Childhood

This last weekend we attended a wedding reception for my childhood best friend, Krista.

It was unbelievable to see her and her family again, it brought back sooo many wonderful childhood memories. We were inseparable as kids, from ages 0-9 we did everything together....we even tried to go potty on the toilet together. It didn't work but that didn't stop us from trying. We played barbies everyday and always took an hour to set it all up, only to get bored and move onto something else. At the annual church talent show we got in our swim suits and sat in a tub while singing some song about bubbles. While neither of us are tone deaf, we also should not sing in public. I think we also tried to sing Les Miserables' Castle on a Cloud, oy.

But to say we had fun would be an understatement, Krista and I had a blast together and it's crazy to see us all grown up. Her mom and dad couldn't believe I had a little baby and were so excited to meet Bria and Brian.

I hope Bria has a best friend like Krista, everyone deserves a Krista.

The recipe for a good night's sleep

By Bria Michelle

1. Make sure there are blankets in the crib, but avoid having them lay on top of you. Blankets are strictly for cuddling with.

2. Visit all areas of the crib, don't just settle in one spot, you wanna hit each area at least once a night. This means your head will face North, West, East, South, and everything in between.

3. Don't be afraid to kick up a leg or throw your butt in the air, it's really comfortable.

4. It's nice to have 2 different stuffed animals to cuddle with, make sure they both get some attention.

5. I use to suck my thumb and that is a great way to soothe yourself, give it a try.

6. Talk to your stuffed animals before you go to bed, tell them all about your day and give them loves goodnight.

7. Wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day (most mornings).

Happy sleeping!

Piggy tails and bubbles

I put little piggy tails on Bria for the first time the other day:

I freakin' love piggy tails and I love that I can put them in her hair now. It may be a bit of a stretch but it counts.

 I took her to an indoor park the other day and she had lots of fun. The place is huge and there are kids running around everywhere so she has lots of stuff to keep her entertained. I really wish she could walk though because I cringe every time she crawls on the dirty floor, ick. Plus I get so nervous kids are going to run her over.

I don't want to be an obvious first time mom and go around mopping and cleaning every surface she touches, but dang I wish I could. The first thing I do when we get back to the car is wipe her hands off. And I may have pretended she had something sticky on her hands once so that I could wipe them off. I really don't want a sick baby toddler.

Gabe and Erin came over yesterday for a visit. It wasn't raining out and the temperature was in the 60's which is heaven compared to what we've been getting so we promptly went on a walk.

Actually we let Bria and Gabe say hello and then we went on a walk.

After our wonderful walk and visit to the park (another place that makes me wish Bria could walk) we went back to the house and played with the bubble machine Erin brought.

That thing rocks. It pumps out hundreds of bubbles and Bria was loving it. 

Apparently it's at Costco right now and I am strongly considering buying it. It would be so nice to have this summer so Bria could run off some energy while I lay out back with a cold ice tea.

Oh I can't wait for good weather!

Easter Weekend

We had lots of stuff to do this Easter weekend and all of it rocked. We got to see lots of family and eat lots of really good food.

Saturday we went to Grammy M.'s house for a delicious ham and lots of other really good grub. Bria wanted to make sure she had lots of energy for the event so she took an extra long nap. So long that we finally had to nicely wake her up so we wouldn't be late.

Brian and I hate being late, even with a baby we still manage to make it to places on time, we really don't like being late. Did I mention we are not fans of being late?

As soon as she woke up we changed her and plopped her in the car. Poor girl was a little frazzled and still trying to wake up, but she was a good sport. I managed to coordinate our outfits, hehe. I freaking love having a little girl.

Bria got spoiled by Grammy and Aunt Heather. I guess I should say I got spoiled too because I LOVE getting clothes for Bria, almost more than getting clothes for myself. And that is saying a lot.

We learned that Bria loves bunnies. I didn't really know this until Saturday when she proceeded to kiss every single bunny that Grammy had in her house. She'd even say bunny although it sounded more like "buhh." She showed off her talking skills by trying to say every word we say, I think she's gonna be a little Chatty Cathy ;)

She also showed off her walking skills. I'm pretty sure the only reason she walks is to get people cheering for her, she LOVES when we all clap for her. Such a ham. 

