11 Months Since Briana Day

Doug, Briana, Asia (kitty) and I have been a forever family 11 months today. I can't believe Bri has been with us almost a year. She is our spunky and sassy little girl with a HUGE smile!

3 Words

A tribute to my beautiful little girl who is full of spirit, energy and life. I am so in love with her it is crazy.

My Life In Six Words

I have been tagged! Tonggu Momma tagged me for a meme. The meme is to sum up my life in six words. Hmmm, not an easy task. I am very tired today, so when I started thinking about it, the first six words to pop in my head were...

"Exceptionally Energetic Child Is Killing Mama."

Briana is "energetic child" and "mama" is me, of course. Bri is a BUSY child. I mean busy. She is so full of energy and so full of life and she is wonderful - the love of my life, but I am exhausted. She goes from one activity to the next to the next at lightning speed. She has been a busy girl since the day we met her in China. We would be hanging out in the hotel room and she would crawl all over and go from toy to toy to toy. We spent a lot of our trip taking her for walks and bringing her places to keep her busy. She is the type of child that has to know what is going on around her at all times.

She gets so excited when she sees other kids - especially her friends. Yesterday, Kathy and Chani came over to our house for a play date (which I will blog about in a day or two), and when Briana saw Chani coming up the steps, she started jumping, spinning around and yelling "yay!". Seriously, it was like a rock star was coming to visit.

Briana will sit down and color pictures for a period of time (about a half an hour or so) and she also does well at meals. She can sit in a restaurant for a long period of time and stay entertained. And in the last couple of weeks, she has started to enjoy me reading books to her. She made me read "Goodnight Moon" three times to her today. So, there are moments that she can be still. But for the most part, she is moving - a lot. And she is not really the best at entertaining herself. When something happens or when she does something exciting, she just has to tell someone - usually me or Doug. It can be really tiring at times.

I am trying to keep her busy during this hot summer - swimming, play dates, etc, but I realize can't have her partying every single day. It is tiring for me and gas prices don't help. I need to be able to stay home for the day every so often. I still have chores to do. She will just have to learn to entertain herself. I have a feeling that is going to be tough. Especially tough now that her two year molars are coming in. Yikes!

So, that is why that first one popped in my head. I am just really tired at the moment. But, I don't really think those six words are the ones that I want to sum up my life right now. I have two other six word phrases (sorry I like them both too much to choose) that sum up things a little better. They are...

"First Time Parent: Where's Her Manual?" and "Hope I Am Worthy Of Her." I really pray the second one is true...

Now I need to tag 5 people. Here it goes:

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic at The Long Road to China
Isabella's Mommy and Daddy at Journey to Isabella
Liene at Journey to Emilija
Bella's Momma at Bits and Pieces of a Blessed Life
Tracy at A Red Thread to China

Here are the rules:
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it to your blog (include an illustration if you wish) and link back to my post and also this post of Beachy Mimi's.
3. Choose five bloggers by linking to them in your post and let them know by commenting on their blog.

Beijing Olympics - Welcome To Beijing

I saw this video on Sandra's blog and absolutely loved it. I had to post it on mine too. I am so excited about the Beijing Olympics. Doug, Briana and I will be planted right in front of the television for opening ceremonies!



While we were in Beijing last year, we did see the "Bird's Nest" Stadium. Here is a picture I snapped. It was really amazing to see.

Of course we had to stop at an official Olympics store.

And don't forget these little guys! They are everywhere!

Fun In The Summertime

So what have Briana and I been up to during this long hot summer? Well, swimming of course! My neighborhood has five swimming pools, and the one in my section of the neighborhood is super kid friendly. Briana loves it! Not because it has lots of squirting water and small slides, but because it has stairs. Stairs that she can walk up and down (with mom's help) about a 100 times. Let's just say I get a workout when me and Briana go to the pool.

Here is Briana taking a break to eat a snack. Deb gave me this adorable towel for Bri last year.

This is our super cool pool.

And this is the two piece suit that Deb also got Briana. Doug actually let her wear it, and I am so excited. He wasn't too sure about two piece suits at first, but it's adorable. That is a protective daddy for ya.

Bri loves her purple glitter shoes.

