Life With Briana

Time Flies By Too Quickly

2012-02-12T11:11:00.002-05:00

Miss Chani had her fifth birthday party yesterday. I took a picture of Briana, Katie and Chani just before the party got started. And a few days ago, I came across a picture of the girls at Briana's 2nd birthday party back in 2008. They have grown up so much. Time certainly flies by way too quickly. Sigh...

All I Want For Valentine's Day Is My Two Front Teeth

2012-02-10T20:02:00.000-05:00

Yep - she lost another tooth tonight. Tooth #5. Doug started to help her and she ended up pulling it out herself. Look at that gap. She is pretty darn cute. :D

CNY Event

2012-02-09T15:27:00.001-05:00

Saturday night was the night of the FCCA event - there was food, friends and entertainment! The event was held at a lovely Chinese restaurant that had a very big stage...

My parents were able to join us for the event...

As we waited for dinner to be served and before the talent show portion of the evening started, Briana and Chani decided to check out the stage...

Briana's dance teacher was seated at our table...

After eating, the girls got out of their red outfits and were ready in their dance gear...

The talent show portion of the evening was fantastic. There were musical acts...

And dance acts...

The ribbon dance was truly mesmerizing...

There was a fan dance...

It was finally time for our girls to come out. They did amazingly well - this was the first time Bri's teacher wasn't performing the dance with them. She stood in the aisle - trying to guide them. They were a little confused at first about when to start, but overall, I think they did fantastic!

The Grape Dance was next...

This girl performed a number on the violin. Briana and Chani danced as she played. It is super cute (see video below)...

A lion dance ended the talent show...

After the show was over, Briana and Katie played on stage a bit...

And the best part of the evening - the trophy! All the participants received a cool trophy for their efforts. Briana felt like a big star!!!!

I'll tell ya, I think this is the busiest Chinese New Year I have ever had. We did a lot! The new year has officially come to an end and now I must rest!

Tooth #4 Gone!

2012-02-07T16:04:00.001-05:00

I know I said my next post would be about our CNY event, but I just had to interrupt with an important message - Briana lost her fourth tooth this morning! And it is a top one this time. It was dangling yesterday and Daddy managed to yank it out this morning. The one right next to it is loose too.

This kid is going to bankrupt the poor tooth fairy. :)

Girls In Red Dresses

2012-02-05T16:41:00.001-05:00

Last night was the CNY celebration put together by the FCCA (Families With Children From China In Atlanta). It was held at a Chinese restaurant that had a big stage for the talent show portion of the event. I plan to write a post about the evening, but I wanted to do this separate post on Briana, Chani and Katie in their red dresses. They all looked so cute - and the girls all wearing red dresses was not planned! We knew we would be meeting Kathy, Matt and Chani at the event because Bri and Chani were performing, but it was a nice surprise to run into Ann, John and Katie!

Love seeing these three friends together...

My parents were able to join us for this event, and Briana loved being able to perform for them. I just love my pretty girl...

A post on our evening coming soon...

Not Sure I Will Ever Be Ready For A Teenager

2012-02-02T15:26:00.003-05:00

It is way to early for me to stress about having a teenager (thank goodness) but a trip to my neighborhood playground a few weeks ago got me thinking about the future ahead. I arrived with Briana on a quiet Sunday afternoon a couple of weekends ago, and there were teenagers hanging out on the playground benches (see above pic). They probably ranged in age from 13 to 15. Briana started to play and paid them no mind, but I sat there observing them.

Oh good grief. Please tell me I was never that silly, juvenile and flirtatious at that age. I watched the girls that afternoon with their flat ironed bangs drooping in their eyes, heads cocked to one side trying to get said bangs out of their eyes, wearing their jeans a bit too tightly and rapidly texting on their cell phones. I watched the boys with Justin Bieber haircuts ~~drooling at~~ chasing the girls around the basketball court. They talked about school gossip, teen drama and learner's permits. I had a Coke can fly about a foot away from my feet without even an "I'm sorry" because they were throwing empty soda cans at each other. They are very lucky my 5 year old wasn't standing there at the time. Sigh. In their own minds and to each other, they thought they were being "cool." If they only knew how ~~annoying~~ silly they all really looked to the rest of the world that afternoon.

I know I was probably like that at their age. But honestly, I was a pretty tame teenager. I did like my parents (though there were times I thought they were ruining my life). I definitely had my moments where I had wished I had spontaneously combusted into life rather than actually admit that I had parents, but on the whole, I was tame compared to a lot of my schoolmates. I never skipped school. I got good grades. I didn't really date all that often (which at age 16 was pretty depressing) so boys weren't that big of an issue for my parents. When I was 12 years old, I did have someone that I really liked ask me to "go" (steady) with him and I told him no. I added, "We are only 12, where are we going to go?" I was probably a bit too mature for my age. That attitude made me popular with my parents, but not with the boys unfortunately. I think having labels of "girlfriends and boyfriends" in middle school is quite silly. It is ok to crush on someone, but I don't think Briana will be allowed to have an actual "boyfriend" in middle school. I think all that can wait until high school. My opinion, of course. I am sure her daddy wholeheartedly agrees with me. Except he will say she can't date until she is 40. I'm going to have to work on him on that one.

I know a lot of you reading are already dealing with teenage angst. I am so not ready for it. I love Briana's innocence at age 5. I love that she still thinks her dad and I are the greatest things since sliced bread. I love when I walk in her classroom and she yells, "Mama!!! My mama is here!!!" It is like she hasn't seen me in years even though I drove her to school that morning. I love her hugs and kisses. I love how much she loves me and I love how much I adore her. I wish I could just bottle her up and keep her at this age. It is such a wonderful age. Everything is still fresh, wonderful and exciting. She has her stubborn streak and we do fight at times, but for the most part, life is really, really good.

But if Bri doesn't go through the "teenage angst" years, I won't be able to see the woman she will become. And I know she is going to be awesome. I guess going through the teenage years is a rite of passage. Who knows, maybe her teenage years won't be so bad. Maybe she won't hate me or become embarrassed of me. I can only hope. I hope I can find the line between letting her be herself and allowing her to spread her wings while remaining her parent and setting the limits. I just hope she doesn't act too much like those kids did on the basketball playground the other day. Ugh.

This is the stuff that brings a smile to my face...

Like Briana getting across the monkey bars by herself for the first time...

Here it is in live motion...

I am going to continue to enjoy this smile and this innocence for now. Hopefully she will continue to like me for a little while longer.

My Fashionista

2012-02-01T07:10:00.000-05:00

As a kid, I used to love getting up and putting on a outfit for the day to go to school. I was bit of a fashion nut back then. I loved to color coordinate everything. And now, I get to help Briana pick out outfits for school. She loves fashion just as much as I did (and still do). She wore the above outfit yesterday and absolutely loved it because she was so pink. And below, she is wearing an adorable rabbit shirt...

You might be able to tell Bri and I did a little shopping on Sunday afternoon. She is loving her new tops. We took Daddy along on our shopping spree. As I was looking through the tops, Briana and Daddy were looking at this...

Not quite sure what to think of it - LOL! Daddy got it for her of course. She is super cute, but we haven't had much of a winter this year, so there really isn't a need for it. Well, unless the need is to wear a fuzzy pink leopard hat with ears. ;)

My Chinese New Year Presentation To Bri's Class

2012-01-30T07:00:00.003-05:00

Well, my very first presentation to Briana's kindergarten class was a very big success. At the beginning of the school year, I asked Briana's teacher, Mrs. R, if I could be a mystery reader during CNY and read the kids a CNY book. A few weeks ago, she told me I could actually have an entire hour on the morning of the 27th, so I told her I would read a couple of books, have a couple of crafts prepared for the kids and also bring in some goody bags for them to bring home.

