Holiday Urgent Care

Poor Lily had a UTI on the day after Christmas. Our Dr. closed early that day, so we had to go to Urgent Care. Lily was so brave. I was so proud of her. We got an antibiotic and by the next day, she was fine. I can't remember who she was calling in this photo. Either Nana or Tinkerbell. She was telling them all about what was going on. Her outfit was spectacular! Where were we when she became this little person? How did this happen so fast?!

We need a map

Tonight at bedtime, I was reading Lily's stories. In the middle of a page, she asks me:
"why did Grandma and Papa fly all the way here on the airplane?"
Me: "because they wanted to see us."
Lil: "but they get on the plane in Chicago?"
Me: "Yes"
She then waves her hands around dramatically.
Lil: "what this place called?"
Me: "Our city is called Los Angeles"
Lil: "But it's also called a HOUSE."

Cheesy Baby.





He is so goofy!



We're into lights here. Lily got a great light up turtle from Laurie and Chris. It lights her room up with stars at night. She also got this crazy light pen thing from Uncle Drew that is so fun. This is Lily playing with the turtle, while wearing her light up Tinkerbell wings. Trippy

Holiday Hangover

We've been doing a whole lot of nothing and loving it!

Christmas '08

We had the best Christmas this year! Lily came running in our room, "Mama Daddy Santa brought me presents!!!" The only time we left the house was to walk across the street to Kai's to play guitar hero. Ben stayed in his jammies all day, Lily changed about 8 times. Shaun and Nikki came for tamales and brought delicious apple pie. It's so crazy, in 2 weeks, they'll be parents! I got to feel the baby kick, can't wait to meet him!!

Santa was here!



Daddy's special Christmas breakfast, gingerbread man pancakes. (Lily's request)



Ben and Lily getting Shaun's lap warmed up

Merry Christmas!

Kid's are asleep, Santa's been to our house, not a creature is stirring......you know the rest!
Matt and I are laying together on the couch watching A Christmas Story coming down from a wrapping, assembling frenzy. We are so enjoying a holiday with a 3 year old. The wonderment is so overwhelming, it's just a gift. We hope the kids enjoy tomorrow morning as much as we will!
Merry Christmas everyone, don't shoot your eye out!

Rainy Days

So, rain IS our winter. It's the only time we really have to stay inside. (Other than fire days with ash and poor air quality) We get stir crazy pretty quick, so this day, we made some paper bag masks to keep busy. This is something I used to do with my mom when I was little and I've been waiting since Spring for a rainy day. That's the only time (in my mind) you can make a paper bag mask. Ben got into it too, but we couldn't get him to put it on

The Nutcracker

Lily and I went to see the Nutcracker at her school. It was put on by a marionette company and was amazing! It made me so sad and homesick, but it was amazing to watch with Lily. I used to go to the Nutcracker every year with Erin, Margaret, Donna, Meg, a big group of girls and our moms. We would say we were a girl scout troupe and go to the dress rehearsal at McCormick Place. It is one of the best memories I have and I so wish I could take Lily and share it with her. I know she would love it and I can just see her face when the curtain raises and the Christmas tree grows and grows to it's ginormous dream size. Margaret gave Lily a beautiful Nutcracker book for her first Christmas. We have been reading a few pages each night and Lily is just enthralled by it. She was so into the puppet version and she told me when it started, "it's so magical!" The puppets looked a lot like the ones from Being John Malkovich. It turns out that the same man that made those, used to work for this company. It really is beautiful and I hope the art doesn't die!

WPNS Christmas Party

We had so much fun at Lily's school Christmas party. Ben was a handful, as usual, but he looked cute!



Lily was so excited for Santa! She was yelling SANTAAAAAA, just like Buddy the Elf.



Be looked away, like, no, I don't even see you, though I will take that brightly wrapped object and then ignore you. He's not there if Ben doesn't see him, right?



Bella loves Lily. Santa, not so much.



Lily and Santa. She told me, "Mama!! I told Santa thank you and that I want princess magnets and that I will leave him milk and cookies, aaaaaah".

Unique Holiday Songs

Sooooo, this story starts in Colorado. We went there in August to have a family reunion with the McBain Clan. We stayed in cabins at the foot of the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was by far the most beautiful place I have ever been. One highlight of the trip was a visit to our cabins from a Moose. He was HUGE!! Lily told us that his name was Albert and his favorite color was black. Albert was munching away at something and it was getting to dark to see what it was before he left. In the morning, we all explored the area and found that he was eating a salt lick. It was a giant block of salt that people leave out in the woods for the moose.

