Around the World with Siena

Of course, it's sad that Siena's currently thousands of miles away from the family and friends who love her so much. But one plus is that the child has had to develop a remarkable knowledge of geography.

Mommy got Siena a puzzle of the United States. At least, I think that Mommy got it, because she kept talking about how she wanted a United States puzzle for Siena and then one day it showed up. But she could've hinted to one of you to get it for Siena, and if you did then I apologize for not remembering, but my brain isn't big enough to keep track of every gift that the Principessa has received.

It's not a large puzzle, so some states have been grouped into one big puzzle piece. I can't figure out whether they're grouped by athletic conferences or presidential primaries; one piece could be the SEC or Super Tuesday. But not only can Siena throw this puzzle together like a pro, she knows quite a few states, and why they matter in her life:

California: "I live dere!"

New York: Mimi and Pop-Pop live there, and Uncle Danny, Aunt Kate, Aunt Lorraine...

Louisiana: combined with Arkansas and Missouri on one piece to form what Siena calls "da boot," she knows that MawMaw and PawPaw live there

Texas: Home to Anna and Abigail, kids of our friends fromthe bayou who've joined the post-Katrina exodus (dont' worry, they're not living in the Astrodome)

Indiana: "Noder Dayme!" Actually, she has no idea that the state's called Indiana, but she knows that Our Lady's University's located there

Georgia: Okay, she only knows it as Atlanta, but she does know that Nanan, Uncle Josh, and Baby Jammin live there

South Carolina: Where we're going to see the Lousiana and Georgia contingents next week for Baby Jasmine's birthday

Which covneniently segues into my excuse in advance for not writing next week. Seeya!