I need to preface something though before I continue. I am not an expert when it comes to all things China. I am not expert when it comes to Chinese New Year. I don't ever want to present myself as being some kind of expert. Briana entered my life only 4 years ago. I started studying up on Chinese culture about a year before she came along. But I did not grow up in the Chinese culture, so I don't know all the traditions by heart. I was actually very nervous about going to talk to the kids because I am not as familiar with everything regarding Chinese New Year as someone growing up with the holiday would be. I do know a lot. But I don't know it all. I went and did this because this holiday is important to Briana (and to me) and she felt very special that day. I can tell how proud she is of who she is and where she came from. So all my preparation for that day was totally worth it. And it was a double bonus when Doug was available to come and help me out that day.

I had all the bags ready to go (inside I had panda cookies, red envelopes with chocolate coins inside, pencils, pads and slide drums)...

Briana opted to wear cowgirl boots with her Chinese silk and I decided not to fight her on it that day. She looked super cute...

I talked a little about the history of CNY and then I read two books to them. I also discussed the Chinese Zodiac. They loved finding out that some of them were Roosters and some were Dogs...

The absolutely loved the crafts! I had them put together Chinese lanterns and color dragon faces...

Mrs. R did a review after my presentation and asked the kids what they learned. They repeated a lot of the things I had talked about such as red being a lucky color, this being the year of the dragon and long noodles and dumplings being eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve. Mrs. R asked if they enjoyed it and all the kids really did. One little boy even said, "I am ALWAYS going to remember this." I walked away that day from the school with a smile. I did pretty good if I do say so myself. ;D

Miss B And Her New Glasses

2012-01-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

Miss B and I picked up her new glasses on Thursday afternoon and she couldn't have been more excited. The doctor said she is to wear them all the time, so that is what she is doing. I think Briana was almost more excited about the cool blue case that came with her Jessica McClintock frames. She has worn her glasses every day so far without one complaint. I am thinking they are working for her. So far, so good!

A Super Fun Get Together

2012-01-28T12:02:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday, Doug, Bri and I had a few friends over for some food and Rock Band. I guess having a Rock Band party in January is getting to be a bit of a tradition. Two of the families that we invited to our get together had ever met each other. We (Doug, Bri and I) and the "T" family were mutual friends with both the "B" and "P" families, but those two families had not met each other yet and was most certainly overdue. All the kids had a blast together - and the parents did too. Coming a little later in the evening were our friends that moved here from California and it was time they met everyone!

Bri and I decorated for CNY that morning, so it was perfect for our little get together...

Everyone brought food to eat and I had cooked some myself, so we were definitely not short in the food or drink department. Hopefully we can all get together again soon!

PS - I love how much G (in the last picture) was getting into the music!

100 Days Of School

2012-01-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

Monday was not only the first day of CNY, but it was also the 100 days of school celebration! The kindergartners were asked to dress like 100 year old people. Some powder in her hair, pearls and silly glasses did the trick I think!

Hey there missy...

And Briana had to present a project of 100 things on a poster. I suggested to her horses and she loved the idea. She and I worked on her project on Sunday. We did a potpourri of pictures, drawings, stamps and stickers...

I can't believe 100 days of elementary school has passed. I was worried I she would never make it past day one. Look at her now. :D

Dragon Crafting

2012-01-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

Last Friday right after school, I brought Briana to a local art center where we met Angela and her gang to make colorful dragons for CNY. I have to thank the art center because all of these pictures were taken by them. I didn't bring my camera (shocking I know) and only had my camera phone. My pictures were not even close in comparison. I took these from their FB page and they are great! Rebecca and her girls were also there to enjoy all the fun! Laney wanted to do everything that Briana did and it was so cute. Their dragons came out quite similar ~~not so~~ coincidentally. :D

Here are all the photos that I did not take, heh...

Of all the photos I did take with my camera phone, this one came out the best...

Briana and I are most definitely going back to this art center to craft. And they have summer camps too. A big find because you know my girl absolutely loves art. This is right up her alley!

Chinese New Year Eve 2012

2012-01-24T09:43:00.002-05:00

Sunday evening, we joined a few China adoptive families/friends for a delicious CNY's Eve Dinner at one of our favorite local Chinese restaurants. All the kids dressed in their cutest outfits and we all feasted on delicious Chinese food. The kids received red envelopes and I also passed out adorable mini slide drums I bought and I'm sure all the parents were thrilled with me about that (I did pass them out right before we all headed home - not during dinner!). Snort. It was such a nice evening! Enjoy all the pictures and please do not pay attention to the knife Briana decided to wield in one of the photos. It was promptly taken away from her after that - heh.

Xīn Nián Kuài Lè

2012-01-23T00:00:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year 2012!! Welcome Year Of The Dragon!!

I am so grateful to my amazing daughter that has brought this wonderful holiday and her beautiful culture into my life. She has added to and enriched my life more than she will ever know.

A Little Certain Someone Needs Glasses

2012-01-21T09:44:00.000-05:00

Miss B is getting glasses! These are the frames she picked out. Isn't she adorable? We get the finished product in a few days.

Briana's teacher noticed that she was leaning in a bit when she was reading or looking at things. I noticed it too. So, a thorough exam was needed. I checked her out of school an hour early on Tuesday and we headed to the eye doctor. Briana did unbelievably well during the exam. When the nurse put the stinging eye drops in to dilate her eyes, she hardly flinched. The nurse was shocked at how well she did! Here she is waiting for the doctor to come in...

I was expecting to come out with him saying she needed reading glasses, but her exam proved differently. She has 20/30 in both eyes with an astigmatism, so she needs to wear her glasses all the time. So, she isn't too bad really. He will evaluate her again in about a month. Bri wanted glasses so badly that she probably would have melted down if she didn't get them. I am very glad she wants them (sigh of relief).

She looked so sassy going to school the morning of the exam...

And she was mega excited when she realized her raincoat matched her outfit that day...

I will of course post more pictures when she gets her glasses. Let's hope she doesn't break them within the first week!

Chinese Dance Class Recital and Red Envelope Presentation

2012-01-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

What can I say? This was probably the cutest recital I have ever seen. Saturday afternoon was Briana's Chinese dance class recital. Bri and her classmates all dressed alike. Simply adorable. One of the moms in the class was able to get someone to make all the girls' skirts and Kathy, bow maker extraordinaire, made all the bows to match of course.

Above is Miss B with her best buds Chani, Imerie and Mary Lin.

Briana and all the girls were ready to show off what they have learned so far. Below, I have tons of pictures of the class and videos as well...

The next four videos show what the girls have learned. In the last video, you will see how they have learned to count to 12 in Chinese. This is really cute stuff, so if you have a few moments, please take a look...

After showing us their dance moves, the moms got the girls into their red outfits to do a presentation of red envelopes for Chinese New Year. In the Chinese culture, it is customary for children to bow or kneel before their parents and grandparents and say "Happy New Year" on Chinese New Year's Eve in order to receive red envelopes. This is what we did in class and it was so very cute! My parents were able to attend that day and loved seeing every second of it!

I am so grateful that Briana has an opportunity to take this class - a big "thank you" once again to my friend Amy for helping to make this class happen. Briana and her classmates will also be performing their dance number on Feb 4 at a Chinese New Year FCC event. It should be lots of fun!

Daddy's Birthday Recap

2012-01-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

Doug had a wonderful birthday on Friday - even though it was Friday the 13th!

Doug did have to work that day, but he worked from home all day (he works from home usually unless he is traveling or has a meeting in Atlanta) and I was able to have lunch with him. Briana wished Daddy "Happy Birthday" before she headed to school. She also wished him peace and love...

That evening, Briana and I took Daddy out to dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. Here are my two favorite people...

After we dined on our main courses, Daddy got a special treat from the restaurant...

And Briana ordered Smores...

Bri and I had decorated for Daddy the night before his birthday...

Since we were so full from dinner (and knowing we would be getting dessert at the restaurant), I bought Doug a small piece of strawberry shortcake so he could blow out a candle. He opted to eat the slice the next day...

Briana loved helping Daddy open his gifts...

He received a new Keurig from me and Bri. And he got a cool Golden Tee video game from my mom and dad. Doug was showing Briana how to use it...

