Happy 3rd Birthday, SiSi!

Little Miss SiSi was joined by many friends and family a week before she turned 3.  She was an absolute angel the whole day, despite the nearly 100 degree heat.  Great Grandma's B. and Tud joined us, thanks to Grandma Belva and Grandpa Tim who brought them the long way to Savage.  She got many amazing presents - among them new dance clothes and shoes, a Doc McStuffins costume, a coconut (as requested) and apples (again, as requested), among other great items!  Sienna is the funniest little girl I know and, while she obviously takes after Mom in her physical attributes, she is her father in every way besides looks!  While she still has very little interest in being potty-trained (despite the fact that she actually is, as was evident the day she made herself pee on the potty about 10 times in an hour just so she could get the Starburst she so desperately wanted), she is very advanced.  She tells detailed stories, has no qualms about playing for an hour in her room with her babies by herself, and she takes after her cousin, Sadie, in her love of the dramatic arts (aka TV).  Everyone who knows SiSi can't help but want to smoosh her up, she's so cute!  Our lives are infinitely better because she's in them :)

 

Counting Cups

In a move very reminiscent of her older sister, Finley, SiSi decided to line up her birthday cups and show off her advanced counting skills. 

Sienna's Lesson to Her Baby

Sienna, unlike her sister who wouldn't be caught dead in a room by herself, loves to play in her room by herself.  One day, I caught her playing with her baby and talking sweetly to it.  She was pretending to be driving in the car - if you listen carefully you can hear her make a "click" noise when she takes off the "baby's" seat belt.  She later put that baby to bed - on the coffee table covered with magazines for blankets.  She's certainly imaginative!

Sienna: All Things Girl

Up until recently, I thought Sienna was going to be my tomboy.  She can throw a ball fast, straight, and strong, she will jump off of anything higher than her with no fear, and she wants to get her hands into and onto anything and everthing she comes across.  In the last 6 months or so, however, SiSi has been very into all things "girl."  She wants to wear Finley's old dance costume just about every day (including on the day Finley actually had her recital) and when she wears it, she likes to prance around with a wand and yell "Abra Kazaammmm!"  At Finley's recital, she got to go backstage and get full stage make-up by her big cousin, Sadie.  I didn't think she'd leave!  And, the San Frannies came to visit over the 4th of July and Sienna and Finley played "Beauty School" on them for almost 30 minutes (I didn't hear any complaining from Paige and Natalie).  And through all this girlie activity, there is one thing I know for sure:  Sienna will be a dancer.  Just mark my words (and this is not me projecting!).

Swimming Lessons, Dressing Herself, and Watching it Grow

This is what you get when a 2-year-old decides to dress herself - inside out and backward pants.

 Sienna started swimming lessons on Monday.  She wore Finley's old swimsuit that looks like a ballerina tutu and she was so excited to go to the swimming pool she danced around the living room twirling and ran up and down the hallway doing leaps before we left.  She had to go with Daddy because she's 2, but her teacher told Daddy she was too advanced for the class.  While the rest of the kids floated around with their moms and dads, Sienna spent the time jumping in off the side of the pool, chasing diving toys, and playing with the teacher.  She is going to start classes by herself as soon as the class opens up in May.

For my birthday, my Teaching Assistant, Steven, gave me a grow your own poppy kit.  Finley and I planted the seeds and put it on the window to let it grow.  I came into the kitchen a little later and Sienna was sitting in a chair staring at the pot.  I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was "Watching it grow!"

Not a Good Choice!

Today, SiSi sat on the potty for a very long while because I told her she couldn't wear underpants until she learned how to use the big-girl potty.  As she sat there, she told me she had a secret and proceeded to whisper nothing in my ear.  Then, she told me she had "trinkled," but unfortunately she actually hadn't.  I told her we could put a pull-up on since she sat on the potty for so long so we went into her room to get one.  When we saw her empty bed, she proclaimed, "Hey!  Where'd my stuffies go?"  I told her I didn't know and she said, "Daddy took them.  That was not a good choice!"

Sienna Knows Her Letters and Sounds

This is all I could catch of Sienna's new trick, but she impressed me last night while we were watching Eloise.  They were playing with the letters on the refrigerator and Sienna started taking each letter and saying it out loud, followed by the sound the letter makes.  Every once in awhile, she'd throw in a word that starts with that letter.  It was absolutely adorable and I can take absolutely no credit for her knowledge.  I'm guessing her wonderful teachers at Kids Count have been working their magic, just as they did with Finners.