Ladderback

Like most toddlers, Sophie loves to climb.  Our kitchen chairs have rungs on them so she is able to easily and quickly scramble onto the seat before easily and quickly scrambling onto the table.

This is why it's hard for me to cook dinner.

Before we left, as we were eating lunch, Pascal felt Sophie's fingers and thought she was tickling him.  He turned around to find that she had climbed up the back of the chair, just like a ladder:

 What a little monkey!

Operation Christmas Card Photo: Take Two

This morning, I put the red dress back on Sophie, determined to get a decent Christmas card photo.

Here are a few that I got to choose from: 

Well, huh.  Since it wasn't raining this morning, we (Kellie, Isabel, Sophie and I) headed outside.  Kellie's job was to distract Sophie and encourage sweet faces.  Let's face it, though, at 18 months old, Sophie is interested in anything BUT the camera.

Operation Santa Photo: FAIL

Last year, it was so easy. 

This year, we stopped by a few days ago to say hi and Sophie was fine.

Today, I gussied her up (sans black hair bow, which she kept pulling out) and we got in line.  I truly didn't think she would have a problem, but hey!  Guess what!

She didn't even want to be near His Royal Jolliness.  Santa suggested perching her on my left knee, so he could read the story to her.  She twisted her body to the right, grabbed my right shoulder and would.not.let.go.

At one point, she was ready to burst into tears.  AWESOME.

So here it is, in all its glory, because this photo will NOT be our Christmas card this year (and I love the way my glasses slid down, partially obscuring my eyes. MORE AWESOME.):

Spoon Fun (Taken November 15. Note jaunty ponytail to keep hair out of eyes!)

A Little Post-Bath Yoga

(Taken November 11)

Moulin d'Orincles

The word moulin means "mill".  So, Le Moulin Rouge is The Red Windmill.  A pepper grinder is a moulin à poivre.

And here in Orincles, there is Le Moulin.  Our new friends, the Philadelphians, are renting this furnished house which used to be a grain mill back in the day.  The mill was operated by water, as it was built over a river.

Inside the house, there are reminders of those days.  For lack of proper terminology, I won't even begin to describe what they are but I do know that two large pulleys have been re-purposed as end tables by putting a piece of glass on top (does this remind you of the "stupid wagon wheel coffee table" scene from When Harry Met Sally?)

But the coolest thing is that at some point, someone cut a hole in the floor and installed a trap door of heavy-duty glass to watch the water flow underneath!  Sophie wasn't too sure of walking over it but once one of the sons did, she followed suit: 

 

 

P.S.  Cathy and Laurent are very nice.  They want to practice their English so that makes them even nicer.  Total sidenote:  the French do not do the "th" sound.  So, Cathy is pronounced Ca-tee (basically, two words, not like catty) and her full name is Catherine, which the French pronounce Ca-treen.  WHATEVER.  I call her Cathy with a "th", which I'm sure she is used to after living in the U.S. for five years :) 

Red Sauce, Four Ways

And all of them are tasty :)

(Blogger has some new formatting buttons and I can't get the pics aligned to the left . . .)
 

 

Addicted To You Tube

Now that I've figured out You Tube, here is one more (older) video of Sophie.

My disclaimers: Sophie had her bath before dinner that night, hence a shirtless Pascal and a diaper-only Sophie, and my apologies for my rambling commentary. What can I say?

Gimme Those Keys

Sophie is clutching - count 'em: one, two, three! - different sets of car keys in her hand, while clinging to Pascal (note: I said "smile!" and that's the face he made. Mr. Photogenic, he is not.):

We Know How To Have Fun On A Friday Night