Siena, Sawyer & Ruby

water play

2012-02-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

I have been slow to blog...mainly because something happened to my pictures where I cannot upload them to blogger from iPhoto.

A few weeks back it rained and rained and so in order to get Sawyer out of the house for his daily exercise we put on our rain boots and headed out to play in the puddles. I don't know why this feels so hard to do in the moment--getting everyone dressed (or keep them in the pajamas) putting on boots, finding puddles, taking off boots and wet clothes, getting out new dry clothes( oh that's why)...but they loved it!

We also took a field trip to the downtown LA old fire station. We sprayed the hose, rode in the fire engine with sirens full blast, tried on fire gear, ate lunch with the firemen and slid down a fire pole. Not bad! We brought Malyn with us and she said she was going to tell her dad she wanted him to be a fireman...who knows maybe he will be!

A new perspective

2012-01-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

My little MichaelAngelo.

Christmas in the city

2011-12-27T12:09:00.000-08:00

We have had a great Christmas break so far. Christmas Eve was one of the lowest tides of the year and we were able to catch star fish and crabs and all sorts of neat shells. The kids ran around and we all enjoyed the 70 degree weather.

look at how far out the water is...(Ruby is in the stroller).

Erik and I ran in the Christmas Venice run together. We had gracious friends who watched our kids for us so that we could run it.

We had Santa come down our street and ask Siena and Sawyer what they wanted for Christmas...after Siena said "I don't think that was Santa I think that was just a man" hmmm...the time may be coming when we have to tell her the truth.

We got some Svendsen family pictures in!!

And had the BEST carnitas in the world--I truly truly look forward to them every year at this Christmas party. Erik and I were beside ourselves salivating when we got there. First ones in line:)

Birth Order.

2011-12-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

Not having any siblings, the dynamics between kids and their birth order traits fascinates me. I want to read a book (any recommendations?) I did a bit of research on first born girls and this is what I found on first born girls:

My firstborn. Weighing in at 5 pounds 10 oz, three and a half weeks early. She is 4 1/2 now and exhibits all the traits typical firstborns do.

"Mentally focused and physically strong, the first born girl presents a powerful physical presence. She gathers and preserves the family, sometimes overpowering others with her confidence and driving sense of responsibility. What a strong little girl and incredible woman this birth order position is! As she grows, she will start to tell her mother what to do. Control is her natural gift and also her greatest weakness."

My number 2. Weighing in at 6 pounds 4 oz he will be three in just a few short months. Here is what I found on second born children BUT first born boys (VERY interesting):

" No 2 does not like to be told what to do or controlled in any way, especially by his older sister. With this child, asking rather than telling achieves the best results. Privacy is an important issue for a No 2. They need his/her own room, own thoughts, feelings and direction.

Also interesting... "The No 1 boy tends to have a gentle and detached mind. He often appears detached, as if in a mental fog...A first born son usually feels a greater connection with his mother and at times may clash with his father."

Our number 3. Weighing in at 7 lbs 2 oz. She is our third born BUT ALSO second born girl. She is just starting to show signs of who she will be. I find her to be the most alert of all our babies, extremely serious and aware of her surroundings. This is what I found on third borns, but second born girls:

"The third child after a first-born girl has wisdom past her years with an intense sense of justice and integrity. This child is mentally and physically oriented and has a natural ability to be a teacher or a healer. Firm and caring, she creates a sense of belonging and unity with all those with whom she comes into contact."

These days...

2011-11-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

These days,

Siena loves books, The Magic School Bus cartoon, edemame, twirly dresses, telling knock knock jokes, pre-school, writing practice, sleeping on the floor of our bedroom.

Sawyer loves Elmo, food, food, food, snails, digging in the dirt, Halloween stuff, his "papa", talking on the phone, bubbles, his monkey his sleeps with

Ruby loves pears and oatmeal, being where the action is, rocking back and forth on all fours, Sophie her giraffe, sleeping in her crib

Boo!

2011-11-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

I am not a fan of dressing up but since my husband LOVES a good costume I figured I would. Sawyer was obsessed with "Halloween Stuff" and so he was really fun this year. Sawyer LOVES Elmo. So, Elmo it was. I wasn't so excited about the costume but once he put it on I knew there was no turning back.

This is fun! All three kids in our recycled pumpkin costume--its a right of passage at this point to wear this costume (that I bought for $1.99) for your first Halloween.

Siena was Ariel.

John Luc did make an appearance after all.

Love these two together:)

Coming soon...

2011-10-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

Ariel, Elmo and the littlest pumpkin (oh and Jean Luc may make an appearance too).

Busy!

2011-10-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

This little one keeps me so busy it's a good thing he is cute. He is ALL boy and among his top favorite things to do right now-find and squish bugs (usually snails), play and experiment with all of his food, ride cars down our stairs, keep up with his big sister, ANYTHING having to do with Halloween. I wonder what plans the Lord has for him? I think he will do something special with his life but for now I am focused on keeping him safe.

People always ask me how life is going with three kids and I always say--busy. Juggling three kids schedules is hard. I am into a groove now that summer has ended and two of the three are in school. Ruby continues to be the sweetest, smiley little baby girl. She just tags along with the rest of us. I am tentative to say how easy she is because Sawyer was such an easy baby, and well, we all know how that has turned out:)

We finally started school and it has been so fun to have them both there together. Erik went with us for the first day of school drop off. I just love their school and both their teachers. I love that they love going there and "wolf boy" is able to roam all day, as wolves should.

Love my family to pieces!!! Busy and loving every minute of it.

We've officially got a swimmer

2011-08-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Siena is a swimmer. You can also hear Sawyer is a whiner in this clip.

Way to go Siena, we're so proud of you!

It's all about Ruby!

2011-08-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

Siena adores little Ruby. I can't wait until she is older and they can play together. I feel like Ruby is starting to know and recognize us more and more each day.

She has such a sweet smile and lights up whenever anyone gives her attention (poor third kid)

She has been so easy. She is a serious baby who likes to observe everything around her. She is by far the biggest of them all too being in the 100 percentiles for both height and weight. Oh Ruby, we love you so! I can't believe she is 5 months old now. I don't want her to grow. I wish I could bottle her up this age and size forever.

I can't believe we did it!

2011-08-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

We did it! We went camping with 8 adults and 10 kids and it wasn't half bad. And letmetellyou Sawyer was in his element. It was like he had come home...he barely wore clothes, scavenged for food, bugs, sticks and more food and only bathed once. He LOVED it!

I mean look at him...he belongs in the wild (Erik calls him wolf-boy b/c if you saw him you may think he was raised by wolves). This is when I say to myself maybe we should move so that Sawyer can have an acre somewhere to run around.

