Merry Christmas, everyone! Here's our craft-filled tree

Here's me suggling with a new teddy bear from dad while Skye gives me a playful kiss

I think daddy makes a good present!

Santa left me a brand new tricycle (trike) that I didn't even notice at first when I wandered into the living room. As you can see in the video, when I did notice it, I got pretty excited! I say "owl" at first because Santa was smart enough to put a gift tag with an owl on my present.

We celebrated my second ever Christmas at home in Iowa yesterday. It was a picture-perfect white Christmas, hushed by a fresh dusting of new snow. Grammie and Grandad Chang are staying with us, and Grandmimi, Pam, and Aunt Jenny came over in time for dinner.

Here's the photos of dinner, which I missed because I was too tired. I am told that the smoked turkey, root vegetables, pear salad, fruit and nut stuffing, and cranberry sauce was all wonderful. And paired well wih the 2005 Frank Family Chardonnary and 2003 Acacia Pinot Noir. Yum!

So Much Fun, It' Scarry!

I love reading! When Grandad and Boppy were here last week, I asked them to read to me constanty! Boppy made a photo book for me of my trips to Italy and Alisal, and they are some of my favorites. I love looking at the pictures of me and Harper and mommy and daddy. I kept bringing the book to any adult and saying, "book, book, please". I love it!

Here's me and dad and dad-dad (Grandad) reading my Knuffle bunny book. I love this book so much that I can now read the part of Trixie (that's the baby in the book). When she babbles, I babble. When she cries, I cry. And we she finds her bunny, I shout, "BUNNY!" What a great book.

Gran arrived over the weekend with Ada and brought two books from Richard Scarry. What Do People Do All Day was one of daddy's favorites when he was growing up, so Gran added Cars and Trucks and Things that Go to our library. Daddy also loved that book when he was little. The second book, Busytown, is a weak remake of What Do People Do All Day and I haven't really gotten into that one yet. We are looking for Scarry's Busy Busy World, but it is apparently out of print.

On Monday night, daddy and I sat down for bedtime reading with Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. I didn't know what to expect and neither did daddy, but I pretty interested after the first few pages.

Then we found Goldbug.

On every page of this book, Scarry fits in a little yellow beetle. Sometimes hiding in the back of car, sometimes hanging out on the side of the road, sometimes in his own little car. Hunting for the little Goldbug became my obsession. I loved it. With each turn of the page, I would shrug my shoulders, ask, "where?", and we would look and look . . . Then, when we found him, I would giggle and eagerly turn the page to start again. I did this over and over again, never losing interest. Before we knew it, we had finished the whole book. ALL 66 PAGES! Wow.

I love this reading thing . . .

Working Like a Dog

Sorry I haven't written in while. Daddy helps me put these together and he's been really busy lately. I will make up for it over the next week or two writing about all the great visitors I have had- three grandparents in one week!

I was playing with Skye's kennel in the kitchen and I wanted to see what her view of the world would be. I thought it was pretty funny but Skye was NOT amused.

Ride 'Em Cowgirl!

Denali is so good to me! She even let me ride her like a horse. By the way, I am really good at animal sounds, like "Neigh, Neigh" for the horse! I can also do a cow, sheep, goat, pig, frog, rooster, doggie, cat, elephant, monkey, bird, and, of course, my beloved owl!

Here's a video of me with my noble steed!

"Ground control to Major Sophie . . "

Here's the family posing for our Christmas portrait before our Thanksgiving dinner. It is not the best quality photo, but it so rare to catch all 5 of us looking at the camera at the same time!

My new game is to play astronaut Sophie by wearing a bin on my head like a space helmet. I think its really funny!

This is Major Sophie to Ground Control . . I’m stepping through the door . . . And I’m floating in a most peculiar way . . . And the stars look very different today . . ."

First Snow of Season!

