time away
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
Comment by Martha
Sharing your joy in the family reunion, i can just imagine what a special time it was. The fall pictures remind me of soulemama scenes. Change of seasons is something we don’t see much here in the tropics.hugs to Tara:)
Posted on November 2, 2008 at 3:17 am
Comment by Heather
from United StatesAwwww. What a lovely visit with the family!
Posted on November 2, 2008 at 5:03 am
Comment by Pattieee
from SamoaCOOOL! the palusami, ulu & fai look soo dry & frail eww hahaa!
Posted on November 2, 2008 at 6:15 am
Comment by Bahareh
from Israelthanks for posting these pics Sieni. I love Tara’s gray track pants!!! So cute
I want the pizza that Tara was eating 
Posted on November 2, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Comment by iiioey
from United Statessweet! miss you guys
Posted on November 8, 2008 at 4:03 am
Comment by Negar
from CanadaSieni,
She is getting more and more beautiful by the day.
I’m sad that Nima and I never got to know her up close and personel… well thank goodness for blogs and facebook!
Lot’s of love to you guys,
Negar
Posted on November 11, 2008 at 12:01 am
Comment by Omega
from OmanMy gosh, I haven’t been on your blog in awhile but how your baby has grown. She’s beautiful. I love your pictures of Maine. That’s exactly how I imagine Maine and you’ve so captured it. I hope to visit Maine one day only because I read a book based in Maine when I was a teenager and the State ever since appealed to me. Anyway enough rambling from my part. Cheers.
Posted on December 9, 2008 at 2:02 pm