Every time Kymaia’s mum comes back from a trip, even a small one, she gets VIP treatment. It is equal parts endearing and fascinating to watch Kym prepare for the welcoming of her mother. She is a loving and kind soul.
That said, I complained to her that I don’t seem to get the same welcome, to which she claimed that I never travelled away from home. So, this past weekend, when I went for a 3-day Coastal Run on my motorcycle with my riding club, the grounds were laid for a grand welcome on Sunday late afternoon as I returned tired. And hungry. For both, food and love.
Here are some pictures:
The ‘Welcome’ sign on my study door.
My table was ‘neatly’ arranged and cleaned as part of the welcome.
All my pens segregated properly, pencils sharpened, and everything was in its place.
Even the stationery drawers were rearranged in a neat, organised fashion. She seems to have the same affinity for organisation as her Baba bear. It seems the apple does not fall far from the tree!
Flowers and gift cards were put in a recycled bag (that was used on Father’s Day this year). I think she gets her recycling and upcycling gene from her Mamma bear who’s so good at it.
I get a box. With a lovely (and utterly cute) message on the inside of the lid! I think I should give her one of my trademark bear hugs just for this!
An envelope for Baba bear.
Inside the envelope are several messages, a card, and two handmade ‘books’ in the shape of folded hearts.
The two heart-shaped handmade ‘books’ for me to write notes in. Notice the readymade titles provided as helpful hints as to what I should write in each!
Then, there was the cafe. No, not Cafe Blossom this time. For Baba bear, apparently, it has undergone a rebranding as Monkey Cafe.
The menu at the Monkey Cafe (with the old branding of Cafe Blossom still adorning the masthead) seems to be full of spelling mistakes (I think Kym and I need to talk), but also lovingly written. And quite informative.
The lower part of the menu that was removed (I found it in the garbage can later) because this menu item was not available!
A ham sandwich from the Monkey Cafe, made with lots of ham. And love. Of course.
Smiles, hugs, and kisses to end the welcome surprise. Psst: There was also a treasure hunt organised for Baba bear’s benefit, but he won it too quickly. Maybe, the next time, Kym needs to up the game a bit.
![Mr Baba: 'Would you like to take off the backpack now that you've been downstairs for like 30 minutes?'
Ms Kym-Kym: 'I like it like this. You should try it. It's very comfortable.'
Mr Baba: [Pulling on his backpack] 'Hmmm, you're right. That's rather snug.'
Ms Kym-Kym: 'Twinning! Yay!'
#LuckiestManAlive #BearFamily](https://scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.29350-15/416920031_3373151642830342_6696851954454537274_n.webp?stp=dst-jpg&_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=ZMLmjPdSAEUAX8nnJex&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&oh=00_AfB0olvUVmnenPKd2wCllMDehg5gzDgAbc4BDsGLqIm6pA&oe=65BA4561)
![Kym: 'Mr Baba, can I tell you something wierd? You can actually get tired from doing nothing!!'
Me: 'It is called boredom.'
Kym: 'Noooo. I mean, like physically tired.'
Me: 'One can get tired and sleepy due to boredom. I remember reading about it somewhere. Let's find out.'
[Some Googling later]
Me: 'It says here that "A new paper published in the journal Nature Communications finds that a part of the brain that is associated with motivation and pleasure - the nucleus accumbens - also can produce sleep. The new findings may explain why we have the tendency to fall asleep in the absence of motivating stimuli, i.e., when bored." Isnt it interesting?'
Kym: 'I already knew that. Why do you need to research things we already know?'
Me: [Finding a subject worth talking about now]: ' Ah well, that's what we'll talk of tomorrow on your morning run. It's very interesting the way science is done and our understanding of the universe is expanded.'
Kym: 'Can we talk of unicorns instead?'
Me: 'Sure. How do you know they exist? That's an interesting question too that you can use the scientific method to answer.'
Kym: 'Do they have to exist for us to talk about them? We can just pretend they do for an hour and have fun.'
Me: [Laughing] 'Yes, sure. We can do that too.'
#BabaBabyConversations #BearFamily #KymAndI](https://scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.29350-15/416410840_383105434396466_2267910263456009774_n.webp?stp=dst-jpg&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=LIozs445JFcAX_48wGC&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&oh=00_AfDQ2qbb0yO_wUmLj_L0ZxF61eDdwlIN-vyrd8GZe_pBMQ&oe=65BAFA57)