Wearing Daddies UPS hat:

We got home that night and Bria crashed from such an exciting day. Brian and I stayed up and watched a movie together and then went to bed since Sunday was a big day. 

In the morning we went to brunch with Grammy M. at church so she could show off her cute little granddaughter ;)

Isn't that bow the cutest thing you've ever seen? I bought a "B" bow holder for Bria and the lady sent it to me in the mail and included this free Easter bow, so sweet. I'm definitely ordering more bows from her, not just because she sent me a free bow (although that didn't hurt) but because they rock and totally stay in Bria's hair. It's called KirraLee's Cute Clips Bowtique.

Making funny faces:

Kissy face:

Getting into her diaper bag:

After brunch we made a grocery trip to pick up some stuff for dinner at Jenny's house:

Bria fell asleep on the way home which she hasn't done in months. She woke up right before we got home, fed her lunch, then she played for 20 minutes and went down for a 2 1/2 hour nap. And she had diarrhea. All the moms out there know that I was of course worried she was sick again. I am praying it's teething because I don't want to go through another sickness, that virus she had at 11 months old just about killed me and I'm not sure I would survive another one. 

Anyway, we got dressed and headed to the Tegner's for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Dinner was salmon that made your mouth water, it was so flippin' good. Bria at it up, yay! All the food was absolutely awesome, I'm hungry just thinking about it.

We also got to skype with Lance!

I love technology.

Porter showing Bria how to set the table:

Then we did an Easter egg hunt for the kids. I put little yogurt melts in Bria's eggs so she felt like she was getting a treat too.

"Just let me open my eggs mom!"

"Much better, that's all I wanted."

All the kids with their Easter baskets.

Bria got spoiled again with all the cute eggs and a cute Easter bag filled with books and snacks.

Bria realized it was easier just to steal Cassidy's eggs than try and find her own:

It was such a fun day and Bria seemed to really enjoy herself. I know Brian and I had fun hanging out with family all weekend and eating delicious food. 

And I have to do it again because it's just so crazy how much she has grown. Here are pictures from last Easter. Unbelievable.

 

So funny!

Buddies

Bria and I hang out with Erin and Gabe a lot because they are cool and we have a great time with them. Erin and I talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to motherhood while Gabe and Bria swap stories about how to drive their mother's nuts, aka throwing fits. 

Not only does Bria love playing with Gabe and stealing every toy he picks up, she LOVES Erin. She constantly crawls over to Erin and cuddles with her, acting like I'm chopped liver. At one point she actually cried when Erin left to go to the bathroom. It was hilarious. And it shows you how sweet Erin is. She really is and I know God made sure we met so that I would stay sane and Bria would have a best buddy. 

"Haha, look Gabe, I've got your mommy!"

Bria and Gabe making childhood memories at an early age.

Bria also adores her cousins and aunts. She is very entertained with them and not a minute goes by without at least one of them giving her attention and love. Porter and Kailey were busy playing when we took this picture, it's hard to wrangle up all the kids!

For the record Bria absolutely LOVED that red chair, I think she felt like a big girl in it. Aunt Jenny might have to hang on to it after all ;)

And just because I think it's cute, I'm throwing in a picture of Bria playing under the table.

I'm glad we have a counter height table because she can stand up under it without bonking her head.

We have lots of stuff to do this Easter weekend so hopefully Bria is on her best behavior, when is she not?! ;)

I have 3 different dresses for her that I'm deciding between and I'm still not sure which one to go with, what's a girl to do? If I was smart I would've posted a picture of the 3 dresses and let you all decide, but I'm not so smart so I didn't think about that until just now, which is kind of late. 

Last year Easter was the first big Holiday after Bria was born and I remember being so excited to dress her up and go show her off. Some things don't change, I can't wait to put her little dress on, wrestle a bow in her hair and parade around while Bria flashes her baby blues at everyone. Good times.