Almost walking

On chocolates and flying

• "The chocolates are doing magic." (when some colorful chocolates were melting in her hand)
  
• "Sometime, can you make just dough?" (when making snicker doodle cookies)
• (instead of a "frog in my throat") "I have a fish in my throat"; "I have sauce in my throat."
  
• "The corn cries when we throw away food."
• "My friends at school here [make-believe school] are just pretend, 'cause I'm real."
• "No matter what the weather, I love Santa María Tzejá."
• "Why do they sell things that aren't treats?" (at the corner store)
• "Is Poppa going to have a piñata at his birthday party?" (when her great-grandfather was turning 90)
  
• "I'm an artist girl and an exercise girl. I'm going to tell Bamba because she's an artist, too."
• "Kayalá sure is amazing."
• "To fly you just have to jump a little."

Mothers' Day Message to Bamba from Chely

HAPY MUROS DEY

I LUV YU BAMBA

Thinking about numbers

Chely: Mexico is really far away, like a million hours.

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Chely: Mom, how old are you?

Me: 36.

Chely: If you count to 100, do you pass 36?

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Chely: For my birthday can I get like 100 presents?

Me: Well, 100 is a lot.

Chely: How about 5?

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Musings on fish and turtles

some recent Chely quotes

"I like when we just look at the fish and put it back in the water. That way all the fishes can be a family."

"Turtles are so slow. When all the animals get in a line, the turtle is always last, all the days. If I had a turtle for a pet, I would let it go first."

Ten mommies

Chely: Mom, do you have two mommies?
(Our 11-year-old neighbor has two mothers.)

Me: No, just one.

Chely: I have ten mommies! You, Tato (her father), Kayalá, George (her stuffed monkey), Cresh (our cat), Bamba (her grandmother, my mom), Xaan (her grandmother, Edwin's stepmother), Noy (her deceased grandmother, Edwin's mother), Brenda (her godmother), and Tina (her godmother).

Chely's special week

At Chely's school each student has a "special week." For hers last week, she brought in special toys (books, stuffed animals, a doll, puzzles), a photo album, a CD with some of her favorite songs, and a DVD with the story "Strega Nona" in English and Spanish.

On the final day Edwin and I went in to school to share Chely stories and snacks with her class. Edwin led the children on an imaginary walk in the jungle, and then I led them in a dance (not nearly as fun as the jungle walk).

The preschool children, aged 3 to 6, expressed why Chely is special. Here are some of the things they said:

"She helps us out when we need it."
"She lets me borrow her stuffed animal, the curious monkey."
"When I get hurt, she comes to see if I am OK."
"If she hurts me, she says sorry."

Happy special week, Chely!