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!