petite compaore: 2016

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Christmas 2016

Christmas Eve, we went to Mass at 5:30. The kids were really good!

Sonia thought it would be funny to wear Tantie Nadege's hair for a little while.

We had our tradition of seafood feast on Christmas Eve.

Then, we opened presents!

On Christmas day, we went to the beach, because it was a beautiful day.

The kids had fun building dams and digging holes, and did not want to leave even though the adults were getting cold.

Later we had dinner at Grandma's house. It was delicious. Isaac ate three helpings of ham.

Sonia decided that all the members of the Nativity scene needed to go on a walk.

Finally, she was all tuckered out from her long day.

So tired, that we moved her to another couch. She had a good rest. Sleep in heavenly peace, little Sonia!

The day after Christmas, we went to visit Rose. We just love her! She is the sweetest.

Here's to still having six more days of vacation before we go back to school and work, and especially to having Papa at home with us this week so we can all have a vacation together!

Saturday, December 24, 2016

I'm seriously considering signing out of my Facebook account on my iPad, which means I wouldn't be able to access it any more. So, in case I actually follow through with that, I'm going to try to stockpile some of the kid quotes and such that I had posted there with dates, so I can remember them somewhere else. Facebook has just become a huge time suck and I probably can do better things with my time. Every once in a while there is something worthwhile, but mostly it's just people trying to sell stuff nowadays. So, I don't know. There are some pros and cons of leaving Facebook, but for now, I'm going to write down these quotes.

Sonia:
November 23 - (Sonia is drinking from a water bottle with a straw and it is making a weird noise. I can't figure out why.) I keep drinking and drinking. It sounds like there's snakes in there. Oh, I know why it's doing that. Because my tongue.
November 14 - (Sonia apparently told Henri that she wanted him to sign her up for a rabbit hunting. I asked what you do in rabbit hunting.) You have to find a rabbit and kill it. You have to poke it with a stick.
October 27 - (On getting political junk mail from the mailbox) Look Mama! It's Hilly Clinton!
October 4 - Fireboys have to water the fires.
September 23 - Who killed this chicken/fish? (Me - "The Farmer/Fisherman") But who exactly killed it?
May 19 - If a huge monkey ate me for dinner, I would be gone.
April 18 - I have brown hair, but my mama does not have brown hair. (Ted - Well, what color is it then?) Grey!
- Is it Friday? (Me - Nope, it's Monday) Oh, well I don't really like Mondays. Fridays are my favorite.
March 20 - (After being told not to climb on the upstairs railing by Papa) I don't like you, Papa! I love you, but I don't like you!

2015

December 31 - (I'm collecting a few pictures to test kids on the Problem Solving part of the AEPS, and am test-running them on Sonia.) https://goo.gl/images/XERtPq
Me: Sonia, what's happening here?
Sonia: It's raining.
Me: That's right! How do you know it's raining?
Sonia: The cow is wet.

December 21 - Isaac, London and Sonia are playing family. Sonia is the baby, named Scarlet. Isaac is reading to the baby. London is singing to her as they both cuddle her and London pretends to bottle feed the baby using a cheap air pump from the Dollar Tree, pumping the air into her mouth.

December 10 - I think Sonia just said her first /r/ sound, in the word "strap". Aww Sonia, you are growing up too fast!

November 22 - I care about snakes.
- I was crying, crying, cause the cat made me grumpy.

October 31 - (looking at books from Grandma Sharon)
Sonia: She's naked! She's naked!
Isaac: No she's not. She's Ariel.
Sonia: Ariel's naked!

October 31 - (kid quotes, caseload edition - these are not Sonia or Isaac but they were funny, and I have one to add)
- I know the sound you teached me how to do already for a long time.
- Running is not exercising.
- I can't eat cause you here.
- (mom said the kid was having trouble with a word, had her say it and it sounded good. I said, yay for mommy speech therapy. The girl turned to her mom and said:) You fixed my language!
- I don't eat crack-a-poni pizza. (um, neither to do I.... :))

October 24 - When I be dead, I go to heaven.

October 23 - We don't like the naughty ones. We like those hummingbirds. But we don't like the starling ones. They naughty. They have to fly away. Starlings can fly in the grass.

October 12 -(Sonia loves this one salsa song and wants to listen to it over and over. We were in the car the other day, listening to said song, and Sonia started singing along.
Sonia: Ba!
Me: It's para, Sonia. You try it. Para!
Sonia: Ba!
Me: Try one more time. Para!
Sonia: Pawa. (long pause)
When I grow up like you I can say it.

October 6 - Mama, there's a man! And a lady! And another lady. Mama, you a lady? And I'm a girl. Isaac a boy. And sky's a boy too.
Me: Who's a boy?
Sonia: Sky's a boy.
Me: Who? (We don't know anyone named Sky)
Sonia: The sky's a boy. The sky is blue.