Gathering sticks for a fire with dad

10 kids here. They did great playing together and slept well at night (I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not we gave them Benedyrl to help them sleep.)

Great fires for smore's and conversation at night.

Floating down the lazy river during the day...about the only time we washed up all weekend long. All in all, I say it was a great experience but I may be on a camping "high" right now after a good nights sleep in my own bed and hot steamy shower at home...we'll see if we try it again next summer!!

Goodbye...

2011-08-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe our 6 weeks is over. Five of the six kids went home and it was (as expected) a tearful goodbye at the airport. We had a great summer with Lida and will treasure our memories with her. She was so easy and lovable our family will miss her presence in our house.

Where are they now?

2011-08-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy these days I can't keep up with pictures so I thought I would document a picture from each kid this week:

Siena in the bath with goggles on--upside down

Lida buried at one of our beach days this summer.

Ruby at her first concert in the park-music was Country

Our typical Sawyer picture--with food all over his face (note the food ON his eyelashes)

What will we do?

2011-07-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

With the clean bill of health Lida has been given we have just been enjoying summer...park, lots of swimming, play dates, popsicles and picnics.
Every child but one (we are still working on getting her needs met) will have seen a pediatrician, dentist, ophthalmologist and their respective specialist. We are on the home stretch and hoping to have our one last girl, Yalda be seen for a benign tumor growing in her foot. She asks me all time when she will have surgery on her foot:(

Siena just adores Lida! She refers to her as her big sister...it makes my heart melt to watch them together. I feel like she is "getting it" this summer and I hope this impacts her life forever. It has led to some great conversations with Siena. I have a feeling round 2 at the airport this year may be worse than last year's goodbye (although truth be told, some days I look forward to having just 3 kids).

Clean Bill of Health

2011-07-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

Good news is that Lida will not need surgery this year! She has been given a clean bill of health--yea for her, THANK THE GOOD LORD for me. I don't know what we would have done this year if she needed another 10 day stint in the hospital. Bad news is that although Lida did not need surgery Boo Arnold did (read the Arnold's story here.) So, we had an impromptu pool day!

And sleepover...the girls did great and Siena loved it.

Ebony and Ivory

2011-07-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

Can you believe these two are sisters?

Tired but not weary

2011-07-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am tired. The kind of tired where you melt into your bed at night, where you sleep hard and only open your eyes when its morning. But there isn't anything else I would rather be doing with my summer than serving the kids from Solace along with my husband, Jami and Stacy. There is something really bonding about serving with people--watching God's hand provide when you think "there is NO way this is going to come together." I have to come to realize how important service is in order to for me to take my eyes off of myself. It is so easy for me to get caught up in the next thing--the next vacation, house, car or trend. I am grateful for Lida and her daily reminder to me of what matters most in life.

I also have realized how MUCH God for cares for "the one." There are numerous places in the bible that shows this to be true (the lost sheep, coin) but He cared for Lida so much he brought her back again. He searched Afghanistan and brought our 6 kids over to the L.A. branch of Solace.

I am tired for the Kingdom sake and this smile makes it worth it.

What a difference a year makes!

2011-06-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

I mean, honestly, can you even stand the difference in Lida's face this year from last year's picture? She was smiles, hugs and kisses all around. She was surprised to see we had a new baby...but loved on Siena and Sawyer right away. We will keep you posted on our summer's journey with Lida Bida!

She's on her way

2011-06-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

She is on her way right now.
One year ago we waited anxiously at the airport
for a girl named Lida. Today, we love her.
Stay tuned for this year's arrival picture!

Snips and snails

2011-06-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

The rhyme rings true in this house.
Sawyer is obsessed with snails...this last one,"Lily" even became our "pet" for a few days.

Sawyer showing "Lily" to Ruby.

This one:
had her first roll-over June 13th
her first smile May 10th
weighed in at 12:6 pounds (95th percentile if you can believe it)
is 24 1/2 inches long (100th percentile if you can believe that)
Who is this baby and where did she come from?

We got a reader!

2011-06-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

"Soy boy!"

2011-06-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

This makes me smile.

She looks a little bit older

2011-06-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

Her face is a bit thinner and if you look at the lines
on the background you can see that she has grown.

Siena's last day of school was today. I just adore her
teacher and love her school so it was sad to say goodbye (for this year, anyway).
I asked her this morning whether she was excited to
finish school or sad, to which she responded "I am
kind of both." I feel the same way. But this
summer will be jam packed with Solace
kids and fun activities. So summer, here we come!

September 2010

June 2011

Who is who?

2011-05-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Alright, here they are...I feel like Ruby has her own
look. I tried to gather pictures that caught them
all around the same age and I still cannot tell.
Everyone says she looks like Siena.

Ruby is giving Sawyer a run for his money on
his easiest baby title but I think for now we will
give her the "Best Sleeper" award and Sawyer can
keep his overall "Best Baby, Most Active Toddler"
award.

I am trying so hard to suck up every moment with
her. I want to remember her smell, her funny faces, stretches
and grunts.

Some days I cannot believe I have 3 kids.

a teacher at heart

2011-05-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

Who is this? I cannot even remember Siena this little.
Sometimes it breaks my heart that she'll never be this
small and snuggly again. But I love who she is now and
I know I only have more to look forward to.

My lovebug Sawyer. He was the easiest baby. But
has quickly become one challenging toddler. He
is busy, busy, busy!

What will this one be like? Oh little Ruby, we love you so!

After my friend Stacy introduced the idea of teaching new things to your children and documenting them I decided to try it out (for as long as I could keep it up) and write them down.

SIENA
May 7-Taught Siena "I love you" in sign language
May 8-Taught Siena, "I'm sorry, thank you, please" in Spanish
May9- Taught Siena to dial 911
May 10- Taught Siena how to do a somersault
May 11- Taught Siena that people always come out of an elevator before we can go in.
May 12- Taught Siena how to answer the phone (this has backfired on me as she now answers the phone whenever she wants to)
May 13- Taught Siena how to wheelbarrow
May 13-Taught Siena about how blessed we are as she and Erik volunteered at Feed My Starving Children. Erik said they showed before and after picture of a baby in Haiti who weighed 7 pounds at 14 months and then after one month of being involved in Feed My Starving Children gained 13 pounds...can you imagine?
May 14-Taught Siena how to write "mom"
May 15-Taught Siena lion and tiger in sign language
May 16-Taught Siena how to lick and seal an envelope

SAWYER
May 8--Taught Sawyer high fives--up high, down low, too slow
May 9-Taught Sawyer to balance/stand on one leg
May 10-Taught Sawyer to dip his chocolate chips cookies in milk
May 13-Taught Sawyer to wheelbarrow
May 14-Taught Sawyer to put coins in his piggy bank
May 15-Taught Sawyer to help me change Ruby's diaper

I want to try and keep this up...we'll see. Thanks for the great idea, Stace!

