Play date and a bad night

On Wednesday we had a realtor viewing at our house so Bria and I had to find a place to go from 10-2. Right in the middle of nap time, awesome. In the morning we headed to Erin and Gabe's for a fun play date, Gabe and Bria played pretty well together, despite a few hitting episodes from Bria. But she's getting better, or so she is making me think.

They had a lot of fun outside with the water table

Gabe attempting to press the water button while Bria takes notes

Then we went to my Dad's where Bria took a little nap and woke up on the very wrong side of the pack 'n play. She had a fever of 102 the night before but Brian and I thought it was because we'd been out in the sun and mix that with teething we thought for sure she'd be a little warm. However, after I left my Dad's I went home to find out her temperature was at 103. Ugh. I called the doctor to find out what I needed to look for and what I should do. They gave me instructions of lots of fluids, Tylenol/ibuprofen every 4 hours, make sure she has wet diapers, and call in the morning if the fever is still that high. That night she falls asleep in my arms at 7 pm when I was rocking her in the brown chair downstairs. It's been a long time since she's done that and I soak in the moment.

Thursday morning her temperature was 99.9 so I thought, phew, she's getting better! I decide there is no need to take her in since her fever is going down.

Fast forward a few hours, Bria has a not so good nap and wakes up with a temperature of 102 ish (the ear thermometer said 103.8 and the under arm one said 100.5, I think they say the under arm is the more accurate right?). I call the doctor again and give the symptoms and wait for the nurse to call back. More Tylenol and a trip to the store to walk around, Bria all the sudden becomes her normal self and is totally happy walking all over Old Navy and pulling shirts off the shelves. So I think she is done and there is no need to go to the doctor. Oh silly me, that's just what they want you to think!

I put her down for bed that night and she fusses for a few minutes so I go in and rock her to sleep again. Bad habit, I know, but it's so darn sweet. I lay her down and think, maybe she'll sleep good tonight. Once again, I'm being so naive.

Half hour later she fusses and whines and thus begins the horrible horrible night. I felt like we were back in the newborn days, she woke up almost every single hour. I would scratch her back or rock her and she'd go to sleep, only to wake up soon after. Sometimes she wasn't awake, she was just crying in her sleep. It was a rough night.

I took her temperature again today and it said 97.9. Now, I want to say: phew! But I'm not celebrating early this time, it'll be a couple nights of good sleep before I celebrate. I really do hope she is getting better, I know it's worse for her because who wants to feel icky and sleep so poorly? My initial worry was an infection, like a UTI or ear infection but she isn't showing symptoms of either of those and the doctor's office agreed. Although if the fever persists we'll check anyway because she just might have different symptoms for those. Here is to hoping that she is on the mend and that darn fever stays away.

The Hotness

This weekend it was in the high 90's and that is hot for a/c less people like us. We made sure to spend lots of time outside in the water fountains or our little pool to cool off. Bria gets the window a/c unit in her room so she sleeps pretty good and with our window open and fan in front of it we haven't been too hot so we aren't melting which is nice.

Brian's start date is set for August 16th so we are looking forward to that date :) He is giving his official notice to UPS tomorrow so hopefully that goes well. His boss knows and most of his co-workers do as well, but he just haven't given his official notice.

So we are selling our house and getting it on the market this week which is taking a lot of work. We are hopeful we can sell it fast, the sooner we sell it the sooner we can get an apartment in Portland.

Brian was gone last week for work and it was a rough week alone. My patience just wasn't were it needed to be and I didn't do a good job of staying busy so when Brian got home on Friday I was soooo ready for a break. Saturday he took Bria to the fountains while I stayed home and cleaned and packed our house to get it ready for showing. Although it would've been fun to see her run through the fountains, it felt wonderful to get so much stuff done and not have to worry about entertaining a toddler.

I use to think we were good about not having clutter around the house but this whole packing thing has proven what a hot mess our house is and how much flippin' stuff we have! Where did we get it all? It feels wonderful to de-clutter and I wish I would have done it a long time ago. But it also has taken a lot of work so I can see why I procrastinated.

Bria is talking more everyday and her latest word is, "Awesome!" with tons of enthusiasm, makes us laugh every time. She's also starting to string words together and getting a lot better at it. Car rides are still tiring because she wants attention the whole time I'm driving, if I'm not looking at her she says, "Mom, MOM, MOM!!!!" until I finally turn around. It's already begun!

She definitely has Brian's skin. We load her up with sunscreen every time she is outside and she still gets a golden brown tan all over. Couple that with her blond hair and blue eyes and you'd think she was Swedish ;) I am grateful she doesn't burn easy because I know that's something I would stress about all summer.

Bria is still a picky eater and I feel like it's getting worse. I really don't know what to feed this child and I'm starting to lose patience at meal time and snack time. What am I suppose to feed this child 5 times a day?! She doesn't even like 5 different foods! I'm grateful she loves her milk, I know she's getting her calcium. I'm starting to understand why parents give up and give them whatever they want, it's better than her starving to death. By looking at her you wouldn't think she was a picky eater so I have to focus on her rolls and then I feel better, plus it's just fun to kiss her chunkiness.

