learning, loving, living

little one on the way :)

Posted by sieni on November 23rd, 2008 — Posted in Family

Tara’s going to become a big sister in June ‘09!

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imaginary play

Posted by sieni on November 11th, 2008 — Posted in Tara

Lately, I’ve been listening in on Tara when she plays with her dinosaur figures, little doggies, cars, and dollie. Inbetween humming and singing, she creates conversation that sounds something like this: “Honey? I miss you”; “People? money! coins, twenty cents”; “Hello, how are you? Let’s go home? Yes? ok. Here’s the car. Vroom. vroom. Bye bye! kiss? Now they’re gone”. Then she packs them all up in her stroller and takes them for a ride. When I try to play with her, she tells me, “Mommy, go other room”, and she shuts the door. Haha! Ok Miss Teenager.

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time away

Posted by sieni on November 1st, 2008 — Posted in Family, Tara, Trips

Recently Tara and I returned from 3 weeks visiting family in the States. We were in Portland, Maine, and it was the perfect time of the year to visit. The leaves were changing, and every possible colour could be seen for miles and miles on stretches of road. My parents came from Samoa, together with my sister, Ioana, who flew in separately from San Francisco and surprised the heck out of us! We stayed with my grandmother, my dad’s mom, and visited with cousins. It was sooooo wonderful.

It would have been the second time I travelled alone with Tara, and the first since I weaned her, so I packed a bunch of crafts and stickers and crayons and coloured paper and little toys in sandwich bags for the plane, thanks to an idea I saw on the Crafty Crow. They were a hit! and kept her in her seat THE ENTIRE TIME. While I was nervous about landing at JFK airport and going through immigration and customs and lines with a toddler, I was surprised, actually shocked, at how nice people were! Everyone helped us: from the immigration officer who was so polite, to the couple who paid for my trolley when I didn’t have the right change, to the person who lugged my bags off the carousel, to the customs officer who didn’t even look at the food I packed, to the check-in counter who took take care of everything when I was suppose to self-check at those new machines. And the whole time I had Tara strapped to my chest in the Ergo, and mind you, she’s not a little baby anymore. I said so many thank you prayers that day.

Here are pics from the holiday

Playing in the yard

Food my parents brought from Samoa:

Everyday Tara would take walks with her papa

Dad, Tara, mom, Gram, and Ioana before buffet dinner

Visiting Maine’s wildlife park

Picnic at the fort

Freeport was shopping heaven–outlet area for big name brands–attracting tourists from all over

Mom enjoying her Maine lobster

Tara with her cousins Ryan and Adam at the corn fields, getting ready to go for a hay ride

Joining the hunt for a pumpkin for Halloween

Playing in the corn box

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guess who just turned 2?

Posted by sieni on September 14th, 2008 — Posted in Family

Yesterday we celebrated Tara’s birthday by taking her to her favourite place in the world… the beach! Here she is showing us how old she is.

Instead of birthday cake, she had a treat of ice cream for the first time–pink with strawberries (her pick)

Earlier in the week, we surprised Saba for his birthday at a Thai restaurant. Here’s Tara’s version of eating with chop sticks

With friends

There are tons of these dinosaur statues around town and on the walk back, Tara got to sit on one

All in all, a very fulfilling week with many things to be grateful for!

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holy day

Posted by sieni on August 31st, 2008 — Posted in Random moments

A few pictures taken at the Commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Bab yesterday

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a taxi ride gave me perspective

Posted by sieni on August 21st, 2008 — Posted in Random moments

This morning Tara and I caught a taxi to our weeekly Rose Garden class, and halfway there the taxi driver turns around, looks at Tara and asks me how old she is. I reply and then ask him whether he has kids of his own. He says tiredly, “Nine”. NINE?! At first, I think, because of his poor English, he means a nine-year-old child. But no. He goes on, “I have nine children. All boys.” Nine boys?! “First three, then one, then two, then one, then two again. We wanted a girl.” Holy moley smokey! Respect to his wife. Reminds me NEVER to complain about how difficult it can get with just one!

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cubby house tea party

Posted by sieni on August 5th, 2008 — Posted in Tara

Welcome to our cubby house! would you like to stay for tea? grapes? bananas? teddy bear, “trunk” the elephant and Tara would love to host you!

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couple firsts

Posted by sieni on August 2nd, 2008 — Posted in Tara

First haircut since birth and sporting the first skirt sewn by her mama

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summer lovin’

Posted by sieni on July 28th, 2008 — Posted in Tara, Trips

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