And I also joined a local MOMS group so I can meet some new people/local moms. My friend Amy B. helped me get involved. (BTW, Amy B. is going to China in a few weeks to adopt her baby girl Mary Lin. Mary Lin is three months younger than Bri, and Amy lives right around the corner from me. I am sooo excited!) I attended a cooking club/play group get together two weeks ago and Friday, I took Briana to DAC Kids. Amy told me it was a like a giant sandbox for kids. And she was right, it is literally a giant indoor sandbox. There are large inflatables too and also an inflatable toddler area that Briana enjoyed playing in. And you all know by now that Briana hated sand in FL. Well, she was hesitant at first, but she played in it! And had a great time might I add. Hurray! Beach vacation here we come! LOL!

Ladies and gentlemen, Briana in the sand.

The giant sandbox.

Garrett and Briana.

Inflatable toddler area.

Hope you all are having fun in the summertime too!

3 Words

This whole month so far has been all about celebrations - weddings, baby showers, Father's Day, birthdays. Gosh I am tired. I am just about celebrated out. June is always a crazy busy month for me. And Doug's brother Wes's birthday was yesterday, so "Happy Birthday Wes!".

Now I am ready to return back to normalcy.

Here are my two "3 Words" photos for this Sunday...

A Great Day

My first birthday as a mom - check! It was a such a nice day. Doug worked from home and my mom (who is so sweet) came over mid-morning to watch Briana so Doug and I could have lunch out alone - just him and me. So nice! She also brought me beautiful orange roses. She is the best!

I received phone calls from my dad, sister and my sister-in-law (unfortunately I missed my sis-in-law's call, but I am kind of glad because she sang "Happy Birthday" to my voicemail and I loved it! Girl - you rock!) I also received flowers from my friend Deb (my childhood friend) and they were so beautiful. Another lifetime friend of mine, Jennifer, sent me an adorable key chain that I can put a picture of Briana in. Doug and Briana gave me an amazing necklace and matching earrings. Thanks to all my friends who sent cards and e-mails and posted sweet comments on my blog.

My mom left after Briana's nap and then Doug, Bri and I went out for a quiet dinner. When we got home, I blew out the candles on my cake. It was the perfect ending to a great day.

Me and my Bri.

Briana helping me blow out the candles on my cake.

Aren't we cool? :)

I'm The Birthday Girl!

It's my birthday. I am 35 years old today, and I guess I am now "officially" in my mid-30's. There are times that I still feel like I am in my early 20's, and then I run after Briana all day and totally remember I am in my 30's!

I said it last year. I don't need any presents because I received the best gift I could ever be given - my daughter. Like in this picture, all I need is a big hug and a kiss from Briana (and Doug of course) and my day will be perfect. Life is so good, and I appreciate every second of it.

Weekend Recap

What a pair! And what a weekend! It was definitely a weekend of celebration. I am going to start with Father's Day. I woke up with Briana in the morning so Doug could sleep in a little. Briana and I ate breakfast (French toast - yum!). It was Briana's first French toast breakfast and it was a big thumbs up. We woke up Doug around 9:30AM and brought him his cards and presents to open as we all sat on the bed. Briana and I gave him a new watch and a double 5X7 frame with a picture of Briana on one side and a drawing that we made him together on the other. He said the picture frame was one of his favorite things! Then Doug got his French toast breakfast - per his request.

The three of us went out for dinner at Aspens Steak House Restaurant that evening, and Briana dined on gourmet mac n cheese while Doug ate prime rib and I had the fillet. Delicious! Briana was on her best behavior for daddy's big night!

My two favorite people.

Briana and Daddy.

Pucker up!

Clowning around.

Briana's French toast breakfast.

And on Saturday afternoon/evening, we celebrated Father's Day and birthdays at my parents' house. I received so many nice goodies from my family. And the fathers and father-to-be scored as well in the loot department! My dad ordered two Juniors cheesecakes for dessert - they were sinfully good.

Briana helping me open my gifts. I never open gifts by myself anymore.

Briana looking for comfort in Grandma when Mommy told her no to something (don't remember what now).

Gift to Doug from my parents - a "Briana's Daddy" ball cap! So cute!

Briana helping Grandpa open his Father's Day gift.

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day!