So, last week, we're discussing Santa and what we'll leave for him. Lily knows he eats cookies and milk and when we asked her what the reindeer might want on Christmas Eve, you guessed it, salt licks. How does she remember this and assume that reindeer eat them because moose do?? So, Santa, when you see a pile of salt next to your cookies, I hope you understand.

Today is very rainy and we had some errands to run. While in the car, Lily was singing her own versions of holiday songs. Some of the things I heard: "Dasher, Dancer, Bixby, Bixby, Bixby, You, You, You, RuDog, Hohoho, HEY!!" "Wish you a merry Christmas, wish you a merry Christmas, and salt licks" "I wish a merry Christmas, I wish a merry Christmas, I throw the snowball through the air and run and run to get my favorite pencil ever, ever, EVER!" "Bob a tail, will be the one, cheer up be the one, Bob a tail brings candy canes" I think these are the best holiday songs I've ever heard. I'll keep trying to remember them!

Speaking of Holiday cheer, I just sent our Christmas cards out. I don't know why that is so hard for me. I had to enlist Matt's help because I just couldn't decide on a photo. Here are a couple cute ones that didn't make it:

This one would have said: Merry Christmas, get out of my face.





You'll shoot your eye out kid



We wish you a Merry Christmas and salt licks, the Siniawski's

Candy Cane Lane

I guess every city has their version of this and LA actually has 2 candy cane lanes. We saw a show on crazy lit up houses and streets last night. This one isn't too crazy, but it gets you in the holiday spirit. We went caroling there with Lily's school on Sunday night and brought Bella with us. The girls were pretty confused and slow to warm up to the singing part of it. Eventually, they got out of the wagon, but just watched. One house actually gave out candy canes to all the kids, which they loved. Of course, as soon as we got in the car, they were belting out Jingle Bells like they are opera singers. We went for pizza and the girls were still singing and dancing in the booth for all to enjoy. It was quite entertaining, especially to Ben.



Lily and Bella, still confused as to why we are all walking around, singing.



Crazy Santa bush. Imagine this guy, carving Santa all year, just for this! We thought Drew, David and Jimmy would like this one.



Tiny Dancers

Hanukah Bush

So, our fear of getting a Christmas tree has been quenched.....so far. Our neighbors have kids right around the ages of ours (Kai, Lily's BFF and Ava, a few months younger than Ben) and we copied them. They got a small tree, put it up on a table and tied it to a wall. We haven't secured our to anything, but so far, so good. The only thing is, it looks like a Hanukah bush. It is short and stubby and hilarious. We put it in the back of our car along with a stroller and 3 poinsettia plants with no trouble. The kids decorated it in about 30 seconds and we made sure to put ornaments with bells up so at least we'll have a warning when the tree is about to come crashing down.

Matt's been making delicious pancakes on the weekends



Lily was very excited about the princess ornament that Santa brought last year



Ben likes the bells



Hanukah Bush



This is our house with lights up. Every time we come home at night, I can't help but sing: ROXANNE!!!!

Little "helper"

Helping us into an early grave!
We have been so afraid to put up any Christmas decorations or a tree. Ben is into EVERYTHING! Not just oh, let me check this out, but let me pull this down, smear whatever is inside all over the place, eat some of it, get on top of it and ride it to the valley! Lily always watches me clean up whatever it is and asks, "why Ben did that?" and all I can say is, "I DON'T KNOW, Lil, remember where mommy put that whiskey?, got get it."

Lily and I baked a lot of cookies last week.....while Ben was napping. This is what happened when I tried to finish a batch of biscotti while he was awake:



He loves to help. He sweeps with the full size broom, after he empties the closet that the broom is housed in. This is Ben helping me with the laundry....which is still wet.:

The sky after Santa

Santa!!!

Santa toured around the neighborhood last night, with a super loud, exciting police escort. We went to see him at the beach and it was SO fun! Lily was so into it and had no problem with Santa. I was kind of surprised. Bella wanted Lily to sit with her, but otherwise was fine too. They told him what they wanted very clearly and were super excited about the candy canes. The younger sib's stayed back. I tried to bring Ben up just to see the big man. He waved with one hand and had a death grip on my arm with the other hand. Not sure if we'll see him again, so I'm glad we went. Lily told Santa she wants princess magnets and Santa was very happy to hear that and smiled because he knows that he grabbed those very magnets she is talking about (which are actually paper dolls) out of the dollar bin at Michael's and shoved them into the cart when she wasn't looking. Score!

Here he comes!



Waiting their turn



That envelope was a picture Bella gave to her. It almost got ugly when Santa tried to take it, thinking it was a letter to him.



Lily and Bella (who wants a baby stroller and a car seat that stands by itself)