Okay, I better go clean or pack or something since both my babies are sleeping.

Here's a quick video of when we went the lake, girl loves her some water!

BIG hugs

I can't tell you how wonderful our summer weather has been, it took awhile to get here but it was well worth it.

Bria and I are outside everyday either going for a walk, playing in the backyard, or going to the park. I'm so glad our neighborhood has a park because when we are bored and can't think of anything to do (and Target is off limits because I shouldn't spend any more money) we just walk down to the park and play. Usually there are other kids and moms there so we get to socialize.

I'm learning that Bria is not shy with other kids, in fact she loves to walk up to older kids and say, "Hi," in her sweet little voice. And she loves giving hugs, she squeezes so hard they usually go tumbling down and then I'm so embarrassed.

"Ahh, I'm so excited to give you a hug!"

No one fell during this hug :)

Fortunately it's a slow motion fall so no one is hurt. Plus I can't be too mad because she's being a lover and I'd rather her do that than hit. She does tend to be mean to babies younger than her and that is really frustrating. I discipline her every time she takes a toy away or hits, but it doesn't feel like we are getting anywhere, I guess it'll take awhile.

Bria continues to have a love affair with my phone. Only now she has full on conversations and it cracks me up, especially how she fluctuates her voice. Most of the time her conversation starts out with, "Hi Daddy."

And she's even learning to text ;)

I caught the infamous Briiiiiiaaa face on camera, wahoo! Usually she is straight faced when she does it but I still caught it.

I look at her like this with my head down and say Bria in a way that sounds like she's in trouble and she totally does it back. I crack up every time.

"Duh, Mom."

"See this, I'm texting my Daddy to tell him to bring some milk home, ASAP."

Eating her favorite food: crackers

"What? Like crackers aren't healthy for you?"

"I could eat crackers for every meal!"

Check out that hair, it's getting so long!

She loves to hand me a book and say, "Lap!" then she turns around backs up and sits on my lap. Who wouldn't want that adorable bum backing into them and then plopping down to read a book?

One of her phone conversations:

Family Fun

A few weekends ago we went up to Heather's for a family dinner with Sara. She was in town so we all gathered together to get the dish on her man, she's engaged! You can tell she's a woman in love that's for sure, and we are all so thrilled for her. We get to meet him later this year and can't wait.

Amy and Heather made an AMAZING dinner and we all sat outside and ate and talked and ate some more.

We had a great time and it was fun getting together with everyone.

Dad and Kathie

Bria had oatmeal for dinner

Sara and Mom

Heather, Sara, and Amy

The twins

And here's a cute video of Heather and Bria playing in the pool (please ignore my incredibly annoying laugh, I need to remember to mute myself when video taping):

Boating fun

We LOVE going to the lake in the summer, it's our chance to relax, have fun, and be in the sun. Fortunately for us my Mom and Randy have a boat :)

Last weekend we continued our celebration by heading to the lake. It was a gorgeous day for boating, I even got out and knee boarded. The water was super choppy so it was a ton of work to just hold on, but oh so fun! I was sooo sore the next day and it felt good because let's just say it's been awhile since I've worked out hard enough to be sore. Or worked out at all.

Not so sure about the bulky life jacket, we tried to assure her it was for safety precautions and this is the look she gave me...guess she didn't understand/care.

Lathering on the sunscreen for the umpteenth time

Bria was in heaven and had a blast jumping in the water to Daddy and then swimming back to grandma. She wore us all out and kept us laughing.

She would get so excited on the swim back! Her mouth would open and her tongue would come out and she'd laugh and snort.

Swimming to mommy

Once she fell asleep we all kicked back and chatted and soaked up some sun. It was a wonderful day and I can't wait until we can get back on the lake.

Passed out after all the swimming

A closer shot of the cuteness

Enjoying some crackers after a good nap

I don't know how she didn't fall asleep on the drive home since it's a good hour and a half, but she didn't. It was fine though because we wanted to bath her when we got home anyway since she had pounds of sunscreen on and who knows what else from that lake. I was expecting her to sleep in since she had a long day of playing, but alas, she did not. And she even took a short nap that day, short sleeping usually means more teeth so I think those molars are giving her some pain. It sucks they are all coming in at the same time, but hopefully that means she gets a long break of no teething ;)

Our Big News!!!!

Brian started looking for a new job last fall since he knew he would be completing his Masters soon. It's a tough economy so he got started early, smart guy. In the winter he interviewed with Amazon and was flown out to Reno, then Kentucky. His job would have been in Lexington, Kentucky and let's just say our families were none to thrilled. Well, fortunately for them (and us as we would later learn) it did not pan out and the job searched continued.

In June Brian got the most exciting call yet, Intel! This is his dream company to work for and we were both dancing for joy. It was all very serendipitous and here is why: Brian's sister Heather works at Intel, Heather is friends with Corey, and Corey knows the hiring manager's manager. Follow? So she recommended Brian and Brian got the call. He got the call while we were in Arizona for my grandpa's funeral and when he told the family, my cousin Brad said that it was his old position and his old boss. Oh my word. The stars are aligned. So Brad recommended Brian for the position as well.