Lida Bida

2011-04-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last summer we got involved with an organization called
Solace for the Children. We hosted a little 9 year- old named
Lida. She forever impacted our family.

Solace for the Children is a non-profit that offers
medical care to children who otherwise have no access to it.
Lida had a staff infection in her femur and had to have 3 surgeries
in 9 days. Those surgeries saved her life. She smiled and thanked
us the whole way through and in the end we fell in love with her. When we
said goodbye at the airport last summer we thought we'd
never see her again...

Unexpectedly, we received an email with her name on it
saying she was one of the six children (2 boys and 4 girls)
Solace was sending to Los Angeles this summer.

Anyhow, this is where our friends and family come in, we need prayer and support. If you want to help us with Solace this summer here is the information and thank you for considering supporting us, every little bit helps. Solace is a non-profit organization, and checks can be made to: Solace for the Children (please write Svendsen, ID# 56-2078031 in the memo line). You can send checks to this address:

Solace for the Children - LA

PO Box 576

El Segundo, CA 90245

Alternatively, you can donate online with a credit card at:

http://solacela.thedonationhq.com/

This is a great way to donate, and it's done safe and secure through PayPal. If you choose this route, please indicate in the notes (on the PayPal check-out page) that your donation is for the Svendsen family.

Even if you don't feel led to give, please pray for our Solace summer. Pray that the children will feel God's love while they are here, for their medical needs to be taken care of, and that they leave here feeling valued and loved. Pray that the families involved will have the stamina they need to care for an extra child this summer.

Please know your prayers are coveted.
Solace 2011 here we come!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Family of five at the El Segundo Easter
egg hunt. We have been coming to this
the last several years. I love this tradition
except that this year neither kid got a single
egg--they didn't seem to care as much as Erik
and I did.

2011

2010

2009

We have been slow to get pictures of us as a
family of five. Here we are Easter Sunday
but poor Ruby didn't make it out of the car seat.

Ruby is a great sleeper. She has been sleeping
7 hours at night. In fact, this a rare
picture b/c her eyes are open...she weighed in at
8.2 pounds and was 22 inches long. We are still
trying to figure out who she looks like.

girls

2011-04-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

These girls are in such a great stage. They ran around the desert together
playing all weekend long. It is the light at the end of the tunnel. You can
have a glass of wine, finish a conversation with a friend and get a good night's
sleep...soon enough. Now, we just have to wait until Sawyer and Ruby are 4.

Solace and GlobalGiving

2011-04-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you for accepting this update on the progress of Solace for the Children. As most of you know, Solace is a 501(c)3 organization we have been supporting since 2010. Beginning as a small local organization, Solace is now internationally known for our medical assistance and peace building efforts for the children of Afghanistan.

Since the focus of our efforts have shifted to Afghan children in 2007, Solace has provided life changing and life saving care to more than one hundred Afghan children participating in the Solace Summer and Extended Programs through the efforts of thousands of volunteers throughout America. In 2011, another 50 to 60 children will be added to that growing list of children.

Our newest report on the progress of Solace is also part of an important challenge. Solace for the Children has been approved as a partner organization with GlobalGiving. Through GlobalGiving we will have a greater potential for good than ever before. Before we become a permanent member we must meet one challenge… showing we have at least 50 financial supporters. We are asking you to be one of our many supporters willing to stand up and say, “The efforts of Solace for the Children are important!”

The project we are asking for help to fund through GlobalGiving is Healing Innocent War Victims: Afghan Children, yet, before you follow this link, please let me give you just a little information about how Solace operates…

· Almost half of the Afghan children served are recommended to us by our own troops on the ground. These same individuals tell us the efforts of Solace bring joy to the work they do. They also note that when healthy children return to their Afghan families our troops gain a new respect and level of trust. We believe this makes our own sons and daughters on the ground in AFG safer!

· For each dollar raised through Solace supporters, more than ten times that is provided in the life saving care for these children; children who have no other options for care! Ten times! How many organizations can provide so much for so little!

· We have a broad-based network of volunteers in Afghanistan allowing Solace to serve Afghan children in even the most remote areas and in almost three quarters of the provinces in Afghanistan!

Now, please go to Healing Innocent War Victims: Afghan Children and read more. Be a Solace supporter by giving a small or large gift on this site! Then forward this message to your friends and family. Together we can build peace on a foundation of health!

With Love,
Erik and Nicole

an adjustment

2011-04-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Ruby will have been with our family two weeks this Tuesday.
We are adjusting to have three kids. Although she has
proved to be a great baby juggling three kids schedules is
tough....but Ruby is the perfect addition to our family.

After baths getting ready for bed. Snuggles and naps in our
bed seem to be a family favorite these days.

Sawyer is obsessed with Ruby...we have to keep
an eye on him at all times. He is going to make
one great big brother. She is lucky to have him.

Ruby is here!!!

2011-03-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ruby made her appearance March 22nd at 12:45 pm.
She was 19 inches long and 7.4 pounds--our biggest baby yet.
Erik yelled out it's a girl and everyone cheered...I was
pretty attached to the idea of a girl even though
I would have loved for Sawyer to have a brother
to play with.

One of the nurses made her this hat!

Erik and I going into surgery...it was just the
two of us and it was perfect.

Numero tres...we love you Ruby Sue

Happy Birthday Sawyer

2011-03-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Sawyer is so fun these days...he weighs 26 pounds, eats all day long, loves dinosaurs, trucks, playing in the sand, and exploring dirt and bugs.

I have to admit it has been hard keeping up with him these last few months of pregnancy and I look forward to the days when he is a bit more independent...

it was really fun to celebrate him today!

Sawyer loves dinosaurs, so dinosaurs it was...

Family picture attempt

these two are so cute together...Becket and Siena

Tres!!!

2011-02-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

Baby number three had its Sprinkle this past weekend
and it was just perfect. Honestly, this small and intimate
group was just my speed. I felt so loved and for the first
time I was able to slow down and just concentrate on
this little toots about to come into the world.
It was a perfect afternoon! Great friends, great food!

Cute favors!

Katie made these delicious cookies--they were so
good that even a few strangers walked by and asked for one:)

Gina had these sent for the table...

Thanks friends! Getting ready and excited to meet this baby!

2011-02-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

Siena loves to dress-up. She already pretends
she is a bride...how does this start this early?
I try to use her fascination with brides and weddings
to talk about the kind of man she should marry...
and remind myself to be praying for him even now.

Who is this big boy wearing his backpack at church?
They are so fun together these days!!!!

6 Weeks left until baby #3 makes its appearance...
what will it be?

"Soy Boy"

2011-01-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

Siena first called him "Soyyou."
Then, "Soy."
Now, "Soy Boy."
So, we call this little one, Soy Boy.