It was such a nice birthday and I think Doug felt the love. Between you and me, this was his last birthday in his 30's. And he can't be mad at me for blabbing because I am going to out myself too. This will be my last birthday in my thirties come June. So, next year is the big 4-0 for the both of us. Ahem. I feel my mid-life crisis coming on already. ;)

A Brand New Year

2012-01-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

The first week of the new year was pretty busy for us - per usual. Briana returned to school on January 3 and she looked so cute on her first day back...

On our last day of Christmas break (Jan 2), Bri and I invited over Lisa and Maisie and Kathy and Chani for a play date. The first play date of the new year! The girls played in Bri's play room and feasted on pizza, apples and Popsicles while the mamas had a chance to catch up with each other...

Briana also returned to Chinese dance class on January 7. It was good to get back to dancing. Here Bri is with Mary Lin and Imerie...

We had definitely had some down time that week too. It is always good to stop for a minute and build a bird's nest...

I mentioned in a previous post that Briana stopped taking gymnastics. So we had no gymnastics the first week of the new year. I was really sad to walk out of there on December 16 permanently because Bri had been taking gymnastics since she first turned 2. It was bittersweet. But now, I am actually kind of happy that I don't have to take her there. Bri is in so many activities still, leaving gymnastics freed up a little more of my time...

We also said farewell to Ponca and the horseback riding facility at the end of December where Bri had been taking lessons since September. Bri's instructor suddenly quit in November and I wasn't too happy with the way the whole thing was handled by the rest of the staff. I really liked Bri's instructor and the facility wasn't the same after she left...

But - now in with the new! My friend Alison told me about the facility that her daughter has been taking lessons for years and now Bri is taking lessons there. We love Ms. Keri. And we love the horse Bri is riding on now too - Yogi. The day of our very first lesson was so stinking cold! The high temp was in the 30's (and it was windy) and Bri had to bundle up...

The following week, the temps were much more comfortable. I think they were in the low 60's...

So now we are two weeks into the new year. Last week, I volunteered in Bri's classroom and ate lunch with her, we celebrated Doug's birthday and Bri had a Chinese dance recital - so more details on those to come!

I am still battling my dizziness, unfortunately. I have had a CT scan of my sinuses and also an X-ray of my neck with nothing found. I am continuing chiropractic care and though my neck feels better, my dizziness still remains. I am going to see my general practitioner this week to figure out what my next move is. Not sure what his recommendation will be. I can function normally, but it sure isn't fun to feel wooziness all the time. Luckily, I am not feeling so bad that I can't continue to keep up with Bri's demanding schedule! But, I want to feel 100% again. So keep praying for me if you don't mind. I can really use the prayers. :)

New Year's Eve Recap

2012-01-14T08:00:00.002-05:00

Finally! New Year's Eve!! It only took me 14 days into the New Year to talk about it. That's not too bad, right?

We originally had plans to go to a party on New Year's Eve, but sadly, the hosts had a family emergency and the party had to be cancelled. Our good friends Matt and Jennifer and their daughter Cassie were also supposed to attend the party. So, we decided to get together anyway, have dinner and ring in the New Year at our house instead. We feasted on Japanese hibachi and then the girls played for hours in Briana's play room while the adults sat and chatted. Seriously, the adults were starting to get very tired (after a very filling meal and a few glasses of wine) while the girls were still going, going, going....

Jennifer is a photographer and is actually the person that did our photo session back in April. We decided to have a little fun with the camera and she showed me how to play around with shutter speed. Check out some of the fun images we got...

Here is Briana dancing around to get the images...

It was getting close to midnight, so we got out the sparkling grape juice...

This was probably the first time the girls actually sat down the whole evening. And this was Bri's very first time staying up until midnight...

Midnight finally stuck and out came the horns...

Welcome 2012!!! Both girls were completely wiped out once the clock struck 12. We got Briana upstairs by about 12:30 and she crashed fast. I had to finally wake her up at 10:30AM. She would have slept the first day of 2012 away!

Happy Birthday To My Wonderful Husband

2012-01-13T08:44:00.003-05:00

A big "Happy Birthday" to my wonderful husband who is also the most amazing daddy! We love you!!!

Date Night

2012-01-12T15:58:00.001-05:00

I forgot to blog about the date night Doug and I had right before Christmas. Doug took me to an excellent restaurant called "4th and Swift" and then we saw "Straight No Chaser" in concert. They were simply phenomenal. I enjoyed every single song and I am still in awe that they do every number A Capella.

Here are a couple of photos of the restaurant...

Here are a few videos of the "Straight No Chaser" guys. I wish I could have filmed the whole concert because it was that good. The guys are so talented and very funny. But here are a few of my favorite numbers. If you have a few minutes, try to check out the videos. They are so good...

And while Doug and I were having our date night, Briana was having a sleepover at Gramma and Papa's house. I never worry about Briana when she is there because she basically forgets who I am anyway when she is in their presence. :)

Here are a couple of shots of her evening and morning.

I am finally just about to get to New Year's Eve. Next post - promise!

The Week Between Christmas and New Year's Eve

2012-01-10T10:50:00.003-05:00

Like mother, like daughter. Right? Briana, Doug and I had a nice mix of relaxation and keeping busy the week between Christmas and New Year's. Monday and Tuesday were totally low key. Bri played with all her new toys and I started cleaning up the Christmas bomb that had hit my house. Tuesday night, Doug went to a mini high school chorus reunion at a nearby Mexican restaurant. The weather so nasty and rainy that night that Briana and just stayed home and chilled.

Wednesday afternoon, Bri and I had lunch with my good friend Carole and her son guy (the family we went to Chattanooga with the Christmas before last) and then Wednesday evening, I had a girl's night with my friend Kathy.

Thursday was movie day with my high school friend Julie and her daughter Olivia. I say high school friend, but Julie and I actually met in middle school. Yes, I have known her forever. I put my gray vest on that day and Briana wanted to put on her new furry gray vest that Gramma gave her, so we would match (see above pic). I love that she wanted to dress similarly to me. I really don't mind because one day she will think I am way to uncool to dress like. :) We met J and O for a quick lunch and then we went to see "Chipwrecked." The girls absolutely loved it. When we got out of the theater, the girls found a photo booth and took some super cute photos. Here are a couple photos of the day...

During the week, as I said, Briana checked out some of her new toys. This Playdoh Drill and Fill is really cute, yet a bit creepy at the same time. Doug went around calling Briana "Hermie" all week...

My cousin Jennifer, her hubby Andy and adorable son Brady were in town visiting my aunt and uncle. So me, Briana, my sister and nephew met the whole gang at my mom's house on Friday for some lunch. And more presents were exchanged...

I had been promising Briana for weeks that she would be able to have a "sleepover" in my room with me. Since school was out, I thought Friday night would be perfect. Daddy was kicked out to the downstairs bedroom and it was only us girls. Briana is so pretty when she sleeps, isn't she?

The next day was New Years Eve Day and I spent that day finishing putting away all the Christmas decorations. We had company coming over that night to ring in the new year with us - more details to come...

15 Years Later - In Memory

2012-01-09T06:00:00.003-05:00

It has been 15 years ago today that Doug lost his oldest brother Leo in a plane crash.

I wrote a post about it in 2007.

Here is the link -

http://waitingforbriana.blogspot.com/2007/05/in-memory-of-dougs-brother-leo.html

Today we will remember him, like we do every day. Rest in peace Leo.

Recap - Christmas Day

2012-01-08T13:22:00.001-05:00

Christmas Day was filled with presents, laughter and lots of Christmas cheer! Miss B came downstairs to a tree full of surprises.

Doug's aunt gave Briana this Ivy doll...

There was a whole mix of presents from family, mommy and daddy and Santa of course...

After some record-breaking speed unwrapping, Briana checked to see if the milk and goodies were gone. Mrs. Claus's card was gone too. And in its place was a note from Santa thanking her and letting her know Mrs. Claus would most definitely get her card. ..

My fur baby loved her Christmas gift too...

After opening all our gifts, we got dressed and headed to my parents' house for more present exchanging. My sister and her family were there as well as my grandma...

Big hugs from Great Grandma (my mom snapped this shot)...

