All because two people fell in love

That has become quite a popular little saying and I see it all over. But years ago, before it was popular, the first time I heard it was in reference to two amazing people in my life. Two people that have shown me unending love, happiness, laughter, and support. My grandpa and grandma Armstrong.

We have a very large family and at family reunions it is crazy to look around and know that because of these 2 people, we are all here.

About 8 years ago we received news that my grandpa had Alzheimer's. It's been a rough road since then and all my prayers have been with my grandma, my dad, and his siblings.

Things took a turn for the worst in these last few weeks and on Monday my grandpa left this Earth.

As sad as I am, I know he's in a better place and he finally has his memory back. He's happy again and remembers how much he was loved here; how much he loved dancing with my Grandma; how much he loved sitting in his chair and reading. Now he can sit and read his smart books again and make witty comments to get everyone laughing. He can tell his wonderfully entertaining stories from his Air Force days and teach people to play chess.

I sure wish we could have one more day to enjoy Grandpa.

I miss you so much Grandpa, and love you to the moon and back.

We don't need more rain, thanks anyway.

We had a few days this month that were gorgeous (I might have mentioned them in the blog, or rather devoted a whole post to how much I love the sun) and Bria even got to wear short sleeve pj's to bed, wahoo!

Adorable daisy pj's that also come with yellow shorts.

But apparently mother nature was being incredibly cruel and just giving us a tiny taste as to what it could be like. It has been absolutely disgusting, depressing, gray, and wet the past week and a half. And the 10 day forecast is RAIN. I am sick to my stomach, I NEED the sun to come out, we deserve some spring! I'm not asking for a repeat of last summer (hello disgusting 108 temperatures), I just want some sun and temperatures above the 60's. It's May, I don't think that's a lot to ask. Sigh.

Okay, I'm done, thanks for letting me complain.

Bria is still having a blast in the pool, she loves the water and loves playing on the stairs after lessons are over.

Her and Gabe splash around and crawl/walk all over the steps. Even when Bria stumbles and her head goes under water unexpectedly she remembers to blow out which is great. No worries, I'm right there with my hand on her but I like to let her learn not to get toooo comfortable in the water, she needs to be safe.

Ready to jump into the water.

2 weeks until Shasta so we'll test her water skills by throwing her in a big lake. Not really, but we have some fun water stuff that I think she'll enjoy.

Bria is back to being really clingy and not wanting to be further than an inch from me all day long. It can be really frustrating and yesterday I ended up putting her in her crib so I could pack up the diaper bag for swim class. She seriously cries so hard she gags. I'm hoping this passes quickly!

Bria did get her 6th tooth last week :) Her runny nose has finally stopped, her and I are both thrilled about that. No more booger sucker, yessss.

And one last update: BRIAN HAS LESS THAN 2 WEEKS UNTIL HE IS DONE WITH HIS MBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excited does not begin to describe my emotions, over the top happy!

The evolution of walking

Bria and I went for a walk the other day and I started thinking about how my "walks" have changed over the last few years.

2007: Going for jogs with MJ to try and lose some post wedding weight

• Distance= A couple miles

2008: Going for walks with MJ to keep my pregnant arse from getting too big

• Distance= A couple miles

2009: Going for walks while pushing a stroller with an adorable baby in it

• Distance= A mile or so

2010: Going for walks with an adorable little toddler hand wrapped around my finger

• Distance= A block or 2

I love going for walks now, they just seem more special.

15 months

I stopped doing monthly updates once she reached 1, but I still want to do them every so often so I don't forget all her little milestones.