We were sitting around Saturday night talking over our Thanksgiving dinner and discussing the changing seasons. It was a typically cold November evening, but not unpleasant. Our guest from Sweden was asking about when the first snow of the season will be, and we replied sometime in December. Little did we know that Mother Nature and Jack Frost was at that very moment brewing up a very stunning and very white surprise for Iowa.

We awoke the next morning to a Winter Wonderland: wet, heavy snow clung to every branch of every tree in the forest. The world was hushed and sanitized. It is beyond beautiful. We immediately went out to Lakepointe to see what the new house would look like in the snow.

This is the Great Room: kitchen, dining room, and living room with a push-out porch for a big, soft leather couch. Denali walked around and gave her paws up for approval.

Here's me in my pink snow suit- it is so soft and puffy!

Mommy and I playing in the first snow of the year!

This is the view from mommy and daddy's new bedroom window! Wow!

Just before the storm hit, we got a look at the back of the house just as they finished the windows and the roof. And just in time!

Social Butterfly

On Saturday I went to a party with some of daddy's residents and was thrilled to play with the other kids there. I was so jazzed I played way past my bedtime and didn't get bored or fussy! The party was at Jordan Highstead's house (daughter of Grant and Carrie). She has a really cool basement with lots of great toys. My favorite was the toy vacuum cleaner made by Dyson- it looks like a miniature version of the one my parents have at home. Jordan is the girl right behind me in the picture. The other two girls are Cambell and Caroline Wyatt (daughters of Casi and Chris). Too bad my "twin" Soren wasn't there- he lives just down the street from the Highsteads. Maybe he can come play next time.

On Sunday, daddy took me to a Hawkeye basketball game. It was my second game ever- I did go to one last year. I sat very patiently through all of the first half and then they had doggies catching frisbees at halftime! Cool! I also saw the biggest "caw-caw" (bird) I have ever seen- Herky! In the second half I got very tired and we had to leave early, but I patted daddy on the shoulder as I went to sleep thanking him for a wonderful weekend!

Hummus Among Us

I love hummus!

When I got home today, daddy was getting me some juice from the fridge and I caught sight of the little jar of hummus we keep in the fridge. Since I was hungry, I asked for some: "hummus? hummus?"

Daddy was impressed and pleased with my very distinct request, and very relieved I was ready to eat something besides mac and cheese. Daddy offered me three types of hummus: plain, artichoke, and roasted tomato. "Tomato?" That was a no-brainier for me.

Over the next 20 minutes I devoured the hummus, only pausing briefly to breathe and suck down some juice. I nearly polished off an entire container! By the time I was done, however, I had become so dedicated to eating the stuff that I was stuffing into my mouth with two fists! Note the hummus in the hair. Enjoy the pictures- it took daddy 10 minutes to clean up the mess.

But I would do it all over again!

Thanks For the Owl Jammies!

Thank you Gran for the great owl pajammas. I love them! And I really like it when mommy or daddy wears the owl cap. I usually ask them to put it on in the morning when I wake up.

Daddy was wearing his Penn State shirt the other morning- he still feels bad about Iowa knocking the Lions out of the BCS Championship!

Pushing My Buttons

I just love technology!

I am happy pushing any button I can find. The ones on the dishwasher are especialy cool becuase they are big enough for my clumsy finger and they're just the right height for me to reach. Daddy says that since I seem to be so helpful in the kitchen, I should start lending a hand in cleaning up. But mommy says I should wait until I am little stronger and a little more coordinated. I guess she doesn't want any broken plates!

My Smorgasbord

Tonight, mommy and daddy laid out the most lavish feast I have ever encountered- I was in food heaven! Now I understand why mommy and daddy enjoy pouring over cookbooks and playing with spices, herbs, onions, wine, butter, and a range of savory meats. When you take time to cook something, you get to eat something wonderful! And one food mixed with another just tastes better!

My dinner tonight featured tomatoes (my favorite), brussel sprouts (not a favorite), peas (with a kiss of honey- yum), tomato soup, turkey breast, hummus, and salmon-dill neufatchel. It was all washed down with a glass of ice cold milk. I quickly discovered that the neufatchel and the tomato soup made the best dip for the other items. I would dip a tomato into the neufatchel or the hummus and suck it clean. Or dunk a wad of turkey into the soup and inhale with whole yummy collection.

