Favorite things

Something amazing happened when Neko turned four. All of sudden she became this person I could hang out with, and she’s starting to like to do the things we like to do. Don’t get me wrong, I love that baby stage, but I’m loving having a new friend to hang out with.

Tonight Tom had class, and Neko managed to squeeze in a nap, which meant she’d be up late and I was on my own. And what that really meant is that it would be well after 9pm until I got to watch Oprah’s Favorite Things episode, which aired this afternoon.

But then I started thinking—Neko is all about Christmas and presents and surprises, and, hey, she might really dig this show!

So after Shep and Ellery were in bed, we cracked out the nail polish and painted her fingers and toes while we watched Oprah unveil her list. As each new box appeared, Neko would squeal, “What’s in THAT box?” And when they previewed this enormous box, she could hardly sit still until they revealed the biggest box of all, which held an LG refrigerator with built-in television. “Dad would really like that!” was her review.

And, like Christmas morning, it was over too soon. She sighed as the credits rolled and said, “Mom, that was really great.”

Okay, so maybe it’s not singing carols or hanging holly, but I feel as though this will be a holiday tradition for years to come.