Today we went over to my in-laws for Christmas brunch and to open some gifts as my sister in law is leaving for the holidays. It has been the longest I have been out for a while and I must say that it was exhausting being out so long. It surprised me that I would get tired so quickly as things have been progressing quite well and each day seems to get better and better. Some of Mel’s family dropped by and it was nice to see them. When the boys were born, they had two sets of grandparents and the great grandparents as well. The paternal grandmother of Mel and her aunt and uncle from that side have often come to watch Xavier play hockey over the years. We normally email them the schedule so they can come and watch Xavier play. With Covid the last couple of years they have not been able to attend for some time. This year they came to a couple of games but they are on shut down now. I appreciate that all parts of the family bring something different in our relationships.
The boys and I play some video games together and the other day Xavier and I were talking about playing a game and Olivier chimed in with an adult expression that he would be interested in playing. It is something that is fun to do with the kids and we bond together over it. I took Xavier shopping for Christmas gifts and he did not want to buy anything for Olivier because he thinks that his brother is too picky. When talking with Olivier he says he has the perfect gift. Hugs. But that is only if he is giving them. I told him that he could choose between hugs or toys and he said he wanted toys, but hugs are the best gift. I volunteered to take Olivier out shopping for us and he said sure. We asked him where he wanted to go and his response was Walmart. It has something for everyone. Mel mentioned all of the small local stores we like to shop at and tried to get him to go to one of those. He had no interest and insisted on Walmart. I have no clue what he is going to get us at Walmart.
There was that one cereal that I loved and my mother-in-law would always look for it. She has not been able to find it in years. I can order it from Amazon but it is ridiculously expensive. Over $20 per box. I found a British Importer and found the cereal from them for $8.99 a box. I do not mind paying that and ordered two of them. I am looking forward to eating it with the boys. When you first open the box is the best time to eat it as it is the freshest. I would end up eating half the box at that time. When I was younger my parents were co-owners at a restaurant. I made a huge mistake when I was a child and told my parents that I liked a certain type of cereal. Golden Grahams. I had mentioned before that my parents were all about saving money, so the best deal possible is to order it in bulk. They did. It was something ridiculous like 60 boxes or something. I got sick of the cereal really quick. I warned Mel to never tell my parents that you liked some food related item otherwise you would be getting it over and over. She did not listen. My parents will make the same thing and keep on bringing it over if you say you like some type of food. She quickly understood why I always told my parents food or something was “ok”. Growing up one of my favorite food was lobster. I had gone away and when I came home we had lobster everyday. I was so sick of it that I left early to get away from it. Olivier exploits this with pancakes every time he sleeps over. He also requested cinnamon buns and wonton soup. My parents made it all for him. They make the broth from scratch so it is healthier and they do not like buying ground meat, so they make that themselves as well. He brought some home to eat after. I am looking forward to spending time with our family this year. I am more appreciative this year of family than in the past. We have always spent a lot of time with family, but after this year it reinforces the fact that it is great when family an friends rally around you when things are rough.
Quoc Hao