I slept very well tonight- I wonder what's on the menu for tomorrow . . . . .

Panoramic Shot of My Room to Be

My Room to Be!

Helping mommy and daddy plant bulbs! It got realy cold here all of a sudden.

The view from my room (eventually!)

We spent a few chilly and wet hours at the Lakepointe Owlery this weekend, finishing up our great bulb planting project. Today, daddy went out there to discover that the workers have finished building the window frame and basic layout for my new room. He got these pictures showing what my view is going to be! It is going to be totally sweet! I can't wait!

Mommy says that eventually we'll add a window seat to the big picture window. That way, I can sit, curled up with Denali, lounging on comfy pillows, and idle away hours with all the greatest storybooks in the world. Mommy says she had a window seat when she was growing up and it was her favorite place in the world. She would read book after book there. That's just what I want to do when I get a little bigger. I already love books- I always point to them or bring one to my parents and say, "book". I just can't get enough!

Taking Care of my Big Sister

I have to look out for my big sister. She does such a great job caring for me and puttig up with all my roughhousing, I want to make sure that Denali is comfortable. The other day, when Iwas proudly wearing my penguin costume, I saw that Denali was on the dog bed but I thought could be a little more comfy. So I pulled all the pillows off the couch and piled them up around my doggy. Now she is safe and padded from all directions! I am such a thoughtful sister!

Autumn Act of Faith

Tulips and daffodils are amazing flowers. They are bright and cheerful, providig color when everything else is still brown and grey from winter. Daffodils can even poke through the lingering snows of April to show their sunny faces. And daddy says that they are his favorite flower. Most amazing of all is planting the bulbs themselves is an act of seasonal faith.

Little ugly brown nuggets go into the ground in the fall and we wait for 6 months to see them emerge in the spring as beautiful works of natural art. The bulbs need this dormant period of freezing weather to undergo their magical transformation. It takes unbelievable patience to grow tulips and daffodils. And mommy and daddy have been doing it since they moved to Iowa.

Every fall, they plant several hundred bulbs, adding to the stunning total that emerge in the spring. This year, I was able to help- I picked up tulip bulbs and put them into the ditch that daddy had dug. Then, mommy lovingly covered them with plant food and soft soil and we move on to the next row.

This year, we focused on the front of the house becuase the tulips there are starting to fade away. We planted 200 tulips and 150 crocuses. At the Lakepointe Owlery, we added another 150 tulips, 100 daffodils and 150 crocuses!

I am looking forward to Spring!

Yes, We Did!

What started in Iowa City ended in Chicago's Grant Park. And I was there every step of the way.

On Earth Day 2007, I was nestled snugly inside mommy's tummy with only a month to go in development, and mommy and daddy went to the old capitol in downtown Iowa City and heard Barack Obama in person. Mommy was impressed and intrigued by the experience, but remained skeptical. Her realist approach is something we all admire and I look forward to inheriting. Daddy, however, was smitten from the first few bars of "City of Blinding Lights", the U2 song that Obama uses to enter his rallies.

In October 2007, daddy took me to the Coralville Marriot to meet Mr Obama in person. I was mesmerized by the experience, and it was a little overwhelming for me. Daddy had made his voting decision, but the encounter helped show how Obama could appeal to others. Here's the blog: http://sophiehouse.blogspot.com/2007/10/meeting-barack-obama.html

The first real step into history was taken 3 months later in the frozen snows of an Iowan January when the whole family attended the caucus at our local school. Packed into to tiny gym, the 300 people spoke clearly and forcefully in favor of a new direction. As I wrote in my blog, it was the moment that Iowa began to change the world: http://sophiehouse.blogspot.com/2008/01/caucus-night.html