First, the stats:

Weight: 22 lbs 15 oz (55th percentile)

Length: 30.5 inches (50th percentile)

Head: 18.25 inches (60th percentile)

• Size 3 diapers but I'm going to move to size 4 once we are done with the ones we have. The size 3 say they go to 28 pounds but they just seem a little snug.
• 12-18 month clothes. Her sleepers are still 12 months but the 18 months fit her too, they are just a little long.
• Walking!
• Talking! Details below
• Kicks balls (future soccer player?!)
• LOVES the water
• Knows where the following body parts are: eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, ears, head, hair (not a body part but you get the idea), fingers, hands, legs, feet, toes, and belly.
• Knows what the following animals say: dog (does the tongue hanging out sound, cuz that's what MJ does, lol), snake, cat, cow, and bee.
• Helps sing the ABC's, Eeensty Weensty Spider, If You're Happy & You Know It, and Here's a Ball for Baby.
• Helps count her toes or fingers (she loves to point to them and pretend she's counting)
• Spoon feeds herself, although it's messy :)
• Says "I love you" heart.melting.

Mental note: Do not attempt to do pictures by yourself with a toddler, it's impossible.

But I did manage this cute one!

This little girl is shocking me with how many words she says and all the songs she sings along to. She must have got her brains from her smart Daddy.

We like to make her say tons of words and it's cute to hear how she says them. Elmo is a popular favorite by us and our family, that is the most requested word :)

She has gotten really good at saying, "All done," in the last few days. In fact, she made me laugh yesterday because I was trying to get her snot out with the booger sucker thing and she started saying, "All done, all dooone!!"

Speaking of runny noses, she got her 6th tooth! I'm not sure when it came in but I noticed it yesterday, it's the other front one, so she has the 4 on top and 2 on bottom.

We're working on teaching her patience, she gets frustrated if something doesn't work the first 3 times (putting her toy shapes in the right hole) so I try and encourage her to keep trying and then get really excited when she gets it.

I think I forgot to mention on her 12 month update that she can drink through a straw! We were at the mall and Brian had a cup of water with a lid and straw. He went to give her a drink and I almost told him not to even bother because it would be awhile before she could drink through a straw, but the girl surprised both of us and sucked the water out like it was her job. She now LOVES drinking out of straws and thinks it's the coolest thing.

She does not like fruit or vegetables. I can kind of understand the vegetables, but fruit?! Every once and awhile she'll eat a banana or orange, but for the most part she doesn't want anything to do with them. So I've resorted back to baby food so that she at least gets some of the nutrients, plus I started making her smoothies with the magic bullet we have and she gobbles them up, score!

She is a momma's girl through and through, I can't count the number of times she cuddles me during the day and I am trying to soak it all up. She prefers me over anybody, but when she gets to spend one on one time with Daddy she starts to prefer him. When he's done with school I think there may be a shift in preference and I know Brian would love if she wanted him over me! If we are with family or friends she takes awhile to warm up, but eventually she hams it up and doesn't need to hang on me.

This is just my absolute favorite age, we have so much fun during the day and I can't hug and kiss her enough. She is just my favorite little baby in the whole wide world I love her hilarious personality, she cracks me up. She loves making funny faces and tries so hard to think of ways to get us laughing. I love her.

Saturday done right

Saturday we woke up and decided to start our day off right by heading to the Saturday Market. First we made a stop at Noah's Bagel and enjoyed delicious breakfast and coffee, it was marvelous. It helped that the sun was shining and the temperature was warming up quite quickly.

Tiff, Eric, and their little girl, Maggie, joined us at the Market and it was so fun having the girls run around. Maggie will be 2 in June, crazy how big she is getting. Her and Bria had fun walking all over the grass and Maggie even played in the fountains, it was nice to let them run some energy off.

Bria wanting her sunglasses back.

Just chillin.

The dad's and their girls.

My pretty flowers from the market!

I really didn't want to leave but Bria was getting hungry and tired so we headed home. It took Bria awhile to go down for her nap because she had a coughing fit (which led to some throw up) and the poor thing was so congested. I administered some mommy cuddles and love and then she finally laid down in her crib and went to sleep.

Saturday night we went to Jaime and Schuyler's to BBQ which was so much fun. The whole family was there and we had a blast sitting outside, eating, watching Bria walk all over, and devouring Jaime's amazing cookies.

Scrounging for food from Kailey :)

My big girl exploring the world

Bria had so much fun and after awhile she didn't even need me, so I got to relax and chat it up. It made me sooo excited for Shasta, only 1 month away!