He loves his big sister and will do almost
anything to get her attention and affection.

He also loves adventure: the higher, faster,
taller, bigger, scarier--the better! He is
not afraid of anything, which makes this
mom crazy!!

Loves to climb...

Loves to be dirty, wet, naked, slimy, stinky,
and does it all with a smile.
He keeps us on our toes and brings such life to our
house.

We love you "Soy Boy."

Let's see how we did...

2010-12-31T12:14:00.000-08:00

Here is my post from January 1, 2010. Let's see how well I made out on these resolutions. Four out of 10. I am working on my new ones for 2011. Maybe I will shoot for 5 this year since I am having a baby in March:) I must admit I am worried about the transition from 2 to 3. Sawyer is SO active and SUCH a boy that I don't know how I will manage him and the baby...

IN 2011 I hope to:
1. Run the Manhattan Beach 10K in October
2. Read one new book a month (on my new Kindle)
3. Get Sawyer sleeping in a big boy bed
4. Get Siena potty trained!!!!
5. Be better at having date nights with Erik

IN 2010 I hope to:
1. Host an Afghan child in our home for 6 weeks from Solace (check)
2. Take a vacation, just Erik and I. (check)
3. Start clipping coupons.
4. Run in two 5k's.
5. Be more disciplined with prayer time.
6. Host a mother-daughter tea party.
7. Clean out drawers that have "stuff" in them.
8. Save my allowance for a Kindle. (check, Christmas present from Erik)
9. Get Siena sleeping in a big
girl bed. (check)
10. Be less self-focused and
more others-focused. (work in progress)

Sunsets

2010-12-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

Siena loves sunsets. We are trying to better at
taking advantage of being able to walk down to the
beach.
So a few nights ago, Erik loaded them up and took
them down to see the sunset...

School

2010-11-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

I worked at Siena's school this last Friday.
We had such a fun day together.
Filled with:

a parade

A Thanksgiving feast

and lots of fun crafts

A girl and her lil' stinker

2010-11-06T11:01:00.001-07:00

We couldn't resist when we saw this skunk costume.
It was perfect for Sawyer..

Siena wore three different costumes this year...a girl can change
her mind right? One day she was Tinkerbell, the next a ballerina,
and lastly Sleeping Beauty.

Strike a pose girls! Future runway stars perhaps?

Love her

2010-10-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

I love this girl to pieces. She is bright, smiley, introspective,
and articulate. She is also stubborn, willful, whiny, and moody.
All of these make her who she is--love you Sisi!

pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins

2010-10-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

I took my first field trip as a parent, not as a teacher, this past Friday.
We had such a great time and due to bad weather, we were the only
ones at the patch so the kids had the run of it! Siena just loves
school and especially, teacher Cheyanne.
Halloween has gotten more and more fun each year!

Sawyer cannot get enough of the pumpkins and
says one of his few words when he sees them, "ball."
Malyn is a pony this year:) (in case you were wondering what
she was wearing)

This the one we took home! Sawyer surveyed them all
before choosing just the right one.

10 on Tuesday

2010-10-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

1. My friend Stacy inspired me to do a 10 on Tuesday post.

2. Friday, I have my first bonafide school field trip. We are going to the pumpkin patch with fifteen 3 year olds, should be interesting.

3. I am 17 weeks pregnant.

4. We won't find out the sex of the baby this round. hmmm boy or girl?

5. I love this time of the year: peppermint lattes, pumpkin carving, Christmas shopping, scarves. I love it all.

6. Siena is not interested in potty training at all (well, I guess I shouldn't say at all. She sits on the potty she just won't go in it) and I am so scared that I will have 3 in diapers--say it isn't possible. I have 5 months left. Come on, Si!

7. I officially bought my first Christmas present this week.

8. Undertaking for the Solace 2011 summer program has begun. I cannot believe it.

9. My floors are so dirty and every time I look at them I think, "tomorrow I'll clean them" but then I say the same thing the next day...

10. We are back into Dora the Explorer--I thought she was gone out of my life forever.

Happy Fall ya'll!

Teacher Cheyanne

2010-09-04T11:15:00.001-07:00

This morning Teacher Cheyanne came by for a visit.
She will be Siena's teacher this year.
They sat down and did some crafts together, talked about
what the school year would look like and Siena asked for some pictures with her.
We are so excited to have her this year and I think
it is pretty special that she made the trip to see her
before school started.
Pre-school here we come!

Teacher Cheyanne and Siena

Siena took this one---pretty good I think.

Craft time.

Up, up and away

2010-08-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

I don't feel like he's supposed to be able to do this yet. You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him...

Siena has no where to hide from her little brother, whom she affectionately calls "Soy-boy"

new haircut

2010-08-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Siena received her first "official" haircut at Floyd's in Hermosa. Who is that big girl?

Before:

After:

We let Sawyer have his way with a pudding cup... did he ever. Nice work Sawyer. Not a bite left in the cup, but arguably some remnants left on his person.

12 days...

2010-07-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Lida was such a trooper. She had 3 surgeries and was in
the hospital for 9 days. This is the day she found out
she was going home (2 days early)! We are so glad to
have her home and so grateful for all of the people who
helped make it possible for her to have someone at the hospital
24/7.
I can't believe in just 12 days she will be gone...fovever!
So glad God crossed our paths. I am grateful to be part
of something bigger than myself.

Basela after her cleft palate surgery.

Shogufa, Parasto, Sana and Neelab!

She's three!

2010-06-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

We didn't forget our sweet Siena's third birthday in the midst of
everything going on! She celebrated her birthday at the Afghan girls
welcome BBQ, complete with swimming, a bounce house and
a round of "happy birthday" sung in Farsi by our girls!
I love you Siena Marie! Happy three years of life.

Here is the million dollar smile. We don't see it
all that often but when she smiles, she lights up a
room. She is becoming more and more comfortable
and we are blessed to be hosting her! She is
so easy and so sweet.

Meet Lida

2010-06-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Here she is. Lida has been here for almost 24 hours.
She is warming up a bit but is still tentative about us.
She did, however, come right into our bedroom this morning
at 6 am and said nice and loud "hello."
Time to get up...
Her leg looks so painful...but that is why she is
here. Pray Lord that you heal her leg completely.

Here they come!!!

2010-06-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

Parasto, Lida, Neelab, Sana, Shokofa, Basela and their interpreter Fatima are on their way from Afghanistan. They are coming over for some desperately needed health care. In Afghanistan there is 1 doctor for every 50,000 people. We are so excited to be a part of God's plan for these girls. We are sure to encounter bumps along the way--We are not expecting this to be easy by any means, that is not what following Jesus is about. We are just humbled that He chose us to be a part of loving these girls. If they were worth His blood, they are worth our sweat and tears these next few weeks. Please keep us in your prayers and we will keep you posted on their progress!!

