Se Parecen

Really??  Can’t anyone see that we look alike?  After 9 months of hard work, can’t you give Mami something??? іSe parecen!

Ooblek

Sometimes, you HAVE to let los niños just get messy.  We made some ooblek and mixed it with some granos de café, put it in a big container, a few large spoons and went outside.  Hours of fun entertainment and lots of scientific observation!

Story Time Sapa

I swear I posted this already, but it must have only been in my mind! I took Sofía to storytime at Barnes and Nobles.  It had been a VERY long time since we had gone there.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from her since the last time, over a year ago, she really didn’ t want to have anything to do with the lector (unanimated, boring, monotone and clueless about tots).  Well…this time, Sofía marched right up and sat next to the reader.  I didn’t video tape it, so you will have to just believe me when I say that she is definitely a Sapita (brown-noser)!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Papi!

Sofía loves a fiesta and celebrating her Papi’s cumpleaños was no diferente!  We ate lots of yummy comida and baked deli tortas (Yes, I said tortas!). 

But what she loved most was giving Papi his regalos! 

Even Nacho (el gato) joined in the fun!

We created a piece of arte for Papi to hang on his bare office walls.  Sofía and I had soo much fun making it and everyone at the Papi’s oficina RAVES about it!

Los Números en Tiza

While we were outside playing, Sofía spontaneously grabbed the chalk and drew a número and then said, “іMira, el número dos!”.

She did the same thing again, but this time said, “іMira, el número tres!”.

Going Up!!!

Sofía and I were riding in the asensor to go swimming at our Health Club.  I told her to press the buton B1 and do you know what she did?  She pressed B1!!!

Cosechando Tomates

Earlier en la temporada, Sofía and I cultivamos some tomate plantas.  FINALLY we got some results with a few pleasant sorpresas! 

We only cultivamos a pot to see if our netting would keep the animales from eating our fruits!

Mi ayudante colecto los tomates en su balde.

Quality control is always importante.  (She ate them ALL before we got into the kitchen!)

We made a new amigo!  I thinking he was guarding them for us! Sofia liked checking out the Grillo!

Montando Potrillo

What is the Summer without a Feria?  We got back from our trip just in time to catch the end of a nearby Feria.  We will definitely be going back next verano!  Sofía rode a potrillo for the first time!  She LOVED it!

Bembos Park

Bembos is a fast food resaurante chain in Perú.  It serves a variety of hamburguesas y papas fritas.  I took Sofía there one morning, not for the food, but for the children’s play area.  I’ve always been impressed with how Latin America has great play areas for children in their fast food places.  Nothing like I’ve ever seen here.  Take a look!

This is a foto of the restaurante from the outside.  If you see where it says, Bembos Park, that entire section is the play area.  It has lots of natural light and a high ceiling for climbing and going down cool slides.

I was also really impressed with how well things were labeled and the rules set out.

This is the giant ball pit.  There is a tunnel slide that opens into it also.  Sofia played in it (since we were the only ones eating at 11:30 AM) and liked it!

¡Salud!

As one can imagine, while we were in Perú, there were lots of familia get-togethers with buena comida and lots of brindises.  One morning, while we were eating our breakfast, Sofía grabs her cup of leche and taps it against my coffee cup and says, “¡Salud Mami!”  I was shocked and she was proud of herself.  Now she does a brindis with many other things too; pencils, magic wand, and paint brushes….always saying, “¡Salud Mami!” 

Anticuchos de Corazón

One thing that we wanted to do with Sofía during our brief viaje a Perú was expose her to all the delisioso cuisine that we could. One night we took her to Pardo’s Restaurante (what I like to refer to as a Chicken Shack). My hands were too greasy from the roasted chicken and fried yuca to take a foto when the food actually arrived. But what I was able to snap was a foto of Sofía and the Anticucho menu. Mi esposo LOVES anticuchos. He has tried to make them here, but really nothing compares to the Mother-Land. The word anticucho is quechuan for “cut stew meat”. Basically anticuchos are any shish-kebab marinated vinagre and grilled in specific Peruvian spices. Although anticuchos can be of any kind of meat, generally it is made from Beef heart. (It tastes like liver to me; I eat it, but it isn’t anything I crave.) Long story short…..Sofia ate anticuchos de corazón-and liked it!

Primos

Sofía was able to see her second primos again while we were in Perú. My husband has tías who are our age so, his primos are only a few years older than Sofía. It all works. Now that Sofía is a bit older than the last time she saw them, she fell in love with her primos, Juan Diego and Salvatore. Especially Juan Diego.

She “talks” to him ALL THE TIME on her Mickey Mouse cell phone. She tells him what she is doing and what she is going to do and if I interrupt her, she puts up one finger to tell me to wait un minuto!

¡A Perú!

We are very afortunados that my husband gets to travel (for work) a few times a year and that Sofía and I usually get to tag along.  So when mi esposo told me that he needed to go to Perú the following week, I got busy!  It was hot Agosto in D.C., but mid Winter en Lima.  I had to run and purchase tickets and make hotel and transport accommodations, as well as buy Sofía warm clothes!  She obviously outgrew all her long pants and long-sleeve shirts from last season.  (As I write this blog, she has since outgrown those clothes we purchased for the trip!!  Yes, my daughter is near the 100 percentile in height!) This trip really had only one purpose.  It was not the big event of our matrimonio, nor the culinary weekend celebration, or the cultural escapades of the Hacienda and the Pachamanca.   Mi esposo is from Perú and he still has close familia that live in Lima; aunts, uncles, cousins and most importantly, his abuela.  So Sofía learned to tell people that she was going on an avión to Perú to visit her bisabuela. La bisabuela is about 84 years old and as feisty as ever, and Sofía is the first bisnieta that she has ever met!   

A Mini Mi

For those of you who know me, you will appreciate this Mini Mi foto.  We even bought Sofía an absorbent towel like mine too (which actually got left behind on a  trip L - maybe Santa?) Sofía really loved this foto shoot!  She may really, really look like Papi, but she is totally a Mini Mi!!

Crema de Afeitar

Another sensory experience I like to give Sofía is playing with creama de afeitar (shaving cream).  Right now, she just plays and isn’t interested in drawing shapes or anything yet, but when she is ready, it will be a great way to practice shapes, letters and numbers.