October 2 - Don't take Isaac off there! He is boy! He's my boy!

September 3 - (Sonia comes marching out of the bedroom with hands on her hips and wrinkles eyebrows)
Auntie Anna that is too flat for a mouse!
Auntie Anna: What?
Sonia: It is too flat for a mouse!!
Auntie Anna: What is too flat for a mouse?
Sonia: That cave in there (talking about the cave they tried making out of cushions and blankets)

September 3- We may have to ask the little peoples if we can go to that house.

August 29 - I have to go barefooting.

August 17 - Mama, is that bikini soup? (zucchini)

July 18 - (re: a coloring book "Sunny Days Sesame Street Jumbo coloring and activity book) Mama, this book is too hard for you to read.

July 15 - Ok, I'm gonna go in the bedroom and cry. Because.

June 22 - (before going to sleep) Don't worry about the Gruffalo, Mama. I got your back.

June 18 - Da skwans (swans) ah sleeping.
- Das apompalis (appropriate).

May 11 - MaMA! Squeeze me harder like pickle!!!

February 10 - Sonia was calling hula hoops "Hula Poops"

January 14 - Sonia quotes of the day, on the subject of whatever came into her head:
"I wanna do Seattle"
"Isaac gumpy and canky"
"Look at my eyes. They freezing!"
" Oh! The tieding fell!" (her shoe came untied)

January 6 - I just wanna go finish my wine.

2014-

December 16 - Sonia went pee in the potty yesterday and immediately said, "Mama, I want the big girl underwear." She was so proud of herself! She didn't want to take a shower because she was worried about taking off the big girl underwear. When I finally had to put a diaper on her for night time, she was very sad, and we saw a little sad Sonia face as she was all dressed... "Mama... I want the big girl underwear...:(" Let's hope this keeps up! Or at least is the start of something in the near future.

November 9 - I don't have to go to sleep, Papa.

November 1 - Morning: Sonia conveyed to me that the man in the garbage truck (which was picking up the garbage as we left) was hungry. "He's hungry for pancakes" she said.
Evening: Let's get donuts!

September 1 - Sonia has just learned how to whisper, and now she will get close to me and point, and say "Mama, momo (monster)'s coming to GET YOU."

August 26 - Apparently, the "dohnk" is the animal that goes hee-haw, hee-haw. Love you, Miss Sonia.

August 22 - I said, "Who's in the mirror?" as I was holding her: "It's Mama loving!

July 26 - This evening, Sonia got into the refrigerator and asked for salsa, then said she wanted chips to go with it. I love my little eater!

April 27 - Today Sonia said "Poop" at the appropriate time this morning.

2013 - (Apparently Sonia did not talk much before April 27, 2014).

September 28 - Dangit, Sonia just ate the cactus (Christmas cactus).

September 10 - A sweet older lady at the store: What aisle did you find that one on? Isn't she a cutie? (referring to Sonia)

July 7 - Sonia is crawling! YAY and OH NO!

June 29 - Sonia is starting to clap her little hands!

April 13 - Sonia might be babbling? 5 months old!

April 12 - A really cute thing is when Sonia tries to "run" after Isaac by moving her little legs and arms while I'm carrying her. She is so ready to run and jump!

March 17 - Sonia is starting to sit! (With support from the Boppy)

February 19 - Low-light of yesterday: Sonia poops in the bath.

When I try to go past this point, Facebook crashes. Unfortunately the only way I can access it is through the app where the password is saved, so that's just going to have to be all we put up here. I may have cross-posted some of the quotes before that. And, well, it's okay to forget anyway. Even just these memories are enough for plenty of laughs.

Oh wait, I may have found a work around! Let me give it a try!

2012-

December 18 - Sonia's first snow day! And she smiled (real smiles!!) for the first time! Happy day!

Well, I guess that was actually it, since she didn't talk much before then, but it was still fun to look back and put it all in one place. Hopefully I'll be putting it on here from here on out!

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Yesterday we had a very Portland sort of day. We checked out a cultural pass at our library that let us get into the Lan Su Chinese Garden downtown for free. Then I found a Chinook Book coupon for one free tea at their tea place there, and we rode public transportation so we didn't have to pay for parking (and potentially get a ticket like Nana did when she went there last).

Isaac and Sonia really liked it. They don't look like they do in these pictures, but they had lots of fun looking at the koi in the pond and walking around and exploring. I think it's worth a second trip. With the cultural pass, of course.