My grandmother and my mom...

Bri got more presents - mostly in colors of pink, yellow and purple...

Briana noticed that Gramma had placed a picture that she had made for her in her Christmas tree...

She helped me open my gifts too...

This was actually a gift that Briana opened, as you can see, Doug was excited. It was a motorized helicopter...

We ordered our traditional Chinese food dinner to be delivered and feasted on egg rolls, noodles and rice. And once the sun went down, it was time to light the Hanukkah candles. Hanukkah and Christmas overlapped this year...

Briana got to light a candle. Now girls don't usually wear yarmulkes, and yarmulkes aren't worn on the front of the head, but Briana likes to be included and it certainly makes for a cute photo opp...

Miss B was so exhausted after a long day, I put her into her jammies at Gramma's and we got in the car around 7:15. She fell asleep on the way home. We transferred her from the car to the bed and she slept until 7:45AM the following morning.

Now that is what I call a "Christmas Crash."

Recap - Christmas Eve

2012-01-06T12:32:00.003-05:00

Ok, I think I am finally starting to get the hang of this iMac thing! Slowly but surely. Here is a quick recap of our Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve was very quiet at our house. Just the three of us. Watching Christmas movies and relaxing. We all open one gift on Christmas Eve, and Briana also gets one Christmas Eve gift from Gramma too. Gramma gave Bri this adorable stuff car...

Mommy and Daddy gave Briana a Mulan nightgown and these adorable Stompeez slippers (a combo gift)...

Of course we tracked Santa on our iPad the whole day. It was already Christmas Eve night in China when we awoke, so we started tracking early in the morning. And as you can see, we could also track to see if Briana was staying on the "nice" list...

I made a small turkey for dinner and we added some fixins. Briana thought she was special because she got to drink out of a special adult glass. This is sparkling grape juice of course...

I took a picture of all the amazing Christmas cards we received - and this isn't even all of them. We definitely feel the love...

Since I made a turkey, there was a wishbone to be pulled...

Guess who won? She is not shy about victory...

Here is Miss B with all her Christmas Eve gifts...

We almost forgot about sprinkling the reindeer food...

Here are the goodies for Santa. A cookie and a peppermint patty. Strawberry milk - per Bri's request. Each reindeer got a carrot. And she made a special card for Mrs. Claus for Santa to take with him...

Briana was so tired that night that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. I think she knew the sooner she fell asleep, the quicker Santa would arrive. :D

Looking Back At Life With Briana In 2011

2012-01-04T15:52:00.011-05:00

January

The big word for January was "SNOW." Because we got a lot of it. We enjoyed it thoroughly, but we were also ready for it to go away. The metro Atlanta area basically shut down for a week. In January, Briana also learned to ride her big girl bike. We celebrated Daddy's birthday, played a little Rock Band and Briana went to her first of 15 birthday parties of the year...

February

In February, Briana got a brand new playroom. We also celebrated CNY at several different events - with several different friends. We went to Family Science Night with cousin N, celebrated Valentine's Day, enjoyed winter break and also attended some pretty amazing birthday parties...

March

It started getting warmer in Georgia in March and we were very happy about spring coming. It was a quiet month - except for our trip to Minnesota when we attended our adoption agency's reunion. Briana was able to spend some time with her China sisters. The rest of March, we enjoyed our time blowing bubbles and warming ourselves in the sun.

April

In April, we enjoyed spring break with several play dates with friends, celebrated Easter and also went to the Renaissance Festival. Doug and I "put our paws up." Briana also attended her very first baseball game and picked strawberries for the first time.

May

May was a very big month for Miss B. She graduated from preschool, competed in her very first gymnastics competition, went to a wonderful princess party and had her first swim date of the year. We went to the lake for the day for Mother's Day. We also took a great beach vacation to Tybee Island...

June

Briana was out of school in June, so that meant camp and lots of fun! She attended horseback riding camp, dance camp and preschool camp over the summer. She started taking swim lessons. We celebrated Bri's referral day anniversary, my birthday and Father's Day (my birthday landed on Father's Day this year). My grandmother had a bit of a health scare in June, but she is doing fine now. We went and visited her a few times over the summer. Of course, we went to another birthday party. And Bri swam, swam, and oh, she swam some more all summer with her friends...

July

It was HOT in July, per usual for Georgia. We sadly got a bit rained out on July 4th, but still made the most of it. We did our annual blueberry picking - except we tried a new place this year. We celebrated our 4 year Briana Day anniversary and Doug and I attended our 20th high school reunion...

August

August was an enormous month for Briana (and me). Miss B started kindergarten and turned 5 all in the same week. Cousin N had a birthday too. It is also when I started battling my all my chronic illnesses (which I am still battling unfortunately) which was probably spurred by stress. I am keeping my chin up about it and continuing to live my life to the fullest, despite not feeling well all the time. One of Doug's very best friends and his family moved to GA from CA in August! Miss B also competed in her first Boosterthon and I won my neighborhood photo contest!

September

In September, Briana lost her first tooth. And then she lost two more after that. We enjoyed fall break - which included a trip to Babyland General, Anna Ruby Falls and Helen, GA. We also went to the Pioneer Festival and took Gramma and Papa to the North GA fair with us. It was the month of the Autumn Moon Festival. Briana went to yet another party and played baseball for the first time. She was smacking that ball! Briana started taking PSR (Catholic school) class, horseback riding lessons and Chinese dance class as she continued to take gymnastics...

October

In October, the weather started to cool down and the first signs of fall were really starting to show up. My sister and I went on another photo walk. Bri and I attended another fun birthday party, we went to Disney on Ice and we also made our annual Cagle's Family Farm visit. It is also Halloween of course! I think I had the prettiest Pocahontas around...

November

November was also a very busy month in our household. Briana performed in her first Thanksgiving play and went on her first kindergarten field trip. She went to another awesome birthday party and celebrated Thanksgiving. We took a trip to Chattanooga and visited Ruby Falls, Rock City and rode the North Pole Express. Oh - and we rode on a Pink Pig too...

December

Ahhhh, December finally. After putting this post together, I didn't realize just how busy our year was. Good grief. December is all things Christmas of course. Briana sang Christmas songs with the other kindergartners at her school holiday event. There was also a spa birthday party thrown in the month of December for good measure. One sad moment in December was when Briana had her last gymnastics class. She was not enjoying gymnastics anymore and decided to drop the activity. The month was filled with presents, play dates, cookies and all things Santa. Of course, New Year's Eve lands in December too - when my gal partied like a rock star...

So, that is 2011 in review. And there are a number of moments I didn't get to include but wish I could have. We've enjoyed movies, puppet shows, play dates and quiet days at home. We have cooked, gardened, cleaned and thoroughly enjoyed the play room. Doug, Briana and I have so much to look forward to in the year 2012. Briana wants to start up soccer again and she and I are working on sight words and reading, so hopefully she will be able to read lots of books this summer. This year, Doug and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and Briana will turn six and become a 1st grader (gulp).

I am slowly but surely getting somewhat used to my iMac. I am still behind on blogging Christmas and New Years, but I will get to it in a few days.

I hope you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. "Cheers" to another amazing year of "Life With Briana."

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.004-05:00

I hope all of my dedicated blog readers have a very Happy New Year!
Doug bought me a new iMac for Christmas and though it is amazing and wonderful, it is still very foreign to me. I am trying to figure out where all my pictures, files and documents are right now. They are on the computer - I am just trying to figure out how to access everything quickly and easily. I promise to have lots of blog posts and updates once I get everything sorted out!

A Wonderful Christmas (Squeals of Happiness)

2011-12-27T13:22:00.001-05:00

I have so much to blog about regarding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but I am honestly still recovering from all of it. I am so tired (and I'm still battling some vertigo) and don't have enough wits about me to blog right now. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were wonderful. Briana had the absolute best time. There is nothing more magical than hearing to the squeals of happiness when your kid opens up a present she has been hoping for months from Santa Claus.

I'll let a few pictures speak for themselves for right now. I have long posts coming soon...