The Weekend

We had a very busy weekend! Saturday afternoon, Doug, Briana and I went over to my parents' house to have a Father's Day/Birthday celebration (my sister's birthday and my birthday are this week). Then Sunday, Doug, Briana and I did a little relaxing, then a little shopping and then dined out for Father's Day. Lots to write about, but no time right now. I will write all about the weekend in a day or so! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

And I want to say a big "Happy Birthday" to my sis today!

Doug's First Father's Day and 3 Words (With Video)

It is Doug's first "official" Father's Day! Last year, we had pictures of our beautiful Briana, but she was not home with us yet. Now she is with us and is a full blown "daddy's girl". She calls Doug "Da Da" and runs and leaps into his arms when he comes home from work. She smiles from ear to ear when she sees her "Da Da." They have become quite good wrestling partners - as well as partners in crime. :)

I want to say a big "Happy Father's Day" to all the fathers and fathers-to-be out there including my dad, Doug's dad and my brother-in-law Andy. And a special "Happy Father's Day" to the first time daddies out there!

Enjoy this video of Doug and his little girl...

Briana Meets Olivia and Parker

A few weeks ago, Briana and I went to go visit my friend Julie and her kids Olivia and Parker. Julie is my long time friend from high school (her dad is the one who called me "The Giggler"). I have been wanting to post this play date but I was waiting until Julie got back from her vacation in Vegas so she could see it (the bum - LOL!) and then I went to FL, so I am behind on this one. Briana had a blast with Olivia (who is 5) and Parker (who is 9). It has taken years, but finally our little girls got to play together! It was a little surreal!

Here are a few shots of Briana and Olivia in Olivia's super cool Barbie car.

The girls together.

Olivia giving me her silly face.

Olivia showing Briana the ropes.

This is a shot of Briana ready to go see her new friends!

Some Facts About Me

I have been tagged three times - gosh do I feel the love! There is a tag explosion going on!

First I was tagged by Lisa (Half Gaelic, Half Garlic!) and Tracy to do basically the same meme - just the number of people to tag was different. So here it goes the first tag...

(The rules: Posted here at the beginning. The player answers all questions. The player then chooses six people you want to know more about and tags those people by listing their names at the end of the post and going to their blog and leaving a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Also, you let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.)

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

Hmmm, that would be 1998. I turned 25 that year. Doug and I celebrated our one year anniversary. I was working as an administrative assistant to a Senior VP and the Leasing Director at a small real estate company. Doug and I were traveling places and just enjoying life as a married couple. We had no desire to have kids anytime soon (it wasn’t until we were married 4 years that I got the itch).

2) What are five things on my to-do list today (not in any particular order)?

Get Briana up and feed her breakfast. Go to a doctor’s appointment. Iron clothes (which I absolutely hate and do very rarely). Make dinner. Give Bri a bath tonight.

3) What snacks do I enjoy?

Popcorn, chips and salsa, red grapes, pretzels and when I have had a really bad day – peanut M&M’s.

4) Where are some places I've lived?

I am pretty boring in this department. Miami, FL (where I was born), Acworth, GA, Marietta, GA, Canton, GA and I am really thinking my next move will be out of Georgia…

5) What things would I do if I were a billionaire?

Buy a private island and either live there or vacation there all the time. Pay off all my debt and the debt of my family. Donate money to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. Donate money to Half The Sky and Love Without Boundaries. And then of course, spoil Doug, Briana and myself rotten!

Now I'm supposed to tag 6 bloggers by leaving a comment at their blog, but I am just going to tag everyone here and you can do it if you like!
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Secondly, I was tagged by Bella's mama to write 10 random things about myself.

1. I really miss purses. Since Briana came along, I always carry a diaper bag. I actually have two diaper bags that I love - a Petunia Pickle Bottom and a Vera Bradley. But I still miss my purses. When Bri gets older, I get my purses back and I can't wait.

2. One of my oldest friend's dad used to call me "The Giggler" when I was in high school. I wonder why he would call me that? (Those who know me will totally get this one.)

3. I am addicted to the show "Lost". I love it.

4. I didn't think I would miss my personal space as much as I do. I didn't realized how much I enjoyed it until I didn't have it anymore.