Isaac found one of those calligraphy with water boards at the very end and was very concentrated on copying the Chinese characters. I felt bad pulling him away from it but we had to get on the bus to go back to turn the cultural pass in on time. My pair of Keens, which I have had for almost exactly 10 years, and have traveled to Europe and Africa with me, came apart yesterday as we were at the garden, so I was worried about that slowing us down too. Of course, they are so well built that it's just that the bottom and top came apart, so my foot was still enclosed in a shoe. I'll try to Shoe Goo them back together. Still, 10 years was a good run. Why is it that shoes always come apart in the most inconvenient places? I guess you have to be walking for them to come apart. I've had two different pairs come apart when visiting Seattle. Ironically, the first pair I bought in Seattle to replace the broken pair, broke on another trip to Seattle. It's just odd. Why can't they break when you're at the park down the road or something? I digress.

Little Sonia fell asleep on the bus ride there so she was a little grumpy when she woke up, but she soon became her old self.

When we went into the tea place there, Sonia got her own little teapot of tea and she was just enchanted by pouring the tea into her little tea cup. She did it over and over and over again. She ended up not liking the tea flavor she chose, so she would pour a cup, take a sip, then tell me she didn't like it and could I please drink it? Then she would pour herself another cup and take another sip. I found a little tea set I bought in Japan and maybe she can play with it today. Maybe we can even make real tea in it. Ooh.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Ear-to-ear part

Today we got to wash Sonia's hair with all our normal products and I did a new part, the ear-to-ear part. I French braided the front section. I think I am not ready to try cornrows yet until I feel really confident doing the French braids well. Sonia was very cooperative today. We washed her hair in the sink and I think that really is one of the best options because then her body doesn't get all wet and cold.

These are not great pictures since I just took them with my iPad mini and Sonia moved around a lot, but it gives a little bit of an idea! We are gonna keep making progress in the hairstyling front, I just know it!

Love this curly girl!

Friday, January 8, 2016

This girl loves her Papa!

Here is a picture Sonia drew today. She has gotten really intentional with her placement of color in the last few months, and it is fun to see it develop! She loves preschool. She started going two days a week in December and it was such a good choice. Since the age of 9 months she has mostly been in in-home childcare, which we also love, but isn't an option on Fridays. So the new schedule is working super well for our social butterfly!

Papa came back from a visit to Burkina Faso and brought some outfits for Isaac and Sonia. Here are Sonia and Papa cooking some toh in their African outfits with the new toh stirring stick! We are happy to have Papa back!

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Hair book review: Chocolate Hair, Vanilla Care: A Parent's Guide to Beginning Natural Hair Styling

Nana got Mama this book for Christmas:

It has been read cover to cover, and it definitely has some helpful information. I would consider myself a beginning natural hair stylist. I tried to braid London's hair and am realizing I am actually quite lucky to have Sonia as my own child. I think curly hair holds a little better - or maybe it was because her hair was damp/wet when I did it versus London's being dry. I am not a very tight braider. Of course, you don't want to braid too tight but if it is way too loose then it just gets all fuzzy and defeats the purpose.

I think that once you have figured out how to wash and moisturize your child's curly hair, this is a great book. I read in the reviews it has great info on how to part, and I would also agree. I think more than anything that section is helpful because it gives you a framework so you can understand how the hairstyles are built. It doesn't really give step-by-step directions for really advanced hairstyles, but again, it is a beginning book. It does tell you how to do twists, braids, cornrows and flat twists. It also shows you a way to make a bun - I think Sonia's hair is a little too short for it right now. It also talks about why you put your child's hair in styles - to protect it from breakage!

So, here is my first attempt. I did the first part (front to back) and decided to do a two-strand flat twist down each side and call it good.

I think it turned out okay - I am sure it will get better every time I try it. It is getting a little fluffy (some clumped strands of hair are coming up, not individual strands) as it dries, but no big deal. I also like these new little bands I found - they are metal-less, but the kind that go at the end of braids, not the pony-tail kind. Yay Fred Meyer.

I had to go get a bunch of stuff at Fred Meyer, actually, because I forgot all Sonia's conditioner at home and I realized I should probably do her hair this weekend instead of trying on Monday. The selection in Newport is somewhat less than in Salem, but I think I may have found some things that will work. I'll try to follow up with a product review after she's had the stuff in her hair for a week, if I remember! I am thinking about leaving this stuff in Newport so that it is here when we visit. We'll see!

new year! party

We started out the New Year digging carrots with Boompa outside.

Today we had a birthday party for London, who turned 5 yesterday!

Sonia and Isaac had lots of fun.

London got trick candles on her cake, which are always fun! It was a very cute Hello Kitty cake that Auntie Anna made. Auntie Anna is very creative and always makes a cute cake every year.

The party was at Yo Ho Ho Indoor Bounce (which I normally don't put info like that on the blog, but it was a really fun place to go, so hey, free publicity!) and the kids had lots of fun climbing and sliding on the bouncy houses. My camera (and I) admittedly don't always take the best pictures, but I think it's fun the way the pictures turned out with the sliding.

Sonia the ghost!