Camping

The neighbors got a package today: an generator meant to provide electricity when camping.

This got us talking about camping, a topic she is enthused about.

"Marshmallows!" she shouted.

"We should bring marshmallows?" I asked.

"Yes. And sticks!"

She then proceeded to tell me how it was going to be: "I get the little stick, and you get the big stick, and Jenny get the medium stick."

"What about Olivier?" I asked.

"Olivier just watch."

"What about Mommy."

"Um. Mommy just watch too."

Indeed

"You don't wear these," she said, holding up one of her mother's bras and looking at me thoughtfully.

don't speak too soon

I've learned to try not to over promise. That seems easy, but even the simplest things can be over promised. I really was hoping that Saturday Sophie and I could go to the zoo while her dad did his dealio at his conference, but I didn't say too much about it. Turns out it was raining most of the day, so I wasn't feeling the zoo at all and she seemed perfectly happy hanging out at the hotel. I'm glad I didn't have to take that back.

threatening sophie with shampoo and hand lotion

Sophie discovered the little hand soaps and shampoos in hotels. While staying in a hotel, it's a bit tricky to get her to bed. Last night, I had to threaten her with taking away her newfound hand lotion and shampoo if she didn't go to sleep. It worked.

In other hotel news, she went straight for the toilet paper when we arrived to the hotel and started spinning the roll--this is totally my fault because I let her do this once when she was less that a year old. My bad.

While Sophie sleeps, I try to get work done in the bathroom--this is why condos are better than hotels.

I left the Parmesan cheese unattended...

(Can you see the bite marks? It's a picture of the bite marks.)

Figuring out the Holidays

Sophie is fully on board with Halloween this year. She reckons she'll get a big bag and then she's gonna get LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY!

She's also been working on the difference between Christmas and Halloween, which appears to consist mainly of this: on Halloween you go out to people's houses and get goodies; on Christmas you stay home and someone comes to you with the goodies.

The chimney thing is still slightly perplexing.

And we're working on the idea of lists:

"We need to send him a picture to his iPhone," Sophie said, when asked how Santa would know what she wants for Christmas.

Her mother and I made amused noises.

"Santa have an iPhone?" she asked.

Oh probably, probably, I replied. After all, he brings iPhones to other people.

"Yeah. Santa HAVE to have an iPhone."

Fed up yet?

We've been working on getting Sophie to leave us alone and play quietly—or just play—in her room for a few minutes after we finish dinner each night.

"Mommy and Daddy are still eating," we tell her.

The other day she preempted us at the end of the meal:

"Are you full?"

Yes, we said, we're full.

"Then you can play with me in my room!"