Many were surprised by Obama's strong showing in Iowa, but daddy had predicted it 2 months before, based on Iowa's football team lack of a bowl game. Remarkably, this blog is cited and cross linked throughout the internet (based on google search results):

http://underdogcontest.blogspot.com/2007/11/butterfly-in-china.html

Mommy was still skeptical of Obama, and fought bravely to put Hillary into office. I know that she did this for me. She wanted to be sure that I grow up in a nation that ignores sex when it comes to hiring and judgement. Although Hillary fell short, mommy can rest assured that he goal was met. Hillary was not a woman candidate for President- she was a candidate for President who happened to be a woman. Yes, mom- I get it. Yes, gran- I get it. Yes, Ada- I get it. I can be anything I want to be. Sasha and Malia Obama can grow up to be President. And so can I. Thank you, Hillary.

Once the nomination was clinched, we did not see Mr Obama in Iowa again. He visited, but not to Iowa City. He knew that our county was a done deal and he was right. Daddy volunteered by getting people he knew to vote early. He took me to the county offices to vote early. He likes voting- he says it makes him feel powerful. Mommy voted a little later at the hospital, in their satellite voting. All we could do was wait until November 4th.

Today just happened to also be Daddy day, so we went to breakfast at Lou Henri's - my favorite spot. Later, Daddy picked my up early from day care and took me to the hospital to see mommy. We brought her and her office some Obama stickers. Mommy pointed to the face on the sticker and asked me who that was and I said, " 'Bama"! As we left the clinic, we passed a photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King. Daddy was reminded that 40 years ago King proclaimed he had a dream that sons of slave and sons of slave owners would sit down to a table together. Amazingly, that dream has now come true.

We had nothing else to do until the election returns started pouring in, so I helped daddy rake the leaves. It was a beautiful evening- warm and calm. And full of anticipation.

I went to bed on time, as usual. Daddy promised to tell me all about it in the morning, then welcomed a few of his residents into the basement to watch the results. At 10:55pm CST, I awoke spontaneously and upset. When mommy and daddy brought me some milk, I felt a little better. But I sensed something happening and I refused to go back to bed. Daddy relented and brought me downstairs, where President Elect Barack Obama had just started his big speech from Grant Park in Chicago. A park that I have been to on numerous occasions. When I frst say the screen, I called out, "Bama!" I watched itently, snuggling in daddy's lap. I pointed at daddy's sticker and then to a Obama poster, clearly demonstrating understanding of the moment. To their credit, my parents let me watch the speech and then took me back up to bed.

Calling Mr Obama "president elect" is so wierd and so amazing. 40 years after Dr King's speech, America took a step beyond race and elected a "skinny kid with a funny name". Daddy was so emotional during the Grant Park speech- crying tears of joy. It has been such a long road and, finally, at age 37, daddy cast his presidential vote for the winner for the first time in his life. Mommy is equally thankful of the results. Barack Obama will be my president for the first years of my life, and, possibly, the only president I will know for 8 years. My parents believe they chose wisely- lets all hope so.

Work Progresses at the Owlery

Work is progressing nicely at the Lakepoint Owlery. We went there with Gran to see the construction and we can now see all three floors of the new addition. It is going to be great! I still get very excited every time we go there.


This is me showing Gran where my room will be. I am pointing out where my walk-in closet will be. Behind me is the big side window looking out at the forest with its deer and turkeys and other wildlife. They will also be adding another window looking out the back of the house

We are outside the new corner of the house- the kitchen will be just above us and mommy and daddy's room is above that.

Behind me and Gran will be mommy and daddy's bedroom, with their view out a big picture window looking towards the forest in the back of the house.

The great room on the first floor will include the living room, dining room, and kitchen. We can now see just how big this room will be. It will be wonderful to play on the floor on a bright summer evening with the puppies while daddy cooks dinner and mommy reads on the couch. Or watch football with daddy on a fall saturday. Or cuddle all together on the couch under a blanket with the snow falling outside watching the fire and listening to Christmas music.