Merry Christmas To You

2011-12-25T00:00:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Cookie Baking Cousins

2011-12-24T13:17:00.003-05:00

Tuesday morning, Aunt Amy and Cousin N came over to our house for some Christmas cookie baking fun! The kids got in their cooking baking/decorating gear and went to work. Their motto is "you can never have too many sprinkles"...

The kids had a blast and the cookies turned out delicious (though a bit on the sweet side - ha!) There is nothing more fun than baking cookies with your cousin (except for eating them)!

Gingerbread House

2011-12-23T15:24:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning, Briana and I made our yearly gingerbread house. I glued it all together and slapped the white icing on top, but Briana did everything else. She was the complete gingerbread house designer this year.

It was so dang messy again this year. Every year I say I won't do it again. But Briana loves to decorate it and she begs me to get one whenever she sees a kit, so I cave in. It did turn out pretty cute this year. :)

I need to also add that our church did an adorable little Nativity play the other day. Bri and her PSR class got to go and watch. I just had to post a picture...

Bri's Holiday Party At School

2011-12-21T09:46:00.000-05:00

Friday at 11:30 was Briana's holiday party at school. She was so excited that me and Daddy were able to come. Here she is all dolled up for school...

When Doug and I showed up, the kids were not in the classroom yet. They came in a few minutes later and started looking for where they needed to sit...

They put on their Santa faces (I volunteered on the Monday of that week, as well as a few other moms, to help the kids with this project and a few other Christmas crafts)...

The kids recited two poems and sang a song before the pizza party...

Briana asking her teacher for more pizza...

Mmmm, this is good!

The girls had a book exchange and then the boys did one. This is the girl book swap. Bri's teacher would read a page of the book and then the girls would rotate the packages...

Jackpot!!!

Briana and her friend I...

Briana and her friend P...

After the book swap was cookie decorating. Doug said that the first thing Briana would say to me when she was done decorating would be "Mommy, take a picture please." She totally did...

And Bri's teachers had wonderful gifts for the parents. The first was a bulb of Bri's hand print...

The second was this amazing calendar...

The night before the party, Briana recited the poems to us that she was going to say in school the next day. Here they are...

Right after the party, we checked Briana out of school (there was like an hour left - no reason to sit in car line). It was a wonderful way to end the first half of the school year. Now Briana has two whole weeks off for Christmas vacation. I wonder what super fun things we can squeeze into two weeks! ;)

Holiday Performance At School

2011-12-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

Briana's holiday performance at school was on Thursday night and only the kindergartners performed. They were so cute! All the kindergartners needed to meet in the gymnasium, and it was a bit chaotic when we first arrived. Lots of unruly kids running around. Hrrrmph. But once the teachers arrived and the kids figured out where they were supposed to stand, the performance was adorable.

Here is Briana all dolled up in her festive Christmas attire...

Briana ran into one of her classmates when we first arrived...

The kids impatiently waiting for the songs to start...

The kids performed four songs - "Jingle Bells", "Rudolph", "Feliz Navidad" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"...

Here is some video...

Here is Miss B standing in front of her classroom door that is decorated for Christmas. One of the room moms put this together for the door contest - it turned out so pretty...

Some Christmas cheer in the hallway...

Daddy gave Miss B a yellow rose for her hard work...

Gramma and Papa came for the performance...

Bri was so excited to be able to sing for us. I sometimes still can't believe I have a "kindergartner." I was so worried about her in August and didn't need to. Look how comfortable she is now.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

2011-12-17T07:00:00.039-05:00

Briana and Chani loved "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" so much last year at the Puppetry Arts Center, Kathy and I (and the dads) decided to bring the girls again this year. But this year, Bri's Cousin N joined us for the show and he loved it! Since Briana made a Rudolph puppet last year, this year she opted for Clarice...

And once again, we ended our evening at Joe's Crab Shack. Below is the yummy drink Kathy and I both ordered. Being quite thirsty, we ordered it again. We were feeling quite toasty and full of Christmas spirit. Heh...

If you eat at Joe's, you know that every so often, the wait staff turns the music up and they do a dance. They announced they were going to dance and the girls were excited...

They were so excited, they started to dance without music and then the YMCA came on...

What a fun afternoon and evening. Mmmmm, I'm craving another one of those drinks!

Crazy Hair Spirit Day

2011-12-16T09:00:00.001-05:00

A week ago, Briana's school had Crazy Hair Spirit Day. The kids were asked to wear their school spirit wear and have crazy hair. Briana and I decided that a Christmas-themed crazy hair was appropriate...

There was another Crazy Hair Spirit Day right before Halloween too. The PTA was asking for money to have hair made up crazy at school and they were also telling temporary tattoos. I sent Briana along with her money to school looking like this...

And she came home like this...

Her hair was full of sticky colored sparkle hairspray and though it was really cute, I had to wash it all out that night. The PTA was selling the "crazy hair" and tattoos again last week, but I decided to crazy up Bri's hair on my own this time! It was a lot less sticky!!

Christmastime In Our Neck Of The Woods

2011-12-15T12:58:00.002-05:00

A bloggy friend of mine asked if I was going to post any pictures of my home decorated this year, and her wish is now granted! Here are a few pictures - unfortunately, I have snapped photos very quickly this year and some of the photos are a bit grainy, but here they are! The above pic is of our main (real) tree in our living room and here is my mantle and fireplace...

This is the tree in the master bedroom (I think I need to add garland next year)...

My kitty likes to sit under it...

Here is Miss B helping pick out our tree...

And Santa sent another e-mail message this year to Briana. She is on the nice list thank goodness...

She smiled throughout the whole video. :D

So that is a little of what is going on in our house for Christmas. And as you can see, Miss B has been feeling a bit festive herself...

Tonight, the kindergartners are performing Christmas songs at Briana's school and I can't wait to see my gal. Tomorrow is her class party and then she is off for two whole weeks!

Our China Tree

2011-12-14T10:55:00.002-05:00

Briana and I decorated a special tree this year with all of our China-themed ornaments. We have some that were purchased in China and some that we have collected here in the states. I got the China tree idea from bloggy friend Sandra. Her girls have decorated a China tree for years and I have always admired the idea. I found a little tree on sale last year right after Christmas and I knew it was perfect. I had a snowflake-shaped tree topper sitting in my basement forever and I knew it would be great for the top.

Here is Miss B decorating the tree...

A few sparky snowflakes thrown in to match the topper and we now have a China-themed snowflake Christmas tree.

Our elf "Red" liked our tree so much, he decided to hide in there one day last week...

We love our little China tree. It reminds us of the wonderful country where Briana was born. A country that a piece of our hearts will always remain.

Fifteenth Birthday Party Of The Year

2011-12-13T10:18:00.003-05:00

Mary Lin turned 5 years old (the weekend of Thanksgiving)! Briana was invited to Mary Lin's manicure/pedicure birthday get together the weekend after Thanksgiving, along with sweet friend Imerie. The three girls had so much fun picking out colors and getting their nails done. Briana had never had her nails done in a salon before. After getting all beautiful, the mamas and little girls headed over to our favorite Chinese restaurant - where the girls chowed down on soup, dumplings and birthday cake. It was a wonderful evening!!! Enjoy the pictures...

Trip To Chattanooga - Kickstart To Christmas

2011-12-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

Visiting Chattanooga for the past two years has been a wonderful way to start off our Christmas season. It really gets you in the mood for the holidays. I'm not sure we will visit Chattanooga next year - we might try something a little different. But, Chattanooga has given us a lot of wonderful Christmas memories.

Here are some windows that were dressed up in town...

I'm finally done recapping our trip. Yay! Now for some posts about Christmas at home - coming soon!

Trip To Chattanooga - Food As Big As Your Head

2011-12-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

Oh yes - doesn't it make you sick just looking at it? It was so rich! But Briana desperately wanted a piece of chocolate cake. One bite and I was done. After a couple of bites, Bri was done. I don't know what it is about restaurants nowadays, but portions are crazy! This cake was from a diner that we stopped at for dinner on the way to Rock City. The food was yummy, but we could hardly dent it. And look at that piece of cake! Yowza!!!