Brian did a phone interview and then a week later flew to Phoenix for a face to face interview. The position itself would either be in Phoenix or Portland and honestly, we didn't know which one we wanted more. Half of us wanted to stay in Oregon close to family, and the other half was excited about a new climate and being close to my extended family. Really, it was a win-win.

It's been a very long process and we've been on pins and needles waiting to hear from them and we finally got word last week, on our anniversary. He got the job offer and they want him in Portland! We are Portland bound! We are thrilled to pieces and so happy to be staying near family. I am beyond proud of Brian. He has accomplished all of his goals and more: completing his undergrad, completing his MBA (while working full time and being a daddy and awesome husband), and getting an awesome job at an amazing company. We are just thrilled and so so so happy.

Things are still getting worked out so we aren't positive of the start date, we're hoping the middle of August but we'll see. Then we have tons of stuff to figure out with the house and all that, unfortunately we bought at the wrong time and are selling at the wrong time so we're going to take a pretty big hit. It's not fun to think about, in fact, I'm going to stop thinking about or else I may vomit.

Anyway, all in all it's a really good thing and it feels like this is where we were meant to be. When I think about how we almost moved to Lexington, Kentucky I just have to thank God for unanswered prayers. Or in the case of our families, answered prayers since they were all praying against that move.

We are spreading out our celebrations because that makes the excitement last even longer :) So Friday we went out with the Tegner's and Kayla. And what better transportation than to haul everyone in good old trusty Penny:

"Peace and love."

Jenny, me, and Kayla at our best attempt at being hippyish

"Cheers!"

We're moving to Portland, oh my gosh!!!!!!!

4 stars

I give the last 4 years of my life 4 stars. Why?

Simply put: Brian Holcomb aka The Incredible Hulkomb

Brian and I sat outside on our anniversary (last Thursday) with a bottle of wine and talked about all the good times we've had in the last 4 years. We have done some fun things and had great adventures.

In our 1st year:

• I had just graduated college and got my career job as an accountant
• Brian turned the big 3-0

• We bought a house

In our 2nd year:

• We went to Hawaii for Jenny and Kyle's wedding

• We paid off tons of debt
• Brian went into management at UPS

In our 3rd year:

• We got pregnant
• We had a baby!!

• We took thousands of pictures of said baby

In our 4th year:

• We started learning how to be parents, which we will continue to do for the rest of our lives
• Brian finished his MBA!

I am seriously so in love with Brian. I can't wait to get a text or call from him during the day, and when that garage door opens in the evening both Bria and I jump for joy. He's the favorite part of our day :)

And the day of our 4th anniversary, Brian got some amazing news. It looks like the Holcomb's are about to embark upon a new chapter and we are so excited! More info to come...

Pink polish & water fountain fun

Now that we are all feeling better, we've been able to enjoy the sunny weather. It's gotten pretty hot here and we even had to break out the portable AC unit for Bria's room.

Brian's had the last couple days off and we've enjoyed it so much that I'm a little nervous for him to go back to work, it's like I forgot how to do things, how do I do it alone again?

I was so excited the other day because Bria was letting me clip her toe nails. She usually cries so hard she gags so I give up. But I caught her in a pretty good mood and kept her distracted with items from our junk drawer. She was doing so well that when I was done I thought, "Why stop here?" So I lured her upstairs and painted her tiny toe nails bright pink for the first time. I was giddy with excitement and Bria could've cared less. She'll love it when she's older ;)

Matching toes!

Yesterday we ventured out to the water front to have some fun in the fountains. I was so excited because I knew Bria would have a blast and sure enough she did. It took her a good 15 minutes for her to loosen her death grip on my hand, but eventually she got courageous enough to venture out by herself.

It was adorable watching her walk into the water and squeal with excitement as she ran back to us. The only thing that I was nervous about was her getting run over by bigger kids because they do not watch where they are going and take off at full speed. But fortunately we only had close calls, no actual collisions, phew!

Her favorite was when the water was little and only shot up a foot or two

But she thought it was pretty cool to venture into the big water fountains every once and awhile

Grandma and Bria

Daddy and Bria, she thought it was funny to sit on it

She kept lifting her foot in it and I was thinking she might have been trying to stand on it or something, too funny

How cute are her little flip flops?! Old Navy :)

"Mom did you see me out there? That water is just coming out of the ground!"

After the water fun we changed Bria and went for a little walk and then out to dinner. While walking downtown we saw a HUGE dog sitting on the sidewalk by a restaurant where it's owner was eating. Bria LOVES dogs. Like, a lot. She makes sure to say doggy at least 14 times whenever she sees a dog, whether it be on tv, outside, or in a book. Needless to say she was so excited to pet the dog.

Bria petting the "good doggy"

She was either trying to touch his face or unhook his leash and set him free

So we had a lot of fun yesterday and it made me so grateful it's summer time, there's just so many fun things to do. Now we need to plan a trip to the zoo!