a nap in Napa?

Shei Shei, Mommy and I went on an overnight adventure to meet one of Mommy's best friends, Meg and her daughter Celeste.  Celeste is almost 5.  She was less than impressed by me, but I'll win her over....just give me a few years.  I did have fun playing with Culder, he is 17 months old and the son of Penny and Karen.

I had so much fun and was enjoying every second of exploring the house, pool and yard that when Mommy tried to get me to nap, I just found it impossible.  Way too many fun things to see and do, and people to harass. 

Thanks for putting up with me you guys!  Oh, and Penny and Karen are two of Megs really good friends.  AND, they are fire fighters!  I LOVE fire trucks and fire engines and talk pretty constantly about them.  Karen is a fire fighter for Berkeley, just a few minutes away from where I live!  Maybe one of these days I could convince her to let me see her fire station and fire trucks etc.  How cool would that be????

Music...

MAKES MY WORLD GO ROUND


Now most kids like music and have fun dancing.  But....I REALLY LOVE it and music is an essential part of my daily life.  Mommy likes to listen to a lot of different kinds of music, and I have my favorites as well.

I love Bach and Chopin.

I love Zanzibari music (swahili with an arabic twist)

I love Swahili music.

I love French music (especially Edith Pilaf and Carla Bruni)

I love the sounds of Abba as heard on Mama Mia. 

I love songs from Mary Poppins (especially A Spoon Full of Sugar).

And, I love Masai music, as I do all things Masai.

This is just a sampling of my eclectic, yet highly refined music sensibility.  When I want a specific type of music, I will call out to Mommy, "I want French" or "Mama Mia please" or "Mommy classical please".  She is very happy that I am learning so many different types of music, but sometimes I get the feeling she wants to blow her brains out after the 30th rendition of Dancing Queen or her favorite, the chanting of the masai celebrations. No, it doesn't drive my mommy crazy at all.  She forgives me since I still love 'American Boy' by Estelle and Kanye West the best, or maybe that's her? 

I heart swimming

I want to do it EVERY day!

Our First Anniversary

One year ago today, Mommy got me up very early on a rainy morning, got me dressed in my cutest outfit with my jacket from Bada and she and I set out to meet Jeremiah, our lawyer and friend, at the courthouse steps.  We picked up my biological mom, Lillian, along the way and we all drove to the High Court in Arusha.  We waited and waited outside the judges chamber and finally, we were all called in to Judge Sambo's courtroom.  Mr Panga was there and we quickly went through the report of Panga and Judge Sambo gave the order.  I was officially named Akira Topher Bowman and legally became my Mommy's son.  Everyone was very happy and then we all went out to lunch to celebrate at Blue Heron.  Later, the whole family had dinner together at our favorite Indian restaurant at the Impala Hotel. 

This year is much less stressful for my Mommy.  We went out to lunch, just Mommy and me.  And, we played at the playground, and then we had milkshakes at Burger King, and tonight the whole family enjoyed some play time at the local mall where Shei Shei and I could run around and practice our summersaults. 

I love my life, my family (my whole family, biological and adoptive) and my Mommy.  Today we are so grateful to everyone in Arusha who supported and loved me enough to help me find my forever family.  We are forever indebted to our friend Jeremiah, who turned out to be the most loyal, hard working and good man and lawyer we could have ever hoped for....to all our friends, especially Linda, Kyle and Aiden who supported us and cheered for us every step of the way.....and to Lillian, my biological mother, who despite her very hard life, made such good choices for me from even before I was born and who acted with such love and selflessness for my best interest always.  We love you all. 

And to my Mommy.....I love you Mom, happy anniversary!

Memorial Day on the Farm

Wow....what a busy weekend.  It might have been a bit too much, in fact, for all of us.  No naps....late nights and one cranky Mommy by the end of it all.  But, remember there are two kids and just one Mommy....and that is exhausting!

Today is memorial day in the U.S.  It is a day to remember those who have died defending this country.  I'm still a little young to understand all that and am pretty new to the country, but I did learn about something important to the States today.....we went to a real working American farm, Ardenwood Farm.

 

They had so many fun things for kids.  I fed the sheep, got scared by a turkey, kissed a tractor (I REALLY like tractors) and learned how to walk on wooden sticks. 

Happy Memorial Day everyone...

A birthday Adventure Safari

We went on an adventure safari for Bada's birthday today....to the Oakland zoo.  I was so excited and kept calling it my adventure safari.  We saw all kinds of animals....of course, I have seen many of them myself on safari in East Africa, but I always love to see the animals.  AND, the zoo lets me walk and run instead of just sit in a car...and there are places to play....and, I get to be with my whole family.

Happy Birthday Bada....thanks for a great safari.

Baking a cake for Bada

Tomorrow is her birthday, so today we had to get busy making our famous cake.  Uncle Gogo put the ingrediants in the bowl and Mommy and I mixed.  Then, we greased the pan, poured the cake batter and let it bake.  I really really wanted to eat that cake today, but I had to settle for a few bites of the batter....not nearly as good!  I can't wait for tomorrow....Birthday time!

Meeting Zayd and Nicole

Today we met some new friends.  Well, for my Mommy it was meeting an old law school friend.  We all went to the Children's Museum in San Jose.  Nicole was able to get us free passes to go...thanks so much Nicole, I had a blast!  There were fire trucks, helper trucks (though I guess they are called Ambulences, I heard Mommy tell Nicole that I call ambulences, helper trucks....they are, arent' they??). 

There was a water play area, a toddler area and a food play area.  There were sooooo many things to do and to play with there that I couldn't possibly have seen them all.  But, then we had to leave....and I must say I nearly had as much fun running in the grass outside the museum with my pal, Zayd, as I did in the museum itself.  Thanks Nicole and Zayd for a really really fun morning!

Hanging with Goges...

I've shortened my given name for Uncle Gogo even further.  Often when I see him now, I say, "Hey Goges....what's happening". 

Goges let me ride on his skateboard with him...sitting down and going way too slowly in the driveway, but still...it was really fun!

Barefoot Over the Serengeti

I love to read.  I ask my Mommy several times a day to sit and read with me.  Most times its my books that I want to read....some of my favorites are, "If I were a lion", "Where the Wild Things Are", "An African Princess" (we change it to Prince), and "Baby Owls". 

Sometimes I want Mommy to read her book out loud to me.  I used to ask her to do this a lot when we were in Tanzania.  I would play with my blocks or my train on the floor and ask Mommy to read out loud to me.  If she stopped I would say, "Please read Mommy".  This sometimes drove my poor Uncle Gogo CRAZY.  But, I learned a lot about farming and eating because much of my Mommy's book, The Omnivores Dilemma, was read out loud to me. 

Now my Mommy has been reading, "Barefoot Over the Serengeti".  I asked her to read it out loud and figured out that it is about life in Africa and the Masai!  Now, I want her to read it to me ALL the time.  We sit in bed at night and she reads me 10 pages every night.  I sit and listen enthralled.  I really hope it never ends!

I'm riding a cow mommy, I'm riding a cow!