Memorial day

2010-05-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Love Fiesta Hermosa and love the food even more...
Among our favorites--roasted corn, and holy guacamole

Sawyer with the girls. He made it all day without
a nap. Instead he just ate sand all day.

Happy Memorial Day everyone. Thank you to all the
men and women who serve our country...it is easy to
forget that this about far more than just a day off of work.

Random thoughts on Monday

2010-05-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

1. I hope Lee Dewyze wins American Idol this week.

2. 29 days until Lida, from Afghanistan arrives. I wonder if she is excited as I am?

3. Siena will be 3 next month and I cannot believe it.

4. Even more crazy, is that Sawyer is going to be 15 months next month.

5. I think God has really blessed me with everything I need. I cannot think of one single thing I need right now. He is my Jevovah Jireh.

6. The Bachelorette starts tonight and I confess I am really excited about it. But even more excited about SYTYCD.

7. I really haven't minded driving so much lately b/c I am still enamored by our new car.

8. I think I can be too down on myself for silly things...

9. I have been running at the gym lately and getting further and further each time!!! Big deal for THIS former smoker.

10. I need to sew again--I worked so hard to learn how and now I think I have forgotten how.

Almost 15 month old toot

Almost 3 year old toot.

new happenings...

2010-05-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

Look who is taking some steps. We thought Sawyer would walk
months before Siena but it looks like they will be walking about the
same time-15 months.

Erik made this stain of Sawyer for his room. I
just love it.

Bike rides and hot chocolate with dad--what could
be better than that?

Spring Happenings

2010-05-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Siena and Charlie performed at our local
hometown fair this weekend. They were adorable
and did well.

And these two are slowly becoming buddies. I
love to watch them together. They actually are
starting to play together more and make each
other laugh. I hope they are always friends.

Zoo trip

2010-04-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend we headed out to the zoo.
We asked Siena which animal she was most excited
to see and she said the zebras...so here
she is taking them in.
I have to admit most of the animals
looked sick, depressed, and were lying
around sleeping all day...I realized the zoo is
kind of a sad place.

Sawyer loved the petting zoo, Siena
notsomuch.

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T14:55:00.001-07:00

Number 1

2010-03-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

My mom had us over for a first birthday
celebration for Sawyer. He will officially be
1 on Thursday and so I am savoring every
minute with my almost one year old...He
is no longer a baby but letmetellyou he was
the easiest baby EVER!
Love you bug.

Happy (almost) birthday Sawyer.

Double fisting

Some snuggles...

a day in the life

2010-02-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Erik tries to do a date night with Siena once a month
and In-N-Out it was for February...a cheesburger,
fries and a chocolate milkshake. What could be
better than that? I hope to do the same with
Sawyer when he is older.

What else are big sisters good for if they
can't dress up their little brothers?

And happy day--first day of pre-school for
Sisi and she LOVED it.

Pre-school here we come!

2010-02-15T15:09:00.000-08:00

This weekend Siena's pre-school teachers, Teacher
Nancy and Teacher Adriana came by the house for a visit.
I love the idea (as a former teacher) of being able to
see each student's room and home. Siena was so
charming and very excited about the visit. They even left her with
a book with pictures and names of all the children
in her class. She starts next Tuesday!!
What a big deal--I am a mom of a pre-schooler.

Cookies

2010-02-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

We sold Valentine's Day cookies
today at church to raise money
for Solace...they sold OUT.

Here they are...

Then we came home from church and we made
our own Valentine's day cookies.

I love the special loves of my life not just today
but everyday.
We love because He first loved us.

2010-02-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

Siena checking out some of the faces
of the Afghani children who will be staying
with us this summer...we are so excited
to meet this little girl.

Sawyer and I visited Gina last weekend to meet
little Stenn and Jack surprised Sawyer with matching
jammies. Finally, some boy toys for him.

Handsome fireman in the future?

Corn

2010-02-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

Our boy sure can eat. Half a corn on the cob
buys me 20 minutes to finish up cooking dinner.
His favorites are peas, black beans, avocados,
and green beans. Other favorites: cuddles from
mom, any attention Siena will give him, bottles
and bath time and tickles under his chin. No words
from Sawyer yet but if I were a bettin' woman
I would bet "mama" will be his first word.
LOVE this boy.

After dinner I spend 20 minutes
cleaning him, the high chair and the floor.
But watching him enjoy eating so much is worth
it.

Hopes (not resolutions) for 2010

2010-01-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

IN 2010 I hope to:

1. Host an Afghan child in our home for 6 weeks from Solace
2. Take a vacation, just Erik and I.
3. Start clipping coupons.
4. Run in two 5k's.
5. Be more disciplined with prayer time.
6. Host a mother-daughter tea party.
7. Clean out drawers that have "stuff" in them.
8. Save my allowance for a Kindle.
9. Get Siena sleeping in a big
girl bed.
10. Be less self-focused and
more others-focused.

There it is in writing. I said it and put it out there.
What are YOUR hopes for 2010???

Top 10 memories of 2009

2010-01-01T11:46:00.001-08:00

Top 10 memories (good or bad) of 2009

1. Sawyer Lee Svendsen was born March 18th.
2. A man broke into our house and Erik apprehended him.
3. Went to Maui with the family.
4. Switched to an iMac.
5. Went to my first U2 concert.
6. Erik passed out in the dentist chair.
7. Celebrated 4 years of marriage.
8. Got started on our ministry of Solace for the Children.
9. Became Deacons/Deaconness in our church.
10. Uncle Kyle moved to LA.

Happy 2010 everyone. May God shine His face upon you this year.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-27T21:35:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas. We had a lazy day, great food, read the
story of Jesus' birth and went to bed early.
Siena and Sawyer got way too much stuff and have spent the
last few days playing. We have been trying to make
space for everything.

Look at this haul...I spy with my little eye a starfish, a tractor
a baby bottle, and an iMac computer box.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

2009-12-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa were here this past weekend.
We ran around and had so many fun Christmas memories
with Siena this year- we made a gingerbread house, saw
Christmas fireworks (which was where my and Erik's
loved bloomed 6 years ago), ate some great meals, and
went Christmas shopping. Siena adores her grandpa
and grandma. Thank you for the memories.

Fireworks

so big!

193 Reasons...

2009-12-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

So the 193rd reason why I love living in El Segundo is because of the annual Christmas tree lighting. It is full of food, friends, families and a big countdown leading up to the lighting of the town's Christmas tree. We walked down and this year we were excited to see if Siena would sit on santa's lap--but no such luck. She kept saying she was scared of Santa. Maybe next year.