And at the hotel, breakfast is complimentary every morning. This is what happens when Daddy is in charge of getting breakfast for B...

Yeah, I know. She ate like 1/4 of it. I asked him why she needed a waffle the size of her head and he said that is what she wanted. Ahem.

And the first night in Chattanooga, we found a fantastic pizza place right down the street from us. The slices were pretty large. I wish I had taken a picture of the pizza - but trust me that they were delicious! At least I got two shots of the restaurant...

I can definitely say that I didn't walk way from Chattanooga hungry - that is for sure.

Trip To Chattanooga - Rock City's Enchanted Garden Of Lights

2011-12-10T10:52:00.002-05:00

The 2nd main event for our trip to Chattanooga was a visit to Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights. For those that have read my blog forever, you might remember we did this last year with my friend Carole and her family. As I walked all around Rock City (atop Lookout Mountain) last year, I kept thinking how much my mom would love to see it. It is truly beautiful. So, this year my parents finally got to experience it this year and my mom absolutely loved it! (I knew she would!) I am going to let the pictures (taken by both me and my mom) speak for themselves...

I am always amazed by what 5 year olds can get their parents and grandparents to do...

Toward the end of the walk, you enter the Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village...

My cute gal and the Rock City Gnome...

At the very top of Lookout Mountain, there is a small village with shops and the kids can visit Santa Claus. This was visit three to the big guy. If Miss B doesn't get her pink Fijit Friend and Walkin' GoGo Pup, then something is wrong. ;) In the below picture, Santa asked Briana if she wanted clothes for Christmas. She did a little headshake "no" and started to laugh. Then Santa started to laugh too...

It was a wonderful family outing. Very special memories made for sure!!!

Trip To Chattanooga - The Chattanooga Choo Choo

2011-12-09T19:47:00.000-05:00

"Pardon me boy, is the the Chattanooga Choo Choo?" Why, yes it is! Ok, hokey I know, but I had to go there. My parents got into town Saturday afternoon. They had never been to see the Chattanooga Choo Choo before, so that is the first place we took them. There are beautiful gardens all the around the train and quaint little shops. My parents really enjoyed it and Bri loves running around in the garden area. I am posting a mix of pictures taken by both me and my mom...

Briana got a little overexcited (surprised?) with Gramma and Papa's arrival and with just being in Chattanooga and was running a little wild in the gardens. The below picture is Daddy having a little talk with her...

She calmed down and was ~~spoiled by~~ given a gift by Gramma - a train necklace...

We headed back to the hotel to rest a bit before we headed out again to grab some dinner and then head to Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights. More to come...

Trip To Chattanooga - Ruby Falls

2011-12-08T19:16:00.001-05:00

After the ride on the North Pole Limited, we headed back to the hotel and got some shut eye because we knew we had a full day ahead of us the next day. We got up Saturday morning, had breakfast and then headed over to beautiful Ruby Falls. I have been to Ruby Falls several times, but I couldn't wait to show Briana. In order to see underground waterfall, you have to head 1,120 feet down in an elevator. Once you are underground, you enter a damp cave with amazing rock formations and walk with a guide about 3/4 of a mile until you approach the waterfall. Micah was our guide and he was fantastic and really funny. He had a "hippie-like" personality. I wish I could pull off saying things like "groovy" and "right on" - but it would never work for me. Briana followed right behind our guide the entire time. I hope he didn't mind having a very curious 5 year old right on his tail the whole time.

It really was a beautiful tour...

Here is the gorgeous waterfall...

Once you get to the waterfall, the lights are turned off. There is music playing and then the lights come on. It is very dramatic. Here is a video...

Once we got out of the cave about 75 minutes later, Briana played on the playground for a few minutes and Doug and I soaked in the view atop Lookout Mountain...

Briana loved going down into the cave. I am so happy that Bri loves to try new things. She is really fearless and very intrigued by new experiences. She is a special gal...

Right after we visited Ruby Falls, Gramma and Papa arrived in town. More details to come...

Trip To Chattanooga - The North Pole Limited (Santa Train)

2011-12-07T15:13:00.000-05:00

You might remember that Doug, Bri and I took a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee last year to kick off the Christmas season. We went with my friend Carole and her family, but unfortunately our schedules didn't mesh this year. So this year, my parents joined us for part of our trip. We took our trip the weekend of Thanksgiving. Doug, Briana and I arrived in Chattanooga on Friday afternoon and my parents arrived the next day (so they missed the first part of the trip).

The first event planned on our trip was the Santa Train (again)! If you want information on the North Pole Limited, just click this link. I dressed Miss B up in her jammies and new robe and and the three of us headed to train. The North Pole Limited actually goes to the North Pole (wink, wink). The train goes through a magic tunnel and we end up smack at the North Pole. Santa boards the train and then we go through the magic tunnel again and head back to the station. We rode in the special car again this year in which you get to visit with Santa Claus.

Here is our adventure in pictures...

Miss Briana in her PJ's and robe...

Entrance to the train station...

Inside the train station...

ALL ABOARD!!!!...

This is SO exciting!...

We finally made it...

Daddy hugs...

Mommy hugs...

Miss B took this picture...

Double-fisted cookie eating...

"Twas the Night Before Christmas" was being read...

Video of the train arriving at the North Pole and Santa waving at us...

Video of Santa entering the train. So much excitement...

Yay! Mrs. Claus was with him! ~

Big Santa hugs...

In the very top picture, you will see Briana and Santa laughing together. Santa asked if Briana had been a good girl. She said yes. Then he asked if mommy had been a good girl. And Bri said yes. Then Santa asked if daddy had been a good boy. Briana paused and started to giggle. Then Santa belted out a "Ho, Ho, Ho!" I'm thinking daddy hasn't been too good. ;D

Santa asked me and Doug to sit on his lap (separately) and we begrudgingly obliged...

Santa and Mrs. Claus...

Santa's final goodbye to Briana...

Once again, it was a magical trip. Briana loved every second of it. It is really something to see the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a 5 year old.

Santa Visit and The Pink Pig

2011-12-04T12:49:00.011-05:00

The Monday of the week of Thanksgiving, Doug and I met my parents at our local mall so Bri could visit with Santa Claus. I like to go see Santa super early to beat the December crowds. Bri was armed with her list and ready to tell Santa everything she desires...

After visiting with Santa, Doug, Bri and I along with my parents drove to another mall which is much further away to visit "Macy's Pink Pig." It is an Atlanta institution. I have never attempted to take Bri to see the Pink Pig at Macy's before, but I figured she is now at the perfect age to appreciate it...

For those that have seen the movie "A Christmas Story," you will understand what I am about to tell you. In the movie "A Christmas Story," Ralphie's parents drop him and his brother off in line at the department store to see Santa Claus. The line doesn't seem all that bad. That is until a parent waiting in the line snidely tells Ralphie the line actually starts all the way in the back of the store.

When we arrived at mall #2 around 11AM, we saw a very long line outside the Pink Pig tent. There wasn't anyone that worked there around to tell us what to do, so we stepped into line. We waited a few minutes and my dad decided to run into the mall for a minute since we had some time to kill. He came out and said, "Um, what is that big line inside the mall?" I told him that I had no idea. The lady in front of us said, "That is the line to buy the tickets. This is the line just to get into the tent." OOOHHHHH. No wonder we were getting dirty looks from the other parents in line. Doug decided to stay in line with Bri while my parents and I went into the mall to investigate. The line for the tickets alone was totally insane. I called Doug on his cell and said to get out of line because I wouldn't be done buying tickets by the time he got to the tent door. Bri wasn't happy to say the least. Doug, my dad and Briana went to visit the Apple Store while my mom and I waited to buy the tickets. I almost thought about giving up. But, I knew I wasn't getting back to that mall anytime soon and we had already made the trip, so we stuck it out.

(Scenes from "A Christmas Story")...