Giving Aunt Jaime fist bumps, her new thing is to "pound it," old school, but so cute.

Uncle Schuyler giving her some delicious water

Having fun on Papa's lap

Family picture! Everyone is there but Anna and Lance (and Kayla since she's taking the picture)

The girls (Jaime, Jenny, Me, Kayla, Mom), I just realized we are all very close in height, how funny.

Sunday we stayed home to hopefully let Bria rest and get better, that darn nose and cough just won't let up.

Yesterday she finally started feeling better and I'm so relieved! The poor girl hates anytime I get near her nose, but I can't stand boogers. Yesterday was also a good day because Lanie and Bristol came to visit! I will post about that later with some cute pictures. Bria turns 15 months tomorrow, whoa!

Playing outside

Thank you Mother Nature for the beautiful sunshine we've been getting! It has been gorgeous and in the 70's the last few days which is just absolutely perfect, I wish it was like this all year round. We can spend time outside without getting too hot, our house doesn't reach sauna temperatures, and we don't go stir crazy inside our house. It's just splendid. I am incredibly grateful for this weather, especially since next week calls for rain every single day and temperatures aren't suppose to get higher than the low 60's. Ick. So by golly I'm going to enjoy the sun while it lasts, which means spending every second outside.

Friday afternoon I filled some tupperware with water, grabbed a few toys and a rock and let Bria have fun outside. It was wonderful and kept both her and I entertained for quite awhile.

Inspecting her rock quite closely.

She thought it was fun to dump the water out all over herself and splash around. Good thing the hose was right there, I'd fill them right back up.

Getting dirt off her hand.

While Bria played, Daddy changed the oil on good old Penny. Apparently that is very exciting to kids because we had a bunch of neighbor kids come over and ask Brian all sorts of questions.

It was like oil changing 101 and I HAD to get a picture, it was hilarious. Brian was so patient and kind as the kids asked questions and wanted to know everything he was doing. Bria was very proud of her Daddy being the cool one on the street ;)

Bria has been having a blast playing outside, between her new ride (a red wagon), the park, and fun in the grass, we don't spend too much time inside.

However, the poor girl has had a runny nose for over 2 weeks and it's just now turning into a horrible cough. She coughs so hard she gags and throws up, it is seriously awful to watch and I feel so bad. I attempt to booger suck her but the girl gets so mad and screams until she throws up, so yeah, that's not good. I'm hoping this cough means the end of this cold/teething thing. Next week she should be going in for her 15 month appointment (I completely forgot to schedule it last week so I hope they can get her in) so I'll have the pediatrician check her to make sure it's nothing serious. Maybe she could give us something for the congestion.

So hopefully her little sickness goes away soon, it seems like she's been stuffed up forever and I just want her to get some relief. She's definitely clingier than usual and doesn't want me to be far away from her, it's sweet but I'd also like to get some stuff done :) If I get impatient with her or I'm not doing what she wants me to do she looks at me so sweetly, gives a sideways smile and says, "Hi," in the sweetest voice. She knows that softens my heart, it's precious.

Bria's day

Bria is officially walking as a mode of transportation. I am so ecstatic. I LOVE seeing little babies start toddling around and watching Bria walk is just too fun. I'm not sure what clicked for her, maybe it was the 52,328 hours we logged in of walking with her holding onto 1 finger, or the 12,345 hours of her pushing her lion walker around, or if she got sick of walking where we walked and wanted to go in her own direction. Whatever the reason, it's wonderful and she is sooo much happier. Although, I think she has about 3 more teeth trying to come in so she can be quite clingy at times. I can see 2 on bottom and one on top, plus her nose is runny, plus she drools about a gallon of saliva a day.

"Mom, I thought I told you no more pictures."

She loves counting her toes, she'll usually say two and five :)

So big!

"If I smile will you stop taking my picture and let me play?"