But Sawyer, no problem!

girlfriends!

2009-12-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

O Christmas tree...

2009-12-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

We went to get our tree this weekend and it was so much

fun. We grabbed our peppermint lattes and

went to scout out our perfect tree. Siena was so excited

and had a definite opinion on which tree she liked.

I love this one. I love my family.

I love these two and the special relationship they have.

Siena is all about her daddy these days.

These two wanted to help with the lights...so,

we wrapped them up and they loved it!

It's been awhile.

2009-12-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know we have been remiss about updating the blog lately. There are two reasons for that. 1. We have all been sick so we haven't been out of the house much and 2. I am having another "Oh no, I am over the blog, maybe we should just use Facebook" season. We'll see. For now here are some fun pictures from this morning when Siena was finally able to open her first advent box. We made the boxes and grandma Cindy sent the "Christmas Countdown" one.

Siena opening her first advent box

How crafty and cute is this one?

Two cuties:)

Richmond School Fall Festival

2009-11-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

The other week we took Siena to the school where she'll start Kindergarten in a couple years. They have a whole fall festival with booths, games, food, and silent auction.

Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh... (by the way, pretty muscular Ariel, don't you think?)

Siena saw her friend Gabe, and was elated to be chasing him around the school yard. He also won Siena a sucker, thanks Gabe!

Funny.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Lu, the little chicken and Sawyer the little pumpkin

Annual BYOP party pumpkins!

the girls! Carrie (black eyed pea), Stacy (gili), Sheri and
Nicole (Reddoor cheerleaders)

The most beautiful, Snow White

u2

2009-10-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

People love U2. I had no idea how much. Here is the crowd
of people we waited with from 7:30 in the morning until
5:00pm. We were packed like sardines--it was CRAZY
but worth it...we were so close to the stage.

Black-eyed-peas--they were so much fun-fergie is HOT!

Bono (see how close we were?) There were 96,000 people there.

And of the 96,000 we were numbers 794-799!

They wrote your number on your hand and

people were "suppose" to wait in line in order-

yea right!

Dining Table Make Over

2009-10-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

We decided to refinish the dining room table we've had since we were first married in 2005. You may notice the hot plate burns, wine bottle rings, salad dressing oil drips, crusted on oatmeal, Elmo fork stabbings and other unidentifieable wear and tear. There was also some motivation to match the table with our wood colors a little better.

Here is the "before" shot.

The bench has been sanded to show the difference between the two.

Up close.

After a Dark Walnut stain and 3 coats of polyurethane.

Hopefully the polyurethane finish will act like a force field against the continuing onslaught of Siena and Sawyers dining festivities... Godspeed dining room table

The fastest year of my life.

2009-10-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

This has been the fastest year of my life.
I cannot believe it is HALLOWEEN already...how did that happen?
I have had 2 Halloween's with Siena (see pics below)
and this will be my first with Sawyer--I wanted him to
be "Max" from "Where the Wild Things Are" but
never got my act together (this is what happens with
the second child) so he will probably
wear the pumpkin costume Siena wore her first
Halloween (is that horrible?)

me and my boy:)

We carved our pumpkins in the park this year...easy peasy clean up!
Plus, a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean!

Si as a bee last year (08)

le petit potiron (the little pumpkin) (07)

Happy Halloween.

Every girl needs one of these!

2009-10-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

A girl's weekend (away)!

It was just what this tired mom needed.
We talked and laughed, ate, stayed up late, slept in, danced,
layed out by the pool and did I mention that we ate?

The only thing that could have made this weekend any better
was if gina and katie (both of whom are pregnant) could have joined us.

BIG thanks to my husband for watching our kids and doing
it like a pro...nice work babe!

Vegas, part III & misc.

2009-10-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Who is this little diva? She looks so grown-up.

Last day, catching some rays and snacking. As I write this, I realize how ridiculous it is that we're only now posting this one-month after the fact. Hooray for parenthood!

Ariel and Snow White were seeing which jewels went best with their gowns. The girls really enjoy all of the princess dresses that were handed down to us from friends in Steamboat.

Siena entertaining Sawyer in the exer-saucer.

too bad!

2009-10-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

it's too bad that these two, who were SO cute today,
wouldn't let us get "the shot" of them we needed to
capture it.
(look at si's belly in this one, hee hee)

(look at si's leg warmers in this one, hee hee)

let's dance

2009-10-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

siena and charlie started dance class this
last week and they were so cute. Imagine
a room full of two year old girls in pink, tutus,
ballet shoes, bows, lace and frills trying their
best to learn to dance.

here the girls are eating lunch after dance.

siena loved to stand and watch the teacher...
(ps. siena's tutu was handmade by grandma cindy)

more to come next after next week's dance
class.

Vegas, very funny

2009-10-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

We stopped wrapping Sawyer in his miracle blanket when he was ~6 months old. Keep in mind we had Siena in a MB (miracle blanket) until she was one!

In the hotel, she found Sawyer's MB and wanted to be wrapped in it, so we did as she asked.

Next she wanted to keep eating her dinner, all while having arm restraints. It was priceless.

Plus, she was so proud of herself.

While Grandma Cindy was curling her hair, Siena was wetting hers down with a comb. Pretty cute to watch too.

One more Vegas post coming...

Vegas, part deuce

2009-10-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

One of our days in Vegas we were looking for something Siena would enjoy. I read on the Internet about some casino tied to an Outdoor World/Bass Pro shops. I never would have thought I'd ever need to go into one of these establishments. But trying to entertain kids changes you. p.s. It wasn't as bad as I thought.

Here's my favorite of Nicole and Sawyer mesmerized by the huge fish tank.

The best family portrait we could manage, after several attempts.

Grandpa and Grandma with Siena and Sawyer.

Siena loved all of the fishies, and walked around the tank for probably 20 minutes.

"Stick 'em up!" Nicole as a sniper in the bass pro shops.

I saw Real Tree camo outfits, hats, under armor, basically anything you can imagine in camo... and I thought of Matt Rillos who is slowly evolving into an outdoors-man (aka red neck). Also worth noting, Matt is a proud owner of a new compound bow and real tree camo hat.

Cousins in Vegas

2009-10-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Weeks ago we were in Vegas, staying with Grandpa Bert and Grandma Cindy. When we drove into town we stopped at the cousin's house.

I pulled out the nice camera (Tim's) because Maddox's mom wanted some nice photos of him. Isn't he one of the most handsome little boys ever? Plus he has a little euro-style faux hawk.

You'd think Siena was in love with Maddox from the looks of this shot.

Aaliyah and Sawyer hamming it up. She's so gorgeous, too.

Maddox's bad boy pose.