After an hour plus wait, we finally made it into the Pepto Bismol colored tent. The ride was very short and cute (thank goodness we bought tickets to go around twice). To me personally, I don't think it was worth an hour plus wait - BUT, Briana totally did. She loved every second of it and that is what counts...

After enduring the long wait, we were all really hungry, so we headed off the food court - Briana on Daddy's shoulders and her new stuffed pig on hers...

Despite the wait, the visit with Santa and riding the Pink Pig were a great kick off to the Christmas season!

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

2011-12-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

Well, it is now December and I haven't even gotten through talking about Thanksgiving yet. So here is the Thanksgiving wrap up.

We celebrated Thanksgiving Day at my parents' house along with my grandmother and my sister and her family. I cook the turkey each year and bring it to their house and my mom and sister get all the fixings, desserts and sides together.

Here is Briana showing my grandmother the iPad when we first arrived...

Briana showing off her new dress...

My bird...

We watched some of the Macy's Parade on TV...

Cousin N arrived and then it was time to play until dinner was ready (dinner was ready around 1:00PM)...

Doug was our designated turkey carver...

Mmmm, I love stuffing and cranberry sauce...

After dinner, we saw a whole herd of deer in my mom's backyard. I swear there were about 9 or 10 all together. The kids were fascinated...

Mmmm, Gramma makes the best pies!!!

Big hug between best cousins when it was time to go home...

And the day before Thanksgiving, Briana and I made our favorite pretzel, kisses/hugs, m&m treats - in Thanksgiving colors...

Briana gave our treats two thumbs up. She was just chilling out on Wednesday and didn't want to get out of her nightgown.

Bri had an awesome week of off school during Thanksgiving break. We went to see the Pink Pig and visited Santa at the mall on Monday of that week. And then on Friday, we headed to Chattanooga for a Christmas-filled weekend. More details on all that coming soon...

Craft Show At My Former High School

2011-11-29T13:29:00.000-05:00

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, Briana and I met friends Kathy and Chani for some lunch and then a trip to a craft show that was held at my former high school. The craft show happens every year in November, but this is the first year that Kathy and I have taken the girls. It was a lot of fun, and it was so surreal walking the halls of my old HS with my daughter. Twenty years ago, never in a million years would have thought I would be married to my high school sweetheart and have a beautiful daughter that I adopted from China. Life certainly has a lot of amazing twists and turns in it.

As you can see above, the girls favorite part of the show was the fudge cones they got to consume as we walked through all the displays.

And here is my girl in front of the school...

Chani...

Bri...

And these two cars were parked in front of the school. They were the craziest cars I have ever seen. It took us a little while to drag the girls away from them. They were fascinated...

Bringing Bri to my former HS is another one of those "surreal moments" that I can now add to the list.

Visit With Santa Claus

2011-11-25T10:24:00.000-05:00

Now that Thanksgiving has officially passed, I feel I now have a green light to talk about Christmas. :D

The Monday before Thanksgiving, Briana visited with Santa Claus. I always like to get a jump on the visit with Santa because I prefer to avoid to crazy long Santa lines in December. Bri was so cute, and she was armed with her wish list. Hopefully, she will get everything she wants for Christmas. :)

Here are her past visits with Santa.

In 2010...

In 2009...

In 2008 (The year Bri wouldn't sit on Santa's lap alone. I am cropped out of the photo)...

In 2007...

I have a lot of blogging to catch up to do, including a post on our Thanksgiving Day festivities, but Doug, Bri and I have some fun Christmas-related plans planned for the weekend and I have to run. So, I'll be back in blogland on Monday. Hope those that celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday had a very Happy Turkey Day! Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:00:00.006-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Mwah!!!

Bri's First Thanksgiving Play

2011-11-22T15:17:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, Doug, my mom and I headed over to Bri's school to see her in her very first play. It was called "It's Turkey Time." The kids told the story of the first Thanksgiving and then they did a dance number to a song called "The Turkey Tango." It was cute stuff! Bri was a Native American Indian and she only had two lines, "We know how to fish. We can show you how." She remembered her lines, but she said them kind of low and rather quickly. Hey - at least she remember them! And she totally rocked the "Turkey Tango!" She is one heck of a tango dancer! Here are a few pictures (some taken by me and some taken by my mom)...

After the play, one of Bri's classmates was celebrating a birthday, so she and her mom passed out cupcakes. Just as the kids started to eat, a tornado warning was issued in the area and everyone had to go into the hallway. As you can see below in the back corner, Briana was petrified of what was happening. Not. Ahem. She didn't let go of that cupcake...

Since the play ended right before the end of the day, Bri was allowed to go home with us. Here she is walking down the hallway...

And here she is dressed in the morning for the day in her brown top and turkey clip...

In the last few photos, Bri looks so grown up. Just like a big girl. Who told her she was allowed to grow up? Not me, certainly.

Briana's First Kindergarten Field Trip

2011-11-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

Last week (on Thursday), I went as a chaperone on Bri's first kindergarten field trip (all the kindergarten classes were in attendance). It was a trip to a farm/cornfield maze. It was SO cold that day. And it was a bit hectic, but the kids had a blast. The parents followed the buses to the farm and I managed to snap a picture of Bri on the bus before they unloaded. She looked so small in the window. The hayride was really fun, but walking through the corn maze was a challenge with a bunch of hopped up 5 year olds! LOL! I am so grateful that I was able to experience her field trip with her. Enjoy the pics...

Fourteenth Birthday Party Of The Year

2011-11-14T11:14:00.001-05:00

The Saturday before last, Bri attended her 14th birthday party of the year! Bri (and her friend Zan above) attended the 5th birthday for the amazing Matthew! ~

Matthew's party was at Catch Air and Bri had a fantastic time...

They even had a little dance party...

Time for pizza and cake...

Matthew's parents were sweet to snap a couple of family photos...

Happy 5th Birthday Matthew! It was a wonderful party and thank you so much for inviting us!!!

We've been to 14 birthday parties this year. We still have one left to go in December. And we haven't even attended every party that Miss B had been invited to. I wish would could have hit them all, but unfortunately, we've had to miss a couple. I love that my girl is popular, but her popularity is exhausting this mama! :D

Veterans Day, 11-11-11

2011-11-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

To those that serve and protect our country, I want to give you a heartfelt "thank you."

Autumn and A Little Update

2011-11-07T09:59:00.002-05:00

Fall is definitely in the air and you can tell by the way Bri was dressed to go to the farm a week ago. I love this time of year. Georgia was at peak color last week and I took a few photos from around my house...

Well, I am trying to enjoy fall as best as I can, but unfortunately, my stomach issues returned not long after I wrote my post about my improvement. So, I finally went to see a specialist. I have had two tests done on me and now I have a follow up appointment next week. Actually after the testing, my stomach issues improved dramatically. Unfortunately, now I am experiencing some dizziness and a feeling of imbalance ever since those tests were done. I think laying for longs periods of time without moving has affected my ears somehow. I feel like I am in a nightmare I cannot get out of. I just want to feel well. I am tired of being sick. I continue to plug along because I have a daughter and husband that depend on me, but there are so many times I wish I could just lay in bed. Just pray for me. I am hoping to see a doctor this week about my dizziness. I'll keep you posted.

As for Miss B, I never posted about how her teacher's conference went a few weeks ago. She is doing great academically and socially, and I am very proud of her. She has lots of friends. Bri's teacher kept saying how incredibly sweet Briana is. Her teacher did bring up how sensitive Briana is and asked me if she is like that at home. I told her that yes, Briana is an ultra sensitive girl. She cries very easily and always has. Not sure how to toughen her up though! Her teacher also mentioned a slight concern with Briana's speech. Bri doesn't always enunciate her words correctly. If you remember, Bri did not speak in sentences until she was three years old. I even went to Babies Can't Wait because I was concerned and they turned me away. Briana speaks very well now, but she does have certain words that she has a hard time enunciating at times. Bri's teacher had the speech teacher come in and evaluate Briana (a few days after our conference) and I was told that her issues are solely developmental, thank goodness. She just has problems with "r's" and "l's" right now, but she should develop them over the next few years. If she can't say a "r" sound at the end of a sentence, she will just leave the "r" off. So, my gal is sporting a bit of a Boston accent with a slight southern drawl. Quite a nice combo, don't ya think? ;) Personally, I still think she has the cutest voice ever.

