

'Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.'  ~ by Robert Frost

No Child Should Ever Be a Victim of the War

Every day I look at my baby, I look into his eyes, and I wish that every child in this world received same love as I give my baby every day, every hour, every minute, every second. No censorship anymore, media is telling us all. Everywhere we turn and look, everywhere we hear, children die - accidents, sickness, diseases, murders, abuse, hunger, poverty and war.

'A little girl playing outside her home in the dirty sand. Assembling a small structure from small pebbles and dry sticks, and a leaf, and some dirty sand. Her golden hair is getting in the way. With little hand she moves her hair off her eyes, with the other hand she is trying to keep the pebble wall to stand. Her face is getting dirty, her blue eyes are full of tears, she is struggling to put her little farm together. A boy near by runs around with a stick and a string attached to it. It is his homemade fishing rod. Suddenly dark flying machines are flying over the girl's and boy's head. They look up. Oh, not again - they know. Bombing starts. Noise is unbearable. More wind with dirty sand. The boy somehow escapes in the potato fields. Lays there half covered in the sand and scattered around potatoes. He is scared. He follows asleep. As he opens his eyes, he looks around. He is safe. People are talking. The little girl stands in the middle of the field, dirty sand is hitting her small gentle body, but she stands there like a little trooper. She is not moving. She is looking at her little farm falling now apart. She wants to reach out for the falling pebble wall, but she cannot. A man grabs her small body. Pulls her to his chest. He holds her tight. He is protecting her. Its too late. Her eyes never opened again. Next morning she dies. She dies from shock. People are crying.'

The little girl is a victim of the WWII. This little girl in the above story is also my dad's sister, she was only 5 years old. She died of shock. Even though the story is dramatized a bit by me and enhanced, I am sure that in the real time, it was even more dramatic then I could ever describe. At later time, my dad's another, only month old sister also dies. Result of local bombing, falling off the bed, trauma and shock to the little fragile body.

WWII indirectly killed many innocent children, unrecorded, never mentioned. Unmarked small wooden crosses deteriorated over time. Burial grounds became empty fields filled with tall green grass swaying left and right. The little lost souls dance forever in the wind.

This Christmas as we celebrate this glorious day, let us remember those little souls that never got to enjoy the small presents, home baked cookies, warmth of the fire place, Santa Clause, and love.

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. "
~ Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008!

All my friends, I will be taking some time off

to spend time with family and friends,

therefore, my story blobbing will resume in the new year.

I will see you then!

Share Your Christmas Moments

The Christmas is around the corner, so why not get into holiday spirit, a time of giving and time of beautiful moments with your family. These are few things that I would like to share with you - a moments of happiness. A moments that can be described in few words, however, they will last forever with me, and now I have the opportunity to tell the world, and have them on record.


I have two sisters and one brother. The order goes as follows: my older sister, me, my younger sister and my youngest brother. There is 5 years age difference between my younger sister and 10 years difference between my brother and me. My happy moments were when three of us (my brother wasn't born yet) used to go to the local forest and cut a small tree down, drag it home for about 5 km over fields of snow, in some places 1/2 meter high. Then we would assemble it and hang as many candies as we could, then we would eat them in a matter of few days.

When my brother was born and he was about 2 or 3 years old, I dressed up as Santa Claus and give out gifts in the house. We all head a blast.

It was tradition that no meat was consumed during Christmas dinner and still is. However, not now, but during my grandmother's time we all used to eat from one dish, and hold on to the spool through all 12 courses so our back would be good to work in the fields - I think that was funny when you are about 5 years old.

Last year in 2006 I finally decided to dress up as Santa again this time for my nephew and niece. I made my Santa suite from scratch, it took me a whole week to do it by hand. Unfortunately, my pants didn't survive the adventure, and thank God I had the long jacket. They called me a skinny Santa, hopefully this year I will not have that problem, lol. I will post some pictures on my only photo blog in few days.

And if you have some happy, funny or even sad moments - I would love to hear it. If you by any chance had the same idea, please feel free to provide a link to your site.


[TRUE STORY]