Yesterday I was reading my blog posts from a year ago and I had so much fun revisiting my little baby Bria and how our life was. I was so happy that I posted so much and included pictures and her routine. I don't think I've mentioned our daily routine lately so I want to jot it down for memories sake:

7:15 am - She wakes up around this time (sometimes earlier, sometimes later) and talks in her crib, it's so fun to listen to her. I wait awhile before I go get her and we head downstairs for breakfast.

8:00 am - I clean up breakfast stuff while she plays then we sit down and play together which usually involves reading books, singing songs (Incy Wincy Spider, If You're Happy and You Know It), and counting her toes. I may also throw in 30 minutes of tv time for me, not always, but sometimes.

9:00 am - I usually decide to start being productive so I'll do laundry, take a shower, clean the floors, make the beds, that kind of thing. Bria is good about finding things to play with or help me :)

10:00 am - Sometimes Bria will have a snack, other days she'll just want to drink some milk (she is sooooo our daughter, the girl chugs milk like it's going out of style). We'll run errands, go to the library, go to water babies, have a play date, or go for a walk. Usually this is when we try and get out of the house...if I've managed to shower and look presentable for public.

12:00 pm - Lunch time! We both sit down to have some lunch and discuss our morning ;)

12:45 pm - Time for reading and then down for a nap.

3:00 pm - She wakes up between 2:15 and 3 usually, just depends. Bria takes awhile to wake up from her nap, the best thing to do is let her talk in her crib for a little bit and then go get her. If she took an extra long nap than she wakes up SOOO HAPPY. I would love to know the secret to her extra long naps :) I'll give her some milk or water and maybe a snack while she cuddles on my lap, she definitely likes cuddle time after her naps.

4:00 pm - Ellen is on and Bria will sometimes dance to the music so I like to turn it on, plus I may watch it occasionally. We also try and get out of the house and go for a walk, that always puts her in a good mood, she loves going to the park and swinging.

5:00 pm - Dinner time, well at least I start making dinner. Hopefully Daddy comes home at a good hour and he can help or at least eat dinner with us.

6:15 pm - Usually Daddy is home and they have their time to play while I go blog, clean, or read.

7:00 pm - Bath time for Bria! We usually let her run around naked for 10 minutes before bath time starts, she has a blast.

7:30 pm - Mommy and Daddy time, which usually consists of Brian doing homework and me cleaning up the downstairs. Then we'll watch our tv shows, talk, and head to bed.

Obviously every day is different, but this is a general idea.

Here is a video of Bria walking. She loves going into our guest bedroom and turning on the radio:

Cuddles

Bria loves giving MJ hugs. MJ doesn't love it so much, she more just tolerates it :)

Dining out and Ballerina's

We went out to dinner the other night with Grammy (Brian's mom), Heather, and Amy. Bria was beyond good, she was amazing and loved all the attention on her. She didn't do much eating, but she did drink tons of milk and water so I guess she was on a liquid diet that night, getting ready for Shasta ;)

Milk is soooo good

"Do I have to take a picture with these 2 clowns?"

"I love my placemat!"

"Hey people over there, do you think I'm funny?"

"How 'bout over here, do you love me?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Cheez."

Happy girl.

We really need to take advantage of this age because right now it's not too bad going out to eat with her...most of the time.

I was getting ready to go out on Saturday (we went to a Cinco de Mayo party) and Brian asked me to come downstairs to see something. I asked him if it was absolutely necessary because I was right in the middle of doing my hair. He insisted I come down and boy am I glad he made me:

Wait, is that a baby in that cooler/back pack?

Why yes it is :)

See, Daddy is much more fun than Mommy.

We had swim lessons today and again, Bria did so well. She LOVES the water and I think she'll be our little fishy. After our class was done we played on the stairs and she would voluntarily stick her face in the water to blow bubbles, she did it over and over again which was making me laugh. I think she would've played all day long if I let her.

"Oh you like my ballerina swim suit do you? Me too. I represent the new ballerina generation, big bellies, big butts, and big thighs are in!"

(Thanks again for the suit Kayla!!)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!