And I can't get over this photo when contrasted with Maddox's bad boy pose. Sawyer could be the spokesmen for husky babies with multiple chins and spit bubbles.

More shots from Vegas coming soon.

Six.

2009-09-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sawyer Lee,
You are six months old today. I sound like my mom when I say, "I feel like I had you yesterday."

You are such a happy baby. Your smile truly melts my heart.
You love your sister.
I often catch you staring at me from across the room. (you know where your food comes from:)
You love love to kick your legs.
You are totally content to sit in your car seat for hours.
You are not attached to your pacifier like your sister was.
You are officially in the "crying-it-out" stage of sleep training. I hope it proves to make you as good of a sleeper as SiSi is.

I confess I was nervous about having a boy after having my sweet Siena, I didn't know if I would feel as connected to you...boy, was I wrong. You are a light in our home and the most easy-going, happy, smiley, chunky-thighed boy on the block. I love you to pieces.

I pray that the verse we chose for your announcements would be true your whole life long- "that He would command His angels concerning Sawyer to guard you in all your ways."
Happy six months.

Wagon Ride

2009-09-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Mattie Sue, Malyn, Charlie and Siena were having some fun in the driveway the other night. It was a festive occasion as we were sending Tim and Sheri off on their one-year anniversary, European vacation.

Just like an ant, Charlie can pull three times her body weight...

Photo credits to Tim Holmes.

As you can tell here, Siena loves Mattie Sue, and especially sitting in her lap.

We just got back from Las Vegas and should have some fun photos for you in the next couple days.

5 on Friday.

2009-08-21T15:11:00.001-07:00

How cute is this little monkey?

love this...

and this.

Our brown-eyed beauty!

and this last one has to put a smile on your face! Happy Friday ya'll!

Nenny's new camera

2009-08-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Nathan (who Siena affectionately calls Nenny) bought a new camera for his missions trip to Kenya. He was experimenting with the settings the other night, and needed some adorable subjects.

By the way, Sawyer is eating rice cereal and prunes now. He loves eating real food.

Siena posing, she got into the moment and turned one of her shoulder straps down. Always pushing the modesty envelope.

Looking high and low for food.

Any time there is a camera out, Siena will repeat "cheese" until it stops pointing at her. You can almost hear her saying it in these photos. Did I mention this was a swimsuit shoot?

Those beautiful little brown eyes, tussled hair... and a prune juice mustache, I think.

I spy...

2009-08-04T14:00:00.001-07:00

Sawyer is somewhere under all of those blankets...is there
anything cuter than baby's feet?

Pool Party

2009-07-29T17:59:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Becket Sterba's 3rd birthday this past weekend up in Encino at a fabulous pool party.

This is one of my favorites of Sawyer so far. Just Sawyer, daddy and mommy's bling. Look at that little guy just chillin' in the dark bottom pool (it kind of looks like the ocean or a lake huh?)

Family portrait "in hydro." Why does dad look more tired than mom? Nicole sure is looking good, for a mom of two, with little sleep.

Just the two kiddies. Siena still loves her floaties, and just cruising around the pool. Although, I couldn't convince her to jump in off the diving board.

Sawyer is eating solid food now (rice cereal). He loves it. "We're gonna fatten him up real nice."

He actually does look at all of the smiley face stickers that Siena put on his Bumbo. Pretty cute. Thanks Siena, you're such a good big sister.

NO KIDS HERE!

2009-07-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

This post is all about my husband and our sofunny group of friends. We celebrated Erik's 30th birthday Friday night and I laughed until I cried several times that night (James doing the Tarzan in the limo, learning about "selfies", and Nathan's stage dive through the limo, to name but a few). I had so much fun celebrating my husband- the man, friend, husband, father that he is. Happy Birthday Lover Bean!

The night began with Carrie's homemade Oreo cookie cheesecake, made from scratch, ofcourse!

A group picture before heading out to the Roosevelt in Hollywood. Erik was surprised to find we were traveling there in a limo.

The best "selfie" of the night...another time I laughed until I cried.

Handsome!

Here's to another of year of life and the great men that
my husband has surrounded himself with.

Happy Birthday!
PS-Thank you Jami for babysitting for us-we couldn't have
done it without you!

Little Mermaid Tattoo

2009-07-24T09:25:00.001-07:00

Siena is sporting a new tattoo. She is very proud of her Ariel tat with glitter. She's all into Ariel right now, ever since Grandma and Grandpa got her the DVD (which wasn't easy, since it's back in the Disney vault).

She holds her arm just right so you can see it, it's pretty priceless.

Aaaah aaaah aaaaaah.

Happy Friday!

Concert in the Park

2009-07-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

We made it out to our first Manhattan Beach concert in the park. We enjoyed the afternoon listening to an Eagles tribute band.

Erik, Sawyer and Siena taking in the warm-ups and some beautiful Southern California sun. And yes those are BluBlockers.

Siena and Sawyer are here just watching some Nemo (Si pronounces it "Nino"). Notice the Boppy cover is being cleaned, we had a major liquid poop storm the night before in the living room.

Sawyer likes to sit in the Bumbo and just watch everyone move around. Siena tries to get into Sawyer's jumpy in the background. Notice her saying "cheese," which she does for almost every picture.

Big week in the Svendsen house. Nicole and Stacy received last minute tickets to So You Think You Can Dance. Look at these smiles... especially Stacy. Like two little kids in the candy store.

You two are on the hot tamale train!!!! Wooo wooo! (for SYTYCD insiders)

Summer is here

2009-07-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a gloomy month of June in California. Luckily, over the 4th of July weekend we had some sunny days and warm weather.

Siena showing off her cute new suit. A birthday gift from Tim and Sheri. While at the beach Siena pends most of her time using the mini-watering can to water mom and dad's feet.

Sawyer, just taking in the sights. We're so lucky, he's content to sit in his car seat most of the time we're at the beach.

Si will occasionally put on her mom's sunglasses and parade around the house. Here she is looking in the mirror to see what they look like on her. I'm told over-sized baby sunglasses are in this season.

Siena will also come down into the office, grab a magazine, sit and flip through every page. It's pretty precious. Appropriately, she's wearing her "hardcore reader" shirt in this photo.

TWO!

2009-06-27T13:18:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Siena's two years of life with a good ole' Svendsen Waffle Morning. She had 5 little girlfriends over to eat waffles, sing Happy Birthday and play. It was perfect!

Even though she is only two, I feel like she has been with us forever.
Here are five things I love about her:

1. Her love and concern for Sawyer or "soy you" as she calls him.
2. Her love of breakfast, often eating up to three waffles.

3. Her love for books. She will often sit and just look through books pretending to read in jibber jabber.

4. Her teeth.

5. Her sensitive conscience.

Happy two years of life baby girl!!! You truly are a gift from the Lord!