Doug is very busy with work and he travels quite a bit. That has been a bit difficult with my illnesses, but I am surviving. He loves his job though and in this economy, I am not complaining. I'm happy he has a great job that he enjoys right now. It allows me to be a stay at home mom - which I absolutely love.

So that is my update for now. I don't like being on the computer for long periods of time with my balance issues, so I am going to sign off for now.

Halloween Wrap Up

2011-11-04T08:13:00.002-04:00

I haven't had a chance to share yet the pumpkin carving that we did early Saturday morning. It was quite early, hence the fact Bri was still in her jammies scooping out pumpkin inners...

Our lovely princess pumpkin...

We asked Briana to design both pumpkins this year. She did a great job! She was very proud of herself! I carved the one on the left and Doug did the one on the right. I am mediocre when it comes to carving, but Doug always rocks every year...

Miss B with her designs...

Doug took this shot...

Hope you all had a spooky and magical Halloween. I absolutely love Halloween and I'm kind of sad it is over. But I am really looking forward now to Thanksgiving and of course the Christmas season. This week has been peak for leaf color change and it has been just beautiful in Georgia. I love autumn!

Halloween Night

2011-11-02T13:32:00.001-04:00

Halloween night was so much fun!!! We trick or treated with friends Garrett, Mary Lin, Amy and Kevin like we do each year, but this year new friend Ella (and her parents) joined us. My parents came over and walked around with us as well. It was a big group! The kids had so much fun. I knew it would be a bit chilly to walk around that evening, so I found some chocolate tights and a chocolate turtleneck for Pocahontas to put under her costume and it worked like a charm...

When we arrived at Garrett and Mary Lin's house, Garrett greeted us looking like this...

And when Ella arrived, we saw that her parents Laura and Rob got into the Halloween spirit as well...

Look, here is my first loot of the night!!!

Miss Snow White...

Tinkerbell...

Let's go, go, go!!!!!

Ella was a trooper and managed to keep up the pace...

I snapped this group picture. I realize now that my mom wasn't in it. I didn't get one of her with Bri the whole evening. Bad me...

Bri ran into school friend Lexi while we were out...

All of this Halloween stuff is freaking me out!!!

Ella coming up the rear again. Trooper, I tell ya...

Three adorable gals...

Ella got tired and headed home, and we stopped at my house to pick up our wagon cause Bri and ML were getting a bit tired too. (This was the last time I saw my candy bowls because they were stolen by the time we got back home - 20 minutes later. I was pretty upset and ticked off...)

The girls hitching a ride in the wagon to stop at a few more houses...

Miss B with her loot at the end of the night...

It was an awesome night (despite getting my bowls ripped off). Our neighborhood goes all out on Halloween. It is really something to see. Can't wait to do it again next year (except the getting ripped off part. :D)

A Day At The Family Farm - Year 4

2011-11-01T15:30:00.002-04:00

Doug, Bri and I met Kathy, Matt and Chani and Lisa and Maisie at Cagle's Family Farm on Sunday morning. It was just opening when we arrived and it was nice not having to fight any crowds. It was quite cold though, so the girls asked for coats, hats and gloves. Once they started running around the corn maze though, they started to warm up and the heavy clothes came off.

This is a wonderful tradition that Kathy, Lisa and I have kept over the last four years. You can see past visits - Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 (Parts 1 and 2).

I cannot call the farm a dairy farm this year. The farm is no longer a working dairy farm and milk processing plant, but they do still maintain a herd of dairy cows and other various farm animals. And they still have the corn maze and farm tour - so the girls were very happy.

Briana and Chani checking out the farm upon arrival...

New panda hat...

The girls allowing for a photo opp...

The girls posing in front of the corn maze...

Running through the maze...

Taking a breather on the bridge...

Oh NO! We are so lost...

Hugs all around...

Mom - which way do we go??? ~

Which way again? ~

Luckily, we did finally emerge from the maze and the girls wanted to do some jumping...

Annual mamas and daughters picture...

My sweetie...

Guess who we ran into at the farm? Matthew!!! ~

Briana and Pancake...

Two sweet girls...

Let's head to the farm tour...

Sweet friends...

My gal...

Bri and Daddy...

I was a little nervous when the cows came rushing up...

Is this one giving us the evil eye? ~

Feeding a calf...

Running into Matthew again...

Mommy and Briana...

Let's try to do what Maisie can do!!! ~

Three adorable girls...

It was a wonderful morning. The girls had a blast and so did the adults. Briana was so excited to be with her girlfriends that she experienced several bouts of "selective hearing" that day. Ahem. She was running ahead of the group a lot and was not paying enough attention to what Mommy and Daddy had to say. I have said this a number of times before - I love my gal's enthusiasm, but sometimes I wish she could just take it down a notch. Just one. That is all I ask. :D

After the farm, we decided to grab a late lunch at a hibachi restaurant. Of course, all the girls ordered noodles and drank pink lemonade...

Another wonderful memory made!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T08:26:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone has a wonderful, spooky and safe Halloween!!! This week, I will have a Halloween recap - including pumpkin carving, trick or treating and a trip to Cagle's Family Farm. Happy Monday from my Candy Corn Cutie!!!

Bri's Halloween Costumes Over The Years

2011-10-30T06:00:00.017-04:00

2007 ~ Age 1
(Almost 15 months old)...

2008 ~ Age 2...

2009 ~ Age 3...

2010 ~ Age 4...

2011 ~ Age 5...

Halloween Photo Shoot

2011-10-28T08:24:00.000-04:00

I did a quick Halloween costume photo shoot with Bri yesterday afternoon! She looks so beautiful as Pocahontas!!! The weather was in the mid-70's yesterday and will be in the 50's today with rain. I had to take advantage of the nice weather! I have a feeling she will be wearing a coat over this on Halloween night!

My Little Saint

2011-10-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

All Saints Day is next Tuesday (the day after Halloween), and the church asked all the PSR kids to come dressed up like a saint to class yesterday afternoon. Briana picked Mary - that way she could bring Pink Baby as Baby Jesus. She looked so cute! (Ok - I know there were no light up princess shoes in Jesus's time, but it is all I had to work with. :D )

Unfortunately, very few kids participated in the request and I was a bit disappointed. I was really looking forward to seeing the kids all dressed up. Bri and one other little boy in her class received a prayer card for dressing up and Bri was pretty excited about it.

The outfit - two white pillowcases, one blue tablecloth and a piece of gold rope. Voila!!!!

Team Spirit Day

2011-10-26T19:05:00.000-04:00

Today was Team Spirit Day at school! Of course, Bri had to wear daddy's favorite college team - Notre Dame. She looked so stinkin' cute...

My friend Kathy made these adorable bows for Bri and gave them to her for her birthday. Today was the perfect day to wear them. Check out her bows at Kathy's Bows!

She Is Just So Awesome

2011-10-21T12:59:00.000-04:00

She is just so awesome. My Briana. I know I am her mom and I am totally biased, but I think she is so darn awesome. I can't get enough of her. This child enriches my life in so many ways. She makes me laugh. She makes me happy. She makes me feel young again. She also makes me nuts. She makes me tired. She can frustrate me like no one else can. But, no one else in the world could ever replace her - she is a one of a kind. She is my sunshine, my princess, my heart, my life, my soul, my love and my daughter...

Thirteenth Birthday Party of the Year

2011-10-20T09:45:00.000-04:00

Briana's good friend Laney turned 5 on Tuesday! After school, Angela (L's Mom) got a few of Laney's close friends together for a play date with cupcakes. The kids had a blast running around and playing on the playground.

Miss B's adorable card for Laney...

Notice all the shorts and skirts in top group picture? In October? It was on the warm side that day - very comfortable. A cold front came in the following day and now the highs are in the 50's. Gotta love Georgia's fluctuating temperatures!

Welcome to 5 Laney!!!