Happy Thanksgiving!

I think you all know by now what I am thankful for. I pretty much reveal my thankfulness every time I write a blog post. To my friends still waiting - I pray that tomorrow will be the last Thanksgiving for so many of you without your precious children.

I am taking a few days off from blogging. It is going to be a very busy weekend. Bye, bye Thanksgiving, hello Christmas. That means lots of work for me! :)

I have a number of bloggy friends "on deck" when the next batch of referrals comes out, so you know I will be back in time for that!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Little Things

It is the little things that Briana does that give me such joy. In the above picture, she is enjoying herself by sitting in a big brown box with all her toys surrounding her.

I giggle when she is being a diva as I drive her around to where she needs to go.

I love that she now enjoys looking at the toy catalogs that we get in the mail.

And I just love when she is just being Bri...

It really is the little things.

The Many Faces Of Miss Briana

Photos sessions with Miss Briana are not very easy. Most of the time, she doesn't want to cooperate. Just take a look...





No one can say that she is not expressive. ;) Snort...

Then there are those rare times that she does cooperate and is cute as a button.



That's my girl...

Spoiled

Well, let's just say my little sunshine was extremely spoiled this weekend. Visits with both sides of the family - grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles all offering lots of hugs and kisses equalled a spoiled Briana. Can you tell how much fun she had?

My brother-in-law Wes and sister-in-law Ann came into town from Colorado and visited with us on Friday.

They decided to come to Briana's gymnastics class and witness her fancy moves in person. Then we all had lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Delish! After all the excitement, Briana took a long nap...

Then on Saturday night, since Wes and Ann were in town, we had an early Thanksgiving dinner with Doug's side of the family at my mother-in-law and father-in-law's house.

Who knew napkin rings could provide so much entertainment?

Then Briana pulled out this baby after dinner. Doug's parents have had it stashed away forever. Bri loved this 1980's piece of machinery. Somehow it managed to find its way to my house. ;)

Sunday, while Doug and I were having lunch with friends, my parents offered to watch Briana for us. She had so much fun with her new drawing table at grandma and grandpa's house.

And she ate two plates full of spaghetti.

She also took a walk with my mom and dad...


And took a little stroll by herself as she enjoyed her new pink coat. Thank you for all the sweet comments about it! It is pretty snazzy.

Let's just say Briana needed to decompress a little on Monday. That's what happens when you are the center of attention for three whole days. :D

Meeting A Bloggy Friend

Doug and I met my bloggy friend Liene and her husband Lane in person for the first time yesterday. Liene and Lane came into town and we met at Maggiano's (yum!) along with another bloggy pal & good friend of mine. Liene's friends Liz and Lawson joined us as well. It was so awesome meeting Liene and Lane - can't wait until you move to town! We all feasted on great Italian food, laughed hysterically at the huge chicken dish that one of us ordered, and I somehow I ended up coming home with a box of these. They were a gift and yes, I have already eaten a few. I am officially addicted and cursing you now girl - LOL!

While Doug and I were at lunch, my mom and dad offered to watch Briana for the afternoon. She ended up coming home in this new adorable pink furry coat. Now how did that happen? ;) More to come on her fun afternoon soon...

Briana's Funniest Videos

In my sidebar, I have added a "Briana's Funniest Videos" gadget. We all know what a "hoot" Briana is, so I made all of her funny moments very easily accessible.

Also, I found two videos that I took of Briana back in August. Enjoy!

Time In A Bottle

I can't really express in words what this trip meant to me (and to Doug). Doug and I waited so long for a child, and as we walked around the streets of Gatlinburg, I felt complete and happy. I took everything in. There were so many times on this trip that I was on the brink of tears because I watched my little girl having such a good time, and I was getting to enjoy special moments and create beautiful memories with my daughter and husband.

Here is a video I put together of what a wonderful time we had together. If only I could save time in a bottle.


And I am really starting to get that Christmas feeling. I don't think I had it until after this trip. We visited the Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge and there was "The Singing Santa." Briana enjoyed Santa from a far. She wasn't interested in getting near him. I don't think we will be getting a great Santa photo this year! Here is a video I took of "The Singing Santa". He was so good!!

Home Again, Home Again!

Briana, Doug and I are back home after a wonderful trip to Gatlinburg, TN in the Great Smokey Mountains. We had so much fun! The leaves were at their peak and it was absolutely breathtaking. I have lots to share over the next few days!

I am totally behind on reading blogs now. I will try to catch up, but I may not be able to comment. But I will be checking in - promise!

This is the amazing cabin we stayed in...

And this visitor showed up in front of the house on Monday morning! Yowza! We saw a few of these guys while we drove around the mountain. I obviously took the following shot from inside the house.

There REALLY ARE bears in those mountains!!!!

She Makes Me Laugh

I don't know how I got so lucky. Briana is such a happy kid and makes me laugh every day. She is pure sunshine.

I am going to be MIA for a few days. Doug, Bri and I are going on a little vacation starting Friday. You know I'll have pics when I get back. See ya on the flip side!

Gymnastics Class

On Halloween, the kids were allowed to wear costumes to gymnastics class. Our class was very small that day - I guess everyone was gearing up for Halloween night. Briana had a great time per usual. I can't believe I hadn't taken a camera to class until that day.

Briana loves Ms. Jennifer.

Hanging on the bar.

Angela jumping with Briana and Laney.

Briana loves getting stamps on her hands and feet at the end of class. And that day, they got lollipops too.

I am still exhausted after each and every gymnastics class. Briana is a fireball and it is hard to keep up with her!

Log In Date

I can't believe I almost forgot to acknowledge this date...

We were logged into China on November 3, 2005.

A very important date indeed...

I wasn't blogging on this date, but I was in November 2006.

Not One But Two Birthday Parties

We have definitely been on the party circuit the past couple of weeks. So many kids born in the month of October!! And Briana loves to party - we all know that. Yesterday, we headed over to Andrew's house for 2nd birthday festivities. Pizza, cake, juice boxes, toys and kids all equal a happy Briana. I think her favorite part was kicking the soccer ball in the backyard. See her big smile? She looked like that even after the soccer ball bonked her on the head - twice. Yep, that's my special girl.

And on Wednesday, we went to Matthew's 2nd birthday party. Briana had such a good time. Pizza, cake, juice boxes, toys and kids all equal a happy Briana. Wait, I said that already, didn't I? ;)

With all this partying and Halloween thrown in, Briana is on overdrive with a capital "o". Overstimulated, overdone. This week should be fairly quiet and that is a good thing!