5. I love being a SAHM. So challenging, but so rewarding.

6. I enjoy visiting Florida, but I wouldn't live there again. I would miss the changing of the seasons too much.

7. I love rainy days. I am currently living in hot, drought land and I am not happy about it.

8. Swimsuit season makes me queasy. I still go swimming but dislike being in a swimsuit.

9. I am still crazy in love with my husband.

10. And this is an important one...I used to be very oversensitive when it came to dealing with snippy, rude people with crappy, know-it-all attitudes. I used to blame myself thinking "what did I do to make this person behave or act a certain way toward me." And I found myself letting people get away with treating me poorly because I thought that "maybe it's me" and kept my mouth shut. But now I get it. I know that it is not me. I always go out of my way to be nice and kind to people. I try to make people comfortable around me. I like to smile - that is my personality and I actually pride myself on it. So now when someone has a crappy or negative attitude around me or toward me, I know it is his/her problem, not mine. Most likely a flaw in his/her character. And now when I am pushed to a limit, I speak my mind - I don't keep it to myself. Then I just walk away from him/her and move on - knowing that I strive to be the best person I can be. These type of people are just sad, but they do make me a stronger person.

Florida Trip - The Drama (Wedding/After)

When Doug decided to leave the wedding with Briana, she had a massive meltdown outside the reception. She clung onto me and screamed "Mama" over and over. I strapped her in her stoller and Doug rolled her away. I could hear her screaming down the pier and my heart was breaking. But by the time I got back to the hotel room around 10:30, Briana was sleeping - Doug did a fab job calming her down and getting her to sleep. Unfortunately as I climbed into bed, Briana heard me and woke up about midnight. She decided to stay awake until 4 AM. We tried everything to get her to sleep, but nothing worked - she was up. She finally fell asleep between me and Doug at 4 and slept to 8. I was up at 7 trying to finish packing. So Doug and I had to travel home on three hours sleep. Nice. I was the one who convinced Doug to come to cocktail hour and the reception for a few minutes (there were a number of people asking me to bring Bri so I caved) and now I know it was a bad idea. Bri would have been better off just spending time with daddy for the night. Well, lesson learned...

I guess it isn't a wedding if there isn't some drama, right?

Florida Trip - The Wedding

Here is the reason we were in Florida - Jen and Andy's wedding. Jen is my cousin on my mom's side of the family. The bride was beautiful and the groom was so handsome. The night before the wedding, there was a rehearsal dinner that we were invited to. Briana did really well and had a good time - and ate about a pound of food. The only time she got fussy was during a photo montage that we watched during the dinner and she got a little bored, so Doug had to take her outside a few times. Here are a few pictures of Briana in her dress that evening - I love this dress so much!

I decided not to take Briana to the wedding ceremony because she would have never survived it without making noise. Doug stayed at the hotel with Briana and I went to the ceremony. The ceremony was so beautiful. Happy tears..

After the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour and then the reception. Since the reception was right at the hotel, Doug brought Briana by to say hi so he could get a glimpse of the bride. He only stayed at the reception for about 15 minutes because it was Bri's bedtime and she was going to get fussy. Luckily, I was able to dance one dance with my baby girl before she left.

Here are Jen and Andy entering the reception. You think they are glad they're married?!

And even though this is a shot of our backs, this is me dancing with baby girl.

The next day - home!

Florida Trip - Water, Water Everywhere

While we were in Florida, Doug, Briana and I did manage to do several water activities - hit the beach (with my parents), swam at the hotel swimming pool and ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean.

The first morning we were in the sunshine state, we went to the beach. Briana put her feet in the ocean for the first time - and hated it. She hated the sand and water on her feet. Right after we got a few shots of her walking into the ocean, she decided that she want to be held and refused to put her feet back in the water. So much for a beach vacation right now. But there was a playground on the beach, so we did manage to get her in the sand again because getting to slide down the slide was totally worth suffering in the sand for. She also really loved the baby swings!

The second morning we were in FL, we went to the hotel pool. It was so beautiful and Briana really enjoyed it. We met another couple at the pool who also had a daughter adopted from China and she was four years old (and so cute). We talked for about 10 minutes. It is amazing the bond you feel with people that you don't even know because you went through the same experience. It is absolutely amazing.

And right after swimming, we headed to a restaurant that overlooks the ocean. Of course, Briana had to wear her new visor. After eating delicious seafood (Briana ate mac n cheese), we fed the koi in the little pond in front of the restaurant and then we fed the large tarpins. They almost jump out of the water to get the jumbo shrimp. It was so cool!