Sawyer's dedication

2009-06-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

A quick post before father's day officially ends. By the way, I had an incredible day! A beautiful, healthy family, being able to dedicate Sawyer at our church this morning, thoughtful gifts, a long nap, home-made pizza, and cheesecake for dessert. It doesn't get any better.

Sawyer and Lucy Anderson were both dedicated today at Journey. It was a meaningful moment for us to be able to stand in front of family, friends and our church. A great reminder as we declare that our house serves the Lord.

A photo op with the families. It was only four years ago, when these three families would have only had six members. Now 12!

One of Sawyer and Lucy, the honorees today. (FYI, don't try brunch at Cafe Marmalade with a party of 19 on Father's day, ever.)

The girls (and Chuck) fighting off hunger with oyster crackers.

I had to get in on some of the crackers too. Nice sharing Siena!

Happy Father's day.

Mostly Sawyer

2009-06-15T20:32:00.001-07:00

Our little man usually doesn't get the blog spotlight, since Siena is the usually drawing all of the attention. But here's a little tribute to Sawyer. He's really growing up fast. He'll be three months old this Thursday, June 18th.

This shot is spiced up a little bit for his dedication photo at church this upcoming Sunday. It's so special that we get to dedicate him to the Lord on Father's day. By the way capturing this huge open mouth is pretty rare. He usually doesn't have much to say.

Pensive, or swishing mouthwash, you decide?

A big yawn while reclining in the Bumbo.

Sawyer remains pretty content when propped sitting up. We say that all he needs is a frosty beverage (recently defrosted breast milk) and he'd be a perfect couch potato.

Siena giving Sawyer some love. He remains more or less unaffected by her climbing, clawing and kissing.

Fiesta Hermosa 2009

2009-06-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

We do our best to make it to Fiesta Hermosa every year. Here are the carnival ride highlights with Siena.

Strapping up in the swings.

Enjoying the swings, but gripping the "nummy" (pacifier) for security.

First rotation on the planes. Unsure of whether she likes it or not.

She does NOT like it. Cried the rest of the ride.

Also cried on the walk back to the car. Dad did get some good snuggles out of it all. We'll get 'em next year, huh Siena?

Aquarium

2009-06-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

We headed out Wednesday morning to the Aquarium.
Siena is obsessed with Nemo right now so I thought
she would be excited to see all the ocean life....let me tell you
the Aquarium is jammed pack with school field trips right
now. It was an interesting turn of events for me to NOT
be there as a teacher this time but as a MOM!!!
The best and hardest job in the world.

fish, fish and more fish

Siena shocked me by being so brave...climbing
right up against the windows to get a closer look
at the seals...so not her cautious, reserved self. I wonder if
her affinity to animals is going to get us a pet??? Erik
would say "NO!"

Just some fun ones...

2009-06-01T10:49:00.001-07:00

I love how everyone is doing something in this photo, either giving or receiving some love, and enjoying it all. Hi Sue

Siena is starting to want to mimic mommy on the computer. Great concentration. I think she's IMing Charlie.

Using the borrowed Barbie laptop, while waiting for some time on the home computer. Thanks for the loaner Paige.

We went to the park the other day, and Siena was more interested in the goldfish than the slides. That's OK, dad was into the fishies too.

Dad, Si and Sawyer. Siena really enjoys holding Sawyer, giving him kisses, saying "Hi Sou-you," and trying to put his "nummy" (pacifier) in his mouth.

Up next, picture from Fiesta Hermosa.

Maui, part 3 of 3

2009-05-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

The final installment of Maui pictures. Enjoy.

Siena is so sweet with Sawyer. She enjoys holding him, although she hasn't fully grasped the idea that he's a real baby, and not one of her dolls that she can just toss around. Oh, and she also says cheese anytime we point the camera at her. "Cheese."

Nicole put the Nemo water wings on Siena, and somehow managed to get her to swim off the steps and float around kicking her feet. We'd have to keep a close eye on her, but she could float all around the pool. Quite an unexpected moment for us, since Siena is typically little miss cautious.

The Hawaiian humidity was good to Siena's fine hair. She had some fun little waves and curls. They all disappeared once we returned to LA.

Playing at the kid's beach collecting rocks, with Dad and Sawyer off in the distance.

We had dinner out in Lahaina one night, and Siena was watching the little sand crabs from the street above. A cute little picture. Goodbye Maui, we miss you already.

Maui, part 2 of 3

2009-05-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Maui photos just keep coming.

My beautiful wife with her beautiful Siena. They coordinated the horizontal stripes for this photo.

Siena and the Pacific. She's either pooping or investigating some little rock or shell in the sand. Or maybe both...

Grandpa Bert was the most valuable sand castle maker last week. Seen here building Siena a barrier from the waves. Siena would help by sprinkling water either on the sand or her knees.

There were several questions about Sawyer, and was he even with us. Yes, and he spent almost every minute of outside time in this little persons tent. He was quite con-tent. Get it?

And lastly, one of the little man smiling. He's been smiling more and more lately. But we finally caught one on camera. Not an incredibly flattering photo, but we have to show it nonetheless. (Yes, that's a smile)

Maui Vacation, part 1 of 3

2009-05-21T09:35:00.001-07:00

I'm committed to get some photo documentation of our trip, last week, to Maui up on the blog, so here goes nothing.

We spent an incredibly relaxing week just north of Lahaina on Maui's west coast from the 9th-16th of May. Grandma and Grandpa Svendsen were there, and were a huge help. If it wasn't for them, I don't know if Nicole and I would have gotten any rest at all.

We arrived late Saturday night, and woke up the next morning to celebrate mother's day. What a joy to be with my wife (and mom extraordinaire) as well as with my mom, Cindy. Happy blog mother's day ladies!

We spent our first day with Gigi, Nicole's cousin, who lives on Oahu. Happy mother's day to Gigi as well! Siena loved her glasses, and looks pretty cute in them too.

Here's one of the only shots of the whole crew. This in on Kaanapali beach after a nice dinner. Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for the accurate spelling of any locations or beaches for this post or the next two. My spelling attempts will be as accurately as I can remember them. Thank you.

Here's a shot of Bert, Cindy and Si under the old Banyan tree in Lahaina. Nicole thought she was out of the picture, but little did she know I had switched to wide format mode to capture the spread of the tree. Ah Ha! By the way this SINGLE tree covers almost an acre. Dang!

Here's a shot of one of my most proud moments on the trip: taking Nicole out for a date in the mini van. I affectionately called it the "mini." If I'm able to hold my ground, and I expect I will, we won't be getting one of these any time soon. Needing the mini, reminds us that we're officially a family of four! I will confess, mini's are incredibly functional. Feel free to post your mini van love/hate responses in the comments...