Craft Show At My Former High School

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

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!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Mwah!!!

Bri's First Thanksgiving Play

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 Kindergarten Field Trip

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

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