clean...

long lost friend.

now that i'm working, siena and i have less time to play with some of our friends (it's so sad). we finally got to have a short visit with hudson and rachel last week. the kids play pretty good together (siena is not the best at sharing her toys these days, but we're working on it) and of course it was nice to catch up with rachel. hudson is getting tall, has more blond hair, and as always was a big sweetie.

mama's school...

tutu bobbin and siena come to my school on friday mornings. we like to have one typically developing child in each of our classes to be play pals for our students. it's such a pleasure for me to have them there and i think they like it too. it's been hard to be away from siena so many hours a week and to have her at my school for even 90 minutes makes a difference. plus everyone loves tutu bobbin too.

the corner.

siena has taken a liking to one corner of her room. she can often be found there reading book, playing with puzzles or just making a big mess by herself. over the last few weeks she has really started to play by herself. sometimes she even closes her door and says, "no mama, no dada, no woowoo (dog)." it's pretty cute and i definitely appreciate the time no matter how short it might be.

birthday party.

this year we had a small family party to celebrate siena turning 2. i still haven't figured out how to celebrate her birthday that comes right between christmas and new years. i think next year we might try celebrating before the holidays actually set in. despite being a little under the weather, siena totally enjoyed having all her family around and especially liked the carrot cupcakes. she also got a pet sushi (fish) from her auntie tashi which she named zuzu and now feeds everyday with some help from dad.

breakfast with friends.

as an extra celebration of siena's 2nd birthday aleishall and toscana invited us over for breakfast last weekend. despite the girls both being a bit under the weather they had a nice time visiting which included a little eating, drawing and playing with their dolls. we also took a nice walk and just generally enjoyed the morning together. thanks again for having us.

new years day.

the first day of the year was almost perfect. siena started the day by using the potty for her morning poop! (i can't wait until we're out of diapers completely). we made breakfast and then took a walk to the park where siena and nick played a little basketball. then we came home and all took a nice nap. in the early afternoon we went out as a family to have lunch with my good friend rebecca and her family. siena especially liked seeing her friends theo and tommy again. it took her a moment to warm-up, but then didn't want them to leave. we're both pregnant, due within a month of one another, and it was the first time we saw each other's bellies. then nick and i went to a movie with friends and siena got to spend sometime with mimi and her new puppy ricky. there were no major upsets ALL day, what a great way to start off the year.

2010!

we had a nice quiet new years eve with some good friends. we ate cheese fondue and aleishall made a fantastic dessert. our guests left before the new year and i think nick and i fell asleep before 12 as well. when your pregnant and your toddler wakes up before the the sun rises you don't really have much choice.

two!

while we were in hawaii siena turned 2! tutu bobbin and i (with some help from siena) spent all day making a coconut cake that turned out delicious. siena seemed a bit bummed about turning 2, maybe she's slowly understanding that her life as a baby is coming to an end. i, on the other hand, am excited to have a 2 year old and look forward to all the new experiences this year will bring.

hawaii part II

on christmas eve siena and i played a little chess, i had no idea she knew how. every night we had yummy fresh food around a big table outside. other than a few bug bites, it was a treat. i think listening to the waves crash into the pebble beach and then roll out again was my favorite part of the trip.

hawaii.

we were lucky enough to escape the cold weather and go to hawaii for the holidays. siena loved the beach and waking up every morning to her cousins khalil and aya. i thought we got lucky on the airplane as she started to watch elmo with her earphones, but that only lasted about 10 minutes.

tilden for the holidays.

before we left to hawaii we went up to tilden park to experience their holiday wonderland. siena liked all the lights and the people watching, however she is definitely not into the carousal. i felt like a bad mother making her go on it, but once it starts you can't get off. so i held her the whole time which felt like forever and i think we were both a bit sick as we got off.

jamming...

papa bought siena her first saxophone for the holidays and they had a little jam session together, which sounded very lovely.

auntie bubbles.

before the holidays totally set in we went to auntie bubble's house for a nice dinner. siena got to play with jill's great niece's and nephew's from the other side of the family. at first she was a bit shy, but as the night went on she really got into playing with the bigger kids (june, otis, and ella). thanks for having us all together jill, it was a treat.